Brian Gongol
(2006.01.23)
Ford to Cut 30,000 Jobs
(2006.01.23)
US Mission to Cuba Turns Building into Times Square-Style Billboard
They previously aggravated Fidel Castro by putting up Christmas lights last year. Looks like official plans to get rid of Castro are continuing.
(2006.01.23)
Canada's Next Government Probably Led by Conservative Party
They've been out of power for thirteen years, so that would signal a big change. A scandal over misuse of taxpayer funds did a lot of damage to the Liberal government. The peculiar multiparty and heavily regional nature of Canadian politics is always grounds for strange results. Whether a Conservative win would warm US-Canadian relations is up to question, too. Of course, there's a strange gag law in effect prohibiting Canadian media from reporting on results until everyone has voted; fat chance of that actually keeping the truly curious from finding out. The Internet means that if information gets out anywhere, it gets out everywhere.
(2006.01.23)
"The West Wing" to End May 14th
It's hard to get sentimental about it; cast changes, the move to Sunday nights, and the milquetoast scripting of the last season or two (blame the departure of Aaron Sorkin) have tallied up to a pretty hefty toll on the show. The loss of John Spencer sealed the end.
(2006.01.23)
Nebraska State Senator Thinks "Economic Growth" Could Be Created with a $3 Billion Lake
Why is it that politicians continue to buy into the myth of contemporary "economic development"? In this case, it's quite nearly insane: It would flood an entire town and render Omaha's new $350 million water treatment plant useless by contaminating the aquifer. The supposed selling point to the giant lake is that it could make Nebraska a major destination for water-recreation tourism. But considering the long-term drought in Nebraska and the rest of the Great Plains -- a drought situation that has dramatically reduced water levels in Nebraska's largest lake. What is it about spending huge amounts of taxpayers' money that makes politicians believe they can create wealth? You can create public works projects and you can protect a free-market environment in which people can prosper, but you cannot legislate resources into existence. There's a huge difference between creating a useful public-works project and thriftlessly spending on fanciful whims.