One Reason Wealth Concentrates and Escalates

See this chart? It indirectly describes one reason that concentration of wealth is escalating, not diminishing (click on image for larger):

This is a centuries-old battle, and the public domain is on the losing side right now. See here and here for more information.

Something Completely Different: UV Photography

Why Bush Got Elected?

I think this personal anecdote might explain it circumstantially:

I was in a warehouse supermarket late last night; it was 12:15am when I reached my turn in the checkout aisle. As I stood there, the phone rang and the cashier answered it momentarily; this cashier was apparently responsible for answering incoming calls.

I could only hear one side of the conversation, but it seemed that the person was trying to find out if the store was still open? The cashier was telling them that indeed it was, but then the person asked to speak to the cashier's supervisor to confirm the story! I asked the cashier about the call afterward, and indeed that was exactly how the call had transpired.

Right... because if someone calls the store's listed phone number after midnight and actually gets an answer and is told that it's open, it might really be a hoax? Could it be that the person who answers is really just a very personable thief? Thinks to self, "Hey, I know... I'll make sure by asking for a supervisor!" Ummm... genius, perhaps the "supervisor" might just be one of the alleged thief's accomplices?  Or perhaps (s)he simply called the wrong number and the person who answered decided to have fun with the situation? Thinks to self, "Hey, I know... I'll make sure by asking for a supervisor!"  Perhaps that "supervisor" is likely to be the  answerer's beer-swilling pretzel-eating buddy?

Is it any wonder Bush got elected twice, with voters of this vaulted caliber?