Brian Gongol
If you haven't started using the free Firefox web browser, we'd highly recommend it. It's one of the easiest and cheapest ways you can cut down on the risk of your computer getting infected with viruses and spyware. Another way is to set up a limited-access profile. Both steps are free and easy, and they reduce the chances that you'll be sending me spam.
The Caribbean island of Antigua is suing the US, claiming that the Internet gambling ban we have here is strangling their Internet casinos. What do they want in return? The authority to steal US intellectual property. Think it doesn't matter? Then you're not thinking about pirated DVD's, stolen pharmaceuticals, and copied products from China. That's a huge deal to the US. As I said back in October of last year, the Internet gambling ban is just busybody activity by a Congress and a President who need to pay more attention to the serious problems out there, like the idiotic way we're handling the Federal budget. There's no excuse for politicians to ignore the fact that at least one financial firm thinks that US government debt will fall to "junk" status by the time today's kindergartners are getting their first jobs.
The Federal Reserve says farmland prices in Iowa have risen by 16% in just the last 12 months. Why the big increase? Rising prices for corn and soybeans -- driven mainly by the ethanol and biodiesel industries. Believe it or not, this relates to an issue that's been on my mind for a while now: The way the government here has been ignoring Latin America and putting our future at risk by cutting the budgets of important services like the Voice of America. That's especially bad when the Communist-leaning government of Venezuela has shut down the biggest independent TV station in the country in an effort to complete the government's takeover of the media. Venezuela, in case you weren't aware, is the third-biggest supplier of petroleum to the United States -- bigger than even Saudi Arabia.
Is modern art just a big joke being played on everyone? A Minneapolis TV anchor thinks so, having painted his own work in about five minutes, and sold it for $1,200.
A tip for better living: Create a "landing strip" at home, and you'll be able to find your keys easier...plus, it'll help you "Tivo" your mail.
Two good reminders for Memorial Day: Do something for active-duty troops, and make sure you wear your seatbelt.
We owe some praise to the creators of the Gotham Prize, an inducement prize for cancer research.
Keywords in this show:
Antigua •
art •
cancer •
China •
Communism •
debt •
Federal debt •
Federal Reserve •
Federal spending •
Firefox •
Gotham Prize •
inducement prizes •
intellectual property •
land prices •
Latin America •
limited-access accounts •
Memorial Day •
military servicemembers •
online gambling •
petroleum •
pirated software •
public diplomacy •
Saudi Arabia •
security •
spam •
spyware •
time-saving tips •
Venezuela •
viruses •
Voice of America