Hot Topics, Cold Sunday

I woke up early for a Sunday morning—7:30am. Too early to be thinking about racial bias, and the complexities of foreign aid to Africa. But these two topics grabbed my attention in the list of articles featured in my daily email subscription to the NYTimes.

On aid to Africa. First impression: Hard to disagree with Dambisa Moyo. I completely see the connection between foreign aid to African countries and increased corruption—it's an unfortunate and unintended side effect. Second impression: Smart woman—Harvard, Oxford. Third impression: I love her shoes.

On hidden racial biases. Can a test determine whether I have a strong bias for Blacks over Whites or vice versa? Though I think I'm tuned in to what my biases are, I was curious to find out what the Project Implicit test would reveal. (Take the US Election 2008 task.) Results? No automatic preference for one race over the other. Not to give toooo much credence to an online test, but that sounds about right. Living in America, I picked up “learned” biases that I didn't have growing up in Nigeria. Living in Prague, I find that these biases have become essentially useless.

Okay, more cereal and less cerebral for my Sunday morning.... It's cold outside and I feel disinclined to go for a run. Heading back to bed? Looking mighty attractive.

Cau.

PS – I'm playing hostess to younger Sister MoneyBags in a few days. (She's getting her MBA, hence the moniker.) This will leave two immediate family members—my Dad and younger brother—who have yet to pay me a visit in Prague.