Gongol.com Archives: January 2010
Brian Gongol


January 4, 2010

Threats and Hazards Irish atheists challenge anti-blasphemy laws
They've published a list of 25 blasphemous quotes in a direct challenge to a new law that prohibits statements "insulting" to any religion. Aside from the absurd way in which it violates the principles of individual freedom of thought and expression, it's also an utterly impractical rule: Even the most religious person is an atheist about all gods except his or her own. Any statement of faith that excludes other faiths is, in fact, blasphemous to those other faiths. And, lest anyone believe that this is a problem exclusive to a place like Ireland, there are quite a few Americans who would enthusiastically endorse an anti-blasphemy statute.

Business and Finance A logo is not a brand
Anyone who thinks that all they need to build a mighty company is to apply a magnificent logo is sorely mistaken. Eastern Air Lines had not one, but two excellent logos, but it went into bankruptcy. Berkshire Hathaway, on the other hand, has no real logo, but is one of the world's 25 largest companies.

Threats and Hazards Automakers think that intellectual property laws cover how to fix a car
Absurd? Most likely. But Congress has been stupid enough to pass the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, which pretty much ensures that copyright terms last well beyond any reasonable "sell-by" date, which has a terrible chilling effect on the spread of knowledge.

Humor and Good News Ranking the decades

Humor and Good News Save the environment: Drive a car that runs on self-righteousness

Water News Valley Junction may have narrowly escaped a catastrophic fire

Feedback link