Abigail Washburn’s story is a great one for understanding why students should learn more about China. Read the rest of this entry »

I know it’s crunch time for undergraduates, but I found another reason why you shouldn’t use wikipedia for scholarly efforts. It’s OK for personal reasons (how old is Grace Slick now?) or for a first introduction to a topic, but if you are going to take the trouble to write a paper, use reliable sources. Read the rest of this entry »

I bought my first motorcycle, a 1977 Honda 360T with a kick-starter (since the electric starter was on-and-off) in 1984, and always kept a bike to get around places with difficult parking (like Boston). I bought my first new motorcyle in 1986: a Honda Nighthawk S CB700SC – back then, I was deciding between the Honda and a BMW R60 (a mid-size boxer engine), and the hydraulic everything on the Honda won out. I did have instant buyer’s remorse – and promised that my next bike would be a BMW. Read the rest of this entry »