NSF's grant for Shimp Exercises and Jell-o Wrestling at the South Pole

[Warph]

Wonder where our tax monies are going...
try this on for size... this is UNBELIEVABL!!!  Caught this from WashTimes of the NSF's grant for Shimp exercises and jell-o wrestling at the south pole...:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/26/tax-dollars-shrimp-treadmills-jell-o-wrestling/


and check this very informative report:http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=f6cd2052-b088-44c3-b146-5baa5c01552a

Quoting:"This report is the first comprehensive overview of NSF. It examines the management of the agency, recognizes many of its accomplishments and successes, identifies some areas for improvements, and questions some of its priorities and funding decisions.

The good news for taxpayers is there is no question NSF has contributed significantly to scientific discovery.

The bad news is a significant percentage of your money is going to what most Americans will consider fraud, waste and abuse, and there are many areas where NSF could contribute far more with better management and smarter targeting of resources.
This report identifies over $3 billion in mismanagement at NSF. This includes tens of millions of dollars spent on questionable studies, excessive amounts of expired funds that have not been returned to the Treasury, inadequate contracting practices that unnecessarily increase costs, and a lack of metrics to demonstrate results. Additionally, a significant portion of the agency's budget is spent on efforts duplicating missions performed by other government agencies and a number of NSF officials and grantees have been caught engaging in inappropriate behaviors, but face little or no consequences.

One senior executive spent at least 331 days looking at pornography on his government computer and chatting online with nude or partially clad women—costing the taxpayers between $13,800 and $58,000.66 When caught, the NSF official retired but defended himself by suggesting he visited the porn sites to provide a living to poor overseas women. The senior executive explained "that these young women are from poor countries and need to make money to help their parents and this site helps them do that."67

Study suggesting playing FarmVille on Facebook helps adults develop and maintain relationships (p.25);
 An analysis of how quickly parents respond to trendy baby names (p.25);
 A grant to produce songs about science including a rap called "Money 4 Drugz," and a misleading song titled "Biogas is a Gas, Gas, Gas" (p.26);
 Study on why the same teams always seem to be dominating March Madness (p.27);
 Millions of dollars to figure out that people who often post pictures on the internet from the same location at the same time are usually friends (p.28); and
 A study on whether online dating site users are racist in their dating habits (p.28)."

And on it goes!  One hell of a report.

[jarhead]

Why hell WARPH, any sum b#tch crazy enough to take the Polar Plunge at the South Pole right before they engage in Jello wresting, shouldn't be held responsible for wasting a few million !!

[Warph]

LOL... Your probably right in one sense.  But read Coburn's report.  I know that it is long and to use anmar's and jerry's words... a "big wall of text."  But we're talking Billions here... not only Millions in mismanagement at NSF.  The NSF does a hell of alot of good and we need them.. but it also has alot of bad apples in their barrel.