Brian Gongol
You probably didn't know: Most popcorn comes from a small stretch of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota
Tornado video may show a house being rotated on its own foundation
While there are certainly some meritable results that have come from the scientific analysis of storm-chasing data and videos, it's really getting to be too much. The thrill-seekers (many probably inspired by Reed Timmer and his fervor on the "Storm Chasers" television series and online) are probably now dangerously outnumbering the scientists, and when even the serious scientists can still get caught in deadly situations, it's time to reconsider whether we're rewarding and encouraging the wrong kind of behavior. Jeff Masters is among those who seem to think so.
A case for getting NATO involved in Iraq and Syria
Nobody is eager to get into a new confrontation...but is the risk of inaction even worse?
How red tape ruins a city's economy
Chicago is a great city for many reasons, but its red tape makes business formation a huge uphill battle. And that's entirely the fault of local government.
Billboard criticizing Minneapolis school district rankles feathers
One has to applaud the initiative to hold the authorities accountable for the product they're selling to the public
Piglet on the loose
One of the little charms of living in Iowa is that sometimes the local news is really anything but newsworthy
"Fun facts" that may be fun but aren't really facts
"The Red Flags of Quackery"
How to tell when someone's trying to persuade you of something that's totally wrong
What's wrong with modern advertising and marketing thought
(Video - containing strong language)
There were two derechos in the Midwest on June 30th
A thoughtful perspective on the Hobby Lobby decision
Some "art" is nothing more than conspicuous consumption
Paying millions for some artist's "messy bed" just shows that some people have more cash than brains
Rules on flood insurance won't let people in Pilger, Neb., rebuild homes with basements
Which is a bitter pill to swallow for a town rebuilding after a devastating tornado
How John Oliver's show is something entirely new on television
A satirical news program with segments longer than those on "60 Minutes"
How the Federal Reserve is looking at the labor market
A dashboard tracking the metrics Janet Yellen says will tell them about the progress of economic recovery
Illinois and Chicago are going to be sunk by retirement-benefit costs
The Illinois Supreme Court appears to have cemented their fates
The Onion: "I'm just a free spirit who is entirely financially dependent on others"
Union membership in America is now a government-majority affair
Don't imagine that the Facebook emotions study was an isolated incident