16 hours ago, Chainsaw said:

I got rid of my TV years ago and never regretted it. Watching the news was always depressing, it was always doom and gloom hyped to the max. I realised that all I could do about any of the disasters in the world was worry about them and stress myself out. Since dumping the tv I've realised just how much propaganda is dressed up as 'news'. No thanks.

Agree. I stopped watching local tv news long ago because it always made me angry. I watch Al Jazeera if I want to watch news, but even they make me annoyed at times with their bias on certain subjects.

For Ukraine I have watched Al Jazeera. I scorn all the rest for their IMO politicization of the news. IMO long gone are the days that the BBC was an impartial and essential news source, and IMO American news sources are in it for ratings and money.

I haven't read a newspaper or a magazine for 40 years. I don't feel I've missed anything. The standard of journalism is usually deplorable. Rubbish concocted by mostly Grub Street hacks desperate to earn a few bob. Gossip, scandal, celebrity rubbish.

I'm even cutting down on YouTube every day because of all the ridiculous self-aggrandizing, falsified or plagiarized posts. More and more nutters crawling out of the woodwork every day, particularly it seems from the USA.

I see no reason to trust anything much I see or hear. 'There's no news like bad news' is the mantra. I have long thought that the BBC is a disgrace, gutless, and, at times, an evil institution. The BBC World Service is absurd - smarm, shiny suits, expensive frocks (presumably what their oft quoted Sony awards were presented for). Poor reporting not remotely on a par with the best of Kate Adie, John Simpson and the Man in the White Suit. Debase the educational system and this is what you get.

 

I do glance through the headlines on the internet and I'm sorry to say that I do look at BBC Sport website every day. More rubbish usually, but it varies. Some soccer and rugby reports are good but sports in which the British can do quite well are virtually ignored, e.g. badminton.

 

I do respect and generally trust Wikipedia, though!

20 minutes ago, siftasam said:

I haven't read a newspaper or a magazine for 40 years. I don't feel I've missed anything. The standard of journalism is usually deplorable. Rubbish concocted by mostly Grub Street hacks desperate to earn a few bob. Gossip, scandal, celebrity rubbish.

I'm even cutting down on YouTube every day because of all the ridiculous self-aggrandizing, falsified or plagiarized posts. More and more nutters crawling out of the woodwork every day, particularly it seems from the USA.

I see no reason to trust anything much I see or hear. 'There's no news like bad news' is the mantra. I have long thought that the BBC is a disgrace, gutless, and, at times, an evil institution. The BBC World Service is absurd - smarm, shiny suits, expensive frocks (presumably what their oft quoted Sony awards were presented for). Poor reporting not remotely on a par with the best of Kate Adie, John Simpson and the Man in the White Suit. Debase the educational system and this is what you get.

 

I do glance through the headlines on the internet and I'm sorry to say that I do look at BBC Sport website every day. More rubbish usually, but it varies. Some soccer and rugby reports are good but sports in which the British can do quite well are virtually ignored, e.g. badminton.

 

I do respect and generally trust Wikipedia, though!

My thoughts exactly! The BBC has long ceased to be an unbiased news source with integrity.

13 hours ago, Denim said:

Well, just keep a travel case packed , ready to leave quickly and make sure to have emergency cash and a bottle of your favorite spirit to keep you company.  

Why?

 "Of course, there are a lot of Russian families currently on holiday in Thailand and I am sure they are starting to feel uncomfortable."

Some of these families may have other family members and relations in the armed forces, how would you feel if your son who is in the armed forces tells you he will have to help invade a certain country and kill innocent women and children just to suit one madman despot?

On a much smaller scale, the same would apply to the families of soldiers who will be behind some powermad  general leading a coup against a democratically elected government.

It takes a bit of thinking, doesn't it?

1 hour ago, zyphodb said:

Why?

Just in case !!  The world seems to be moving into an uncertain future. Might be necessary to up sticks , although Thailand is a quiet corner for the time being.

 

A lot of people are thinking on how the Chinese , with their own territorial ambitions , are watching what is happening now in Europe.  Another weak response by the west and they might be thinking that if ever there was a time to attack Taiwan , than now seems as good a time as any.. China and Russia together represent a mighty powerful alliance.

 

I hope that won't happen but then I didn't think Putin would be mad enough to attack Ukraine. I was wrong.

22 hours ago, STALINGRAD said:

To the quote earlier “Why should they , they haven’t done anything” Are people not a reflection of the customs and culture of the nation they live? Are their sons and daughters not the very soldiers that perform the aggression? The Russian people have been inured to a hopeless fate since before the Bolshevik revolution. By not standing up to their leaders they enable this behavior. Cubans fled Castro and complain for another to change their country while playing dominos in Miami. Russians mumble while their leader poisons,enables Assad,blackmails Europe.They are all cowards.

Are people not a reflection of the customs and culture of the nation they live?

Maybe. I am not sure, maybe that's for another topic.

6 hours ago, Denim said:

Just in case !!  The world seems to be moving into an uncertain future. Might be necessary to up sticks , although Thailand is a quiet corner for the time being.

 

A lot of people are thinking on how the Chinese , with their own territorial ambitions , are watching what is happening now in Europe.  Another weak response by the west and they might be thinking that if ever there was a time to attack Taiwan , than now seems as good a time as any.. China and Russia together represent a mighty powerful alliance.

 

I hope that won't happen but then I didn't think Putin would be mad enough to attack Ukraine. I was wrong.

Yet, this same crowd are quite indifferent regarding the ever present and dangerously expanding Anglophone sphere on forced influence........far more destructive and criminal than any manufactured and historied boogieman. 

44 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Yet, this same crowd are quite indifferent regarding the ever present and dangerously expanding Anglophone sphere on forced influence........far more destructive and criminal than any manufactured and historied boogieman. 

So the UK is the current problem rather than Russia and China. It would be interesting for you to outline reasons why you think this is the case. Please don't  be cryptic. I read the normal news and think Russia is bad for attacking Ukraine and don't know what you are referring to. 

You can’t ignore the news any more. You walk outside and everything is <deleted>. The news is you are being <deleted> daily 

On 2/25/2022 at 6:51 PM, STALINGRAD said:

Are people not a reflection of the customs and culture of the nation they live?

IMO NO!

Far as I'm concerned a lot of so called culture is imposed by a small but powerful political clique on a majority, regardless of their opinions on the subject.

 

32 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO NO!

Far as I'm concerned a lot of so called culture is imposed by a small but powerful political clique on a majority, regardless of their opinions on the subject.

 

The essence of systematic dumbing down. 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO NO!

Far as I'm concerned a lot of so called culture is imposed by a small but powerful political clique on a majority, regardless of their opinions on the subject.

 

I think you're right, values, culture and outlook is imposed by a few people on the masses. However before internet it was fairly easy to indoctrinate a whole nation starting from education. Now its nots so easy because of access to a wide variety of different sources. The outliner of course being North Korea and to a certain extent China with its great internet firewall.

 

I remember watching the "blue eyes/brown eyes experiment", (its still on youtube), years ago as part of my University course. Powerful stuff on just how easy it is to divide a group of children against each other within an hour based solely on the colour of their eyes. Apparently the same experiment was conducted by Oprah Winfrey on one of her show with the whole audience, providing the same results.

The problem of our time is News is no longer news it is Opinion based on *their* facts

 

So yes we are better off ignoring it.

 

There was a time when news was just that....news reported as fact unbiased

Today you have left news, right news & all their little minions All part of the same corrupt systems

 

You also have to laugh at some these same pompous BS spreaders new demands such the new censorship called  "Peer Review"

 

Puleeze...definition of "Peer Review"  is let the BS'ers review & decide if any of this truth may be released knowing it shines lights on previous BS

 

Yet these that demand Peer Review publish their BS freely

Well as always  "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others"