Stickman

WTF did the USA health industry have to do with it?

Dave had his leg amputated because of the complications of diabetes. He had the big toe from one foot amputated in late 2015. The wound never healed and despite some of his imploring him to seek medical treatment, he did not. In 2018 or 2019 (I cannot remember which), he had two more toes off the same foot amputated. Again, the wound never healed and he did not seek medical treatment despite many people insisting that he did. Not long after COVID broke out, Dave returned to the UK and some months later he developed a very high temperature. A doctor came to his home, saw the state he was in, called an ambulance and he went to the local hospital. He ended up in a university hospital where after a couple of operations to try and save the leg, they were forced to do a lower leg amputation. That wound didn't heal so they had to take more of the leg well above the knee. There was an infection in the bone which apparently is very hard to treat. Osteomylytis or something like that it is called - and is apparently a consequence of uncontrolled diabetes Dave's amputation was nothing to do with Covid and I never said it had anything to do with Covid. It was all as a result of diabetes that he had been diagnosed with years earlier but which, very sadly, he never took seriously. Dave complained about issues with Covid and I said that I agree that there are various health issues due to Covid as well as the Covid vaccine. I did NOT say Dave's leg was amputated because of Covid. Never said that at all. No more comment from me on this and if what I have written here is stuff you disagree with or dispute, drop Dave an email and ask him.

Dave lost his leg due to the complications of diabetes. There have been issues with the vaccines which many experts say have contributed to various health issues.

Probably one of the biggest complaints I get is that the site has too much nightlife coverage. *Many* readers say they don't want nightlife coverage at all. I think you'd be surprised at what people make of stuff.

In the end your boys played well this morning.....looked a lot better than the All Blacks. Horribly boring match though!

Crap tactics from a crap coach. But let's be frank, the current band of All Blacks are not a shadow on some of our teams from the past. Some players are barely international level and some should have been put out to pasture years ago. Oh, and the captain is shit too (although he didn't play yesterday).

I agree entirely. Relations between Aussies and Kiwis at an individual level are excellent. The odd idiot (on both sides of the Tasman) aside, it's always been pretty good. When I said that I didn't think Aussies would be up for New Zealand merging with the country, it was not so much at an individual level but in terms of New Zealand not being nearly as strong as Australia economically and New Zealand would require more from Australia financially than Australia would get out of the deal.

Can't imagine many Aussies would be up for that!

Maoris, the indigenous people of New Zealand, would NEVER be ok with New Zealand becoming a part of Australia. As for Maoris being quite agreeable with "what took place", nah, that's not the case at all. I would suggest race relations (between Maori and the rest) is one of the major issues New Zealand faces at this time.

It will never happen, primarily because the indigenous people would be very much against it.

Yes, and I stand by those comments today!

I'm somewhat younger than you, Coss, and am still some years away from qualifying for the pension, but I have looked very closely at the current rules regarding NZ superannuation for Kiwis who live outside the country. As things currently stand, to qualify for NZ super, you need to have lived in NZ for 10 years after age 20 and 5 years after age 50. That's it. No other requirements. Of course, it has been mooted many times over the past few years that the 10-year requirement might increase to 20 years. If you wish to be paid NZ super and live outside of NZ, that is fine. You simply declare that you live outside the country and it will be paid to you. However, if you have spent time outside of NZ between ages 20 and 65, it will result in a reduced pension. So, let's say for example, you spent 25% of that time outside of the country, you will receive 75% of the super and not the entire amount. I know one Kiwi who spent all his working life in NZ and now lives in Thailand. He receives the entire NZ super which is deposited in to a Thai bank account. That's my understanding of things. Hope this helps!

And 3 days later it's still worst in the world, which really is terrible!

For certain lifestyles, Thailand is very hard to beat. For other lifestyles, Thailand doesn't even enter the equation of a desirable place to live. I think it all comes back to what you want in life. Most of the people I know who left Thailand did so for a change of lifestyle. For me, a secure life where and the chance to buy a house (specifically a house as opposed to an apartment) that would always be mine and I'd never be wondering if one day it would be taken away from me was a big factor. Further, I like the outdoor lifestyle and for much of the year Thailand is just too hot to spend a lot of time outside, especially in Bangkok. In New Zealand I am outside all the time, and enjoy doing long hikes. NZ is great for that. Thailand not so much. I also found myself becoming irritated by some things in Thailand to the extent they started affecting my general enjoyment of life. Funnily enough, the same thing has happened back in New Zealand - but the things that annoy me in NZ are very different to the things that annoy me in Thailand! Of course, like many people who called Thailand home for a long time and later left, there's much I miss about the place.

I think there is something in this last line, and that the life of an expat is not always conducive to a long life. I know a lot of people who have died in Thailand over the past 20 years or so and the average age would probably be in the mid to high 50s. Some died much younger, in their 40s - and not from an accident. The expat lifestyle is a fun one, but if you're not careful it mightn't be a long one.