today was a politically charged day. from the aftermath of obama’s announcing a troop surge in afghanistan, to the stupak amendment protests in DC, to the rejection of the gay marriage bill in the NY state sentate, it took everything in my power to not just send a mass email to everyone in my office and ask them to sit in a circle with me so that we could share our politically charged feelings.  seriously.

so it was interesting that today this incredibly awesome site, who lives here?, came across my desk.  the site essentially breaks nyc’s boroughs down by neighborhood, and shows the percent of extremely low income, very low income, low income, moderate income, middle income, and high income families in the area.  it also breaks down the percent of families in the area that can afford a 1 BR, 2 BR, or 3 BR apartment at a certain cost.  the most fascinating part for me, however, was the average income in each area.

go a couple blocks north of what is considered the upper west side, and by the time you hit harlem, the average income plummets from $168,000 to $33,000 a year.  something similar takes place when you move east from greenwich village to the lower each side: the average income falls from $141,000 to $36,000 a year.  it was also fascinating to look at the average income of entire boroughs.  the fact that the average income in the bronx is $36,000 is frankly just disturbing.  what i would love to see is the racial breakdown and education level in those neighborhoods, as well.

overall, a really amazing use of interactive technology to make some stunning, and certainly politically charged points.

i think obama did a really great job last night of being very clear about the  america’s past history with afghanistan, what has happened there, and his plans for the future.  even if you don’t agree with him, this kind of clear, direct addressing to the people is the kind of leadership i like to see.  it is so refreshing.