nudge

Absolutely, highlight of the year for sure.

1-1 FT, good first half, disappointing second. Sargent, Käuper, Mbom, Wagner left quite a good impression. Duisburg next in a few minutes, starting XI: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Langkamp, Moisander, Jacobsen - Bargfrede, Maxi Eggestein, Möhwald - Kruse, Jojo Eggestein, Harnik Subs: Friedl - Straudi, Wagner, Gruev - Sargent

First test matches at Zillertal today, 11am against FK Pribram, and then 1pm against Duisburg. Starting XI for the first one: Plogmann - Beijmo, Friedl, Vollert, Beste - Wagner, Mbom, Käuper - Kainz, Johannsson - Sargent

I am actually in a tex mex cafe and have just ordered some chicken fajitas THANKS @El Profesor

This picture makes me hungry.

What are the other 3? Also, danish hot dogs and open sandwiches are amazing Like most of their food, to be honest.

They arrived at Thailand with their dirty cash grab movie plan even before the rescue operation was over...

Cheers, I might check it out - I'm currently using mostly HelloChinese and ChineseSkill for self-learning the basics + vocabulary building at home/on the go (and it has speaking drills too, which is a big plus!), and focus on pronunciation and characters in class...

I'm still at a beginner level and taking things slowly (lack of time), but I find it easier than I thought it would be. There are very few grammar rules (no conjugations, no irregular verbs, no articles, no tenses, no gender, no cases, no declinations + fixed sentence patterns) and the vocabulary is built in a very logical way, so I find it relatively easy to get the grasp of. What makes it more difficult is the fact that it's a tonal language, so correct pronunciation takes quite some time, haha. I have some previous experience with tonal languages as I learned Thai for a while, once you get used to it, it's not THAT bad, but it's still the most difficult part for me. Yeah, they are buying EVERYTHING here, also building huge resorts and a shitload of casinos + invest in infrastructure. The housing market being fucked up was one of the reason for the exodus of my town, it raised the prices more than threefold, while the quality of living got worse due to endless construction, rubbish, and shortage of power/water due to the demand increasing too rapidly and local infrastructure not being able to deal with it...

I'm already learning Mandarin My small cozy coastal town became the main destination of Chinese invasion about 1,5 year ago, so pretty much everyone (including me) moved haha...

It seems that China's Belt and Road initiative is shaping up nicely. It's only logical that after securing deals and partnerships in Southeast and Central Asia, Africa and some parts of Europe as well, they are now luring Arab countries in; they need them to revive the Silk Road.

Probably not, but most mainstream media companies in the world belong to one of the few global media conglomerates and pretty much share the same sources of information and the same selective coverage bias...

You don't do a live ticker for your own crimes!

Haha, I can't stand him either, but in this case, can't fault him for trying - maybe it will be useful in other rescue conditions somewhere else in the future...

All kids and the coach are out and safe! Now waiting for the remaining 3 Thai NavySEALs and the doctor to come out, and it all will be over at last EDIT: Latest Update: Mission accomplished!!! Everyone including the last SEALs, volunteer divers, Aussie doc and the medics are out. This is truly an extraordinary effort by everyone involved, kudos to the heroic rescue team and all the helpers. Also, RIP Saman Gunan, a fallen hero who died delivering oxygen the cave and made this possible...

Update: Rescue operation resumed at about 10am local time. If all goes well, the remaining 4 boys and the coach will be extracted today, as well as the doctor and 3 Thai Navy SEALs that stayed with them for the last few days. The doctors at the Chiang Rai hospital confirmed that all 8 rescued kids are in a good mental and physical condition, most were treated for low body temperatures and two have suspected mild lung infections, but their fever's gone and they are all eating solid food. Elon Musk's team delivered the "submarine" capsule, but due to the cave characteristics (esp. the 'choke' point) it's impractical and therefore won't be used.

Yes, they are in quarantine for a few days, waiting for blood test results. One of the kids was in a pretty poor condition yesterday, but recovered well overnight, and they are all said to be in good condition now (well at least the first 4 rescued yesterday, no info on the other 4 yet).

8 kids out officially confirmed, the remaining 4 + the coach are expected to be rescued tomorrow!

I've been feeling down for quite a while lately, and this seriously make me happy again - although whisky is a good idea too They've been able to proceed faster, there's hoping they might even be able to get the rest of them today that's too optimistic though I think, but at any case, the weakest ones are out already and weather conditions are still looking good!

It's just that we are nomads and explorers by nature... Can't put it any better than Carl Sagan in 'The Pale Blue Dot':

Glad you liked it I thought the pilot was a bit slow, but it picked up the pace quite nicely in the next episode!

5th boy is out! 6th said to be at the rescue base already, two more on their way!

Latest update: rescue operation has resumed around 11am local time, good news expected in a few hours time. Yesterday's rain hasn't affected water levels in the cave, the same divers are doing the rescue today too as they already know the cave and the procedure well. The 4 boys rescued yesterday are under quarantine in Chiang Rai hospital for a few days as a precaution, but they are reportedly in good health and spirits, and already requested spicy basil pork today that's a good sign, can imagine it will taste absolutely amazing after two weeks out there