Can you search R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N?

I was visiting the Yahoo! site when I came across this interesting graphic care of those search engine folks. With outspoken CNBC commentator Jim Cramer yelling his head off about Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke having "no idea" about how things bad are, Joe Sixpack has gone in search of news about the impending economic slowdown Stateside. What are the areas most concerned about a further economic slowdown in the land of the free? The amount of hits coming from various states may give some clues. What follows is a bit of Yahoo! commentary and the relevant chart:

Over the past seven days, searchers propelled queries on "economic recession" and "recession" upwards. Lookups like "last u.s. recession" and "recession proof jobs" spiked. Even "stagflation"—a term not normally found strolling the Buzz aisles—more than doubled its numbers.

Most interest has focused on figuring out exactly what the pundits mean when they drop the you-know-what utterance. Demand for "definition of a recession economy" surged nearly 500%. Questions asking "what is a recession" picked up 260%, while "what is a recession economy" and "are we in a recession" nearly vaulted off the list.

As for the parts of the country most actively seeking fiscal answers online, New York; Washington, D.C.; and Tennessee top the list of areas typing "recession" into the Search box. To find out how fervently your state is hitting the Web for the big "r," check the map below...