Written by Daniel Murphy

There are many reasons to watch the Olympics. Maybe you’re all caught up on Mad Men and need something to watch with dinner. Maybe you attend lots of fancy cocktail parties where stories of international heroics go over real well. Heck, maybe you just need an in with the new Australian office assistant and working in “breaststroke” is just the ticket.

But the real reason is that deep down inside you know that there’s nothing like a global sporting competition to create some memorable Morgan Freeman voiceover moments.

And sure, like most things for which we are nostalgic The Olympics seem to have lost their luster. In an age where NASA is designing swimsuits, there seems little hope for the upset victory or the unexpected burst of brilliance. But like these videos prove, the truth is that something exceptional can happen at any given moment. And unless you’re a professional crime fighter or on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team, those chill moments are few and far between.

Worst case scenario, you have something to chat about with your Chinese delivery guy.

Derek Redmond

Backstory: British runner Derek Redmond is a favorite (or should I say favourite) in the 400m at the ’92 Barcelona games. Halfway through the semi-final race, he pulls up lame with a torn hamstring.

Goosebump moment: When most normal people would have cried for their mother (and a handful of Vicodin) Redmond scraped himself up off the track, determined to complete the race in a painful limp. Bonus goosebumps for his father jumping out from the stands and helping his son across the finish line, something that I thought only happened in episodes of Beverly Hills 90210.

Kerri Strug

Backstory: The U.S. women’s gymnastics’ team are close to defeating the mighty Russkies, but after two falls on the vault by teammate Dominique Moceanu, it all comes down to Strug.

Goosebump moment: Despite a brutish German phonology, Strug becomes a household name. After injuring her ankle during her first vault, she decides to play through the pain and sticks her second attempt on one leg, sealing gold for America. Even though men throughout the world admire the courage and strength of the 18-year old girl, the phrase “to Strug it” never catches on. (Which is a total shame. “I closed my thumb in the copy machine at work yesterday, but still went out last night and took home Gina from accounting.” “Wow, you totally Strugged it.” That just works.)

1980 Men’s Hockey Team

Backstory: More Cold War-like competition, but this time it was a collection of amateur, collegiate puckheads from America versus world powerhouse USSR (who had beaten the NHL All Stars 6-0 just a year before).

Goosebump moment: In a back and forth game, the Americans go up 4-3 on a goal by captain Mike Eruzione with ten minutes to play. After that, goalie Jim Craig withstood a barrage of scoring chanc– Oh who gives crap, you saw the movie. The point is, if you don’t get chills watching the final five seconds of that game, then I’ve got some bad news for you: You’re dead inside.

Muhammad Ali

Backstory: Ali (then Cassius Clay) won the light-heavyweight gold medal in the ’60 Rome Olympics, but threw his gold medal into the Ohio River after facing discrimination upon his return to the U.S.

Goosebump moment: Twelve years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Ali takes the stage to light the Olympic torch at the ’96 Atlanta games. He’s also presented with a replacement gold meal for the one he so bitterly tossed in a river 36 years ago. If you’re the type of person that’s prone to making grandiose statements relying on cheesy wordplay, you may call it “the Muhammad Ali of chill moments.”

Eric Moussambani

Backstory: After gaining entry to the ’00 Sydney games via a wildcard drawing designed to benefit developing nations, the unlikely entrant Moussambani “wins” his 100m freestyle qualifying heat when his two competitors are disqualified for false starts.

Goosebump moment: OK, so maybe you don’t have goosebumps just watching him flail around in the water. But now think about how up until eight months ago, Moussambani had never swam before. And how he trained in a hotel pool. And how, despite the fact that he didn’t even break the 200m world record, he still competed and proudly represented his country. And imagine Chariots of Fire playing in the background. There you go.

1. Beijing Olympics, One World, One Dream… This Is Sad

2. Bush + Olympics + Stunning Bikini Babe = Best Image EVER

3. My first…

4. Superman Has a Problem With Kinky Sex

Collected by boston.com

Beijing held its formal opening ceremony today for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ceremony, held in the National Stadium known as the Bird’s Nest, was attended by thousands, and watched by millions more on television. Below are some highlights of the nearly 4-hour performance.

A dancer performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

An artist in a space suit performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest”, on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing’s iconic national stadium was set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation’s ancient history and its rise as a modern power. (AFP PHOTO / Olivier Morin)

Percussionists take part in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Joe Klamar )

Percussionists with their Fou drums stand prior to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Jewel Samad)

Artists perform around an illuminated Globe during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. Over 10,000 athletes from some 200 countries are going to compete in 38 differents disciplines during the event, between August 9 to 24. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

The Olympic rings are illuminated during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Artists underneath movable boxes perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Martial arts dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Lighted dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/David Phillip)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Performers cheer during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Fireworks light the sky over the National Aquatics Center (L) and the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)

An artist performs, suspended by wires during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

A musician performs during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

Performers are pictured during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

A dancer is silhouetted as she performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Children of migrant workers from outlying provinces look at themselves in the mirror as they use their hands to form the Olympic Rings after watching the TV live broadcast of the Olympic Games opening ceremony at their quarters August 8, 2008 on the outskirts of Beijing. (Andrew Wong/Getty Images)

Written by popcrunch

The Summer Olympics start this Friday, and it’s sometimes dizzying and tough to know what to watch with the hundreds of events, and NBC’s 3600+ hours of coverage this year. We here at SportsCrunch will be catching as much of the Olympics as we can, but here’s what we’d be watching if we had to keep our eyes on just ten things:

1. Opening Ceremonies

To kick-start the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the official flame, which has traveled via the torch relay for the last 129 days and has covered 85,000 miles – the longest relay since the beginning of the tradition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, will be lit and the approximately 10,500 athletes will proudly walk into the stadium. The countries will be led by Greece, who traditionally enter first, and will be placed in order by stroke count with the Simplified Chinese characters instead of the usual alphabetical order. For example, Australia will enter in the 203rd position because the character is written in 15 strokes and they will be followed by Zambia whose character is written in 16 strokes. There are multiple acts scheduled to perform including Canada’s Celine Dion, Taiwan’s Jay Chou and a group of over a hundred Indigenous Taiwanese dancers. Tune into NBC at 7:30pm EST to catch the beginning of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

2. Michael Phelps’ Quest For 8 Gold Medals

Twenty-three-year-old Michael Phelps is under a lot of pressure. He tied the record for most Olympic medals won by bringing home eight medals: six gold and two bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is going for eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Phelps’ dominance in the swimming world has him being compared to Mark Spitz, who took home seven gold medals in the 1972 Summer Olympics – a world record, and many hope Phelps will take his spot. With 25 world record (22 inpidual + 3 relay), Phelps’ strive to win more gold will be an event worth witnessing. His events are: 200m free, 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4×100m free relay, 4×200m free relay, and 4×100m medley relay. Tune in to NBC during the primetime hours (8:00pm-12: 30am EST) to watch Phelps go for gold on Saturday (8/9) – Sunday (8/17).

3. 41 Year Old Dara Torres

This is her fifth Olympics and at forty-one years old, she’ll be the oldest in the pool but that isn’t discouraging Dara Torres. Torres took home gold in her first and only event at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and now has a total of 9 medals in her collection: 4 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze. Five of those medals were won in Sydney in 2000 and she was the oldest member of the entire Olympic team (this year a 56-year-old shooter is the oldest). Torres hasn’t been swimming the entire 24 years since her 1984 Los Angeles Olympic debut, in fact she retired twice, but this comeback has proved to be her best. Just 15 months after giving birth to her first child, Torres broke her own record in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals, which marked her 14th win at these events. She will be competing in the 50m free and 4×100 free relay. Check her out on Saturday (8/9) during the Primetime hours (8pm-12am) and Saturday (8/16) from 7:30pm-10:00pm.

4. U.S. Men’s Basketball Tries For Redemption

During the last 16 Summer Olympic Games ranging from 1936-2004, the United States Men’s Basketball team has won gold 12 times and one of the four games was the 1980 games when the United States boycotted the Olympics. The usually gold medal favored team was derailed at the 2004 Athens Games by losing three games and Argentina took home the top prize. This year NBA’s finest like Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) will hit the court determined to re-establish the gold medal for the U.S. Follow the “Redeem Team” starting Sunday (8/10) at 10:00am – 12:00pm EST where they’ll take on host nation China.

5. Marathon Runners Vs. Beijing Smog

A major concern for athletes participating in longer events, like the marathon, has been and continues to be the immense amount of smog that blankets Beijing on most days. The Chinese government has spent close to $200 billion dollars since 1998 trying to fight air pollution and results are mixed on how effective these measures have been. In preparation for the Olympics, athletes have been encouraged to wear facemasks and stay inside to be ready to perform in their event. In March, the International Olympic Committee issued a report saying “some events will not be conducted under optimal conditions” and “the Games are more about competing in the Olympic spirit, than about breaking records.” It’s doubtful that many athletes will agree that they are headed to the world’s biggest athletic competition to put in a mediocre performance. It’s possible that the schedule could be changed for the men’s marathon, which is set for the last day, depending on the smog levels and organizers are looking at moving it up. Stay tuned to NBC for any updates on date changes and if runners will be forced to wear masks while running. The men’s marathon is currently set for Primetime hours (7:30pm-12:00am EST) on Saturday (8/23).

6. The Lopez Taekwondo Family

The USA Taekwondo Team is made up of four members and three are related. In fact Mark, Diana and Steven Lopez are siblings and have become the first set of three siblings on the U.S. Olympic Team since 1904. Diana, 24, Mark, 26, and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens) Steven will be joined by their oldest brother Jean who is also their coach. The Sugar Land, Texas natives are all hoping to bring home gold and you can watch them go for it online Tuesday (8/19) thru Saturday (8/23).

7. Softball And Baseball’s Last Go Round

Women’s softball was an event added for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and this year will mark the last for the short-lived experience. This is another sport where the United States Team has won gold for the past 3 Olympics and the pressure is on to take the game out with a bang. Veteran team members Jennie Finch, Laura Berg and Cat Osterman know the excitement that a gold medal brings and hope to lead their team to a fourth victory as they take on their last Olympic challenge for the foreseeable future. The ladies will begin the path to victory on Monday (8/11) against Venezuela and you can watch them play from 9:30pm – 11:30pm EST. They also play on Wednesday (8/13) at the same time, Friday (8/15) from 12:00am – 2:00am EST and Sunday (8/17) from 5:00am – 7:00am EST to determine their placement in the following finals. Baseball will also be finishing up this year, dealing a big blow to Cuba, Japan, and the US, all countries who traditionally sent strong teams to the event.

8. Shawn Johnson Goes For All-Around Gold

Sixteen-year-old Shawn Johnson will feel the weight of competing against the world’s best gymnasts on her tiny 4 foot 8 inch frame and is preparing to defend her stance as world all-around champion. Johnson won every international competition that she entered in 2007, her first year facing those challenges and has risen to fame for her all-around talents and charisma. The teen heads to Beijing with the hopes of becoming only the third U.S. women to claim all-around gold following Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Carly Patterson (2004). Johnson is favored to achieve her goal of the top prize and luckily, she thrives under pressure. Regardless of how she does, she’s already a hometown hero. The Des Moines, Iowa native has a bronze version of herself stationed in the Iowa Hall of Pride and this month she’ll appear as a butter sculpture next to the annual butter cow at the Iowa State Fair. Watch her on NBC Sunday (8/10) Primetime (9:30pm – 12:00am EST), Tuesday (8/12) 10:30pm – 12:00am EST, Thursday (8/14) 11:30pm – 1:00am EST and Sunday (8/17) thru Wednesday (8/20) during the Primetime hours.

9. Tyson Gay Going After Title Of World’s Fastest Man

The highly anticipated race to find out the world’s fastest man is likely to be a close contest between U.S.A.’s Tyson Gay and Jamaica’s Asafa Powell. The American sprinter won gold medals during the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan at the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100-meter events. Gay was also named the Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year, a title that was held by Powell in 2006. At the Olympic Trials in July, Gay’s hamstring cramped during a 200-meter race, which made him ineligible to run in his best event in Beijing since he didn’t finish in the required top three. Powell for his part is a self-confessed lazybones and working on getting his focus in the right place for the biggest sprint of his lifetime. Watch the two come head to head on Friday (8/15) and Saturday (8/16) during the Primetime hours.

10. Lopez Lomoung Goes From Refuge To Olympian

And finally, Sudanese-American track and field athlete Lopez Lomong. People that were looking to turn young boys into child soldiers abducted Lomong at age 6 along with 50 others from church and he was able to escape with three other boys. The boys walked for three days and unknowingly, crossed into Kenya where border police arrested them and sent them to a refuge camp. Ten long years of living in the camp later, he learned of a program called “Lost Boys of Sudan” in the United States that would be resettling 3,500 young men. He applied to the program, telling them his life story of his life without his parents and five siblings, whom he assumed were dead, and was accepted. He moved to New York and was resettled with a family there were he came to find out his family was in fact alive and they thought he was dead. Lomong learned about the Olympics in the refuge camp and was inspired by watching Michael Johnson with the 400 meters in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Lomong competed for Northern Arizona University and was named the pision I NCAA indoor champion at 3000 meters and the outdoor champion at 1500 meters. In Beijing, he will take on the 1500 meters and use the inspiration he gained eight years ago from Michael Johnson to push him to perform. Lomong will walk into Olympic Stadium with his head held high and will be carrying the American flag, an honor voted on by his fellow U.S. Team members. He’ll be racing for the red, white and blue team on Tuesday (8/19) 11:00pm – 12:00am EST.

Written by Toni Bowers

Right or wrong, people often judge you by the way you pronounce things. Say a word incorrectly and POW — they’ve pegged you as a provincial, poorly educated moron. Toni Bowers offers a list of commonly mangled words so you can double-check your own pronunciation.

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Previously, TechRepublic ran an article about 10 grammar mistakes that make you look stupid. The examples cited involved the misuse of words in written and verbal communications. I’d like to go a step farther here and talk about words that may be used correctly but are pronounced wrong. They also may be much more flagrant examples of stupidity.

A caveat: My ear may be abnormally sensitive to mispronunciations since in college I developed an unnatural affinity for linguistics (can you say “Get a life?”). However, people often make snap decisions about character and intelligence based on their language biases, so it’s something you should be aware of. Here are some of my pet peeves, which you may or may not ever use in your life.

Note: This article originally appeared in our Career Management blog.

#1: Realtor

Many people — I’ve even heard it from people on national TV — pronounce this word REAL-uh-ter. Is this a case of wide-spread dyslexia, transposing the a and the l? It’s REAL–tor. That’s it. You’d think only two syllables would be easier to pronounce, but apparently not.

#2: Nuclear

Do you know how tough it is to be an advocate for the correct pronunciation of this word (NU-clee-er) when the president of the United States pronounces it NU-cu-lar? I don’t buy that it’s a regional thing. Ya’ll is a regional thing; nu-cu-lar is not.

#3: Jewelry

It’s not JOO-la-ree, it’s JOOL-ree. Again with the making things harder by turning a word into three syllables. What’s with that?

#4: Supposedly/supposably

The latter is a nonexistent word.

#5: Supposed to/suppose to

I think this one is more a matter of a lazy tongue than of ignorance. It takes an extra beat in there to emphasize the d at the end, but it’s worth it. And never omit the d if you’re using the term in a written communication or people will think you were raised in a hollowed-out tree trunk somewhere.

#6: Used to/use to

Same as above.

#7: Anyway/anyways

There’s no s at the end. I swear. Look it up.

#8: February/Febuary

As much as it galls me, there is an r between the b and the u. When you pronounce the word correctly it should sound like you’re trying to talk with a mouthful of marbles — FEB broo ary.

#9: Recur/reoccur

Though the latter is tempting, it’s not a word. And again, why add another syllable if you don’t need it?

#10: Mischievous/mischievious

I know, I know, it sounds so Basil Rathbone to say MIS cha vous, but that’s the right way. Mis CHEE vee us is more commonly used, but it’s wrong.

And last but not least, my personal all-time pet peeve — the word often. It should be pronounced OFF un, not OFF tun. The t is silent.

Written by Simon

As most men chill on the uncomfortable periphery of fashion, we do develop a strong sense for what we hate on women. And while women do style partly for themselves (”I’m the real me!”) or for their female friends (“SOOOoooOOO GOOD!”), a chunk of it’s for guys. Ladies, if you’re listening, please read, and get a clue. Gents, you may or may not agree with this list. If I’m missing any, let me know, and I’ll add them to the post.

Cheek Piercing

Nothing like a fashion statement that looks accidental. You look like you were shrooming in a fun house with a nail gun, and the next morning you just said “fuck it, I’ll keep it.” When you’ve run out of original places to stud your head, don’t go random. That’s like a musician saying “wehhh, all melodies have been done before. I’m gonna play random notes wherever and I’ll be so different I’ll be cool.” You’re not cool.

Acceptable Alternative:

Standard piercings, plus, on the right girl, eyebrow ring, or nose ring. Lip ring can work under very particular circumstances. You kinda have to be already hot.

Giant Sunglasses

At first I just felt bad for you, thinking an extraterrestrial symbiote had taken you as a host. How wrong I was. You may be proud that not the smallest beam in the slightest crack of space will get in your deflector shield eye booth, but you look like a bug on hind legs. A bug! The stick thin skin-and-bones body type completes the preying mantis fashion statement. While I do appreciate being able to catch the action behind me thanks to your pair of anti-theft convenience store convex mirrors, I’d rather you just BUZZ OFF. Yep – “buzz off”.

Acceptable Alternative:

Shades can be hot. Like any glasses, you just have to find something that fits your face. The goggles above don’t match any human face.

Image Source

Excessive Foundation

Here’s the problem: lots of cover up is actually worth covering up. You may think that a pimple mount of height X necessitates a layer of foundation of X + 1 thickness, but really you’ve managed to expand the “problem area” to your entire face. Good luck playing the “success through dim lighting” card. You don’t look like porcelain, you look crusty. If you can’t tan, don’t manufacture a layer of grainy fakeskin. Some guys like pale chicks.

Acceptable Alternative:

Skin cream. Or, your actual face. The foundation’s not better than nothing.

Pets as Accessories

Living. Creatures. Are. Not. Accessories. While I appreciate, on some level, the pimping out of an otherwise evolutionary abomination into some kind of social use, this is a problem. You have no idea of the statements you make when you walk around with these fashion rats, or the thoughts that go through every guy’s mind. Images of fur and bow ties in a mulcher, or my personal favorite daytime fantasy, a bit of art I call “kicking of a dog through uprights.” We hate your dog, and we hate you.

Acceptable Alternatives:

Treating an animal like the companion it is. Get a real pet or walk alone.

High Belts

There’s beauty in proportion, and nothing messes with that more than a blatant misplacing of a standard item. If you’re willing to constrict your ribs, do us all a favor and wear a corset. At least it’ll make your boobs look good.

Acceptable Alternative:

A normal waist belt, if you need it at all. No stupidly thick belts, either.

* * *

I suppose Paris Hilton is to blame for much of the kind of shite we see every day. I think it’s time women got over her and her irritating style, and started using fashion for what it was meant to do – make women look hot.

Honourable mentions, thanks to comments:

Crocs – Indeed, fucking hideous. Unfortunately, it’s a bit unfair to pin these on girls, since guys wear them too, but they do know how to kill hotness with them.

Ugz (Uggs) boots – The name is as ugly as the boots themselves. Just what guys always wanted, right? Furry legs. Great.

And, for more excessive foundation, check out this pic of Cindy McCain (gah)

I had removed Capris, but I guess they did belong:

Written by David Schwartz

Did you know that the voice of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles baddie Shredder was actually voiced by Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air?

No? Neither did we – and we’re still recovering! Unless someone is playing a joke on us. Damn them! But it got us thinking: Why do we care so much about these characters? What is it about the cartoon baddies that we love so much?

Aren’t we supposed to hate them? Boo them when they come on the screen like some kind of pantomime villain? No, and the reason why is because they are usually the most interesting characters in the cartoon.

So we have decided to come up with 16 of the best 80s cartoon villains. They reason we went for the 80s is because, well, that was when we were all kids. Plus it was a golden era. Or is that what everyone says?

Enjoy, and feel free to tell us which ones we’ve missed…

16. Lotor- Prince of Doom from Voltron

Would have been higher, but how can you take a villain dressed in tights seriously.

15. Miles Mayhem from M.A.S.K
The leader of Venom was the best character in the show. Which, admittedly, isn’t saying all that much.

14. Baron von Greenback from Dangermouse
Dangermouse’s slimy arch-enemy was essentially what Bond nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld would look like if he was a toad. It isn’t easy being green.

13. Darkstorm from Visionaries

Never quite understood why he turned into a giant snail. You really would not be happy with that would you? Your opposite number turns into a lion and you turn in a slimy mollusc. Not exactly a fair fight.

12. Hugo A-Go-Go from Batfink
Gets in purely because of his name.

11. Starscream from Transformers

Megatron‘s power-hungry right-hand man was possibly the most realistic characters in the show. He moaned a lot with that annoying high-pitched voice of his, always thought he would do a better job if he was in charge, and wimped out when things turned tough. Sounds like someone you know at work? Plus he transformed into a cool plane. Bonus!

10. Venger from Dungeons and Dragons

Never quite understood why he only had one horn. Where was the other one? Plus, there was one episode where Dungeon Master called him his son. Nooooooooo!

9. Doctor Claw from Inspector Gadget
With such a cool voice and the fact you never saw his face, just a claw, he really should have been higher up the list. But how could any self-respecting villain been beaten by a dog and a little girl in every episode? If we had had our way, he would have sold Gadget for scrap, boiled Brain down into glue and sold Penny into slavery. That really would have been mean.

8. Zoltar from Battle of the Planets

There is something really quite sinister about this guy. We think it’s because he is wearing lipstick and dresses like a dog.

7. Mumm-ra from Thundercats

Who knew Mummies could be so cool?

6. Gargamel from The Smurfs
We can never remember: Did he want to catch the Smurfs to turn them into gold or because he wanted to eat them? They don’t look very tasty, to be honest.

5. Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Uncle Phil??!!!! Really. We are so disappointed.

4. Cobra Commander from GI Joe
We think he had some anger issues. Not sure about the hood either.

3. Serpentor from GI Joe

Just beats Cobra Commander to the coolest character in GI Joe.

2. Megatron from Transformers

Only just pipped to the top spot by Skeletor, Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, was a worthy adversary for Optimus Prime. Plus he turned into a cool gun.

1. Skeletor

OK, we’ll admit it: we were scared of him too. Looking back now, he’s actually quite funny.

Baby’s first lesson in communism, how sweet!

Written by Neatorama

Most people know that the Olympics started out in Ancient Greece, but did you know that back then the athletes competed in the nude? (Though technically, they could wear penis restraints – yes, you read that right). Or that one of the games was an ancient form of mixed martial arts? Or that a chef won the very first Olympic games?

To help celebrate the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, we’ll posts some neat facts about the Olympics, starting with this one: 10 Fascinating Facts About the Ancient Olympic Games:

1. Ancient Olympic Athletes Competed in the Nude

Milo of Kroton, one of the greatest Ancient Olympic champion. He won
the wrestling event 6 times, over the span of 34 years! (Source)

Yes, that’s right – ancient Olympic sportsmen (all men, by the way) ran, wrestled, and fought buck naked. The ancient Greeks had a tradition of doing things nude (they walked around in the buff in the bedroom and at parties called sympsia*, and they exercised without any clothes on) – indeed, the word gymnasium came from the Greek word gymos, which means “naked.”

Why naked? Well, to appreciate and celebrate the male physique, of course, and as a tribute to the gods. Participants regularly anointed themselves with olive oil to enhance their looks … and to keep the skin smooth!

In the sixth century, there was an actually attempt to make athletes wear loincloths, but this proved to be unpopular and soon afterwards nudity regained its status as fashion in athletics.

*Great trivia for the next time you’re in a boring symposium: the original symposium is a nude drinking party (sympotein is Greek for “to drink together”), complete with courtesans (basically sophisticated prostitutes).

2. The Prudes Wore Penis Restraints

Did I say all athletes competed naked in the Ancient Olympics? Silly me – actually, not all of them were naked.

Some wore a kynodesme (literally a “dog leash”), a thin leather thong used as a penis restraint:

[The kynodesme] was tied tightly around the part of the foreskin that extended beyond the glans. The kynodesme could then either be attached to a waist band to expose the scrotum, or tied to the base of the penis so that the penis appeared to curl upwards.

3. A Chef Won the Very First Olympic Games

The very first recorded Ancient Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. The event was a stadion race (a foot race equivalent to a 190-m or 208-yard dash). The winner was a humble baker from the Greek city state of Elis named Coroebus (also spelled Koroibos).

For the first 13 games, the stadion race was the only competition. At the 14th Ancient Olympic Games, a double race was added.

4. … and He Won … An Olive Branch!

An Olympionike or a winner of an event receiving an olive wreath and red ribbons
(Epiktetos Painter, 520 – 510 BC – from mlahanas.de)

Yup – that’s because the Ancient Olympic Games didn’t have any medals or prizes. Winners of the competitions won olive wreaths, branches, as well as woolen ribbons. Oh, that and the all important honor.

They did, however, come home as heroes – and got showered with gifts there. Many victors subsequently used their fame to endorse products and to get paid posing for sculptures and drawings (just like today, huh?)

5. More than Just Running: Wrestling and Boxing Added to the Ancient Olympics

Tired of all the running, a new game of wrestling (called pale) was added to the 18th Olympics in 708 B.C.

Greek wrestling was a bit more fun than your regular high school wrestling. For one, submission holds were allowed (actually, they were encouraged) and that a referee could punish an infraction by whipping the contestant with a stick until the undesirable behavior stopped!

Later, pygme/pygmachia or Ancient Greek boxing was added. Now, some historian believed that boxing was originally developed in Sparta. Being the original tough guys, Spartans believed that helmets were unnecessary in battle. Instead, they boxed themselves in the face to prepare for battles!

In the Ancient Olympics, there were no rounds – boxing was done when a fighter was knocked out cold (if the fight lasted too long, then they each took turn punching each other in the head until one collapsed).

6. Pankration: Ancient Greek Mixed Martial Arts

In this Pankration scene, the pankriatiast on the right is trying to gouge his opponent’s eye and the ref is about to beat the living tar out of him with a stick
(Photo: Jastrow [Wikimedia])

If you think that Ancient Greek boxing was violent, it’s more like knitting when compared to pankration, the ancient form of mixed martial arts.

How violent was pankration? Let’s just say that there were only two rules: no eye gouging and no biting (the referees carried sticks to beat those who violated the rules). Everything else – including choke holds, breaking fingers and neck – was legit. There was no weight pision or time limits: the fight continued until a combatant surrendered, lost consciousness, or died.

In 564 BC, Arrhachion of Philgaleia was crowned the pankration victor … even after he had died:

Arrhachion’s opponent, having already a grip around his waist, thought to kill him and put an arm around his neck to choke off his breath. At the same time he slipped his legs through Arrhachion’s groin and wound his feet inside Arrhachion’s knees, pulling back until the sleep of death began to creep over Arrhachion’s senses. But Arrhachion was not done yet, for as his opponent began to relax the pressure of his legs, Arrhachion kicked away his own right foot and fell heavily to the left, holding his opponent at the groin with his left knee still holding his opponent’s foot firmly. So violent was the fall that the opponent’s left ankle was wrenched from his socket. The man strangling Arrhachion … signaled with his hand that he gave up. Thus Arrhachion became a three-time Olympic victor at the moment of his death. His corpse … received the victory crown. (Source)

Lastly, just to prove that they’re bad asses, the ancient Greeks then decided to start a pankration event for the paides or youth (boys aged 12 to 17) Olympic games!

7. The Olympic Games Weren’t the Only One

Those Greeks sure did love their sports! The Ancient Olympic games were actually just a part of four sports festival called the Panhellenic Games:

– The Olympic Games, the most important and prestigious game of them all, was held in honor of Zeus every four years near Elis.
– Pythian Games was held every four years near Delphi in honor of Apollo
– Nemean Games was held every two years near Nemea, in honor of Zeus
– Isthmian Games was held every two years near Corinth, in honor of Poseidon

The games were arranged in such a way that there was one going on (almost) every year.

8. Heraea: Ancient Olympics for Women

Married women were banned at the Ancient Olympics on the penalty of death. The laws dictated that any adult married woman caught entering the Olympic grounds would be hurled to her death from a cliff! Maidens, however, could watch (probably to encourage gettin’ it on later).

But this didn’t mean that the women were left out: they had their own games, which took place during Heraea, a festival worshipping the goddess Hera. The sport? Running – on a track that is 1/6th shorter than the length of a man’s track on the account that a woman’s stride is 1/6th shorter than that of a man’s!

The female victors at the Heraea Games actually got better prizes: in addition to olive wreaths, they also got meat from an ox slaughtered for the patron deity on behalf of all participants!

Overall, young girls in Ancient Greece weren’t encouraged to be athletes – with a notable exception of Spartan girls. The Spartans believed that athletic women would breed strong warriors, so they trained girls alongside boys in sports. In Sparta, girls also competed in the nude or wearing skimpy outfits, and boys were allowed to watch (to encourage gettin’ it on later marriage and procreation). (Photo: Sikyon.com)

9. Ancient “Computer” Used to Set Olympics Date

In 1901, a Greek sponge per discovered the wreck of an ancient cargo ship off the coast of the Antikythera island. One of the item recovered was an ancient mechanical computer that became known as the Antikythera mechanism. Scientists estimated that it was created in 150 to 100 BC

For over a hundred years, scientists debated the true purpose of the Antikythera mechanism and marveled at the intricacies of the device (mind you, the mechanical clock didn’t appear in the West until about a thousand years later).

Recently, scientists believed that they’ve finally cracked the mystery:

Tony Freeth, a member of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project, said he was “astonished” at the discovery.

“The Olympiad cycle was a very simple, four-year cycle and you don’t need a sophisticated instrument like this to calculate it. It took us by huge surprise when we saw this.

“But the Games were of such cultural and social importance that it’s not unnatural to have it in the Mechanism.” (Source)

10. Christianity Killed the Ancient Olympics

The Romans, who conquered Greece, viewed the Olympics as a pagan festival.

So, in AD 393, Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Ancient Olympics in part to institute Christianity as a state religion. The Olympics was no more … until it was revived 1,500 years later in 1896.

Written by Experience Project

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In my quest to find the cutest fat cat I went ahead and looked up some on the internet.

Check out these adorable cats :

Bonus, here’s a couple great fat cat videos. I’m pretty sure the first one is Garfield.