Gongol.com Archives: June 2009
Brian Gongol


June 16, 2009

Science and Technology Strange animals inhabiting our own planet
Some of which have never really been documented before. The photography is impressive alone, but when one really considers the implications of how little we really know about the variety of plant, animal, and other lives that have proliferated on our own planet, it's hard not to think we need more energetic scientific research. And with the news that after long-term research, scientists have found signs of life in 120,000-year-old microbes, we ought to be thinking about ways to protect humanity's long-term survival in case of any number of natural and unnatural disasters which could threaten us. Obviously, we each have an interest in our own personal survival -- but we also ought to show a little regard for species survival, too.

News A good question: How much will Iranian protests today differ from Chinese protests in 1989?
Huge rallies are being held to protest the reported outcome of the election, which shows that an opposition movement has life in it. Meanwhile, the Iranian government is cracking down on foreign reporters inside the country and blocking broadcasts into the country from abroad. (And yet America's public-diplomacy efforts have been weakened year after year for so long that there's little the US can do to help fill the void on short notice.) But today's tools are a lot more sophisticated than those of 20 years ago, and when the State Department and Twitter can be found cooperating, even in just a little way, it's a sign that things could turn out very differently for Iran than they did for China.

Broadcasting This is what it's like to work in radio these days
John Williams was given just six months to make a morning show work on one of the biggest stations in one of the biggest markets in the country. And then he got moved.

Iowa Rampaging bull served medium-rare by Sioux City cops

Health In praise of seasonal-allergy medication
If allergy medications recover just two weeks of lost productivity for 40 million Americans, that's 1.5 million person-years annually.

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