Bek

No, but I would like to be there one day.

Yes, that is correct, Carlos. She used the word طائفة which means a denomination and is a standard word used in relation to all religious groups. But it could also be translated into "sect" in a non-negative sense. It certainly does not mean a "cult". Here is the original just in case: https://raseef22.net/article/1089981-شهود-يهوه-في-الأردن-توسع-رغم-الحظر

We had almost no winter in Central Asia this time. People jokingly said that we had six months of autumn and then in March the weather got very cold and we have had lots of rain and snow. The weather has become very strange and unpredictable. For example, yesterday there was a sudden snowfall and it felt like in the dead of white winter and today it is spring again with the sunshine, birdsong and all. That is another sign of the times.

The other day I was sent a poem that I thought was very good, as it describes what many of us go through at various times. Many brothers and sisters where I live liked it and I thought sharing it on the forum would also be encouraging. I have also done an audio version of it for those who would rather prefer listening to it. I did not know if the topic would be appropriate for this section of the forum, but since the poem is encouraging, I thought that it should be here. If moderators think otherwise, I am happy for it to be moved to the appropriate section. Jehovah Knows He knows you’re tired of being strong, You’ve fought this battle for so long. He knows the struggle you face each day, For a quiet mind you often pray. He knows the things you try to do, That come easy for many but so hard for you. He knows there are days you can’t see, The forest because of that one tree. He knows you lie awake at night, Wondering if you’ll be alright. He knows the effort it takes for you To face your fears and keep pushing through. He knows you carry a heavy load, Yet still you’re on that narrow road. He knows the friends don’t always see The person Jehovah knows you to be. You know that soon he’ll make things right At the end of the tunnel there is light. You know the blessings he has in store The time when anxiety will be no more. You know the signs are everywhere So don’t give up, you’re almost there. Remember it is you he chose, Remember that Jehovah knows. JehovahKnows.mp3

Interesting that Sunni Muslims have also started having this ugly practice. I think they got the idea from Shi'a Muslims who have been doing it for a long time. But the Shi'as call it "nikah mut'ah". This form of "marriage" may have origins in pagan temple prostitution.

I wonder if it is possible to have the JW library app on Linux Mint directly without a virtual machine. It would be great to hear some suggestions.

I can understand the gist of what the sheep farmer is saying, but I think I would still be able to have a good conversation with him about sheep farming and rustling. :))

If I did not know that you were a brother, I would have thought that you were one of those rainbow guys. :))

Here is a funny video of an American and an Australian struggling to understand a Scot. 😅 Please note: the Scot uses the "F" word once.

It is all clear when it is written, but when you listen to it, it is very hard to understand. I have found this video of the Yorkshire accent. Let's see if native speakers can understand him. 😁 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScELaXMCVis

It is true that English on TV can be harder to understand. The reason why it might be easier for us to understand brothers is because we have heard them many times and are familiar with the subject matter, terminology and their style of presentation. But I believe that they sound like that in real life too. Take, for example, Br. Geoffrey Jackson who fronted today's GB update. I think he is Australian or at least has some hints of an Australian accent, but to an untrained ear he may sound more like a Brit. He may have lost his native accent due to living in the US for long. I don't think he would deliberately try to tone down his accent for when he is on air. I think it is just the way he sounds now at all times.

Timothy, it is believed that English has 160 dialects and close to 200 accents. So it is natural for learners of English to have some difficulties understanding native speakers. Even native speakers themselves struggle understanding other native speakers. There are a few YouTube videos of Americans not understanding some Australians and others. You just need to get more practice listening to various standard accents and you will be alright after some exposure. Personally I don't think that native English speakers speak fast. Of course, there are some exceptions, but in general, it is much the same as in your or my native language. As for the mumbling and slurring, yeah, that can be a problem, but again if you have been exposed to various accents, you should be able to guess what is meant. The important thing is to focus on standard English and not to worry about regional varieties.

It is hard to say anything without knowing the full picture. I would just take it to the repairman and see if he can fix it. If he cannot do anything about it, then it is time to buy a new laptop.

No, it is not. Someone also thought that it might be, but could not find it in the yearbooks.

There is a story circulating in local JW WhatsApp groups about a sister who went to great lengths to become a JW. I could not believe it, because it sounded way too extreme, and I wanted to ask if any one of you has heard the story before. Here is a translation of the story: Do you think it is true? If it is true, it is an amazing story.

Oh, great! yes, apt-get is running, but it gets stuck only when it comes to updating. I have tried sudo apt upgrade and it works. It has downloaded most of the updates, but the security ones and some other important dependencies have failed. For some reason, Linux cannot download the InRelease files. I am getting only "failed" for those. What I have also learnt since yesterday is that the problem is the same on my other laptop, which has linux mint 18.3. So far I have had this issues under various linux-based OSs and now two different laptops. The strange thing is that all the update web and IP addresses are pinging. Only when it comes to the port 80, it does not ping. I have used various commands to create rules to allow port 80 and even specific IP addresses that have been inaccessible. Initially I was having only one IP address at port 80 blocked, but after making new port rules, I now get many more inaccessible IP addresses. So I don't really know what the problem is. At first I thought that the problem might have been with the provider, but they say that nothing is being blocked. Just out of curiosity I have tried using my mobile internet, which is not related to my current provider. The system was able to download most InRelease files, but it still gave these two error messages:

I have just remembered that I also have this message when I hit update: I have tried following the instructions on this website, but to no avail: https://www.tecmint.com/fix-unable-to-lock-the-administration-directory-var-lib-dpkg-lock/

I have had Linux Mint 18.3 for a few years, but it stopped updating a few months ago for some reason. Zoom was working OK until the system started getting too laggy due to not having any updates. So I installed Linux Mint 19.3 a couple of weeks ago in the hope that the issue would get resolved by the new system. I tried getting the updates just to make sure that everything is running properly, but I had the same problem - it just would not update. In addition to this, I could not get Zoom working on it. I was forced to use the browser version of Zoom for sometime, but it gets so laggy sometimes that I cannot hear or see things. So I thought that installing a different system called LInux Lite might help. The same problem...Now I am stuck not knowing what to do. The problem I am getting is this: For some reason, the IP address is not accessible under all the OS I have had. The above line is what I got from LInux Lite. I have also tried changing the source list for updates. Nothing. Some folks on Google say that changing the name server or DNS ports have helped them. I have tried following their instructions, but I could not get the changes saved in the necessary files. I don't know maybe if some of you who are good at Linux can help me diagnose the problem and solve it. I am tired of it, but I need to get it working for Zoom meetings. I would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction at least.

Ok, thanks. The cong meeting videos I used to watch on YouTube were actually from the pre-Zoom era. I thought that brothers in Ukraine were publishing them specifically for brothers in the war-hit eastern provinces and brothers in Russia. The channel was quite popular and was called "JW Russia" and it carried all the logos and the like. However, I discovered a few weeks ago that it was deleted completely. So it was probably some well-intentioned brother who was posting videos without official permission.

I think there is a small battery to power the steriliser. Here is an article about it: https://www.yankodesign.com/2020/06/24/worlds-first-fda-registered-clear-uv-c-sterilizing-smart-mask-transparent-n99-mask/

I would think that the Leaf N99 mask with a in-built UV-C steriliser might be the best so far. As I understand, it has already been cleared by the FDA.

It is actually coronavirus. The authorities in those countries, including Russia, are hiding the true covid figures for political reasons. In some cases, it is the poor quality of tests that is preventing proper diagnosis. The country I live in has had close to 400 pneumonia deaths since March vs about 130 covid deaths. For comparison, about 350 died from pneumonia in entire 2019. Turkmenistan has not had a single case of covid yet, but we hear of mass graves for those who have died of pneumonia already.

The ones I have watched from Ukraine had only brothers standing behind the platform talking or sisters doing assignments. You could not see the videos or see the audience. Only sounds in the background. That was when I could not tie into meetings by phone. I checked that YouTube channel a few weeks ago and it is completely gone now.