The US Geological Service has published a group of stunning satellite images of the earth. Many are false images that highlight specific features of the landscape. Run it as a slideshow–the effect is mesmerizing.
Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia
One of the troubling aspects of this years presidential primaries is the extent to which the American middle class is showing great anger and insecurity. We worry about those emotions in politics since they are usually rooted in economic circumstances that are not quickly or easily resolved. The economic security of the American middle class has deteriorated over the last 40 years in ways that were completely unanticipated. According to Neal Gabler in the most recent issue of The Atlantic:
Median net worth has declined steeply in the past generation—down 85.3 percent from 1983 to 2013 for the bottom income quintile, down 63.5 percent for the second-lowest quintile, and down 25.8 percent for the third, or middle, quintile. According to research funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, the inflation-adjusted net worth of the typical household, one at the median point of wealth distribution, was $87,992 in 2003. By 2013, it had declined to $54,500, a 38 percent drop.
Under these circumstances, one can only expect politics to be highly volatile.
World Politics News 
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