Brian Gongol
Motorola's "Droid" smartphone is on the way next week
It's been designed with several features that could make it a real challenger to the iPhone -- including a bigger screen, a lower up-front price, and a better network in the United States
Anti-vaccination campaigners are not only wacky, they're a hazard to public health
Vaccinations don't always take effectively, and when they don't, people rely upon herd immunity to keep them safe -- if everyone else is properly vaccinated, then they should remain generally well-protected, because no one else is passing around the contagion. But the rise of anti-vaccination stupidity in America has caused some very preventable diseases -- like whooping cough -- to come back. And a child in Iowa has just died of the whooping cough. Perhaps the child was in the middle of a vaccination regimen and it hadn't taken yet. But for the child to have even been exposed almost certainly means that someone nearby hadn't been vaccinated. And that's unacceptable. Vaccines are safe, and the people spreading lies and disinformation about them are endangering us all.
Debt is killing American businesses
A little bit of operational debt can be fine, if it's only used to smooth out the swings between payment and expense cycles. But businesses can't be built on a foundation of massive debt. It just doesn't work. And, unfortunately, the side effect is that over-leveraged businesses can stay afloat long enough to squeeze more conservatively-financed firms out of the market, making everyone worse off.
Increasing political unpopularity follows expansive use of bans and prohibitions in Ontario
The premier there has been using bans to get his way. At least one analyst thinks people are getting tired of it. If true, then good for them. A government that prohibits things it doesn't like is a government that likely hasn't examined all of the available options.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Master of the hidden e-mail message
Some California legislators are mad that an e-mail they received from the Governator contained a hidden message to, well, fornicate themselves. The governor is, predictably, denying there was any intent to send such a hidden message. But, quite honestly, shouldn't someone occasionally tell quarrelsome public officials what to do with themselves in a colorful fashion? LBJ was reputed to use his private endowment as a tool of public persuasion. At least Schwarzenegger is keeping his absurdities to words.
Chicago Cubs and Tribune Company finally part ways
Blackface is generally offensive enough. But using Magic Marker?
Podcast: Stop abusing economic multipliers!
Forecasters expect a warm winter for the Midwest
