Random

• The great tragedy is that is has taken so long to get a woman and an African-American into serious contention for the top leadership spots in the US. The great significance of the 2008 election is that from now on it's not going to be as big of a deal -- regardless of who wins the office. The open door is now more than theoretical possibility.

• We launched Guam Theological Seminary this morning -- and it is total fusion. ~ link

• Saipan, our neighbors to the north, are having rolling black-outs for three hours a day. Part of the problem is the economy. Part of the problem is a mentality in which you don't want to deal with issues until they reach crisis mode (who knows -- it may not ever happen -- so don't worry...) and then they're always playing catch-up. This isn't just an island problem but in this environment its consequences are more pronounced. ~ link

• The islands (we've lost power on Guam a few times this week, too) aren't the only powerless places this week . There are sections of the greater Phoenix, Arizona area without electricity following a monsoonal storm "on steroids" that ripped through the Valley on Thursday. Fortunately today's high is only supposed to be about 97° -- still not much fun without AC. ~ link

• An Italian priest is organizing a web-based beauty pageant for nuns "to erase a stereotype of them as being old and dour." ~ link

• What would Stephen Colbert (and his writers) do without Guam? It's like shooting ducks in a barrel.