Beijing Journal

John spent the summer in Beijing, China, studying at Tsinghua University, seeing the sites, and attending the Olympics (as seen on NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams).

Lesotho Log

Scott spent July in southern Africa, in the country of Lesotho.

July 15, 2008

"Everything is going very well here! Lesotho is awesome and you should visit sometime. It's been a great experience to see Masianokeng after talking about it in the class that I took (though I never thought that I would say that).

Celebratory gunshots

"This holiday season, Dallas residents are again reminded about the tragedies that can result by recklessly firing weapons into the air. Unfortunately, these celebratory bullets often come down on innocent men, women and children. Dallas Police remind residents that those who fire into the air will face jail time or major fines. So far this year the City has reported more than 14,000 incidents of random gunfire."

Dallas City Hall press release

Our Recognized School District

The Richardson Independent School District achieved a rating of "Recognized" in the annual accountability ratings for Texas schools. There are four ratings: Exemplary, Recognized, Acceptable, and Unacceptable. The RISD was the largest school district in the state to earn the "Recognized" rating. Congratulations to everyone involved in the RISD, including Ellen, the linchpin of RISD's crown jewel, its Fine Arts program. :-)

Great Lakes Tour

Niagara-on-the-Lake (see more)

On the road for three thousand, three hundred miles in eight days! No two nights in the same place. That was summer vacation for the Stegers in 2007.

The mystery of the 5-cent Coca-Cola

The price of the first serving of Coca-Cola was 5 cents in 1886, about a dollar in today's money. Coke no longer sells for a nickel, and that is not terribly surprising. What is surprising is that it took more than 60 years for the price of Coke to change.

Tim Harford (Slate, May 11, 2007)

Frontier counties

The 2000 census found more "frontier counties" - that is, counties with six or fewer people per square mile - in Kansas now than in 1890.

Dallas Morning News, May 8, 2007

Black gold

"Even with high oil prices, Saudi Arabia's annual per capita income, at $14,000, is only about half that of oil-free Israel."

Edward Luttwak (Prospect, May, 2007)

Talk is cheap

Sending data on the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable cost $10 a word -- in 1866.

Wired, February, 2007

Harper's Index

83: Annual budget of Miami's police department, expressed as a percentage of the production cost of the film Miami Vice.

Harper's Magazine (as reported in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 7, 2007)