Gongol.com Archives: January 2005
Brian Gongol



The United States of America (1.14.2005)
What We Knew and When We Knew It
About Pearl Harbor, that is.

Iowa (1.14.2005)
Reversing Agricultural Homogeneity
A classic case of product differentiation: If you can convince your customer that your product is no longer a commodity but instead has some special qualities that competitive products do not possess, you can command greater monopoly power and thus make more money

The United States of America (1.14.2005)
When Will China's Economy Eclipse America's?
A National Intelligence Council estimate thinks it will be later than some estimates suggest. The broader question of how geopolitics will play out over the next 15 years is wide open.

The United States of America (1.14.2005)
Intelligence Study Says More Democracy Could Make India a Tougher Nut for Washington to Crack

Iowa (1.14.2005)
Feedback Loops and Agriculture
Government incentivizes bigger farms, so farms get bigger, so government incentivizes even bigger farms...

Threats to Western Civilization (1.14.2005)
Iranian President Offers Odd Assessment of Islam and Democracy
"The Iranian nation strives to establish a system in the name of Islam and based on Islamic (values) despite those who claim to be followers of Islam but resort to violence and oppression to impose their demands and provide pretext to the enemies to attack Islam." So on one hand he says democracy is good, but on the other reinforces the "enemies of Islam" theme. Iran's median age is 23.5, more than a decade younger than the US.

News (1.14.2005)
Nelson Mandela's Son Dies of AIDS

The American Way (1.14.2005)
Orange Revolution Tent Camp Retires from Kiev

Iowa (1.14.2005)
How Much Milk Should the Government Subsidize?
Right now, it costs about $1 billion a year

News (1.14.2005)
Israel Goes Hard-Line with New Palestinian Leader
All diplomatic contacts cut until Abbas "makes a real effort to stop the terror"

Science and Technology (1.14.2005)
Japanese Project to Translate Four Languages Almost Finished
Would allow text or audio translations by cell phone or PDA among English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese. Beam me up, Scotty.

Threats to Western Civilization (1.14.2005)
1,000,000 Rwandans Wanted on Genocide Charges

Weather and Disasters (1.14.2005)
Indonesia's Child-Protection Agency Wants to Relocate Children Until Disaster is Cleaned Up
Estimated 90,000 child refugees need better living conditions post-haste

The American Way (1.14.2005)
South Korean Newspaper: China, Bring It On

Science and Technology (1.14.2005)
24-Hour Online Zoo to Open
Japanese zoo to stream feeds from 15 cameras, including four night-vision cams

The American Way (1.14.2005)
Japan Needs a Smaller Government to Get Competitive Again
Feisty essay calls for plenty of common-sense spending cuts and efficiency moves. Washington, you're next. The very same lesson on open markets is being learned in India.

The United States of America (1.14.2005)
Corruption in Illinois Politics? You Don't Say
Chicago alderman says Illinois governor gave out political favors for campaign contributions. The alderman is mad because the governor shut down a landfill run by a distant relative of the alderman's. Oh, and the alderman happens to be the governor's father-in-law. Speaking of questionable use of public money, how is this anything more than an overpriced joyride?