Virginia and New Jersey Hold The Wealthiest Communities

1. Fairfax County, Va. Median income: $100,318

2. Loudoun County, Va. Median income: $99,371

3. Howard County, Md. Median income: $94,260

4. Hunterdon Country, N.J. Median income: $93,297

5. Douglas County, Colo. Median income: $92,125

6. Somerset County, N.J. Median income: $91,688

7. Morris County, N.J. Median income: $89,587

8. Montgomery County, Md. Median income: $87,624

9. Arlington County, Va. Median income: $87,350

10. Nassau County, N.Y. Median income: $85,994

Whatever it takes to watch in style, right?

Home cinemas. huge screens, incredible sound systems and luxurious seats are popping up in seemingly spare rooms and basements. Take a look.

Stats on Americans and How They Feel About Their Lives

• An extensive survey conducted in 2007 by the Pew Research Center found that 65% of Americans termed themselves “satisfied” with their lives. That compares with the four economic powerhouses of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, which averaged about 53%.
• Americans’ homes have roughly twice the square footage per occupant as those in the EU, Americans own more appliances, and, on average, they spend about 77% more each year than Europeans.
• By any historical standard, Americans are unbelievably wealthy. U.S. household wealth climbed from $38.8 trillion in 2002 to $58.6 trillion in the third quarter of 2007, an unprecedented 51% surge in just five years. That includes the recent meltdown in home prices.
• Another reason why Americans are happy right now: a million new jobs over the last year, a milestone that is underpinning U.S. economic growth right now.
• According to the Pew folks, there’s a 72% correlation between per capita GDP growth in a country and its citizens’ happiness.
• Teenage drug use, pregnancies, smoking and drinking are all on the decline; welfare reform is working, bringing down child poverty, and the divorce rate is falling. Horray!
• We’re having more babies than at any time since the 1970s.  Our 2.1 babies per adult woman puts us at the top of the developed world’s fertility rankings.  A child is the biggest bet on a happy future that two people can make.

 How Well Are You Dealing With Stress?

One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly half of Americans (48%) believe that their stress has increased over the past five years. Stress is taking a toll on people — contributing to health problems, poor relationships and lost productivity at work, according to a new national survey released today by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Money and work continue as the leading causes of stress for three quarters of Americans. Nearly half of all Americans report that stress has a negative impact on both their personal and professional lives. Stress causes more than half of Americans (54%) to fight with people close to them. One in four people report that they have been alienated from a friend or family member because of stress, with 8% connecting stress to divorce or separation.

Stress in America continues to escalate and is affecting every aspect of people’s lives — from work to personal relationships to sleep patterns and eating habits, as well as their health. Physical symptoms of stress include: fatigue); headache; upset stomach; muscle tension; change in appetite; teeth grinding; change in sex drive and feeling dizzy.  Psychological symptoms of stress include: experiencing irritability or anger,  feeling nervous, lack of energy and feeling as though you could cry.  In addition, almost half (48%) of Americans report lying awake at night due to stress.

While many Americans recognize that stress has a negative impact on their health, they may lack the motivation to make lifestyle and behavior changes. Only 35% report that they would modify their behavior following the diagnosis of a chronic condition. Encouragement from a spouse or partner would motivate 38% to make behavioral changes.

I have to agree that there is a lot of pressure to specialize.

1. “They should put me on the endangered-species list.”   A good primary-care doctor (someone to coordinate your health care, help choose your specialists and be the first to diagnose just about any problem) is the key to good medical treatment. But they’re getting harder to come by. Why? Fewer med students are going into primary care: Interest is so low that the number of primary-care internal medicine residency positions dropped by more than 50% in the past decade.

2. “I’m the pauper of my profession.” One big reason fewer medical students are specializing in primary care is pure and simple economics. In 2006 primary-care doctors earned an average of $171,519. That might sound like a lot to most working people, but it’s less than half of what dermatologists made that same year. And the call of more-lucrative specialities is only likely to get louder for today’s residents: According to one study, the income of primary-care doctors, adjusted for inflation, actually fell by 10% between 1995 and 2003.

3. “Sorry, your 12 minutes are up.” Some doctors are able to see 40 patients a day. That’s one every 12 minutes. And it doesn’t show signs of slowing: According to one survey the average number of patients doctors saw grew by 7.5% from 2004 to 2005. While this system isn’t inherently bad, it can be abused. Assistants may have a different philosophy from the doctor, leading them to treat problems differently as well. Communication can break down, causing confusion about medications, and a misdiagnosis by an assistant is always possible.

4. “I hawk for Big Pharma in my spare time.” Your physician relies on his best judgment when deciding what drugs to prescribe. And influencing that judgment is big business. Market-research firm IMS has found that the pharmaceutical industry spends $7.2 billion a year targeting doctors with ads and sales representatives.  Drug companies know doctors are more likely to take their cues from other doctors, so they sponsor weekend seminars at expensive resorts featuring presentations by physicians.

5. “Sore throat? You might be better off going to the mall.”  Walk-in clinics are springing up across the country. They’re run by nurse practitioners, who diagnose simple maladies, like strep throat or flu, and provide prescriptions, medical advice or referrals if the problem is beyond their scope. These clinics have caught on in part because they’re fast and don’t require an appointment. They’re also cheap — $40 to $60 a visit, versus $150 for a doctor or $300 for an ER visit — and many take insurance. Today there are about 460 such clinics, but analysts expect the number to jump to 4,000 by 2009.

6. “I hate technology.” Primary-care physicians have been slow to adopt the technology: A recent study found that only 28% use these systems. Why? They can cost up to $70,000, and cash-strapped GPs see little payoff. For most patients the benefits of the technology are huge. It eliminates prescription errors due to illegible handwriting. It ensures that patients get the right dosage. Records won’t get lost. It reminds doctors when they need to monitor their patients. And specialists and others can easily forward electronic records to your GP.

7. “Your insurance company is calling the shots.” These days doctors have more freedom to send you to a specialist or order expensive tests than they once did under managed care. But that doesn’t mean the system is fixed. With increased deductibles, it’s often the patient who foots the bill for a referral or an expensive test. Insurers also still wield the power when it comes to hospital stays.

8. “My legal history is none of your business.” Today’s insurance plans give patients a wider range of doctors to choose from, but patients don’t have any more information to help them decide. The best information about doctors is off-limits to patients. It’s the National Practitioner Data Bank, which state medical boards and hospitals use to do background checks, and it includes information on disciplinary actions and malpractice payments. The best publicly available information is tracked by state medical boards, many of which publish this information on their Web pages. If yours doesn’t, you can pay $9.95 for a report from DocInfo.org, a site run by the Federation of State Medical Boards.

9. “If you’re over 65, don’t bother me…” Doctors who specialize in geriatrics are increasingly rare. Right now there is just one geriatrician in the U.S. for every 5,000 seniors, about half of what we should have, according to the American Geriatrics Society. Treating older patients who have multiple, often complex problems is about the worst way a doctor can make a living. Medicare doesn’t compensate much more for a 45-minute appointment with a patient with dementia, hearing loss and a half-dozen other maladies than it does for seeing someone for a simple checkup.

10. “…unless, of course, you’re willing to pay extra.” Unfortunately, the shortage of geriatricians is worsening. The American Geriatrics Society estimates that by 2030, there will be a shortage of about 36,000 geriatricians in the U.S., up from 7,000 today. Though the situation seems dire, there are ways to guarantee qualified care. One approach is to see a good primary-care doctor who is also a geriatrician long before you need one. Other approaches can be costly. In Sarasota, Fla., many doctors provide “concierge” service: Patients pay an annual retainer of about $4,000 in exchange for their doctor’s cell number and upgraded access. These pricey options aren’t what most people have in mind when they think of health care reform, but they may be the only way to maintain ready access to a good doctor.

If it’s done anything, it’s made me never, ever want to buy a Chevy.

Who hates those Chevy commercials because of their song “Our Country,” by John Mellencamp? According to Newsweek, everybody hates it. Mellencamp’s melancholy anthem have become so ubiquitous that they’re driving sports fans to distraction. Chevy thinks the campaign has been a success, and are actually making more “Our Country” commercials, despite heavy criticism from people who are sick of the song.

The company used Bob Seger’s “Like a Rock” for 11 years, helping drive up truck sales 61%. Chevy spokesman Terry Rhadigan is aware of the negative buzz but has no plans to throttle back.  When it comes to building awareness, experts say, nothing succeeds like excess—even at the risk of overkill. Just great!

Thanks To Healthcare and Energy Costs. College costs are rising faster then the amount of financial aid available.

State university tuition has leaped 40% in the past five years, hitting the three out of four American college students who attend public universities. Tuition has risen 126%(after inflation) since 1984. In 1984, the tuition and fees at a public, four-year college was just 4.8% of the median family income; today it’s 9.5%. The heart of the problem is that states must juggle the cost of funding their education system alongside two other major funding obligations: state-funded Medicaid and the state criminal justice system. When states are forced to make cuts in education, they typically spare K-12 education programs because they’re politically sensitive. State universities, however, have a mechanism for making up their shortfalls - tuition hikes. There you go, send those kids to community college first.

Universities are disadvantaged by the fact that students and teachers must both be present in full numbers in order for education to take place. The quickest way to reduce costs is to put more students in the classroom. Today college costs are increasing and federal student aid hasn’t kept pace. At the same time, grant aid has consistently fallen back as a form of aid. No matter what the cost of college, the impact of the price on students, graduates and their families has grown deeper.

What does this ultimately do the students? Outstripping increases in financial aid and pushes students into more borrowing. While borrowing from the government is still far bigger, students are footing more and more of the bill with private loans from banks and student loan companies. Undergraduate private borrowing grew 12% to $14.5 billion in 2006-2007. Borrowing has increased tenfold over the last decade.

California among worst in providing health insurance through jobs

The percentage of Californians who get health insurance through their jobs is among the lowest in the country. Nationwide, about 63% of Americans have health policies offered by their employers. But in California, only 55.7% of workers were covered through their jobs last year, making it the state with the fifth-lowest level of employer-sponsored coverage according to the study by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington.  The number of employers offering health insurance has fallen nationally in recent years due to rising premiums and the diminishing bargaining power of the average worker. Companies have responded to the pressure by requiring employees to pick up a larger portion of the tab, through higher co-payments and monthly contributions, and reducing benefits and coverage for spouses and children.

While low-wage workers had the lowest level of coverage, middle-wage employees in California saw the steepest decline in those offered insurance during the past five years. And more than 600,000 fewer children in California were covered by their parents’ insurance last year than in 2000.

In California, the problem is worse due to the sheer size of the population and the fact a large number of residents work in jobs that typically do not offer health insurance, such as agriculture, hospitality and the service industry. California, which has more than 6.5 million uninsured residents, is considered a leader among states proposing health reform. Everything that’s going on in the nation is going on in California in a big way - immigration, economic inequities, large employers, small employers. You have highly profitable companies and a lot who are just scrambling to get by,” states Jared Bernstein, senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute.

  $25,000 Dessert Anyone? … Anyone?

Stephen Bruce, owner of Serendipity 3, partnered with luxury jeweler Euphoria New York to create the “Frrozen Haute Chocolate,” a blend of 28 cocoas, including 14 of the most expensive and exotic from around the globe. The dessert, spelled with two Rs, is infused with 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of edible 23-karat gold and served in a goblet lined with edible gold. At the base of the goblet is an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds.

Four years ago, Bruce unveiled a $1,000 ice cream sundae called Golden Opulence, a staple on his menu and a favorite with rock stars, socialites and other celebrities. Both desserts are sold only with advance orders. Bruce said he has received inquiries about his latest creation, mostly from Europeans planning to visit New York.

Unhealthy For Dogs? I can only imagine how schizo those dogs must be.

After a $150 initiation fee, and $49.95 in monthly membership fees, and $99.95 in annual maintenance fees—you can rent a dog for $39.95 a day on weekends and $24.95 per day on weekdays. What a steal! So when can I rent a kid? Earlier this year a San Diego-based company started renting man’s best friend for pet lovers who might want to take a dog on a long walk and maybe play a game of fetch, but don’t have the time to own a pet full time. The service caters to people who like dogs but just don’t have the time to take care of them. The customers are happy, but the ASPCA thinks it’s not healthy for the dogs.

Gale Buchwald, senior vice president of the ASPCA Pet Adoption Center and Mobile Clinic Program, said it  violates the human-animal bond. She said dogs that don’t form a strong bond with one family often end up becoming aloof and self destructive. Here’s an alternative: Volunteer to walk dogs every weekend for the local no-kill shelter. I doubt they charge for the privelage of playing with the puppies.

And we thought the French were the worst. The tourism slump is blamed on the shabby welcome many foreigners feel from Americans.

The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don’t feel welcome. Since September 11, 2001, the United States has experienced a 17% decline in overseas travel, costing America 94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue.

It’s clear what’s keeping people away in the post-9/11 environment: it is the perception around the world that travelers aren’t welcome. Travelers around the world feel the US entry experience is among the world’s worst. Do yourself a favor and be cordial to visitors. You’ll need the karma when you’re abroad.

“Either there was no work or they did not want to hire somebody without papers”

For years, millions of Mexican migrants working in the United States have sent money back home to villages like this one, money that allows families to pay medical bills and school fees, build houses and buy clothes or, if they save enough, maybe start a tiny business. After years of strong increases, the amount of migrant money flowing to Mexico has stagnated. Migrants and migration experts say a flagging American economy and an enforcement campaign against illegal workers in the United States have persuaded some migrants not to try to cross the border illegally to look for work. Some have returned to Mexico and many of those who are staying in the United States are sending less money home.

Last year, migrant workers worldwide sent more than $300 billion to developing countries — almost twice the amount of foreign direct investment. But in Mexico, families are feeling squeezed. The construction slump — along with a year-old crackdown on illegal immigration at the border and in the workplace, and mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in places — has made it even harder for Mexican migrants to reach the United States and land well-paying jobs. New walls, new guards and new equipment at the border have dissuaded many from trying to cross and raised the cost for those who try to as much as $2,800. Workplace raids and stories of summary deportations stoke fears among Mexicans on both sides of the border.

With those prospects, the next generation (some of them as young as 15) seemed to have few doubts about heading to the United States. “It’s really tough to go back,” says one worker . “Now they lock you up. Before, they grabbed you and sent you back. The laws were never this tough.”

Welcome to your future, California.

Six illegal immigrants were arrested today by U.S. Border Patrol agents at Qualcomm Stadium, after a report that they were stealing food and water meant for evacuees. Gee, who could have seen that coming? San Diego police responded to a call about alleged theft from the evacuation center and encountered six people in a van who didn’t speak English and didn’t have California driver’s licenses. The police officers called the Border Patrol, who arrived at the stadium and made the arrests. The immigrants admitted they were Mexican citizens and that they were stealing.

Other news release from Sign-On San Diego, “A woman told San Diego police officers she saw the group load up two pickup trucks and a car with cots and other supplies, leave and then return, said police Sgt. Jesse Cesena.” A clear indicator of having zero values or worth as humans. The first step towards U.S. citizenship is stealing food and water from disaster victims. How about the other 11,999,994 that are stealing our tax dollars?

We’re stressed out, we can’t sleep, we’re drinking too much - and it’s getting worse. 48% of Americans say they’re more stressed now than they were five years ago, and the same percent report regularly lying awake at night because of stress, according to a new study by the American Psychological Association.

What is it we’re worrying about while we stare at the ceiling all night? Primarily two things: money and work, the main woes for nearly 75% of Americans. We’re also worrying about making the rent. More than half of people polled say paying the landlord or making the monthly mortgage causes great stress.

According to the report, all that stress and worry is taking a big toll on our lives, leading us to fight with family members, drink, smoke and give up on working out. As a result of stress, 54% of people have fought with loved ones, and 8% say stress has led to separation or divorce. More than three-quarters of respondents say stress is making them sick, from headaches (44%) to upset stomach (34%) and grinding their teeth (17%). 43% claim they eat - or overeat - unhealthy food to deal with stress, while a third say they lose their appetite and start skipping meals. Sad…

A Nightmare Many Americans Face After The Housing Bust

In just three years Delia Toothman, 30, a former Navy officer and bioscience technician in San Diego, went from $18,000 in savings to $16,000 in credit-card debt. She once lived in a home she co-owned; now she lives in her father’s garage. Toothman is just one of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Americans who find themselves homeless and broke in the aftermath of the housing bust. Hers is a cautionary tale of hard-working and well-intentioned young woman who got swept up in the real estate madness of Southern California, helped along by what she describes as bad advice from industry professionals. Read her story.