Just how much money offshore centres like Bermuda could make by allowing virtual casinos and sport betting shops to operate from their jurisdictions can be seen in a recently released report on money laundering by the US Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcements Affairs.

The bureau found that some jurisdictions were earning up to $100,000 for each virtual casino licence issued plus a share in operator's profits.

The bureau estimated the Cook Islands in the Pacific were earning up to $1.2 million a month in license fees from online gambling.

While that's a good whack of money to gain Bermuda has been wise to stay away from encouraging such riffraff judging by the amount of attention the sector is getting from the US authorities.

"Internet gambling executed via the use of credit cards and offshore banks represents yet another powerful vehicle for criminals to launder funds from illicit sources and to evade taxes,'' the report noted.

The report had some kind words to say about Bermuda stating that it "remains one of the world's premier offshore international financial and business centers''.

The bureau commended the Island for making "considerable progress'' in combating financial crime through new and amended legislation.

Contrast the Island's position with the harsh words directed at Antigua and Barbuda in the report and you will see Bermuda has much to gain by keeping itself defined as "premier''.

"Computer games don't have to be the virtual equivalent of GI Joes and Barbies.

"We have to think less about `girls' games' and `boys' games' and more about games that challenge our children's minds.

"When it comes to computer games and software, girls want high-skill, not high-kill,'' said Sharon Schuster, president of the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.

The Foundation has released a report, Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age, showing that another form of the digital divide is occurring along gender lines and must be addressed by the school system.

In the US girls represent 17 percent of the computer science "AP'' test takers, and less than one in 10 of the higher level Computer Science "AB'' test takers.

Women represent about 20 percent of IT professionals and receive less than 28 percent of the computer science bachelor's degrees, down from a high of 37 percent in 1984.

"Computer science is the only field in which women's participation has actually decreased over time,'' the report stated.

Among the major conclusions is the finding that one of the faults may be a "drive by'' approach to teacher training, one with an emphasis on the technical properties of hardware rather than the educational applications or innovative uses of computing for each subject area.

And I think the report's description of computer fluency stands as an apt target for anyone.

"Gender equity cannot be measured by how many girls send e-mail, use the Internet, or make PowerPoint presentations,'' the report stated. "Rather, gender equity means using technology proactively, being able to interpret the information that technology makes available, understanding design concepts, and being a lifelong learner of technology. These abilities apply across the whole range of subjects and careers, not just computer science.'' The commission behind the report recommended schools should focus on bringing software into the classroom that engage a broad range of learners. Companies will also find that women are an "untapped source'' of talent to help fill the IT job shortage, the report stated.

As to why girls are turned off by the computer culture, the report notes they have "good reason'' to be so. The commission found "girls are concerned about the passivity of their interactions with the computer as a `tool'; they reject the violence, redundancy, and tedium of computer games; and they dislike narrowly and technically focused programming classes.

"Too often, these concerns are dismissed as symptoms of anxiety or incompetence that will diminish once girls `catch up` with the technology.'' Girls' concerns instead point to "important deficits in the technology and the culture in which it is embedded that need to be integrated into our general thinking about computers and education.

"Indeed, girls' critiques resonate with the concerns of a much larger population of reticent users,'' the report noted.

The focus on addressing those issues should be on changing the software, the way computer science is taught and the goals the educational system puts forth for using computer technology.

Sounds worthwhile to me.

The report is a valuable insight into changes that need to be made to encourage those of us who are not geeks to get on the technology bandwagon, known these days as the gravy train.

Who's the biggest geek on the block? We all know it's Bill Gates.

However recent gyrations in the stock market indicate that Oracle's head honcho Larry Ellison, a keen foe of Mr. Gates, is set to surpass the Microsoft boss in terms of net worth.

Oracle's shares have surged 540 percent over the past year while Microsoft's has fallen seven percent.

According to a report by CNET News Mr. Ellison is only $7 billion behind Mr.

Gates now. Forbes put Mr. Gates' net worth at $85 billion in October last year.

Tech Tattle deals with topics relating to technology. Contact Ahmed at ahmedelamin yhotmail.com or (01133) 467901474.