Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

T R E 4 5 O N

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

All hail the time of the bunny!

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

The lights are all blinking red.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Because of wow. / Friday Morning Open Thread: Beating the Odds

Friday Morning Open Thread: Beating the Odds

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I’ll admit — when news of the soccer team trapped in that Thai cave first broke, I assumed it was another example of testosterone poisoning making it dangerous for teenage boys to associate with each other in groups larger than three. The real story was far more complicated…

MAE SAI, Thailand — Adul Sam-on, 14, has never been a stranger to peril.

At age 6, Adul had already escaped a territory in Myanmar known for guerrilla warfare, opium cultivation and methamphetamine trafficking. His parents slipped him into Thailand, in the hopes that proper schooling would provide him with a better life than that of his illiterate, impoverished family.

But his greatest escape came on Tuesday, when he and 11 other members of a youth soccer team, along with their coach, were all finally freed from the Tham Luang Cave in northern Thailand, after an ordeal stretching more than two weeks.

For 10 days, Adul and his fellow Wild Boars soccer squad survived deep in the cave complex as their food, flashlights and drinking water diminished. By the time British divers found them on July 2, the Wild Boars and their coach looked skeletal.

It was Adul, the stateless descendant of a Wa ethnic tribal branch once known for headhunting, who played a critical role in the rescue, acting as interpreter for the British divers…

Mae Sai, where the Wild Boars play soccer, seems an unlikely place for a resurgence in Thai pride. Located not far from where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet in the Golden Triangle, Mae Sai is home to a population that has at times been skeptical of the Thai state and its institutions…

With the English he used to communicate with the British divers on July 2, Adul was crucial in ensuring the safety of the Wild Boars. He is the top student in his class at the Ban Wiang Phan School in Mae Sai. His academic record and sporting prowess have earned him free tuition and daily lunch…

At the Ban Wiang Phan School, where 20 percent of students are stateless and half are ethnic minorities, the principal, Punnawit Thepsurin, said the boy’s uncertain status — he has no citizenship papers from any country — had helped hone his strength. “Stateless children have a fighting spirit that makes them want to excel,” he said. “Adul is the best of the best.”

At least 440,000 stateless people live in Thailand, many of whom are victims of Myanmar’s long years of ethnic strife, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Human rights groups say the true number could be as high as 3 million — in a nation of nearly 70 million — even though the Thai government has refused to ratify the United Nations convention guaranteeing rights for refugees.

With little legal protection, undocumented workers in Thailand can be at the mercy of human traffickers or unscrupulous employers. But the Wild Boars provided a haven for stateless and Thai children alike. On weekends, the squad would often go on outdoor excursions in nearby jungles…

There’s already teams of filmmakers looking to turn the Wild Boars’ story into gold. Here’s hoping Adul, his fellow “stateless ethnic minority” coach Ekkapol Chantawong, and their fellow survivors can turn this attention to their benefit!

Reader Interactions

137Comments

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Enjoyable, if lightweight, romp with some of the seamier characters in British history found on Amazon Prime, Britain’s Oulaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues. The host/narrator is having such a grand time that it can’t help but rub off on the viewer.

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Sacha Baron Cohen has all the right people’s panties in a bunch:

    The former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate called the comedian “evil, exploitative and sick” in a Facebook post on 10 July after he duped her into an interview for his new show Who Is America? In response, Cohen has posted a letter on Twitter as a new, previously unrevealed character, Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr, PhD, who runs the site Truthbrary.org. Palin had claimed Cohen disguised himself as a “disabled US veteran” during the interview before she walked out.

    “I did NOT say I was a War Vet,” the letter reads. “I was in the service – not military, but United Parcel and I only fought for my country once – when I shot a Mexican who came onto my property.” The letter goes on to praise Palin for “TELLING THE TRUTH about Obama’s birth certificate and the location of Russia” before claiming that she had “been hit by a bullshit grenade” and was “bleeding FAKE NEWS”.

    It arrives after a source told People that Palin decided to end the interview after a question about a “government funded sex-change operation for Chelsea Clinton”.

    ………………………………

    The disgraced US Senate candidate Roy Moore has also released a statement revealing that he too was convinced to appear on the show, saying that he was embarrassed and humiliated by Cohen.

    “I don’t need Sacha Cohen to tell me who America is, but I can tell him that America is a proud Nation which sprang from humble beginnings and a strong belief in God, virtue, and morality,” he said in a statement. “As an American, I would never hide my identity and deceive others only to mock and ridicule them as this Showtime series is designed to do. America is not only about being proud but about being brave and standing for what we believe.” Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct by nine women, also complained that Cohen was part of a string of “vicious false political attacks” and that his art is “trickery, deception, and dishonesty”.

    The conservative pundit and ex-congressman Joe Walsh has revealed on Twitter that he was also duped into an interview with Cohen for the show after being told that Steven Spielberg and Rupert Murdoch also took part.

    “Dressing up as a wounded veteran is absolutely stolen valor, his tactics are disgusting,” he tweeted. “I totally get @SachaBaronCohen’s gig. He’s a comedian, and he can be funny, but mocking a disabled veteran to spoof @SarahPalinUSA is a serious matter. I am just telling you what I encountered – it was much of the same she experienced.”

    In a previously released clip, Cohen had Dick Cheney sign a “waterboard kit” while a teaser suggested a variety of characters used in the upcoming series which has been in development for over a year.

  9. 9.

    hueyplong

    Ever notice that the line “that’s not who he really is” is almost invariably used to explain away an unguarded moment in which that person actually has dropped the facade and revealed who he really is.

    Maybe this is the one useful purpose served by Fox. They make RWNJs so comfortable in front of propaganda-serving mics that they forget to keep the quiet parts quiet in front of others.

    Our problem is the percentage of people totally OK with those quiet parts.

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    Mulling over choices of lightweight canister vacuum cleaners, and I don’t understand the difference between watts and amps. One choice is 10 amps, the other 1200 watts. Which would suck (that is to say, NOT suck, in the quality sense) more?

  12. 12.

    hueyplong

    The Internets tell me that watts are ams x volts, and that watts are more about pressure in your circumstance.

    [Sorry about the two posts. I can’t see an edit button on my screen]

  19. 19.

    satby

    @Barry: I feel fortunate that my children are now adults, because I was another uppity female who didn’t take my former husband’s name when we married. So my children have their father’s last name.
    Since millions of families have similar situations, how can they expect to stop all of us?
    And this right-wing focus on human trafficking is starting to creep me out, because it really is starting to feel like we’re going to find out that Republicans have been trafficking children in pizza parlor sex rings.

  21. 21.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Betty Cracker:

    We love our Shark – I think we’ve had it several years, with zero complaints. It takes up huge amounts of dog hair, is really easy to run and wasn’t expensive.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: The agent is living in the 19th century. How many divorced and remarried women are there? How many unmarried mothers are there? And how many married women are there like you, my wife, my oldest sister, who kept their maiden names for any of a thousand different reasons none of which have to be explained to anybody ever?

  24. 24.

    Kay

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the Department of Education is blocking access to documents it needs for its lawsuit against Navient, one of the nation’s biggest student loan servicers.
    The CFPB sued Navient last year, claiming the company misled borrowers and processed their payments incorrectly.
    The agency asked a federal judge this week to order Navient to produce the documents as part of its discovery process, according to a court filing.
    But Navient says it needs the Department of Education’s permission to release the information because of privacy laws, according to court filings. The department has not granted permission, according to the CFPB’s letter.

    Another productive workday for Team Trump. Working as hard as they can to protect the student lending industry from their angry and poorly-served customers, the public.

    The far Right SCOTUS will probably rule this federal contractor has a 1st amendment right to mislead borrowers and process their payments incorrectly.

    If I were a student borrower I think I’d look for information on loans from somewhere other than the US Department of Education. They appear to be working for Navient. Find someone who is an honest broker. Ask around at the grocery store or whatever. You can’t do worse there than accepting advice or information from these corrupt, low quality hacks.

  28. 28.

    Gin & Tonic

    @OzarkHillbilly: Both of my married daughters chose to keep their birth surname, for reasons that aren’t anybody’s business (including mine.) In both case they could have had a simpler name, but chose not to.

  29. 29.

    WereBear

    THIS struck me as such genius I had to requote it:

    …I think there is a large subset of GOP officeholders that are qualitatively different from their predecessors. Yes, back in the 80s and 90s, Newt Gingrich brought in the ‘smear your opponent’ strategy and sold it to the eager youngsters of his ‘revolution’, but here’s the thing. They didn’t BELIEVE it. They knew it was just fodder for the gullible rubes of the GOP base.

    But then they created a monster. Those gullible rubes started running for office, first local and then national, and now you have a significant portion of the Republicans in Congress who aren’t just selling the lies and conspiracy theories, they also believe them. A Gingrich-led House would never have held that open hearing for Strzok, because back then, the House members would GET that the smearing of Strzok was really just a tactic to undermine the Mueller investigation, and that Strzok wasn’t really the sinister mastermind they were painting him to be. They would have known that allowing Strzok to speak publicly would blow up in their faces because it would be clear to the public that the smear was false. SOME House members, the old timers, still realize they’re pushing a bogus narrative, but often these days they get trampled by the faction that genuinely believes the bogus narrative.

  31. 31.

    Platonailedit

    @Betty Cracker:

    You need to know the voltage at your plug points where you plan to use the vacuum cleaner.

    Amazon sells cheapo crappo chinese multimeters under 10 bucks that should tell you the voltage.

  32. 32.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Barry:

    It sucks, but there is a protective aspect at play – parental abduction is a thing, as well as manipulation of middle adolescents into prostitution (they’ll frequently be portrayed as family members). While I agree that the agent was a dick about the “name of the husband” thing, as I always tell my clients “if your travel plans include an airplane or an international border, ALWAYS carry a notarized authorization letter from the joint custodian or a cerified copy of a sole custody decree to present upon demand. The letter also applies to solo travel by parents in intact families.

    The parent in the story wasn’t particularly savvy on this. Had she booked other than online, her travel agent would/should have suggested it.

  34. 34.

    Phylllis

    We are on our way to close on our newly built ticky tacky little box. First time for me; rented my entire adult life. Keep my writing hand in your thoughts.

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Platonailedit: All houses in the US are wired this way. All electrical appliances sold in the US are made for these voltages. @Betty Cracker: can just buy the vaccuum cleaner and not worry about it. Plug it in the outlet and go.

  36. 36.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: The current or power ratings of the motors are just maximum (startup, and/or blocked intake) values. And they just tell you how much power the motor consumes, not how good it is at creating a vacuum. The suction will depend on the quality of the impeller of the motor, how tight the assembly is, the RPMs of the motor, what sort of filter it uses, etc., etc.

    You won’t find anything rated over 15 amps (15×120 = 1800W) in a normal home vacuum, because it would blow the circuit breaker. You might not want anything over 1500W anyway, as other appliances may be on the same circuit.

    Another thing to consider is noise – many vacuums that work really well are also incredibly loud.

    :-(

    Check out Consumer Reports for some baseline ratings.

    It’s probably best to go to a store that will let you try them, also too.

    HTH a little. Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  40. 40.

    Darkrose

    The producers of the evangelical Christian fetish flick “God’s Not Dead” are apparently planning to make a movie about the Thai rescue. I’m assuming that the coach, a former Buddhist monk who taught the kids to meditate in order to keep them calm during their ordeal will be changed to a Bible-believing Christian who prayed to White Jesus for rescue.

  42. 42.

    tobie

    I’ll add my two cents here, since for one reason or another I’ve had to buy a number of vacuums over the past three years. The best bang for buck in my experience is a Kenmore canister vacuum. For some reason I find suction in vacuums that use bags like the Kenmore infinitely superior to the bagless variety, which covers most vacuums these days. I order ten-packs of the bags and just place an online order when I’m down to two. If you’re machine allows it, you can buy cloth bags which really diminishes any dust coming from the vacuum exhaust.

    Morning all and have a beautiful day!

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Platonailedit: I’m a carpenter with 35+ years of experience working along side electricians in both residential and commercial. Residential is simple, so simple I can wire a whole house from main panel to hot water heater to dedicated freezer outlet to 3 way light switch to ad nauseum. Her house has 110/120 and 220/240 for appliances. Period. Always. In the US of A. She’s not buying this appliance in Paris France and shipping it home, she’s buying it from the local Costco in Tampa.

    Just like millions of other Americans do every day, 90% of whom aren’t nearly as intelligent but just as ignorant of electricity as she and yet they safely by and use appliances all the time. Without testing their outlets.

  44. 44.

    Platonailedit

    Red meat can kill ya.

    Goat’s fat and wild venison, plus sides of ancient wheat and bracken.

    It’s not a menu likely to appear on Masterchef, but for some of our ancestors it was a nutritious feast.

    Scientists have revealed that the last supper of Oetzi the Iceman was well-balanced but also alarmingly high in fat.

    The man lived 5,300 years ago and met his death on a frozen glacier. His body was preserved in the ice for millennia until it was discovered in 1991.

    Scientists have been able to find out about many aspects of his life, including what he ate before he died.

    They say he filled his stomach with fat from wild goat, meat from red deer, an ancient grain known as einkorn and toxic fern.

    The fat content was 50%, which is much higher than the 10% in the average modern diet.

  54. 54.

    Quinerly

    @Betty Cracker: I like the Shark brand but not sure if they make a cannister style. They do make an upright especially for pet hair. Bissell makes a “Pet Hair Eraser” that is pretty amazing. Handheld for upholstery, around $30 on Amazon.

  55. 55.

    raven

    @Platonailedit: I haven’t had red meat or alcohol for 26+ years. I had my annual wellness exam this week and the doc said “keep doing what you are doing”!

  58. 58.

    Karen S.

    @RedDirtDirl: There was a meme going around on Facebook the other day like that. It suggested that Hollywood version of the cave rescue would feature the white diver as the lead with Scarlet Johanssen playing one of the Thai boys if not all of them, like how Alec Guinness played several of the characters in “Kind Hearts and Coronets.”

  60. 60.

    MomSense

    @Betty Cracker:

    Best vacuum I ever had was a Miele canister. That thing sucked all the dog and cat hair and was lightweight. It did require bags but it worked beautifully for almost 20 years until a teen decided suddenly to be helpful.

    Anyway, I’ve had other vacuums since but none as good as that red Miele.

    To spare yourself a lot of frustration, make sure the nozzle can actually go flat. Otherwise you will never be able to vacuum under heavy furniture.

  63. 63.

    Elizabelle

    @Cheryl Rofer: That is a photo for the ages.

    Gawd. Who ever thought it would come to this?

    ETA: I think I will print it out and put it up on my fridge. Will amuse me every morning, as I head down for coffee.

  64. 64.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    We’re at the new place. I’ve taken a couple of exercise classes and gotten a library card, so I’m settling in. I need to get back to work though. Writing eases my anxiety over all the changes because it makes me concentrate on something else for a couple of hours.

  66. 66.

    Another Scott

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Great news.

    You’ll settle in. Our lizard brains are wired to be anxious in new surroundings. :-)

    Enjoy your new home, and being closer to your youngsters!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  67. 67.

    MomSense

    @Phylllis:

    If you ignore all the product placement (although the paint colors and brands are helpful), houzz.com is a great resource. You can set up your search so that you find lots of ideas for your spaces.

  69. 69.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Cheryl Rofer: Wonderful. They hate Trump across the pond as much as we do here. He has no redeeming qualities and shouldn’t be treated as if he does.
    I’m laughing at the fact that he attacked Prime Minister May despite her sucking up to him. Typical.

  70. 70.

    Betty Cracker

    Thanks for the input about vacuum cleaners and amps vs. watts, guys! I’m getting a canister to augment my poor Roomba, which is frequently disabled by my hair clogging its roller brushes. (Evidently, I shed like a golden retriever, and I can’t blame anyone else since I’m the only creature in the house with hair longer than a centimeter.) Plus, the Roomba can’t get the cobwebs or dust the blinds, etc. Anyhoo — thanks!

  72. 72.

    ArchTeryx

    For what it’s worth and for those concerned about me last night, I do have a shrink I see and I’m three different antidepressants. Besides the mind-numbing horror of the political news, I was tried on a new blood pressure lowerer that might have nullified the antidepressants.

    I’m a pretty broken bird – I was not kidding when I said I’m a walking preexisting condition. It takes all the kings horses and all the kings men to keep me together and within my ken.

    But I always appreciate hearing folks say that my presence means something when so often times I feel it means nothing. I’m no Einstein. I’m just a tiny cog in the vast machine.

  74. 74.

    raven

    Now that I’m all set for Providence, I have to go to a conference in Houston the week after next. It’s a at downtown hotel and I can’t find a whole lot to do around there.

  76. 76.

    Nelle

    @ArchTeryx: Many days now, I’m at “Chop wood. Carry water.” One foot in front of the other. I hope you find some glad moments in your day today. Mine came at 5:10 am on the back patio,looking at bright and very red Mars.

  81. 81.

    debbie

    I’m convinced Trump and Putin have agreed to tag team the world. While Putin sows chaos in America, Trump sows chaos in Europe. Can China be our only savior at this point?

  82. 82.

    Quinerly

    Taking questions… first up, question to Trump… “you’ve changed your tune this AM.” Trump babbling on about The Sun not printing the entire interview… something about he has a recording of the interview. I think he just implied Murdoch’s paper is “fake news.”

  83. 83.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    @debbie:

    Nope. They’re sitting on the sidelines with a big bowl of popcorn rooting for injuries.

  87. 87.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense:
    I’m with you. We have a mile and it is so great — about 16 years now and as good as the day we got it. Also, I have bad seasonal allergies and the Hepa filters really help clean up the cat hair, dust and pollen

  88. 88.

    Quinerly

    “immigration changing the culture of Europe…. you better watch yourselves.”

  89. 89.

    Quinerly

    Trump repeating the lies that America has no immigration laws. “someone can walk across the border and then the country is tied up in law suits for 5 years.”

  96. 96.

    rikyrah

    @Cheryl Rofer:
    Looking at other articles about this, I am convinced of Divine providence. Don’t care what religion, or no religion, but something in the Universe was looking out for them.

  99. 99.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rikyrah: Yeah, one could be forgiven for thinking that this latest effort at saving the world is just another PR campaign on behalf of the genius that is uniquely his.

  100. 100.

    Quinerly

    Trump refusing to take questions from CNN. “I don’t take questions from fake news.” then calls on Fox, praising them.

    “Crimea, Obama disaster.”

  103. 103.

    Spanky

    @MomSense: Second the Miele, and AVOID DYSON AT ALL COSTS. An instructive exercise is to visit your local vacuum repair shop and check out the lineup of vacs in for repairs – they’re usually out in the open in the shops I’ve seen. Notice the long line of Dysons.

    We had two, because we’re slow learners.

  107. 107.

    Elizabelle

    @Quinerly: I can neither look at nor listen to Trump.

    You are made of stronger stuff.

    I look forward to reports of the QE2 meeting. Think she may throw some subtle shade in his direction.

  108. 108.

    Platonailedit

    Fleetingly caught this in bbc.

    highest level of special.

    Wtf is the traitorous thug babbling about?

  115. 115.

    chopper

    @Betty Cracker:

    it’s going to be 110/120. 1200 watts is a pretty powerful motor but you’ll want to be careful you’re not running it in a plug on a full circuit. most regular house circuits are 20 amps, and some homes save space at the breaker box by putting too many receptacles on a single circuit.

  118. 118.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Quinerly:

    The proper response from CNN is “OK, motherfucker”, then quit sending anyone to White House events and press conferences while going with about 20 hours per day of Trump investigation, Trimp family investigation, Trump associate investigation, Trump customer investigation, Trump donor investigation. Pause only for weather, breaking events and sports.

  120. 120.

    MomSense

    @ArchTeryx:

    I missed your late night post, but I’m glad you are here with us this morning. Whatever you are feeling, people here care about you and we will, in our imperfect and rude ways, try to be helpful.

  123. 123.

    Steeplejack

    God, Trump is a bloviating asshole. This press conference (I’m about 30 minutes behind on the DVR) is interminable. Trump uses each question as a springboard into a long, digressive, content-free blow about how great he is, the terrible problems he inherited, the great strides he has made in fixing them all, how great the NATO conference was and how great his relationship with Theresa May is, despite the “fake news” stories (based on stuff he actually said).

    In comparison, May is just a garden-variety lying politician with zero charisma. Her statements about how great things are going to be post-Brexit are appalling.

    ETA: He just loves being the center of attention and is doing the political equivalent of a 30-minute drum solo.

  129. 129.

    Steeplejack

    @Steeplejack:

    And, yes, I know this is the real Trump, nothing new here, but to occasionally step into the fire-hose blast is to be reminded that the later news clips, horrible as they are, don’t capture the full experience. And it’s always amazing to see how little content there is. Even the later clips are mostly about whatever inflammatory spin Trump put on some comment.

  130. 130.

    The Moar You Know

    The proper response from CNN is “OK, motherfucker”, then quit sending anyone to White House events and press conferences

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: The media doesn’t get it. They think this is still a game, that they can score points and keep access and everything will stay the same.

    If Trump could outlaw every American news org but Fox he’d do it in the next fifteen minutes. CNN and everyone else don’t understand that they’re dealing with an existential threat to their way of life. If they’d cut off his media oxygen in the first place he wouldn’t be president. And if they cut it off now he’ll quit in a month. They hold the cards and need to start acting like it.

  131. 131.

    Elizabelle

    NY Mag article by Margaret Haberman. Admitting He Feels ‘Unwelcome,’ Trump Finds New Ways to Offend the British

    Trump … found a way to ensure that the headlines during his trip would focus on his [author’s emphasis] scorching attacks, not the insults hurled at him by large swaths of the British public.

    … he bashed Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan, suggested her rival Boris Johnson would make a great prime minister, and blamed his old foe Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, for terrorism in the city.

    He also lamented that immigrants are stealing Europe’s culture, his clearest articulation of white-nationalist rhetoric since he complained about the loss of our “beautiful” Confederate monuments.

    …. The Washington Post reports that U.S. officials thought the story would appear on Friday morning, and were startled to see it online as they left the dinner. An official said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had alerted the British about the interview, but thought it would be more positive. That seems doubtful, as Sun reporter Tom Newton Dunn said Sanders was in the room during his wild, half-hour chat with the president. She even tried to end the interview after the scheduled ten-minute slot, but Trump brushed her off, saying he wanted to continue.

    Later Dunn told the BBC that he was struck by the unrestrained power Trump had over those around him. “I felt as though I’d been in the court of an imperial Chinese emperor from the 15th century. The sheer total power that the man has is quite overcoming really,” he said.

  132. 132.

    Elizabelle

    @The Moar You Know: Yeah. They should report as though they’re covering a foreign dictator — report with both barrels; don’t take anything he says at face value — and let the chips fall where they may.

    They might find they have an audience and more respect. Leave the Fox audience to Fox; go after all the other readers and viewers.

  133. 133.

    Ruviana

    @Spanky: I got a Dyson in 06. Still works like a dream and is excellent with lots of cat hair. Different strokes I guess.

  134. 134.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Platonailedit: Somewhat o/t, but can someone explain to me why it should be so difficult/expensive to make small appliances for travelers that run on 100-240 V as opposed to 100-120 V? I’ve been looking for years for an affordable & packable hand-held clothes steamer that I can use in Europe with just a plug adapter to take the wrinkles out of packed clothing. No joy. Same complaint re plug-in beard trimmers. And what I see in Yerp is no better – 220-240V only & damn pricey to boot. /rant

  135. 135.

    NotMax

    @Uncle Cosmo

    Short and very generalized answer is that the appliance would require two independent motors (or a bulky and cumbersome transformer). Not an exact, to the last decimal point relationship, but roughly speaking a motor (or heating coil or whatever) rated to run at 220 would (optimally) operate at half the efficiency at 110. One rated to run at 110 would not run at twice the efficiency at 220, it would just burn out.

  137. 137.

    Barry

    @Platonailedit: “The fat content was 50%, which is much higher than the 10% in the average modern diet.”

    If you are walking in the mountains and the cold, that sounds like an appropriate diet.

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