Russia invades Ukraine

[Shawnster]

Anyone else notice how this has fallen out of the news cycle?  I know I have to actively dig or search for Ukraine war news 

[Hugh O'D]

6 hours ago, Shawnster said:

Anyone else notice how this has fallen out of the news cycle?  I know I have to actively dig or search for Ukraine war news 

Not as much but I'm actively looking for the news so the algorithm will be skewed. But:

1) TikTok didn't tell my Ukrainian source was still posting even though I'm following them.

 

2) I only heard about the prison bomb from them and had to be very specific in my Google search to get this news

 

3) Their comments page was full of people saying they weren't getting news about Ukraine anymore

 

4) The clincher, Zelensky and his wife didn't go on Vogue magazine for the fun of it, he knows he has to work to keep Ukraine in people's minds.

 

Why this is, I don't know. War with torture is usually bonus time for the news media so there's something going on but whether it's deliberate I couldn't say.

[Sofia]

8 hours ago, Shawnster said:

Anyone else notice how this has fallen out of the news cycle?  I know I have to actively dig or search for Ukraine war news 

Here in Portugal we still have news channels that have a daily space for the updates. A lot of Ukrainians live in Portugal 

[GeordieGirl]

The BBC is still giving regular war updates but yes, you are right, it's definitely no longer front and centre.

[Dages]

Now it's China and Taiwan...

[Sofia]

8 minutes ago, Dages said:

Now it's China and Taiwan...

What else is new … 🙄

[zoebarry]

2 hours ago, Dages said:

Now it's China and Taiwan...

All a distraction.....the US midterm elections are coming in the Fall.

[Shawnster]

4 hours ago, zoebarry said:

All a distraction.....the US midterm elections are coming in the Fall.

You are implying China and Taiwan is manipulated by the US to distract people from the mid-term elections that are still 3 months away? 

[coolbrz731]

8 hours ago, Dages said:

Now it's China and Taiwan...

It's the flavor of the month!

[Exter]

22 minutes ago, coolbrz731 said:

It's the flavor of the month!

Until now I have followed many news reports. Now I'm getting sick and tired of all the bad news around the globe. Therefore, and also because of my spiritual, theocratic well-being, I am determined to limit my consumption of news.

[hatcheckgirl]

7 hours ago, zoebarry said:

All a distraction.....the US midterm elections are coming in the Fall.

The China situation is big news here in Australia because we can see the effects China is having politically in the Pacific Island nations. China has been doing this in Africa as well. But here’s today’s story about Solomon Islands controlling the public broadcaster- something that happened since China has offered money to help with “security” there (and also when the Solomon Is disavowed Taiwan and went along with China).  So, no, it’s not a distraction. It’s fulfilling prophecy. 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-02/solomon-islands-sibc-anti-government-censorship-press-freedoms/101288396

 

“Media Association of Solomon Islands president Georgina Kekea said there were growing fears the government would be influenced by its "new partner", referring to the security pact recently signed between Solomon Islands and China.”

[Exter]

2 hours ago, Exter said:

Until now I have followed many news reports. Now I'm getting sick and tired of all the bad news around the globe. Therefore, and also because of my spiritual, theocratic well-being, I am determined to limit my consumption of news.

That is one side of the matter: "news consumption". Finding the right balance between paying enough attention to the news and being overstimulated without neglecting the important theocratic spiritual food is guaranteed not to be easy. How many of you feel the same way? I ask for frank answers.

[blue-jay]

5 hours ago, Exter said:

That is one side of the matter: "news consumption". Finding the right balance between paying enough attention to the news and being overstimulated without neglecting the important theocratic spiritual food is guaranteed not to be easy. How many of you feel the same way? I ask for frank answers.

I don't watch or read the news regularly. It makes me sick and depressed. 

But every now and then I look up the news, when I feel that I'm in the right headspace to hear it. 

[tekmantwo]

15 hours ago, Exter said:

I ask for frank answers

Well, I can't speak for Frank but I will admit that I have lessened my news consumption, it just irritates me these days and I don't need that...

[Exter]

On 7/31/2022 at 1:39 AM, Sofia said:

A lot of Ukrainians live in Portugal 

A great lot of Ukrainians live in Germany too. Our Russian-speaking Congr. Ahlen help them and encouraged them.

[Hugh O'D]

On 8/2/2022 at 6:50 AM, hatcheckgirl said:

here’s today’s story about Solomon Islands controlling the public broadcaster- something that happened since China has offered money to help with “security” there

Took less than four months from making the agreement to bringing in state censorship. The KOTN isn't having everything it's way in Ukraine but it's still expanding.

[Hugh O'D]

On 8/2/2022 at 7:59 AM, Exter said:

That is one side of the matter: "news consumption". Finding the right balance between paying enough attention to the news and being overstimulated without neglecting the important theocratic spiritual food is guaranteed not to be easy. How many of you feel the same way? I ask for frank answers.

The society has encouraged us in the past to be careful about our news consumption. I'm usually feel I'm ok with the amount I take in but I do get worked up at times so my feelings are not to be trusted.

[GeordieGirl]

On 8/2/2022 at 2:59 PM, Exter said:

How many of you feel the same way? I ask for frank answers.

The news on TV is more emotive, due to the use of film and sound along with live coverage which bombards the senses and, as you say, becoming over stimulated.

 

Although I watch snippets of news programs, I prefer to subscribe to news sites and get emails or notifications of headlines, which I can then choose to look at in greater depth, or not, depending on my interest and desire for more information.

I find that controlling my intake in this way, I am not being forced to view what the media chooses for me, and I am not overwhelmed with too much unnecessary information.

 

Having said all that, it can be difficult at times when something extra-ordinary happens, like when Russia invaded Ukraine, not to watch it excitedly and wonder, could this be it? 

 

 

[Sofia]

Well this is more like an update than a new thing: https://www2.stetson.edu/religious-news/220820a.html

«RUSSIA COMPELS RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO SHOW RAPTUROUS SUPPORT FOR WAR - if you dont support - you get punished

In Russia now every religious community is feeling the new line of the Kremlin with regard to faith, the Economist posits. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, repeats official justifications for the war and puts forth his own. The head of the Department of External Church Relations of the RPTs, Metropolitan Ilarion, who received education in the West, refrained from active support of the war and in June 2022 was suddenly demoted and sent to Budapest as bishop.

 

The former chief rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldshmidt, who recently left the country, says that now it is impossible to maintain "proper but distant" relations with the authorities, like before the war. Now clergy of all denominations say that they must support the invasion. In a carefully worded statement explaining his departure, which was published in July, the rabbi said:

"I could not be silent, seeing such great human suffering." However he continued: "It became clear that the Jewish community in Moscow would be in danger if I remained at my post."

 

While for insufficiently loyal religious leaders it means resignation, ordinary clergy face as much as criminal prosecution.»

[Doug]

We (meaning everyone , JW's and others) may be desensitized to war at this point. Our AWAKE! magazine has a number of articles about it.  g  10/06 pp 8-9 , Claudine said "I never realized how much TV desensitized me".

This could be about sexuality , honesty (lying because everyone does) or violent death.  

 

What I find in the news nowadays is the looming crisis of energy to heat homes in Europe this winter because Putin has turned off the spigot.  More avoidable deaths.

 

And incidents like the contract killing of Alexander Dugin's daughter Darya Dugina.  

[hatcheckgirl]

The looming winter cold will bring additional hardship for you all in Europe, the war bringing up the spectre of another possible Chernobyl on top of everything else. And covid is still hanging around. Hang in there - we are seeing the worst of humanity ending, and our future is bright.

[Michelle112]

3 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

The looming winter cold will bring additional hardship for you all in Europe, the war bringing up the spectre of another possible Chernobyl on top of everything else. And covid is still hanging around. Hang in there - we are seeing the worst of humanity ending, and our future is bright.

I'm hanging on, buckling up and holding on to my hat because it's going to be a wild ride 🤪 

[New World Explorer]

41 minutes ago, Michelle112 said:

I'm hanging on, buckling up and holding on to my hat because it's going to be a wild ride 🤪 

Riding to a New World! Yes, hang on there! 

[Michał]

On 8/23/2022 at 5:33 AM, hatcheckgirl said:

The looming winter cold will bring additional hardship for you all in Europe, the war bringing up the spectre of another possible Chernobyl on top of everything else. And covid is still hanging around. Hang in there - we are seeing the worst of humanity ending, and our future is bright.

While I’m not so much concerned about heat problems in winter for the general population (is it ironic that on the one hand we have heatwaves and heat domes and on  the other the threat of cold in winter?!) the increasing (earth) gas prices and decrease in food production are going to make our living in 2023 even more damaging. 
 

Let’s fasten out spiritual seatbelts for the ride!

[hatcheckgirl]

50 minutes ago, Michał said:

the increasing (earth) gas prices

Sorry, that is what I meant about the impending cold winter facing Europe.  As a result of Russian sanctions cutting fuel to Europe, it will be a struggle financially and for warmth.  Electricity and power cuts will mean a lot of problems for you, unfortunately.