Diamond_Jim

I was trying to set this selection to music. The best I could come up with was "Strange Days" by the Doors. Wikipedia's summing up of the critical response to the album of the same name has particular resonance. Especially the last sentence. Music critic Robert Christgau called the album "muscular but misshapen" in a May 1968 column for Esquire, but went on to write that The Doors had come "from nowhere to reign as America's heaviest group".[18] Rolling Stone opined that the album "has all the power and energy of the first LP, but is more subtle, more intricate and much more effective" and argued that the "whole album, individual songs and especially the final track are constructed in the five parts of tragedy. Like Greek drama, you know when the music's over because there is catharsis."

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Anybody getting the sinking feeling that the wheels are falling off this team of ours

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/08/28/melbourne-forward-dropped-after-missing-start-of-training/ “Bayley Fritsch was late to the captain’s run and is going to be dropped this week. He didn’t break COVID rules and Melbourne is stressing that. “How does that happen in the hub? They’re in Maroochydore, he’s not on the bus so you’d think he’d be noticed. “That is a tough, tough line to take. Bayley Fritsch is out of the Melbourne game due to tardiness and won’t play (on Saturday).” Not sure who is the dumbest but as a club we are dumb !!!

WC could end up 5th... with us at 8th Guess where the match would be played

The Bombers are back... yuk The Age Just stunning. Essendon come from six goals down to win by 16 points and keep their finals hopes alive. And it was on the back of a magnificent three-goal return showing from Joe Daniher, who delivered all that was promised and much more.

nothing worse than a Bomber comeback come on Hawks

strange time for a Thursday game... is there any particular reason? Hawks going very well !

Big game for the bombers They have a bad percentage. A loss today is almost the end of any finals chance Go Hawks

Malaysia... usually spend 6 months of the year here travelling the world. came here as usual in January for a trip to India and China and then Italy and Greece.... Managed India but ... well we know what happened. Was planning to return in August but it's increasingly looking like sometime in 2021. Adult kids have taken over the house in Melbourne so I just see the bills !! BTW...I have 500Mbs internet for $40 a month and they call Australia first world. Here every place has temperature taking, scan in with the govt app and masks. Last week they had a massive crackdown and closed lots of places. Like most countries the economy is shot for this year.... International borders fully locked down but no interstate restrictions. States here have little power as the Federal Government has all the money.

In their defence they just accelerated the phase 3 process and offered it on a voluntary basis to health care workers.The West like to criticize but in the circumstances it's an approach worth considering. Reading some stuff on this the "good" thing about this virus is that because it is comparatively benign so too are the vaccines. (Nothing like the risks of injecting people with smallpox etc) The likelihood of side affects are low. Whether they work is the big question. Interesting ethical debates on whether "challenge testing"should be allowed. This is where a vaccinated person is deliberately exposed to the virus. The problem with "normal'testing is that your chances of picking up the virus is around one in five hundred at worst even in the heavily exposed countries so you need massive numbers to determine its efficacy.Statistically even out of say three thousand candidates only six people might catch it. No cases here but masks etc are compulsory. In the heat they are a real challenge especially the cloth variety. The trash from the disposable masks is overwhelming. I have a lovely collection including my favourite being a knock off Burberry design for $2. I read that the real thing sells for almost $200 !!!

= low growth opportunity Let's face it the demographics of the club are ageing. As a child I remember all the old Fitzroy supporters Deja vu is what it is

the tree

The AFL's sunk costs in refurbishing that old stadium in Shanghai aren't looking too flash

In a perverse way it makes sense but only if you assume WC plays their first final in WA. Wheels within wheels.

soft cap for 2021 has been cut by nearly a third from $9M to $6M approx. Will be interesting to see our cuts. Richmond also made big cuts last week .

That was literally the year that the premiership was anyone's and as usual we squibbed it

The soft cap for 2021 has been slashed by one third from approx $9M to $6M. Coaching and support jobs will be at a premium.

"Fellow ruckman Luke Jackson (hamstring) is on track in his rehab, with a Round 18 return on the cards for the 18-year-old." Someone's optimistic....?

Port are fiercely independent so I see them as the last to merge. The problem with being aligned is that you can have as much agreement re retention of name, jumpers grounds etc but at the end of the day the AFL team will decide strategy, team selection and player usage. The problems of not having absolute control were obvious when we were aligned with Sandringham. There is also the issue of ground rationalisation for those clubs such as North, Bulldogs etc that have their own playing arena capable of supporting small crowds. They will not wish to contribute financially to the upkeep of the former VFA grounds such as Coburg, Port Williamstown etc It'll be a tough decision for the non aligned clubs and I don't think the way Carlton ditched the Northern Blues will be forgotten easily.

? we all know what that is

You are very close I suspect A two tiered system to protect the big earners.... The hopefuls will play for less than the almost nothing they get now. Darwinism at its simplest. Nothing wrong with that but I'm not sure now is the best time given the AFL is perhaps squeezing every lemon it can find including members. Does it owe a duty to the lesser leagues....

Why would the AFL fund non aligned teams Their money (if they have any) will go to AFLW

Spargo's not the problem.

My bet is that Port and Williamstown will leave the comp and enter another league. Coburg and Franskston... who knows. The VFL experience will be the poorer for the absence of these traditional clubs and grounds.