Ken Kolb

Cubs win. Never a doubt!

four point loaf

Never thought I'd go back to handwritten exams, but here we are. To speed up grading, I scan them all and type in my comments/feedback with Adobe comment tool and then just email them back.

We have a number of students who need to record discussion as part of their academic accommodations. Also, there is no way to enforce the rule because it is so easy to record. I wish ht weren't so, but I just operate as if someone is recording at all times.

"Expanding access to schoolwide free meals has the potential to address food insecurity among students, decrease stigma, and reduce pressure on local nonprofits."

🍎 Millions of children in the U.S. struggle with food insecurity. In this policy brief, @orgulozturk.bsky.social (@sc.edu) makes the case for expanding the Community Eligibility Provision Program, the largest schoolwide free meals initiative in the U.S.

Read the brief: scholars.org/contribution...

that stinks. Sorry

I think some might go for another round of expanded admits next year to lower their endowment $$s per student to avoid new endowment tax rates

I got my hands on new data regarding evictions in South Carolina (h/t Legal Services Corporation). This is gonna be a big story.

The GOP's recent tax and spending law makes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that many low-income Americans rely on to buy groceries. Professor @kenkolb.bsky.social shares what this will mean for grocery stores on @npr.org's The Indicator.

What is going on with the cubs?

I don’t work for any pilot association. I’m just running the numbers. But it seems to me: Pilots make good money, but they’re not the Goliath in this story. Fin/17

Pilotage fees on high-value cargo represent just *one-third of one percent* of the total value during a 240-mile round trip on a congested river. 16/17

So yes, pilotage is expensive. And pilots make a great living. But shipping is a high-value industry. 15/17

For 32,000 metric tons of light sweet crude, the cargo is worth ~$16 million. 14/17

For reference 32,000 metric tons of soybeans is worth ~$13 million (based on 10-year avg, in 2025 dollars). 13/17

That’s a lot. But how does it compare to the value of the cargo? 12/17

Example: A ship goes upriver (empty) to mile marker 120 (near Destrehan/St. Rose), picks up cargo 32,000 metric tons of cargo, and returns. Total pilotage cost: ~$55,000. 11/17

Heading upriver, Bar pilots hand off to Crescent, then to NOBRA. Downriver, the order reverses. 10/17

There are three pilot associations, each with its own jurisdiction: Bar pilots, Crescent pilots, and NOBRA pilots. 9/17

Empty ships cost less in pilot fees than full ones—heavier cargo means lower draft, which makes navigation trickier. 8/17

Fees depend on ship size, weight, draft, and how often it docks or anchors. 7/17

The tariff schedule (fee structure) for pilotage is publicly available. Here's one example: 6/17
🔗

So I interviewed a shipping agent who arranges pilotage for ships entering the Mississippi from the Gulf and ran the numbers. 5/17

These debates often highlight pilot salaries—upwards of $600,000/year—but rarely mention the value of the cargo they help transport. 4/17

River pilots vs. big industry: War over 6-figure pay is about to get plenty more attention The petrochemical industry has long battled with the river pilots who help steer ships up and down the Mississippi River, mostly over the large fees the pilots charge industrial firms

Here's a recent example from The Advocate: 3/17
🔗

Every few years in Louisiana, a debate flares up about the costs of river pilotage on the Lower Mississippi. 2/17

Do Mississippi River pilots really make too much money? A thread 🧵 1/17

Good for you! It is important service, and gives you a better sense of what cool things your colleagues are doing.

Why Trump's spending bill could close your grocery store : The Indicator from Planet Money Trump’s tax and spending law makes the largest cut in history to one of the nation’s biggest safety net programs. Today on the show, we explore how cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progra...

Interviewed on NPR about importance of local food retail.

"they offer healthy food, but they also provide jobs. They're businesses where people are coming and going. They produce foot traffic... They fill all sorts of other community needs besides just filling people's shopping carts."

Saw a presentation with a qualitative data analysis coding technique that might be done better with AI. I'm still a skeptic, but it could work #ASA2025