Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Give and Take
Des Moines gets high marks for family-friendliness
The ranking from "Kiplinger's Personal Finance" ought to at least give some pause to those who are pushing so hard for Project Destiny, which is an unfortunate attempt to pass a tax hike under the guise of "fixing" property taxes. People really need to get over the obsession with all of the things they imagine Des Moines "could be" if only we spent more taxpayer dollars on more entertainment attractions. Des Moines has distinct advantages in quality-of-life matters that are the real attractions we should care about.
Absolutely hilarious video of a voice-over artist at play
Also hilarious: Knight Rider goes to the dance club
Could China become the next big investor in the US stock market?
Chinese regulations have changed that will allow their banks to put more money into foreign (including American) stocks. Just think: Americans give the Chinese dollars in exchange for goods. The Chinese put those dollars into Chinese banks, which in turn shuttle those dollars back to America to buy shares in American companies. That's not necessarily any cause for special alarm (especially if you're one of those Americans selling stock to the Chinese), but it's an interesting phenomenon that we probably didn't see coming back in, say, 1985. Related: There's a big difference between noting American consumers' uncautious approach to debt and blaming that fiscal irresponsibility on American companies.
A brief history of postal rates
With the new 41-cent rate going into effect, it's interesting to look back. It's also interesting to look at how postal services are delivered in other parts of the Anglosphere, like the UK's Royal Mail.
Nothing says elegance like a Communist ballet dancer with a gun
Except maybe airliners from below
Wildfires as close as Minnesota
US does itself harm by ignoring Eastern Europe
Remember the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine? Part of why it's stumbling may be the fact the West hasn't been paying attention to it and helping out. We're also not hearing much about the conflict between Estonia and Russia or Russia's attempts to show off some economic muscle.
There's no good reason for all retail-store websites to look alike
