I am SOOOO Mad!

Originally posted by Guvnah BTW, I measured my coffee this AM from my Mr. Coffee maker (used a meat thermometer.) The pot was 165 degrees right after brewing was complete. So I was careful not to hold my cup between my legs. :D I'm also thinking you would have been in for a rude shock at your first sip, if after your test, your next Mr. CoffeeMaker pot was a 195 degrees. :eek: Originally posted by Scansy I had dinner the other night at Outback Steakhouse and they gave me this big sharp knife. Scansy, you should watch more cooking shows. It's not the big sharp knives that are dangerous. It is the dull knives, that require you to push really hard. :)

Gosh, I thought I got it and stated in my last post that I drink HOT coffee....and explained how I do that in my post. I still think it was a jerk water law suit......

Pastor -- Consider this: When you are swimming, who is in the ajacent lanes? Can you be sure of their actions? In an organized workout, the swimmers are supervised, they are all assigned to lanes and (usually) stay there. Check out the thread a couple of pages down on this board that is titled something like "Working out in a public pool." The gist of the thread is that you can't count on kids staying out of your lane. As I mentioned, I do almost all my swimming at YMCAs. The 5:30 AM slots at most places are reserved for lap swimming only, and maybe (MAYBE) at those times you can count on other swimmers not crossing into your lane. But outside of lap-swim-only times, you have no control over the little kids (or even adults) crossing lanes to chase down a beach ball or get to the other side, etc. YOU may be prepared to take responsibility for YOUR own actions, but you can bet that if you cream some 6-year-old there will be a lawsuit, and it would most likely be the YMCA that will bear the brunt of the settlement (unless you're a millionaire!) Racing starts -- especially from a block -- are about the most force-filled activity you'll come across in a lap swim environment. (Well yes, I've seen a guy get his face slashed open by another swimmer doing fly with paddles...) If you slam into some granny crossing your lane while you're swimming -- even if you're at an all-out sprint -- maybe the worst result would be a bruise or a bloody nose. But I shudder to think of the results if you hit her on a start. I understand where you're coming from. And most likely you would never encounter a problem even if they let you do all the starts you wanted, whenever you wanted. But I hope you are willing to see where ther YMCA is coming from too.

Originally posted by aquageek OK, so what about any item that is served hot, like fries or a burger or a chicken nugget, all of which must be above 130 degrees? Is any served hot food product eligible for potential litigation? Absolutely! You see, there always has to be someone to blame (preferably someone with deep pockets) for the bad things that happen. And when the victim is awarded a large sum of money for their pain and suffering, by all means give the personal injury attorney 40%.

To Geek and Gull: Ah, to lead a life of cliche and hyperbole unencumbered by facts, nuance and critical thinking.

What's that like?

Mr. Moose has critical thinking.....especially when he uses VO2MAX Shampoo....

I'd sure like to see us get away from the individual attacks here. It doesn't change or solve Pastor's problem. We're not gonna solve the current cultural jump to litigation here. We're not going to settle differing opinions about whether that jump is right or wrong. We're just going to get some people pissed at each other. BTW, I measured my coffee this AM from my Mr. Coffee maker (used a meat thermometer.) The pot was 165 degrees right after brewing was complete. So I was careful not to hold my cup between my legs. :D

Originally posted by Tom Ellison Mr. Moose has critical thinking.....especially when he uses VO2MAX Shampoo.... I was reading all of this and thinking "Wow, not even one VO2Max reference!" I was having withdrawl symptoms! Thanks for giving me my fix Tom!:D

Originally posted by swimpastor I started diving off of starting blocks when I was eight years old. I am now 51, and train at the Y, almost always alone, as there is no Masters program in the county where I live, or in any of the immediately adjacent counties. (There are several age group programs.) I want to work on my starts, but none of the Y's where I swim will let me use the blocks - saying that a national Y policy prohibits anyone from using the blocks unless a team/club coach is on the deck. If you think that's bad, put yourself in the position of someone who hasn't been going off the blocks since they were 8. I'd estimate that approximately half the times I've gone off the blocks in my entire life have been at meets (both during warmup and during heats). That's definitely not a good recipe for developing effective starts! Anyone find a way to conquer this litigation-fear-induced insanity yet? First, be aware of the legitimate objections they might have: 1) It can be dangerous to do starts if there's somebody else swimming in the lane you are using. 2) It can be dangerous to do starts if you've never had any training. So you shouldn't ask unless you've got a lane to yourself, and you should make it clear that you've had training. I'd second the suggestion that you make friends with the appropriate people on the YMCA staff. If that doesn't work, try the following: 1) If your YMCA offers private swimming lessons (mine does from time to time), sign up for a half hour lesson (at my YMCA, this costs $20). 2) Come up with some problem you are trying to solve with regard to your start (e.g., you are trying to decide whether to use a track start). 3) When the lesson is over, ask them what you need to be working on to improve your start. Ask the instructor to write it out. If possible, get them to put their name on it (make up some excuse about wanting to keep track of where you get different workout recommendations). 4) Make a copy of the instructions and show it to the lifeguard when you want to practice your starts and there is a lane free. Explain that you had a lesson on starts at their Y and the instructor said you needed to work on the things on the sheet. 5) The lifeguard may let you do it, but if not, ask for his or her name. Explain that you are going to have to talk to the management because he/she is refusing to let you do what another staff member told you you needed to do. 6) All of this may scare the lifeguard into letting you do it, but if not, go to the management of the Y and tell them you have a problem: You paid them money for a lesson, the instructor told you you needed to practice your starts, but now the lifeguard won't let you do it. Even if this doesn't work, it should be fun!