Economic Empowerment

Never make eye contact with poor people and other lessons learned in Mexico

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

I realized I could have described our travels better in previous posts, telling you of women gracing the streets in white dresses bordered with colorful embroidered flowers, and cafes where mariachis in full regalia serenade sighing lovers sipping margaritas while the scent of roasting meat wafts over from street carts selling tacos and tostadas, pungent [...]

Neighborhood Development Still ‘Under Construction’

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

I recently made my annual summer visit to Whistler, B.C. Unlike my high expectations for great food in Vancouver and Richmond, I usually have low expectations for the restaurants in Whistler. However, I finally found a restaurant that I am excited to return to. The Rimrock Café is not for the budget minded, but well [...]

Despite Gains, Women Still Underrepresented in Technology Workforce

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

For women in the U.S., breaking the glass ceiling remains a daunting challenge, particularly in the fast-paced world of computer science. Paradoxically, while the U.S is still at the forefront of the international field of information technology, women continue to lag behind men in the workforce. Experts agree that there continues to be a gender [...]

What Does it Mean For a Community When its Youth are Unemployed?

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The financial crisis and the slow healing from the recession has plummeted employment opportunities. While every group is suffering, the Asian Pacific Islander community seems to inch slightly better than the rest. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the API community has the overall lowest unemployment rate in the country. Perhaps employers are grouping [...]

Social Security Turns 75 Under Fiscal Fire

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Social Security turned 75 on Aug. 14, and to read major media reports it should be excoriated for robbing our children of their future security rather than celebrated for what it has achieved in keeping millions of Americans above the poverty line. The program’s recent annual report, shows a very healthy program needing important, but [...]

Social Issues of the Unbanked

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

There are approximately fifty thousand households in the United States who do not use banks. Many of these unbanked households are comprised of low-income, minority families that see no need to open a bank account. The reasons these households are hesitant to use banks are many, but several studies have been conducted by financial institutions [...]

Glass Ceilings: How to be Aware and Empowered

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The “glass ceiling” refers to the roadblock that minorities and women often confront on their path to reach the higher ranks in corporate America. Many minorities working to rise to the top in their workplaces often face a steep, uphill battle with obstacles such as prejudice and inequalities. But with perseverance, a strive for learning, [...]

The Watts Riots – Forty-Five Years after the Flames

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

My friend and I watched looters gleefully make mad dashes into the corner grocery store. Their arms bulged with liquor bottles and cigarette cartons. Suddenly, my friend shouted out as if he was speaking to an audience: “Maybe now they’ll see how rotten they treat us.” The “they” was the white man. My friend’s words [...]

Keeping it Real Estate and Getting Yourself Out of Financial Binds

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Your house is the biggest investment you can have in life, and it just makes sense for you to take good care of it. Maintaining its upkeep is sure to make your life more comfortable, and will also lessen the risk of quick deterioration. And since good, common sense might not be too common these [...]

Business as Usual

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Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Chamber of Commerce officials and business owners say that federal stimulus money has not been effective at helping minority-owned businesses in Washington even though $5.4 billion was awarded to the state, according to the Web Site: www.recovery.gov. According to the most recent data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency on [...]