That is never well explained from my standpoint - other then some held onto sanity longer than others. The taint did not affect them within the stedding. So if they were fortunate enough to make it to a stedding with little or no affect on their sanity, they could choose their moments to leave the stedding and perform their work. But that also leaves the question of how they coordinated their work (with other male Aes Sedai) when leaving the stedding would bring on the madness. How would they have built the Chunnel from both the French and English sides with limited or no communication from each side of the Channel? Why would they even build the Ways when putting their minds to the problem of madness might have been a better project to work on? Even if they were ultimately unsuccessful, they probably couldn't know that at the time... I guess maybe someone foresaw the world breaking into isolated anarchy of the 'Dark Ages' should technology and Traveling be lost. Maybe some worked on the madness issue while others did the Ways.

Jesus changed many things from the Old Testament. Try Mark 7:18-20. And Mark 2:27. No, the Bible never forbids slavery. But Christians were central to the abolition of slavery in Britain and the US. Also, some Christians defended retaining the institution of slavery. While never directly condemning slavery, Jesus did seem to at least hint at change in the days' societal norms - Matthew 7:12 and Matthew 22:39. And what I think is a direct knock on slavery - Luke 4:18. People throughout history interpret the Bible differently. They can hone in on one verse without taking context into account - what came immediately before and after doesn't matter, much less the context of the Bible as a whole. They take the salad bar approach - a little of this and a little of that, whatever fits into the way they want to live. Whatever would be inconvenient for them they ignore.

So here is my conclusion: just as our own history (up until modern times) regarded slavery as a normal institution—benefiting countless people massively by it (Liverpool’s wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries was largely built on the then-already illegal slave trade)—a social order like that of the Seanchan, living at a cultural level comparable to our European Middle Ages, should really come as no surprise. Your thoughts? Greetings and best 73 --.../...-- de Calean Christian doctrine is much more closely tied to the New Testament; your Biblical references are exclusively Old Testament. That said, I think there were references to slaves obeying masters and for citizens to submit to the government and pay taxes. - Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and so on... Slavery benefitted many societies throughout history at the direct cost of the slaves and the nations they were gathered from. I think that the slaveholders paid an indirect price of the moral degradation of their own society. Slavery was (and still is) normalized by many peoples. Eventually I think it reaches a tipping point where the abolitionists rise up, the slaves revolt, or it just kind of peters out... Seems cyclical.

'Manually drilled holes' makes me think of a hand-held manual drill with a hand crank. But John Henry made holes in the rock by by hitting a steel spike/drill with a large hammer, maybe a sledge. This picture shows what I had always imagined. He look ready to crush some trolloc skulls...

If I remember correctly, Rand and Mat had both flute and harp. They return both to Thom later on and he grouses about the harp being out of tune.

I enjoy running across stuff I forgot during re-reads. There is usually better understanding as well. I also change my mind on on things I liked/didn't like.

Be ready for a wild and enjoyable ride!

Mat was giving Loial a hard time about the 'beautiful' Erith. Rand and Perrin saw that Loial was hurt so they start giving Mat the business about some girl in EF that he used to play kissy-face with. Saying she was ugly as a goat or whatnot.

I'm going to pick a simple one - the Mercedes hood ornament in the museum... Take it out of the story and the series is still fantastic - no big deal. But we lose the connection to our recent past. Very profound for me.

Sure, Rafe had his own agenda, style, and purpose for how he adapted the WoT. Any showrunner, director, producer does. To be honest, I don't think Rafe is that clever. The simpler answer is likely what @bringbackthomsmoustache pointed out. Centuries and more of low tech heating easily explains the dinginess of the ancient tower. The Aes Sedai could easily 'scrub' the walls white with the Power to a gleaming surface. I could accept that, but I also accept that showing the tower's age with some grime speaks to its permanence.

70 miles is a big number; I'm happy with it. But I'm feeling a bit down. Thinking it is more psychological than physical. It was a long run-up to the event and now it is done. A little deflating. Plus I'm wondering how much better I could have done... But I do have another race in October and this one is local with an AM start time so I'm hoping that will improve some of the difficulties with the recent race.

I did survive. Though my brain has been in a bit of a fog since the event - due to the physical exertion and lack of sleep over a 50-hour stretch. Woke up Friday morning at 6am but remained in bed until 9am to stay off my feet. Then I got moving for final prep: mixed up electrolytes, filled coolers with ice, dressed, packed, and headed to the race venue. Was at the park about 1pm. After setting up my base-camp, I tried to rest as much as possible until the 7pm start time. The loop was paved but not entirely smooth. There were a few stumbling hazards to watch out for especially after sunset. There were about 60 of us out there spanning the 6, 12, and 24-hour events. Not too much in the way of wildlife. Did see some bats at twilight and some really big moths - which the bats were probably after. Laps were .411 miles. From the start I alternated running and walking laps. Started taking breaks at the 12-hour mark from 15 to 30 minutes. Ended up calling it at 22 hours with 70 miles - I was not going to make my target of 79. Much more walking than running and at a slower pace towards the end. There was steady rain for about two hours mid-morning on Saturday. The paved trail drained quickly and after a quick change of socks and shoes there were no problems. Feet held up well. Was packed up and on the road about 7:30 pm. I took breaks at rest stops twice to catch some sleep. Made it home around 8am on Sunday, unloaded the car, took a shower and was in bed by 9am. 70 miles was the farthest I have gone in one event. The evening start was definitely a challenge, and not sleeping before driving home was not ideal. Pretty happy with the result but I can see changes needed for next time

Less than three hours to go. Time to toss the dice…

About 2.5 days from race start. I'll get organized and packed tonight after work. Probably up at 4am tomorrow for last minute prep. Then get my wife out of bed at 6am to take me to breakfast. Then on the road for Illinois. Will probably be a 7+ hour drive with a quick stop every two or three hours to stretch and keep the blood flowing. In my younger years it would have been one stop for gas and only about a 6-hour commute. After checking in at my hotel, I'll scout the area for places to buy ice and somewhere for dinner. Stay up later than usual on Thursday that will hopefully translate to sleeping in late on Friday. Friday morning I'll get all my Tailwind mixed up then pack up for the race. Grab ice, fill my coolers, then head to the race site. I won't eat much before the race, just snack throughout the day. Race starts at 7pm local time - which means it will be a little bit cooler early in the race while we're all fresh, but then it will start getting hotter after we've been running/walking for over 12 hours. A little bit different format. We'll see how it goes... On the plus side, it is supposed to be overcast all day. Will provide an update on Sunday or Monday.

I liked Uno for comic relief at first, but the routine with the cursing got too predictable. For me Talmanes was much better, probably because of his interactions with Mat. Most of the comic relief moments involving Mat's interactions with anyone worked for me.