heywoodu

Not exactly I've seen/read you get angry or frustrated about anything from situations like this to athletes losing chances and careers because of the Iran-Israel bullcrap, so yeah....you really don't sound like someone who supports the system

If there's one country in the world that's known for succesfully fighting the water, it's the Netherlands. I'm not afraid (I am definitely worried for countries like Bangladesh though)

Shooting in an El Paso Walmart, with reports going from 20+ wounded to 18 adults and 4 children dead. Unconfirmed though, also the 'multiple shooters' thing that's going around is all unconfirmed. It's clear though shit has hit the fan at the El Paso Walmart..

Basically. I know there's this old, steady group of very strict Christians here (who in Dutch are called 'gereformeerden' or, by the rest, 'refo's'), mostly present in what's called the Bible Belt (a line running from southwest to roughly the center of the country). I also know both my sister and girlfriend - both are Christian - are more on the opposite side. Instead of having to wear all black and funeral-like clothes to church, they just wear whatever they want* and their church services generally have a 'happy'/celebratory tone instead of the deep, dark 'thou shalt repent' tone of the strict ones. *When they go to church, which they mostly don't, because what they believe is inside them and doesn't depend on whether or not they go to some building. Last but not least, I know there's Catholic (you know, the Pope's posse) and Orthodox this and that, but that's about it.

That is exactly the one he mentioned No.

Outside the Netherlands that's probably true. Within the Netherlands they are big enough for their political party to steadily get around 2% of the votes. They got 2% last time, they got 2,5% half a century ago and they got 2,5% a hundred years ago, it's maybe going down with 0,02% per election

Gazillion groups with tiny differences between them who all call themselves Christian but with a different name in between it. Whatever you wanna call it, I don't care much for the terminology, I just know the group I meant is very strict and it's not the one you mentioned.

Ok, wrong one then I have no idea about the gazillion different branches of Christianity or whichever religion, I just know the one I mean is really strict (at least for 'average' people). I know, because I live in one of the towns where they form the highest percentage of the population.

And of course, right when this is being a hot topic, the first thing I see on another forum (right under a Formula 1 thread ) is this: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/three-women-sentenced-to-55-years-for-defying-compulsory-hijab-in-iran/30088712.html Now, I don't know this website, I don't know much about this country and these laws and everything, so for the 16897th time I'd like to ask @MHSN a question about Iran As I said, I have no idea about this website and whether it's 'normal' or 'right wing' or something, so: is there some sort of nuance to all this they are missing, either on purpose or because they don't know?

If only the main points in the article would be confirmed by an Indonesian for all to see here...oh wait, they already were.

Nope, it's not Mennonites. It's rather complicated to translate these things right, but I think the Wikipedia page that comes closest to it (but not entirely 'hits' it) is this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Reformed_church They do use cars and electricity and stuff like that, they have their own newspaper too (who's website - yes, it has one - is inaccessible on Sunday). In politics they don't really vote much for the general opinions of a party, they simply vote for the party that is literally the party made for their form of strict religion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Political_Party This party generally gets pretty much the same number of votes every time, and luckily doesn't play much of a major role (except for in places like my hometown, where it's the biggest party). Earlier this year they/their leader (who apart from all this extreme nonsense actually seems like a friendly guy, so that's kinda sad) signed the disgusting and despicable Nashville Statement, to get a bit of an idea what kind of people these are. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Statement

Like I said before, that is not the notable thing. The notable thing is how quickly a country went from relatively free to the complete opposite, at least in the eyes of a reporter doing his job. We can keep arguing about it, but I feel that's a bit senseless

Yep. And to do so, they report on notable things, like I said. A country descending so far into religious oppression so quickly is notable, wherever it is.

First World Tour race, first World Tour win. I believe he is now the second youngest winner ever of a big classic. Commentators here have gone quiet

This is insane. He's just jumping away from the likes of Valverde on a 15% climb

It's Evenepoel and Toms Skujins in the front. Which is kinda odd, usually Skujins is fantastic in the races in the US and terrible in the rest They're going very, very well though...11km to go, 40 seconds (it was 30 a while back).

Clasica San Sebastian today, 16km to go and 8-year old Remco Evenepoel is in the lead.

Not when it's a stand-alone thing. The whole point however is to show how incredibly much it descended towards this in only 10-15 years or so, which - especially considering how extreme it is - is rather notable. Reporting on notable issues is one of the main things newspapers tend to do.

Not change, but report on. Understandably, since it's a rather significant/extreme descent.

Thanks, that is terribly sad to read Personally I find this kind of extreme oppression worse than that of North Korea or something. "We believe in what book A says and so we have the right to beat and imprison anyone who does something that doesn't fit within what we believe."

Big piece in a Dutch newspaper about gay people in Indonesia: https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/het-vrolijke-land-indonesie-zucht-steeds-meer-onder-het-juk-van-de-islam~b8c5548d/ In it it's talking about how, in 2003, gay/transgender/cross-dressing people were accepted in every day life, including being on many TV shows. The writer recalls being in Atjeh and watching a local volleyball match where everyone just cared about 'tim waria', 'Team Gay/Transgender'. In recent years under immense religious pressure, it has all gone away completely, and he found of all the people in that specific team, most just disappeared completely, he managed to only contact one of them, who in absolutely no way wanted to get interviewed out of fear of punishment. According to the article, since a few years ago it's even illegal for TV stations to show 'men showing female behaviour'. Also says something about two guys getting nearly a hundred cane beating hits as punishment for having sex, after they were 'caught in the act' (which in this case meant, other people broke into their bedroom while they were doing it and weirdly enough, the victims were punished and the criminals who broke into their room got away without trouble). The main thing of this piece is basically how 'the once happy Indonesia is being opressed more and more by religion'. Since we have an Indonesian here, I thought I'd ask how much of this is exaggerated and how much is true, because this whole piece made me really, really sad. Literally everything they mention that changed from 2003 to now is seriously fucked up... @Griff88 Not that it matters or should matter, but to prevent certain things: this newspaper is actually known as a pretty left and liberal one, not a Geert Wilders kind of paper.

Oh no he didn't

Athletics EAA Team European Championships 2nd League 2019 Varaždin (CRO) - 10 August 2019 - 11 August 2019 Official Website With your host, Bulgaria's one and only @Federer91! Game on!

In the thread you can make?