u/pussyseal

Yo!

Decided to put this out there to see if there's any interest on next Saturday afternoon in London Fields.

I recently read an article about how men’s friendships are quietly disappearing, and reflecting on shrinking friendships made me realise there’s probably something to it.

So I thought I’d run a meetup for men to foster connection, masculinity and empowerment grab a drink, sit on what's left of the grass, have a chat, meet some fellow blokes, and occasionally talk about things beyond work, politics and the weather. Bonus if you want to showcase some cool nerdy stuff.

No life coaching, no weird ideology, no forced vulnerability, no WhatsApp groups. Just decent conversation and hopefully a few new mates.

Вітаю.

Я не проживаю в Україні вже довгий час, але пам'ятаю, що у мене дуже давно був доволі непоганий поліс через ІТ-галеру.

Мої батьки проживають в Україні, і через вік (майже 60 років) вони все більше стикаються з медичною системою і в мене є бажання їх ізолювати (та себе) від зайвого стресу, тому думаю придбати для них страхування. Воно повинне включати діагностику, аналізи, медикаменти і, бажано, coverage of pre-existing conditions. Вартість не є вирішальним фактором, по ідеї, вона б мала здешевити використання приватної медицини.

Шукав онлайн, і це кляте пекло - розібратися з різними компаніями, що вони покривають і, власне, багато обмежують страхування до 60 років.

Можливо, хтось має досвід у схожому?

Hey,

I need to withdraw around $30,000 in cash to support family in Eastern Europe, and it’s proving more difficult than expected.

The funds are fully legitimate; I have complete proof of source of funds, and the money is currently held in my Wise account. I previously used a Barclays USD account that allowed USD cash withdrawals, but that option no longer appears to be available.

The only realistic route I’ve found is to convert the money to GBP, transfer it to something like https://www.thomasexchangeglobal.co.uk to buy USD. I’m comfortable providing proof of funds and going through any AML checks, but it seems like a fairly cumbersome process and may involve explaining why I need such a large amount of cash.

Has anyone dealt with something similar or found a more practical solution?

A bank transfer is not an option, so I specifically need physical USD cash.

Hey everyone,

Quite a lot of folks reached out to me since my last post.

The weather looks nice this Saturday, and I thought it could be a good opportunity to get out, meet some people, and have an interesting conversation. Ideally, I'd love to build a small community of like-minded people in the area.

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about philosophy, so there's absolutely no pressure to be an expert. What matters more is being curious, respectful and open to discussion.

I've been regularly attending a philosophy group organised by a friend, and I've found it surprisingly helpful. It's given me a better way to structure my thoughts, improve my public speaking, and practise respectful disagreement with others.

The only thing I'd really like to avoid is the kind of discussion where people are trying to score points, show how clever they are, or talk down to others. I'd much rather have a group that's welcoming, curious, and respectful, even when people strongly disagree.

I can prepare a few discussion topics to get the conversation going. Still, I'd also be happy for others to bring topics if they have a serious interest in philosophy or already engage with it more deeply.

If that sounds interesting, feel free to comment, and we can arrange something on Saturday around 6-ish pm.

I enjoy meeting new people, trying new activities, and hearing different perspectives. One thing I've always appreciated about London is that there were plenty of not-for-profit groups built around that idea: gallery visits, run clubs, book clubs, pub meetups, etc.

Lately, though, I've noticed more of these groups moving towards ticketed, member-only events. Book clubs, run clubs, yoga groups, even the particular "connection" community that gets mentioned here. The messaging often centres on community, empowerment, belonging, connection, and so on, but much of it feels like a business model wrapped in community language.

Does anyone else feel this is part of the same broader trend as the commercialisation of loneliness that people talk about with dating apps?

To be clear, I'm not talking about activities that genuinely have costs to organise (football pitches, bouldering sessions, expert hire, venue hire, etc.). I'm talking about things like going for a run in a public park or meeting in a pub to discuss a book.

I don't have an issue with people making money from running gigs. My issue is when it's presented as a community effort first and a for-profit second. I'd rather people were just upfront about it.