Draggar's Universe

Blogger / Google is NOT letting me take my domain with me!

2008-09-14T09:29:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to transfer my domain from Blogger's / Google's control into my own GoDaddy account (so it's only $7 per year as opposed to $10) but they've locked "private registration" and seems to have set up a no-transfer policy with my domain. In essence, it seems that they are holding *my* domain hostage which is a violation of ICANN policies.

Obviously with all the advertising and other revenue streams Google feels that it is important to hold these domains hostage.

Beware other blogger subscribers, they are probabaly doing this to you too.

I am working on alternative means of hosting my blog now because of this.

The New American Revolution

2008-09-11T19:42:00.001-04:00

The 2008 presidential election has opened my eyes up to changes that are going to happen. No, I don’t mean the whole Barak vs. McCain thing; I’m talking about the whole political process.

In the past, when people are younger they are liberal but as they grow older they tend to grow conservative as they get older (this is how a lot of people are, not all, some are conservative form the beginning and others stay liberal their entire lives). We even see this with our elected, Republican (conservative) candidates tend to be older while Democrat (liberal) candidates tend to be younger (we’re seeing this exaggerated in our current election, if elected Barak would be the 5th youngest president ever and if elected, McCain would be the oldest president ever elected (ahead of Ronald Regan).

I’ve noticed that the largest demographic in the US (baby boomers) are also the most conservative; I don’t think many people would argue that point.

Over the next few elections, as the baby boomers start to stop voting and more younger people start to vote, we’re going to see a serious swing in how our elections are handled. People are getting tired of the same old stuff that we get every 2, 4, and 6 years from the people who supposedly represent us. Votes are going to become more in-tune with “today”. Today’s technology, today’s politics, today’s world. They’re asking questions where the older generations took things for granted. Generation X started all of this but we were labeled as “whiners” and “babies” who didn’t know what we want. Now, though “generation Y / the MTV generation” are becoming more and more noticeable in today’s political world.

I think a good example of what could happen is the “Velvet Revolution” in the former nation of Czechoslovakia. High school and college students staged peaceful protests and gained popularity with their nation. It took only weeks for their communist government to step down and make way for elections which held until the country peacefully sprint into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

No, I’m not saying split the US into two, but peaceful protests and demonstrations can get the attention of governments, small and large. Unfortunately, too many people in the US want to turn peaceful protests into violence. Very rarely do we have a large peaceful protest stay that way, there are always bad eggs out there who want to promote violence and use innocent protests to get their own agenda going (which always ends in police intervening and ending what was a peaceful protest).

I also see this accelerating if McCain is elected. Conservatives usually don’t protest and fight, liberals do. We will see these changes coming faster and when they come, most of us won’t know what happened.

What changes? I think by 2020 (yes, only 3 elections away, 2012, 2016, and 2020) we’re going to see a strong representation by non-traditional parties (Republican and Democrat). We’re also going to see the promotion of unity (just look at the “divided we fail” ads). Right now, I think the worst part of our government is the political parties. The fact that we have just two and you will rarely see people working together from different sides. As other options come up and gain in popularity, we’ll see more cooperation between the sites.

I also think we’re going to see more politicians listening to us and not just spewing out what we want to hear. In the beginning (2016 and on) we’re going to see a lot of short term senators and representatives. They tell us one thing and then do another, they won’t get voted back in. As they catch on that people won’t take the smoke screens and stretched truths, they’ll start to stick with their word and deliver with what they promised us.

We have the tools now, Web 2.0 (interactive web). Anyone with an internet connection can get a blog and write their own stories, rants, and agenda. More advanced people can get sites and forums up to promote communities. The younger generations are quite adept at these tools while the older generations are having a harder time adapting. Who knows, maybe this will be the medium where the new revolution happens. Not on the streets but on our computers in our blogs and forums.

Politicians, politics, and political supports are hypocits.

2008-08-31T16:38:00.002-04:00

It’s quite interesting how politics can be as hypocritical as possible. It is OK for one candidate to do something but not OK for the other candidate to do the same thing (one is doing it because “he would be a good guy in office” and the other is doing it “because he wants the votes”.

Perfect example, recently both candidates (Barak Obama and John McCain) have said that now is the time to try to help people in the gulf coast in preparations for hurricane Gustav. Now is the time to make donations, help friends and family in need, communities to work together, and for “us to act like Americans”. It is a great thing for both candidates to day.

So why is it that a lot of people one minute would say “See, this is why Obama would be a great president, he’s being proactive about this” but then a few minutes later they’ll say “McCain is only doing this to look good and/or get votes” (and I’ve seen people say the same with the candidates reversed). So, it is OK for the candidate that you like to show this kind of support but not OK for the other?

People complain about their (the politician’s) inconsistencies but then come out with inconsistent statements like this. People, that is hypocritical. How dare people complain like this and moan about politicians’ inconsistencies when the complainers themselves are inconsistent in their support.

The reasoning? Political parties. Most people who debate politics are very biased towards their on party and their party’s agenda and ignore the other sides strengths. Personally, I hate political parties. I’d say get rid of them, we don’t need them. This political bickering is what slows down our progress (along with lawyers trying to find loopholes to exploit and/or close). Just imagine, people might actually have to research who they vote into office as opposed to voting strictly by R, D, and I / other.

Breed speciific legislation - a double edged sword.

2008-08-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

I consider breed specific legislation a serious problem here in the US. It is a very sharp double-edged sword.

On one hand, legitimate and responsible breeders and owners are kept from owning the breed in question thus reducing the number of people trying to improve the breed. With the reduction of responsible owners and breeders you have a much higher percentage of irresponsible owners and breeders thus making a bad situation worse.

Now, this breed that is labeled as a bad breed will get nothing but bad press from the bad owners and breeders making it seem like there is need for stronger legislation against the breed.

And it spirals downward in that direction.

On the other side, instead of the bad part of the breeders and owners into this breed, they now get into other breeds making them a “bad breed” in the eyes of the people who write these laws.

Perfect example:

Pit bulls have a very bad reputation in the US. I don’t think anyone would argue this point. From what I’ve also seen, a majority of the pit bull owners and breeders are irresponsible (note: not all). Pit bulls are also the choice dogs for dog fighting.

So, states, counties, and cities are banning pit bulls making it harder for these people to own them and the few that do, are less likely to be responsible with their breedings and ownerships.

There are a lot of people now who can’t get this breed so they want to continue with their dog fighting and irresponsible ownership so what do they do? They get into another breed. Shepherds, bulldogs, Dobermans, rottweilers, and so on. Now, there is a more dominant bad element with these breeds. So what happens? The politicians start to make legislation against these breeds. I’m already seeing places ban shepherds (one of the most loyal breeds out there, if well bred, trained, and owned).

The solution? That’s easy. Stricter guidelines for breeders and certifications for dogs (allow dogs to be bred that meet a standard) and require all dog owners to go though at least one set of training classes with their dogs. Don’t discriminate, educate people on dogs, how they act, how they thing and so on.

People need to wake up and see that banning specific dog breeds is not the solution.

George W's War

2008-08-12T20:34:00.004-04:00

This came to me in an email so I cannot cite it's source but it does put a perspective on things.

No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive. Sending our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an unconscionable thought.

Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The Citizenry and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any given war. It's up to our leader to convince them. That's why we call the leader "Commander in Chief."

George W.'s war was no different. There was lots of resistance to it. Many in Congress were vehemently against the idea. The Commander in Chief had to lobby for legislative approval.

Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his convictions, the power of his title and every ounce of moral suasion he could muster to rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war was morally justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually came around and voted overwhelmingly to wage war.

George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end, only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its hands and watched.

After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to mount.

It became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to drag its feet about funding the effort.

Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of misleading them. Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot and even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a vengeance.

As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of the conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet through it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the struggle.

Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then and there, in overwhelming and total defeat.

At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes. More troops were added and trained. Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals installed.

Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve. Now it was the enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and losing support. Victories began to come, and hope returned.

Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just George W.'s good luck. The progress, they said, would be temporary. He knew, however, that in warfare good fortune counts.

Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly defeated. After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in a most hard-fought victory.

So on that historic day, in a place called Yorktown, a satisfied George W. sat upon his beautiful white horse and accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War on Oct. 19, 1781.

Endangered animal habitats will be, well, endangered

2008-08-11T22:17:00.004-04:00

If the Bush administration has their way it will be up to agencies who conduct projects like highway development, commercial and residential development, and so on, whether or not their projects will endanger the habitats of endangered species.

That's right, the people who stand to profit the most from these projects will decide if animals are in danger from the projects or not. Sure, the way our government has been going they won't let a thing like MONEY get in the way of protecting endangered species. What next? Allowing pedophiles decide if they should be allowed near children or not?

Seriously, this is a bad move. We need to protect our planet and legislation like this will surely do the opposite by allowing the destruction of animal habitats for the benefit of a few already wealthy politicians and developers. Because of legislation like the endangered species act stopped the over-development of places like the Florida Everglades which has proven to be highly important to the local ecosystem. Now, we will be able to witness the destruction of such species on the brink like wolves and the buffalo. Nah, we don't need them, that superhighway is more important. Oh, and since we'll have the superhighway, we might as well build a 500 acre mega mall with a 1500 acre parking lot.

Freedom of Relgion - under attack or freedom of favoritism?

2008-07-27T09:47:00.001-04:00

The Sun Sentinel reported a story about a very nice home in an upscale community, and the adjacent lot, are “tax free” due to the religious exemption. For Joe Average, this property would cost about $64,000 in taxes a year.

If this property was a church I wouldn’t mind as much (even though Jesus said something along the lines of “pay Caesar the money owed to him” referring to taxes). But it is not. The Sun Sentinel describes the property being used as:

“Church representatives say they use the property to house missionaries working in Haiti and as a home for the church founder”

That’s right; the founders personal home is tax free due to the religious exemption.

Here is the kicker. We have some friends in our Pagan / Wiccan groups who tried to claim religious exemption but were denied by the county since “Paganism and Wicca are not recognized religions”. In other words, only Christian, Jewish, and Muslim places of worship are “recognized”.

I guess someone packed us up and made us leave the USA without our knowledge (is Florida still part of the US?). I thought we had the “freedom of religion”? Hmm..

Oh, wait, we have this little document called “The United States Constitution” and the very first Amendment is:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Being the first Amendment (well, Amendment I for all of you law people) means it was the fist thing that came to the writers’ minds. It was the most important part of this document. If not, it would have been further down the list.

So, the Broward county officials feel that they can override the most significant part of the founding document of this nation by creating laws that benefit one religion over another.

Watch out America, our “Freedom of Religion” is under attack also.

Global warming vs. the real threat to humanity

2008-07-16T07:50:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I do not think global warming is going to be a serious issue. Sure, there will be issues with a serious climate change like this but it would open up many more opportunities. Imagine the Midwest able to farm all year round and even parts of Canada and Russia can farm all year? It would open up more shipping routes in the Arctic ocean allowing much faster shipping from Europe to the far-east (which would hurt Panama’s economy with fewer ships going though the Panama canal).

Sure, hurricanes would be more intense but due to increased wind shear, there would be fewer hurricanes. Arctic and Antarctic ice would melt and raise seal levels so we’d have to leave some coastal areas (most of the people who live on the coast can afford it anyway).

Our real threat, which I’ll admit may not be a threat for a few to several hundred years, is the end of our current warming cycle. No, I don’t mean our 150 year trend of warm weather (after the last “mini” (really a micro) ice age). We had a similar warming period about 2,000 years ago when the Roman Empire was in its height. There was a lot of good farming. Warmth allows us to grow more food, raise more cattle, and opens up trade routs that formerly would be inaccessible.

I mean the earth, over the past 10,000 years (the time we, humans, have thrived) has been though a very long warming period. We had a sample of the real threat about 150-400 years ago. We had a mini-ice age (the worst was around the 1850s). Most of Europe has to think of new agricultural processes etc.. Luckily, the “New World” was discovered and foods that were available in Central America (potatoes, yucca etc..) were able to thrive in the cooler environment but the cooler age was devastating to Europe, which thrived during the previous warming period.

Our real threat is the next ice age, even if it is as minor as the one that ended roughly 150 years ago. Imagine the polar ice caps reaching South Carolina, Texas, and central California. Imagine Europe much like Siberia.

And we need to keep an eye on this, no one knows when it would happen and back in the 1850s when the ice age ended things went pretty close to normal after the worst of it which means the Earth has the ability to switch the environment as needed.

One thing we need to look at is the “belt” in the Atlantic Ocean that brings warm waters to north-western Europe. People think of New England and New Brunswick, Canada as cold places but think of northern France and southern UK as warm, but in reality, the European counterparts are actually further north than the North American locations. Why? That conveyor belt.

It has been theorized that global warming can slow, even halt, this warm current which would create a much colder environment to north-western Europe. Big deal, right?

A colder environment will create more ice and the Arctic Ocean could start to freeze again. This will slow the motion of the water in the Arctic Ocean. Moving water doesn’t freeze. If you don’t believe me, try to freeze a pot of water while you stir it. It will not freeze. So, this ice will not only reflect more sunlight but it will also slow the movement of water in the Arctic Ocean, thus allowing more of the water to freeze. Once the Bering Straight is frozen over, then the movement / circulation will stop, creating a very large icebox. As the ocean freezes, the ice will creep down over northern Asia, Europe, and North America. All of a sudden, all of these great farmlands are now unfarmable. The US’s Midwest will become a permafrost (like modern day Siberia). With more ice in the Arctic (and Antarctic) there will be less rain so places that could become farmlands (the Middle East, northern Africa, and northern South America) may be deserts.

I’m not saying this will happen overnight but it is something we will have to face generations ahead of us. Global warming will be an inconvenience for us compared to what the next ice age may do.

Comcast - YOU SUCK!!!

2008-07-08T18:16:00.000-04:00

Yes Comcast, YOU SUCK. You are the worst ISP I’ve ever had (except for AOL). I just spent ANOTHER 30 minutes with no service.

I’ve had your “service” (and I’m using the term loosely right now) for about three months and in that three months I’ve had more down time than I did with six years with DSL, and this includes after two major hurricanes and three regular hurricanes. Every few days the service goes out. When I call, it’s usually back on by the time I get to speak to a human and if it isn’t it is always some “routine maintenance” (who does that when everyone is trying to use the service?), “the node is down”, or that my modem is bad (and they never seem to have an answer when I ask them how does the modem affect the TV?). I love that last one. My modem works and they are never willing to pay me back a restocking fee if I still have problems after I buy a new modem (like hell I’m going to keep it).

It’s funny, though. If I am a day late on my payment they turn off my service very quickly. Like they have someone watching all of the bills come in and if they don’t see mine, they flip the switch. Kill my service! Then, bill me extra for making a payment over the phone or “late fees”. But you feel you can just turn off my service whenever you want.

Your technician never even showed up my first few appointments. Not even a call and when I called, I was told “oh, we tried to call you” (complete bull, no calls came in) and then I get the “well, we can’t get him back out for a week (funny how my first call I could have him at my house (well, the appointment anyway) within 48 hours. Sure, the first thing he says it is my modem (go back to the first paragraph). But, he tightened a few things and it helped for maybe a week.

Comcast – you suck and if we weren’t screwed over by AT&T we would leave your service and go back to DSL. It must be nice to have a monopoly on this kind of service, you can charge whatever you want and treat your customers like crap and there is almost no place we can go.

We are Google, resistance is futile.

2008-07-05T19:00:00.001-04:00

First a US court ruled that Google must release the viewing habits of everyone who has ever visited YouTube (Story here). Now, this month’s Discover magazine has an article appropriately titled “Google’s Eyes are Watching You” with a secondary title “No Place To Hide”. It’s quite scary actually. Google has become a modern day juggernaut of information many of which we (the population) thinks is safely tucked away somewhere or not even kept. Just imagine what a company like Google could learn about you just from your searching habits (who doesn’t use Google now?).

Guess what, anonymity went out the door the second you logged onto your PC and went onto the internet. Google is watching. Google is in your PC, in your home, and in your mind. You think I’m lying or paranoid, don’t you. Just imagine, how much do you search every day? Do you have that little Google toolbar that is packaged in with just about every game you buy on the internet now? It’s all keeping records of you, what you watch, and now, thanks to Google Earth and Google’s acquired company, Keyhole (yes, the same company that headed up spy technology for the CIA though the 80s) can now even watch you.

Go ahead, go to maps.google.com I just typed in my address and I saw my car. I know it is recent because we had some landscape changes after hurricane Wilma that is there. You can even see the debris piles and tarps on our roofs, so I guess this shot is from between fall of 2005 and summer of 2006. You can look up anything, your house, your ex’s house, military bases; I just saw the Kremlin, the Pyramids, and Tower Bridge all within a few minutes of each other.

It’s not scary to see these images now, most are not too recent (between 1-3 years old) but what about as this technology advances? Hell, I just now went onto Google Streets and I just saw myself walking my dog and my parents cooking (this picture I know is recent since they only got rid of a fence a month ago and it is not in the picture). Luckily, my sister’s street isn’t part of Google Streets yet.

Google is everywhere and is in everything. While I agree this technology can be helpful it can also be very dangerous and has a large amount to be abused. Imagine this in the hands of stalkers? Terrorists? Just enter “Earle Ammunition Depot” and you can actually see the trains that are parked in this “highly secret” (not anymore) base. You can see the planes at Offutt AFB, even.

I’m sure it is just a matter of time (I think less than a year) that Google imagery and records will be “credible evidence” on a regular bases in our courtrooms.

Google is the Borg. Google is Skynet. Google is everywhere, resistance is futile.

Barak Obama asks donators to pay off Clinton's debts

2008-06-25T06:38:00.004-04:00

News story here.

So, Barak has asked donators to pay off Hillary's debts that she amassed during her political campaign (including $22M that she got total including $12M she donated (now it's considered "loaned" to herself (I wonder which one would be paid off first). I guess along with our own debts they want us to pay off their debts, too.

Hmm, I wonder if this would work for me? I have a website here and many others, reoccurring costs of about $2,500 a year. Would anyone like to donate to help me pay off those debts? Feel free to send funds via PayPal to my name (draggar) at gmail (dot) com. (any donations sent to me will not be paid back, BTW) Let's see what happens. I doubt I'll get anything but feel free to send a note with the payment and I'll send a thank you out though the blog. :)

It seems that all of the "donations" that were given to Hillary are not "loans". I guess everyone is pissed that she didn't win (my hat is off to the US's voting public who flipped the bird to everyone by voting for Barak). I guess we really see how these "donators" are now, they'll donate as long as things are going their way but now they want their money back. I guess even these corporations don't understand the point behind a donation (and I wonder how many of these donations have been used as a tax write off already?).

BTW - I'm also willing to bet that the average Joe who sent money to Hillary (people who work hard for their money) will be the very last people in line for the money (and probabaly some very high interest rates, I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary paid herself back $15 million+).

Again, politicians seem to not care about us or the image they portray to us.

Again, remember, send your "donations" to help me pay off my debts vis PayPal to draggar (at) gmail (dot) com. (Again, donations will be kept by me and will not be paid back, but at least I will use them to help pay off my debts).

Edit: 6-28-2008
It looks like Barak is putting his money where his mouth is, quite literally: News story. Although $2,300 from him and his wife (4,600 total) is a drop in the bucket and I'm willing to bet is more of a "unite the Democrats move" than actually him being a nice guy. Hey Barak, since you're giving away money, how about sending some to my PayPal account mentioned above?

I don't know about other people out there but this looks like a clear-cut attempt to buy votes.

Barak Obama needs a lesson in inflation now...

2008-06-09T22:14:00.005-04:00

CNN News story

So now Barak is jumping on the band wagon, pump more money into the economy and we'll be fine. Sure. He cited jump in unemployment and rising gas & oil prices as the main reasons to do this.

OK, I haven't seen a single penny from the last increase in available money (the stimulus checks were NOT part of that). But what I have seen is the value of my own money go down which causes the price of anything that has to do with any kind of importing go up. Food, gas, electricity, just about everything. Since our dollar is weaker now, it costs more to get the same amount of produce in a foreign country (even if the price of those products remained the same in the other country). So they throw this money into the economy but very few of us see it (I'm willing to bet the people who see it are the ones who don't need it, the rich just keep on getting richer and us in the middle and lower classes get stuck with the high price tags).

Now Barak wants to do this again! Sure and I guarantee you that if another $500B (that's $50,000,000,000) is thrown at us the value of our dollar will drop to historically low value and the price of oil WILL shoot over $200 a barrel and we'll wish gas was only $4 a gallon. What's the worst part is that we're throwing so much money out of the country (outsourcing just about everything now) that there is less and less of it for us (you know, the people who pay to have the money printed?) to have in our own wallets making it more difficult for us to afford basics such as food, rent or mortgage, electricity, gas, etc.

I now see that Barak is no better than the rest of the politicians that are out there. Pat their friends on the back, fill their wallets and f*ck the working class in America, the people who actually voted him into the position he's in now.

OK, government, do you really want to help the economy? How about this:

Tax breaks for businesses that keep workers in the US

Tax breaks for citizens

(Politicians) Stop all the bull$h!t dilly-dallying in Iraq and bring the troops home

Force the car manufacturers and fuel companies to put out more alternative fuel cars and filling stations, we know they own all of the patents but they're just sitting on their hands while keeping us addicted to foreign oil. For me, the nearest "alternative fuel" station is over 4 hours away.

Invest more into renewal energy & make it more cost effective

Wake up America! Part 2 - Inflation

2008-06-04T21:09:00.003-04:00

OK people, let me give you a simple lesson in economics.

We’ve heard a nasty word recently (well, IMO it is not that nasty, it is only nasty when it works against us). INFLATION.

We’ve heard a lot of pointers on why the dollar is so “weak” right now (the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US Dollar now, don’t even get me started on the Euro, this has killed the potential for some good investments for me).

We’ve heard this is because of the high price of oil, the interest rates, the high price of gas, etc. etc. etc. All of which is complete bullshit.

Inflation is caused by the value of a country's currency which is the ratio of (Country’s GNP / Available Currency (including credit). So, anyone who knows ratios and fractions can see that the more currency (and credit) available the lower value our money is. Now, what happened just before the dollar crashed?

Don’t believe me? Webster’s:
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inflation )
A persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money, caused by an increase in available currency and credit beyond the proportion of available goods and services.

Oh yeah, the government signed bills allowing BILLIONS of dollars to be pumped into banks allowing people to borrow more money. Smooth move people. Now our dollar is worth very little to other nations.

Now, we’re blaming OPEC on the high price of gas and oil which is also, ready? BULLSHIT!! Since our dollar is weaker, it costs more to get a barrel of oil from other countries. OK, so our dollar has gone to record lows in value causing the price of oil to skyrocket (which also directly affects the price we pay at the gasoline pump).

Our government is blaming inflation on the price of oil and OPEC when that is the exact opposite of the truth. Our own government pushed the value of our dollar so far down that anything that has anything to do with something that is imported will cost us more, including gas and oil!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

Wake up America!

2008-06-03T20:41:00.001-04:00

I’ve had no love for Hillary for a very long time and I have never been shy about it.

I don’t know which is worse, the lies and narcissism that Hillary has displayed during this election or the people who have been duped into believing in here. OK, I can understand that a lot of people in the US didn’t see the NY senate race between Hillary and Giuliani. I lived in New Jersey at the time so it was all over our news. People even asked Hillary how come she was running for New York instead of Arkansas (where she’s from). Her response was “I’ve always been a Yankees girl”. Really now? Did you even know that the Yankees were in the World Series that year or were you too busy kissing up to everyone to even go to a single game? Giuliani made the time to go to several games and I think he even threw out the first pitch during one of the games. Someone of her magnitude could have easily gotten into one of the games.

A few months ago, while behind in the race, Hillary made a (desperate) offer to Obama. Let him concede and she would accept him as her vice president candidate. Um, what? You don’t make offers like that when you are in second place. Luckily Obama ignored the request and continued to win election after election and is now 4 votes shy of the nomination (over 200 delegate lead over Hillary). Then, she tells him he should quit to unite the Democrats. Now, she’s saying that she would accept an offer to be the vice president candidate.

Obama, I really hope you do not consider this. Most Democrats are very passionate and strongly divided. You would lose votes to McCain if you took her as your vice presidential candidate. If Hillary is in the office we can rest assured that the next 4 years she’ll end up being the president by hogging the spotlight.

If you ask me who Obama’s VP candidate should be, I have no idea. Someone with similar views to Obama (Cheney must have had an uncomfortable time w/ Bush’s “same sex marriage ban” issues with his daughter) and someone who doesn’t mind being in the background (not John Edwards either).

(This is not an endorsement; I’m going to consider this election, like many others in the past, the lesser of all of the evils).

American voters flip the bird to Washington, the media, and Americal corporations

2008-05-21T22:14:00.003-04:00

It should come as no surprise to most people that today the media and large corporations are running America. Hopefully this isn't a surprise.

It shouldn't be a big surprise to see that it is also these corporations and the same media who choose who is our next president. Through advertising and opinionated news reporting, it is easy to skew our impressions of the candidates to favor one over the other.

It has been quite clear since the beginning that these two entities wanted McCain and Clinton to be on the November ticket. Clinton, definitely a player, most likely would have been voted in. I'll admit, as much as I don't like her, Hillary is a player. She is charismatic and knows what to say to who and when. The media does the same. Perfect example, the media today was all over Hillary's "huge" win in Kentucky. She picked up 22 delegates over Obama's 11 but the media is very quiet about Obama's win in Oregon (Obama picked up 29 delegates as opposed to Hillary's 19, making both states only a one delegate gain for Hillary). They are also very quiet about the mass migration of the super delegates over to Obama's side. Nope, they're making it sound like Hillary was a huge winner yesterday (even though she lost ground to Obama).

It seems that the American public has flipped the bird to the corporations and media trying to run this country. America has stood up and voted for Obama. Even with the media's call for "Operation Chaos" to try to get Hillary to win the nod failed.

Obama played a good game. He took the "T Mobile" strategy. In the beginning when all of the mud slinging was going on he didn't participate, even when the mud was being slung at him (much like as much as the other providers trach T Mobile in their commercials, T Mobile doesn't stoop to that level). Barak stood back and still stated his intentions and didn't even try to defend himself. That takes some cohones.

Good job, Barak. You didn't play the game everyone wanted you to allowing others to chew you out. Instead you acted mature and kept your cool. Even now, as your are ever inching towards the victory, the media is still trying to paint Hillary as the winner.

"The Greatest Domaining Contest Ever"

2008-05-19T15:14:00.005-04:00

That's what it is being called, John over at DNXpert.com (http://www.dnxpert.com/2008/05/19/greatest-domaining-blogging-contest-ever/) is holding this contest for domainers.

Feel free to click on the link but check out the list of prizes below! There are some great prizes for little work by the contestants.

$700 in cash from We Build Pages who offer Link Building Services. ($700 value)

$200 credit deposited into NameDrive domain parking account courtesy of NameDrive.com. ($200 value)

$100 Godaddy Gift card from instantdomaintool.com. ($100 value)

$100 credit in Bidvertiser account. ($100 value)

$100 cash from WordPressFreelance. ($100 value)

$50 cash from Ades blog ($50 value)

$35 Cash from Tim Schroeder of eMonetized.com. ($35 value)

$35 Cash from Web Hosting Reviews. ($35 value)

$30 Cash from Life is colourful. ($30 value)

1 Market Leverage promo pack consisting of: MarketLeverage iFlip (digital camera), MLRewards card ($50), MarketLeverage USB Pen, MarketLeverage Polo and hat, MarketLeverage/Nike duffelbag. ($350 value)

2 x Market Leverage promo pack consisting of MLRewards card ($25), MarketLeverage USB Pen, MarketLeverage Polo and hat, MarketLeverage/Nike duffelbag. (2 x $220 value)

3 x Market Leverage USB Pens with $10 ML Rewards card. (3 x $35 value)

6 months subscription to MarketMotive.com. ($1794 value)

1 hour of SEO Consulting from Todd Malicoat from stuntdubl.com. ($500 value)

1 year’s PRO Subscriptions membership to FreshDrop.net. ($395.40 value)

5 x 1 license of the software product Domain Name Pro (5 x $64.95 value)

3 months membership at Aaron Wall’s SeoBook course. ($300 value)

3 x 1 copy of the Domain Graduate ebook. (3 x $87 value)

5 x 1 exclusive list of 100 expired domains from DNXpert.com (5 x $50 value)

6 months premium clustered hosting at iMountain.com (6 x $39.95 value)

2 months VIP membership at ClickMojo ($200 value)

15 minute one on one phone coaching session with Simon Johnson from Domainer Income ($200 value)

2 year subscription to DNSstuff pro tools. ($139 value)

1 x 100 domain parking account at WhyPark.com ($99.95 value)

1 copy of the Revenue Domains Exposed ebook ($97 value)

2 month subscription at Wordze.com ($90 value)

3 x 1 copy of the Domaining Manifesto ebook. (3 x $27 value)

1 copy of Wordze’s Guide to Keyword Research & Niche Wealth Building! ($80 value)

1 copy of a single use license of Brian Gardner’s Revolution blog theme of the winners’ choice ($79.99 value)

1 copy of Optin Comments WP plugin. ($77 value)

1 DNForum.com Platinum membership. ($59.95 value)

1 yearly subscription to Gold Account at iwebtool.com ($59 value)

3 x 1 copy of the Killer Domains ebook (3 x $17 value)

2 x 50 available domains from WordFuse.com (2 x $24.95 value)

1 featured listing on Sedo’s homepage for 1 domain. (worth $39)

1 DNForum.com Gold membership ($19.95 value)

1 Month DomainNews.com Newsletter Sponsorship - Top Position Advertizing ($500 value)

2 months 160×90 ad on ClickFire.com homepage (2 x $200 value)

1 Month text link on JustDropped.com search pages ($100 value)

1 month text link at DomainNameWire.com ($60 value)

1 month of 125×125 banner advertising on Winning the Web ($50 value)

1 month 125×125 banner advertising at DNXpert.com ($50 value)

1 month 125×125 banner advertising at DotSauce.com ($40 value)

1 month text link on blogaboutyourblog.com ($10 value)

1 copy of Darren Rowse's ProBlogger ebook ($16.49 value)

New site

2008-05-11T10:49:00.003-04:00

I've launched a new site for all of you who listen to Big 105.9FM (and The Gater's) morning show, The Paul and Young Ron Show.

You Can't Win.Net

It is a site I'm putting up for their game show, You Can't Win. I will try to listen every day and update the site each day (there are some days I've missed because of work).

I have a list of all of the answers for questions one though three and all of the "wrong" answers plus little hints that were deliberately (and inadvertently) by the cast, staff, and callers.

Right now, I have a feeling I know what the answer to question #4 is just by listening every day and maintaining the list.

The morning show is based out of Big 105.9FM out of Miramar, FL but is also simulcast in West Palm Beach though The Gater, 98.7 FM so their reach is from Key Largo to Stuart, Florida (rumored to be as far south as Islamorada and as far north as Yeehaw Junction). Tune each weekday morning around 7:30 (usually between 7:20 and 8:00AM) and remember, you can win!

Crazy people at the airport...

2008-05-06T10:00:00.001-04:00

I was at the airport yesterday waiting for my wife to arrive and, as usual, there was an interesting array of people there.

First, some loud mouthed guy on his cell phone non-stop. High teens low to mid 20s age, acting all tough on his phone. He’s telling his friends that he’s pissed because they wouldn’t let him into the terminal.. He said he was there to pick up a child (with no documentation), he tried to pass off a piece of paper as a ticket, they still wouldn’t let him in. Then, he claims that he told them they’d better let him in or else he’d “kick their asses”. Uh-huh, if you even came close to that your ass would be in a back room in the airport being drilled by security and the local police department. He’s also talking down to some girl (probably his GF that he keeps her self esteem crushed so she’d stay with him).

Karma caught up to him. His mom called, they were stuck on the tarmac because someone got sick and they needed the CDC to clear the plane. HA HA! He was telling her to fake being sick. Yeah, that’ll work, that’ll just make them wait longer.

A couple came in from the terminal with a small child. The mother went to the rest room and the father was too busy on his cell phone to notice that their child was standing at the top of the down escalator playing, and blocking people from going downstairs to baggage claim. I was hoping that the father would drop his cell phone down to the first floor (I don’t want to see the kid get hurt from his own ignorance).

Of course some other bratty kid came up to me and demanded that I give him my Nintendo DS. Yeah, right. No, it’s not your turn. It’s my DS that I bought with my own money. Learn some manners. Of course he goes crying off to his mommy who told him I was being a “mean man”. Fine lady, can I have that laptop in your bag? No? You’re being mean. Like hell I’m going to give a Nintendo DS (that I was using at the time, BTW) to a completely strange kid (plus, kid’s mom, didn’t you ever teach your kids to NOT talk to strangers? If I was a pedophile I could have easily lured that kid away into my car while you were being completely ignorant of the situation and he would be GONE. Obviously chatting on your cell phone is far more important than your child).

I also love watching people argue with security. Pay attention to the rules people. No, you cannot bring that bottle of water onto the plane. You say its water but how can they know? Yes, the knives are for cutting steak but guess what, they are NOT going onto the plane (and arguing with security will NOT get you anywhere so don’t even continue arguing). Wisen up people. Also, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNATTENDED. Almost every time I go to the airport security is a few seconds away from closing the terminal because some moronic ass-muncher leaves a bag on the floor (like when going though the zigzag line at security). Of course, at the last second someone just picks it up and acts like nothing happened. Maybe these people should be pulled aside and fully strip searched (cavity search time!). Maybe that will teach them to just leave their bags and risk tens of thousands of travelers getting to where they need to go on time.

Don’t get me wrong, there were dozens of happy reunions (including mine). People were very happy to see each other (I couldn’t get the opening scene of “Dogma” out of my mind with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon). It gave me a warm feeling in my heart. Either that or my heartburn was acting up again. 

Of course driving in and out of the airport is a living hell, too. People who can’t figure out the self-pay lanes in the parking garage, people slamming on their breaks on the highway that goes around the airport and jumping across 3 lanes. People who drive by the terminal then slam on their breaks to pull across 4 lanes of traffic so they can drop someone off (did you not notice the pretty colors or the huge terminal numbers?). Leaving is dangerous enough. Even with police there stopping traffic to let pedestrians walk across the road people still fly though almost hitting us. Morons.

CNN - you are diusgusting

2008-05-04T18:20:00.002-04:00

Not only does your latest ploy prove that you are selling out it shows your lack of sensitivity towards people.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at this picture:

Fill sized image here

Yes, that is a t-shirt you can buy with CNN's headlines on it. Not only are they profiting off of the news, they are merchandising other people's misery, a luxury previously only enjoyed by our insurance agencies.

This one (in the picture) is "Hit and run cop nailed by own dash cam". OK, this one isn't too bad but I actually saw one earlier today that said "hundreds feared dead from Myanmar typhoon". Um, you want to sell t-shirts that promote a natural disaster that hundreds of people have died in and get 100% of the proceeds from it?

I honestly can't think of anything lower, more evil, and selfish than any company has done in a very long time. Just when I thought things couldn't get more thoughtless, they come out with this.

I guess it is time to find another news site.

Tips for auction site buyers

2008-04-30T19:03:00.001-04:00

Online auctions part two: For the buyers

Auctions wouldn’t work without the buyers (hell, any kind of selling won’t work without buyers). Buyers work with sellers to reach a price that is mutually beneficial for both parties. Yesterday I posted advice and hints on how people should post their items for sale in auctions, today I’ll visit the other side.

Buyers also need to be aware of inadvertent practices that can be rude and annoy sellers. Follow a few tips and you’ll be sure not only get good buyer ratings but also respect from a seller which may give you better prices down the road.

First, low-ballers.

I’m talking about the people who see an item and bid ridiculously low prices for the item. Someone posts a new car for sale and someone bids $1. Not only will you most likely not even be considered for the auction, but sometimes it can be a slap in the face to the seller or may be a target of ridicule from the rest of the community. Be reasonable; bid the lowest you think you’ll be able to buy the item for.

Mind open reserve prices and opening bids.

If someone posts that an opening bid is $500, don’t go in and bid $200, it just shows that you’re not paying attention to the auction. This will hurt your credibility.

Ask questions!

It is a buyer beware world out there. If at any point you are unsure about an item, the quality, etc.. ask. An honest seller will answer your question truthfully. If you bid on something and it turns out to not be what you thought it was (other than false advertising and misrepresentation) you only have yourself to blame. You will lose any protest because you should always ask questions before you commit to buying the item. Ask ask ask! (And sellers, respond to questions!).

Complete your sales.

This goes for buyers and sellers. Nothing is more annoying to one side than the other side backing out after an agreement is reached. It doesn’t matter the reason, it is still annoying to the side stuck with an incomplete sale.

Don’t be a crybaby.

Don’t post on forums complaining about a price or the product. You’re not the one selling it. If you don’t like the price, then don’t bid on it. If you don’t like the quality, then don’t bid on it. Nothing annoys a whole community more than a crybaby complaining that something is too expensive or not what they want. If it is set up to be too expensive, if the demand isn’t there then the seller won’t sell it.

Payment plans are not an option.

Unless you arranged this with the seller before you started to bid on an item, do not think you’ll be able to have a monthly payment plan to buy something. Have the cash on hand to buy what you want.

Leave honest feedback.

(This also goes for buyers and sellers) After all is said and done, you paid and you got your item and it is to your satisfaction, leave appropriate feedback to the other party involved. This helps them build a reputation and chances are they’ll leave feedback for you if you leave them feedback.

Disagreements and issues

(Another item that is for both parties). Do not air disagreements out in the open. Start with private messages. Things happen, that’s part of life. You could have agreed to a sale but in the time between then and when you send your payment something could have happened, they could have gotten busy, they could be sick or injured, or worst. Starting right off the bat flaming them publicly will not produce any good results. If private messages don’t work then take it to a public forum. Be respectful and honest but do not include personal information (other than a username). Stay away from personal attacks. Again, stick with the facts, “I paid on this day and never got it”, “I sent them a private message and they didn’t respond in several days” etc..

I doubt that my little blog here will drastically improve the auction process on many sites but hopefully people read these and did learn something. 

Tips for auction site sellers.

2008-04-29T20:36:00.001-04:00

I frequent a lot of boards that feature auctions. No, not like eBay where the auction itself is moderated and rules are set up as how an auction works. I’m talking forums where they’ll have a section for auctions. People post something they want to sell and others bid on it.

Unfortunately, it seems that the vast majority of the people who try to sell items on these auctions don’t know much about how auctions work and in the end it really annoys a lot of the other people on the forum, especially those who are trying to buy the item that is being auctioned.

I’ve decided to write a quick blurb showing people what different terms and acronyms mean in the auction world.

First, the most over used AND misused term:

BIN

BIN stands for “Buy It Now”. It is NOT THE SAME AS AN OPENING BID or a reserve bid. A BIN is a price that you will instantly stop an auction to sell it. You’ve decided on this price and when someone says “SOLD AT BIN” or bids the bin, the auction should stop. Continuing it on is dishonest and unfair to the person who wanted buy the item at the BIN. It’s like going to a car dealership, offering to buy a car at sticker price, and as your signing the paperwork someone else walks in and says “$500 over sticker price!”. Sure, it’s great for the seller but dishonest and (IMO) unethical. You posted the BIN price, your risk if someone is willing to pay more.

“Reserve”

A reserve, my least favorite part of an auction, is a mysterious price that someone sets the lowest amount they’d sell something for. Sure, you can start bidding at $1 on that nice car, but they have a hidden reserve that they won’t tell anyone (usually a few cents below the BIN). Personally, I’d rather see and use an opening bid (below) and would never use a reserve. It’s sneaky and only dupes people into believing that they might get a bargain when bidding starts at a very low price.

Sometimes people will tell you the reserve (which then becomes an opening bid) other times they will not.

Opening Bid

An “opening bid” is an amount where you start the auction and SHOULD BE the absolute lowest that you’ll sell the item for. A low opening is often a gamble, if it is far below what the item is worth then it will spark bidding but you may not get what it is worth (if your opening bid on a diamond necklace is $5 and only one person bids on it, guess what?).

A high opening bid will guarantee you a better price but fewer people will bid on it. I’ve seen items that sat for sale since no one bid on it because the opening bid was too high but would have actually fetched more if the opening bid was lower.

Liars / exaggerators

What ever you do, do not lie or exaggerate descriptions about your item. Don’t say that baseball card is in mint condition when a tear is down the side. Don’t say the car has 10,000 miles on it when it actually has 25,000. People will catch it, even if after they buy it and leave you negative feedback, which will tarnish your reputation on the forum / site.

If people post questions, please answer them. How would you like to walk into a store and ask the sales reps a question only to have them ignore you? Not answering questions in an auction is the same.

Price ranges

I also see people “Looking for offers in the $xx range”. This means that they are looking for offers between $10 and $99. If you’re not planning to sell it for less than $100, then DON’T SAY “looking for offers in the $xx range”. Again, this is dishonest. It’s like using a BIN as an opening bid.

Follow these simple rules and you’ll not only be able to have good auctions (as long as what you’re selling is in demand) but you won’t annoy other site members.

Tomorrow (hopefully) : Tips for auction buyers!

"Life After People", oil, global warming, and global balance.

2008-04-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

I don't know if many people here caught this program on the Discovery Channel (Life After People), especially since many of you are outside the US and I don't know if it was broadcasted out of the US.

They basically go over what would happen to the Earth if hu8mans just disappeared one day, everything would be left in tact as it is the second we all disappeared. They go over buildings corroding and collapsing, houses crumbling, cars rusting and how animals would adapt. (It's a fascinating program, I recommend anyone to watch it).

They discussed that pretty much the only man-made item that may survive for the next generation of intelligent life to see would me mount Rushmore. The favorable conditions where it is (low erosion, cooler climate, elevation, etc..) as well as it being carved out of granite would make it the least vulnerable item in our civilization (the statues of Petra and other similar ones could last, but sandstorms would sand them down). As long as tectonics keep it in favorable conditions it could be visible that it is not natural for millions of years. (This is unlikely considering the possibility of global tectonic shift / polar reversal, but possible).

Second thought, oil. I watched another program on the History channel about oil, how it affects us and our civilization and how it is formed. First, look at the conditioned that are needed for it to be "created".

Oil fields are nothing more than gargantuan (and that is an understatement) grave yard for prehistoric life. Marine life swam into a dead zone in the ocean (like what we're starting to see form in today's oceans) and it dies, then floats to the bottom. The pressure and chemicals in this dead water helps preserve the corpses and over millions of years it forms oil. These dead spots happen when the global temperatures rise and the ocean temperatures rise, like what the climate was like back in prehistoric times (when global temperatures were much higher than they are today). These corpses also capture a lot of carbon that is in the atmosphere / climate and keep it away (in the oil) thus removing carbon from the atmosphere, reversing greenhouse gasses.

Two things come to mind.

1) It is very possible that there was another civilization of intelligent life on Earth millions of years before humans came up (exactly like what the Star Trek Voyager episode called "Distant Origins" or "Displaced" was about). Any sign of them would be long gone today whether they went extinct or moved onto other planets. Throw in the Discovery program, "The Future Is Wild" and we can assume that crustations (squids specifically) are the next likely candidate to take over some 5-10 millions years from now.

2) Using oil releases all that trapped carbon into the atmosphere, thus creating a greenhouse effect and creating another climate not unlike what the climate was like when the oil was starting to form (warmer for the dead spots). We could be creating the conditions for oil to start forming in the ocean for the next intelligent species to arrive.

I've come to the conclusion that oil is the Earth's way to either test it's dominant / intelligent species or as a balance (global species / respect balance, not US vs. OPEC kind of balance)..

The Earth gives us this resource that makes our lives and routines very easy for us but at a severe cost. It could test us to see if we can harness these powers yet not damage the Earth (like what carbon emissions have the potential to do) and if we cannot, it starts the reset button that takes millions of years to reset (either driving modern life to extinction or forces us off of the planet).

Thinking of that, it makes you wonder how many of these cycles has the planet gone though? Even if each cycle takes 100 million years, the earth is over 4 billion years old which means we could be on as many as the 40th cycle, each civilization being erased from the future generation's views. The previous generation harnessed oil from the one before them as we are harnessing the oil from them today and we're creating the environment to create more oil for the next generation some 10 to 100 million years from now.

Gamestop & used games

2008-04-26T21:49:00.002-04:00

Gamestop, what is up with this? I see you sell used games at a "discount" which is really nice but, what is the point of it when the used game is $29 and the new is $30? You don't see any other industry that does this. Do you see used cars just a few dollars below the invoice for an identical new one? Nope.

Yes, some of the games are $2-$5 cheaper, but when I see several used games that are $1 less than a new one, then I'm buying the new one. $1 is worth not having a game that was over-played by someone else, breathed on, handled, and so on. I can go to a pawn shop and probably get the same used game in the same condition for 1/2 the price (and I should!).

Come on guys, change your policy. Don't insult our intelligence be claiming "discounts" on used games that don't have the box, manual, or anything else, just a game, when the new version is only a dollar or two more.

False Advertising

2008-04-25T19:20:00.002-04:00

I have a large area to cover for my job and it includes many retail stores.

Every day I hear of people claiming "false advertising!" A product isn't the same price as a different sized one that is advertised. False advertising! A name brand doesn't have the same brand as a generic. False advertising! Stores add in sales tax, false advertising!

To the people who cry this when there really isn't any false advertising, get your f-ing head out of your ass. There is false advertising all around us and it seems that no one is complaining about that but are quick to cry foul with they are wrong.

What do I mean?

Let's see here. Look at a fast food commercial. You see that burger, all juicy, with tons of lettuce and tomato on it. It's smothered in ketchup and lots of cheese is on it. Yum! You go out to get one of those burgers and you're lucky if any condiments are on it, let along the lettuce and tomatoes. False advertising? Could be, but we all chalk it down as "advertising".

You see a commercial for a flashy new cell phone and they're browsing the web at speeds that would make any T1 user jealous. You go out and but the phone but the web surfing is very slow. False advertising but we chalk it down as advertising.

Car ads claim "up to 50 miles per gallon" but you're lucky if you ever get that.

So, why is it when people think something isn't right, don't understand a promotion, or when they want to abuse the system that it is false advertising but when it is blatant and in our faces, it is advertising?

One of the most obvious advertising campaigns that show phones have five bars everywhere or the person asking someone on the phone if they can hear them. They make it believe that you'll never have no service and never drop a call. If someone, on any wireless network in the word, has never had no service and has never dropped a call then they are either damn lucky or a liar.

Advertising loves to show us the extreme good in something knowing damn well that the vast majority of us will never experience this exaggerated best. Why is that? Do we just live with it knowing this or don't care. I don't know either but unfortunately it has become an accepted part of our society to see what the products we buy will never do in the ads that are supposed to show us what they do.

So people, before you go to a store and claim false advertising when they're trying to add sales tax or won't give you the sales price on an item that isn't on sale, think about what's really going on in our lives with false advertising.

A hard lesson learned.

2008-04-20T09:40:00.003-04:00

Let this be a lesson to people, hang up and drive!!

My wife and I were heading to dinner last night and we need to stop at the supermarket to pick something up. We were heading to a 4-way intersection. We had a green light but noticed an ambulance was heading westbound and our traffic was stopped.

And then it happened.

An SUV going north stopped blocking an eastbound lane (not west bound traffic and it is a 3 lane road not including turning lanes) to try to let the ambulance go though. Another SUV behind them rear-ended them (pretty hard).

We rolled our eyes at the stupidity of the person who hit them then saw something horrific. A motorcycle was in front of the SUV stopped in the right lane (which was blocked by the accident), I'm assuming to help or call for help. A car had sped around the accent vehicles (ignoring the ambulance) just in time to hit the motorcyclist. He hit with such force that the car went over the motorcycle, the cyclist, and over the guard rail to ride on it about 10 feet then slam back down to the ground. We I saw the motorcyclist he was trying to pull himself off of the street and his legs were bent in directions that legs aren't supposed to go in.

Luckily there were already two police cars in the intersection and the ambulance was able to stop for a few seconds, I'm assuming to call dispatch to let them know what happened and give details, before heading to their call. We pulled into the supermarket (southwest corner of that intersection) and I watched what was happening when my wife ran in to get a few things. Luckily, another ambulance and a rescue were there within 5 minutes.

The part that is pissing me off the most is that the driver of the car was STILL ON HIS CELL PHONE TALKING (he was holding the phone up to his ear). Obviously he wasn't paying enough attention to see the accident, the ambulance, or the motorcyclist and obviously his conversation was more important than the poor motorcyclist that he had just most likely broken both legs (at the least).

Yes, I work for a major wireless communications provider but I firmly believe that most of the people out there who talk while driving (not using a headset or other hands free) are distracted and do not have full control of their vehicle plus are not aware of their surroundings.