Brian Gongol
(2006.04.19)
America's Guilty Pleasure: "24"
(2006.04.19)
Why Do People Have to Fight to Get What They Want?
There's really no reason why anyone should have to actively campaign within the United States to be allowed to buy something sold legally in a state other than their own -- though such appears to be the case with shipping wine across state lines. It's not only stupid, it violates the spirit of the magnificent Interstate Commerce Clause of the Constitution, which reads, "No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another; nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another." Seems pretty clear.
(2006.04.19)
How to Store Bananas
Putting them in the refrigerator accelerates the browning of the peel, but the fruit itself will stay tasty longer. Coincidentally, there's almost no way to store grapes without turning them into wine or raisins. The only rules are keep them cool and eat them soon.
(2006.04.19)
A $1 Billion Apology
The family behind Hyundai is trying to undo a PR nightmare caused by the apparent use of bribery to gain government favors. The price? A $1 billion donation to charity. The less power government has to give away, the less likely that power will become corrupted. South Korea's chaebol (big conglomerates) only got big because the government planned things that way. On one hand, South Korea experienced a revolutionary improvement in prosperity...but on the other hand, now they're paying the price.
(2006.04.19)
Cleveland Paper's Mistake Makes Lots of Taxes Late
The Plain Dealer printed a list of post offices that were open late on the tax-filing deadline, but the list included five branches that closed according to regular hours. The paper and the local postmaster have asked federal and state officials to show a little mercy to people who thought their returns would be postmarked on time. The IRS says, "No problem." The Ohio taxation authorities say, "We'll see."
(2006.04.19)
Rocky Mountain News Wins Two Pulitzers for Profoundly Good Report
Feature piece on casualty notification officers won for both writing and photography
(2006.04.19)
RAND Corp: Nation-Building Starts with Sanitation
(2006.04.19)
Gates Offers to Help Hu with Windows Anytime
When the presidents of the US and China meet, they'll have to talk about trade deficits and military plans if they're doing their jobs
(2006.04.19)
OWI Driver Shouldn't Have Honked at Cop
That's the true story; the Onion has related fiction