Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Missing
Canadian leaders meet to discuss splitting profits from energy
Blow-by-blow tally of America's infrastructure underinvestment
Bridges, highways, flood control, power grids, water systems, and airports -- all contribute to an estimated $1.6 trillion pot of needs
UK's foot-and-mouth situation appears to get worse
Russia sends bombers to Guam to rattle Uncle Sam's cage
American Home Mortgage files for bankruptcy
It's one of the country's largest independent home lenders; rising interest rates have led to higher default rates
Promo for the WHO Radio Wise Guys
(Audio) The show will be broadcast from the Iowa State Fair on Saturday
Suffering through Heathrow
Lots of complaints are being aired right now, including one that supposes that going through Heathrow is more stressful than being mugged. The airport is undoubtedly a hassle, but there are some who think the volume of complaints is being hiked due to ulterior motives.
What to do about terrorism
It's not necessarily what you discuss, but how you discuss it. Asking, "If you were a terrorist, how would you attack?" is a good way to get people angry. Asking instead, "What obvious vulnerabilities have we failed to correct?" would have been virtually the same question -- but with much less probability of making people angry. One clear American vulnerability: We have far too much concentration of power. Washington does too much
"Science doesn't support universality" -- of pre-school attendance
The gains are biggest among poor kids, who tend to get less education at home. On a related note, Presidential candidates sure don't know much about economics. That could be seriously damaging in the long run: The economic platforms of the 2008 Presidential candidates mainly ignore the looming crisis in Medicare, among other 800-lb. gorillas in the room.
How the Soviet government used cigarettes to prop up the treasury
What's the lesson for today? Perhaps it's that any time the people give government a source of revenue, they should expect government to try to maximize the revenues it brings in from that source -- even if that's bad for the people. That's why it's better for government to reward innovation instead of taxing and punishing behavior.
Western forest fires are visible from space
In other weather-related news, a tornado touched down in Brooklyn yesterday.
Your tax dollars at work...for the bad guys
$282 million in American cash was stolen from a Baghdad bank in July, and there's plenty of reason to believe it's going to be used to fund enemy operations. It's a colossal robbery: A huge bank robbery in Britain in 2006 netted the thieves only about $70 million (less than one-third as much), and it's almost exactly the same amount raised by John Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign.
