Have your apartment been bugged?

They are nasty, they bite and nobody likes them. No, not spoiled children...bed bugs. And believe it or not, they are everywhere. It's becoming a common problem for apartment landlords, hotels and even business. A movie theatre in New York had to shut down this week to perform extermination measures.

In the past, people associated these little creatures with filth and slums. This is not the case anymore. Bed bugs do not discriminate and they can be transported from place to place without detection because of their size. Even worse, many attorneys say they would rather see a lawsuit over mold rather than bed bugs. These little things are a big liability.

My advice...if you have not studied up on this epidemic...get to it. Start here at Wikipedia. Second, find an exterminator that specializes in the treatment and removal of bed bugs and get them on your speed dial. Here is one in the Triangle area. There are even dogs trained to sniff for these things.

Job Growth Still Stumped

One step forward...one step back. This seems to be the norm right right in the overall economy and the labor markets. While the Triangle area is healthier than many, our employment figures are not necessarily anything to brag about. As of June, the Triangle's unemployment rate increased slightly to 8%. Nearly 67,000 people were counted as out of work in the last survey, which doesn't include people who have stopped looking.

What do you think it's going to take to start creating jobs? How long do you think we will be in this "muddle through" economy?