Brian Gongol

Race Riots in Sydney Suburbs
The violence some people will do in a civilized society is a reminder that everyone needs to know some form of self-defense

Storm Knocks Out Power for 60,000 Homes in Quebec

Canadian Election Wide Open
Liberals leading in polls, but far from a majority

China Still Shamelessly Rips Off US Intellectual Property
Free markets and free trade require the rule of law, including guarantees of intellectual-property rights

Baton Rouge May Simply Replace Most of New Orleans

Economic Reforms Open Doors Wide Open for Entrepreneurs in India

Indiana's Biggest Industry: Government
It's certainly not alone, and that's not a good sign

My Outsourced Life

China Becomes Net Exporter of Cars

Construction of $100 Million Casino in Waterloo Underway

Russian Report: Officials Did Everything Right at Beslan
300 people killed in the attempted rescue in September 2004

7-11 Company Buys Out Upscale Store Chains in Japan

Winds Cause Train Derailment in Japan

Hitchens: Christmas in America Like Living in a One-Party State
The furor about insisting that people say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" is enough to make even faithful people sick. Why wish people "Happy Holidays"? Perfectly good reasons: Not everyone's a Christian...and Christmas isn't the only holiday of the season. What's wrong with acknowledging that the season extends beyond just December 25th? "Happy Holidays" isn't exclusive of Christmas.

66 Russians Hospitalized After Gas Bomb in St. Petersburg Mall
Appears to be criminal rather than terrorist

Newsweek Calls Economics "Sexy"
But in the same issue, they feature the nonsense sold as the Da Vinci Code, so it looks like there's a lot more work to be done

EU to Send Big Checks to Africa
They're trying to help handle immediate humanitarian needs -- now, Europe needs to think about the long-run issues that will help permanently seal the deal for Africa's future health, including free trade and the rule of law

Japan to Join US in Developing Anti-Ballistic-Missile System
Threats from China, North Korea enough to outweigh the possible bad press. Japan plans to pay about one-third of the $3 billion price tag.

EU Plans to Slam Microsoft with Antitrust Fines
MS says EU regulators are capricious and keep changing the rules of the game; EU says MS will have to pay $2.3 million a day until they provide technical details to competitors

Iraqi Response to Saddam Hussein Trial
Something of a mixed tragedy and comedy

Catholic Cardinals in Italy Warning Against Interfaith Marriages with Muslims
About a million Muslims live in Italy

Compton Holds "Gift Cards for Guns" Program
Whether it's actually effective in fighting crime to do so? Not necessarily.

Colin Powell Backs President's Secret Surveillance Program

Allianz Center for Corporate History
A case study in corporate responsibility based on what's right and wrong, not what's legal

$347 Million Typo
Japanese brokerage firm offered 640,000 shares for one yen apiece instead of one share for 640,000 yen. Whoops.

Scrooge-in-Training Finds Christmas Extremely Popular in 94%-Muslim Cairo
Cultural syncresis is a great method of achieving peace