Who's to Blame

I'm not Obama's biggest fan right now and, honestly, never was. But I do think the guy has faced blame that was unjustly thrust upon him. It appears that even blaming him for the high unemployment in this country is also not just at all, because it is not his fault. In great part, he is responsible only for the unemployment that occurred during the time when his policies combatting it were put into effect. (Any logical person would not claim that he is responsible for all job losses post-20 January 2009.) Taking that into consideration, the result is astounding, as this blogger finds.

If you're more inclined to like pictures, behold this:

In other words, it is the Bush policies that are responsible for the loss of 7,796,000 jobs, and the Obama policies that are responsible for the loss of 41,000 jobs. That's Bush for 99.48% and Obama for 0.52% of unemployment.

This picture also illustrates it well. Or maybe it's just a cool picture that I want on my blog.

(Graph Source & via)

(Image Source)

Phallic Polls

The picture really is worth a thousand words in this case.

A Picture is Worth A 'Lost Decade'

Thank you, George W. Bush and coterie, for this wonderful mess you created for us.

And in your face supporters of the latter's economic policies.

(Found via Think Progress)

The Democracy We Engendered

Iraq and Afghanistan rank fifth and second from the bottom, respectively, on Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Index. Afghanistan was only second to Somalia.

Image Source

Balkan Demographics

The Economist analyzes demographics in the Balkans. Population seems to be declining all across the board, although it is expected that by 2050 the population of Albania will have increased. I don't know if I agree with that, but they know best... sorta....

Freedom of Press Around the World

The Economist deplores the declining freedom of press in Eastern Europe. A look at the overall standings, however, has good news for the United States, which, in comparison with 2008, has gone up sixteen places. No wonder Fox News is spewing anti-Obama propaganda in ways other networks would not have been able to do against Bush under Bush.

Albania, on the other side, has oscillated, but on the side of decline... especially during election years.

In 2003, it ranked 34th.

In 2004, it ranked 50th.

In 2005, it ranked 62nd.

In 2006, it ranked 80th.

In 2007, it ranked 87th.

In 2008, it ranked 79th.

Presently, it ranks 88th.

Happy Vikings

According to rankings by the United Nations Development Programme, Norway is the best place to live in the world, due to its high literacy, life expectancy, school enrollment, and good economy. It beat its closest rival, Australia, and its Nordic cousin Iceland for the title.

Complete standings and individual profiles of countries, as well as the explanation of the methods used are available on the UNDP page.

The World of Couch Potatoes

Ever wonder how much television people of different countries watch on average?

The Economist satisfies your curiosity.

Diabetes Across the Nation

A New York Times article gives 13.7% and 11.9% as the percentages for American men and women, respectively, who have diabetes, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with it or not.

It also breaks down the data by state, resulting in the diagram below.

Facebook as an Index of Happiness

The New York Times has an article discussing Facebook's recently released Gross National Happiness. Facebook compiled data over two years from people's Facebook statuses and based the analysis on the use of 'happy' and 'sad' words. Christmas reigns supreme, though the days that precede it seem to be the opposite. Other holidays coincide with peaks, too.

Here's a quick snapshot, though if you go on the image source page, you can play around with it and see it more clearly.

Healthcare Quality Across the Nation

An article from the Associated Press has a ranking of healthcare quality and access for the fifty states in the Union. The ranking was performed by the Commonwealth Fund, who reported it on October 8.

Here are the top qualifiers:

1. Vermont

2. Hawaii

3. Iowa

4. Minnesota

5. Maine

Massachusetts places in the 7th place, though it must be said that it ranks first in access to health care. The keyword here: Location! Location! Location! Oh... and what the rest of the country calls 'socialism,' 'communism,' 'socialized medicine,' or any of those very nice-sounding words....

Image Source

Wanna Save Traditional Marriage?

Let gays marry. Seriously. In Massachusetts, where same-sex marriages have been allowed for the past five years, divorce rates are the lowest in the country. Not only that, but they are also at the same level as in 1940.

Queer, ain't it?

I knew that the argument that same-sex marriages would destroy traditional marriage were all fallacious, but this really packs a punch....

Way to go, Massachusetts! Lead the way and give the rest of the country a taste of what is progressive.

(Found via The Daily Dish)

A Jab at the French

According to statistics reported in Le Monde, TOEFL scores rank French students 69th (out of 109) worldwide, and 25th (out of 43) among their European peers.

The article also mentions Albania (along with Kosovo and Cyprus) as having the lowest TOEFL scores in the continent.

World Statistics

Hans Rosling does it again. Another lecture on our 'flat world,' with some updates.

The data in the video can be accessed on his website, Gapminder World.

What's in a Name

The statistics are out and Emma is the most popular name among girls in America, as it had been for more than a century, along with Emily.

My favorite site for name data: Baby Name Wizard.

Reality Check

A few weeks ago I posted an entry on the number of uninsured people in the United States. Here's a different article on the same subject, this time from The New York Times.

I continue to have the same position as before: not one life should be ignored.

Most people continue to think that they have a great insurance policy, and that any attempts to hold insurance companies more accountable before patients are attempts to ration healthcare. Without getting into the selfishness of those who can afford decent healthcare and who make no attempt to extend it to others, I must say that they are at the very least deluded if they think it will always be affordable and reliable.

The video below, launched by Americans United for Change, reminds us that so-called 'death panels' already exist in the United States with regard to healthcare. They are set up by the insurance companies who provide policies and services to individuals very selectively, so as to charge them the high premiums that supposedly keep competition alive and make great healthcare possible, but not actually 'waste' money on them by delivering medical services. (Source: Daily Kos)

Religion in France

A recent poll conducted by the Institut Français d'Opinion Publique (IFOP) and released as a .pdf document shows that Catholicism is an aging and decaying breed in France. More than a quarter of the population identify as 'non-religious', while those who identify as 'Catholic' have declined since the end of the Second World War.

The graph below shows not only a decrease in people who identify as 'Catholic,' but also a decrease in church-going Catholics that is disproportionately greater than the overall decline.

The study also found that a majority of Catholics in France tend to vote for the UMP, the center-right party currently in power.

Americans on Gay Issues

Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com has analyzed data from 1994 until 2008 about Americans' attitudes on gay issues.

His post on his website shows people's stance on questions such as gay marriage and laws protecting gays, while trying to relate them to whether the individual personally knows a gay person or not.

Some surprising results and attitudes, I must say....

World Statistics Made Fun & Easy

Hans Rosling, a Swedish professor presents statistics on world development, wealth, and population. Very informative and educational.

Birth Rates

According to The Economist, a new study in Nature contradicts the popular belief that the rich have fewer children. With a rise in the Human Development Index (indicator of better life), populations in those countries began to have fewer children. As the HDI increased further, however, those same populations began to have more children, as indicated by the graph below. Many factors are suspected to be behind this trend.

On related news, Europe is showing an overall increase in its birth rate. Certainly good news for those xenophobic nativists who fear that the increases occur only within muslim immigrant populations.