Quantcast
Feeds: Email, RSS & Twitter

Get Our Videos By Email

 

8,300 Unique Visitors In The Past Day

 

Powered by Squarespace

 

Most Recent Comments
Cartoons & Photos
SEARCH
« Video: Nigel Farage - No More Euro Bailouts! | Main | Sent To Prison For A $300 Debt, Congress & Staff Win Big Trading On Insider Info - And It's Legal, Repo Hell, BofA Sucks At Foreclosure, Bailout The Movie (LINKS) »
Thursday
May262011

Coburn: $500K To Study Shrimp On Treadmills, $300k To Study 'Farmville', Gelatin Wrestling In Antarctica, WTF!?!

Stephanopoulos' intro laugh for this story is uncalled for and really pisses me off. It's not a freaking joke Georgie.  We're broke - 43 cents of every dollar is borrowed and you're giggling like a 4 ft. school girl with a 7th grade crush.

You've probably heard of shrimp on the barbie, but what about shrimp on a treadmill?  The National Science Foundation has, and it spent $500,000 of taxpayer money researching it. It's not entirely clear what this research hoped to establish.  But it's one of a number of projects cited in a scathing new report from Sen. Tom Coburn.

 

 

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (24)

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank admitted he helped his ex-lover land a lucrative post with Fannie Mae in the early 1990s while the Newton Democrat was on a committee that regulated the lending giant — but he called questions of a potential ethical conflict “nonsense.”

“If it is (a conflict of interest), then much of Washington is involved (in conflicts),” Frank told the Herald last night. “It is a common thing in Washington for members of Congress to have spouses work for the federal government. There is no rule against it at all.”
May 26, 2011 at 2:38 PM | Unregistered CommenterPG the PT
i posted the link to that story earlier this morning...
May 26, 2011 at 2:54 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
hey z...here's religion for you...

Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday, May 13, on pedophilia and drug charges. Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys. "I do not want 16-year-old boys but younger. Fourteen-year-olds are O.K. Look for needy boys who have family issues," he allegedly said. Genoa Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, had been working with Benedict to establish a tough new worldwide policy, released this week, on how bishops should handle accusations of priestly sex abuse.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2072613,00.html#ixzz1NUDSN7Tp

The catholic church is even more dangerous than bernanke...
May 26, 2011 at 2:57 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
I am not Catholic.
May 26, 2011 at 4:07 PM | Unregistered CommenterPG the PT
i will add more...i have no problem with anyone's religion...live and let live...spirituality is personal...but gomp has never attacked me for being an atheist, nor oberon, nor john, nor dr, p., nor cheyenne, nor TR, nor SNK....but you have have on multiple occasions with snide remarks...as i said i have a good memory...and i hold grudges about ad hominem attacks...it's all good though as you haven't done it in a long while...
May 26, 2011 at 4:31 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
As a scientist (physics) I'll have to look into the report. Certainly lots of research projects with real value can be posed to seem ridiculous (animal studies in particular). We also research bioluminescent sea plants. Why? because those compounds can be used to track cancer cells. But I could just as easily make a headline complaining that we're funding research to take pictures of shiny plants underwater and try to make it sound like a big waste.

I know people that work at NSF, and I know people who referee for the grant proposals. I promise you these are not the people that are a problem in America today, as much fun as I'm sure a science witch-hunt will be for tea partiers. If you're smart and you want to make money, you go into investment banking, consulting, etc., not academic science. Hell even doing engineering research for the army (million-dollar, 10 year, auto-renewed contracts...) is a lot more lucrative.
May 26, 2011 at 4:35 PM | Unregistered CommenterETM
I would also like to point out how a typical NSF grant works - 300K is probably a multi-year contract, which pays part of a PI's summer salary (they're not paid when not teaching), along with the salary of a post-doc or graduate student or two. Of course a big chunk of that figure will be taken right from the start for "overhead" (i.e., keeping the lights on) at the institution in question (this can range from 40% to over 60% at major universities).

If you eliminate or downsize the NSF you will cripple the ability of the US to stay on top of research. We've already stopped attracting the smart Europeans, and soon the asians will also stay home. When we can't import brainpower anymore (because we don't train our own sufficiently), things will really go downhill.
May 26, 2011 at 4:46 PM | Unregistered CommenterETM
Thank you very much to "a scientist (physics)" for your post....what you have expressed needs to be said a lot more...Please!!

I haven't heard Coburn complain about the tax money that flows to war-profiteering corporations such as Halibuton and Black Water.

The religious wackos are always against science---judeo-christians caused the Dark Ages---.but Robert Ingersoll explained it better than I can

"We have already compared the benefits of theology and science. When the theologian governed the world, it was covered with huts and hovels for the many, palaces and cathedrals for the few. To nearly all the children of men, reading and writing were unknown arts. The poor were clad in rags and skins -- they devoured crusts, and gnawed bones. The day of Science dawned, and the luxuries of a century ago are the necessities of to-day. Men in the middle ranks of life have more of the conveniences and elegancies than the princes and kings of the theological times. But above and over all this, is the development of mind. There is more of value in the brain of an average man of to-day -- of a master-mechanic, of a chemist, of a naturalist, of an inventor, than there was in the brain of the world four hundred years ago.
These blessings did not fall from the skies. These benefits did not drop from the outstretched hands of priests. They were not found in cathedrals or behind altars -- neither were they searched for with holy candles. They were not discovered by the closed eyes of prayer, nor did they come in answer to superstitious supplication. They are the children of freedom, the gifts of reason, observation and experience -- and for them all, man is indebted to man." Robert Ingersoll.
:
May 26, 2011 at 5:00 PM | Unregistered CommenterThea
etm....you miss my point...i agree with much of what you say...it wasn't an attack on the nsf...it was an attack on these projects in particular...my family is science-based...my father is an md, my brother with a masters in env. science...this about waste pure and simple...not all research is worthwhile and the nsf admitted that these projects were run by consultants...it's gotten out of hand...

but explain gelatin wrestling in antarctica...or studying farmville gamers for clues on relationships (complete nonsense)... or shrimp on a treadmill...lastly, science funding should continue of course, but not pet projects that don't further any purpose outside enlarging the resume and ego of the lead researcher...and from discussions i've had with one nsa chieftan, maybe 40% of all nsa projects fit this category...we must do a better job of weeding out the bullshit...

i do appreciate your thoughtful responses above...
May 26, 2011 at 6:24 PM | Unregistered CommenterDaily Bail
I'm so damn mad I'm ready to attack everyone for no reason.
DAMN! I enjoy TDB.
May 26, 2011 at 6:56 PM | Unregistered CommenterTR
When I saw shrimp on a treadmill, I thought Steponallofus was going to be the one on the treadmill.
May 26, 2011 at 7:12 PM | Unregistered CommenterPG the PT
I'll admit I haven't looked at the report yet, but I intend to. I've never heard of "consultants" getting funding before today, so I am definitely interested in that. I am just concerned that this will be used to fuel general anti-science attitudes. I grew up in Oklahoma and I'm not fan of Coburn, I have to tell you. He has that vindictive "superior christian intent on punishing all evil-doers" (namely, gays, liberals, etc) vibe which rubs me the wrong way even if he occasionally says something that makes sense.
May 26, 2011 at 7:38 PM | Unregistered CommenterETM
"Once spirit was God, then it became man, and now it is even becoming mob." (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche)

Any mob DB, any mob.

DB...about God...I am the one who quotes Nietzsche. You don't have to convince me that religion can be dangerous.

God bless.

This is who you need to worry about...the Consultive Group on International Economic and Monetary Affairs, Inc. They are the ones leading us into the new world order. Take a look into the Central Bank of China leader.

"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains." (Sir Winston Churchill, 1874-1965)

"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire, 1694-1778)
May 26, 2011 at 7:52 PM | Unregistered CommenterPG the PT
DB, don't fall for it. etm is so far off base he/she isn't in the ball park. The NSF is one of the great money wasters of all time. Go look close. The money isn't spent on science or research, it is given, in the worst description of croneyism, in huge chunks to non-productive quasi-government units. Each time money is given, new people are hired. Each one of them insulates themselves from a job loss by hiring 2 more, and then justifying the need for additional grant monies to keep the beast alive. This is Madoff times 1000.

The $19 million in rent is a small amount of their total rent. That is just for one building, where no science is conducted. It is simply where the grants are prepared.

The video had one gaping error; it referred to the ridiculous waste as "being paid for by you." That isn't true, we are paying a small portion and borrowing the rest. Let it die. Let it all die.

All that said, I would love to see one tenth of the money spent on youth sports in this country spent on math and science. I made a deal with my kids that for every dollar spent on sports, one had to be spent on art/music or math/science. I hope it works (it's costing me a fortune.)
May 26, 2011 at 8:48 PM | Unregistered CommenterOberron4life
I have an issue with the jello wresting at the south pole, it's not like they are paying for jello wrestling, it is just a bunch of employees having fun on their time off. I am an ex-vet, imagine how horrible it would be if Coburn wrote a reporting saying that US combat vets have played 2 million hours of video game in Iraq since the start of the Iraq war. While it might be accurate, you wouldn't say screw the troops, they are wasting tax payer money... They are working hard and just relaxing on their time off and deserve entertainment. I like Coburn but I wish he would be smarter in what he chooses to attack. Things like that make conservatives look stupid if you think about it too hard....
May 26, 2011 at 8:50 PM | Unregistered CommenterKenny
When I saw shrimp on a treadmill, I thought Steponallofus was going to be the one on the treadmill.

funny line z...well done...

---

etm wrote...

I'll admit I haven't looked at the report yet, but I intend to. I've never heard of "consultants" getting funding before today, so I am definitely interested in that.

i misstated consultants when i meant contractors...here's the quote from the article..."The foundation notes that the project is the work of contractors, not agency employees."

and i agree with your thinking here but i don't know enough about coburn...He has that vindictive "superior christian intent on punishing all evil-doers"...i wish religion were left out of gov't completely...religion is for man and family not govt....

---

and oberon...nice stuff i enjoyed it...your kids are going to be super athletes, super students and amazing communicators if they're anything like their mom and dad...
May 26, 2011 at 9:23 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
i support gov-funded science research as opposed to the nsf specifically...but we need a competitive, legitimate process by which projects get chosen...essentially a venture capital process where private research that is worthy competes to get funded by tax dollars...as opposed to gov't research by gov't employees...
May 26, 2011 at 9:32 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
Were they black tiger shrimp, or bay shrimp? Did the shrimp suit-up before the testing? Wild or farm raised? Were the shrimp gay? Did they know each other? What kind of sauce were they finally cooked in and was beer served? Were they even cooked in a sauce, or just steamed or woked in garlic-butter? Did the shrimp demand free meals or other perks? Did the shrimp have protests about the karmic ramifications of being suited up and being forced to use a treadmill? Do shrimp really use treadmills?
That one should be billed to the grant dealer's home address.
May 26, 2011 at 9:50 PM | Unregistered CommenterHoward T. Lewis III
religion...live and let live...spirituality is personal...but ................... @ DB

I dont evan see color. Matters nothing yr belife or religon, as long as you have my back if im in front of you........ I neaver try n hold a Grudge, everyone has a bad day now n then.

I neaver, "Neaver Forget" when someone hurts my feelings so deep my hart hurts, by cutting me down for something I belive in. Im "Very Eazy Going" but I have a long memory.
May 26, 2011 at 10:35 PM | Unregistered CommenterTexas Dar
t dar...you're a kind soul...always have been...i should know better than to bring up religion, but the story just upset me so much, especially since the pope is so revered by most people...here is the link in case you haven't read it...it's really, really bad...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2072613,00.html#ixzz1NUDSN7Tp
May 26, 2011 at 11:23 PM | Registered CommenterDailyBail
TDar, great post.

Do you listen to Michael Savage? I think you would like his insights and how grounded he is in history and tradition.

There are a lot of prisoners who would have that back TDar. It matters what company you keep.

Okay, about spirituality, I have never been the type to get a spiritual erection watching Oprah. She is one big feminist handshake, well, just ask Obama and Michelle (hmmmm, joke, maybe).

Spiritualism, in philosophy, a characteristic of any system of thought that affirms the existence of immaterial reality imperceptible to the senses. So defined, spiritualism embraces a vast array of highly diversified philosophical views. Most patently, it applies to any philosophy accepting the notion of an infinite, personal God, the immortality of the soul, or the immateriality of the intellect and will. Less obviously, it includes belief in such ideas as finite cosmic forces or a universal mind, provided that they transcend the limits of gross Materialistic interpretation.

I just threw up in my mouth, sorry.

Hurt feelings result from a failure of empathy. TDar, empathy and memory are a lot alike. You could use that long memory to your advantage.

“Empathy connects us in our imagination to the experience of others; memory connects us in our imagination to antecedents in our own experiences.”

“In both memory and empathy we will tend to take our present state as a kind of hallmark against which our own past, and others’ presents, are judged.”

The problem is that memory and reality are two different things. We all paint our own picture.

“Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.” Nietzsche
May 26, 2011 at 11:36 PM | Unregistered CommenterPG the PT
Quote:

"DB, don't fall for it. etm is so far off base he/she isn't in the ball park. The NSF is one of the great money wasters of all time. Go look close. The money isn't spent on science or research, it is given, in the worst description of croneyism, in huge chunks to non-productive quasi-government units. Each time money is given, new people are hired. Each one of them insulates themselves from a job loss by hiring 2 more, and then justifying the need for additional grant monies to keep the beast alive. This is Madoff times 1000."

I'm not an NSF insider, but I do have some interaction with NSF as someone who has prepared an NSF proposal (it was not funded, as most applications are not, because it is an extremely competitive process). If you're going to malign the whole agency, please provide hard numbers. The mission of the NSF is to fund basic science (over 20% of everything done in the US), not conduct it themselves. This is not hard to understand and is actually much more efficient (in my opinion) than e.g., NASA. Your bit about hiring makes absolutely no sense and is not based on reality. If you were in academic science you would know that, so I have to assume you are either lying or being lied to.
May 27, 2011 at 7:34 PM | Unregistered CommenterETM
i was part of a group that received a grant from the nsf.. just over a million as i recall. it was a grant in partner with USC medical school. We used this grant to train and establish a program for high school students that wanted to go into medical science. it works and is still working.. The Bravo Medical Magnet
has students that graduate from this high school as certified in several fields relating to health science.
getting this grant was not simple or easy.
Jun 10, 2011 at 2:52 PM | Unregistered Commenterles
Let's agree that our nation cannot afford wasteful spending, and that we need to get deficits and the debt under control. Let's also agree, as Senator Coburn does, that federal funding of research is critical to our nation's economy, health, and national security. Even so, the truth is that serious resesarch can sometimes sound funny and, therefore, wasteful.

A shrimp running on a treadmill is a perfect example. What's funnier than that? And what could make you angrier if you are concerned about wasteful spending, as we all are? But this is part of a serious, peer-reviewed research project supported, as noted, by the National Science Foundation.

In fact, the scientists are studying the impact on shrimp and other crustaceans of hypoxia, or reduced oxygen, caused by the responses of their immune systems to pollution associated with coastal development and other activities. This research, which is taking place at the College of Charleston, is very important not only for its environmental benefits but also for the state and local economies that depend on the multi-billion-dollar shellfish industries.

The treadmill is actually an ingenious contraption that permits researchers to simulate shrimps’ natural movements in a laboratory setting, which is essential to the research.

It is also worth noting, at a time when we are trying to encourage students to consider careers in the sciences and engineering, that undergraduates are participating fully in this research, and that part of the educational mission of this grant is to involve Upward Bound high school students, whose parents did not attend college but who have the potential to do so themselves, in communicating with the public about the research findings.

So, funny videos aside, there is serious science and education going on here, and it’s disappointing to see it mistakenly lumped into the category of wasteful government spending.

By the way, for more examples of funny science that have benefited society, see:

http://www.aau.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=11982

and

http://www.aau.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=11864

Barry Toiv
Association of American Universities
www.aau.edu
Jun 27, 2011 at 5:18 PM | Unregistered CommenterAAU

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.