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I was supposed to fly out yesterday, but got some good news that she was now “awake” - my dad said she’d be having a procedure. Apparently that’s gone well and she’s doing much better. Got to FaceTime with her and she assured me I don’t have to rush out. So that’s some good news in a time of mostly shit news!

Almost any time I hear about Lebanon in the news it just sounds like ordinary people get absolutely fucked by shit out of their control. Brutally sad, tbh. Shame too, every Lebanese person I've ever met has been nice as fuck.

Glad to hear that mate...

I will absolutely do that

Missed this mate. Glad to hear she’s awake. Hit me up when you’re back if you’ve got 5 mins, I’ll nip over when I’m in work!

To be honest parts of Latin American countries are pretty much at war themselves in theory because even though most are drug wars, they aren't ordinary ones. The violence near the boarders in Colombia, the Cartel wars in Mexico or even the gang wars in parts of Brazil and Honduras, for example, are certainly what I'd regard as being at war technically. They are practically on the same level as a civil war, especially the Mexican one. Then again they are also countries that people can visit without problems, barring they avoid specific parts. This is the difference between said countries and certain African or Middle Eastern Asian countries, where they are literally no go zones completely. Either way, it's sad how even in this day and age there is so much blood shed, whatever the country or continent, and the people who most suffer are usually ones who aren't the actual cause, but rather manipulated and brainwashed. What stands out the most here however is the threat of nuclear warfare, which could literally end humanity. I don't think it's a case of people caring less about the civil war currently occurring in Ethiopia and Sudan, as I'd say most would like to see world peace, but more the threat of it going nuclear. As for Uruguay Ricardo, that would actually be a great option. When are we all going?

If Ukraine is lost, can Russia fully occupy it under the present circumstances? I think it would be a sort of quagmire for them that isn't really sustainable for them, there would likely be an insurgent resistance to their occupation like what the US found itself fighting in: Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq... or the Russians themselves found themselves in Afghanistan. There's a huge economic cost but also a huge manpower cost for a long-term occupation like that... and now that Russia's been given a pariah state treatment after it's invasion, I'm not sure a long occupation is really feasible for them without reducing the standard of living for ordinary people pretty drastically. We've seen countries like Cuba, Iran, and even North Korea (granted they can now threaten the world with nukes to get food aid sent to them) survive despite this sort of economic warfare waged on normal people with the hopes of getting the citizens there to become so fed up they take up arms against their autocratic leaders who brutalise them... but none of these countries are attempting a long occupation of a country being armed to the teeth by NATO. If the reports that this war was meant to last just 15 days and we're now on day 15... I think it's fair to say this hasn't really gone the way Putin would have liked. Can Russia truly occupy Ukraine if NATO and the EU keep supporting Ukraine? It could mean Ukraine is a bloody battlefield for a very long time... but I am not so sure Russia would be able to hold and control it, even with a puppet government.

It won't... He will be asking for a no fly zone which we cannot commit to, there is nothing more we can do without tipping things over the edge that will bring this war to an end... If this was just a ground war then things would have been a lot different but with a nuclear threat hanging over everybody nobody wants to be provoking the situation further... I fear the Ukraine is lost despite the bravery of it's people to fight on, it's just a matter of time before they are forced to concede.. These are seriously sad and frightening times

So much suffering and unintended consequences out of this war.

My gran had a heart attack and is in a coma now. . I should probably fly home this weekend.