Gongol.com Archives: September 2006
Brian Gongol


September 20, 2006

Threats and Hazards Former Archbishop of Canterbury says the Pope was right
One of the spookiest elements to the brouhaha is that a group has specifically threatened to kill the Pope over his remarks. The consequences would be staggering.

Science and Technology UK's Royal Society attacks ExxonMobil
Says they're funding groups that try to misinform the public about climate change. What's interesting is that the amount of funding in the US is $2.9 million -- lots of money to most individuals, but pocket change to a firm with a gross operating profit of $73.6 billion a year. If this investment really is meant to secure certain environmental policies favorable to the company, then it's an extremely efficient investment.

Humor and Good News No Loafing!

News "We think that people who produce ... the atomic bomb cannot ... speak of supporting world peace"
Interview with Ahmadinejad. He ducks questions about a free press and free speech, and Brian Williams fails to pursue him on the subject.

Iowa Is Iowa wasting too much money on small governments?
Certain government consolidations have mixed results -- some efficiency gains, some losses

Threats and Hazards War theorist says we have about a decade until terrorists get serious
Thinks terrorist groups are still too disorganized to carry out anything massively complex on US soil, but that the US government is way behind in getting ready for such attacks

Agriculture Growing demand for ethanol could destabilize corn prices
Purdue economist thinks that as US corn prices track oil prices more than world demand for the crop, those prices could become much less stable

Aviation News FAA fines Chicago for messing up Meigs Field
The fine was much smaller than it could have been; the FAA gave the city money to fix up the downtown airport, but Mayor Daley destroyed the runway instead.

Water News Contaminated water a suspect in spinach E. coli outbreak

Iowa It's hard to find a high-profile terrorist target in Bettendorf

Humor and Good News The posterior of a gay-basher
(Video with disgusting language) Representative of loathsome group gets a taste of his own medicine

Graphics Aluminum Exterior