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Did you see the US Ambassador to Libya was murdered?
Last night (At least, Eastern Standard Time) the United States ambassador to Libya was murdered in a rocket attack. This assault, along with that one that led to the storming of the US Consulate in Egypt, appears to be caused by a youtube video created by some United States citizens against the prophet Mohammed. Here's the story:
53 Answers answer
Just like ignorant and hateful people, intolerant and hateful people are everywhere. I feel for the families of those killed. Those responsible will be judged, even if not in this life.
Things out east are heating up all over. I wish I could shake this bad feeling that this is just the start. I hope not. Thoughts and prayers with the families of the victims today.
Check out the official statements by our country's leaders.
Is this supposed to support and strengthen our citizens' stance, internationally? I for one, am a little worried. Thanks buddy, Obama, I feel very comfortable living abroad, now that you've declared open-season on us.
@dmaz: I was disappointed in the response also, an attack on consulates and embassy personnel has been understood since the medieval ages to be an attack on the country whose personnel or embassy/consulate was attacked.
I really hope this doesn't blow up into an Iranian hostage crisis situation. Losing an Ambassador to violence is a big deal, and I was hoping for a more forceful response, especially as this seems to be from a disagreement in Libya and the US on the issue on how far the right to free speech goes. Should the US allow free speech on the issue of Islam or not?
Here's hoping this isn't another hostage crisis really. Prayers to the families of those personnel and the families of the other US representatives in Libya, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern nations where these riots have broken out.
I'm not big on the idea of killing ANYONE, but I really don't understand why "A-hole fundie preacher" offends you, so you kill "Upstanding foreign diplomat trying to help your country".
It's like stubbing your toe on your dining room table, so in retaliation you go next door and kick your neighbor in the nuts.
Just saw there is now a video posted of the perpetrators of the attack parading the corpse of the US ambassador in the streets.
I will not post a link, though it's accessible.
@figgers3036: I saw this too and I almost puked. As a veteran who's seen what these savages are capable of doing, I'm sure their last breaths of air were anything but the romantic deaths you see in the movies. I'm glad our president condemned the actions. If he were to even at the very least threaten payback for those responsible, I'd be a little bit happier. Heck I might even vote for him. But nope! That'd be like if my wife divorced me and left me with nothing and all I did was send her a text message saying "Ok." I'm going to reiterate what @dmaz said, when foreign diplomat to any nation is murdered that is bordering on an act of war, and all we got was a 30 second email from our president. He must be too busy trying to get re-elected to care about the safety of Americans living abroad.
@dmaz: Yeah, I don't get where he said it's open season now. Should he have said, "We're going to carpet bomb the streets of whatever nation this might happen in if it happens again."? Seriously, you go to one of these lawless countries and you know it's dangerous and you know the risks before you go. Nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to work for the State Department. They're all volunteers, every last one of them.
It's sad and ridiculous that people are still this mental about made up nonsense but they are. You're not going to be able to make them see reason by talking tough. They're crazy people, and without reason. They believe wholeheartedly in one person and that's the end of it. Also, it's awfully hard to bring to justice an unruly mob. Now, if the Libyan army was the perpetrator of the incident that's a completely different story. You can't go bomb a bunch of civilians just because it makes you look stiff to the rest of the world.
I'm not sure what folks would like us to do for retaliation. Threatening war in another predominately muslim country in the midst of intense turmoil in the most volatile region of the world?
Were you going to pay for that? The balance is extraordinarily delicate in countries like Libya and Egypt. We can't just go throwing around our mighty threats because we're pissed off. The attack was terrible, but to threaten further than the condemnation would likely make it worse for those living abroad, not better. Do you think these people committing these heinous crimes fear going to war with us?
Well, in the end this boils down to an attack on US citizens on US sovereign soil, and then the parading of the corpse through the streets. I think we can all agree that doing absolutely nothing is not really an acceptable response. Hopefully the US state department is working on something here, and since it's still pretty soon after the event they just haven't fully coalesced their plans.
I'm don't think anyone's really advocating here for carpet bombing here, or turning any nation into a glass parking lot, and certainly not an invasion. I'm hoping we can stay reasonable and not put words into anyones' collective mouths based on our own biases and sadness at the events that just happened.
@figgers3036: "I'm don't think anyone's really advocating here for carpet bombing here, or turning any nation into a glass parking lot"
I am. I'm sure our friends in Israel wouldn't mind a little bit of radioactive fallout. The world needs a bit more parking space.
@figgers3036: The thing is, is that I can't come up with any form of retaliation that would be reasonable. The way I feel is that their attack was taking revenge for something as silly and menial (to us) as some American's renouncing their faith.
An American is dead, and that is terrible. But to retaliate and give them more reason to seek "revenge"? I don't have the answers, but right now I hope the focus is on finding a real solution to the overarching problems in that region without being consumed by thoughts of revenge for one event. Again, I don't have the answer, but threatening retaliation - with what? What do we have to throw at them? The repercussions would be much more terrible than the crime we are trying to avenge. And that's just what it would be doing - stooping to their level to avenge a wrongdoing.
@figgers3036: I agree with you that it's an attack on Americans on American soil. I don't think you can formulate any kind of response other than: you'd like to see the people brought to justice. Same as if this happened in Los Angeles or New York or Detroit. After all, people get murdered in those places and everywhere else around America for (arguably) more stupid reasons than insulting someone's god/prophet. You'd like those responsible caught, tried in a court of law, and put in jail if found guilty. That's the rational response. However, when things like this happen, it often becomes an Us v Them situation and people scream for blood or a tough, take no prisoners approach. Now, understanding the chaotic situation in these countries, asking for lawful justice may be a bridge too far, and asking for anything tougher than that is asking Santa for a new car under the tree. Also, a lot of these people are probably John McCain's heroes. You can't go kill his heroes because you're mad.
@meh3884 @zuiquan: Honestly the issue I had was the broad brush with which you seemed to be accusing conservatives of instantly wanting to invade, nuke, and destroy. Not very many conservatives are advocating for that, just like not very many liberals are advocating apologizing. It's silliness on both sides that makes US politics so broken.
Now on to personal opinion... historically we've seen that this region of the world doesn't respond well to doing nothing. The Barbary Pirates only stopped enslaving US citizens after we invaded, and more recently we have the Iranian hostage crisis, various bombings, USS Cole, etc. We're seeing time and time again that sitting back and not doing anything doesn't really accomplish anything, and we see that an Iraqi invasion didn't solve anything either. So then the question becomes, what WILL keep them from attacking us?
@zuiquan: I take issue with your comment about Sen. McCain. By that logic, Viet Kong are Sen. Kerry's heroes.
The second they started running their flag up OUR flagpole....a cruise missle should have exploded in the yard.
@figgers3036: "So then the question becomes, what WILL keep them from attacking us?" Exactly, we don't know. Let's not try and say half the comments here are not advocating violent retaliation, because that is bogus and you are well aware.
This broad brush you just talked about - where in either of our comments did you get that? I have no idea what agenda @zuiquan is pushing, but I'm just stating how I see it. (edit: As a note I don't understand the John McCain comment?). I think you're seeing what you want to in our comments and that is an excuse to make this a liberals vs. conservative argument.
Just like me, you don't have the answer. Where we differ is that I advocate no further retaliation beyond a condemnation until we have answers and solutions and " you" (representing several commenters) advocate politicians inventing some form of as yet unknown retaliation to be doled out in short order. And clearly several people here are advocating military retaliation.
The following should have been done immediately, instead of within the last few hours: A Marine fast team of about 50 is being sent to Benghazi, Libya, to secure the consulate, where US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three staff members were killed.
@figgers3036: I don't see where I accused any "conservatives" of anything. I don't know that dmaz is conservative, he might be or he might not, I don't know and it doesn't make any difference either way. My initial point was that I didn't get the whole "open season" bit. If you don't threaten all involved then you don't care and all Americans everywhere are on their own?
Now on to my personal opinion: talking tough to these people is like going down to the local bus station and telling all the crazy people there that if they don't stop being crazy and take a shower you're going to kick them all in the junk. Some of them are going to laugh at you, some of them are going to ignore you, and some of them might try to stick a knife between your ribs. It doesn't do a bit of good. These are not state-actors, they're individuals. All you can do is hunt them down, freeze their assets, and either kill them or put them in prison.
@meh3884: So you advocate calling them "naughty" for invading our embassy and murdering our citizens? Wow - you sure know how to deal with evil.
@psuclaus1: Don't start making this personal, please. That way leads to dark places and deleted posts/threads.
Yes thread, that was your general warning to stay cool.
@figgers3036: I take issue with your lack of knowledge about Sen. McCain's position re: Libyan rebels. Do you think that these people are all Qaddafi supporters and are just mad that he got kicked out of power? You do know that the rebels were rife with fundamentalists right? So, six months ago these people were our buddies and now they hate us because we're still America. Seems like we've played this game and lost before, kind of reminiscent of Afghanistan.
@inkycatz: I'm just going to go ahead and delete my response.
@psuclaus1 I'll leave it at - Sorry, I'm here to advocate my opinion on real world solutions. Not down-home, no consequence, forget political, economical, and security ramifications, go kill 'em solutions. Because they're not real, they don't work, and they ignore - that's right - the real world. Since I don't live in a pretend bubble where everyone quivers at the thought of American might.
Let's cut through the diplomatic blather and the Obama State Department's charade. This isn't about ordinary Egyptian Muslims being offended by defiling the Koran, some outcry for religious tolerance, or anger over Mohammed's portrayal in a film. It's about Egyptian imams and the Muslim Brotherhood concocting any excuse for a violent anti-Western conflagration and the killing of innocent people. Dragging the dead body of the U.S. Ambassador through the streets is just the beginning.
And, the all-day tweeted apologies from the U.S. embassy in Cairo are sickening.
Here's one: We condemn the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims—
US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) September 11, 2012
@misterron: I'm certainly not saying that there is not a serious problem with the ideologies being bred in that region. It's disgusting and it is a sham. What I'm saying is that America and its allies are not in a position right now to support the absolute hell that would be taking further military action in one of these countries. Another enemy whose ties are to this that and the other group with loyalties to several different countries, governments, and organizations that lives among innocent citizens, hiding in plain view - it's been a disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan and we all know it.
I'm not sure the "diplomatic charade" you are mentioning. Of course this is clouded in politics, and it would - and will continue to be - regardless of what administration is running any involved country. The fact of the matter is, these situations, these attacks, these potential wars are political in nature. We can't get around that nor can we ignore the political consequences.
@meh3884: Well ok...but in the real world we've been attacked, killed and then apologized for it. I'm not too pleased with our response to say the least.
"Tolerance it a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness." --James Goldsmith
@meh3884: I never said we need to take military action. The Marines are going to Libya only to protect innocent people and our property. If this happened here in the U.S. to the Libyan consulate, think of the repercussions. We cannot back down or cower in a corner. Let's hope the true diplomats can quell the situation, since the Libyan leaders seem to be apologizing for the actions of the mob. Too bad Egypt hasn't apologized . . . at least I haven't hear of one as of yet.
I did a lot of work in the Cairo area in the '90s, and it wasn't quite as bad then, but it was dangerous enough for us that we had armed guards with us any time we were in the cities.
And, we should never, ever allow our flag to be torn down, burned, and replaced with another. That's our property, and we need to defend it. End.
@figgers3036: OK, now that I re-read my crack about McCain's heroes I can clearly see that what I was thinking is not what went out on the keyboard. I wasn't saying that these people were his heroes because of what they did yesterday, but rather that they were his heroes when they were fighting Qaddafi and it was an allusion to what I thought was a completely ridiculous statement that he made at the time. The enemy of my enemy should not be your hero unless they're actually your friend. Which these people clearly are not and never were. That'd be like saying the guy that killed Jeffrey Dahmer is your hero just because you didn't like Dahmer and forget about the part where the guy is also a convicted murderer that killed someone for $15.
So, my apologies for being unclear and also for being a prat.
@zuiquan: I'm sorry too, I completely missed that meaning and misinterpreted that statement. Let the silliness die with us!
Unless it's cat pictures. I like cat pictures.
@gerthdynn: Because that worked so well for Iraq and Afghanistan am I right?! Punish the mass for the actions of a few.
@zapp brannigan: "Punish the mass for the actions of a few."
That's just what the Muslims do, and I don't agree with that.
@figgers3036: I hope things cool down too... the idea of changing free speech to not include Islam worries me a little too...
I did some research on what our country's early leaders thought about free speech concerning Islam.
John Quincy Adams:
"He [Mohamed] poisoned the sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of the female sex, and the allowance of polygamy; and he declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind. The essence of his doctrine was violence and lust: To exalt the brutal over the spiritual part of human nature."
Thomas Jefferson:
"They are mere usurpers of the Christian name, teaching a counter-religion made up of the deliria of crazy imaginations, as foreign from Christianity as is that of Mahomet."
Our founding fathers' beliefs are their own, just like we have our own. What I find though, is they had no problem with free speech, and most likely necessary action, against it.
One of the embassy personnel killed by the attack was also active on the EVE mmorpg, and has children:
A fundraiser for his children is currently being organized here if you're so inclined, on the something awful forums:
It's disappointing to see this being used as a way to politick. I mean, let's condemn the people committing violence, terror, and war -- not each other for "allowing this to happen" or whatever other reason is dreamt up to profit by this. =\
Here's a good article about the guy that was lost: http://themittani.com/news/rip-vile-rat
He was an avid gamer and part of the SomethingAwful GoonFleet. It's good to know that he will always be remembered by the folks there.
@gatzby: I think it's a little tough because politics are so entangled into these kind of situations :/
I'm worried about those of us who are abroad, especially countries who aren't so fond of US citizens, and what can be done/changed to help us out a little more.
On your other topic, I have always looked at online communites positively, because of this reason. It's really nice to feel understood by people of similar interests, and having the ability to do it from the other side of the world! It allows really great people who may have never been remembered, merely because of their possible, physical disconnection with their home, get recognition and good thoughts after they pass
@thebopster: So us as a first world country with high morals should stoop down to their level?
@dmaz: That may be true, but that's the politics of nations, not individuals, really. It's like blaming the president for a law: most of the time, it's gone through the house, the senate... which are supposed to be representative of the nation... you know, the government by the people thing. It is, of course, different in dictatorships, monarchies, etc. Ultimately, it comes down to a group of individuals being dicks, regardless of politics. Murder is murder, you know? The reason doesn't particularly matter.
@dmaz: The government can't help you when you're overseas. You have to watch your own butt and surround yourself with people you can count on. I personally am extremely on-guard when out in public and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't carrying anything besides my fists and my feet. People are always going to hate Americans no matter what.
It's like all the anti-terror training classes: blend in with your surroundings, don't stick out, don't make yourself a target by declaring out loud where you come from, change your travel habits regularly, and keep your eyes open. The SEALs are not coming to bail you out so take care of yourself.
@gatzby: Yes, I agree. It's definitely my spasticness that just wants to see something done after a tragedy. I'm blessed to be marrying someone who is a stroke more rational than I am sometimes.
@zuiquan: Good points...I, for one, need to practice these a little better :/
Ask your selves how do these rebels afford rocket launchers&weapons and live like peasants? Some organization out there is supporting them to pull a Coup De Tat. No one asks where they are getting these weapons! especially rocket launchers and surface to air missiles.
Let's find the individuals that did this and have the Marines give them a religious experience.
@cms1776: RPG's are dirt cheap in 3rd world countrys.SAMs are a bit more but I haven't heard of too many rebels using SAMs
@zapp brannigan: "RPG's are dirt cheap in 3rd world countrys"
I have to butt in here to point out two mistakes in this statement.
1. ^countries
2. I don't know where you get your numbers, but in 3rd world countries, especially those under, or teetering near, political instability (Libya, Egypt, Syria, etc) RPGs are not cheap. Try $2,000 per, plus another $500 for each grenade.
@zapp brannigan: I never said or implied that! I said I don't agree with punishing the masses for the actions of the few.
I knew that box of used pinball machine parts was going to haunt us.
(Just trying to extinguish the hate with a little levity)
With the perspective of a few hours, we hear a bit more about the timeline of events. Instant responses should be tempered with consideration for the consequences. Attacking and bombing either Egypt or Libya for the actions of of a mob just escalates the violence, polarizes the sides and has an irretrievable impact.
Our embassies are protected by Marines and designed to be hard to breech. The embassy can also call on the local police and military to help support the internal forces. It is pretty clear that this was a huge flash mob, something that required some coordination and planning. The planning had to include equipment designed to defeat the built in protections.
The fact that it occurred on or around Sept. 11 is an interesting coincidence. I think the more reasoned response would be targeting the planners and instigators. The people in the street, were for the most part, dupes. No need for bombs. But a few well placed 50 cal head shots might send a stronger message.
@tpscan: I agree completely.
Just an addition to my comment above.
The embassy staff in Benghazi, felt pretty comfortable with their neighborhood and the city. It was a quiet neighborhood. It was an older embassy, without the best security features, but deemed adequate. The staff felt comfortable with just local police protection. They dispensed with the normal marine detachment, deemed more disruptive than helpful.
Everyone involved felt security was sufficient for any foreseeable threat. Someone else took advantage of that complacency.
Over a few days, news outlets aired the offensive film clip along with inflammatory commentary. Tens of thousands saw or heard about the film. Rumors started. But some guiding force rallied several thousand Libyans to show up at the embassy, at the same time, blocking streets, immobilizing the police. That took planning and coordination. Someone had RPGs!
This was not the typical Libyan, this was a terrorist attack, disguised as a mob.
It should be dealt with that way.
Look at these beautiful people.
It has been shown that increased violence in the Middle East goes back much further than any current conflict. It predates Christianity by thousands of years: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342366/title/Mideast_violence_goes_way_back
Something about the place clearly makes people violent.
So yeah: Turn it to glass. And I'm no hawk. I hate violence and I hate war. But that part of the world has never had peace and never will. You want world peace? You're gonna have to start by excising the part of the world that cannot experience it. Melt 'em.
@zapp brannigan: "Because that worked so well for Iraq and Afghanistan am I right?! Punish the mass for the actions of a few."
That might be the problem. We haven't. We have tried our best to avoid civilian targets and limit damage. 90 years ago war was dirty and messy and people were scared of it. It was so horrific that people went out of their way to bend backwards to a man who was elected as the head of his government when he decided to pursue an agenda. It took a lot to get rid of that man, but it was obvious we had done the right thing after the true horror of that man's agenda came out. We relearned the horror of war.
Later in southeast asia, due to fear of a power seemingly bent on something worse than imperialism, we fought again. In those places, some of our men ended up doing things no one would be proud of be it by orders or choice. Every few years people seem to need to be reminded that war is hell. But now it is a video game, so expect no punishment for the masses.


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The Rutgers School of Law–Newark Alumni Association will present 2013 Distinguished Service Awards to Emeritus Professor Alfred W. Blumrosen and Associate Dean Karen Fromkes at a reception on Thursday, April 25, 2013. The event will take place from 6 – 8 pm at Kilkenny Alehouse, 27 Central Avenue, Newark.
All alumni, faculty, staff, and graduating students are invited. Pre-registration is required.
A complimentary drink ticket will be provided. The reception will also feature speed networking (not mandatory) during which participants will have a chance to network with four people in 20 minutes.
Professor Blumrosen taught at Rutgers Law School from 1955 to 2002, specializing in labor and employment law. Besides being a loved and respected professor, Professor Blumrosen was a consultant to the New Jersey Civil Rights Commission; assisted in organizing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; was counsel to the NAACP in landmark cases; and wrote the books Modern Law: The Law Transmission System and Equal Employment Opportunity and Black Employment and the Law, as well as numerous law review articles, some of which have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since his retirement, he has continued to be a presence at the law school, publishing an article, titled "Restoring the Congressional Duty to Declare War," with his son Steven in Rutgers Law Review, Vol. 63.
Karen Fromkes, Associate Dean of Operations and Technology, played a vital role in keeping the law school running in the face of superstorm Sandy. Despite electricity shortages and transportation shutdowns, she made it possible for faculty, staff and students to stay connected to the school, continue classes, and complete exams. Her work is infinitely vital to the life of the law school.| Read Story

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6 Counterintuitive Tricks to Beating Popular Game Shows
#3. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?: Don't Talk Out the Question
The key element of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is the constant drama provided by the lack of a game clock. This element allows contestants to mull over their eventual choice before diving all-in with their "final answer." During this period, the contestant talks out his thought process with the host and attempts to reason his way to the right answer. Even if that means spending more time trapped with Regis.
In reality, every word you say in this section of the game makes you more and more likely to do something extremely stupid.
"And thus, my final answer is MUST STAB FACE!"
How Does That Work?
While you're sitting and thinking about a question you're frankly clueless about, you become subject to what's known as "escalating commitment" -- you start talking yourself into an answer. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the correct answer, just that, for one reason or another, you have a vague preference toward it. Maybe just because you like the shape of the word, or the option is "bacon" and you really like bacon.
Of course, you're not going to actually admit that you're choosing an answer because it has that correct shape to it. So instead, your brain will start coming up with rational-sounding reasons why it might be true. In the end, you can make yourself almost sure of an answer you realized you didn't know only five minutes ago.
"I'm not current on molecular biologists, but I'm pretty sure 'The Situation' is one ..."
And then there's what all your "thinking out loud" does if you ultimately decide to use the audience lifeline.
In a study into how good crowds are at coming up with the right answer, James Surowiecki observed that over an extended stretch, the "Ask the Audience" lifeline produced the correct result 91 percent of the time, as opposed to 65 percent for "Phone a Friend." This is counterintuitive, since the audience is just a big group of dumbasses they pulled off the street. But when you think about it, the dumbasses who don't know the answer will just spread out randomly so that no wrong answer can dominate, while those who do all choose the right answer will bump that one to the top.
Seventeen percent. Remember that, because this is the world.
That's an amazing weapon to have at your disposal, and the only way to ruin it is by thinking out loud. If you say, "Well, I know it's not 'D,' because 'D' is a stupid letter," you've totally tainted the audience's magical truth-divining properties, even if "D" is the correct answer. If you poll the audience after a lengthy brainstorm session with Regis, the audience members who don't actually know the answer are going to agree with whatever the answer you clearly want to choose is because, hey, you're the smart guy talking to Regis. Basically by announcing any answer, even if it's wrong, a contestant herds the audience toward his "safe" option, completely destroying the power of the group.
The lesson is that a group as a whole tends to be smarter than the smartest person in that group until one jackass convinces everyone otherwise.
Translation: Fifty-six percent of the audience believes the sun orbits the Earth.
#2. The Weakest Link: All or Nothing
In The Weakest Link, contestants are faced with a risk-reward system along with their trivia. For each question a player answers correctly, the reward for the next question is for even more money. This money is only safe, however, once it has been "banked" by a contestant who fears the show might actually be getting interesting.
In this case, that's relative.
The cash reward rises exponentially for every successive right answer -- $1,000 for the first, $2,500 for the second and $5,000 for the third, right up to $125,000 if you get eight in a row right. Of course, the second you get one wrong, you lose all the money that you'd built up with the previous five questions.
People who play the game often bank the money after three or four questions to be safe. That big dollar figure is just there to trick you. Right?
Actually, hard math says the "Now sounds about right" banking strategy is about the stupidest thing you could do. Due to the lopsided pay scale in which the game operates, it is actually most advantageous for teams to never bank, instead opting to attempt a full eight-combo chain each round, earning themselves $125,000 every time they make it.
On the other hand, if teams simply can't agree to collectively grow a pair, the second best option involves banking after every question, thus effectively providing the best ever example of go big or don't go at all.
Of course, sometimes the best strategy is to just not play.
How Does That Work?
It's all about maximizing your potential earnings, and no other possibility in the game can compete with the potential for winning $125,000. The only thing that's close is if you bank after every question, because every right answer earns you money. If you don't, you risk wasting whole strings of right answers on your group's one dipshit. On the other hand, if you don't bank at all, the chance of six right answers in a row can earn you more than you might otherwise have over the entire game. Either strategy will earn you more money than banking every three or four answers, which is what everyone does.
Usually it's the person who is promptly voted out for being unforgivably stupid.
The reluctance for players to go all-or-nothing despite mathematical assurance is an example of loss aversion on a massive scale. The prospect of potentially leaving with no prize money terrifies contestants into accepting smaller, less fulfilling bank amounts that guarantee at least some reward. Basically, contestants are being offered an 80 percent chance of big money or a 100 percent chance of medium money, and even though cold math says to go big, fear overtakes logic within the mind and they wind up with just enough for the bus fare home.
#1. Wipeout: Fail Immediately
Wipeout is the Funniest Home Videos version of the game show, in which contestants padded up like football players race each other across an obstacle course made of slippery cushions, bouncy things and giant mechanical swinging shit that breaks every health and safety law it's possible to violate. If they fall off at any point, they are humiliatingly dunked into the water below and made to swim to the next portion of the course, but not before 16 or 17 multiple-angle replays of the exact moment of their crushing failure.
Short of months of intensive training flailing like an idiot in a makeshift version of the game made of lawn furniture and a garden hose, what can you do to get the upper hand at Wipeout? The answer is simply fall down as quickly and as often as possible.
Just do it in a way that allows them to add in the "boing" sound effect. They love that.
How Does That Work?
If the courses on Wipeout look practically impossible by the outer limits of human ability, then you're absolutely correct. They're designed that way. Unlike most game shows, in which the thrill comes from watching a contestant win, people watch Wipeout purely to see people's flailing rag doll bodies fall on their faces. By the creator's own admission, only 10 percent of Wipeout contestants succeed in each challenge, and that's just the way they want it.
So in the first round of the show, contestants are faced with an obstacle course which, again, is designed for failure. When a contestant does fail, he must instead swim alongside the course to the finish line. But most of the slowest contestants are those who spend too much time attempting to navigate difficult portions of the course before inevitably falling into the water anyway. In lieu of all that, it's a much smarter option for a player to just jump right into the water immediately and swim for his life.
In business literature, this is known as "failing efficiently," which means that if failure is already presumed, then the most logical use of resources is in failing the best way possible. In the case of Wipeout, you give yourself a 100 percent chance of getting past the first round if you just accept the fact that you're going to fail. Don't worry if this makes you feel like a quitter. There will be plenty of opportunities to make a hilarious spectacle of your spinal column in the later rounds.
If your head doesn't touch your tailbone, you're not doing it right.
Michael Voll is an independent writer living in Maryland. Contact him about pretty much anything at email@example.com. Matthew Culkin is a junior English major at Tulane University. He wants anyone offering a summer internship in the Bay Area to let him know. Reach him for comment at email@example.com, or follow him on Twitter.
For more ways to beat the system, check out 5 Ways To Hack Your Brain Into Awesomeness and 5 Bizarre Brain Hacks That Make You Better at Sports.
And stop by LinkSTORM to read our Pat Sajak/Alex Trebek fanfic.
And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed.
Do you have an idea in mind that would make a great article? Then sign up for our writers workshop! Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? Mediocre? Even rudimentary? Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow!


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21 Apr 2008 1:20 AM #1
Ext GWT vs Gwt-Ext
Hi all,
I'm using ExtJS since the beginning and today I found some (nice) surprises: the new web site, new examples, etc. that, as usual, looks great.
Then I found also a new product: Ext GWT, that is a GWT Java wrapper that use ExtJS
to create the UI.
I have one big question: why you selected this product (Ext GWT) instead of GWT-Ext (http://gwt-ext.com/) ???
I have nothing, personally, against Ext GWT but just looking at the examples (http://www.gwt-ext.com/demo/) you will IMMEDIATELY see the difference: Gwt-Ext is much more complete than Ext GWT.
Furthermore using Gwt-Ext you will get:
- GWT wrapper for ExtJS user extenions (http://gwt-ext.com/demo-ux/)
- Supports for charts (using Yahoo Chart API, http://gwt-ext.com/demo-charts/)
- Supports for muktiple maps API (Google Map, Yahoo Map, etc. - http://www.gwt-ext.com/demo-maps/)
I would like to know if there is a special reason (or constraint) that let you decide to go for ExtGWT vs Gwt-Ext.
21 Apr 2008 5:11 AM #2
Ext GWT is not a wrapper over Ext JS. Ext GWT is a Java implementation that does not use any external javascript and fully leverages the GWT API. Ext GWT does share the same look and styles as Ext JS and the API is similar in many places. In GWT-EXT, the components make calls to the underlying Ext JS code which is executing just like any other Ext JS application, where in Ext GWT, the components are written in Java. Consider events, with GWT-EXT, the events are fired and managed by the Ext javascript code, while Ext GWT uses the GWT event model. Also, consider debugging, with GWT-EXT you cannot step through all the code as it runs "under the covers" in javascript. As soon as the Java code calls javascript you lose the ability to control and trace execution. With Ext GWT, the code is in Java, so you can debug your application just like any other Java application.
There is a difference between the number of widgets int Ext GWT and GWT-EXT. This gap is decreasing as many more widgets are on the way. Also, keep in mind there are many Ext GWT features that are not in Ext JS or GWT-EXT, such as its viewer and mvc code. Ext GWT uses GWT 1.5 and takes advantage of Java 1.5 using generics, enumerations, varargs, etc.
21 Apr 2008 9:23 AM #3
ExtGWT consistency ws ExtJS
Ok get your point.
How we can ensure that the behavior of 'similar' widgets is consistent in the 2 systems?
Example: Window created using ExtJS code and ExtGWT code?
To me the fact that Gwt-Ext is using ExtJS are real implementation is not a major issue:
- I cannot debug JS code: of course. The same if I buy a commercial Java library without
the source code...
- If ExtJS team product a new release I can benefit automatically of bug fixing, performance
improvements and new features
- I can benefit of the great documentation of ExtJS (that to me is better than the 'simple'
JavaDoc documentation.
Of course this is just my point of view.
21 Apr 2008 10:08 AM #4
I think to me, as a simple user of mygwt/gxt and gwt-ext, an important factor comes down to the ability to easily extend the gxt widgets in the gwt environments without resorting to javascript and ugliness of JSNI (sorry, I know a lot of people like JSNI - but I just find the learning curve a bit too steep and unproductive considering the mix of javascript and GWT specific notations for the integration of the two).
I also find that the size of the compiled javascript code under pure GWT using native java code be an important factor.
the debugging feature is actually also important - however I would like to treat all these libraries as bugless, full featured, and reading my programming mind things ( :-) ) I find that more often than not I need to peak here and there under the covers to understand what is going wrong with my stuff.
bottom line, I think both libraries gxt and gwt-ext are great and at this stage of RIA technology development should be considered without regard to what is duplicated where and how one widget/API is different or similar than the other. As a consumer of these technologies, the more of the alternatives the happier I will be.


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San Juan Range > Wood Mountain > Climber's Log
Wood Mountain Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Cinnamon Pass Tour
Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2015
|Climbed Wood along with "Animas Forks", PT 13708, PT 13688, Gravel and PT 13427. Hiked up the road from near the base of Cleveland Gulch, which would be my eventual descent after PT 13427.
Route note: to combine PT 13688 descend all the way to the PT 13427-Wood saddle. A short talus gully (with goat paths!) takes you into Horseshoe Basin where you can traverse across the basin and ascend via Gravel and avoid all the chossy nonsense closer to Wood.
|Posted Jul 27, 2015 10:47 am
|From Cinnamon Pass
Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2014
|Nice mountain, odd name.
Hiked along with Cinnamon Mountain, Point 13,535, Gravel Mountain, Point 13,688, Point 13,708 and Animas Forks Mountain.
Got COMPLETELY lucky with the weather. Clouds and drizzle forced a hasty retreat down. Ended up doing a mile walk on the road back to the pass. A very long but satisfying morning.
|Posted Jul 29, 2014 10:20 am
|Liba Kopeckova
|nice hike
Date Climbed: Aug 3, 2013
|nice hike on a rainy and foggy day with Duchess, en route to other 13ers, just a short run up before my son woke up in the car. We slept below Cinammon Pass.
Up east slopes, down west slopes.
|Posted Aug 4, 2013 8:43 pm
|Brian Kalet
|From Cinnamon Pass
Date Climbed: Jun 26, 2011
|Posted Jun 30, 2011 6:09 pm
|Cinnamon Pass 13ers
Date Climbed: Jun 21, 2010
|Over Wood and 13688 to Animas Fork. Also Cinnamon Mountain and and 13535 across the way. Part of a 4 day 17 peak outing.
|Posted Jun 23, 2010 12:51 pm
|Cinnamon Pass 13er loop
Date Climbed: Sep 30, 2006
|From Cinnamon Pass, made nice loop over Wood Mountain, UN 13688, "Animas Forks Mountain", Cinnamon Mountain and UN 13535. A nice fall day with some snow to negotiate.
|Posted Mar 3, 2008 12:58 pm
|Southeast Ridge
Date Climbed: Sep 18, 2006
|Another consolation peak as we had to change our plans due to bad weather in the area. Nice and short hike from the pass.
|Posted Jul 27, 2007 8:21 pm
|Climbed from Cinammon for m Bachelor Party
Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2005
|Climbed from the pass and the two other high 13er points to the West or left looking up from Cinnammon Pass. The next one over had a "metal pole so I called it "Mount Metal" (rock on.) The next one over had a nice narrow section like the Sawtooth Ridge of Beirschtadt. I called this last summit in the group Fauna Peak to complete the "Twenty Question's Trio."
|Posted Aug 1, 2006 12:46 am
|Route Climbed: From Cinnamon Pass Date Climbed: July 4, 2003
|A pleasant hike leading to great views.
|Posted Jul 27, 2003 5:54 pm


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In the April issue of Aware Magazine we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE). CBE's past is a rich one—embodied by students, staff members, and faculty of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, by pastors, parishioners, and community leaders in Evanston, metropolitan Chicago, and beyond, and by supporters and partners from many places. Each of these persons contributed to a history filled with teaching and learning, activism and service, research and publishing all centered on transforming and being transformed. Garrett-Evangelical became a different place because of CBE and many students, staff, and faculty have come to Garrett-Evangelical because of CBE.
Inside this special issue you'll hear from President Lallene J. Rector, CBE's director, Dr. Angela Cowser, Black faculty members, and more. The work of CBE has transformed Garrett-Evangelical and together, with other like-minded and like-spirited people, within and beyond the church, CBE is on the forefront of creating a world in which all human beings live in dignity.


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Fathers, you understand that your little girl is growing up. But, taking action against these issues could help lessen the chance of her engaging in sexual activity in her teen years. read more
Page 48 of 122
What Do Men Seek From Church?
Men want more than programs or to attend events at their local church. Here are some important things they look for. read more
7 of the Best Gifts a Dad Can Give His Child
Instead of giving them a material object, here are some important character traits you can pass down to your child. read more
When the Unexpected Strikes, Go for Plan 'G'
If you're suddenly hit with tragedy, it's good to know that there is an alternative to trying to fix things our own way. read more
How to Change the Life of a Fatherless Boy
Do you know of any young men with an absent or neglectful father? Have you tried to make a difference in their life? read more
Teen: 'Parents, We Follow Your Lead'
Middle-school Christian blogger Tiffany Sullivan has a few words of wisdom for parents that could make a huge impact on their home lives. read more
You Might Be a Porcupine if …
Everyone, it seems, has their prickly moments. But how many of these characteristics do you possess? read more
Will You Just Lighten Up?
You just got saved, so now what? Here's the mission God has for you going forward. read more
Study Encourages Churches to Openly Discuss Marital Sex
Here's what a study at the University of Washington revealed about some Christian men who pledged sexual purity before marriage, and how they handled it after the wedding. read more
3 Passive Actions That Are Killing Marriages
Are you caught in a vicious cycle of miscommunication with your spouse? These obstacles might be why your marriage is in trouble. read more


text:
About Us
Top Players
Buy Photos
NVL Quarterfinal Action
Search Photos
All Albums
A night of records at Crosby vs. Manchester
Amistad Academy defeats Wamogo, 58-46
Berkshire League Semi-Finals
Berkshire League semi-finals
Boys and Girls City All-Star game
Boys basketball Waterbury City Jamboree
Boys Basketball: Kennedy at Wolcott
Boys Basketball: Nonnewaug over Litchfield, 50-39
Boys preview: Top returning players
Bulldogs tame Crusaders, win 80-72
Candy Cane Classic, Woodland v. Ansonia
Career Magnet defeats Cheshire
Chase Collegiate defeats Kents Hill 59-44
Chase Collegiate falls to McDuffie 60-51
Chase Collegiate wins 73-60 against Watkinson
Chase defeats South Kent 58-53 for championship
Chase lose opener, 70-56 to Christian Heritage
Cheshire hosts Amity in SCC basketball action
Cheshire loses to Branford, 54-46
Cowboys wrangle Spartans, get first win of season
Crosby and Wilby to square off in NVL Finals
Crosby beats Ridgefield, 59-37
Crosby defeats Kennedy, 82-43
Crosby defeats Sacred Heart, 73-64
Crosby defeats Sacred Heart, 79-76
Crosby defeats Torringtonn 53-49
Crosby defeats Wilby 58-56; capture the NVL title
Crosby drops Holy Cross 83-66
Crosby drops Sacred Heart 83-58 in season opener
Crosby drops Woodland 72-58 in their season opener
Crosby falls to Fairfield Prep
Crosby falls to Ledyard 62-70 in LL Tournament
Crosby falls to Trumbull, 58-52
Crosby gets by Cross, 73-69
Crosby hold off Norwalk 78-73 to advance in LL
Crosby romps Wilby, 76-56
Crosby topples Kennedy 74-66
Crosby tops Wilby 87-58
Crosby tops Wilby 88-87 in overtime
Crosby tops Wilby, 99-69
Crosby wins 2011 NVL Championship
Crosby wins close game against Wilby
Flashback: Watertown ran to 2012 state final
Forman tops Chase Collegiate 72-53
Gilbert buzzes by Thomaston, 51-47
Gilbert defeats Housatonic 55 ~ 38
Gilbert defeats Lewis Mills
Gilbert defeats NW in OT, captures tourney title
Gilbert downs Terryville, 52-39
Gilbert handles Northwestern 80-67
Gilbert hosts Mills
Gilbert Jackets Sting Litchfield Cowboys, 47-44
Gilbert moves on over Old Saybrook 84-68
Gilbert over Northwestern, 74-67
Gilbert rallies to defeat Northwestern 78-77
Gilbert tops Terryville 71-62
Gilberts comes back to defeat Terryville 76-70
Goodwin Tech routes Wolcott Tech, 58-27
Hearts capture second straight Class S state title
Hearts defeat Bloomfield, move onto S Finals
Hearts defeat Bulldogs at the Palace
Hearts Dominate Crosby, 91-60
Hearts edge out Greyhounds, 47-44
Hearts rout Seymour, 86-53
Hearts/Bulldogs advance to NVL Finals
Holy Cross defeats Sacred Heart, 54-43
Holy Cross defeats Southington 72-68
Holy Cross defeats St. Paul 82-56
Holy Cross defeats Torrington 91-57
Holy Cross defeats Watertown Indians, 61-48
Holy Cross downs Crosby, 73-64
Holy Cross downs Wilby, 61-55
Holy Cross falls to Ridgefield 52-61 in Class LL
Holy Cross holds off Crosby 67-65
Holy Cross hosts Wolcott
Holy Cross routs Somers, 82-64
Holy Cross win over H-K, 78-67
Kaynor crushes Goodwin 61-37
Kaynor crushes Goodwin, 79-33
Kaynor crushes Putnam 90-47
Kaynor hosts Platt Tech
Kaynor Tech defeats Wolcott
Kaynor Tech defeats Wolcott 61-42
Kaynor Tech downs Abbott Tech 91-65
Kaynor Tech downs Whitney Tech, 72-33
Kaynor Tech falls to Notre Dame-Fairfield 57-53
Kaynor Tech falls to Notre Dame-Fairfield 63-61
Kaynor Tech tops Rocky Hill, 69-62
Kaynor Tech v. Bunnell
Kennedy beats Pomperaug 56-53
Kennedy beats Torrington in OT, 58-57
Kennedy defeats Crosby 67-54
Kennedy defeats Holy Cross 49-33
Kennedy defeats Stamford Academy
Kennedy defeats Torrington 75-62
Kennedy defeats Torrington 86-82 in OT
Kennedy downs Oxford
Kennedy falls to Maloney, 47-45
Kennedy Holds Off Wolcott 74-70
Kennedy over Watertown 60-48; Taglia honored
Kennedy rolls past Naugy, 65-47
Kennedy top Wilby, 79-68
Kennedy tops Watertown 60-44
Lewis Mills defeat Housatonic
Lewis Mills falls to Terryville, 41-33
Lewis Mills falls to Weaver 89-33 Class M
Litchfield defeats Saint Bernard, 53-49
Litchfield defeats Wamogo 63 - 36
Litchfield holds off Northwestern 53-41
Litchfield holds off Wamogo 55-47 in OT
Litchfield hosts Northwestern
Litchfield takes home win against Thomaston
Litchfield's commanding lead falls to Nonnewaug
Mallory (30 pts) leads Cross over Wilby, 71-68.
Masuk falls to undefeated Pomperaug
Mills captures Berkshire League tourney title
Mills defeats Housy 55 - 26
Mills defeats Terryville 59-45
N'Western wins BL title w/54-35 win over T'ville
Naugatuck at Holy Cross
Naugatuck beats Career, next stop Mohegan Sun
Naugatuck defeats Middletown 96-83
Naugatuck holds off Holy Cross 83-76
Naugy defeats Torrington, 68-56
Naugy defeats Woodland, 66-57
Naugy edges out Harding in Class L 1st round 60-59
Naugy falls to Bunnell in Class L Finals, 72-61
Naugy hosts Watertown
Naugy routs Wolcott, 63-38
Naugy tops Wilby in OT
Nemergut nets 20, leads Wamogo over Tech 68-36
Nonnewaug defeats Gilbert 58-49
Nonnewaug defeats Gilbert, 49-41
Nonnewaug defeats Thomaston
Nonnewaug defeats Watertown in nail biter
Nonnewaug falls to Trinity Catholic, 64-36
Nonnewaug hosts Northwestern
Nonnewaug routs Shepaug, 70-41
Nonnewaug undefeated with 73-69 over Housatonic
Nonnewaug wins big over Gilbert, 86-55
Northwestern advances w/ 71-57 win over Ellington
Northwestern alive for BL title over Nonnewaug
Northwestern and Terryville advance to BL finals
Northwestern beats Nonnewaug, 46-26
Northwestern defeats Bullard-Havens, 88-34
Northwestern defeats Gilbert
Northwestern defeats Lewis Mills 56-51
Northwestern defeats Litchfield 71-56 to take BL
Northwestern defeats Nonnewaug in OT 61-57
Northwestern defeats Terryville 61-56
Northwestern defeats Terryville 72-62
Northwestern defeats Thomaston 70-54
Northwestern defeats Wolcott Tech 66-48 to advance
Northwestern downs Wamogo 60-48
Northwestern edges out Terryville, 73-70
Northwestern falls to Bacon Academy
Northwestern falls to Immaculate 76-51
Northwestern gets by St. Paul, 68-65
Northwestern Tops Nonnewaug, 55-42
Northwestern tops Pomperaug 80-54
NVL Boys Tournament - Waterbury, CT.
NVL Hoops Tourney, First round
NVL Quarterfinal Action
Opening Round of NVL Tourney
Opening rounds of the NVL Boys Basketball Tourney
Oxford boy's fall to Bunnell 88-50
Oxford defeats Mills, 64-49
Oxford falls to Brookfield 67-59
Oxford hosts Amistad
Pomperaug Crushes New Milford 82-45
Pomperaug defeats Oxford, 74-47
Pomperaug downs Naugatuck, 67-57
Pomperaug falls to Middletown, 71-56
Pomperaug falls to Newtown 62-47
Pomperaug Falls to Notre Dame, SWC Final, 61-52
Pomperaug falls to Stratford, 54-52
Pomperaug hosts Stratford
Pomperaug hosts Weston
Pomperaug wins against Newtown, 56-44
Rountree nets 19, helps Woodland past Naugy 55-53
Sacred Heart beats Crosby, 90-82
Sacred Heart defeats N-D Fairfield 80-56
Sacred Heart defeats St. Bernards, 65-26
Sacred Heart drops Wilby 77-38
Sacred Heart tops Kennedy
Sacred Heart will face Crosby in NVL Final
Sacred Heart wins Class S State Championships
Sacred Heart wins the NVL title 68-66 over Crosby
St. Paul loses in Semi's to Valley, 61-48
St. Paul nips Watertown in double OT 55-50
Taft defeats Kent 47-46
Taft defeats Trinity-Pawling 77-68
Taft falls to Kent, 81-71
Terryille drops Lewis Mills 70-45
Terryvile beats N. Branford in Class S 2nd round
Terryville defats Lewis Mills 66-35
Terryville defeats Nonnewaug 60-40
Terryville downs Litchfield 75-40
Terryville drops Coginchaug 51-41 to advance
Terryville loses to Old Lyme
Thomaston defeats Housatonic Regional
Thomaston falls to St. Paul 59-52
Thomaston gets by Mills 59-52
Torrington downs Seymour 72-54
Torrington hosts St. Paul
Torrington over Gilbert in nail bitter 81-80
Wamogo falls to O'Brien Tech at Litchfield 67-50
Wamogo hangs on to defeat Gilbert 34-33
Wamogo over Litchfield as Nemergut scores 1000th
Wamogo tops Litchfield 46-32
Waterford defeats Watertown 71-57 Class M Final
Watertown & Cross win, will battle for NVL Title
Watertown 56 Nonnewaug 32 CIAC Class M 2nd round
Watertown advances to State Finals
Watertown Captures Brass Division Title
Watertown Charges past Ansonia, 65-50
Watertown defeats Brookfield in double OT, 69-62
Watertown defeats Crosby 81-67
Watertown defeats Oxford 67-55
Watertown downs Torrington, 61-49
Watertown over Immaculate 62-47 (State Tourney)
Watertown takes NVL title with 72-61 win over H.C.
Watertown too tough for Hearts, win 63-40
Watertown wins close game against St. Paul, 54-45
Wilby 65 East Catholic 45 CIAC Class L
Wilby advances to Class L Semi-finals
Wilby crushes Crosby 86-59
Wilby defeats Kennedy 75-51; Wright tops 1000
Wilby downs Nonnewaug 76-48
Wilby falls in Class L Quarterfinals
Wilby gets by Cross, 45-42
Wilby loses to Career Magnet in OT, 64-63
Wilby over Avon, 68-47
Wilby squeaks out win against Crosby
Wilby tops Sacred Heart 60-53
Wolcott defeats St. Paul, 60-48
Wolcott downs Torrington 78-62
Wolcott falls to New Milford, 71-63
Wolcott Tech falls to Cheney Tech
Wolcott Tech takes on Whitney Tech
Woodland defeats Sacred Heart
Woodland hosts Bethel
Woodland over Torrington, 57-48
Woodland wins close game with Watertown, 55-50
Yellow Jackets Sting Bears, 65-38
VIDEO: Tyrn Flowers signs on to play at UMass
Tyrn Flowers signs with UMass
Hoop Zone: Player of the Year ? Mustapha Heron
Hoop Zone: Player of the Year ? RaShana Siders
VIDEO: Generali retires as Holy Cross coach
Coaching legend retires after brilliant career
Generali retires as Holy Cross coach
Athlete of Week: Sacred Heart?s Tyrn Flowers
Athlete of Week: Thomaston?s Gabby Hurlbert
Video: Sacred Heart postgame scene after title No. 3
Photo Galleries
GALLERY: Generali will be missed in city, NVL
Gallery: Hearts complete 3-Peat with state title
Gallery: Hearts reach state semis with easy win
Gallery: Pomperaug boys season ends in Middletown
Gallery: Hearts trample Watertown
Gallery: Crosby romps past Kennedy
Gallery: Holy Cross boys roll into quarterfinals
Gallery: Pomperaug boys reach quarterfinals
Gallery: Watertown topples Lewis Mills
Gallery: Crusaders roll past Wamogo
Gallery: Thomaston?s grand season ends
Gallery: Thomaston girls back in state final
Gallery: Thomaston girls advance to semifinals
Gallery: Holy Cross girls advance to semifinals
Gallery: Thomaston girls roll into quarterfinals
Gallery: St. Paul girls lose in state tourney
Gallery: BL girls title game
Gallery: Watertown girls tops Torrington
Gallery: Seymour girls prevail over Torrington
Gallery: Crosby girls top Kaynor Tech
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The 6 Most Terrifying Public Restrooms in the World
Even though we're living in the 21st century, we still live with the mundane and boring reality of public bathrooms. And though, as we've shown you before, there are some clever bathrooms out there, for the most part we still haven't tapped our creative potential. But there are still a few people out there thinking outside the box. And outside the box is where horror lives.
#6. Simulate the Experience of Taking a Dump on a Busy Street
Who shits with their coat on?
You'd have no problem taking a crap in that bathroom, right? After all, the glass is one-way. Those dozens of tourists aren't staring at you while you're straining on that toilet, they're simply looking at a mirrored box and trying to figure out why it's making fart sounds.
That's a real public bathroom in London. Actually, it started life as an art exhibit called Don't Miss a Sec, making it possibly the only artwork in the world that you're not only allowed to defecate on, but expected to. From the outside, it looks like the bathroom the Predator would use:
"If it poops we can kill it."
The artist, Monica Bonvicini, claims that the idea is that you can answer the call of nature without having to stop looking at things (the bathroom was erected near an art exhibition), but we suspect that what she was really doing was seeing if anyone was trusting enough to take a leak in there without assuming that the walls would turn transparent and a group of Japanese businessmen would crowd around to watch.
And people will be watching. A weird, mirrored space-cube in the middle of the sidewalk is the kind of thing that gets your attention. Just imagine trying to take a dump while a curious child cups his hands over the glass and starts staring directly toward your private areas.
"Oh, don't mind me, I'll just be leaning against the box you're about to poop in."
Or a window cleaner casually takes out a squeegee and starts wiping down the glass, whistling, as you try to squeeze out a deuce.
He used a fire hose full of Lysol to clean the inside.
Really, we're hesitant enough already to use public bathrooms, so we could do without the performance anxiety. Also, you won't be able to use it without wondering if the last person was an exhibitionist who was jerking off the whole time.
Note: We apologize for that "Japanese businessmen" crack earlier, we shouldn't be stereotyping Japan as having some kind of weird toilet fascination. Now on to our next entry ...
#5. The Japanese Video Game Toilet
We'll just say that "Player 2" had better eat a lot of fiber.
Have you ever wondered what happened to Sega after it gave up on the console business? Other than making terrible Sonic games? It turns out they never really went away -- above is their contribution to the current generation of gaming systems. We're not being sarcastic, that's actually it.
The Sega Toylet appears in Tokyo's metro stations, and it comes with sensors in the base of the urinal that can measure your pee stream's force and location of impact. It then uses that information to control one of four games that grade you on your performance, which is pretty much the last thing anyone needs to worry about, given the circumstances.
In one game, for example, your dick is a fire hose that you use to blast graffiti off a wall:
This is it. This is the apex of civilization.
But then there's "Milk from Nose," which will completely ruin your bathroom experience if you get the slightest bit of stage fright. Essentially, it pits you against the last person to use the urinal to see whose stream is the strongest, so the whole time, the toilet is screaming at you to pee harder while this bullshit is on the screen in front of you:
We're just glad they went with "Milk from Nose."
Yep, that's pretty Japanese. But then there's "The North Wind and Her," in which your pee power controls the wind that you're using to blow up the skirt of an anime girl.
Considering that pee is involved, we're kind of shocked at Japan's restraint on this one.
And here's the kicker: You can download your high scores to your flash drive. Just wait until your friends see that you pissed 347 milliliters! That'll show 'em! We guess!
#4. The Bathroom Made of Giant Eggs
Make Taste Not Waste
"Run away! It's hatching!"
Those huge alien toilet eggs are at an award-winning restaurant and bar in London called sketch. And by virtue of the fact that they insist upon spelling "sketch" with a lowercase "s," you can already bet that it's not going to look like any ordinary restaurant. True to form, it looks more like some kind of space station, or at least what they thought space stations were going to look like in the '60s.
This must be where the Enterprise crew held their key parties.
So it's not surprising that they didn't just stick a bunch of ordinary toilets in the back as an afterthought. After you've swilled enough champagne out of a shoe (or whatever you'd order at a place like this) and you need to tinkle, you travel up a winding white staircase ...
"Is the vaginal theme clear enough in this room? We want to make sure no one misses it."
... until you end up here:
It's like Alien meets IKEA.
Just in case you're worried that you've stumbled into the aliens' breeding chamber and they are about to loose their unholy spawn upon you, there is always an attendant on duty to explain that, yes, these free-standing egg-shaped pods are what you pee into. Apparently, each pod plays eerie music and sounds when you're inside, which we guess is supposed to put you at ease. Or, alternatively, scare you more so that you do what you came to do much faster.


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Kokta's free throws lift Oak Creek girls to upset of top-ranked De Pere
"Hey, tell Dan I told him thanks!" laughed Oak Creek girls basketball coach Steve Hluchnik as he prepared to join his team for the ride home from Brookfield Central Friday night.
Hluchnik was laughing loudly at that moment, because his rebuilding Knights had just pulled off a major upset in Central's 23-team Thanksgiving Shootout as guard Morgan Kokta hit two free throws with just .9 of a second remaining to lift Oak Creek to a 37-35 victory over De Pere, which had been ranked number one in state division I pre-season polls.
Hluchnik's opening rejoinder was in sharp contrast a few weeks earlier, when he learned that his old pal Lancer coach Dan Wandrey had paired his thinner than usual team against the powerful Redbirds in this season-opening tournament.
"I think I said 'Thanks for nothing,' at the time," said Hluchnik with a big grin.
But despite being without graduated all-state center and UW-Green Bay recruit Ashley Luke and veteran point guard Cydney Weisflog, the Knights showed little sign of nerve as they gained some powerful momentum entering the 2011-12 camapign.» Read Full Article
Late rally lifts Brookfield East past Franklin boys, 64-61, in season opener
Green as grass and with bales of turnovers and missed free throws to its credit, the Brookfield East boys basketball team turned to the two experienced hands it could trust Wednesday night in its season opener at Franklin.
And when junior guards Brian Smith and Ryan McBride scored back-to-back hoops in a matter of seven seconds very late in the fourth quarter, the Spartans had turned a 61-60 deficit into a 64-61 victory.
"They're the only two guys we have back with any varsity experience," said East coach Andy Farley. "Ryan had been in foul trouble most of the game (only 11 minutes played all told) so we ran that last play through Nick (Kanavas) and then Brian (Smith) finishes (to take the lead) and then Ryan (McBride) steals the in-bounds and hits another lay-up."
"I just couldn't be more pleased with the way we executed at the end of the game."
Meanwhile, Franklin coach Tim Hogan, who also has much rebuilding to do after an excellent 2010-11 campaign, couldn't help but be a little discouraged after the Sabers lost a four-point lead in the last 2:26.» Read Full Article
Mayor will veto budget due to fire and police personnel concerns
Mayor Tom Taylor plans to veto the city budget because it reduces the budgets of the fire and police departments by $100,000 each.
The cuts to those departments mean the loss of personnel, Taylor said, and Fire Chief James Martins said he would likely lose two firefighters and would have to periodically close Fire Station No. 2 at 9911 S. 60th St.
Taylor said council members made the cuts believing that the unions representing city firefighters and police officers would make health insurance concessions voluntarily, even though their contracts are not up until the end of 2012. Martins, meanwhile, said there would be no guarantee.
"I think certainly they are very dedicated to the community," Martins said. "I'm sure they would consider that. But whether they would or not, I couldn't say."
Taylor said on Tuesday night council members could override his veto with four votes. If they do not, the city would have to deliberate a new budget or accept the one he presented to the city's Finance Committee. That spending plan kept the fire and police departments' budget intact but called for eliminating a city planner and building inspector position.» Read Full Article
Tell us what Brookfield's best hotspots are
NOW readers: We need your help.
Hales Corners sees small rise in village taxes
Residents with a house valued at $227,000 will pay $28 more a year in property taxes, under a budget approved Tuesday night by the Village Board.
That amount reflects a 1.8 percent increase in the tax rate. This year's rate was $6.94 per $1,000 of equalized value; next year, the rate will be $7.07.
The levy supports a 2012 spending plan of $7.9 million, an increase of 2.5 percent over this year's budget of $7.7 million. Property taxes, for village purposes, will increase by 4.8 percent, from $4.7 million this year to $5 million next.
Because state aid is declining, Village Board member expressed dismay that assuming added fiscal responsibility would negatively impact taxpayers.
Case in point: The state has reduced its recycling funding to the village by 35 percent. The result is an 11 percent increase - to $193.74 a year - in refuse collection fees homeowners would pay.
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Cudahy police arrest suspect in stabbing incident
Cudahy police arrested a 37-year-old man who had fled into a house Tuesday after allegedly stabbing a 26-year-old man in the chest in a residence in the 3700 block of E. Van Norman Ave.
The arrest ended a standoff that had begun around 6 a.m. with a 911 cellphone call about a stabbing, police said.
Melissa Maker, the Cudahy Police Department's public information officer, said in a news release that the victim was found stabbed in the backyard of the residence and was transported to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. The suspected assailant also was injured in the quarrel that preceded the stabbing and also was transported to a hospital, Maker said. The condition of the victim and the suspect was not released.
Police said the stabbing was not a random act - the victim and suspect knew each other. No one else was injured, police said. A nearby school, Lincoln Elementary School, was placed on lockdown until the suspect was arrested.
Coal ash spill poses no health threat, DNR says
Tests of coal ash and Lake Michigan water samples collected after the Oct. 31 bluff collapse and coal ash landslide at We Energies' Oak Creek Power Plant found no significant threat to public health or safety, state Department of Natural Resources officials said Friday.
Even coal ash that might have washed ashore south of the power plant on beaches in Racine County is so diluted and dispersed that it would not harm someone touching the material, said Ann Coakley, director of the DNR's waste and materials management bureau.
"While having coal ash get to Lake Michigan is certainly a cause for concern, the amount of environmental risk in this situation is small," said Lloyd Eagan, DNR water leader for southern Wisconsin.
"Water quality at the spill site is close to the normal water quality of Lake Michigan," Eagan said. "Outside the spill site, the water quality is normal. There will not be long-term impacts to the aquatic environment once the spilled material is removed."
Test of water collected close to shore within a floating containment boom found levels of iron and aluminum only slightly higher than normal concentrations in the lake, according to Eagan.» Read Full Article
Sierra Club signals intent to sue We Energies after bluff collapse
The Sierra Club on Wednesday took the first step toward suing We Energies for violations of state environmental permits as a result of the bluff collapse and landslide that sent coal ash into Lake Michigan last week.
A 1950s-era landfill of coal ash, created when ash and dirt were used to fill a ravine, gave way at the construction site for the utility's air pollution control system.
The notice of intent was served on We Energies Wednesday, as a precursor to an enforcement action that would be filed in federal court in the coming months, said Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club in Madison.
"We want to make sure that it's cleaned up," she said.
The notice of intent to sue alleges that the pollutants in the coal ash at the bottom of Lake Michigan "pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment."» Read Full Article
Dunham's opens Franklin store on Friday
Dunham's Sports will open a new store at Franklin Town Center, at 6525 S. 27th St., at 9 a.m. Friday.
Dunham's is leasing 39,000 square feet at a former Jewel-Osco store,
Dunham's, based in Waterford, Mich., has over 150 stores in 12 Midwestern states, including five other stores in southeastern Wisconsin.
We Energies creates hotline to report debris from bluff collapse
Tools and other debris washed ashore after last week's bluff collapse and landslide at the Oak Creek Power Plant, and a hotline has been set up for residents to report debris sightings.
The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to look for signs of debris washing up on the shoreline as well as for fuel sheens. The Coast Guard has not found evidence of fuel sheens either in the immediate area or along the coastline, We Energies said.
We Energies said Monday it has activated a hotline for residents to report any debris that they have seen. The hotline number is (877) 380-0522. The hotline was already in service to handle questions from local residents about the utility's power plant construction projects.
The Coast Guard found no other debris, but some residents have reported debris along the shoreline, and We Energies spokesman Brian Manthey said the utility has had teams collecting debris that washed ashore in recent days.
Employees of the cleanup firm hired by We Energies, Clean Harbors, collected debris from the beach and shoreline near the plant, including at a Caledonia park that is just south of the plant, utility spokesman Brian Manthey said. That includes tools and other small pieces of debris.» Read Full Article
Vote on your favorite Wauwatosa places
You did.
We received 26 comments and 49 venue recommendations. But now it's time to vote. We want to know the top 10 of your favorite places in Tosa.
So read the list of the 50 venues, head over to our Facebook page, and vote for your two favorites. (Any votes for venues not already suggested will not be counted.) Some venues are just outside of Tosa's borders, but are included anyway because of their proximity to the city.
Voting will take place through Sunday, Nov. 13. Once the top 10 places have been compiled, you'll be able to find them as a Foursquare list.» Read Full Article
Bluff collapse blamed for discharge of 200-plus truckloads of ash, soil
An estimated 2,500 cubic yards of coal ash and soil - enough to fill more than 208 large dump trucks - was pushed into Lake Michigan in Monday's bluff collapse and landslide at the We Energies' Oak Creek Power Plant, a state environmental official said Friday.
The slide carried 25,000 cubic yards of ash and soil down the slope and about 10% of the load washed into the lake, said Ann Coakley, director of the waste and materials management bureau for the Department of Natural Resources.
Samples of coal ash and lake water were collected this week for testing to determine the environmental impact of the ash slide, officials said. Tests will show the levels of heavy metals and other contaminants in the ash.
Test results were not available Friday, Coakley said.
The plume of ash, soil and debris left behind in the wake of Monday's landslide stretched 120 yards long and up to 80 yards wide. The slide is immediately south of a $900 million air quality control facility under construction at the power plant. The building was not damaged.» Read Full Article
Ash, debris from bluff collapse removed
Workers Thursday removed all coal ash, soil and construction debris closest to Lake Michigan from Monday's bluff collapse at the We Energies' Oak Creek Power Plant, spokesman Brian Manthey said.
No estimate was available of the amount of ash and soil scooped off the shoreline from the widest part of the plume left behind in Monday's destructive landslide. The mix of ash and soil is being disposed of at a landfill on the power plant property, he said.
A contractor completed building a stone berm about 100 feet west of the shore early Thursday, enabling cleanup crews to begin work east of the berm.
Large debris, such as sections of a storage building destroyed in the mudslide and container units, were pulled out of the muck and dropped into garbage containers, Manthey said.
On top of the hill, south of the slope carved by Monday's landslide, workers on Thursday hooked cables to a total of four sheds and storage containers and pulled the structures farther south to prevent them from falling down the slope, Manthey said.» Read Full Article
Hampton developer seeks city financing in Franklin
The developer of a 101-room Hampton Inn and Suites proposed for Franklin has approached city officials to see if public financing assistance might be available.
The Common Council went into closed session at a recent meeting to discuss the possibility, but took no action.
Developer Ed Eldrige had hoped to begin construction in 2009, but the slow economy has apparently affected those plans. Eldridge didn't return phone calls seeking comment.
The Hampton would be built on 2 acres that Eldridge owns west of S. 76th St. and south of W. Loomis Road.
Dunkin' Donuts opens Thursday in Oak Creek
A new Dunkin' Donuts opens in Oak Creek, at 2345 W. Ryan Road, previously a Dunn Brothers Coffee Shop, at 5 a.m. on Thursday.
It is the second outlet for the Milwaukee Coffee Brewing Co., a partnership of six Dunkin' Donuts franchisees which together operate more than 370 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants on the East Coast.
The partnership, which opened a Dunkin' Donuts in Menomonee Falls in May, plans to open 36 new Dunkin' Donuts in southeastern Wisconsin over the next five years. That includes previously disclosed plans for Whitefish Bay and West Milwaukee.
South Milwaukee Walmart wins final approvals
Plans to develop a Walmart supermarket and discount store in South Milwaukee won another round of votes before the Common Council Tuesday night.
The council, on a series of 6-2 votes, gave final zoning approval to the plan, as well as final approval to vacate one block of 11th Ave. to allow two parcels to be combined for the 115,000-square-foot store.
The council also voted to create a certified survey map for the development site. The store will be built on 10 acres west of Chicago Ave., and one block south of College Ave.
Those votes came two weeks after the council granted preliminary zoning approval, and gave final approval to provide up to $1.8 million in city funds to help finance the $12 million project.
The project has drawn opposition from hundreds of residents, especially those living near the development site.» Read Full Article
Muskego netters rally for epic sectional semifinal win over Franklin
The great "Star Trek" parody "Galaxy Quest" had a motto that it used over and over throughout the course of the hilarious movie.
"Never give up, never surrender."
But even the Tim Allen-led crew would have said "Enough already!" and surrendered long before the Muskego boys volleyball team ever thought about doing so against host Franklin in a noisy and exciting WIAA sectional semifinal Tuesday night.
The Warriors were down two games to one in the best of five match and 21-16 in the fourth game before scoring seven straight points and rallying to tie the match at two games each with a 29-27 decision.
Then in the play-to-15 fifth game, Muskego found itself with its back against the wall at 14-10. All the Warriors did then, was fight off four match points, score seven of the match's last eight points and pull out an improbable 25-23, 15-25, 28-30, 29-27, 17-15 decision that put the team on the verge of its first-ever WIAA state tournament berth.» Read Full Article
Collapsed bluff got pass from state regulators
Oak Creek - State environment regulators gave We Energies a pass in 2008 - exempting it from certain rules so that construction work could be done atop coal ash landfills on a bluff on the Lake Michigan shoreline at the utility's Oak Creek Power Plant, officials said Tuesday.
Department of Natural Resources officials determined in 2008 that construction activities on an ash-filled ravine and other small landfills south of the utility's two plants on the property would not increase the risk of the ash or other contaminants getting into the lake, said Frank Schultz, the department's waste supervisor in Milwaukee. We Energies is building an air quality control facility for the older power plant at the site.
State environmental and utility regulators at the time decided that the construction activity would not significantly damage the environment, so no impact studies were needed.
Work progressed until Monday, when a wide section of the bluff, including part of an ash-filled ravine, collapsed, sending a destructive cascade of mud down the slope and into the lake. No one is certain of the extent of the environmental damage, DNR officials said.
The ravine was filled in the 1950s.» Read Full Article


text: I know the title says "how to draw a fish tank" and you're obviously looking at a fish bowl. The reason I did the concept this way is because many people interpret many things differently. I just wanted to have people enjoy drawing objects they love. The beta is supposed to represent the fish I used to have. I had such a pretty blue beta and I thought it was doing real good. I don't know what happened because one day I came home and he was dead. Anyways, enough with the drama, I will be sure to try and upload something more exciting. See you guys soon, peace out.


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BETHANY - From housing to street paving, Greene County, Pa., Commissioner Pam Snyder says the oil and gas industry has been a game changer for her Western Pennsylvania constituency.
Snyder, a three-time commissioner, said her county was "no stranger to extractive industries" even before drilling arrived on their doorstep. That doesn't mean they were anywhere close to being prepared for what the shale industry brought to their community, she said.
"Coal mining has been alive and vibrant in our county for more than 100 years," she said. "Greene County is home to the largest producing coal mine in the free world ... and the largest exporter of coal to china in North America, so we're no stranger to extractive industry. However, when Marcellus shale hit Greene County, were we ready? No."
Article Photos
ADDRESSES COUNCIL — Greene County, Pa., Commissioner Pam Snyder says shale development has brought challenges as well as opportunities to her community. Snyder was at Bethany College's Mountainside Conference Center last week to address the West Virginia Regional Planning & Development Council. -- Linda Harris
Snyder, invited to address the West Virginia Regional Planning & Development Council's annual conference last week at Bethany College's Mountainside Conference Center, said one of the first and smartest things they did was form the Tri-County Oil & Gas Expo Committee, which has hosted various expos geared to landowners, business networking and jobs.
"That really helped us stay ahead of the curve," she said. "The expos helped us bring the public along with us and stay ahead of (potential pitfalls)."
Snyder said the shale boom has brought many challenges, but also enormous opportunity: For the first quarter of 2012, for instance, unemployment was 5.9 percent and sales tax revenue jumped more than 30 percent, second highest growth among Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
"We've always been known as the 'poverty county,' we had a terrible unemployment rate - when I became a commissioner it was in double digits," she said. "Now, we have so many opportunities. Greene County has the opportunity to increase our tax base and provide jobs" so our people don't need to leave Greene County to find work.
"Our biggest challenge right now is housing and industrial property," she said. "We have companies knocking on our door telling us they need 35 acres - we can't find 35 acres. Every nook and cranny is rented, every hotel is booked. We have two new hotels under construction."
She said out-of-state workers aren't much of a problem any more. "When the industry first hit, all we heard about was how they had license plates from Oklahoma, from Texas, from Louisiana. They're still there, but the influx of out-of-state workers we're seeing now is more about pipeline construction. The industry is hiring locally."
Snyder said her biggest regret is that they didn't foresee the demand for developable sites. "Had we known this was going to happen, I would have had our county's industrial development authority go out and buy up every acre of ground they could for an industrial park," she said. "Nothing makes me sadder than to lose out on opportunity. We have companies that want to be in Greene County and can't, because they can't find the right parcel of ground so they're going to a neighboring county instead."
But she said there have been some unexpected bonuses: The energy industry tends to be generous in supporting community groups and activities. And when they're done drilling a particular area, they go back and redo the roads that were impacted.
"In my township, the backroads are nicer now than they were when they started," she said. "They're building roads up to PennDOT specs; a lot of times townships that had gravelled roads now have blacktopped roads."
She said the experience has been transformative.
"There are certain parts of the county where it's evident, especially in rural parts of the county, that the only activity going on is drilling," she said.
"If we were going to be like we were before and never change, nobody would have jobs. There'd be no prosperity, our kids would all move away because there was nothing for them. Our grandkids wouldn't be living next door. My vision is that I want kids to have the opportunity to stay in Greene County. If they want to leave, fine. But if they want to raise their family in Greene County, I want them to have a job and a good quality of life."


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Box Score | Game Notes
CEDAR PARK, Texas (January 26, 2013) – The San Antonio Rampage (18-22-0-4) couldn't complete the weekend sweep of the league leading Texas Stars (26-12-4-2), as the Rampage fell, 4-1, on Saturday night at Cedar Park Center. The Rampage split the weekend series with the Stars and have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games (5-5-0-0) leading into the All-Star Break.
Forward Casey Wellman tallied the lone goal of the night for the Rampage while on the power play. The goal was Wellman's first on the power play and the winger now has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last 14 games.
Netminder Jacob Markstom was again solid between the pipes for the Rampage. He turned aside 39 shots in the defeat and has stopped 154-of-162 shots in his last four starts. The game marked only the second time in the last nine starts that Markstrom has allowed more than two goals.
Texas opened up the scoring at 11:45 of the opening frame when Justin Dowling walked in on Markstrom and shelfed a shot over the Rampage netminder. When scoring the first goal of the game, the Stars are now 12-0-0-1 this season.
Markstrom made a tremendous post-to-post save less than two minutes later when he denied Luke Gazdic on a cross-crease pass that looked to be a sure goal.
Dowling once again lit the lamp for the Stars at 19:45, again with an assist from Alex Chiasson, to give the Stars a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission. At the end of the opening frame, the Rampage were outshot, 15-8.
San Antonio made it a 2-1 game with their second power-play goal of the weekend. Rampage rookie Jonathan Hazen made a strong play along the boards to find Greg Rallo on the hashmarks of the right circle. Rallo slid a pass to Wellman, who one-timed the puck past Stars goaltender Richard Bachman at 7:41.
Texas responded with a power-play goal of their own at 9:35, as Dowling completed the hat trick to give the Stars a 3-1 lead at the second intermission. After two periods of play, the Rampage were outshot, 27-13.
The Rampage had a great opportunity to make it a one-goal game midway through the final frame when they had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:03. After good puck movement, Greg Rallo fired a shot that rang off the post, however the Rampage were unable to convert with the two-man advantage.
Markstrom made several saves down the stretch of the game to keep the Rampage in it, but San Antonio was unable to solve Bachman. Stars forward Toby Petersen added an empty-net goal with under a minute remaining to secure the victory.
The Stars have won 11 of their last 13 games to claim first place outright in the Western Conference, and the league.
The Rampage were outshot, 43-24, on the night and San Antonio went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Texas was 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
The Rampage will return home to play their third annual Pink in the Rink game on Friday, Feb. 1 against the Rockford Ice Hogs at 7:30 p.m. on a KZEP Dollar Drink Night. The Rampage will skate on pink ice and auction off pink-themed jerseys after the game with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the breast health awareness efforts.
Tickets for Pink in the Rink, and all remaining homes games, start at $10 and can be purchased at the AT&T Center Southeast Box Office, by calling a Rampage representative at 210.444.5554 or online at sarampage.com.


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There are lots of products on the market to ease lemon squeezing. I've never used any of them.
Are there any benefits to using one? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the different types?
There are lots of products on the market to ease lemon squeezing. I've never used any of them.
Are there any benefits to using one? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the different types?
You should only start using one if you have a pressing need.
That is tongue-in-cheek, but unless your have a need, there is no 'should use'. One such need may be hygiene (or saving effort, or lack of strength in the hands), but only you can determine whether that's true.
UPDATE: original post was modified (and better for it)
As in the earlier answer, benefits may be:
A possibly disadvantage may be that it mangles your lemon skin (depending on type), which you might still want to use. On the other hand, models may also exist that allow you to squeeze efficiently after you've scraped some of the skin (if you needed to), which can be a hassle if done by hand.
As to specific models: I don't use any. (probably just use the orange juicer if I had a bunch. Like hobodave - don't need another singletask device that sees uncommon use).
I'm a recent convert to the type where you load the fruit between two halves of a metal mold and squeeze. I find that it extracts a very high percentage of the juice with minimal effort and does a good job of separating away the seeds. I find it a lot less messy than the reamer or other type I've owned in the past.
I use one of two things: my hands or a lemon reamer.
The lemon reamer is great if you really need to get all of the juice out of the lemon. It takes much less effort to use compared to your hands alone. This makes a difference if you are needing to juice several lemons; your hands might get tired.
In practice, I think I use my hands 80-90% of the time. It's not common that I'm juicing several lemons all at once.
I don't have any experience with the more complex (expensive) tools, but I don't think there's much justification in purchasing anything fancier than a reamer. I don't see a benefit to having a bulkier, more expensive unitasker in my kitchen.
My lemon squeezer has a lid with the squeezer and a container underneath. On the pro side,
On the down side,
I'm a huge fan of the vintage glass bowl/reamer combination. They're large and have a built-in bowl for catching juice, very easy to use, and extremely easy to clean. I get great leverage standing partially over them (I'm also 6'2" so that might factor in) and I've never had any other tool get so much juice out, though I've never tried the type of simple hand reamer hobodave mentions in his post. As a bonus, if you have a china cabinet or anything similar, they're pretty attractive and can be displayed if you so desire :)
My model is two pieces, there is a glass reamer that sits inside a glass bowl, I find this catches pulp way better than the single-piece models. The top piece looks exactly like this, and the bottom (bowl) is very similar to this, except no reamer attached of course.
edit: It looks like what I have is very similar to what Chris has, except glass. His bullets apply to mine as well, except the last con - this doesn't have any seal whatsoever, which I thought was going to make it dangerous to use, because I expected the top piece to slide as I moved back and forth. However, between the small "point" on the bottom of the top piece, and the downward pressure I exert keeps it from moving at all.
If you have relatively strong hands, I don't think it's very useful. Just roll the lemon (or lime) on the counter, pressing down on it to break down the fruit a bit, then slice in half and squeeze each half. A little fine-mesh sieve with a handle is great for catching the seeds, or your fingers will work in a pinch. Quick and one less item to store and wash!
On the other hand, larger citrus can't really be juiced that way, and not everyone has a handshake of steel, so some people might well want a gadget.
One benefit could be saving your hands and skin from citrus infection.I never let lemon juice or any other strong acid get on my hands, it messes with the skin and can cause citrus infections (which is a common problem for bartenders cutting and squeezing limes and lemons by hand).


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Recently I have come across a websites related to pet and vetenary where it is mentioned as " Site May Be Compromised". Whenever I visit the website, this is the message which pop up. Can someone can tell me about this issue. Really want to know about it.
What do I Mean by "Site May Be Compromised"
They have a Virus or Spyware