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Kochi: Doctors at Kochi’s Aster Medcity are struggling to treat the victims of the Kalamassery bomb blast — several of them are refusing to accept blood transfusions because it goes against their religious beliefs. The victims are members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the religious group that was the target of the 29 October attack, which killed three and wounded 50. The accused, former Jehovah’s Witness Dominic Martin, claimed in a Facebook video that he was against the group because it perpetuated harmful beliefs. One such belief is their stance against transfusions, based on their conviction that life should not be sustained by the blood of other creatures. An evangelical subsect of Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses often get a bad rap for their firm beliefs and zealous proselytising. But beneath the surface is a highly organised, deeply religious, well-oiled machine that preaches returning to the biblical text in case of any doubt. They conduct themed prayer meetings, maintain strict codes of conduct, and adhere to a policy of political neutrality. Their way of life is closely guided by the principles in the Bible. Witnesses also look to community elders to provide guidance and advice. After the blast, the India branch office sent out a list of instructions to members on how to support each other and attend gatherings virtually. Many from the India branch office have also visited the affected. “Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event and are praying for the victims’ families,” read the official statement of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Indian Branch after the blast. “During this time of tragedy, we are comforted by the Bible’s hope of a future when violence will no longer occur.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses have had a presence in India for decades, with about 50,000 members nationwide. In Kerala, there are roughly 17,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses spread across 200 congregations. Around 2,000 of these congregants had gathered at the Zamra Convention Centre in Kalamassery, Kochi, for a three-day convention last week. The theme was “living with patience”. On the third day, at around 9.30 a.m., the attendees had their eyes closed in prayer when three consecutive blasts shattered the serenity of the moment. An eyewitness told ThePrint that something that looked like a “tiffin-box bag” had gone off under plastic chairs. “It took us time to react. Initially, we thought it was a short circuit, but then we saw the black smoke and smelled the burning,” said Prakash, a 30-year-old systems engineer who was present at the site. Zamra Convention Centre where Jehovah’s Witnesses were holding three-day convention | Vandana Menon | ThePrint But even when the gravity of the situation sank in, there was no “overpanic” at the scene, he added. “I think that’s why there were fewer casualties.” Kochi MP Hibi Eden also noted the exceptional level of organisation at the gathering, and said that the congregants followed an evacuation plan — a general protocol they’d already discussed at the start of the convention. “I’ve been to many calamities and disaster sites — usually there are emotional outbursts or resentment expressed towards government officials. But in this case, they were an extremely composed crowd,” said Eden. “There was no anger from the victims and their families, which is quite unusual.” Also Read: ‘Unassuming English teacher, recluse’ — inside the world of Kerala bombing suspect Dominic Martin Organised, streamlined, and global Jehovah’s Witnesses typically hold their worship gatherings in assembly halls known as Kingdom Halls, rather than traditional churches. Since the Sunday bomb blast, physical prayer meetings across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have been called off over fears of violence. However, the community has adapted so that they can still share in midweek prayers. Zoom links have been shared in the WhatsApp groups of all the congregations for members to join. The theme of this week’s prayers is “Treasures from God’s Word”. It’s the same theme for Jehovah’s Witnesses across the world. There’s even an app to keep things streamlined. Prakash opens the Jehovah’s Witness Library app on his phone to check the schedule, toggling between Malayalam and English on the user interface. The app supports over 522 languages to reach Witnesses all over the world, including separate English dialects for countries like Liberia. A few of the interface of the Jehovah’s Witness Library app | Photo: Vandana Menon | ThePrint “Just looking at the range of languages on the app makes me feel I have a strong community. Wherever I go in the world, if I need help, Jehovah’s Witnesses will come running to help me,” said another Witness, Anna. “We don’t discriminate, because we are all God’s children.” The schedule is simply displayed with prompts for Witnesses to reflect on their beliefs and actions. There are two weekly meetings at Kingdom Halls, one midweek and one on the weekend. Midweek meetings are typically from 5pm to 8pm. The timing of weekend meetings varies by congregation, and Witnesses are free to attend the gathering that best fits their schedule. For instance, the congregations of Aluva and Kalamassery share the same Kingdom Hall building, and schedule their prayer meetings separately for members of both congregations to be able to attend. There have been no physical prayer meeting since the bombing at the Kingdom Hall in Edapally, Kochi | Photo: Vandana Menon | ThePrint The priority is not prayer, but teaching the Bible. Each meeting opens with a short song and prayer, after which an elder delivers opening remarks on the theme for the week. Then the witnesses talk about their interpretation of the selected Bible verse, and how they apply it to their life. “The Bible teaches us to live correctly and lawfully. That’s all we’re saying — it’s not that we don’t follow the rules of society. When these rules conflict with our beliefs, then we prioritise what the Bible teaches us,” said Prakash. “We don’t force others to follow our beliefs, so what’s the problem?” The strictures include refraining from idolising celebrities or the nation-state since worship

SPOKANE, Wash. — Vitalant is hosting its annual Epicurean Delight event at the Spokane Convention Center Friday night, Nov. 3. It’s an effort to raise money for Vitalant, which collects blood products from donors to give to medical facilities for life saving procedures. Mother of five, Megan Shaw, knows the importance of blood donation. She almost died giving birth to her fifth child, Coco. After delivering her baby by c-section, Shaw started hemorrhaging. Her placenta had grown through her uterine wall and attached to her organs. She begged to stay awake and worried that if she closed her eyes, she’d die. However, a doctor put her under to perform surgery. Her husband, Jeff, waited for six hours with Coco to hear word of his wife. Finally, he says the doctor told him that Shaw had survived thanks to at least 40 units of blood pumped through her body through transfusions. Jeff admits he never thought much about blood drives held at his office, but now he says he’ll never look at this selfless act the same way again. Three years later, the couple is happy to spread words of gratitude to the donors that saved Megan’s life. This story will air Friday night at Vitalant’s Epicurean Delight and the Shaw’s will then take the stage to say ‘thank you’ and to encourage others to donate the gift of life.

Vitalant is hosting its annual Epicurean Delight event at the Spokane Convention Center Friday night, Nov. 3. It’s an effort to raise money for Vitalant, which collects blood products from donors to give to medical facilities for life saving procedures. Mother of five, Megan Shaw, knows the importance of blood donation. She almost died giving birth to her fifth child, Coco.

The first thing you see in “Blood for Dust” is the Billings Gazette office. The opening shot is just delicious, a blood-soaked and lovingly corny amuse-bouche for a blood-soaked and lovingly corny movie. It opens tight on a photo sitting on a desk. It’s a portrait of a white bread, cookie cutter family. There’s two young kids, a beautiful wife and a father in a Navy uniform. Then a gunshot rings out and the family portrait is splattered in blood. The camera slowly zooms out and a body is revealed to be sitting at the desk, shotgun at his feet. There’s brain matter smeared across the back of his head, and blood drips down the wall. The film crew for “Blood for Dust” sets up in Billings Gazette President Dave Worstell’s office at the Gazette. AMY LYNN NELSON, Billings Gazette And then something funny happens. A title card appears on screen: “Boise, Idaho: 1989.” Except, no it’s not. That’s the wall in Gazette publisher Dave Worstell’s office. Peer through the semi-closed blinds in the scene and maybe you can see my red Subaru in the parking lot. Right before the camera started rolling, the guy with half his head missing was just milling about in the lobby, trying (and failing) to blend in. They spent that whole day shooting in the Gazette office, with employees standing in as extras. People are also reading… But here’s the thing. For almost everyone in the world, that office is anonymous. It could be anywhere. You’d only recognize that office if you’re like me, and are there five — sometimes six — days a week. For everyone else who sees this movie, it’s just an office. That’s the experience of watching “Blood for Dust” — which I did Friday night as part of the Montana Film Festival at the Roxy Theatre Missoula, along with a sold out crowd and, confoundingly, a crying baby — if you’re from Billings. It’s like seeing a movie from both sides of the camera at once. Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington in “Blood for Dust.” Courtesy photo The indie thriller, which is still making the festival rounds after a premier at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival back in June. The Missoula date was its Montana premiere. And that’s fitting, since it was entirely shot in and around Billings last November and December. The script originally called for the film to be set in Texas, with the high plains of eastern Montana standing in for their counterparts on the Llano Estacado. But it’s hard to do a film shoot in Montana in the winter and pretend you’re anywhere else. Although “Blood for Dust” does have some issues with Montana geography. Both Baker and Grass Range are mentioned as stops on I-90, and one character says they’re headed to “Kally-spell.” The whole thing was shot in Billings and Laurel, with some exteriors around Red Lodge, but the script hops around Montana and the mountain west, with stops in Missoula and Great Falls. All of this, by the way, is fine. That’s what movies do. They’re not meant to be exact portraits of place. Rod Blackhurst, who directed and co-wrote “Blood for Dust” said as much in an intro that rolled before the Missoula showing. “Blood for Dust” Director Rod Blackhurst, left bottom, speaks with other members of the crew while filming in the Billings Gazette office. AMY LYNN NELSON, Billings Gazette “Please don’t hold (geographical inconsistencies) against us, we’re just doing some movie magic,” he said. And he’s right, because even if he isn’t totally sure where Dickinson, SD is, Blackhurst seems to have a handle on Montana. He doesn’t shoot the place like a painting, full of mountains and endless skies. It’s real. The snow that covers everything in “Blood for Dust” isn’t the newly fallen stuff. It’s old and windswept, trod over and mashed. The powder in the streets has been driven over so much that nobody bothered to plow it, and now it’s a compacted sort of ice. Plus, it’s fascinating to see a movie like this, where you can see the cracks. How many movies have I watched before that use the same location as different places and never noticed? The only reason I noticed this time is because said location is the Dude Rancher Lodge. You don’t want to see how the sausage gets made, they say, but sometimes you do. Especially if it’s pretty good sausage. Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington in “Blood for Dust.” Courtesy photo As it turns out, “Blood for Dust” is pretty good sausage. Blackhurt’s biggest credits are a pair of true crime documentary miniseries: “Amanda Knox” and “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise.” That makes sense, because this guy is an expert at capturing the casual horror of the every day, filled with cheap hotels, half-fabricated homes and empty offices. Other than a score that sounds like the “Psycho” theme being played by someone falling down a flight of stairs, “Blood for Dust” roars with the constant low hum of breaking down automobiles and the whir of machinery. The gunshots echo like thunderbolts. There have been literal depictions of hell that feel less demonic than the “Blood for Dust’s” strip club, a rotten place where you can get female attention, a hamburger, or involved in a drug running scheme. That’s what happens to Cliff (Scoot McNairy, one of the greatest character actors alive absolutely relishing a leading part), a traveling salesman stuck in a dead end job and a dead end life. He’s not a deadbeat, per se, he’s just the type of zombie that life turns many of us into. “Blood for Dust” is set in the early 1990s, but its themes feel pretty contemporary. Then again, those themes, about the crumbling American dream and the lengths desperate men go to to achieve it, would be as at home in 1923 as they are in 2023. Cliff is chowing down on his strip joint burger when he

Marvel Comics has officially announced Blood Hunt, an upcoming crossover event that sees a vampire horde descend upon the Marvel Universe. As revealed at New York Comic Con 2023, Blood Hunt launches next spring. The vampire-themed event comes from the team of Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia. Unsurprisingly, Blade appears to be a major player in this story. However, the Daywalker isn’t going into battle against the blood-sucking scourge alone. He is joined by the likes of Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Tigra, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and Thor. Check out Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho’s promotional art for Blood Hunt — plus an official trailer for the upcoming event — below: What to expect from Marvel’s Blood Hunt event According to Marvel, Blood Hunt will “spill out into a host of tie-in issues in Marvel‘s hottest current series and see the launch of all-new limited series, one-shots, and redefining status quos. Brimming with unsurmountable stakes, this startling saga will drag the world into darkness as your favorite heroes struggle to ward off the vampire race’s cursed crusade of terror!” “We have vampires in our books all the time. There’s some bad blood there,” MacKay said of the event. “What happens if the shoe was on the foot. We’ve got the Avengers, Moon Knight‘s Midnight Mission, Doctor Strange, Miles Morales, and of course, Blade, and there’s going to be more vampires you can shake a stick at.” Blood Hunt launches in spring 2024 from Marvel Comics.

GIVING BLOOD 300 TIMES Mr Thomasz, who is now retired, is among a small number of donors in Singapore who have given blood more than 300 times. While his first donation was during a time of great need, the hundreds of donations after were voluntary. He was also inspired by his father, who gave blood dozens of times. “I got to do my duty, I never thought of how much my blood can be used, for what purpose and for whom,” he said. He started making full blood donations – which can only be done once every three months – before moving on to apheresis donations, which can be done monthly. Apheresis is an automated process where machines draw blood from the donor, and extract the plasma, platelets or red cells, before returning the remaining components to the donor. It takes longer, with each donation taking 45 minutes to one-and-a-half hours. These days, Mr Thomasz meets friends or former colleagues and they go to the blood bank together to “do our duty”. He added: “Looking back, I think it has been a worthwhile journey. Giving back to society was a part of me … I could just give without any attachments. Mr Pang, who eventually came to know Mr Thomasz, said giving blood has become a habit. “I look at it this way … You give, they live. You don’t, they die. I mean, it sounds terribly unforgiving, but that’s the hard truth,” he said.

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at DePue High School, 204 Pleasant St. The Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage after fewer donors than needed gave blood over the summer, drawing down the national blood supply and reducing distributions of some of the most needed blood types to hospitals. Thousands of additional donations currently are needed to replenish the Red Cross blood supply. To schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.