General chat room

[scarface]

Maybe some of you watched some football matches of the world cup. I'm not sure humbert, aa1234779 or Maher were interested since I don't think their teams were qualified. I can't remember the last time the US or Palestine won the final of the FIFA world cup. I watched the final only, and I must say I wasn't disappointed, there were several goals. France won but it's probably Croatia which deserved the victory.
When you have to watch a match for 90 minutes without a mere goal, it's an ordeal. I remember where I was 20 years ago for the previous victory of France. I wish I could go back to those days. In the mid 90's, on Saturday evenings, after culture pub on M6, I was watching the erotic movie when I could do it. There was nothing to see, only a few noises that would suggest that something was happening. But at this time it was impressive, and internet didn't exist yet.

If some of you want to watch culture pub, I selected those 2 clips (culture pub = a program to watch the best commercials).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkCsky81Ytg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62AE_hOQhYs

[scarface]

Tonight, I’m going to hold an exceptional conference about the unusual temperatures in UK, Sweden and Japan.


First and foremost, let’s begin with UK.
THE Met Office has released incredible satellite images comparing the UK from May to June, and the results are shocking.


UK heatwave: The left satellite image was taken in May, the right in July
The summer, on track to be on of the hottest on record, has brought unusually dry conditions.

An average of just 47mm of rain has fallen in the past two months, making it the driest start to summer since modern records began in 1961.

The lack of rainfall has prompted fears if a drought as reservoir levels begin to drop, resulting in hosepipe bans in some areas.

Parts of the UK have been ravaged by wildfires, including a huge blaze across Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester and the largest grass fire in the London Fire Brigade's history on Wanstead Flats, east London, last week.

Warm weather has gripped London recently. Temperatures across Britain have routinely soared above 86 degrees Fahrenheit



Now let’s talk about Sweden. We used to think there was a harsh climate in Sweden, particularly in winter when the weather is very cold. But a heatwave in Sweden?
And yet, SWEDEN has called for emergency EU help as the country struggles to contain an out-of-control and unprecedented series of wildfires, following a heatwave that has baffled weather experts.

Sweden is struggling to contain more than 60 wildfires, which continue to ravage the country today, with one official claiming that the "entire country is at risk".
An unusual heatwave, which has caused the worst drought in the country since World War Two, has baffled meteorologists.

More than 20,000 hectares of forest is on fire in the Nordic country, with the wildfires even reaching Lapland in the Arctic Circle.



As far as Japan is concerned, People across Japan have been urged to take precautions against a heatwave that has killed about 30 people.
Thousands more have sought hospital treatment for heat-related conditions over the past two weeks.

Temperatures reached 40.7C (105F) in central Japan earlier this week, a five-year nationwide peak.


In the city of Kyoto temperatures have stood above 38C (100.4F) for seven days in a row for the first time since records began in the 19th Century.
The heatwave is thought to be lasting until at least the end of the month, with temperatures soaring every day.

Soaring temperatures have also made some question the wisdom of staging the 2020 Tokyo Olympics during July and August, when temperatures often exceed 35C.
Experts have warned the risk of heatstroke in Tokyo has escalated in recent years, saying the Olympics are expected to take place in conditions when sports activities should normally be halted



Is it due to climate change or is it simply a temporary heatwave?
Maybe some attendees are eager to react and speak on the forum.



Maybe you will be interested in this video. A specialist is talking about what’s happening. In Spanish with French subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILwS5xbeRjA





Some good videos:

Alizée - Gourmandises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvh-ieuM8yg

Billie Jean, with Trump performing as singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9_ztVHAafk

Some excellent documentaries:

Karachi, Pakistan, the city where water is running out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWraEBec0Vg

Transgender, Muslim and banned in Malaysia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMCl0NkQ6Qg

Critically endangered: The plight of Cameroon's Great Apes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgk3suYIeB0

[scarface]

If you are currently in Ile de france, there is a pollution peak with the heatwave. And it's probably the same thing in other big towns.
Be cautious if you are doing sport.

[scarface]

Tonight, I’m going to hold a conference to talk about Pakistan.

Vasudev and shadow.97 probably know it’s a country situated in Asia, between India and Afghanistan.
It is the second biggest Muslim country in the world with 200 million people. If Pakistan is the second one, maybe some of you are wondering what is the first one.
It’s not Bangladesh. It’s not Egypt either. It’s Indonesia. But the population of Pakistan could reach 400 million people by 2050...and it could become the first Muslim country in the word.

Here is a map of Pakistan, to understand where it is located.
With my comments.


The introduction was only informative and the conference doesn’t deal with Islam.
Actually, tonight the conference can be titled: Is Pakistan entering another phase of instability ?

Elections will likely deliver either a weak coalition or unpopular majority


Street poles are decorated with the flags and banners of political parties in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on July 23 ahead of a general election.


On July 25, Pakistanis will elect a parliament and provincial assemblies, only the second time in the country's 70-year history that an election occurs after the completion of the assemblies' full five-year term. However, despite that encouraging sign of greater stability, events preceding the elections have raised worrying questions about how durable the stability will be, and about the credibility of the vote itself.

Among the three parties who dominate the polls, the Justice (PTI) grouping led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is emerging as a favorite to form a government after the polls. Although Khan has political support among the masses, his real strength is his alleged backing from Pakistan's powerful security establishment.
Nawaz Sharif, three times prime minister of Pakistan, was Khan's leading opponent. However, he was disqualified by the Supreme Court in August 2016 as prime minister and in July this year he was convicted on corruption charges. Sharif, who used to head the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is now serving a 10-year sentence in Pakistan's infamous prison of Adiyala. He alleged that the judiciary was used by the security establishment to remove him from the electoral battle and claimed that the country's powerful military establishment is clearing the way for Khan, its favored candidate.

Sharif is not the only one who is complaining of alleged injustice. Top legal minds in Pakistan have questioned the grounds on which Sharif was disqualified by the court. Sharif was found guilty of not revealing, in his election nomination forms, salary that he was owed by his son's company in the United Arab Emirates. The court decided this owed salary was an "undeclared asset" and disqualified Sharif for life from politics.

Last week, Justice Shoukat Aziz Siddiqui, a serving judge of Islamabad's High Court, alleged that Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency ISI is putting pressure on judges to secure judgments against Sharif. In response to Siddiqui's allegations, the chief spokesman of Pakistan's army has requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court to investigate.
It is not only Sharif who is facing questionable verdicts from the judiciary but also some of his party members. On Saturday, Hanif Abbasi, a PML-N stalwart who was contesting elections in Rawalpindi, was sentenced to life imprisonment and disqualified. There were six other people charged with Abbasi in the case but all were acquitted. This decision by the lower judiciary was once again seen by some as partisan.

The treatment meted out to Sharif and his party workers has started to shift public opinion in his favor, at least in his support base of Punjab. Large numbers of people have appeared at the election rallies of PML-N, whereas Khan's PTI is sometimes facing problems pulling in the crowds in Punjab. Independent pre-election polls carried out in Pakistan show that both PTI and PML-N are neck and neck and the election is too close to call.

Alleged meddling in the election is not the only problem Pakistan is facing. The 2018 elections are proving to be the most violent in recent times. So far, three candidates have been killed in suicide bombings. In one of these attacks, 153 people were murdered by an Islamic State group suicide bomber who targeted an election rally in Mastung district near the Afghan border. Akram Durrani, former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, survived two assassination attempts during his election campaign. There are concerns that more terrorist attacks may be carried out on Election Day.

If there is no tampering with ballots on the day of the polls, then analysts believe it is likely that a hung parliament may be the result. This will mean a coalition of multiple parties which will be weak and will struggle to take tough decisions.
A hung parliament will also threaten the pace at which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key Belt and Road initiative, will develop. CPEC is a $62 billion Chinese-sponsored economic development plan for Pakistan which was backed by the PML-N from its inception in 2015. If the PML-N is forced out of power and there is a weak government in Pakistan, the CPEC is less likely to find favor.

Finally, if a PTI majority government comes to power amid allegations of election manipulation, the consequences could be very serious. There would be protests in central and northern Punjab, Sharif's support base and Pakistan's most populous areas. A PTI government elected amid questions of impropriety would struggle to last, generating more instability.
Pakistan's political stability depends in no small part on the fair and undisputed conduct of the elections being held on Wednesday.


Here are a few pictures of Pakistan.

Faisalabad


Islamabad, with Faisal mosque and Centaurus mall


Lahore's ancient walled city

[scarface]

This is terrible news for the Femen organization.


Femen co-founder Oksana Chatchko committed suicide in Paris.
With three other activists, 31-year-old Oksana Chatchko founded the feminist movement, which became known for its topless actions in April 2008 in Ukraine.



In the morning, Anna Goutsol, another co-founder of the movement also confirmed her death on her Facebook page, however, she remained cautious about the causes of the disappearance: "The bravest (...) Oksana Chatchko has passed away. With her family, we are in mourning and we are waiting for the official version of the police. For the moment, what we know is that (...) Oksana's body was found in her apartment in Montrouge (near Paris). According to her friends, she left a suicide letter. "

Exiled in France since 2013, the young woman left the organization and worked as a painter.

[Vasudev]

This is terrible news for the Femen organization.


Femen co-founder Oksana Chatchko committed suicide in Paris.
With three other activists, 31-year-old Oksana Chatchko founded the feminist movement, which became known for its topless actions in April 2008 in Ukraine.



In the morning, Anna Goutsol, another co-founder of the movement also confirmed her death on her Facebook page, however, she remained cautious about the causes of the disappearance: "The bravest (...) Oksana Chatchko has passed away. With her family, we are in mourning and we are waiting for the official version of the police. For the moment, what we know is that (...) Oksana's body was found in her apartment in Montrouge (near Paris). According to her friends, she left a suicide letter. "

Exiled in France since 2013, the young woman left the organization and worked as a painter.

That's sad news. Maybe some pressure lead to her death.

[scarface]

That's sad news. Maybe some pressure lead to her death.

Their exposure of nudity is a form of violence, and violence leads to despair.

[scarface]

In a previous message, aa1234779 showed he had been interested in the unbelievable prison escape of Redoine Faid (He might have been astonished because in his country of the Gulf, prisons are luxury hotels). That's why Redoine Faid made an appearance lately to say hello. Here is the article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/redoine-faid-escaped-gangster-spotted-car-with-explosives-north-paris/

[humbert]

Their exposure of nudity is a form of violence, and violence leads to despair.

Logic dictates nobody will pay any attention to the Femen protesters if they keep their clothes on. Interesting strategy.

On a similar note, I wouldn't be surprised if one day in the future a member of ***** Riot becomes Russia's first woman president.

[aa1234779]

Although I completely disagree with the means that Femen activists  as a form of expressing outrage or protesting. Public nudity is offensive to the majority of civilized people. Yet that is not how Gene Sharp who is an authority on Non-violent struggle sees it. It is just a way among other ways of dissent.