The invasion of Ukraine this week has me feeling sick to my stomach - occasionally complemented by anger or tears. Separately there were some significant updates & happenings to talk about, but today I debated posting anything at all. Being both Ukrainian & Russian by blood & family I cannot be entirely silent.

• History and culture are products of real-world, lived experience. One doesn’t normally become an expert on other occupations and conflicts by reading the odd article, and - this is no exception.
• Especially right now you must pay caution to what you read, watch and think. Be deeply skeptical, especially of short/punchy views. Russia practically invented the misinformation game. In fact, the Kremlin’s incumbents notably rekindled it. In turn other superpowers have begun playing by the same rules.
• What I’m really saying here is - if you’ve got an opinion and aren’t based in Eastern Europe, you’re best off not sharing it because in the best case it’s a distraction, and in the worst case it’s actively pushing propaganda. Both cases, it’s offensive: So let’s focus on only re-sharing information that saves lives.
• What can you do? Well: Money (unfortunately) speaks louder than words, so donating will go a long way.

On a side-note: Released this week, Downfall (2022) is an incredibly important documentary: Greed kills.