Gongol.com Archives: August 2006
Brian Gongol


August 9, 2006

Business and Finance Housing boom not due to low interest rates
Chicago Fed research says it's because Americans got wealthier in the 1990s -- though low interest rates didn't hurt. They also think higher homeownership rates have created a fundamental change in the housing market, so there's no nationwide bubble.

Health Race, income make big differences in how well and how long people sleep

Business and Finance Old people use up 50% of their assets in the three years before death
Most old people die of long-term illnesses, so they end up using a lot of expensive medical care up to the end. That means people should probably plan not to "die broke" but to die with lots of extra cash around -- at least, they should if they want to maximize their time still breathing.

Iowa Traffic deaths down in Iowa
The new 70 mph speed limit may or may not be safer than the old limit, but it apparently has not led to masive carnage on the highways

News McKinney and Co. like to hit people
Representative Cynthia McKinney (of hit-a-Capitol-cop fame) lost a primary election last night, and in the process, some of her people hit a TV cameraman. Senator Joe Lieberman doesn't seem to have hit anybody, but has decided to run as an independent instead.

Computers and the Internet Patch Tuesday: It's a doozy
Seven "critical" updates for Windows, including a fix for remote code execution, which is usually one of the worst bugaboos

Threats and Hazards Hezbollah using Internet hijacking to deliver propaganda
By seeking out and hacking into vulnerable Internet servers, they can relay their propaganda for free

Agriculture Wal-Mart wants to get into the E85 business big-time
The company isn't ready to commit until it gets some guarantees from elsewhere, but it appears that what they're trying to do is lock in a major market position as the dominant E85 distributor, since the supply space is presently wide-open

Computers and the Internet How to write effective group e-mails
Whether writing to social clubs or groups of business associates, certain strategies can make those e-mail announcements much more effective

Humor and Good News "It would be a great opportunity for him to meet me"
Harry Hutton desires the attentions of one Paul Krugman

Water News No drought assistance yet for Nebraska

Graphics Dazzled