rickudon

Laughable cherry picked data - it refers to about one month! ACTUAL storms in the 2024 season - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Atlantic_hurricane_season

So when did these rolling power cuts take place? Yes, in January they came close due to an interconnector outage, Last time i remember one was the 1970s! Obviously some power cuts do occur due to storm damage and maintenance. Nothing to do with renewable power. i agree that maybe shutting down the last coal fired station was a bit premature, UK does need to put some energy storage in place; the technology is there, just to tight to fork out the money for it. Gas is what keeps electricity prices high - the sooner we can get rid of it for electricity generation, those electric bills will come down.

Currently the war is at a stalemate, Without the help from Iran and North Korea. there would be no movement on the front lines. Russia has manpower, but precious little else in its favour. The first year of the war saw massive Russian incompetence, which resulted in the mauling of their experienced troops. They have lost 75% of their tanks, and significant amounts of Infantry fighting vehicles and artillery. This is why now most of their fighting is with Infantry (mostly untrained). Only the winter of 2022 gave them a breathing space. The Russian military industrial complex is broken. Massive corruption means that factories are inefficient and missing many of the more sophisticated elements they need. Production of complex weapons happens at a snails pace, and doesn't keep up with the rate of loss. Infantry these days attack in civilian cars, ATVs, motor bikes and even on bicycles. As long as they are available, drones, artillery and mines take care of most of them. Successes are rare, but Ukraine has insufficient troops to stage major counter attacks. Russian losses are now believed to exceed one million men killed or wounded - because casualty evacuation is rare, mainly killed. Men have been sent into the attack on crutches! Russian strengths are manpower, shahed drones, ballistic missiles and to a lesser extent, artillery. Glide bombs were a problem but are now less useful. Their 'meat attacks' result in heavy losses, but Putin doesn't care about Russian losses. However, the cost of this war is collapsing the Russian economy, inflation is at about 20%, and civilian infrastructure is not being maintained. If Ukraine can keep up its defence, Russia will probably run out of steam in 2026 - 1917 again? In 1916, Russia was having great success with the Brusilov offensive, which inflicted heavy losses on the Austrians and Germans. But it left Russia so weak that it's armies collapsed a year later. Ukraine is now fighting a war of attrition. In defence, their casualties are much lower, they can trade a kilometre here and a kilometre there, but are bleeding Russia dry militarily and financially. But Putin is greedy, he wants everything, he may end up with nothing if he doesn't do a deal. Tom Cooper's military blog on Sarcastosaurus has given a real insight to this war.

The problem with illegal migration is that there is no easy way to claim asylum outside of the UK, You have to get on a boat first, Then the answer is that you have to find someway to stop people from starting to come in the first place. We should talk to countries which cause the illegal migration, it is far cheaper to offer aid to stop them coming than deal with it when they arrive' In the case of countries in conflict, pay surrounding countries to help the refugees, and offer some opportunity to file asylum claims locally.

Under Starmer, criticism of Israel and Jewish anti-semitism became a taboo, and while nearly everyone hates Hamas, Israeli atrocities get hardly a mention by the British government. Many young people, not just Muslim ones, are very unhappy about this, My son is one of them. Once a Labour member and considering standing for Office, he is now joining the liberals. I very much doubt that any Labour supporter is happy with this government, they have successfully alienated nearly everyone. The only question for them, is if there is a party who offers them more. Reform is a step to far for many younger voters, the Conservative party is probably in an even worse state having tied there chariot to the disastrous Brexit horse. Reform and the Liberals are the only real alternatives. What Britain needs is some really new ideas; not just building walls against immigrants, something that will actually work.

I grow in Isaan (Udon Thani). Our farm soil is abysmal (ex rice paddy) and garden mainly clay. In the hot season most vegetables struggle and die, only a few are ok. Cold season is the main veg growing time. Fruit - Bananas on the farm, but very sickly. If we get more than 10 in a bunch were lucky! Mangoes on the farm do quite well, although first year loose about 50% of trees; get 5-30 fruit per tree when big enough (about 2-3 metres tall). Only ever had one Papaya grow well there, most die. Currently trying Oranges and Date palms, but no fruit yet and some dieback, A few coconuts but no fruit yet (some died) All other fruit trees planted have quickly died (Custard apple, longan, mangosteen and others). In the garden, have custard apple, limes, mangoes and just started to flower this year, a Longan. Did have a Jackfruit tree which gave a few fruit, but it died, Veg - on the farm, everything other than Lemongrass has failed. Even rice was very poor yield, not worth the effort and cost. In the garden, have grown many veg, but sometimes, especially when hot, can fail. have managed to grow Lettuce, other salad leaves, Swiss chard, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, beans, Okra, Tomatoes and Aubergines. One year even grew real Spinach (usually to hot). Bell peppers do not do well, lucky to get any bigger than 2 cms. (Its too hot for them). By April, most veg are dying, only ones to grow well in hot season are Okra and Swiss chard. Soil dries out rapidly, have to water twice a day when hot. Lack of Organic matter in soil is a problem, I make compost but never enough. Biggest pest is mother-in-law, who has dementia but still physically strong. Any tired looking veg are exterminated, trees butchered and she sweeps incessantly, we have lost about 10 cms of top soil in the last 10 years (also why little organic matter; leaves, mulch compost all swept away). Growing in the tropics is more challenging than I expected, and hard work because of the heat. But sometimes it works.

Plenty of complacent pricks who like to gloat over their ability to speak and read Thai in this thread. Yes some of us are just to lazy. For some of us it is just really difficult. Dyslexia - this is an issue. My daughter and son in the UK were both diagnosed as Dyslexic in the UK - but only when they got to University. Mild cases are not so easy to recognise. There are different types - some find reading difficult, some writing. Also learning foreign languages. My son says he thinks i am as well. Dyslexia was not even recognised as a problem when i was young. No problem with reading, but writing.... took 3 attempts to get English 'O' level. Spelling and grammar were weak points, so i was a slow writer. in exams i would do 3 pages, most others did 5 or more. Still got to university, and got 2 degrees. Languages - at school, i got the worst French 'O' level mock result in the year, Was not allowed to sit the main exam. In my life, have tried to learn many languages, but always came unstuck even on the basics. I could learn a few words, but could never really converse. Better at reading, can partially understand about 7 languages as long as i know what the subject is about (mainly technical). Then finally my later life problem. I have lost the ability to hear high pitched sounds. I find tones like in Thai very hard. On the phone find it hard to understand people speaking even English until i can 'tune in'. I did try my first 2 years here to learn some Thai. But it was a struggle and rarely needed it. Now just keep to a few phrases like ordering petrol at the petrol station, asking for the toilet, numbers and names of things. I get by. Do i wish i could speak Thai well? Of course. But in life we learn some battles we will rarely win.

The Wuhan lab was first suggested as the source back in January 2020. Big coincidence to have a new pandemic start up within a couple of miles of the Wuhan lab, which was studying Coronaviruses. The scientists say that there was no evidence of deliberate mutation, but could still have been from a Wuhan Petri dish. They had many natural strains in the Laboratory. WHO was denied access to the lab for months. And many of the lab staff were no longer there. Could have been a lab worker going to the wet market to get dinner... either donating or receiving viruses.

True. Apparently Jews used to make up over 10% of the population in Poland. Maybe they would like to go back?

Another lab leak.

2000 years ago by the Romans. I guess England should be given back to the Celts, and all those damn Anglo-saxons should go back to Germany

Well, Trump's government is slashing healthcare research and expenditure. Will be interesting to see if Life expectancy in the USA starts going down in a couple of years.

What to do about them? Hope for another pandemic, should get rid of a few.

The one country other than Russia still colonising new lands and driving away or killing the locals

Yes, we had the best. I when a teenager, lived in Surrey and no ethnic pupils in my school apart from a couple of Sephardic Jews until we got one from Biafra. Only place you saw a black person was at the railway station - they worked there. Went to University In Birmingham , and it was multi-cultural in the 70's, but not very much friction - plenty of jobs. And Government paid for my BSc course (unlike today), actually left university debt free and a couple of hundred in the bank. After University had 7 jobs in 7 years, not always the jobs i wanted, but never unemployed for more than a week or two, and never failed to get a job iwas interviewed for. 2 of those were expat jobs; bought a house and did an MSc (self funded) on the proceeds. Returned in 1980 and a different world. The local pub (mainly West indians) was no longer welcoming, and 2 riots within a couple of miles in 2 years. No work - unemployed for nearly 18 months (that's another story). Moved back to south (Hampshire) when i finally got a job. Bought a new (old) house, 4 times more expensive but it was doable just. Had developed a taste for dusky maidens of all ethnicities while in Birmingham and abroad (not a racist, like many of the posters on this thread). Got married to one and raised a family. Finally got made redundant/early retired and then divorced. Had realised that owning a house again and actually having a life was going to be hard in the UK, so left for Thailand in 2010 (had already met future wife). I did at first think that once inheriance and OAP kicked in i would be able to buy a house again in the UK, but cost of everything except food had gone through the roof and inheritance went on my mothers nursing home. Son and daughter in the UK, both Graduates and on fairly good salaries, are still homeless in their 30's; they have to wait for ex-wife to sell up before they can become home owners. I cruised casually through life but always saw a future - bigger house, nicer holidays. My kids see none. Student debt, predatory landlords, expensive bills eat up what they earn; the little they can save is dwarfed by rising costs.

Well, Songkran was a bit cooler in Udon this year, only about 35-37 Centigrade most days. Making up for it now, 39.2 Today.

Trump thinks USA citizens will work in these new factories, if and when they are built.. A recent survey showed only 2% of the population wanted to work in a factory. Those new factories will need to be run by robots or immigrants; take your choice....

Nobody seems to be aware that an alternative exists - The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program (RorDor), which offers exemptions from full military service. You do this via completing the three-year ROTC program, typically during high school, which provides an exemption from mandatory conscription. My nephew did it.

Very little to do carbon zero/green policies. The wholesale price of electricity depends mainly on the most expensive resource used - which is usually gas. https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/electricity-pricing

Nothing new about this, has been going on for years. Seizing all the laundered money is a nice little earner for the UK government. Cannabis and Vietnamese nail bars are the same - a money laundering operation.

Free speech in USA? Not if you support Palestinians (I do not mean Hamas). Israel of course, is always right and Palestinians are Evil. The truth is somewhat different. Fake news, mass Immigration and wokeness gone mad has created a lot of problems in the UK, but still a hell of a lot safer than USA.

Neither EU or UK use USA wheat any more, i think. THE UK's top 9 sources of imported wheat do not include the USA. I guess the only countries which need it are those suffering severe drought and famine. And those rely on USAID programs ... oh crap, there gonna starve.

OL, you got me, i should have said what the AI said! Actually only 15 years, thats when i came to live in Udon. But if you have been trying to catch me out and it took 15 years, I think that is a damn good record!

Amazing. Some people are so far down the rabbit hole, No point in trying to explain MMCC to you. We al know what happened to dinosaurs, Or maybe you think it was the great flood....

Exactly my thoughts.