Random

...One of the seven Roman Catholic bishops imprisoned in China has been released.

...As seen in the Wittenburg Door -- The Emergent Elijah

...Cheryl and I spent five hours today navigating the bureaucracy to get our car registered and to obtain our Guam drivers' licenses. We were successful!

Contrary to what we read online no written test was required. But they came up with other hoops to keep us busy -- including a run to the Social Security office to get certified confirmations of our SS numbers. (Our SS cards are in the cargo container on a ship somewhere between California and Guam. Our passports were apparently not enough identification.) Cheryl also had to find an optometrist to certify that she can see well enough to drive. (In California they test both eyes together but here they test each separately and since she has natural bifocals they didn't know how to handle that.)

...Interesting reading -- Doris Flores Brooks, CPA and Guam Public Auditor, has an outline of some of the unique challenges (and fiscal quirks) of this island. (.pdf version)

...Brad Bergfalk has been keeping an eye out for hippos.

...Pollster George Barna says that 9-11 had no lasting impact on the faith of Americans.

To the contrary -- people have become more callous or personally indifferent toward spiritual matters because of 9-11. The terrorist attacks, and subsequent plots, have focused light on the ugly side of religion in such a way that it has made Americans want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that if they just ignore the whole topic the problems of faith and religion will go away. We're stuck in the denial that follows shock.

...Google is bundling some of their apps to create an office suite of sorts.