At Aidwatch, Bill Easterly argues that the beauty of a fractal – a shape which has the same amount of “jaggedness” or “unevenness” at every scale – mirrors the levels of inequality in the world.
Huge disparities of wealth can be seen between the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa (above, where red is rich and yellow, poor). But looking closer, the same patterns appear on the national and local levels within the US. There is a similar inequality of wealth between Appalachia and the greater DC area, and even on the smallest scales, in different neighborhoods in Manhattan (after the jump):
(Hat tip: Christopher Shea)
The Dish 