thaibeachlovers

I agree. I suspect the men pretending to be a woman were allowed to take the female version. Women should never be allowed to be in combat unless they can pass the same physical requirements that men have to meet. Those requirements are for a reason. BTW, when I was in the real military ( Vietnam era ) such things never came up because a/ no man pretending to be a woman would even dare to try and join up b/ women in the military were used in the typing pool and as nurses. None had dreams of being a female Rambo.

Agree 100%. In a free world I'd be typing this in Thailand with my pension. It's my pension, but the government won't give it to me in LOS, so I'm not able to live there now. Sucks.

Good summary of the debacle. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the fiasco, no one shouts at the POTUS on his own turf in public and gets a good deal after. I can't see Trump backing down and making up with the ( shortly to be ex ) president of Ukraine. Kiss kiss love love, NOT. IMO the only hope Ukraine has now is a new president. The pathetic "leaders" of the EU twittering on about how they are going to support the Ukraine- they can't even fund their own military.

If Zelensky was "calm" I'm the dictator of the world.

You need to take your finger off the enter key when writing posts.

What a difference a day makes, LOL.

Some of us know why. Seems some don't. Hint- same as CIA Afghanistan policy.

Obama wasn't in a trade war with China, so got what he needed from there.

Is that inflation? I used to pay 50 baht in Pattaya. Perhaps it included a happy ending.

I wore flip flops riding in Thailand, and when I had my accident my feet were fine. The reason I am still alive though is that I wore a decent helmet which was destroyed by the impact with the ground. I did ride safely though ie not a zillion kph like some idiots I saw zooming past. I was also aware of the hazards on Thai roads eg potholes big enough for a front wheel to disappear into, sand on corners etc. However, even careful drivers can get run into by people not looking where they are going or maniacs, so it's a gamble.

In LOS tourist areas I saw so many young western tourists riding m'bikes that obviously had no m'bike license back home, so no cover, didn't wear helmet, so no cover, rode big bikes, so no cover. Seems the education system is a failure as too many idiots traveling. So dumb they even handed over their passport to rent a m'bike.

In a profit based medical situation it's all too easy to keep them alive on a machine, even if they are brain dead. Had they tried that on me they would have been out of pocket, given I told my family to never try to pay them in such a situation ( I did always have decent travel insurance though ).

It's up to people to take responsibility for themselves, not the nanny state, PROVIDED the taxpayer doesn't have to foot the bill when it goes wrong. In Britain given the taxpayer foots the NHS the state has a right to insist on protective gear.

More than a few times. My only surprise is that such appeals still get any money at all. Perhaps intending visitors to Thailand will realise that insurance with a REPUTABLE company is not an unwanted cost to bear. Good idea to leave insurance details with the family prior to departure.

Strange thread. How could any western nation exploit Afghanistan's resources given the political situation in that unfortunate country? It's not like the US is going to cobble together an alliance to re invade the country- not even so girls can go to school.

The real crime is that it was permitted at all. Utter nonsense to do so.

Are we seriously expected to believe s/he is capable of the minimum standards of fitness required to serve. In the military I served in we had to pass a fitness test every year. One of those tests was carrying another serviceman for a distance- I defy most normal men the ability to carry him/ her any distance at all. Looks like his/ her speciality is in relation to consuming as much food as possible. Capable of an 8 mile run in full battle gear?

Perhaps then Ukraine can carry on without the US support, if, as you say, they make the decisions. He who pays the piper chooses the tune.

Great to see a sensible post on here.

I'm aware of that. I'm happy that you realise that yours are also irrelevant. I doubt that is going to stop either one of us saying them though. NB. If only Americans were allowed to post on US threads the world news sub forum would effectively end.

I thought that was Trump's plan all along. He just wants the minerals and then Ukraine can go to the dogs, IMO.

A/ Zelensky knew exactly what he was doing. B/ Zelensky really is a comedian pretending to be a president and doesn't have a clue. IMO.

It was so bizarre ( did Zelensky really not know what he was doing? ) that I suspect it was a deliberate ploy to a/ get the Euros on board to take over from the US? or b/ have an excuse to bow out and enjoy his loot in Argentina? or c/ knowing Ukraine is done and dusted going out with a bang?

1 out of 8. You need to try harder. A real war involves the UN secretary general involved in ineffectual hand wringing that results in nothing.

Seriously? For the cost of blue fittings one wants to spend the time and hassle to take the old fittings off? Just cut the pipe as close to the fitting as possible and use elsewhere. The fittings get dumped.