thaibeachlovers

I'm not going to name the country given it would lead to off topic bickering, but surely you know which county is preserved by the US veto?

When I was working in the UK it was possible to have psychological counseling on the NHS if referred by a GP, but only for a few weeks. My experience was somewhat baffling as the psychologist didn't inform me as to how the therapy worked, and didn't contribute any input during the sessions. I ended up just talking about my problems while she listened, and I did gain some insight into them. Although I was starting to get some benefit the course ended, and I was left a bit confused by the whole experience. Just one of life's strange episodes.

I was working for the NHS in London during the Blair years and with two huge majority election successes he could have done wonderful things for Britain, but he blew it entirely with his unconditional support for GW Bush in the Iraq war. I felt quite sad that the British public was so ill served when it could have been brilliant instead. Of course, things were not helped by Gordon wasting 6 billion quid by giving it to the NHS, apparently without oversight to ensure it was spent to improve the service.

That's exactly what needs to be done, but US ( and not just the US ) politics has become so toxic that the problem is finding someone competent that would tolerate the media abuse to become POTUS. The media storm against Trump will have put off many a potential starter, and IMO any that loves their family will just not do it for the family's sake. Kennedy was given a pass by the media for his womanising, but I can't see that ever happening again, and these days anything is dug up from the past to hammer candidates. Only have to look at prince Harry and the storm his fancy dress from many years ago caused to know one has to be pure as driven snow, but no one is.

I do have a sense of humour, just not when it's possible Europe and Russia might be reduced to cinders, by some politicians doing something just like what you said.

IMO the US will never allow it's veto power in the UN to be lost to a majority vote, given it's support for a certain country. Anyway, who says a majority of countries in the UN would support the EU/ US in Ukraine if it came to that?

Do you actually know what NATO is? It's a defense pact started when the cold war was on. It's not in the business of "annexing" other countries. Can't see the EU or Britain doing something like that either.

But for the off topic anti Trump bit at the end I'd have given that post a thumbs up. This is no longer a partisan issue, but the safety of the free world at stake, IMO. What is troublesome is that he hasn't yet said ( to my knowledge ) that he won't be standing in '24. If he does, hopefully he'll lose at the primaries.

Actually there is no excuse possible for the POTUS to be making silly mistakes. He is supposed to be the leader of the free world, and IS in charge of the US nuclear arsenal, never mind supposed to be running the federal government. Ordinary Joe Bloggs is allowed to have senior moments, the POTUS, not at all. If he isn't up to the job, he should resign. Imagine a CEO of a fortune 500 company losing it like that- they'd probably be gone right smartish,

Unless NATO is going to declare war on Russia there isn't much more they can do, IMO. Ukraine isn't in NATO, so no treaty obligations and if the US/ Britain did use nukes it's likely we all lose after it escalates to MAD.

Toss a coin.

They didn't do a good job though. Pavements in London were contaminated with chewing gum that was never removed when I lived there. Send the unemployed out in pink overalls with a scraper to remove gum from pavements 8 hours a day and they might discover a willingness to do a proper job.

Loads of the stuff when I lived there in the 70's. That may have changed. Doesn't have to be cutting grass. The point is that those unemployed but able to work should not get money for nothing.

Indeed. However, I seem to have the ability to always make the wrong decision in life, so I am indeed wrong, but it would be nice to be right occasionally. Obviously I'm referring to major life decisions, such as what job to do, or which woman to marry, or even if I should get married at all. Even I can put my pants on the "right" way around.

Nothing at all, but some wouldn't know a good thing if it slapped them in the face. Some stay in one place they don't like and then complain that "all" Thailand is not good enough for them. There's more variety of places to live in LOS for a retired guy, than anywhere else I've ever lived. Given the thread is about wasted time, almost every minute I spent out of Thailand was wasted, and not a second was wasted from the time wheels down on Thai soil till wheels up.

It's waste if one looks back and regrets things done or not done. Did I waste 26 years of my life nursing for a pittance when I could have spent those years working in the Australian mines and retired to Thailand as soon as I was old enough for a retirement extension? While I like to think my patients would not think my time was wasted, I have a sneaking suspicion I'd rather have taken the money.

Yes I also use vit C. Took massive doses throughout, which I believe made it shorter than it would otherwise have been. 1000 mg every 4 hours.

I was going through a rough patch at work and made the mistake of going to the staff health nurse, who's only solution was anti depressants. When I refused she basically kicked me out of the office. Didn't even talk to me to see if there was something other than drugs that might work. While I'm not too keen on psychiatrists, I'm a great believer in psychologists, but they are too expensive for me to use now. Talking is always good, but how many of us know a relative, lover or friend we could really let it all hang out with? I certainly don't. If I told my relative what ails me she would more likely make me feel worse after, than help. Have to be careful of which psychologist to use though. I once visited one that basically attacked me throughout the session, but it came out that her female clients with tales of woe concerning men made her dislike all men. I even had to pay for the session which made me way worse than when I went in. I wonder if I were a believer in a "personal" God that "loves" me if I would have had a happier life.

I wasted a great deal of my life, in between doing amazing things which were anything but wasting time. I suppose every minute watching tv or on the internet is a waste of time that could be used for better things. Sadly the dark side of the force is strong.

I've always been in favour of the Singapore solution to unemployment. If they can't find work, the government used to give them a backpack mower and send them out to cut grass. I don't know if they still do so.

I'm boggled. I worked in the NHS and there was very little to "dance" about. If they are paying to make silly VDOs there must be a few managers superfluous to requirements they could get rid of.

I like the raft idea.

Agree. I thought of the appropriate response years later which would be " yes, all women are beautiful just as all men are handsome", but I doubt he'd have been happy with that. However, on a purely physical basis, I have met a woman that was so beautiful and so sexy and so amazing in bed that I'd have been her slave for life had things worked out. Sadly, she was the only one ever in my life. Back when I was a lot younger, us lads had a saying that "she is so beautiful that I'd crawl across broken glass to kiss her feet". Happy days back then before reality set in and I became cynical.

My thoughts too.

I had covid. No trouble breathing and mainly a bad cough. Lasted about a week, though long covid made me tired for a long time after.