| Cricket's black and white order exposed
Lehmann was, among his teammates, the most popular cricketer in a side that bled with him as he was charged and suspended. Australia's players had never thought much about racism, but the Lehmann charge rocked them, focused their thoughts and hardened their attitude. They reckoned if it was good enough for Lehmann to be harpooned for words spoken as he was entering a dressing room then they would have no reservations about reporting a black or coloured player who turned a verbal torch on them. A month or so later, Adam Gilchrist reported Pakistan keeper Rashid Latif for allegedly calling him a "white c---" during the World Cup in South Africa. Sledging of white cricketers by black or coloured players had essentially been ignored down through the years for the reason that white cricketers never felt they could ever assume the high moral ground, no matter how big their grievance.
Improving Graduate Education
The report urges a cooperative effort between government, business leaders and universities to boost the enrollment and retention of underrepresented minorities in graduate programs; expand federal programs to foster interdisciplinary research; compete more effectively for talent abroad; and enhance the quality of American graduate education, including reducing attrition and supporting more risk-taking research. Two specific recommendations in the report: further improving visa processes for international students, and increasing federal funding for graduate programs by at least 10 percent at each agency. As many in the academic and business communities are seemingly eager to commit to these priorities, some of the goals are already on the way to being achieved on the government side as well.
Web sparks person-to-person lending around the world
Reese, an IBM engineer, the revenue stream from loans she's made at 0 percent interest through www.kiva.org isn't as important as what the payments represent. They mean her hand-picked business partners – a barber in Uganda, a fish saleswoman in Vietnam, a school principal in Kenya – are lifting themselves out of poverty. "We're peers now," Reese says. "I'm investing in their small enterprises.... I'm not being the beneficent Santa Claus or something. I'm a partner with people who are working to improve things. It's a very satisfying way to invest money." As Christmas arrives with a seasonal reminder to look out for the less fortunate, investors are finding a growing range of options for helping without a handout. Thanks to creative intermediaries and new avenues on the Internet, they're lending to specific individuals or operations that tug at their heartstrings.
Power: State's economy starts a slow march back
Even without a recession, Clay says the state budget for the fiscal year that will end on Sept. 30, 2008, will face (once again, thanks to the legislature) a $500 million deficit, split roughly equally between the general fund and the school aid fund. Clay expects deteriorating home values to end consumers' recent habit of converting gains in home equity to TV sets and new gizmos. As a result, he thinks "sales tax income to the state might suffer, say a $200 million drop." His two biggest worries at the state level: Cash flow and political deadlock. "We had some trouble paying our bills on time last year," said Clay, who helped oversee state budgets for three decades, "and there's nothing about the new Michigan Business Tax and the new surcharge to that tax that make me believe there will be any material increase in cash flow." Michigan cannot under its constitution borrow any more than it has, so a cash shortage means delayed bill payments, which in turn means the state will put off paying school districts and universities and local governments what they are expecting.
United Artists reaches deal with striking writers
The WGA-UA deal marked a symbolic victory for the union in a bitter labor dispute that has thrown the U.S. television industry into disarray, derailed several high-profile film projects and overshadowed Hollywood's annual awards season. MGM issued a statement saying it "understands the desire of United Artists to resume its business activities but respectfully disagrees with its decision to sign an interim agreement with the WGA." Continued... .
Before you can change your body, change your mind
That excuse kept me from getting started for years. Don't think about what you have to lose. You have too much to gain not to start today. 11. I can't stand being hungry when I try to diet. Your body has not been truly hungry in years. You need to retrain your body to know what it needs. 12. Can't I just get lipo instead? Why use a short-term patch job when you haven't fixed the problem — unless you can afford to keep a plastic surgeon on retainer? 13. I have the fat gene. Yeah, so do I. 14. I always fail. Nobody can maintain that perfect record forever. Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right! 15. Isn't healthy food expensive? Doctor visits are expensive. Lipitor prescriptions are expensive. Natural foods like eggs, apples, greens, and oatmeal are cheap.
New annual feature! State of high school nation
Public high schools in many parts of the country have begun to complain that the private prep schools are cherry-picking the best football players by offering full-ride scholarships, often to boys from working-class or impoverished backgrounds. Doesn't it sound like a good idea to have boys from working-class or impoverished backgrounds attending snobby prep schools? Here's the rub. Nearly all states require high school students to pass a proficiency exam to graduate. Private high schools are bound by no such rules: They grant diplomas to whom they please, based on whatever criteria they please, and have no legal obligation to educate. If a private high school wants to recruit football players, not require them to go to class, then issue them diplomas, this is perfectly legal -- though the same practice would cause a huge scandal at a public high school.
|
