Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: now that's thinking.

  1. #1
    vidcc's Avatar there is no god
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,606
    There are some problem solving troopers somewhere that will do very well in civilian life.

    Serious Use for Silly String


    Article Tools Sponsored By
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Published: December 6, 2006

    Filed at 3:52 p.m. ET

    STRATFORD, N.J. (AP) -- In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it's the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq.

    American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.

    Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.

    Now, 1,000 cans of the neon-colored plastic goop are packed into Shriver's one-car garage in this town outside Philadelphia, ready to be shipped to the Middle East thanks to two churches and a pilot who heard about the drive.

    ''If I turn on the TV and see a soldier with a can of this on his vest, that would make this all worth it,'' said Shriver, 57, an office manager.

    The maker of the Silly String brand, Just for Kicks Inc. of Watertown, N.Y., has contacted the Shrivers about donating some. Other manufacturers make the stuff, too, and call their products ''party string'' or ''crazy string.''

    ''Everyone in the entire corporation is very pleased that we can be involved in something like this,'' said Rob Oram, Just for Kicks product marketing manager. He called the troops' use of Silly String innovative.

    The military is reluctant to talk about the use of Silly String, saying that discussing specific tactics will tip off insurgents.

    But Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said Army soldiers and Marines are not forbidden to come up with new ways to do their jobs, especially in Iraq's ever-evolving battlefield. And he said commanders are given money to buy nonstandard supplies as needed.

    In other cases of battlefield improvisation in Iraq, U.S. soldiers have bolted scrap metal to Humvees in what has come to be known as ''Hillybilly Armor.'' Medics use tampons to plug bullet holes in the wounded until they can be patched up.

    Also, soldiers put condoms and rubber bands around their rifle muzzles to keep out sand. And troops have welded old bulletproof windshields to the tops of Humvees to give gunners extra protection. They have dubbed it ''Pope's glass'' -- a reference to the barriers that protect the pontiff.

    In an October call to his mother, Army Spc. Todd Shriver explained how his unit in the insurgent hotbed of Ramadi learned from Marines to use Silly String on patrol to detect boobytraps.

    After sending some cans to her 28-year-old son, Shriver enlisted the help of two priests and posted notices in her church and its newsletter. From there, the effort took off, with money and Silly String flowing in. Parishioners have been dropping cans into donation baskets.

    ''There's so much that they can't do, and they're frustrated, but this is something they can do,'' said the Rev. Joseph Capella of St. Luke's Church in Stratford.

    The Shrivers said they would not mind seeing the string as standard-issue equipment, but they don't blame the military for not supplying it.

    ''I don't think that they can think of everything,'' said Ronald Shriver, 59, a retired salesman. ''They're taught to improvise, and this is something that they've thought of.''

    Marcelle Shriver said that since the string comes in an aerosol can, it is considered a hazardous material, meaning the Postal Service will not ship it by air. But a private pilot who heard about her campaign has agreed to fly the cans to Kuwait -- most likely in January -- where they will then be taken to Iraq.

    Shriver said she will continue her campaign as long as her son is overseas and she has Silly String to send.

    ''I know that he's going come through this. I hope they all do,'' she said.

    it’s an election with no Democrats, in one of the whitest states in the union, where rich candidates pay $35 for your votes. Or, as Republicans call it, their vision for the future.

  2. The Drawing Room   -   #2
    Busyman™'s Avatar Use Logic Or STFU!
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    4,246
    Good idea but I wish they wouldn't go public with such things.

    Send the shit to Iraq and shut up about it.

  3. The Drawing Room   -   #3
    bigboab's Avatar Poster BT Rep: +1
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    29,621
    Great idea. If it saves ones soldiers life it will be worthwhile sending the stuff to Iraq.
    The best way to keep a secret:- Tell everyone not to tell anyone.

  4. The Drawing Room   -   #4
    They should send empty jumbo jets there and bring people's sons and daughters home.

  5. The Drawing Room   -   #5
    I found this cartoon, which I think is rather appropriate.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. The Drawing Room   -   #6
    Skiz's Avatar (_8(I)
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    CO
    Age
    46
    Posts
    22,943
    Quote Originally Posted by Ava Estelle View Post
    I found this cartoon, which I think is rather appropriate.
    How is that appropriate, or pertain to this thread in the slightest?

    O-Topic: The makers of Silly String should be donating that shit by the plane-load.


    yo

  7. The Drawing Room   -   #7
    vidcc's Avatar there is no god
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,606
    Quote Originally Posted by Skizo View Post
    O-Topic: The makers of Silly String should be donating that shit by the plane-load.

    The maker of the Silly String brand, Just for Kicks Inc. of Watertown, N.Y., has contacted the Shrivers about donating some. Other manufacturers make the stuff, too, and call their products ''party string'' or ''crazy string.''

    ''Everyone in the entire corporation is very pleased that we can be involved in something like this,'' said Rob Oram, Just for Kicks product marketing manager. He called the troops' use of Silly String innovative.
    They are donating it. But seeing as it has been proven effective shouldn't our troops be supplied it as part of their standard equipment? serious question.
    It bothers me (community spirit aside) that the US military should be relying on charitable gifts to lower the risks involved in doing their job , doesn't that concern you?

    I wasn't intending to make a political point in this thread, just highlight some smart thinking by some soldiers.

    it’s an election with no Democrats, in one of the whitest states in the union, where rich candidates pay $35 for your votes. Or, as Republicans call it, their vision for the future.

  8. The Drawing Room   -   #8
    GepperRankins's Avatar we want your oil!
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    the suburbs. honestment
    Age
    38
    Posts
    8,527
    to be fair. they shouldn't donate it. the government should pay for the armys equiptment

  9. The Drawing Room   -   #9
    Skiz's Avatar (_8(I)
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    CO
    Age
    46
    Posts
    22,943
    Quote Originally Posted by vidcc View Post
    The maker of the Silly String brand, Just for Kicks Inc. of Watertown, N.Y., has contacted the Shrivers about donating some. Other manufacturers make the stuff, too, and call their products ''party string'' or ''crazy string.''
    I read the original post but I must have missed that.

    They are donating it. But seeing as it has been proven effective shouldn't our troops be supplied it as part of their standard equipment?
    Probably not. I'm sure there are a lot of effective improvised devices and tools over there, but the military can't make them all part of a soldier's standard issued equipment. Have you seen a fully equipped soldier lately? They have to wear like 65 pounds of gear around with them. I'm sure if Silly String was a necessary survival component, it would be supplied. Maybe these soldiers aren't coming across massive amounts of tripwires. It's more likely that a few soldiers come across them on occasion, hense:

    ...commanders are given money to buy nonstandard supplies as needed.


    yo

  10. The Drawing Room   -   #10
    GepperRankins's Avatar we want your oil!
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    the suburbs. honestment
    Age
    38
    Posts
    8,527
    i thought republicans were against handouts like

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •