Brian Gongol
(2006.04.13)
Tornado Hits Downtown Iowa City
University of Iowa sorority and St. Patrick's Catholic Church badly damaged. Extensive damage along Clinton Street, with gas leaks in the Ped Mall. Video from the storm-hit area makes a pretty convincing case to seek shelter when a storm moves through.
(2006.04.13)
Iowa Reaches 600 Mumps Cases
(2006.04.13)
British Re-Writing Bill That Would Have Allowed Ministers To Do Basically Whatever They Wanted
Opponents called it a "dictatorship bill"
(2006.04.13)
U Texas Zoology Prof: "World Would Clearly Be Much Better Off Without So Many of Us"
Self-loathing may be a pleasurable exercise for some, but, fortunately, others like Dr. Norman Borlaug are busy using science to make life better. As economic growth and stability increase, population growth decreases -- so the path toward better living for humans involves two simultaneous acts: Improvement in generating the resources we need today (like food) and improvement in overall standards of living in order to relieve the pressure human population growth exerts on the natural order. Doomsday scenarios are perpetual losers.
(2006.04.13)
Vancouver Homeless to Get Specially-Designed Carts for Collecting Cans and Bottles
"The binner [can collector] is expected to pay part of the cost, either through binning or by selling advertising on the sides of the cart."
(2006.04.13)
Doctors Figure Out How to Reverse Cell Division
Manage to cause cells to merge rather than split. Naturally, our first thoughts go to cancer, which is the result of uncontrolled cell division.
(2006.04.13)
Girl Has Successful Surgery to Re-Start Heart that Hadn't Worked for 10 Years
She got a transplant 10 years ago, but they never removed the original heart from the body. Due to the deteriorating condition of the donor heart, doctors decided to remove it and re-start the original. It worked.
(2006.04.13)
Motorcycle Gangs Responsible for Mass Murder in Ontario
(2006.04.13)
More Cultural Apocalypse: "My Super Sweet 16"
"It is unreasonable to believe that these vacuous little monsters are created in a vacuum."
(2006.04.13)
Great Lakes Down About Half a Foot Over Last Year
Heavy-precipitation storms have largely missed the basin feeding the lakes
(2006.04.13)
British Judge Declares UK Anti-Terror Laws "An Affront to Justice"
What powers we turn over to the people in charge today will be the powers inherited by whomever is in charge tomorrow. Given the difficulty in predicting who will be in charge tomorrow, why would anyone agree to extend those powers any more than the absolute minimum necessary? That's simply irrational.