Brian Gongol
(2005.12.28)
Poll Says Americans Split Almost Exactly 50-50 on NSA Domestic Eavesdropping
(2005.12.28)
Bureaucracy May Be Keeping Women From Getting Cancer Drugs in UK
(2005.12.28)
Public-Sector Unions Do Better than Private-Sector Unions
Might have something to do with the fact they're generally related to monopolistic services
(2005.12.28)
China, Japan at Worst State of Relations Since WWII
(2005.12.28)
Expectations of 3% Growth in 2006
Higher pay, higher interest rates, strong job market
(2005.12.28)
Turkish Law Prohibits "Insults to the State"
Now they're rethinking the law because they're trying to get into the EU and there's that pesky issue of free speech
(2005.12.28)
Google Buys 5% of AOL
Google promises it won't change the homepage, but huge changes are already underway, with login functions and "personalized search" already taking over Google's bread-and-butter search engine
(2005.12.28)
Proof That Some Kids' Work is Better than Modern Art
6-year-old's watercolors sell for $100 and up
(2005.12.28)
AOL Says It Blocked 1.5 Billion Spam Messages a Day in 2005
Porn's on the way out, but obnoxious solicitations for sex drugs are on the rise
(2005.12.28)
Oregon 21-Year-Old Could Get 10 Years in Prison for eBay Attacks
Launched denial-of-service attack that the site says cost them millions of dollars
(2005.12.28)
African Economist: "For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"
Clear argument that aid dollars mainly benefit the rich, corrupt, and well-connected. Draining the aid pipeline could starve the dictators and encourage actual development. Not to mention that there's lots of virtue to consumerism.
(2005.12.28)
Russian Economy Grew in 2005, But Corruption Still Everywhere
Free markets require the rule of law -- crony capitalism isn't real capitalism. High oil prices help Russia.
(2005.12.28)
Cop Son Catches Bank-Robbing Father
Illinois man stole $60,000 in a nine-month bank-robbery streak; son, a cop, sees surveillance video on a website and decides to turn his dad in
(2005.12.28)
It's Not a Secret Copy of MSN Messenger 8 (Beta), It's a Virus
Why it's important to know which sites to trust
(2005.12.28)
CEO of Overstock.com Apparently Out of His Gourd
Makes unscripted public pronouncements about sales performance, fights with Mark Cuban, and talks about dead bodies in his trunk
(2005.12.28)
Free Trade vs. Protectionism: Today's Arguments Aren't New
The very same arguments against trade were circulated in the late 1800s
(2005.12.28)
"Extremely Critical" Security Problem in Windows XP
No surprise: The biggest window of exposure is Internet Explorer
(2005.12.28)
The Curse of Declining Expectations
Baby Boomers experienced lots of easy structural prosperity; many of them coddled their children; now, as the children enter the workforce, it's hard to adjust to lower expectations
(2005.12.28)
Can War Be Ended?
(2005.12.28)
Quotations from Chairman Mao
Know your enemy
(2005.12.28)
Input Costs for a Gallon of Gasoline
(2005.12.28)
Gresham's Law: Bad Currency Drives Out Good
Really applies mainly to questions of coined currency that has intrinsic value, but today it applies in some cases where governments devalue their currencies
(2005.12.28)
Shazam! Des Moines Area Figures Out How to Consolidate Services Without Consolidating Governments
The idea of consolidating city and county governments wholesale really doesn't seem to be a great idea. Many of the benefits can be had by working on a case-by-case basis to reduce service duplication or otherwise improve efficiency, while retaining the benefits of things like intercity tax competition.
(2005.12.28)
Ethanol Industry Makes Midwestern Water an Export Product
Even apparently water-rich places may need to think differently about recycling their water as demand increases
(2005.12.28)
One Day, This Could All Be Yours...
Korean immigrant becomes owner of four McDonald's restaurants a decade after starting as a fry cook. Opportunity still lives in America.
(2005.12.28)
Financial Planning as Religious Education
Whatever it takes -- including the fear of God -- it's about time to inject some urgency into the question of promoting thrift in America. Some have argued a correlation between religious participation and wealth, though the certitude and/or causality of that relationship is yet to be proven.
(2005.12.28)
"Star Wars" and "Pulp Fiction" Performed by Bunnies