But during his evenings and weekends, Rizik, 47, runs www. soultracks.com, a top-rated soul music Web site on which he writes about the genre, from his home. His passion for soul music began in his youth.

The son of an accountant father and nurse mother who also sang in a St. Louis opera, Rizik was inspired by the Motown sound and performers of the 1960s and '70s while growing up in Flint.

"Music is probably the most powerful form of communication," says Rizik. "Being in Michigan, I couldn't help but develop a love of soul music."

The site, founded in 2003, had 3.2 million visits in 2007.

In fact, the Web site's following has grown so large that Rizik decided two years ago to hold a soul awards event in Detroit.

On Oct. 3, the third annual event will be at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, where various soul acts will perform.

When asked if he could list a common thread that ties together his interest in soul music and nanotechnology, he explained: "The common theme in all these things is to find something you are passionate about that can help improve people's lives.

"Nanotechnology plays a role in physically helping people's lives though medical devices while soul music helps the emotional, spiritual side."
Comparing U.S., Asian students

About 300,000 middle and high school students across Michigan will watch a segment from an eye-opening, hour-long documentary "Two Million Minutes" on Monday.

The documentary explores the question of whether India and China are doing better than the United States in educating its students.

The show is being broadcast to six million U.S. students by Channel One Network, which delivers 12-minute news broadcasts to U.S. classrooms daily.

"Two Million Minutes" followed six students, two each in India, China and the United States, during their senior years of high school.

It compares how these students prioritize their time, choose their classes and interact with teachers.

The film points out that the students spend their time in drastically different ways and the priorities of U.S. students don't focus as heavily on academics.

The film notes that this can have serious implications for the U.S. economy, including Michigan, in the 21st Century.

Bob Compton, a venture capitalist living in Memphis, Tenn., decided to produce the documentary after visiting India and China.

What he observed about students there impressed him.

"I hope that this piece is a wake-up call for students around the country," said Compton.

"Unlike students of my generation, today's students have an entirely new set of competitors -- peers from India and China who outnumber them and generally out-study them."

Compton, who is the father of two teenage daughters, said: "What we saw and what the film portrays is that our culture has a highly developed athletic and extracurricular system but a deteriorating core academic system.

In 25 years, America has gone simply from being a nation at risk to a nation way behind its largest future economic competitors."

CAROL CAIN writes about business and politics Sundays in the Free Press. She hosts "Michigan Matters" at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WWJ-TV (Channel 62) and 11 a.m. Sundays on WKBD-TV (Channel 50). She can be reached at 313-222-6732 or at clcain@cbs.com.