Brian Gongol
Forest fires release as much greenhouse gas as several small states
Des Moines has one restaurant for every 200 residents
If that's not one of the highest per-capita densities of restaurants in the country, it would be a real surprise
Congress overrides veto of water bill
Belgium still on course to break apart
Report suggests that total cost of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan now reaches $1.6 trillion
Without passing judgment on the right or wrong of either action, it ought to be remembered that one of the most significant reasons behind the fall of the Soviet Union was that they were spending 30% to 50% of their GDP on the military. Even $1.6 trillion, as colossal a figure as it is, is far less than America's roughly $13 billion annual GDP. But $1.6 trillion is still a staggering figure, and it's definitely worth questioning.
Clicking links in e-mails? No thanks.
Certainly not when they come from unknown sources. Crooks are now offering harmless-looking links that go to Google searches, but by manipulating the "I'm feeling lucky" tool, those searches point directly to their malware-infected sites.
It's 2007 and some people still consider themselves "subjects"
Two Spanish cartoonists have been fined about $4,000 apiece for depicting a Spanish prince having sex with his wife. Anyone else would've been fair game, but the "royal" family gets special treatment. How preposterous. There is a bright side, though: Occasionally, a monarch makes for good entertainment, as when the king of Spain recently asked Hugo Chavez, "Why don't you shut up?" In general, though, "royal" families are just the lucky winners of a genetic welfare lottery. And when people (rightly) get mad over lazy families that want more welfare, they should include most "royalty" on their list of complaints.
H5N1 bird flu is back in the UK
Don't send "to any servicemember" Christmas cards -- the Postal Service can't accept them
Fortunately, there are many other ways to help American servicemembers stationed overseas or recovering at home
