quibids is a scam

it works like a casino depending on the majority of people losing their money so a few can appear to win big... each "bid" costs 60 cents and each "bid" is counted as 1 cent when used, so when something is sold for $10 the quibid company actually makes $610 plus shipping and handling for the item... those $10 worth of bids actually cost customers $600... in other words, a $200 item appears to be sold for $10, but actually the company racked in over $600... the stories of iPads selling for $40 sound great, but the quibid company sold those 4000 bids (that they equate to $40) for $2400, add the $40 that the "winner" pays and shipping and handling and quibid makes almost $2000 profit on a $500 iPad... the "winner" might have used at least 500 "bids" to win (often a "winner" uses a lot more than 12% of the "bids" to "win" a product) that iPad and the "winner" had to buy those bids at 60 cents each so the very lucky winner actually paid close to $400 for that iPad - and if they used more than 600 bids they paid list price for that iPad...

they there is the bait and switch... two of the items i "won" on the site were "no longer available" and they offered a gift card to walmart or another store for what i spent - so i wasted my time to break even?... and they never sent the gift card so they flat out ripped me off on the "wins"...

additionally, the site also collects valuable information about your purchasing interests and your consumer weaknesses among other personal information... for instance, a tech support rep was not only able to tell me what computer, operating system, and browser i was using, but that my other browser (chrome) would work better with the site...

worse yet, though harder to prove, is that the quibid computers are rigged (which consumer regulatory agency has checked them?)... you don't win unless you invest a lot of time and money in the company... repeatedly i watched very suspicious timers lagging at just the right second to prevent me and others from "winning" while robot bidding was allowed to continue to bid the price of the item up... at least a few times i watched the same bids appear on two or even three different products at the same time, which means someone clicked two or three buttons simultaneous;y at the precise second needed which is impossible unless the quibid computers are making the bids for the alleged customers...

but like the rest of the gambling industry, people become addicted to the pretense of winning and the idea of getting something for nothing... casinos are packed and people know the games heavily favor the house... believing they are actually buying stuff at substantial discount is an even bigger draw for a culture addicted to consumerism and gambling... it took me $30 to learn the scam... hopefully you won't be ripped off for more...

weather idiots

also know as weathermen (and not weatherwomen, but that's a prejudice so inherent in our language and culture it deserves complaints of it's own so we won't let this one get too distracted for now) and meteorologists... giving the people in this particular field of study some benefit of doubt, i will not propose to assume that all those who study meteorology are idiots... this complaint is primarily about tv meteorologists anyway... even there i will not propose to assume that all tv weather-people are idiots either... what i will state as this complaint is that almost all tv meteorologists appear to be idiots in the way they are scripted, presented, and possibly manipulated... business as usual, the media is selling product and not reporting the news accurately without bias and ulterior motives...

what i mean is... just like the news, the weather sells product... the news (and sports and weather) programming is big business and made way more dramatic, scary, shocking, and stupid than it needs to be to do what it is supposed to do, present an accurate report on real events outside of our homes and immediate daily experience... we want to know there are traffic delays on our routes to work or wherever we go, we don't need to know how many people died or are injured and what agony their family is going through "how do you feel about the critical condition your son is in?" type reporting... we want to know it is going to rain or snow or storm, but we do not need to know live coverage of idiots hanging on to street light polls in hurricanes telling us not to leave our homes...

today, i refer to an even more serious stupidity... a dangerous stupidity... i refer to the vultures picking at the carcass of potential news, specifically the over-excited alarmists trying to make much more out of the weather than is necessary or responsible... the problem with meteorologists who pander to the news media and actively represent themselves as prophets of doom on television is that goes beyond the irresponsible scare tactics that manipulate viewers... the serious issue is that people are conditioned to worry, stress, and even panic over storms that never appear and then are complacent when a real threat arises...

today's tv meteorologists are boys (and girls) who cry wolf and much like the story about the boy who cried wolf, they reduce their value to the public to side show annoyances... they find the one power line that is down and present it as widespread damage... they find the one branch that fell on one car and interview the owner as if he is one of many who were devastated by the storm... they "predict" worse case scenarios as if there is no doubt that we are all in serious danger...

earlier this year they did this with a storm that never actually became a hurricane but was still presented as a potentially catastrophic event... Hurricane Sandy that is heading up the east coast of the USA this week is the latest storm to be the fuel for irresponsible and dangerous reporting... if the world (God, Mother Nature, or whatever you believe might control the world) had a Risk Management department would identify the irresponsible cry wolf reporting by television meteorologists as a potential risk reducing actual preparedness for an actual serious weather event...

the culpability of the news media for false reporting and actively pre-determining heightened threats could be called into question in court by a savvy lawyer who demonstrates that repeated exposure to over-zealous television meteorological reports could desensitize and therein give credible cause for inadequate preparation that leads to serious injury by the public the news organizations are commissioned to serve...

beyond litigation, people can be hurt and killed because they do not take weather dangers seriously because they have repeatedly been exposed to television weather idiots who manipulate news to over-state dangers only to be repeatedly proven to be wrong...

news and weather

i am beginning to feel enough dislike (i really hate the word hate ya know) the news and weather media in the usa... it is madness and so very unhealthy, which is why i stay away from watching or reading it quite often... the fear-driven culture we live in has produced a society of adrenaline junkies afraid of everything and worse, unable to think for themselves... a clear sign of a failing culture...

what brings this meaningless complaint out today is the tropical storm isaac reports that have been pounding into millions of people's heads over the past week, especially the last few days as the news people are begging for the national weather service to call this storm a hurricane (in fact, the weather people have mistakenly called it a hurricane more than a few times, on the weather channel no less, where they are supposed to know what they are doing - and don't they?... they know scaring people gets more people to watch and rating and selling products is their first priority, not protecting people or providing fair and accurate reporting of the news... journalism is such a dead profession these days in the usa)...

and after hours of telling us that the 11am national weather service report should upgrade the storm to a hurricane (note, that's an upgrade - sick) again and again and the disappointment was obvious in the reporters voices and words, even questioning the national weather service making statements like "it would have been better if they upgraded to a hurricane"...

how shameful greed is so acceptable...

how irresponsible fear-mongering is so acceptable...

everybody be afraid, stop thinking, just be afraid and above all else - keep watching the news because we have very important commercial messages you need to see between all the fear-mongering reports we repeat over and over...

how ignorant will this culture get before it collapses?...

did i just fear-monger?

education in the USA

It is sad that leaders in the USA do not understand how important education to national security. Comparison scores declined for decades last century. Some improvement can be seen this century, but USA scores still fall shamefully behind other countries.

1995 results: "...tests showed U.S. fourth-graders performing poorly, middle school students worse. and high school students are unable to compete. By the same criteria used to say we were "average" in elementary school, "we appear to be "near the bottom" at the high school level. source

2003 comparison of more than 250,000 15-year old students from 41 countries. USA Ranks: Math: 27th, Reading: 18th, Science: 22nd. source

2010 Ranks show minor improvement, but when considering the wealth and resources available in the USA, these scores still show a sad disregard for education in the USA: Math: 25th, Reading: 14th, Science: 17th.
source

This does not address the unavailability of higher education for the majority of Americans who cannot afford $100,000+ for a basic college education and double that for an advanced degree. Government loans and long-term debt or bankruptcy is not the answer, but the only alternative for many young people.

Until Education is as high a priority as Defense, no amount of bombs/guns will protect us from the defenselessness of technological and intellectual inferiority.

refs 2, boston 0

the game is tied 105-105 and rondo drives for a lay-up... a flagrant foul, a hard blow to the head knocking his head back hard, knocking him to the ground, slow to get up... no call... no call giving miami a fast break and a two point lead... how do you miss such an obvious foul under the basket?... you don't, not if you are good at your job,,, you don't, not unless you are are incompetent - or you have an agenda...

one minute left... so a four point swing for miami with less than 90 seconds and the next series, a clear offensive foul, a kick with the foot to knock the defensive player back, but it's miami so it is allowed and worse, the foul is called on boston... no foul call against miami on a blow to the head which by rule is flagrant, no foul call against miami on an obvious offensive kick, foul called against boston to a slap to the arm after getting kicked out of the way... five point lead under a minute...

seven fouls for boston, zero fouls for miami in the first 7 minutes of the game... fifteen more fouls against boston than against miami... similar to game one... it's no coincidence... a key star for boston fouls out again just like the first game... it's no coincidence... it is such a sad shame that the refs dominate the play leaning to one side so much...

all game the refs made miami calls giving miami a lopsided advantage in foul shots and still, game tied in overtime... and then, one minute left, tie game, and a blown flagrant foul call gives miami a bogus lead... you can't beat a team with the refs on their side and that was clear tonight...

ridiculous win for the refs and miami... they needed the refs just to get the game tied and sent to overtime... no team can win a close game when the refs are so clearly biased to pne side... anyone who respects this miami win did not watch the game, especially not the last 90 seconds when the refs took over and game the game to miami...

it's professional sports... the refs calls in the last two minutes should not be one of the subjects discussed by objective sportscasters in the post game shows... the refs calls should not be a topic of discussion after the game two games in a row... boston is getting a raw deal... two ridiculous technical fouls in the first game had sports commentators raging and wondering if the refs have a specific agenda... are the refs getting told what to do by the nba management?... so it seems to the professionals watching, so it seems to this sports fan...

but the fact is, it would be very bad for business for the nba for the spoiled and arrogant golden boys of miami to not make it to the finals... due to their own immaturity and boasts, they'd be a laughing stock if they don't win a championship soon... so they can get away with much more... the refs bias may be ignored after the obvious immediate commentary points it out... but for anyone really watching, really paying attention, really looking for sportmanship, it cheapens the game of basketball...

whatever...

softball on my mind

ok, so this might belong in the more private ranting place(s), but i come here based on the futility of this particular meaningless complaint... i have verbalized it in many ways, more and less politely, to the people involved and it does not appear to make any difference to them, hence, the meaninglessness of this particular complaint (we can clarify the definition of complaint, which is rather different in my language than in the standard dictionary, another time... besides, this is not just about any particular people as a few different groups could easily be examples, though i do use a specific example of actions here... all that to say, this disclaimer is probably not necessary (but probably appropriate to have a meaningless disclaimer in front of yet another meaningless complaint, aye?... inappropriate laughter should follow lol lam laa)...

back to the meaningless complaint of the moment now... ah yes, softball... fundamental catch and throw errors are one thing... i don't expect everyone on the team to have perfect skills... but not practicing between and especially before games and getting the kinks out in the first two innings is annoying and not teamwork... as often as i suggested people do that, a few still will not do that and repeatedly make the same catch and throw errors in early innings... second and shortstop especially... and both play way too deep and give up at least two or three ground ball hits every game that are soft ground ball outs... and then they back away from (or don't bend and block) anything hit hard so a few times a game a ground out goes between their legs or past them as they step out of the way... when short and second are afraid of ground balls, it is tough to be a winning team...

but if that was all that was wrong with the team (teams, actually) i probably would not be waking the next day with softball on my mind... it is not just a weak and scared middle infield, even more, in fact, much more, it is simply not listening to coaching when it is obvious their head is not in the game... like getting picked off by leaving a base on a fly ball when the coach is yelling "come back" or "tag up"... or swinging at ball four when the coach just reminded you "3-1 count, a walk loads the bases" and grounding out or into a double play (why do the slow runners not listen to the fundamental 3-1 take a pitch philosophy more than anyone else?)... but i leap ahead of myself...

so we are playing the best team in the league (by far), a team of mostly the umpires for the league (which isn't really fair but that's besides the point and we can have fun with them anyway), and we are going into the bottom of the sixth inning tied 5-5 (and four of their five runs were gifts on infield errors)... they are up... a few choice errors by the shortstop, one easy ground ball he was playing too deep on and one low ground ball right between his legs, put runners at first and second and nobody out... a couple of bobbles in the outfield and a wild throw, a dropped ball at second, and another infield hit because the middle infielders play too deep and they are up 8-5...

we come up for out last at bat... first batter, #7 in the lineup, gets on, a walk on three pitches... their pitcher getting nervous and throws two balls to the next batter, #8 in the lineup (he usually bats #4 or #5 but was late to the game so doesn't warm up which is becoming a pattern)... i yell out for the whole field to hear "3-1 count, he hasn't thrown a strike yet, take one for the team, a walk loads the bases with no out and brings up the top of the order"... it is not the first time we've been through this... 31 or 3 and 1 is often called out in these situations to remind a batter... base runners are everything in the last inning when down by a few runs... a walk allows the girl behind the batter to walk as well, therein loading the bases and that would bring one of our best hitters to the play, the #1 hitter and top of the lineup... it is simple, fundamental, smart softball...

the batter swings at ball four, a ball dropping in front of the plate, and almost gets thrown out at first but we avoid a double play on an error... on the next play, he is caught off first base for the double play, game over... it is not the first time he did that, simply did not have his head in the game and refused to hear or listen to coaching to lose a game in the last inning... oh well, i keep the joking and positive cheering going on the outside, but inside i am frustrated by the lack of team support... everybody heads home and i go out to dinner with a few of the guys from the other team cuz i play with them on thursday nights... softball is a family kind of thing when you play for years and i know most of the players on the better teams from either playing with them or playing against them often in several different leagues or in tournaments... we enjoy dinner and talk world series and football and life cuz that is what is going on at the sports bar and i sure don't want to relive frustrating lack of obvious fundamentals and teamwork and neither do they...

and then home and watch the end of the world series and football and write some and browse some and respond to messages some and sleep some and here i am, waking at the usual work time on a day off, with softball on my mind... and pondering whether i want to pay for a team that does not play like a team (only seven players paid this season, which means i pay for four slots at $47 each and then pay for my slot as well... the others wanted to take a season off to watch more football so i find subs every week)... paying $200+ for the kind of frustration last night brings is definitely not worth it...

i am not sure why everyone else just accepts losing by fundamental mistakes and deliberate ignoring fundamental winning softball tenets (not to mention coaching), but they may need to find another pitcher next season if i find another team to play for... that would be uncomfortable, yes, but paying $200+ for people who don't listen and don't care is not healthy for me... and this team never goes out socially or practices, just shows up (often late) and rushing home after the game... not really into the social aspect of softball or the fundamentals or learning or teamwork or friendship... seems pretty obvious they are not into softball for the same reasons i am and so, perhaps it is time for a change... i will talk to the core members who are friends and see what they say...

feeling much better now that i thought it through :)

ted turner broadcasting

i don't know if it is ted turner himself who is the psychotic control freak deluded with religious fears of sexuality and realism in movies but the television stations he created have destroyed so many good films by editing and re-editing until they are artistic nightmares made of chopped up scenes and hacked-job cuts that would be laughed at by professionals in the industry and are flat out insulting to the original film crew, actors, editors, director, and others who worked on the film (some of whom won academy awards for the original film before it was 'edited for television'...

just happened on to total recall on tnt... pathetic... criminal, even, or should be... there really ought to be a law protecting art from such incompetent, talentless, deliberate vandalism by people with a religious agenda... would it be ok to paint over the mona lisa or change the last supper painting?... so why is it ok to change the editing of a film?...

human beings destroy, that is what they are best at... sad, really...

pain in the neck, but that's beside the point

yeah, i have a pain in the neck and it's nagging and getting worse over time, but what i really came here to complain about is you, that is, people in general... people are so pathetically stupid... and maybe it's just time passing in this life (getting old?) but i have less and less patience for people with each passing year... it took me many years to fit in (and i don't really, but i definitely do many stupid things regularly and often just like most people)... it's the daily choice to commit suicide in little actions, poisons, laziness, ignoring obvious dangers, cruelty, and becoming so insensitive you don't know when you are being insensitive, which is just about all the time... yes, that's just about all people and sadly i can now include myself...

i am most disappointing in younger people... i thought that even as one generation grew older and stupider, younger generations would not buy into the conformity of insensitivity and suicidal behaviors and might find hope for life, but more and more i see kids buying into the death traps of modern humanity... whatever happened to the hippie mentality?... not that hi[ppies were all that smart, but the hope of living in a loving world where people could learn to not grow insensitive and suicidal, where did that hope and mindset go?...

it sure wasn't passed on to subsequent generations...

so sad...

overworked, underpaid, still overfed

the most meaningless complaint of all may be this one, that i work too much and am not appreciated nearly enough in the most tangible way, though the appreciation of respect and non-material thanks has improved dramatically in this year (am i finally getting through to them?... well, all but one and a half i think)... and yet, the poverty line come closer every year and still, the body bloats a bit more when saving on the foods would be wise for body, mind, and wallet...

see?... i don't even have my heart in this complaint...

see ya next time...

cars

i drive a twelve year old car, a chevy cavelier... it needs a tune up, a new clutch, new tires, and other work... and it gets better gas than most of the new cars being sold as 2011 or 2012 cars... ridiculous... the car manufacturers are so very irresponsible and government is worse for not forcing the manufacvturers to improve gas mileage... it can be done... it is being done on a very few cars sold at higher prices because they are scarce because the manufacturers will not mass produce the technology that privides 50mpg and better...

let's not even get started on the lack of effort to produce alternative fuel cars... the government allows ecologically criminal and economically unethical practices and all but the very consumers suffer...

i am part of the problem... i could choose to live in a place where i do not need a car, but i choose to live in a car-dependant suburb... my choices in life have not provided the income to buy a nissan leaf or even a toyota prius, so i am hunting for a car within my budget which leaves me with choices that are not as economical as the twelve year old car i drive... adding to the challenge is the lack of availability of economy cars, at least in this area... i visited six large dealers today and found less than ten economy cars, a few dealers had none, new or used...

so philosophically, scientifically, ecologically, ethically, and practically the auto industry in this country is a clear sign of the corruption, confusion, and suicidal thinking that goes into the decision making in this modern world... we, as a species, do not do what we can do to improve our chances of survival... natural selection will eliminate us from the life cycle of the planet unless we wise up and start making decisions and taking actions that will improve our chances for survival on this planet... simple as that...

you want to live?...

taco bull

yeah, that's taco bell bullshit in the title there... i should have known better than to go into the college taco belle, too many fast food joints and other food establishments right next to a university dish out crap because they assume most of their customers are drunk college kids, especially on saturday nights... so the XXL double beef chalupa was a great commercial for 'where's the beef'? because there was less beef in it than in the average taco from a decent taco place... most bits had no beef, so much for double beef... and the cheesy bean and rice burrito had no cheese or rice, just a smear of bean dip... by far, this was the worst taco bell food i've ever had...

so the receipt says tell us about your visit on a brief survey and i go to the website to take the survey and enter the store number and

We're sorry, but this restaurant is not collecting Web surveys at this time. We encourage you to call our toll-free phone number 1-888-731-9645 to share your opinions and enter the Sweepstakes.

of course, they probably get so many complaints about this particular location that they've turned off the survey for the store... great customer service there, taco bell bull...

i guess the universe was looking out for me... i've been wanting to try the double beef chalupa since it started being advertised and have tried it and instead of being a deliciously enjanced version of my favorite taco bell food, it sucked so bad i don't want to visit taco bell again... better for my health, the waisteline, and probably the earth...

bye bye taco bell, no more runs to the border for me...

bright house disrespect

dang you bright house networks calling saturday morning to sell your crap product (if might not have been crap if you didn't wake me saturday morning) just to tell me you are reorganizing your hd channel line up (and i don't even watch hd tv cuz i have an old tv) so here i am awake unnaturally cuz i didn't fall back to sleep after the wake up call...

truly meaningless complaint

if you are a taxpayer in the usa, you owe $119,913 to private banks and other countries... rich bankers in this country and others living in obscene luxury by are milking you dry while you struggle to pay your bills and taxes...

and children, what are children learning?... it is ok to go into debt for a few times your annual income and have nothing to show for it?...

anybody want to loan me $119,913 today?

the last resort

the eagles said it so well more than thirty years ago and we did not pay attention because, after all, they said it so well...

we satisfy our endless needs
and justify our bloody deeds
in the name of destiny
and in the name of god



maybe the most meaningless complaint of all... it is challenging to be aware i am part of a species so determined on committing suicide, knowing there are voices pointing this out, watching people ignore and continue destroying themselves and each other... the path to extinction if so obvious and yet, we steadfastly remain devoted to staying the course...

free oil for everyone

free oil for everyone

The 'simple solutions' like hay and straw and other products look great in a small bowl or laboratory, but don't be naive, there's no strainer big enough to scoop millions of tons of soaked straw and hay out of the gulf and even if we somehow had that much hay and straw and a three hundred mile strainer, there's not enough ships in the navy to drag that much weight out of the water... the simple solution was to act swiftly and responsibly, but that was not in BP's interest... and don't look at the government, come on, did you forget katrina and new orleans already?...

government is condemned for over-regulating industry when they do anything before a disaster and then condemned for not cleaning up the mess industry makes after a disaster... responsibility is on the businessmen, their greed did this - and you and me - our dependency on luxuries, oil, and our lifestyles did this... we demand more oil, more energy, more consumer goods, and we don't want to see the costs to the planet nor the risks to ourselves in our blind attempt to have it all...

many people still do not want to see, as the flagging of videos on youtube demonstrates... but the only thing keeping our heads in the sand will do is get us covered in oil, or kicked in our up-in-the-air butts... great nations fall when the people stop caring enough to take responsibility and do the right thing... that's history, and we are living it... and we can only hope enough of us wake up in time to realize what we need to do to save ourselves...

money

What does the banking "industry" actually produce, I mean, we call it an "industry", right?... is it fair to ask why an "industry" that produces nothing is the most powerful business in the world?... how did we give the people who watch our moneythe power and profit they have?... what if we all just went to work, brought home our money, and kept it... '

Forbes rankings are atrociously obscene morally, ethically, and simply... the only businesses cracking the top 20 are the oil and gas monsters and the people who control how we communicate... oh, there is GE and Wal-Mart... and after these there come the utilities and insurance...

the most corrupt non-productive business, the money managers (banking and insurance) and the survival (utilities, energy, communications) take most of our money and perpetuate the ever growing gap between rich and poor, between those who will survive and those who will die earlier due to inadequate medical care or having to use inferior or dangerous products...

capitalism fails, in the end, as miserably as any other cultural structure for the same reason all others failed, human greed... while the pretentious human facade is love thy neighbor and give peace a chance, the real human remains cut throat, selfish, and ultimately, suicidal...

the human god is not love, the human god is money, power, and propriety...

people

especially people who call themselves friends, but do not actually care enough to be friends, to care about my feelings, or to even keep in touch... people are so disappointing, guess that is why they pretend to care and go through the motions each day to maintain relationships...

and hundreds of thousands of words shared, what comes of the time and energy given to people who throw the words out or bury them somewhere... so why continue?... for the love of words... for the hope of finding a true friend who will make the time spent sharing with all the others worthwhile...

not so much a complaint, but a sigh of acceptance and hope :}

political complaints (they are sadly too easy)

this is why politicians, especially old ingrained politicians, scare me

...

and sometimes leave me speechless... it is not just republicans, though the old republicans do say some of the scariest things and seem to have their heads somewhere so out of touch with actual life that, well, of course the planet will recover, and if humans continue, the planet will make humans extict just like the dinosaurs and every other species that lost touch with natural life and the planet...

that's not a disaster, right, human extinction?...

not for the planet.

further readings:

many colors of the gulf of mexico
don young on the gulf oil spill

who is Don Young, Rep. Alaska?...

When John McCain asked Young to give up money earmarked for Alaska to help the rebuilding effort from Hurricane Katrina, Young replied that Katrina victims "can kiss my ear!"

not just insensitive and out of touch, but criminal...

invest $40,000 in a politician, get $10,000,000 plus in return

corruption?

The investor was reportedly Daniel Aronoff, son of Arnold Aronoff, who, in 1979, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud in a scheme to sell Florida swampland at an inflated price. His son found another way, politics as usual, to attempt to increase the value of his Florida swampland by buying a politician.

"It's very possible people ought to go to jail," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees highway funding.

coconut road

coconut road on abc news
coconut road on cbs news

The worst part of this was that the congressional bill earmarking the ten million dollars did not include this appropriation when it passed the congress and senate. The bill was changed by the Alaskan Representative between the floor of congress and the signing by President Bush. Congress and the Senate never voted to approve the money, Young slipped it in secretly. Does that make President Bush a criminal for signing in the conspiracy to defraud the taxpayers?

what happened after the 2008 call for a federal investigation?

The language requiring the Coconut Road investigation is clear: "Consistent with applicable standards and procedures, the Department of Justice shall review allegations of impropriety regarding item 462 in section 1934(c) of Public Law 109-59 to ascertain if a violation of Federal criminal law has occurred."

republican senator calls for investigation Tom Coburn, Rep, OK
democratic senator calls for investigation

other controversies

Young served on the following congressional committees:

Committee on Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

think progress
don young's voting record from sourcewatch
crew's most corrupt (citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington)
washington post vote database
new york times - does young know what he's voting "no" against?
don young on wikipedia

and on an unrelated political complaint:

when ideology gets in the way of common sense:
let the living suffer to save the unborn?

wish people

i wish people were more honest, open, reliable, believable, and real... i wish people kept their word, followed through on promises, and actualized the ideals of loyalty, integrity, devotion, faith, and trust seriously in the real world, with each other, and not just in a delusional bond with imaginary beings... i wish people understood the power of hope, the strength of being true to self and one's own ideals... i wish people knew the power of wishes, especially when we can make wishes come true...

i wish there were more wish people in my daily life...

katrina drowns new orleans, 2005

yeah, we all know the story... or do we?... did you know about hurricane pam?... pam that did the very same thing to new orleans in 2004 that hurricane katrina did in 2005... you can watch the video and learn a bit about hurricane pam... one year before hurricane katrina devastated, hurricane pam tore the city apart and flooded new orleans almost exactly as katrina did, in a computer simulation...

yes, scientists created a storm, hurricane pam, and entered all the facts they had about the lay of the land, the strength of the levees, where people lived, and all the known facts about the physical city of new orleans into a computer... and then they entered meteorological data for a storm and aimed it toward the city… levees failed and new orleans and surrounding lands ended up under water… the scientists told the government and army core of engineers and you know what they did...

nothing…

in every other arena, someone who has the power to save lives, knows lives could be lost if they do not act, and then do not act and lives are lost... they would be criminally libel for the deaths… I believe it is called criminally negligent manslaughter… the government is guilty of this, but no one holds those in charge who killed people through negligence accountable…

that simply sucks…

trust your government?... what may be worse is the news media, the noble fourth estate that loves to point fingers and dramatize human failure and claims to have a noble mission to tell people the truth, seemed to miss this atrocity… did they deliberately ignore the facts?...

all the news that’s fit to print?

sometimes, humans are nauseating...