Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Halt
4" rain totals cause flooding in Midwest
Whoever suggested cutting the VOA should be fired
It's bad enough that "Americans are now famous internationally for our ignorance and indifference to the world beyond our borders." Now, the government wants to cut back on the most profoundly cost-efficient means we have of building support around the world. The VOA is at its best when it reports the news (in English) around the world in a completely unbiased way. The virtues of individual liberty become plainly obvious when shown side-by-side with the alternatives -- even when that news reporting shows the warts of countries like the US. It's a great form of public diplomacy, and radio itself is the ideal medium: It can't be firewalled like the Internet or confiscated like printed leaflets or newspapers. Receivers are cheap and portable, and the broadcasts can be changed instantaneously to reflect the needs of the moment.
Iowa begs legislature to lock themselves at home
Giving away big tax breaks for Google might only be about the 15th stupidest thing they were able to do in the process of overspending like drunken sailors.
$15 an hour to play with a plastic sign
Newspaper circulation continues to tumble
Circulation is down 3.1% in six months, though website visits are up. A few ideas for reversing the slide: Get smaller (newspapers are too bulky), get cheaper (newspapers compete with free news on the Internet), and get better writing ("hip" writing and endless personal narratives are usually crap). People are getting lots of TV online for free, too.
If aliens attack, we'll all have to become terrorists
Schneider begins campaign for West Des Moines City Council
