I was reading an article on the Time.com website about how abandoned ships are damaging the environment. That article talked about how a lot of fishing vessels that were sunk (either on purpose or accident) still having fishing gear on board and the fishing gear (nets and traps) continue to “fish” forever. The article also talked about how sunken vessels leach iron and fuels into the water, which contaminates the water and eventually enters the food chain and is consumed by humans. Another problem mentioned is how one vessel attracted an organism that ended up killing a nearby coral reef.

This is an environmental problem that needs to be addressed internationally, but little is being done. Owners of these ships are usually only fined about $100 for abandoning their ship, which is much less money than it would cost to recover the ship and have it dismantled properly. The government is taking steps to clean up the mess at the taxpayer’s expense, but I think that the shipowners need to be held more financially accountable, and not force the taxpayer to clean up THEIR mess. I think that if you can’t afford to pay the piper, then you shouldn’t go to the dance!

Posted: May 23rd, 2009 under Green, Internet, Issues, News, Online.
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I was so surprised when I turned on the news and heard that Maine has finally legalized gay marriage!  I thought that Maine was liberal in many ways, but I also thought that it was too conservative for that!  After all, there have been many times in the recent past when the people of Maine tried to get “gay rights” legalized, and if I recall correctly those rights were never passed.  So it was a huge surprise that gay marriage is now legal!  I wonder how this is going to “go over” in the conservative segment of the population!  It will be interesting to watch and see what happens!

Posted: May 6th, 2009 under Issues, Life, News.
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I was reading an article on the Time.com website about how a town called Riviera Beach Florida made it illegal for anyone to wear pants that dropped below the waist, exposing underwear or skin.  I know that the law was intended to be directed at guys who wear saggy pants that show their underwear, but it amused me because I had to think about all of the young women that I know who wear “low rise” pants that are below their waist, that exposes their beautiful midriff sections.  I had to wonder how many of these girls would get ticketed by police for wearing their clothes that way?  I just cannot even imagine these lithe young women wearing pants that come up to their waist - they would freak out!

Posted: October 5th, 2008 under Computers / Software, Internet, Issues, Life, News, Shopping.
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I’ve been interested to hear about the provisions of the big bailout that the USA is giving to the big banks that have been having so much trouble recently.  What has interested me the most was the provisions capping executive salaries and golden parachutes.  For decades now I have felt that the salary of all top executives of all big corporations (and their golden parachutes) have been obscenely outrageously high.

I know the “argument” is that the companies need to pay their top executives that much money to attract and keep them running the companies, and all I have to say about that is “hogwash.”  That comment is an insult to the American consumer’s intelligence.  Their high salaries are sim[ply outrageous, period.

Posted: September 29th, 2008 under Business, Finances/Money, Issues, Life, News, Politics.
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I was just reading on the time.com website that China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao has “apologized” for the most recent scandal to hit China - the poisoned milk scandal. The article goes on to list other scandals that have been plaguing China and asks the question “Is sorry enough?” The article seems to imply that although China is apologizing, nothing is really going to change. I sure hope that is not the case! China needs to step up to the plate and fix their problems if they expect to be doing business with the rest of the world!

Posted: September 23rd, 2008 under Business, Computers / Software, Finances/Money, Health, Internet, Issues, Life, News, Online, Politics, Shopping, Technology.
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