hardtack

And this last week just shows why the gap will never narrow anytime soon... From "View From the Street" column in the Sydney Morning Herald:

Well, I agree that we have lost a lot of our traditional values and that as a country we have become greedy and obsessed with our own personal status. One thing though, what do you mean when you say "I understand a religious tone"?

I really have to take issue with this "charity begins at home" comment. Charity should begin where it is most needed. yes we should be caring for our underprivileged and under-serviced indigenous communities, but equally we should be caring for others in parts of the world that have no hope of caring for themselves, or when there are disasters that strike even affluent communities down. For example, the Pakistan flooding (I had absolutely no hesitation in contributing to aid their recovery) or the tsunami that struck north Honshu in Japan (we had garage sales and contributed to an NGO in Japan to assist in relocation and rebuilding). You make comment about the world becoming divided along various lines... well, sharing and providing charity is one way of healing some of the rifts (obviously not all). One of the big reasons for the divisions we see these days, is the lack of diplomacy and little attempt to understand cultural differences by major world powers who are only interested in preserving their interests in resources (oil etc). America's war on terrorism is the perfect example... it made the world a more dangerous place (in my opinion) as it created a whole new generation of martyrs. As for terrorists tainting frozen foods... you are saying that they couldn't do it if the foods were produced and packaged here? I agree that our farmers are treated shabbily, but I would be blaming corporations who are looking to maximise profits and reduce expenses at all costs, for that. This is NOT just a matter of Asian countries undercutting our farmers, it is also a matter of our own local corporations getting more and more greedy - would you be complaining if the shoe was on the other foot and it was our farmers/suppliers who were undercutting the producers in Asian countries and reaping the rewards? Somehow I think not. To raise the spectre of terrorism as a reason to produce locally doesn't work. And to use the emotive argument of the "diggers" dying for our freedom no longer applies either. Yes we should never forget them or what they stood for, or what they did for our forefathers (and by extension, us), but we also have to recognise that times have changed, as has our position in this world. If we were to dwell on the past, I would not have my two wonderful sons as I would never have met my (now ex) wife who was from Japan.

"ESSENDON will be restricted to recruiting players who have been on AFL lists in the past two seasons should any of its squad be suspended by the League's Anti-Doping Tribunal." http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-02-16/league-sets-topup-rules

"Kicking and screaming"? Really? TDI said: "See my report on the injury in the training thread, mods can we close this thread can be covered inn the training thread, and it was his left knee not the right which he has supported with strapping" TDI then joined in the discussion and the suggestion to close the thread was never raised again. Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you started that particular thread would it? I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't have started a separate thread (in fact, I'm glad it is separate), but really... how many millions of times have you been told not to exaggerate.

Well you would have to think that at least he won't be afraid of a contest.

We have no idea what we lost by not having Hogan as he was untried at the AFL level... same goes for Petracca now.

I'm pretty hopeless at maths, but if my calculations are correct, GWS must be getting a little nervous being 5% down on this time last year... particularly when you consider they have only amassed 6,940 to date.

Perhaps you could supply the stats?

Is that a new age scale or does it mean he's about 16?

Geez, I hope Pretoria doesn't get struck down as well.

Look at it this way... think of how we have all been getting excited over Hogan's imminent delayed debut in the AFL... well, now we have the same thing to look forward to next year!! (sow's ears to silk purses, my specialty).

Well said on the well said... it's just a shame that one poster finds it necessary to gloat over the fact they correctly predicted it would be a season ending injury.

And would I be right in guessing that those figures are rankings against ALL players and not just midfielders? So, on that score, he would probably be inside the top 10 (assuming that my assumption is correct)

It seems to be a bit of a catch 22 situation Yossarian.

Of all of the bands on the Soundwave list, the ones that I would be most interested in seeing are: Ministry (Jesus Built My Hot Rod is one of my favourite songs), One OK Rock (excellent Japanese band who my ex has a few albums of) and [censored] Up, purely because they look too wholesome to have a name like that.

Roos will play whoever he believes to be the best for the job when the time comes. If he picks Toumpas over Cross, then so be it.

My sons have a Japanese mother and a European family name... doesn't take away any of their "Japanese-ness"

This Indonesian response in justifying the death sentence for dealing drugs, is the numbers who die as a result of their use. If that was a genuine concern, then despite the legality of these drugs, anyone selling cigarettes/tobacco products and alchohol, should also be waiting their turn on death row... they are directly responsible for far more deaths than any of the illegal drugs.

Yes, apparently dancing around the house nude can have that effect.

And what if he goes down in round 1 or at training... perhaps we shouldn't play him then either?

About 80% of Adelaide's supporter base would not look out of place on the set of Deliverance.

Funny thing is that the players would probably be less offended by that than some supporters.

Revisiting my DVD of David Lynch's "The Straight Story"... a beautiful lazily paced film based, I believe, on a true story about an elderly man named Alvin Straight who sets off from his home in Grotto, Iowa to visit his brother in Wyoming who he hasn't spoken with in many many years after a disagreement, after he hears he has suffered a stroke. He wants to make peace before his brother passes on. The incredible thing about this is that Alvin makes this epic 240 mile journey on a ride-on lawnmower (made epic purely by the fact that the mower has a top speed of 5 mph). I cannot recommend this film highly enough... it is not typically David Lynch, but it is typically David Lynch. Lynch without the darkness. And it has one of the best lines I have ever heard in any film... when asked by a young guy at a camping ground "what's the worst thing about being old?", he replies "remembering when you were young." So, so, so true.

Dunny actually puts in an appearance at the 9 sec mark...