The Way We Live Now: stoically ignoring that which is impossible to ignore. Homeless people are everywhere, for chrissake. Investors worldwide are dumping stocks. Wages are down everywhere. A bad storm's a-coming. Cover up or get blown down.

A bunch of academics, real fancy types, got together and did a study and found out that a new job these days usually means a lower-paid job. Thanks guys, thanks a lot, we'll contemplate that one in the moments when we're not extending our hands in greeting to an entering Wal-Mart customer, here in our exciting new career. Who wants to be an electrical engineer anyhow? Greeting is a job that never goes out of style, until they invent slightly better robots.

Storm clouds. Blackheads, a-gathering. Homelessness is up 50% in New York City. Fifty fucking percent! How do you "miss" that? How do you not notice one extra passed-out alcoholic per block in every other tightly-shuttered doorway on Nassau Avenue? We are quite literally tripping over homeless dudes as we walk to the bodega, for severely overpriced ice cream! And this is here in the rich city, where we're more good-looking and our economic rebound is above average.

Thunderheads. Rainclouds. Read the fuckin newspaper, man. We just went through the worst August for stocks since 2001. Home price gains are slowing down, and they weren't that good to begin with. Think you've had a bad month? Wait till you see next month. Wowza.

Pitter patter. What is that? Hark, it is the acid rain, falling on the bare flesh of the economy's bosom. Take shelter yall, cause you're getting soaked. If you're not running, you might wanna start running. [Pic via]