Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job.

BBC: State of the Union: Obama pledges to reignite economy

It has focused attention on our problems as well as our strengths - poor health, pockets of poverty, minority groups, alcohol and drug abuse.

BBC: One last, lingering look behind

It may be noted that because of their small size and informal organization, cultural industries have the ability of reaching even entrenched pockets of poverty.

UNESCO: CULTURE

That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between blacks and whites, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persist in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

NPR: Obama And The Politics Of Being Biracial

On top of that, there are persistent wide differences between pockets of poverty in the old East Germany and the booming South-West of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, 20 years after unification.

BBC: Angela Merkel's Germany pessimistic about future

The idea is to break up large blocks of public housing so that poverty is not concentrated in pockets of the city, boosting public safety and economic growth.

NPR: New Orleans' Controversial Public Housing Model

But poverty is still severe in pockets of America.

ECONOMIST: America��s poorest places need investment

We'd still find ourselves living in cities racked by disease and poverty, with the exception of pockets of privilege.

NPR: America's Troubled Schools Need Reform Now