Paul Forker

[Paul Forker @pau123f]

@0xAvious @collision @destraynor And are sound men.

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Orla Guerin @OrlaGuerin]

5 journalists among 20 killed by Israel in strike on hospital -Gaza officials say. They were documenting the suffering, the bombings, the starvation until their last breaths. Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri was operating a live camera at the time of the strike ( one of two).

[Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial]

Second season, mate.

[Colm Flynn @colmflynnire]

Before he was Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost had heard about 16-year-old Donal Walsh who was dying of cancer in the west of Ireland. He was so impressed by Donal's deep that he wrote him a letter offering to make him an honorary Augustinian. And two days before he died, Donal was sworn in.
This is the story of a teenager whose courage and conviction inspired Ireland, and also a future Pope.

[🥤 @PaulSenior1]

Jesus Christ, I’ve never wanted anybody to win something more than I want Luis Enrique to win the CL this year after seeing this.

I’ve got a nine year old daughter and this just flawed me. What a man

[The All-In Podcast @theallinpod]

The Left is Turning on Itself as the Data Leans Trump

@chamath on E201:

"I think it's interesting to see that when you get into the homestretch, the losing side tends to turn on itself because they start to play protectionism for their own careers."

"And there's a lot of stuff that I think you can consume that starts to show that a lot of the tried and true, most reliable media sources that I think were trying to navigate as much as possible for a pro-Harris presidency are starting to push back in a way that I find a little surprising."

"I think the CNN town hall ... was one of those moments for me, where even people like David Axelrod a little bit throwing Kamala Harris under the bus. I didn't expect that at all."

"'Word salad city,' that's what he said last night, which was very shocking that he would say that."

@DavidSacks:

"Totally, that is throwing her under the bus, but it's also just preserving his own credibility."

@chamath:

"You can only prop up a candidate so long, and then at some point, you have to prioritize your own media career."

@friedberg:

"Like that one night when everyone turned on Biden after the debate."

"All the journalists who had been covering Biden for so long that it was obvious in their face the whole time, they suddenly have to be like, 'Okay, I guess we gotta admit now, he's not really there.'"

[Paul Forker @pau123f]

@BowTiedFox Answering to your future self. To the bone honesty; no bullshit stories to be spun. You know.

[Paul Forker @pau123f]

@BowTiedFox This is a great read. A lot to ponder.

[Novak Djokovic @DjokerNole]

IDEM🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾 #AusOpen #AO2024

[@jason @Jason]

I’m falling for this guy 💕

[Paul Forker @pau123f]

Heart of a lion this lad.

[Liverpool FC @LFC]

An emotional way to start your Christmas 🥹

Here’s Dáire’s story… and a special day he’ll never forget ❤️

[Liverpool FC @LFC]

An emotional way to start your Christmas 🥹

Here’s Dáire’s story… and a special day he’ll never forget ❤️

[Jon Erlichman @JonErlichman]

Apple went public on this day in 1980.

The IPO was considered too risky for investors in Massachusetts.

[أجيج @1b2_r]

@jacksonhinkle قالﷺ: إذا مات ولد العبد، قال الله لملائكته:قبضتم ولد عبدي؟ فيقولون: نعم، فيقول: قبضتم ثمرة فؤاده؟ فيقولون: نعم، فيقول: فماذا قال عبدي؟ فيقولون: حمدك، واسترجع، فيقول الله تعالى: ابنوا لعبدي بيتًا في الجنة، وسموه: بيت الحمد.

[Paul Forker @pau123f]

Extraordinary apathy for lives.
Real people.

[Chris Williamson @DerbyChrisW]

MPs refuse to demand a #CeasefireNowInGaza and pathetically complain about intimidation when they're held to account by protesters. But this is what they're endorsing. Children buried the rubble of their homes after Israel bombed them in Nuseirat camp today.

[Jake Shields @jakeshieldsajj]

Israel doesn't care about Hamas they Just want to cause us as much pain and suffering as possible

[William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill]

Utterly unacceptable. We are watching ten of thousands of innocents being slaughtered with no escape. Our leaders have completely lost their moral bearings.

[Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 @Alex_Oloyede2]

Simply no word...🇵🇸💔