Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Miami's Got Talent
Prince William is just another 25-year-old who can't have his dream job
"Russia will no longer take the lead from the United States"
Venezuela's president is hanging out in Moscow, hoping to sign some arms deals
Ron Paul campaign releases well-done viral video
(Video) It's actually a month old, but it's getting some traction. Rep. Paul has one of the stronger economic platforms among the 2008 Presidential candidates, but he also has a problem in that he represents angry libertarianism -- rather than the happy type that got Ronald Reagan elected.
China gets into the airplane business
The country's first commercial aircraft is becoming a reality as the first production model is assembled into a single piece. Test flights are scheduled for March 2008, with delivery in September 2009. Related: The EU has banned a long list of airlines from its airspace over safety concerns.
China celebrates ten years of control over Hong Kong
They're also quite proud of the newly-opened Three Gorges Dam the construction of which displaced 1.2 million people and flooded 1,200 towns and villages. Related: China's "little brother," North Korea, just fired off three missile tests, against UN orders.
Apparently no one is epileptic in Hong Kong
Website for a Hong Kong cable-TV network contains more flashing elements than any other website in history. It's no joke that flashing elements can cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.
Buckingham, not London Bridge, is falling down
The monarchy costs the average British taxpayer about $1.25 a year -- and the Queen says that Buckingham Palace is literally falling apart and needs about $30 million in repairs. And no one's allowed to hug her in consolation.
"Private" Facebook pages turn out to be not so private
Searches on the social-networking site for specific characteristics -- like sexual orientation -- can produce results that may reveal things that the people who posted them thought would be kept "private". All the more reason to know exactly what you're posting online, and to know that there's no guarantee that it will remain private.
GAO says too many pension plans have conflicts of interest
Pension-plan underfunding and troublesome mortgage news (like the failure of a subprime mortgage fund) are two good reasons to remain on alert about the economy
Will a UK-owned mini-grocery beat 7-Eleven at its own game?
My how we've changed: Now everyone opposes big government
The Reagan-Thatcher revolution lives on: Britain's new prime minister says, "I have learned that top-down, 'pulling the lever solutions' are not always the ones that are going to work best." He may or may not really believe it, but it's a good thing that he at least thinks that's what the public wants to hear. There's still a lot of the world left to be converted, though, including Saudi Arabia which persecutes TV stars. Related: What happened in the 68 minutes while the UK had no prime minister.
Theory on how the Great Pyramid was constructed
Americans trust the military more than any other institution
Equality: The trickiest of economic challenges
"Distributive justice" usually comes down to questions of growth and fairness. The reason some people prefer to focus on growth is probably because fairness is so hard to quantify. Canada's Prime Minister is trying to win support for an equalization plan that would balance out what the different provinces collect in taxes and then get back from the federal government. What's fair? The Atlantic provinces seem to want to keep the money they get from offshore oil royalties. Other provinces, though, could argue that they are entitled to money for different reasons. Fairness makes for a real Gordian knot, because we always view fairness through the lens of what's best for us.
Bettendorf's "Vision Iowa" project is $14 million short
Google crushes the competition for mobile-phone users
It's far and away the most-used complex of sites (Google search, Gmail, Google Maps, and so on) among mobile-Internet users in the US, and it has a strong lead among British users, too. Mobile users are concerned about loading times more than anything else, which is a funny thing: When the Internet first emerged as a mass phenomenon, web designers thought a lot about loading times, because we were all on dial-up connections. As broadband has become the primary means of Internet access in the US, sites have grown and grown. But now, as high-income people become the early adopters of mobile Internet platforms, they suddenly have everything in common with people in developing countries, where mobile Internet access is predominant. It's actually a huge issue: Those sites that offer mobile-friendly access will undoubtedly be major channels of influence in the developing world.
It's a once-a-decade cool-off
Temperatures in Des Moines are in an unsually cool spell. Consider that while listening to "The Weather Channel Presents: Best of Smooth Jazz". A mild cool spell is a lot better than wildfires and flooding, like they're getting in other parts of the country. Related: British military planners are considering potential consequences of global warming in their long-range plans.
Advertising campaigns tout tap water
