Brian Gongol
Mankiw advises candidates on "How to win the economist vote"
Of course, with counter-populist suggestions like expanding free trade, liberalizing immigration policy, and leaving the oil companies alone, he's not only mostly right -- he's also swimming against a pretty strong tide of popular opinion. Just because the majority feels a certain way doesn't mean it's right: The Macarena was once the most popular dance in America. The gap between the popular and the correct would be one of the things we ought to try to fill with, say, informative and entertaining radio and television programming. Related: In another test of counter-populist thought, "speculation" isn't always a bad thing.
If the teacher is too slow to follow students' nonverbal cues, bring in a computer to do the work
Giving "trouser snake" a whole new meaning
(Video) KCCI-TV meteorologist gets a python caught in his shorts at the Iowa State Fair. Literally, it's a python. KCCI has had some pretty good blooper reels in the past.
Thirsty Olympic Games
Dispute emerges over new water plant
Iowa's water-quality rules to get tighter
Should the penny get a stay of execution?
The US Mint wants to stop making pennies because they're worth more for their component metals than as currency. Some even advocate abolishing the penny simply because they see it as a waste of time. Penny-defenders, though, appeal to both sentiment and charity as reasons to keep the coin around. And, of course, there's the matter of the beloved President Lincoln appearing on the coin. Perhaps, though, we're overlooking a simple answer that would accommodate the economic reality of the very un-economical penny and yet still keep the sense of nostalgia intact: Do away with the one-cent penny, and replace it with a two-cent coin -- a double-penny, if you will -- composed of something substantially less valuable than our current coinage. Lincoln's head could grace the new coin, the matter of rounding error would be greatly reduced (as opposed to abolishing the penny altogether), the waste incurred by one-cent-penny exchange would be cut (hypothetically, in half), and the nostalgic would still have their sub-nickel coin. Besides, it would free the penny argument from its current entanglement with the zinc and copper mining companies.
August 2008 update to the EconDirectory
More than 300 different websites, many with daily updates, covering the world of business, markets, and economics. Believed to be the most comprehensive such list anywhere.
Helping Ottumwa get back on its feet
11 people charged in theft of 40 million credit-card numbers
Imagine the ratio of crooks to innocents involved here: 3.6 million victims per crook
Iowa State Fair to feature a butter Borlaug
The Iowa State Fair has a longstanding tradition of butter sculpture. Don't ask why; it's just what we do. This year, agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug will be honored in salted cream.
Gorman-Rupp proves American manufacturing is alive and well
Deep, dark alleys don't have to be damp anymore
One of the biggest challenges to keeping a major city together is what to do with all the excess -- excess trash, excess noise and light, and excess stormwater. One of the means now being tested in Chicago is pervious concrete -- concrete that lets the water through. This kind of approach to paving alleys and parking lots could help reduce the need for colossal projects like the Deep Tunnel, which are mind-bogglingly complex and expensive.
Estimate: 75% of crooked websites didn't start out that way
It's probably a lot easier for most crooks to find ways to break into legitimate websites and infect them with rotten stuff than it is to build sites from scratch that then incentivize people to visit. That being the case, people need to realize that even "trusted" websites can sometimes become untrustworthy; thus, basic security practices like using a limited-access account whenever possible ought to be the norm.
Notes from the Brian Gongol Show on WHO Radio - August 3, 2008
China breaches the Great Firewall...free-trade talks fall apart...Bill Gates protects your bread...and a free podcast