<h3><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business/06plasma.html?src=sch">Is Money Tainting the Plasma Supply?</a></h3>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business/06plasma.html?src=sch"><em>NYT</em> piece on plasma centers in Texas and the economic attraction of plasma donation</a>, particularly to Mexican factory workers.</p>

<p>Interesting figure: The average $30 donation payment results in $300 worth of product. Also, a Michigan blood center is seeing some whole-blood volunteer donors shifting to being paid for plasma elsewhere.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Whats-Going-to-Happen-to-Textbooks-1719">What&rsquo;s Going to Happen to Textbooks?</a></h3>

<p>With some college texts running over $200, <em>and</em> tuition costs increasing, there&rsquo;s a bit of curiosity about the future of textbooks and how they might live on ebook readers like the Kindle or Nook. <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Whats-Going-to-Happen-to-Textbooks-1719"><em>The Atlantic Wire</em> collects some links</a>. (Disclosure: My daytime employer, <a href="http://webassign.net/">WebAssign</a>, does business with universities and college textbook publishers)</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06kristof.html?em">Cancer from the kitchen?</a></h3>

<p><em>New York Times</em> columnist <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06kristof.html?em">Nicholas Kristof looks into whether what we cook with and store our food in impacts our health</a>.</p>
