2 hours ago, Ratel Snake said:

Speaking Thai is useless unless you intend to marry a bargirl and become the beta provider of an Isaan family.

You think so? 

 

I recommend you try registering a vehicle in your name and getting new plates for it at Korat Land Transport office or dealing with matters relatinng to your home at the local Amphur. Then come back and say speaking Thai is useless.

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 I will indeed justify Israel's actions in Gaza , its a response to a terror attack and stopping Hamas doing it again , fully justified IMO

Then you are not a person that I wish to debate with any further but I'll answer your questions and leave you with one.

 

Yes its a war but its not a war fought between two nations.  In this war, the entire military of a well equiped country is raging its war against a terrorist group that lives amongst the civillian population.  That population might have voted for Hamas as a government but they have never been recognised as a legitimate authority, they are considered as terrorists by most countries.  Given that the Israelis (without any authority to do so) will not allow Palestinians, apart from a heavily vetted few to travel outside Gaza, even to other Palestinian areas, they could hardly leave could they? The entire area of the Gaza Strip has been 'blockaded' by Israel since 2007.  Various other serious restrictions have been placed on the people of Gaza resulting in it been descibed as an 'open air prison'.  What type of attitude do you think such actions will breed?  Gaza doesn't contain enough land for its population to feed itself and has relied on huge international aid since the blockade.

 

Look at Jerusalem - people being told when and where they can pray. Farmers booted off their land and it being given to Israeli 'settlers'. Houses bulldozed. Who is going to accept such treatment?

 

Who stated that 14,000 Hamas terrorists have been killed?

 

I believe you know all of this yet you don't seem or don't want to, understand why the current situation exists.

 

So a question, one I doubt you will answer honestly.

 

I don't know where you're from or what family you might have, not that it matters but I suspect you are an American and most of us have families.  Let's say for example, that a terrorist, responsible for the deaths of many people was hiding in an apartment building and one of those apartments was occupied by your daughter.

 

Would you consider it justifiable for the authorities of your country to destroy the entire building and everyone in it, including your daughter in order to kill one terrorist? 

 

As someone in another post said, the IDF have weapons that can pinpoint down to exact vehicles (as they did with the 7 aid workers) - how the hell can you justify them taking out entire apartment buildings to target one apartment?  They have by the way, admitted using 1000lb bombs to do so.

2 hours ago, frank83628 said:

yeah right. can you tell me when the russian/Ukranine thins started? also google the map of Israel.... how much have israel expanded since it's conception ?

 

Are you suggesting that Ukraine is to blame for the Russian invasion of its lands or that Russia didn't invade Crimea in 2014?

 

Do you think that Israel hasn't ignored the lines drawn up by the UN or annexed additional land?  Are you saying that there is no such thing as the 'Occupied Territory'? Which country do you believe the Golan Heights actually belong to?

 

I don't think there's another country on Earth that's ignored so many UN resolutions regarding the extent of its lands.  The International Court of Justice is currently hearing arguments on the legality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

 

Just a few examples - interesting to hear your thoughts.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

That is why the IDF can destroy 3 separate vehicles with pinpoint accuracy but have to destroy any building that they "think" might have Hamas fighters in, and killing innocent men, women and children as "collateral damage".

Couldn't agree more, its absolutely disgusting.

 

I remember a few months back where they had flattened an entire apartment block to take out one apartment. No numbers were given but from the TV footage, I'd guess there were 30-50 apartments in that building.  That's 'collateral damage'?  It certainly is not and hopefully, the countries, including my own, that have been supporting Israel and ignoring such things by constantly stating that Israel has a right to defend itself, are finally realising Israel's 'reckless disregard' for Palestinian lives. Its shameful though, that its taken over 30,000 lost lives to bring about that realisation. Does nobody understand that figure? Thirty Thousand Lives! Let's not forget that there will also be at least ten times that number that have been maimed or seriously injured. How many kids have been orphaned?

 

I make no excuse for again using the term 'reckless disregard', I heard it on a radio report from Gaza shortly after the 7 aid workers were killed, it fits with Israel's actions exactly.

 

I don't have any problem at all with Israel prosecuting a war against Hamas, the attack on 7th October was horrendous but its been clear since early on in this conflict that they don't have the slightest care as to how they do that. Its fairly difficult to believe that Netanyahu cares for any lives at all - even Israeli. Remember that the Israeli hostages are hidden somewhere within the constanly bombed buildings of Gaza or the tunnels they've flooded.

 

Clearly there will be an end to this conflict but has anyone given a thought to who will pay for the aftermath? Who will pay to repair the wasteland that was Gaza Israel has created? Who will foot the bill for those Palestinian victims who will need life long care and attention? Will Israel play a part in that?  Somehow I doubt it.

I note a lot of very biased opinions in this thread - the majority seem to replicate the same futile fight that has gone on for almost a century and is the root cause of the current conflict.

 

I doubt this matter will ever be solved and it certainly won't if both sides don't recognise each other's right to exist. The situation that brought about the current conflict in Gaza is very compilcated and subjective. History books may offer explanations, they don't offer solutions

 

There are two groups of people living in the same land but one group has no official legitimacy and is dominated by the other in many ways. Each group has a totally different religion which in the case of Israel, is also the basis of its governance, laws and traditions.  The Palestinians share the same non secular society type but have no real power or legitimacy in the eyes of Israel.

 

The attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas (and others) on 7th October was horrific by any standards and a heinous and horrific act of terrorism - nobody with half a brain can deny that.  However, as Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN said shortly afterwards, it did not happen in a vacuum.  Many have sought to twist the meaning of his words since then but what he meant was that the increasingly shameful treatment of Palestinians by the Israelis was the reason and background to the attack - in no way did he mean it was an excuse for it.

 

Both sides have totally different requirements for the future - neither of which will ever happen, if only they could both recognise that.

 

The extremely right wing Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, if allowed to entirely have its own way would clear the entire country, including the 'occupied territitories' of all Palestinian and other muslim minority groups.

 

The continued theft of land for 'settlements' (even last week) within the so called 'occupied territory' is just one piece of evidence against the current Israeli administration.

 

(Milder, less politic Israeli citizens believe that the Palestinians have rights and that the two groups can live together or at the very least, separated within the same borders.)

 

The Palestinian people simply want what we all want - somewhere to live and call home. Somewhere where we have rights and respect where we can make a living and raise our families.

 

However, there are various extremist Islamic groups who want the Israelis gone and have vowed to kill them all. Hamas is just one of those groups but it is the one that has had administrative control of Gaza.  Stoking that fire and providing arms to Hamas and others are radical muslim groups outside Israel in other countries - one in particular, Iran.

 

I don't believe either side will ever back down and accept the other but I don't see any possibility of a settlement that is not enforced on both sides by the International Community.

 

That's the crux of it, you can complicate matters by quoting from history but the facts are, we are where we are today - not where we were yesterday.

 

The problem with where we are today is that we have a powerful military force, reeking revenge on a largely unarmed population.  A force using the excuse of the 7th October Attack to cover their totally reckless disregard for Palestinian lives as they prosecute their 'war on Hamas'.

 

Where do I gain the right to state that?  Isn't it a fact that the 'collateral damage' that has resulted in the killing of over 30,000 people, mainly civilians is unpreventable in a war?  'Collateral damage' in my book is for example, when a bomb goes astray and kills or damages people or property without intention.  Is that really what's been happening?

 

There have been many, many examples of Israel's recklesness recently - just 3 of which are:

 

In December 2023 Israel killed three Israeli hostages that were waving white flags and calling for help.

 

Since October 2023 close to 200 humanitarian aid workers and doctors have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.

 

The current debate about 7 aid workers being killed by a 'Tragic Error' on the part of the Israeli forces clearly illustrates Israel's dangeously reckless behaviour.  The attack by missiles fired from drones went on for several minutes and covered several kilometers as the aid workers frantically ran from car to car. Their clearly marked vehicles and route had been pre approved by the Israelis.  The Israelis are now claiming that it was dark and the markings on the aid vehicles could not be seen.

 

Really? Well then, surely if a target cannot be identified, it should not be attacked? Collateral damage?  I don't think so. I don't for one minute, think that Israel intended to kill aid workers but I do think they intended to kill the occupants of 3 vehicles which by their own admission, they could not indentify.  It must however, be remembered, that the Israelies knew that aid workers were in the area and would be moving along the route they did.

 

Israel has every right to rout and punish Hamas for the 7th October attack, what they don't have is the right to kill over 30,000 civillians and 200 aid workers and call it 'Collateral Damage' - its actually Collective Punishment which is totally against internationally recognised law.

 

Its sad that it has taken the killing of 7 aid workers before any serious condemation of Israel's actions by its allies has been made.

 

Israel's refusal to allow anything near the required amount of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza until now is another crime that in my opinion has been part of the 'collective punishment' of the Palestinian people.  They claim that aid coming in through the Rafah crossing is being used by Hamas. Israel has controlled most of Northern Gaza since early on in the conflict - if they were worried that aid coming in through Rafah would fall into the hands of Hamas, why has it taken until now to open the Erez crossing in the North?

 

I support neither Israel nor Hamas - I support life, freedom and the right to live peacefully.  Will Israel achieve its aims and make its country safe for its citizens when it defeats Hamas in Gaza?  How many new 'terrorists' have been created by Israel's attrocities in this conflict?

 

Will there be more terrorist attacks on Israel or their citizens around the world when the Gaza war ends? For sure.

 

Will Hamas achieve its goal of destroying the Israeli state and killing all jews within the territory? Not a hope! Will thousands more Palestinians die over the coming months and years? Almost certainly.

 

Has Hamas achieved anything at all by carrying out the 7th October attacks?  Well actually, yes they have - they have focused the world's attention on the plight of the Palestinian people. It is also doubtful that Israel's actions so far will have caused any form of understanding amongst the people of Gaza.  Hatred is what they will have caused and you can be sure that groups such as Hamas will capitalise on that.

 

Would a 2 state solution work?  Possibly but only if its imposed and installed by the international community overall. A key factor of that imposition would have to be forcing Israel out of its 'settlements' and back behind previously agreed borders. However, as long as there are radical islamists in countries outside Israel - countries that are ruled according to religion and who do not accept the rights of a Jewish state to even exist, there will not be total peace.  Such countries can't even achieve peace within their own borders as their governments continue imposing their strict religious ways on increasingly intolerant populations.

 

A 2 state solution won't work either whilst Israel remains within the grip of Netanyahu's right will fanatics - however, the writing was on the wall for Netanyahu before this conflict began.  I don't think he or his group will be around for long once the war ends.

 

The world must no longer stand by and allow extremist Islamic groups to carry out terrorist attacks but neither can it do nothing when Israel stokes the fires that cause such attacks in the first place.

All I can tell you is what worked for me - but be warned that not everyone responds so well.

 

 

Diagnosis March 2015

PSA 189

Gleason 4+3 (7) T3B

Tumour 100% of right prostate lobe, 60% of the left.

Agressive type

 

Firstly, your doctors need to determine whether or not the tumours have broken out of the capsule.  I was told that if they have, no curative treatment is available but various treatments can slow the disease down.

 

Scans revealed that the although cancers had broken through the capsule, it was minor and it was doubtful that any spread had taken place - although 2 lymph nodes close to the prostate were classed as 'slightly abnormal' and 'suspicious'.  They were too small to sample.

 

In the UK the NHS has fairly strict 'pathways' (types of treatment), many are only available if your PSA is below 20. For me that left removal of the prostate or Radio Therapy - both combined with hormone therapy.  My oncologist told me that the 5 year outcomes for both treatments were broadly the same - the decision was mine.

 

I was not old at the time and I was told that if I had my prostate removed, the chances of any activity between the sheets in the future was just about nil. The chances with radio therapy were a little better.  Sorry to raise this issue but its something a lot of men worry about.

 

I opted for Radio Therapy (RT) and began 6 months of Hormone Therapy (HT) beforehand which I was told would give the Radio Therapy a better chance. Due to the high % of tumour and the suspicious lymph nodes I was given the maximum 'safe' dose of RT which was 36 x 10 minute doses @ 70 2Gy over 7 weeks to the 'whole pelvis' beginning February 2016. I was advised to continue the HT for 2 to 3 years after RT.

 

I could write pages on the effects of HT but everybody responds differently to it.  I had a very hard time with it - so bad that I gave it up 12 months after RT.  All I will say about it is that it 'played with my head', I would look in the mirror and no know who I was.

 

My PSA after HT and on starting the RT had fallen to 8.2. By May 2016 my PSA was down to 0.15 and by April of 2017 it was down to 0.05 where it more or less stayed until September 2019 when it began creeping up again.  I was told that should it rise to 2, I would be called in for a PET scan to determine where (if any) the cancer was.

 

My PSA had rsien to 2.22 by January 21  indicating probable 'activity' and I had a PET scan around March I think.  The result showed that the 'activity' was still within my prostate and my Oncologist was of the opinion that it wasn't a recurrence, more likely that we just hadn't got it all the first time.  However, as I'd already had the maximum safe dose, further RT was out.  I could however have Brachytherapy (BT) which is targetted down to millimeters and therefore doesn't risk damaging any nearby tissue.  The technology employed to enable this is pretty amazing.  The PET scan was used to construct a map of my prostate to identify exactly where the activity was. My Oncologist wanted me to have HT again, before and after the BT but I wasn't at all keen.  After careful consideration he agreed that we could go ahead without it. I had 2 doses of BT @ 27 Gy, from memory 2 weeks apart, in October 21.

 

By April 2022 my PSA was down to .70 and has continued to fall ever since.  At my last test in February this year it was 0.57.  Given my initial diagnosis my Oncologist says my response has been pretty amazing. I'm not sure you can ever say you are 'out of the woods' but I'm in a much better place than I was in 2015 and should the cancer become active once again, there are now other treatment options available to me.

 

You will no doubt be given various options. What I would say to you is, read up all you can, listen carefully to your Oncologist and make your decision.  Stay in the driving seat all the time.  I'm not criticisng the doctors who've taken care of me, they've done a fantastic job but you have to stay in the driving seat.  I was not called in when my PSA rose to 2.22 in January 2022 as I was told I would be - I had to call them.  Remember, they are probably dealing with thousands of other patients - only you can raise your profile.