Brian Gongol
Grand Island residents worry about storm drainage
Problems with American's MD-80 fleet will probably cost company more than $30 million
They had to cancel almost 600 flights today alone, including 40% of their MD-80 flights. But they're very, very sorry. Related: Why in the world did it take American until January 2008 to set up a mobile edition of its website? Given how long people have been using mobile Internet browsers, and how many of them are air travelers, shouldn't something like that have been a high priority?
"[I]f anyone should attempt to disrupt or undermine the torch relay, then they will be dealt with severely"
That's China's policy on free speech in Tibet. Imagine Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger making the same declaration in California. Reporters are being kicked out of Tibet. There is some speculation that China's central government is especially interested in cracking down because it has fears of a national dissolution...a breakup of China as we know it. If Tibet is allowed even a little autonomy, then what of the long-standing dispute over what happens with Taiwan? The notion of using nationalism to bind people to the central government is hardly anything new, and the question of a broken-up China has emerged before, particularly after its rocky history of occupation by other countries into the 20th Century.
How to get fat without really trying
Men's Health magazine documents the most unhealthy fast foods in America -- including an appetizer that probably exists solely to advance the business interests of cardiac surgeons everywhere. The simple fact is that Americans eat too much food, and too much of it is high-fat, low-nutrient stuff that just ends up creating a calorie surplus without actually satisfying any of the body's actual nutritional needs. Important? Yes: Especially because the global price for rice is up sharply -- 50% over just the last two weeks. Expect more food riots around the world, and expect that to drive hostility towards the Western countries -- even if that's not rationally justified. Unfortunately, some people are going to blame free trade and globalization for the problem...when, in fact, trade is one of the few things that can make the situation better.
The dishonor of being Hugh Hefner
