Since when? I graduated HS in '04 and they were definitely teaching to the lowest common denominator at the time. Good ole NCLB. I wish they were teaching to the highest common denominator. It's better that the kids who are actually going to go on to higher education get a good foundation in high school than to set the bar low so that those who are just going back to the farm/McDonalds don't fail at anything.

I was a classic underachiever, none of the curriculum from elementary school onward was challenging enough and I never took school seriously because it was so dull. I got by with a C average by acing all the tests as I tended to skip school constantly and not bother with homework.

I really regret it now. Obviously, it's not just the school system's fault. I should have taken it more seriously, but I was a bored teenager. If the curriculum and been more engaging and challenging, I might have looked up from my books for more than correcting my teachers.

No, no, it's Russia that wants to annex Alaska.

Fortunately, we have Palin standing on the coast up there keeping a close eye on them.

Chrome installed without a problem for me, it was the first thing I did after installing 7 in a VM.

Your comparison does not take into account transportation impact. (Factory -> Store, Store -> Home) Nor of the discs themselves, which are eventually discarded and end up in a landfill. Also, the computer in your comparison often would have been running anyway, if that is the case, you cannot count the cost of electricity used against the cost of the CD production.