Random

• Asian and Hispanic high school students talking about the tabooish "racial achievement gap" ~ Link

• Google Knol is now live -- kind'a like Wikipedia with a little more oversight. So far the system has been loaded with health related and how-to articles. ~ Link

• "Within five years, technology will obliterate the need for business travel." I suppose that depends on what business you're in. And it's hard to have a virtual lunch with someone. (If you're in the airline business this will certainly not be good news -- even if the prediction is only half right.) ~ Link

• Columbia law professor Michael Heller believes that the economy is gridlocked because there are too many players -- all holding trump cards. ~ Link

• Uncle Sam could save $522 million a year in production expenses if we all switched to dollar coins. I keep trying to help -- bought two more rolls yesterday and use them for ordinary transactions. But it was a hassle getting them from the bank -- they aren't set-up to offer them to every customer. Until the banks lead the way and start treating the coins as common currency rather than collectors' items they won't fly very far. Uncle Sam has to get the banks on board. ~ Link

• Chris!!!! Why didn't you tell me that you had started a blog? You knew
that I'd eventually find out! ~ Chris Lascano's Blog

• It took an agonizing while (months and months) but I finally finished compiling and editing the 2008-2009 academic catalog. The paper copies are being printed (that is, photocopied -- we're a small frugal college) but the online version is up at pibc.edu. The major change was the addition of the master of arts in religion degree and related classes.

• The price of gas on Guam dropped 8¢ to $4.84 today -- just in time so that I can take a long summer road trip. (You can drive the circumference of the whole island in just a few hours.) ~ Link

• How to travel by cargo ship ~ Link