beautifulthailand99

You just did. I don't think the British public fully realises they have just contributed another 2.5 billion with an open cheque book to come to fund not just the Ukrainian military but the whole civic administration as well such as pensions and salaries. And make no mistake we are on a trajectory to probably double our military spend in the next 10 years or maybe sooner. That's with a new generation without affordable housing,secure employment or pensions with the threat of conscription looming its ugly head whilst financially secure boomers cheer it on from their comfortable bolthole in some corrupt foreign land. But when they do there is and will be rising anger on the home front. There's barely a discerniable Ukrainian flag in the UK anymore but a whole sea of Palestinian ones. I'm no fan of Farage but when he sees the EU army coming into being he will mobilise his rag tag army of populists to resist.

Great stuff keep it coming. In the Chinese temple near that Wat Yan is a terracotta warrior the only one outside of China and given by the Chinese government years ago yo the big shot who built this. Very interesting to go and look at all the artefacts and temple complex. There is a small fee to enter.

Edit I thought Chris was worth the effort great man that he is so I did.

If I could be bothered I would post Chris's position on RT he left after the invasion BTW and he was never censored by them or dictated what he could report on so it was just another platform to get his views to a widest audience possible. He was sacked by the NYT when he went against their line on the Iraq invasion and gave a rousing speech to that effect at an American University gradustion. He is as principled as the day is long and probably the greatest living journalist long may he reign. Whereas there is probably no US intervention you haven't supported. At Harvard he founded an underground newspaper which was shut down by the administration and earned him an academic probation. Worked as a correspondent in hot spots and war zones for many years including El Salvador, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Giving the 2003 commencement address at Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois, said: “We are embarking on an occupation that, if history is any guide, will be as damaging to our souls as it will be to our prestige and power and security.” After only a few minutes, he was booed and his microphone cut. Has taught college-credit courses in New Jersey prisons for 10 years and is an outspoken critic of the U.S. penal system. Quit after 15 years with the New York Times refusing to follow their order to stop speaking out against the Iraq war. The paper claimed he was hurting their impartiality. Has been arrested several times for his involvement in Occupy Wall Street and anti-war protests. A hero. That Chris Hedges.

Absolutely and unequivocally to save my time explaining that I will quote an article from the brilliant journalist and now polemicist Purlitzer Prize winner and Presbyterian priest Chris Hedges on the subject. Every single word. https://www.salon.com/2023/07/08/they-lied-about-afghanistan-they-lied-about-iraq-now-theyre-lying-about-ukraine/

This is not the place to debate that. But your contribution is noted.

That's my afternoon wasted then checking out your posts. For the record I unequivocally and unreservedly respect the authority and judgment of the court as the highest international tribunal to settle disputes between nation states.

South Africa Israel can't be arsed to read the other thread but the usual suspects will have no doubt trashed the court so that's that for them nothing to see here. Of course if they get the result they are seeking it will be all true. Straight out of the Trump playbook. So is this a legitimate international court or not think carefully before answering simple answer yes or no ?

Ukrainians BTW don't like you saying the Ukraine as it implies its old name The Ukrainian SSR which was part of the Soviet Union same goes for Kyiv not Kiev. You would be OK though in The Dontesk People's Republic ! Since as a British taxpayer paying money to potentially destabilise my country is high on your agendas is there anything else you would like me to pay for whilst you're here perchance ?

There would be less wars if the attitude was I can't be arsed but then the Internet wouldn't have been invented either and I wouldn't be having this pointless conversation. Maybe I should fight the paranoia and smoke it anyway !

Err no but I'm tapping this out on a tablet rather than a desktop so there are a few punctuation issues probably degrading it's readability. Or it maybe you as well ?

Have a doobie mate and chill out.

When I used to smoke I did think I was better than the straights who didn't that I had some greater insight into the universe as I passed out to a Captain Beefheart album on repeat which in those days meant staggering to the gramophone to turn the thing over with Ash and hot coals hash burning stuff everywhere or after some hugely powerful skunk that had broken an enforced drought trying to calm down an occasional toker mate who was staying over as to who he was. He kept saying who am I repeatedly and giving him just his name back didn't suffice. Great daze.....

Thanks for the artful reasoning you are a siren voice wafting me with smoke to Elyssian fields of stonerdom. I loved it well enough back in the day for sure but it was always a case of making do with what the dealer had in rather than this smorgasbord of delights you currently have. The craving when I did give up lasted months with terrible sleep to boot until one day I just woke up no longer coughing with the dawn chorus and realised I was free.

Sound words and my wife hates it and would give me so much grief it's not worth it. To my younger stoner self the current situation in Thailand would be paradise.

Your spin not mine. If you can't be bothered to read it and it's a long one it basically suggests that each European country should get its own nukes for its own security. Mankind will destroy itself eventually or at least the alphas will and then retire to their own bunkers in New Zealand.

It's 2027 Trump is President and Europe's about to be destroyed once again. Buy gold and supplies and learn Russian. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-trump-ukraine-war-russia-nato-vladimir-putin/

Well if you won't read the report you will never know. They make a point of saying that US interests are different from Ukraine and that the relief of sanctions can be tools to delivering an uneasy end to hostilities. Currently it is thought that 700k men have fled the country many to join their refugee partners and children who will probably never return that and further mobilisation will cripple what's left of the economy. An election would be helpful as well as a ceasefire and then let's take it from there. Trump is reported he may be minded to continue the war but Europe would have to match the funding dollar for dollar. I'm afraid we're bust and just a bond market strike away from perdition. You picked a good place to sit this out smoke and taxation notwithstanding as did the 100s of thousands of Russians have too.

And.... she has been there and spoke at first hand with a variety of sources. A lot of the criticism is from folks outside the country taken umbrage that a Russian speaking journalist should deal in anything other than propaganda. A lot of journalists have forgotten their role is to speak truth to power not be a pr agency for the state department. RIP John Pilger.

This is a very interesting article causing considerable controversy amongst the Ukrainian maximalists for its unvarnished portrayal of life inside the country. Understandably a lot of folks are just tired of war and want it to end. https://t.co/0R9hPNnPjt

He did much to the chagrin of his assembled oligarchs. I have great sympathy for Ukraine all of this would have been better it had never happened and we all try to get along peacefully. But here we are. I don't buy the belief that Putin is the new Hitler and he presents an existential threat to the west. Its abundantly clear now to even the dimmest he would never attack NATO and he is happy to keep his beef as to what he sees as his fraternal brothers which is Ukraine. And it's clear that we won't put boots on the ground nor have sufficient military kit to enable the Ukrainians to finish the job. So to continue to put more petrol on the fire is to prolong the suffering to achieve the same outcome on the end. Another by product of this is Russia has now permanently pivoted and as the largest country in the world with the most natural resources to China and the global south who care not a jot for our moralising. I have mentioned before that the Pentagon's think tank the Rand Corporation snuck out a report early last year outlining various scenarios as to end this war not all putting Ukrainian agency as the primary concern. Its now time to dust this off and begin a process to end the war as unpalatable that is to many. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA2510-1.html

My caveat was of course if threatened with societal collapse and some form of warlordism if the central power fell apart. That's how Putin came to power with the collapse of the Soviet Union first came anarchy, law and order collapsed state infrastructure was looted and salaries went unpaid all mismanaged by an alcoholic Yeltsin supported by the west who were part of that looting frontier. Putin brought order to the chaos reputedly on 50% of everything. The Chinese leaders and people saw that and thought no thanks. How do you manage a country of 1.3 billion souls without a firm hand ? Exporting western democracy to countries that don't want it is a form of imperialism even more so if done with the barrel of the gun. Besides which the US preaches this but when it goes against them like Allende in Chile they pull a coup. Or in SE Asia fuel a regional war that left 3.5 million dead and countries destroyed. Against that backdrop Putin or indeed the global South is in no mood for morality lectures.

Could be the rumoured Trump golden showers kopromat said to have been taken on the Obama bed in Moscow. Which if true explains some of the hold that Putin has over him.

I smoked and dealt in an amateur fashion it must be said from the age of 17 to 38 when I decided enough was enough and knocked it and cigarettes on the head. Never regretted it for many reasons not least my health,wealth and the fact it made me happy doing eff all. The typical stoner. On the few occasions I've had a toke since I've really not enjoyed it, for one it knocked me out in social situations where I would rather be social and the other was a rampant paranoia often centred around why the hell am I doing it again. Is this normal or is it just me ?

Most successful Chinese I have met in the West or indeed Thailand (Hong Kong refugees excepted if course) are immensely proud of their country and the leaps they have made from the dark days of Mao. Indeed my nephew is married to one and they have a mixed race daughter now in the UK. They care more about wealth and status rather than high democratic principles I feel.