Gongol.com Archives: September 2006
Brian Gongol


September 25, 2006

Computers and the Internet Hijacked portion of Sarajevo airport website used in phishing scam
The target: Australian bank customers. Related: A new wave of spyware attacks on MSN Messenger is underway.

The American Way September 25, 2006 Carnival of the Capitalists

Water News Making water towers more attractive

Graphics Your Name in Lights

CommerceBucket Wal-Mart could be planning retaliation against Disney

Science and Technology $7.6 million goes into research for re-growing limbs
Defense Department funding is chasing the dream that humans could re-grow limbs lost to amputation; the researchers have been given 48 months to figure out how

Health Risk of heart disease hasn't changed much over last decade
In other words, public-health programs have done well in fighting tobacco, but not so well against the couch and potato chips

Socialism Doesn't Work To avoid election-time spending cuts, Congress is putting off a budget resolution
Some of the Republican leadership has lost touch with reality -- their base is not the religious right, but rather the generally libertarian-leaning center that just doesn't want government in their lives. That group doesn't show up for party activities or rallies much, but they definitely do show up on election day -- and the reckless spending patterns of the present administration have really made them mad.

Computers and the Internet Science-fiction movies strongly coloring technologists' predictions of the future
Some of the Internet enthusiasts surveyed by Pew have visions of great conflicts based upon who does and does not want to be touched by technology

Socialism Doesn't Work South Korean apologetics for human-rights problems in North Korea could just be making things worse
By downplaying how bad things are rather than confirming the horrors, South Korea could be missing the opportunity to confirm what North Koreans are seeing with their own eyes. But propaganda in defense of freedom works best when it confirms those observations, not when it conflicts with them.

CommerceBucket What's happened to top private companies of years past?

Business and Finance As lending and finance get more complicated, crises could get much worse
With hedge funds and the like grow in proportion to conventional bonds and borrowing, lower transparency could mean higher risks of trouble

Business and Finance A weak Chinese yuan could be holding a lid on US inflation

News Iraqi president wants 10,000 US troops to stay "long-term"
Says he thinks Iraqi troops will be ready to handle things on their own within two years