Signs 'O The Times ... by gimleteye

Government statistics of this Great Recession, or, Little Depression don't make the grade. Here are a few others:

"Dr. Robert Rawdin, another Manhattan dentist with a specialty in prosthodontics, said he had seen 20 to 25 percent more patients with teeth grinding symptoms in the last year. And in San Diego, Dr. Gerald McCracken said that over the last 18 months his number of cases had more than doubled. They, along with other dentists interviewed for this article, chalk it up to the economy." ("When stress takes a toll on your teeth", NY Times, Oct. 8, 2009)

Domestic violence is increasing, with 8,500 restraining orders in 2008 according to Miami-Dade Administrative Judge Carroll J. Kelly, Domestic Violence Division. This year, there have been 22 deaths related to domestic violence, up from 14 for the entire of 2008. (The Watchdog Report, Oct. 6, 2009)

Unable to find jobs or afford higher priced education elsewhere, local college enrollments are surging. Responding to the recession, at Miami-Dade College "the fall term started with a record for-credit enrollment of 64,060. Additionally, 33,000 new students were admitted, up 5,958 from fall 2008. FIU, which with nearly 12,000 new students, including undergraduates and graduates, hit an enrollment of 39,499, was only able to add 64 new class sections. Miami Dade, which wasn't able to add any new sections, estimated 30,000 students can't take all the classes they need, and 15,000 prospective students couldn't enroll at all because there was no room for them." (10/9/2009, Miami Today)