This Map Shows the Hourly Wage You Need to Afford an Apartment in Your State A new report shows that skyrocketing rent prices have put basic living arrangements out of reach in nearly every state for most low-income workers. In order to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in the U.S., workers on average need to earn at least $20.30 an hour, according to 2016 data from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). That’s roughly $13 more per hour than the federal minimum wage, and roughly $5 per hour more than the average national $15.42 hourly wage earned by renters last year. Even a one-bedroom apartment is out of reach for minimum wage earners today at Fair Market Rent (FMR) levels. The NLIHC estimates that a worker earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour needed to work an average of 90 hours per week to afford even just a one-bedroom apartment in 2016. Fair market rent varies by state.
GOP Health Bill Would Punish Patients Who Let Insurance Lapse There are many reasons someone could end up having a lapse in health insurance. They might need to move closer to a caregiver or treatment center, for example, and consequently have to quit their job — and lose their insurance. Portra Images/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Portra Images/Getty Images There are many reasons someone could end up having a lapse in health insurance. Before he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2015, Anthony Kinsey often went without health insurance. When Kinsey, now 57, learned he had cancer, he was able to sign up for a plan with a $629 monthly premium because the agency he was working for offered group coverage that became effective almost immediately. If the GOP health plan recently approved by the House becomes law, people like Kinsey who have health problems might not fare so well trying to buy insurance after a lapse. Once people have a gap in coverage they may really be in a bind if the available coverage is unaffordable.
Visualizing Bloodtests We were happy to win a design competition in Wired US this month. It was around re-envisioning medical data. Specifically, blood test results. Which suck, design-wise. They still look like secret missives from the CIA circa 1965. Our challenge was to approach a cholesterol level test. Then we designed it thus: Our goal wasn’t just a polish job. See a hi-res version here. (The image is creative commons. Great work too from Mucca Design and Jung Und Wenig
This Flow Chart That Destroys Religion’s Case Against Gay Marriage Is So Easy, Any Zealot Can Use It / Queerty Plenty of religious folk understand the Bible as what it really is — an allegorical product of a different era used to contextualize this wacky world of ours and implement some reason into the chaos. And then there are the people who think of it as the infallible and eternal word from high above. They like to pick out specific phrases as cultural weaponry to prove society’s wrongdoings. You know the type. Related Post: Catholic schoolboy asked to defend church’s morals, turns in 127-page “Gay Marriage is Fabulous” paper instead They might do well to follow this simple flowchart to remember some other words of wisdom from God’s best seller: Related: “Is That Guy Gay?” Get Queerty Daily
A Physician Urges Americans to Stand Up to Trumpcare – BillMoyers.com Protesters hold signs and shout at lawmakers walking out of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 4, 2017 after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, delivering a welcome victory to President Donald Trump after early legislative stumbles. Following weeks of in-party feuding and mounting pressure from the White House, lawmakers voted 217 to 213 to pass a bill dismantling much of Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act and allowing US states to opt out of many of the law's key health benefit guarantees. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) This Q&A is part of Sarah Jaffe’s series Interviews for Resistance, in which she speaks with organizers, troublemakers and thinkers who are doing the hard work of fighting back against America’s corporate and political powers. Sarah Jaffe: Adam, what are the Republicans trying to do to us? Just from the big-picture perspective, what are some of the things it is doing? — Adam Gaffney
This Graphic Puts Global Warming in Full Perspective To say the world is having a streak like no other is an understatement. Global warming has made cold scarce on a planetary scale. This March clocked in as the second warmest March on record when compared to the 20th century average, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA data published last week came to the same conclusion, comparing temperatures to a 1951-1980 baseline. The NOAA data shows the planet was 1.9°F (1.05°C) above the 20th century average for March, the first time any month has breached the 1°C threshold in the absence of El Niño. This March is the latest freakishly hot month following three years in a row of record heat. NOAA and NASA baselines don’t really tell the whole story. Using the baseline of 1881-1910, a new, more dire picture of global warming emerges. To understand what that looks like, take a peek at the global temperature chart below.
Longevity Expert Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara Offers Tips for a Long Life Photo: Japan Times In 2009, author, physician, and longevity expert Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara sat down with Japan Times for an enlightening and eye-opening interview. Covering everything from health to happiness, Hinohara's tips outlined in Japan Times offer a bit of insight into his own longevity. Because of these outstanding professional successes and his mindful approach to everyday life, Hinohara has served as an inspiration in Japan and beyond for decades. Photo: Karsten Thormaehlen 1. “All people who live long — regardless of nationality, race or gender — share one thing in common: None are overweight. 2. “To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. 3. “Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. 4. “Always plan ahead. 5. “There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. 6. “It’s wonderful to live long.
By 2020, These 10 Employee Skills Will Soon Be In Huge Demand! A new infographic shows that six key factors are driving the change we’re seeing right right now: extreme longevity, the rise of smart machines and systems, our computational world, new media ecology, superstructures organizations and the globally connected world. With these massive issues in play, what will the working landscape look like in five years? What skills will employees need to succeed? I’ll tell you one thing: they look nothing like the skills desired of workers in the industrial revolution, or even in the dot-com era. In 2020, the ability to come up with solutions, ideas and responses will be highly sought after and will propel you to the front of the business line. New media literacy — the ability to critically asses and develop content by utilizing and leveraging new forms of media effectively — will be highly desirable in employees. A design mindset is also going to be key.
Charmingly Relatable Mental Health Comics Destigmatize Invisible Illness Humor is a powerful way to deal with the barbs of life. On its face, mental illness is nothing to laugh about, but illustrator Gemma Correll has used her biting wit as a coping mechanism for her own depression and anxiety. They take the form of relatable mental health comics and illustrations that allow us to commiserate with Correll, as well as many others who share her condition. Statically, 1 in 13 people in the world suffer from anxiety, and depression affects an estimated 350 million people. Even if someone doesn't personally know what it’s like to feel the way that Correll depicts, it allows them to better understand the struggle. By pointing out the perils of dealing with mental illness, Correll is also de-stigmatizing it.
Proportional Pie Chart of the World’s Most Spoken Languages [2000x3261] Bill Gates and Richard Branson Back Startup That Grows ‘Clean Meat’ - Bloomberg Cargill Inc., one of the largest global agricultural companies, has joined Bill Gates and other business giants to invest in a nascent technology to make meat from self-producing animal cells amid rising consumer demand for protein that’s less reliant on feed, land and water. Memphis Meats, which produces beef, chicken and duck directly from animal cells without raising and slaughtering livestock or poultry, raised $17 million from investors including Cargill, Gates and billionaire Richard Branson, according to a statement Tuesday on the San Francisco-based startup’s website. The fundraising round was led by venture-capital firm DFJ, which has previously backed several social-minded retail startups. "I’m thrilled to have invested in Memphis Meats,” Branson said in an email in response to questions from Bloomberg News. This is the latest move by an agricultural giant to respond to consumers, especially Millennials, who are rapidly leaving their mark on the U.S. food world. ‘Clean Meat’