Lacessit

I was placed on blood pressure medication about 8 years ago, after a reading of 180/100. I don't know how much of that was white coat syndrome. 3 years ago, I decided to get fit with an exercise regime. It enabled me to stop taking medication. My current BP is normally 115/60, with a resting pulse rate of mid-fifties. If I take 50 mg of Viagra, my BP goes down to 80/40, and my pulse rate is 95 bpm.

I learned about Russia from " Journey into Russia " by Sir Laurens van der Post, "The future is ours, Comrade" by Joseph Novak, and a history of the Second World War, by Martin Gilbert. I read as much material as I could get my hands on about the rise of the Bolsheviks, and Stalin's machinations to supplant Lenin. Russia has always fascinated me as a nation which should be the richest on the planet, yet only has a GDP a fraction of the US, Europe and China, which phenomenon can be laid squarely at the feet of its political system. IIRC Churchill once described Russia as a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The books I cite helped me in understanding.

How far back in your history did you go to understand Ukraine? The Budapest Memorandum? The Holodomor? Ukrainians being called Nazis, because they welcomed the Germans as liberators from Russian oppression? They soon found out the jackboot crushing them simply changed from left to right. Admittedly the US/UK/NATO have invaded sovereign countries, one can argue whether their motives are good or bad. AFAIK they have not deliberately targeted civilian populations, attacked agricultural and power infrastructure, employed criminals released from jail in their armed forces, or embarked on a program of migrating their citizens into occupied areas. They have not torn up any mutual security agreements. Quite apart from genocide, which partially happened in 1932-1933. I have no doubt Putin would repeat Stalin's formula if he could. There is one fact you can take to the bank. Ukrainians hate Russians. Given their history, they have very good reason.. IMHO

I'd agree punctuation and spelling are not necessary in spoken English, I am not so sure playing fast and loose with grammar is good teaching.

Was that typo in your last sentence a Freudian slip? Based on your first sentence, every country in the world is now able to invade the sovereign territory of any other country.

The only position where it would be possible to talk to Putin is after he is kicked out of Ukraine. Giving him anything would be as effective as when Chamberlain talked with Hitler. Anyone who does not understand that lesson from history IMO is a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

There is a difference between a journalist talking to a world leader, and two world leaders doing the same. I don't know about support. However, IMO Trump's actions during his presidency definitely encouraged both Kim and Putin. They probably could not believe their luck, dealing with a total amateur.

To make money, why else? I am wondering what he will have to say about Trump's immunity claim just having been thrown out on its ear by the court of appeal.

AFAIK they are sent to re-education camps. I am wondering how far he has tunneled by now. I couldn't find a guy beating a drum, so a violin will have to do. 🤣

"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" ( John Maynard Keynes ) When one is in a hole, it's best to stop digging. Perhaps we will be seeing KH in China next.

If you read a previous post of mine, I said Putin was far left prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. He's obviously a fascist now. Trump and Putin both use religion for their own ends, if you believe they are sincere there's a bridge in Sydney I'd like to sell you. In 1994, the Budapest Memorandum guaranteed the security of Ukraine in return for that country surrendering its nuclear weapons. 20 years later, Putin invaded Crimea. 2022, he went the whole hog. In 1932, Stalin orchestrated the Holodomor, a famine which killed approximately 6 million Ukrainians. Stalin then moved Russians into the depopulated areas. It's why most Ukrainians know Putin is attempting their genocide, he's trying to follow in Stalin's footsteps. I have seen and heard Putin say he wants to restore Russia to its former glory. That's code for bringing back the Iron Curtain, all the way to Germany. These are historical facts, nothing to do with what you term silly Western snippets.

I wasn't suggesting jewellery, only bullion. I suppose some smarty could come up with a layer of gold thickness that would defeat Mohs or Rockwell testing. Tungsten only costs $3.25 per pound, gold is more than USD 2000 an ounce.

When you can't even spell the word propaganda correctly, it doesn't say much for your intelligence either.

I suggest you look at the rally where he referred to immigrants as "poisoning the blood" of Americans, straight out of the Nazi playbook. As far as "normal" people go, IMO it would be a fascinating social experiment to compare the average IQ of Trump's base to that of Democrat voters. I'm talking about the welded-on base on both sides of the divide. 50% of Americans still believe in angels, so the comparison might not prove anything. Coming to a cinema near you........ Goldenhair.mp4

Please explain the difference to me. Here's a similarity - both worship a charismatic leader with maniacal ideas. Both leaders talk about racial purity, and white supremacy.

America appears to have established a minor tradition of getting presidents from the entertainment industry. Reagan was an actor, Trump a TV celebrity. Here's a scenario to give everyone pause. Trump picks Tucker as his VP, and gets re-elected. Before Trump can get going on his mission of vengeance, he dies from choking on a Big Mac. Carlson becomes president.

A lucky escape, and from the photo you would not have been much better off in a car, maybe worse. Looks like a dirt road, an added hazard.

What many people don't seem to realize is the money going into Ukraine from the USA and Europe is money well spent, in terms of preventing a wider conflict. Nobody in their right mind would expect Putin to stop if he won in Ukraine, he has repeatedly stated his desire to restore the Soviet Union to its former glory. The Chinese are enjoying the situation. They are getting cheap oil, while eyeing the riches of Siberia. IIRC, one of the Tom Clancy books, "The Bear and the Dragon" predicts that scenario.

No-one needs to pay more than token tax in Thailand, there are various strategies available. As Kerry Packer famously said, anyone who doesn't minimize their tax needs their head read.

He might have got bored, he was fired. Assets are less important than expenditures. There are many rich people who have bankrupted themselves with drugs, gambling and women. You can't know he does not need a job. CNN and MSNBC are far left? That has me wondering what you would make of MSM in Australia. The mere mention of socialism seems to get many Americans frothing at the mouth. We have had socialist governments on and off in Australia since Federation. They are, more often than not, the governments that introduce major reforms.

Putin was, in the days of the Soviet Union. I don't know what his position in the political spectrum now.

You don't like my questions? You're not the first. The laugh emoticon was from me.

It doesn't matter what the sample is. Saliva, hairs, skin cells, whatever. The presence of Trump's DNA would prove he lied about never having met her. Maybe I have more faith in science than you do. It's worth noting hundreds of convicted criminals have subsequently been exonerated on the basis of DNA evidence. https://innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/ Now tell me, how many people have been WRONGFULLY convicted on the basis of DNA evidence?

Oxygen oxidizes contaminants. I am hard put to think of any impurity which would cause an adverse reaction in humans. Of course, a welding tank might have contaminants such as nitrogen or argon, but these are inert gases which would have zero effect.

He's so smart he got himself fired by three networks - CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. The last took real effort, given Murdoch's brand of politics.