Lacessit

Explain the difference for our benefit, please. I am interested in seeing how far semantics can be stretched.

Churchill: " A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets a chance to put its pants on." "Special military operation." I suppose the body bags coming back to Russia will be called noble sacrifices.

Why is it so important to consume alcohol with a meal at a restaurant? If I want a drink, I'll do it at home, where no-one will bother me with BS regulations.

Insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan turned IED's into an art form. They even attached dead dogs to the explosives, so that soldiers who were not killed in the detonation had long-lasting bacterial infections from their injuries. I don't think Ukrainians are slow learners, they will find ways to make life miserable for the Russians. Unless Putin can assert control over social media, he runs the risk of his own countrymen turning on him. Mussolini, Ceausescu, Gaddafi, Pahlavi, Hussein. That's the nightmare of all tyrants.

I know what I would do, I'll be interested to see how Kwasaki has to say. Pacifism is fine when it is on the behalf of other people.

I've found simple voice connection with a dumbphone to my son in Australia is quite adequate. I use that to switch to a video call. I have DUO and LINE on my smartphone, WiFi only. LINE is OK locally, DUO is better when I talk to my son. I have ZOOM on my laptop, no lag at all. That's a cable connection.

It makes me think the Ukrainians will keep on fighting even after any surrender, what about you?

I don't think Russia will stop, and I don't think the average Russian is aware of what Putin's mania is going to cost by way of body bags. It's pretty obvious why China is staying out, if Putin is successful that gives the CCP a ticket to Taiwan.

It's quite possible to occupy a nation with superior force. It's a lot more difficult to pacify it if the population hates you, and uses all kind of dirty tricks to persuade you to leave. Reports from Kyiv indicate people are arming themselves with Molotov cocktails, IED's will probably be next.

No doubt there will be a slaughter, both of Ukrainians and Russians. I doubt any Ukrainian child has missed out on being schooled in the Holomodor, the man-made famine in 1932-1933 instituted by Stalin. What you are saying is surrender, and let Putin do what he wants. Another Holomodor, perhaps. He is not noted for benevolence towards those who oppose him. I don't know what you would do if someone invaded your country, maybe you do not have a country to call your own, or have no sense of identity. I do know if I was an Ukrainian with their previous history, I'd be trying to kill as many Russians as I could.

It depends on whether my children were defending their country and their way of life, in which case I would say go for it, and let me pick up a rifle too. OTOH, if it is a leader who involves his countrymen in foreign wars, I'd be saying I want to see you on the front line as well.

How old do you think the Russians invading the Ukraine are? From what I have seen, their ages are not much older. Old men send young men to wars to die, that's how it has been forever.

European Song Contest? As if that is going to deter Putin. What nationality are you? I suspect that has some bearing on what you are posting. Putin may not be aware of it, but IMO he has bitten off more than he can chew. Ukrainians don't think of themselves as Russian, they have a different language and identity. History is replete with examples of invaders who eventually had to retreat from a country with a bloody nose, because the cost became too high. Obviously the Soviets learned nothing from Afghanistan.

Honda beats Yamaha in marketing. I don't see much difference on the technical side. I think Yamaha is cheaper new, but the resale value of a used Honda is higher.

If your only point of difference between Hitler and Putin is nuclear weapons, I'd say the comparison is valid. Hitler called it Lebensraum, no doubt Putin has a similar justification. I really do wonder about someone who defends a dictator with a track record of poisoning his opponents, and taking 50% of the wealth of the Russian oligarchs in return for their continued liberty. Putin is a thief and a murderer. The invasion of another country is simply theft writ large.

I'm not sure how one compromises or has an open-minded dialogue with someone who directs their army to invade another country, irrespective of the bloodshed it causes. Chamberlain tried that with Hitler, please explain how Putin is different. Russia and China are not the problem. Putin and Xi are.

This story illustrates how careful one has to be in a country with a corrupt police and judicial system. I was reminded of the TV series " Bangkok Hilton" starring Nicole Kidman. I make no judgments on her guilt or innocence, except to say I would never sign for a package that I was not addressed to me, and/or was unexpected.

IMO finding ladyboys that have relationships lasting longer than overnight would be like looking for ice-cubes in the Sahara. Assuming such longer term relationships exist, you would then need to segregate the type; i.e. male - ladyboy, female - ladyboy, ladyboy - ladyboy. In Asia, everyone is usually told what the speaker thinks the interlocutor wants to hear. Permit me to doubt the answers you get on social and emotional dynamics can be relied on as fact.

I only buy strawberries that are completely red, I suppose it gets difficult if one is color-blind.

Wars cost money, the USA found that out as far back as Vietnam. For Russia, the difference is the ruble has no status as a stable or trusted currency. Whereas America can go on printing dollars, safe in the knowledge it is the world's reserve currency. Putin was a KGB operative, then a taxi driver, now a dictator. I doubt he knows anything about money except how to steal it.

Rare earths are not rare , they can be found in most countries. The big difference is the CCP is willing to allow the environmental and human cost of mining and processing highly toxic materials. Google Lynas Corporation, it is sitting on the world's richest known deposit of rare earths in Western Australia. The Pentagon has bought up a significant amount of forward production. Supply chains are a two-edged sword, many nations are re-assessing their dependence on China and reviving the manufacturing capabilities they let slide.

Funny thing, I have been exposed to pesticides, herbicides, vaccines and plasticisers for 78 years, and I am still posting in good health. I haven't grown two heads, although I do think with a GF 23 years younger than me I could use an extra testicle.

I like Thai food, about 80% of my diet. I cook for myself the rest of the time. I have calculated my assets apart from my pension will run out when I am about 106, so I don't consider I am skint. I agree on the upsides you mention; however, there are more than two for me.

Boric acid is H3BO3. Borax is sodium tetraborate, Na2(B4O5(OH)4).8H2O. It does not matter which form it is in, it's the boron which is toxic to insects.

The strawberries up in the mountain areas where it is colder are much more edible. The bananas, mangoes, apples, pineapple, rambutan, mangosteen, putsa and strawberries I eat are all delicious. It's a matter of knowing which market stall sells the good stuff. I don't understand why people bag Thai food. I balloon out to 100 kg when I go back to Australia, I am 88 kg here. Healthier diet. Your post has given more support to my hypothesis the NHS in Britain has a secret section that goes around hospital maternity wards in the UK, removing the taste buds of new-borns.