Some notes from tonight's show:

- One reason (beyond the air temperatures) why the snow is melting so fast is that soil temperatures are at or above freezing across most of the state.

- Newt Gingrich's campaign is paying companies he owns for campaign-related work. It's not illegal, and he's certainly not going to get rich off the process, but it sure looks weird. 

- President Obama has come right out and said the US will take action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. This could very quickly become the defining issue of 2012.

- Are you living large? The Census Bureau has some detailed information about how much American households actually own. Take an in-depth look.

And though we didn't get a chance to get into it on the air, I have some thoughts on protecting your online reputation that it sounds like some local school teachers and administrators need to hear. The same advice is applicable to many other folks, as well.

Thanks for listening this week! Back next Sunday night at 9.

- Brian Gongol

Listen again on-demand to tonight's show:

Segment 1: Interest rates gone wild

Segment 2: Jon Huntsman quits

Segment 3: Michelle Obama on Twitter

Segment 4: Facebook's blackmail potential

Four segments, four themes tonight:

Segment 1: Interest rates are so wacky now that Americans are paying less for mortgages than other countries have to pay to borrow for their government spending. The world is strangely dysfunctional now.

Segment 2: Jon Huntsman quits the Presidential race. He had a lot going for him on paper, but making fun of Iowa was never a smart move.

Segment 3: First Lady Michelle Obama is now on Twitter. Except when it's her staff Tweeting for her. Can't we have a little more authenticity from our public officials (even the First Lady)?

Segment 4: Ever thought about how much information Facebook collects behind the scenes and how much it's really worth? How many employers would love to know which of their employees are online for fun when they're on the clock?

Thanks for listening tonight. Back next Sunday night at 9:00.

- Brian Gongol

Some links to stories we discussed on the air this afternoon:

The USDA is closing a lot of offices in an effort to save $150 million a year

Our WHO Radio Wise Guys tips on speeding up a slow computer

24% of Americans work at least part of their day from home. That's a factoid that sticks in my head upon noting that VW is going to shut off BlackBerry email access for most workers outside a narrow window around working hours.

Reuters says European banks are in such bad shape that now they're borrowing from companies like Johnson and Johnson because they can't get cash anywhere else. That's news hot on the heels of the announcement that there was a sharp increase in borrowing by American families in the run-up to Christmas. Eek.

Thanks for listening this afternoon. I'll be back in the hot seat Sunday night at 9:00.

- Brian Gongol

Tonight, I was accused on Facebook of being a "bourgeois running dog" -- by a person who then pivoted to a quote from Karl Marx. I thought those people had finally given up the fight. Guess I was wrong.

There's unrest in China right now, though you're probably not hearing much about it. Early warning: The China we see today isn't going to be the same nation with the same borders in 20 years.

You might be surprised at how Americans spend our work and leisure time.

I have an early candidate for 2012's idiot of the year: The Iowa City hospital visitor who smoked so much marijuana that he set off a fire alarm. Really? I can't think of any place where there are more people crammed together, up at all hours, with a particular concern about smoke and fire.

I'll be back in the studios tomorrow to fill in for Simon Conway. Tune in from 4pm to 6pm.

- Brian Gongol