Gongol.com Archives: March 2006
Brian Gongol



Health (2006.03.07)
WHO Opens Meeting on Bird Flu
Main objective: Figure out how to contain a pandemic

Weather and Disasters (2006.03.07)
Report: New Vesuvius Eruption Could Be as Catastrophic as Katrina

Agriculture (2006.03.07)
Glowing Potatoes Tell Farmers When to Irrigate

News (2006.03.07)
Why Unions Are Never Wholly Bad
Despite their distortive effects on the marketplace (sometimes those effects are extremely harmful, as when they contribute to the demise of entire businesses), unions have proven themselves very effective at destabilizing oppressive political regimes -- like Solidarity did in Poland, and as a group of bus drivers are trying to do in Iran

Humor and Good News (2006.03.07)
Bruce Willis: Invade Colombia

Threats and Hazards (2006.03.07)
Big Brother Wants a Closer Eye on British Motorists
Expansion of road cameras would include crackdown on driving while talking on the phone, among other offenses. Some of the argument derives from the perceived value cameras have for fighting terrorism -- but there is yet little or no evidence that surveillance cameras do anything to fight terrorism. The 9/11 hijackers were recorded on security cameras, as were the London 7/7 bombers (who were even taped staging a trial run of the attack), and everyone's seen the footage from the Madrid train bombings. Cameras aren't much of a deterrent, and their usefulness in countering attacks is yet to be proven. But their effectiveness at infringing on civil liberties is well-known.