by Rod Edwards on March 10, 2010
For all working-age black women 18 to 64, the financial picture is bleak. Their median household wealth is only $100. Hispanic women in that age group have a median wealth of $120.
“That means half of [black women] have a net worth of more than $100 and half have a net worth of less than $100,” Ms. Lui said. “So that gives you an idea of how far in debt some women of color are.”
via Study finds median wealth for single black women at $5.
This is an American study, but nonetheless highlights systemic failures in education, financial regulation, employment equity, and a host of other factors that contribute to perpetuating disparity. The US provides a valuable case study for Canadian lawmakers as to how history and policy shape long-term outcomes. Are there lessons to be learned here, for instance, that could be applied to First Nations policy making?
by Rod Edwards on March 8, 2010
Thomas Friedman writes in the NYT today about America’s innovation culture. Its interesting that Friedman’s two examples of American innovators are both immigrants, but Friedman doesn’t wade into the heavily politicized immigration & visa issue. Its a great story – very inspiring and encouraging – but perhaps alarming for the fact that America’s real contribution to the innovation examples highlighted is venture capital.
As a result, one has produced a fuel cell that can turn natural gas or natural grass into electricity; the other has a technology that might make coal the cleanest, cheapest energy source by turning its carbon-dioxide emissions into bricks to build your next house.
The thing I love most about America is that there’s always somebody who doesn’t get the word — somebody who doesn’t understand that in a Great Recession you’re supposed to hunker down, downsize and just hold on for dear life. I have a couple of friends who fit that bill, who think a recession is a dandy time to try to discover better and cheaper ways to do things. They both happen to be Indian-Americans — one a son of the Himalayas, who came to America on a scholarship and went to work for NASA to try to find a way to Mars; the other a son of New Delhi, who came here and found the Sun, Sun Microsystems.
via Op-Ed Columnist – Dreaming the Possible Dream – NYTimes.com.
