Balance Sheet

From the October 2002 issue

(Page 2 of 2)

The Supreme Court clears the way for making high school even more humiliating by giving the OK to drug test any student who wants to join any club or activity. Justice Antonin Scalia suggests that the alternative is "a bunch of druggies who are orderly in class." Huh?

Net Bad

Both Hawaii and Washington state tap public coffers to build high-speed Net systems in hopes that someone will someday need them. Around $400 million will be spent in Hawaii. Small utilities in Washington are looking at piecemeal projects of $5 million each.

Grease Monkeying

The Senate gets under your hood with the intent to force carmakers to release all computerized data on engines. Independent car mechanics say makers have "secret" codes they share only with dealers. The car guys say that isn't true and that forcing them to release all data will just result in cheap knockoffs.

Deathly Superstition

The starving millions of Zimbabwe won't get thousands of tons of U.S. food aid. The African nation's government doesn't want any genetically modified corn in the country.

Teachers' Dirty Looks

The National Research Council addresses the shortage of science and math teachers in the U.S. with a make-work plan for educrats. Even full Ph.D.s in the field should get two more years of training on how to teach, a report recommends.

Lights Out

Chronic blackouts have New Delhi residents sleeping in their cool cars, which still have AC, as India's power grid slowly unravels. Rampant corruption in the state-run utilities is the primary cause.