JAG

One might equally ask, why is it relevant? I didn't bring it up, so I suppose you would have to ask @Cameroni, who introduced it into the debate.

I would suggest that you both need to take into account reality. As I said, NATO is an association of Sovereign States. Ukraine is a Sovereign State. Russia has no rights to dictate policy to either. The invasion of Panama is entirely irrelevant - other perhaps than as an example of a strong nation abusing it's strength to bully a weaker nation. Incidentally it was an act widely condemned as being in breach of International Law, both Internationally and within the US.

NATO is a treaty organisation, made up from independent sovereign states, who choose to be members. It is not for Russia to tell them what they can or cannot do, not who can be a member. Ukraine is an independent sovereign state. It has been for the last 34 years - since 1991. It is not for Russia to tell them what they can or cannot do, nor whether they can be a member of NATO, or indeed of the EU. Russia has invaded Ukraine, which I will say again, is an independent sovereign state. It seeks to defend itself against such aggression. That is the simple reality.

And the usual suspects would claim that you are "spewing lies", are a traitor (irrespective of whether you are a US citizen or not) and diagnose you as suffering from a mental illness which they have invented! Let's face it, a hard core are impervious to any logic or arguments. They don't do debate, or discussion; just default to abuse. I have rather come to the conclusion that taking the piss out of them is the only thing left! And boy, is there a rich vein to tap into there!

The Muppet Show had better writers and a more credible supporting cast. About the only similarity with the current Oval Office is the bizarre colouring of the leading character!

I say Eric, is it really necessary to bring up this little manly pecadillo on the part of the free world's great, manly, highly moral, leader? It will only serve to distress all those who hail him as "sent by God". (Google it, there really are some quite entertaining images!) Besides he paid for it -B130,000 as one recalls; true it was with someone elses money but that of course was a mere book keeping error. 130K! Must have been the mother of all happy endings! No, I cannot imagine anyone better suited to advising on marital harmony - after all, he brings a lifetime of experience to the business!

I have been looking to buy an induction cooking hob. I had one from Sinthanee, it stopped working after 18 days, but they said the warranty was only for 7 days, which frankly is about as much use as a chocolate teapot! So I have been looking on Lazada - some well known brands ( or are they?) like "Siemens", "Shapr" " Panasonicr" and "Tafel". Lots of spelling mistakes! They are remarkably cheap, less than B500, and unlike Sinthanee they won't laugh if you bring them back! Incidentally Sinthanee really hide their customer service contacts well! Impossible to find an address to make a complaint to. They have a contact form on their website but don't respond to it!

Brown shoes, oh dear oh dear!

I am British, but I am asking on behalf of an elderly New Zealand friend of mine. "D" is in his late 70s, and moved to live in Thailand on his retirement aged 65. He is married to a Thai, herself a retired nurse. They live - scrape by really - on her pension. He has adult children in New Zealand, and a divorced wife, but they really don't seem to care. He receives no pension whatsoever from New Zealand, despite having "paid in" throughout his entire working life, he was a qualified electrician. He tells me that he was denied at an interview when he applied, because he was moving abroad. His account of the interview was that it was extremely hostile, verging on the vitriolic, and he was very upset about it. Of course that was a long time ago, and beyond pursuing itself, the harpy who condemned him as a dirty old man off to live with a tart is probably herself retired. This seems to me, to be somewhat unjust - as a Brit my government pension is "frozen" at the amount when I retired - but to simply receive nothing? "D" is not particularly articulate, rather shy and completely non "tech/computer savvy". It is my intention to try to pursue this matter for him, using initially an email address which I will generate for him; but first I would like confirmation that, as he believes, he is simply not entitled to any pension. Any kind Kiwi soul who can advise?

What was it Adams said? "They haven't gone away you know"! Still, he ought to know - being a tout and all that.

Just an idle thought - manufacturing steel requires a very large amount of electricity. Given where Pittsburgh is, how much of that electricity is supplied from Canada? Still, I am sure the "stable genius" thought that one through!

The whole "Taco" meme, whilst amusing, is also indicative of a significant result to Trump's economic policies (if they can be called that). Wall Street and the rest of the world simply don't take him seriously, the bewildering blizzard of tariff announcements and withdrawals, reductions and increases, which appear to be pulled out of a hat (I was about to say from somewhere else but realise that many readers may be eating their breakfasts) make it impossible for anyone trading with or doing business involving imported goods to plan, invest or function. He excuses it as negotiations, but the ground on which he stands shifts so rapidly and unpredictably that negotiations are meaningless. What he is actually doing is bullying - issuing threats in the hope that people and countries will debase them themselves in front of him: in his own course yet memorable phrase " kiss his arse". The trouble is, that whilst his threatened actions may damage the trading partners economies, they also do damage to the US, real damage. The results in the tourist and automotive industries are early evidence. He may hark back to the "golden era" pre 1914 when economic and trade policy was built upon tariffs, but the world's trade system, and the US economy were way way less interconnected and dependent upon trade then.

Perhaps that would significantly increase political and social dissent and unrest, often a key component in the collapse of "empires".

Indeed - from the man who buried his first wife under a bush on his golf course as a tax dodge!

For several years there was a chap who used to hurtle around Chiang Rai City wearing a plastic child's "fireman Sam" helmet, held in place by a bungee cord.

Very smart! But you can bet your bottom dollar that if, as a farang, you drove around in it, the Police would suddenly find umpteen infringements of all sorts of regulations, and fine you multiples of B500!

I'm sure you have seen that, but we all know that for the vast majority of offences, and the vast majority of the time, the Police are only interested in the amount of cash that they can extract on the spot.

Winning eh?

Buying biscuits that are invariably broken!

Calling another poster a stalker! That is really very, very funny! The bulk of your activity on this forum consists of stalking!

The whole "TACO man" thing has apparently spooked the mother of all meltdowns!

I am not deranged. As for you, well your posts rather speak for themselves; certainly difficult to avoid the conclusion that you are bizarrely obsessed.

You really have an obsessed, perhaps frothy mouthed approach towards absolutely anyone and everyone who holds, or worse even, dares to express, any views which diverge from yours. Your first reaction, almost invariably, is to accuse them of "spewing deranged lies". Really quite sad; whatever happened to "vigorous and varied political discourse. Discuss and debate" let alone the various forum rules against abusive personal attacks which pour forth monotonously!

Since school children are unlikely to have B2000 on them, this will be a non starter!

Perhaps the Chinese declined to kiss the spray tanned arse?