links for 2009-10-09

I made up my own pattern for mine and it came out well, but these are more polished that mind and I think I'll make one like this, too.

In an article published on Wednesday, The Times reported on Michelle Obama’s ancestry, tracing her maternal line back to her great-great-great-grandparents, a slave girl and a white man, and their son, Dolphus T. Shields, who was born in the 1850s.

A map illustrating where your state falls on the healthcare scorecard. Indiana is in the lowest chunk of data, Iowa ranks third. More reason to move back to Iowa.

Actually, your cat is not LOL. Your cat is just average. Sorry.

The first definition is the most familiar: one who reads, or one who is fond of reading. A young girl tucked under a tree with a book in hand; an old man waiting for the bus, nose pressed into the spine; three little boys sitting on the curb sharing a newspaper, ink smudged on their knees.