America’s Top Dog For the 23rd straight year, the Labrador retriever is the pooch that touches the hearts of most Americans. Even so, the French bulldog gained ground in popularity by leaps and bounds this year, the American Kennel Club said on Friday. Labrador retrievers enjoy the longest consecutive reign of any dog in the annual ranking compiled by the American Kennel Club, or AKC, which bases its list of the most popular breeds on the number of dog registrations across the country. This year, the German shepherd took second place, followed by the golden retriever and the beagle, respectively. Breeds pulling ahead in the pack included the Doberman pinscher, which scurried past 20 other breeds to 12th place and the Great Dane, which made an 11-place jump to 16th.
In a testament to their growing popularity, large breeds dominated the list. “Owning bigger breeds – an economic indicator of sorts – has been on the rise during the past five years,” said Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the AKC. Bigger dogs are indicative of American’s larger purses. “As the economy has improved, people are turning back to the big dogs they love, which cost more to feed and care for than the smaller breeds that saw a rise in popularity in 2007 and 2008” during the financial crisis, she pointed it. New Yorkers favor the English bulldog; it’s the most popular breed in New York City, while the French bulldog rose three spots to No. 11 on the national list, its highest ranking. “That’s a big jump. I haven’t seen anything like that in any breed,” Peter-
son said. French bulldogs require minimal grooming and exercise, making them an ideal choice for owners in apartments and suburbs. “It’s a wash-andwear, easy to care for companion dog,” Peterson said. After a decade in decline, rare breeds made a comeback. Giant schnauzers, the largest of the schnauzer breeds, climbed 13 places in the rankings. The keeshond, a medium-size dog with a plush silver and black coat, scrambled up 17 places.
Need to See a Doctor? Wait A recently released survey conducted by Merritt Hawkins, a national physician search and consulting firm, regarding average doctor appointment wait times found that Bostonians experience the longest wait times in the nation’s 15 largest cities. In Boston, it takes an average of 72 days to see a dermatologist, 66 days to see a family physician, 46 days to see an ob/gyn, 27 days to see a cardiologist, and 16 days to see an orthopedic surgeon.
The shortest wait times were in Dallas, where it takes approximately 10 days for all specialties, and just five days to see a family doctor. According to the survey, in New York the average wait time to see a family physician is 26 days. (Yes, you read that correctly.) The survey also noted that in Boston 73% of doctors accept Medicaid whereas in Dallas only 23% of doctors accept Medicaid, which may explain the disparity in wait times between the two cities. “We have too few providers, which is creating a significant access problem,” says Travis Singleton, senior vice president of Merritt Hawkins. He added, “If no one will take your insurance, you’re going to end up in the same place, and that’s probably the ER.” And with more patients covered both by Medicaid and private insurance, he says, wait times are likely to get worse. As they say, “time heals all wounds.”
Americans Live Payday to Payday
Despite reports that the economy is looking brighter, Americans are still living paycheck to paycheck. A recent report released on Thursday from the Corporation for Enterprise Development noted that nearly half of Americans are living in a state of “persistent economic insecurity” that makes it “difficult to look beyond immediate needs and plan for a more secure future.” The CFED calls these folks “liquid asset poor,” and its report finds that 44% of Americans are living with less than $5,887 in savings for a family of four. The plight of these folks is compounded by the fact that the recession ravaged many Americans’ credit scores
to the point that now 56% percent of us have subprime credit. That means that if emergencies arise, many Americans are forced to resort to high-interest debt from credit cards or payday loans. This bleak picture is not reserved for just the lower classes. According to the report, one-quarter of middle class households also fall into the category of “liquid asset poor.” Geographically, most of the economically insecure are clustered in the South and West, with Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Nevada, and Arkansas being the states with the highest percentage of financially insecure.
Nadella Named Microsoft CEO On Tuesday, Microsoft named Satya Nadella, an executive in charge of the company’s small, but growing business of delivering software and services over the Internet, its new CEO. Company founder Bill Gates is leaving the chairman role for a new role as technology adviser.
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ident. “These guys are too evenly matched. I think it is going to be 24-21, but I don’t know who’s going to win.” Turns out Obama’s prediction was way off …much like every other sports fan in the country was. (But, then again, does it indicate that he was actually born in Kenya? Hmm…)
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