Links ...

1. Societal benefits of research -- A project of the Association of American Universities. Short, snappy reports on all kinds of cool things made possible by basic research. Example: Google.

   And, oh, AAU can do parody too! It's mildly funny, but quite effective. [Hat tip to Inside Higher Ed

2. Shailaja Neelakantan in CHE: India Prepares a Welcome Mat for Students and Foreign Universities

3. Sarah Lyall in NYTimes: Missing Micrograms Set a Standard on Edge: "No one knows exactly why the international prototype of the kilogram, as pampered a hunk of platinum and iridium as ever existed, appears to weigh less than it did when it was manufactured in the late 19th century. "