I spent a very long time on each of these comments, because I know this is a super hot button topic for a lot of people. Which is part of the problem, evidence of that problem, something like that. Don’t crucify me on this one, I just woke up.

I’m going to cut you a lot of slack over misspellings. Spelling (or typing) isn’t a finely honed skill for everyone, and not being able to spell (type) has little to do with someone’s intelligence. So, responding to the intention –

I’m less “Trivial Pusuit” and more “history professor who used to be involved in politics.” Make an offhand comment about something - anything - that I have a well-formed opinion about: buckle in, we’re going for a ride. And there’s nothing I can do about it but think, “Here it comes, I can’t stop it, let’s just get through this as quickly and cleanly as possible, and then go lie down.”

It’s like barfing.

The feeling when you’re too American to recognize Chinese

Oh my god this is brilliant. When I got to that line, my first thought was “Which language is that?” And then I read the very next line.

My experience was worse than yours. I didn’t mention it before, because anecdotes are not data. I’m not suggesting that women (on this issue) don’t have more negative experiences than men, statistically, on the whole. I’m not suggesting anything about “who has it worse.” Nobody should receive that kind of roadblock to an elective surgery of their personal choice.

Saying “But men …,” or saying “This is a women’s issue - and by extension, not a men’s issue,” are both dividing a group of people with the exact same interest into opposing groups, who arguably appear more motivated to fight against each other instead of fight for each other.

It’s not always easy in a text-based exchange, so forgive me if I go on too long.

Your point is well made; there are plenty of people out there who are always “clapping back” with “b-b-but …!” On the other hand, there are also people whose opinion is that women always have it worse than men, full stop. Neither of those positions is an informed one.

To take your example about clinics requiring permission from your spouse if you want to have a medical procedure to prevent pregnancy – bear with me, please – men absolutely do experience the same when seeking vasectomies. I am quite certain that this specific issue is more common when the patient is a woman, and it is utter bullshit no matter who the patient is. I mention it, though, because it’s a problem that affects both women and men, and we should all be pulling together to solve it for all of us.

We should all be in favor of recognizing and solving problems for everyone, even if there are a lot of problems which affect various demographics to greater or lesser degrees, whether those problems affect us directly or not.

Don’t forget the godlike powers of parking lot valets.

Who, in turn, is arrested by the head librarian.

Aerosol cans in the way back times used CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons, commonly used as refrigerants as well) as propellant. It was determined that CFCs in the atmosphere were causing the ozone hole. The entire world got together and banned CFCs as aerosol propellants and as refrigerants in 2010.

And it worked. The hole stopped growing, and in 2019, it got smaller.

All that said, the hole in the ozone layer doesn’t effect rising sea levels.

Whatever reality is, I want to be closer to it.

The little stick kinds of tire pressure gauges are “okay”, but spend a few more quid and get a nicer one with a dial meter. They’re more accurate and less prone to breakage.

Next step up would be a battery powered inflator. I got a cheapy Ryobi one that will inflate a tire, though its battery (USB-C rechargeable and proprietary) is so small that it needs recharging after filling one really low tire. I’d recommend a larger one, but even something like that will save your bacon in a pinch.

Edit: Oh, and tread depth gauge, you might not find that super useful. Tires will have treadwear indicators on them, little raised bits in the grooves. When the tread and the raised bit are equal, the tire needs replaced. But make sure you’re feeling around the treads from time to time. Even regular use can cause front tires to “feather” (because the driving and turning are on the same axle), so keep em rotated. Misalignment, bad shocks or springs, worn steering/suspension components can also create uneven wear, and the tires can be the first place that shows.

We are all poop drones on this glorious day.

I would also like to apologize for the last sentence of my previous comment. I realize now that it may have sounded dismissive. I really just wanted to use the phrase “bog standard.”

Flip the lock hasp up, pull the handle up and out of it, pull handle away from the door. The cam bar swings away from the door on its hinges, door opens. This is bog standard trailer shit.

The reversed right side of the thumbnail looks so much like AI slop.

Carousel!

My digestive tract just can’t handle spicy food the way it did when I was younger. I know who I am.

I shall not, but only because it’s now a mixture of door juice and brake cleaner. “Spicy door juice”.

I swear I need to get a body cam so that when my wife says, “I told you that already” I can go back through the footage to find out for sure.

Before picture … maybe? Somewhere?

Alt text on the image:

Side door of enclosed trailer showing new hinges, cam bar, and the door juice that squeezed out when tightening the bottom hinge.

I’ve put a bit of thought to this over the years, and I have come to the conclusion that “might makes right” is always going to underpin any society. The people with the resources have the power, and by extension, get to make the decisions. The path to change, if people without resources want something different from those with resources, depends on a transfer of (at least some of) those resources from the haves to the have nots.

That only happens via force, or the threat of force.