Brian Gongol
Thai coup leaders crack down on press freedom
Phone calls to radio shows prohibited, as are text messages posted on television
CDC wants routine HIV tests for people ages 13 to 64
In particular, they want to start testing people who are thought to be low-risk. The high-end cutoff isn't necessarily a brilliant idea, since 10% of AIDS patients are over 50
Daffy program for kids' fish-oil supplements costs more than ingredients in school lunches
What kind of rational person would think it's more valuable to spend money on unproven supplements than on improving the quality of the food kids eat?
Standardized ID cards to cost states $11 billion
The Federal REAL ID act is going to cost more than Iowa's entire annual budget, and likely to little or no appreciable improvement in security. The 9/11 hijackers had ID. But apparently we're only willing to spend $100 million to find missing nuclear waste from old Soviet reactors. Now that's just unforgivably stupid.
"All political activities" banned in Thailand after coup
The military says it will control the government for at least a year until a new constitution can be written. Not a good sign at all.
3.3-million-year-old fossil shows what happens as humans evolved
Fossilized child was adapted to walking upright, but many of the upper-body features were still useful for tree-dwelling
"Top Gear" host injured after crashing at 300 mph
TV writers completely oblivious to the world around them
Writers Guild says it's going to be aggressive about negotiations for 2007 and isn't afraid to strike. Clearly, they're living on another planet from the rest of us, since they're unaware that great writers really aren't all that rare. Why the entertainment business is held hostage by any labor union is completely mystifying.
Iowa's unemployment rate: 3.6%
Even seasonally-adjusted, that's almost absurdly low
Outstanding photos of a 9/11 tribute in Omaha
Night shots of twin beams of light, along with a couple enhanced by lightning
A political ad that might actually work
(Video) Ad for Maryland's Republican candidate for Senate breaks all kinds of rules, but it looks so good it just might work. Apparently one doofus on the opposing side's campaign didn't realize that it's just plain stupid to post racist remarks on a website.
Farm Bureau calls for end to buffer-strip program
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