When it comes to Brooklyn, the rising tide of wealth that has flooded into the borough over the last two decades seems, more than anything, to have lifted housing prices. The well-being of the borough’s longtime residents has not, as the New York Daily News points out, been similarly buoyed. Read More
As the new CEO on The Office, James Spader has been killing it. The season premiere saw the 80s star return as the enigmatic and semi-threatening Robert California taking Dunder-Mifflin’s “winners” out to a special lunch. After asking Jim an innocuous question about Sesame Street, he went off on a diatribe about the significance of one of its major characters.
“Elmo. God save us… the Elmo era. Sesame Street was created to reflect the environment of the children watching it. The complete self-absorption of Elmo is brilliantly reflective of our time. Our’s is a cultural ghetto. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Yes. We agree! Don’t stare at us with your cold, reptilian gaze, Mr. Spader! Not only do we agree with you, but we’ll raise you one better: That Sesame Street‘s introduction last night of “Lily,” a Muppet whose family lives below the poverty level, is proof that the show is not even trying to be subtle anymore about reflecting America’s current economic crisis. Read More
Today is rapidly turning into a banner day horrible economic headlines, as several historic superlatives cross the wires. Thank goodness the world’s greatest deliberative body stopped its petty squabbling long enough to intervene!
For starters, the Census Bureau said the percentage of Americans living in poverty rose to 14 percent in 2009 from Read More
While it will not be smooth or simple to build, I believe we are at the start of a sustainable or green economy. My reasoning here is not simply naive optimism, but recognition of necessity. The false wealth of the period ending has focused many of us on the need for a solid, understandable basis Read More
Poverty rates in New York City have declined by around 0.7 percentage points from 2006 to 2007, according to the American Community Survey released yesterday by the Census Bureau. It seems that the city’s poverty rate, which dropped from 19.2 percent in 2006 to 18.5 percent in 2007, is following the downward trend in national Read More
The 2007 poverty rate for the Northeast (11.4 percent) was unchanged from 2006. The poverty rate for the Northeast was identical to those of the Midwest or West, according to Census data out today.
