"I don't think it's fair for you to use my little joke to try to discredit the entire thread." I'm not. I'm just trying to piggyback on your joke to extend it. Woo internet. We wouldn't have this issue if we were face to face, but it's hard to convey everything in text alone. Being a huge bad movie, horror, gore fan...I'm very in tune to the various coming zombie apocalypses. I'm not in the pocket of big agriculture, nor do I use/promote GM crops or chemical culture. I don't use either on my own vegetable garden aside from a light chemical fertilizer (aka, Miracle Grow). I just work in/around some of the "evil" (very indirectly, mostly end-user farmers), but most of the research and work I've done involve how to use less resources...that's where agriculture research is. Less water, less pesticides, less chemicals...part of this, unfortunately, is the role GM crops play in putting less of these other inputs into the soil. For us managing a few dozen to a few hundred rows of crops we don't need it, but when a person is planting/managing 100 acres+ things get a little harder. I'm not happy where GM is going or the companies pushing it or the governments that can't even get patent law under control approving most of it and letting judges with limited knowledge battle it's roll-out. I walk in both worlds, but I know where I stand.

@HU-410414692 Thanks so much for explaining why clothing and household items I've washed for years in cold, now shrink in Samsung's version of "cold". I've ruined too many loved items, things I've ALWAYS machine-washed. So thinking it must have been my error, and I'd forgotten to change the temp setting, I'd try it again. After several such shrinkage mishaps, I knew for certain I was using the cold setting. So I no longer wash anything shrinkable in my machine, even on delicate. I live in Southern California on a raised foundation house. The water doesn't get that cold in the first place, so if this machine adds warm water, as you explained, then I'm screwed for washing wools. I suppose I could wash on delicate in cold on very cold days in winter only and keep my fingers crossed. But it's not worth the risk. And that doesn't happen that often anyway. This shrinkage was the first thing I called Samsung about when I first bought the set. Samsung sent out a repairman because it was under warranty and he couldn't find anything wrong. (roll eyes). The company line was deny, deny, deny. I was so concerned about the machine destroying my things that I forgot to ask about the front coming off every time I opened the detergent drawer. I solved that issue by never using liquids At this point, the set is barely functioning as a washer and dryer for me. I might as well beat my clothes on rocks and dry them on tree branches. If I had the money for a new set, I'd set these on fire, I hate them that much. And I couldn't in good faith sell them to anyone else. Anyone considering buying Samsung: Please reconsider. You'll regret it. Samsung doesn't deserve your business. In fact, there are many other reviews here like mine. Here's just one of many: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2411936/don-t-buy-a-samsung-washer-or-dryer#n=247

Thank you for your time and contributions. I'm the only girl in a family of 6. I have 5 great brothers and often wish I had been born a boy as well. Happy though that my dad got his wish for a girl and I was in his life until he passed away when I was 13. Growing up I spent most of my time with my brothers doing "boy" things and I really enjoyed it. I tried having "girlfriends" but all they did was hang out with me because they had crushes on my brothers. When I did establish a "friendship" those girls stabbed me in the back with lies and name calling. I've had really great friends as I grew older, in my late teens I had two really great friends that I knew I could trust with anything. One moved, married and had kids - we lost touch with one another, the other one passed away. More friends and more dissapointments as I grew older. A week before my wedding a "friend" called and said she wouldn't be going to the wedding and our relationship was over. I didn't get that. A couple years later when she wanted to be friends again she apologized and said she was jealous that I was so happy. At 38 it was my first marriage, she'd already been married and had a son. I let her back in my life slowly. Her son died unexpectantly and she attempted suicide. I tried to help her and did all I could for a couple of years but eventually had to get out of that relationship as it was wearing on me both physically and emotionally. Another friend who was married with kids was truly a unique individual. I really treasured what we had until she started having extramarital affairs and expected me to remain quiet about that. I had to back out of that relationship and to my surprise she passed away last year. I've concluded that growing up with 5 brothers and no sisters that perhaps I don't understand women. I have no patience for gossip and lies, for manipulation and so many of the qualities I've seen in so many women over my life. I tend to tell it as it is but I would never want to offend or hurt someone with words or actions. I try to live an exemplarary life both socially and professionally. I do have standards. I don't like bad language and will ask customers that come into my office to refrain from using bad language in front of me if they are swearing. I do it tastefully and have never had it backfire on me. I could go on and on about "friends" but I won't. The reason I pondered this question in the first place is that I had learned something on Monday about my former boss who I'd been friends with for more than 20 years. A man this time. I worked for him for 11 years when he retired in Dec. of 2013. The whole time I worked for him I never questioned his actions or motives etc. I had a great deal of respect for him and I knew I could trust him just as he knew he could trust me. A few of the last years we worked together our agency earned a bonus. When the bonus was announced he sat down with me (and Hubby - we both worked for him) and said that he would split the bonus with us because he wouldn't have gotten it without us. So to make a very long story short we recently found out that the bonus amounts weren't exactly split. We were led to believe we were receiving 50% when in fact it was less than 15%. We are talking 100k in bonus. I never questioned his generosity with sharing the bonus with us and to how much the actual take was. I knew he was trustworthy and wouldn't screw us. Boy was I wrong. It's money and when you work hard for someone for 11 years and trust that person the way we did, this was hard to swallow. I haven't decided if this friendship is over or not. He retired and will travel this year so it's not like I will see him. I stay in touch with them through facebook but nothing else for the time being. Friends just keep dissapointing me and sometimes I just don't see the need for it. I think I need to focus on this some more. Thank you again.

There have been reports of all power linemen, power house workers, electrical engineers, and phone techs having a higher incidence of brain cancer floating around for many years. All have used poor (at best) methodology and at best have established a weak correlation. None has ever identified causation. There is at least some evidence that transformer oils with PCBs may have played a part. Very few COs (Central Offices for phones) use the racks of relays and switches anymore. Most are now entirely electronic. The reliability is much higher for the new stuff. The old stepper relays required large crews and almost constant maintenance to keep them operating, along with a much larger amount of power. I have supported research (PhD in EE) into EMF effects for a number of projects over the years and not a single one has found any statistically significant effect until the levels produced localized heating of tissue. This has been the demonstrated mechanism with repeatable results for many years. Many of the studies outside of labs have used 'wire codes' (go out and count conductors on poles) and other dubious methods to 'gauge' EMF strength. A few more sophisticated ones have tried actually measuring the fields. None has produced a decent correlation with field strength or a dose-response connection that has statistical validity. Hunting with an AM radio works very well for EMI problems at pretty low cost. I have even used it to scan very expensive systems (aircraft, ships, computer installations etc.) as a quick & dirty check. After eliminating the most obvious sources you come back with a spectrum analyzer and look for anything else that was missed.