Random

~ At least one television station is using Slingshot as a cost-cutting alternative to send video feeds from the field to the station. More on the way.

~ In case you're thinking that the emerging church movement is the only circus in town -- there are other movements developing in the church -- some which contradict the "people want small, intimate, genuine community" rhetoric of the emerging church. For example, LifeChurch.tv, a large congregation in Oklahoma City, has added its 11th site -- this one in Albany, NY. They also have an "Internet congregation."

~ Mastering microlending.

~ Happiness, one of our PIBC students, has put together a little slideshow. Wait! There is more.

~ Hotmail has morphed into Window's Live Hotmail. The website is busy looking and it loads slowly -- at least out here in the middle of nowhere. It's not new and improved enough to lose the advertising tag that they put at the bottom of each email. My account probably won't get much use.

~ Oh, brother. Mormons may be off-base theologically but they aren't stupid. We shouldn't pretend that they are.

~ There is a new federal law aimed at cracking down on cockfighting. I doubt that there is anyone on Guam who will enforce it. Cockfighting is ubiquitous. Our neighbors raise fighters and the house behind us where we used to live hosted fights a couple of times a week. Technically it's already all illegal.

~ Pam "The Star Lady" Eastlick, planetarium coordinator at the University of Guam sent out email saying that the budget cuts which threaten to shut down many of Guam's non-essential services will likely close the planetarium unless she can raise $55,000 to keep it going. They run a great little monthly program that is packed with students and others from the community. And they do it all for free because by law they are prohibited from charging admission. (Another example of half-baked legislation.)

~ I'm more concerned that the ongoing lack of funding may actually jeopardize the accreditation of the University of Guam -- which would have a significant ripple effect throughout the Western Pacific (to start with -- loss of federal student aid and other funding). The money has been allocated by the government but there is either never enough to go around or it is lost before the school gets it.