Brian Gongol
Graphic of the day: Jellyfish
Burj Dubai sets new world record for height
They've just poured the 141st story of the building, putting it at 1,680 feet tall. Apparently its final height is a secret, though it's guessed to be around 2,300 feet and 160 stories. There's a point at which a building becomes ridiculous, and the Burj Dubai is probably well beyond it. At its current unfinished height, it's already 230 feet taller than the Sears Tower. If they really go for 2,300 feet, it'll be 300 feet taller than the largest TV antenna towers in the United States.
URL problem puts Internet Explorer and Firefox alike at risk
Be careful when surfing unfamiliar websites and use a limited-access account, especially when surfing the Internet
Bad day on Wall Street; even worse day in Argentina
The bond market for Argentina fell by 10% in reaction to the slip-up in the US stock market. The problem is that if US lenders tighten credit in response to problems with domestic borrowers, that could mean trouble for international borrowers, too. If rates go up, then bond prices go down. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez is so mad that an opposition TV station that he previously shut down has managed to get back on the air via satellite that he says he'll shut the satellite service down in five days unless they cooperate. A Catholic bishop there calls it a revival of the Inquisition, this time for political purposes.
Pneumonia outbreak in El Salvador
(Article in Spanish)
Queen guitarist Brian May is getting a Ph.D. in astrophysics
Freshwater jellyfish discovered in Nebraska
The director of the Henry Doorly Zoo thinks that the freshwater jellyfish arrived via a duck or another bird that happened to drop by the Gene Leahy Mall (a public park area in downtown Omaha)
Doublespeak and the real meaning of "freedom"
The copper clapper caper
(Video) One of the funniest television comedy sketches of all time
Cleveland city councilman tells drug dealer what he really thinks
"I told you just recently to stay out of my neighborhood, you crack dealing piece of trash"
The flying 'roo
Qantas has gotten a revised logo, and it's really a knockout
One-third of residents in hurricane-prone areas say they'd refuse evacuation orders
Do they not remember Hurricane Katrina? Fortunately, at least some local authorities are realizing the Federal government probably won't help much and are making preparations of their own for the next big storm. One has to wonder: If a third of people in storm-prone areas won't bother to participate in a mass evacuation, then why should taxpayers elsewhere (and their sensible neighbors who left) be responsible for caring for them? Rescue workers shouldn't have to put their lives at risk just because some people can't remember what happened just two years ago.
Never use engine-driven pumps without proper ventilation
In addition to the serious flooding taking place in England, there are big floods hitting Mexico right now as well. People need to be especially careful when pumping out floodwaters.
