Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Leafy Greens
US will continue embargo on aid to Palestinian Authority
Until they're able to get their economic act together, the Palestinian Authority will continue to play second fiddle to violent groups
Profile on Air Force's elite rescue team
"It's a sperm whale with wings"
Airbus A380 lands at LAX. Where in the world would one of them divert if they couldn't land at one of the few airports big enough to land them? Another A380 landed at JFK in New York almost simultaneously as part of the publicity stunt. But if there's one especially unnerving thing about the A380, it's the total rejection of mechanical controls, even for backup. The whole thing is fly-by-wire, from top to bottom. Airbus says it's managed the risk down to acceptable levels, but even the illustration that shows the physical separation of the primary and redundant control systems isn't particularly reassuring. A very hefty website is devoted to another concern: The possibility that the A380 pressurization system could be susceptible to catastrophic failure. Another unnerving prospect for catastrophe: Runway incursions involving super-jumbo jets. They'll fly lots and lots of international routes, which further exacerbates the risk that communication (which is often a cause of runway incursions) will create a threat.
The Emergency Broadcast System
Effectively scaring the heck out of Americans throughout the Cold War
Des Moines-area college center being used by high-school students more than adults
Iowa's losing ground when it comes to delivering education to adults
Black market price for your identity: $18
Spooky report from Symantec says 6 million computers worldwide are virus-infected "bots", making them part of a coordinated worldwide criminal effort to steal identities and money
Iowa House bill would discourage construction of new lagoons
Iran accuses US of abducting some of its highest-ranking military officers
Abductions? Defections? Complete fabrications? The story is really murky. Unfortunately, when shooting wars break out, it's ordinary people who get hurt.
