I'm in St. Cloud debriefing the interviews for the screening committee -- the short of it: lots of great candidates, hard choices ahead -- and a trip to Yerevan for a conference this weekend. I have to do take a little time here for the rest of the day to prepare. So meanwhile, read this article sent by loyal reader JW. It tells of Robert Putnam, the Harvard sociologist whose work I have admired, who was reluctant to release results of his research showing less trust in more diverse communities.

They don�t trust the local mayor, they don�t trust the local paper, they don�t trust other people and they don�t trust institutions. The only thing there�s more of is protest marches and TV watching.

The quote is Putnam, and he says it's accurate. Author Steve Sailer goes through the history of the debate on diversity and trust and emphasizes towards the end some surprising conclusions on things that built trust in diverse groups.

More posts as I can, either here or on the road the rest of the week. Pictures from Armenia are definitely coming up!