Earl Hood

maybe earl. both hydrogen sulphide and methane are often found together and both are flammable and poisonous

are you denying it indicates global warming?

so the ivans got bogle and the yellow peril got holt? makes sense to me

DC let's stick to the facts. What we do know is that Harold Holt swam through 4 meter surf off Portsea in December 1967 to an off shore Chinese submarine and was taken back to mainland China where he is still living happily in Qinghai Province to this day. All this to escape Dame Zahra apparently. OK I am joking.

Hard Tracks reference to the craters forming in Siberia is scary. When they were first detected last year, my first guess was it had something to do the breakdown of the permafrost. Today's article confirms that suspicion, witnesses are talking of methane explosions opening up a crater that then fills with water but still oozes methane gas. Still more investigation needed of course but it all looks very ominous to me. The article mentions elevated temperatures in the arctic. And that is one of the problems we face, a two degree global average temperature increase results in a 10 or 15 degree increase at the poles and that is where a lot of the trapped methane, that if released quickly sets up a feed back loop. That is concerning but there is an alternative to live in Andrew Bolt's world of denial where the science is all rubbish and we can keep doing what we do and coal is our God.

Only one day of this February foolishness to go. Ive spent this evening wandering among my favourite bottles of Shiraz. I caressed their slender necks and playfully fondled their cute skimpy labels and ..... er well as I said one day to go.

Wonder how Jizz is holding out. Can I claim a comprehensive victory for the real farmers?

Could be a draw I think, depends on how long Jazza can stay off the fags.

BBO you have gone this far why slide back, why not continue, think about the weight you have shed, how well you feel. I say continue the good fight and stay alcohol free.

Those bottles of Shiraz do you need them really? Let me deal with them instead, let me remove your temptation. It is the least I can do for you and there is no need to thank me. It is my lot in life, noblesse oblige, I believe it is termed?

reminds me of the bogle-chandler case (mysterious gases come from the river)

never occurred to me it could have be caused by gw

Bogle & Chandler case? I still say KGB myself DC. And you are confusing hydrogen sulphide gas with methane you realise? just being pedantic I know.

you make it sound like a religion earl

do i have a time limit before i am excommunicated?

will i lose my head to some gw jihadist?

i'll let you know when they get the global climate predictor model working

DC you use an interesting analogy. Most people believe in a religion because it offers salvation from some equivalent of hell. Religions are belief systems based on a faith in someone's teachings. Belief in climate change is based on scientific facts and data and that if we act according to what the science is telling us we may achieve a form of salvation from the worst effects of global warming.

We can embrace zero emission energy technology that will create jobs and exports or we can hold onto the old fossil fuel industries as our future. Me personally I do not want to promote the profits of the likes of Clive Palmer or Gina Rhinehart particularly. Although the country will take a big export income hit in the short term, it is going to happen anyway as our markets move away from coal and gas.

By the way the IPCC models are predicting what is happening quite well. There will always be some variance from the predicted trend of global warming that leads to further data analysis, investigation and refinement to take into account so many variables in the planet. And then the model is reset.

The planet is complex and doesn't fit into some Andrew Bolt inspired linear equation

firstly i didnt claim anything

here is what i said "are we to assume that pro gw scientists don't receive grants from private self interested corporations?"

​an enormous amount of scientific research is funded these days by large corporates, multinationals and private conglomerates of various flavours

it is the capitalist way. and where there is money there is often self interest

it also doesn't always mean it is corrupting and has strings attached

i'm not going on an extensive search for your benefit as i merely posed the question as i think it highly likely that some pro gw scientists have funding from pro gw groups or groups that have a financial interest in the gw economy. there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. there could or could not be, it all depends, but i'm not naive enough to think that where money is involved that everything is squeaky clean

your mileage may vary

DC we have been here before. Are you sitting on the fence again? Yes you didnt claim anything but where do you stand?

Dr Soon is yet another what I would call a "Global Warming Sceptic'" commentator. He is a scientist but he does not conduct empirical scientific studies into global warming he just commentates on how in his case sun spots or something may be an issue for discussion and more importantly inaction, just as the geologist Professor Ian Plimer postulates about the long term effects of some geological phenomena and its effects on temperatures but produces no data. They are all extrovert academic talkers, funded by mining companies, by the way but where is their actual empirical data and painstaking research! Of course it doesn't exist because these people have moved on from basic science and data gathering, they are mostly guns for hire by those who want to pay for inaction.

Governments in general fund the gathering of real data for further analysis, not sure how many multinationals are funding basic research which may produce outcomes that don't suit them. I am happy to be persuaded otherwise.

I always wonder how "on the ground" scientists, gathering data for example from ice cores in the Antartic must feel when their empirical data findings are regularly trashed by a university drop out, like big mouth Andrew Bolt?

DC at some stage you have to commit to the cause. Or are you going to do a Greg Hunt on us?

I quite like the Hawks

They are everything we should be.

OD this thread is not the place for rational thoughts like yours!

"There is a suspicion that clubs at the bottom of the ladder are happy to let free agents go in return for compensation draft picks to embark on a slow rebuild, providing the club doesn't view that free agent as a likely key player when it next expects to contend.

In the Frawley scenario, scrapping the rule would have given the Demons more incentive to keep him, as under current rules, replacing him with another free agent would have affected the compensation they received for losing the key defender.

Most observers considered the Demons won out in the circumstances over the long term and clubs who weren't party to the transaction were forced down the draft order."

This is wrong, Frawley was an unrestricted free agent and is only 26. The AFLPA is arguing that Melbourne could have matched Hawthorns bid to keep him and that Melbourne were willing to let him go because he would not be around when they next contend; which is wrong as Frawley would have earnt more money at Melbourne if he had stayed. The ALFPA is assuming players are moving purely for money; which is not the case.

At the end of the day the AFLPA is talking rubbish as we have kids like Boyd or O'Rourke walking when their contracts are up. We don't need FA as far as I can see, players are moving on if they want to at contracts end to the point in the future that FA may be redundant.

I know what you mean. My in-laws go for the Hawks, and lets just say that the ledger is very one-sided ...

I feel your pain. My wife and family are all Hawks and the hardest part for me is battling to keep my hatred in check. I had to attend last years post GF entertainment with a forced smile on my face to indulge in their celebrations, such are the obligations of a husband and son in law. If I have to endure a threepeat this year it might be all too much for me.

The more I listen to Shorten the more I am convinced he is a phony.

Even when he raises legitimate points / issues he sounds insincere and it's as if he does not believe a word coming out of his mouth.

Like Abbott, he will do and say anything to advance his own political interests; I suppose in a way this is the story of modern politics on all sides of the fence.

It's depressing, though, not knowing from when or where the next proper leader is going to emerge.

Interesting point Grape. When will a real leader emerge? I don't see one any time soon. Where would they come from? Your Bob Hawke types were one offs. Your Keating types would be cut down remorselessly by Murdoch. You might get a John Howard type again but let's face it the media and us do not like change that costs us money and Johney apart from the GST was a prolific spender and waster of opportunities. Joe Hockey talked the talk I thought but baulked in the budget. Apparently the age of entitlement was limited to the poorest. He stuffed up his best opportunity to try and cut costs across the board, rich and poor alike and hope to balance the budget.

The ALFPA is asking for earlier qualification, 6 years service, not connected to any club. Just years of service. And they want an end to compensation as this is slowing down trading or encouraging clubs like MFC to not counter bid for the likes of Frawley. This apparently will even up things they say. The evidence so far is the elite are moving from good sides to good sides or from lower sides to better sides. The ALFPA claims to represent some 800 players yet FA benefits in any year, potentially the best 20 or so players in the comp. When Buddy gets million a year, that comes off the salary of a rookie and some other strugglers at the club. There is a limit called the salary cap. The AFLPA as I see it is a disgrace at least on this issue.

So which was the darkest day last year? Getting flogged by West Coast? Or Geelong? Or GWS? The game against the Hawks last year wasn't our best, but probably wasn't our worst, either ...

You are right R&B it is more about me and my pathological hatred of the Hawks. Every loss to them is a day of total darkness to me. And my God there have been a lot of them in the past 40 years!!!

Is there also a Dark Day over there Earl?

DF

White Night was great. Do we have Dark Days? Yes I am predicting that May 16 (round 7) at the G could get very dark!

Only about 400-500,000 others at it too Earl. Great if you like sweating shoulder to shoulder with a massive bunch of strangers whilst moving at a snail's pace. I'm sure there will be a projection on BBOs torso that will amaze you.

Moon you were correct, thousands of people everywhere. I had hoped to rendezvous with DC, BBO and the lads at Flinders Street but unfortunately I could not get the horse and carriage through the mob. And yes the sweaty odour of the seething masses was quite off putting.

tener una buena noche conde. asegúrese de usar el ao

Gracias señor DC y si que lo hice!

I am off to White Night in the city. No doubt BBO, Jazza and DC will also be going? I will be on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets if you want catch up! I will be wearing a Demons tie. Shouldn't be too many people about.

The problem for Tony now is that the Emperor seems to have abandoned him. The party newsletter, The Australian has leaked that Tony wanted to send troops unilaterally into Iraq. Tony has vehemently denied it but the Oz is adamant they are correct. That is a sure sign that his most serene highness Rupert the Wise has made up his mind. Tony is for the chop sometime soon.

now that i could accept

i can think of worse things, earl.....lol

And Borewood as well! No one shall be spared!

Well the err ..... the old prostate is a little worse for wear dc.

A question Earl Hood (just between you and me). Do these reminisces of better times help you through particularly traumatic moments when the shock and disappointment surrounding WYL's gong rears into your consciousness?

BBO on the contrary, in another thread I congratulated Sir WYL on his knighthood and stressed that we needed to stick together because at the time our beloved Prime Minister Tony Abbott, defender of the Aristocracy and the natural order, was under siege from his own party. Should he be toppled I truly feared that we faced the rule of the Mob! Tony survived but still I believe that without him we face a real and present threat to the natural order of things. Should the Mob rise up we all face ruin from Fitzroy to Romsey.

John Howard was the one who let the AFP tip off the Indonesian police rather than let them get home.

I remember him taking the credit for it after one of the nines' father rang the AFP himself.

Terrible thing to do as was the Hicks incarceration.

As an aside.i have no problem with the death penalty for serial killers,multiple murderers,jihadists,rapists and other low life.

No drama at all. Bring it in here also .

Drug importers should probably not be executed but these guys wre insAnely stupid.

I feel sorry for their parents but they knew the risks.

They have no hope at all.

Biff I remember Mick Kelty setting them up after one of the fathers had alerted the AFP of what his son was up to, imploring AFP to stop them leaving the country. Instead Kelty informed the Indonesians and they were then cactus. But I never understood why, we could have picked them up on their return quite easily. Not sure about where Johnny came into it.

However I must disagree on the death penalty, it just doesn't work at any level. It is not consistently applied, it is sometimes found in retrospect That the person was innocent and a lot of executions are politically driven by some despot wanting to demonstrate his power. And it is not cheap, millions are usually spent in the lead up inquiries and appeals and on the act itself. And what is achieved in the end?

No Issues OD

Over in the West we still have Carnarvon

DF

Forget the bananas, about 10 years ago I had some fabulous scallops from the Fisherman's CoOp in Carnarvon. They are all exported to Japan unless you show up to the factory outlet. Drove on to Coral Bay and cooked up a storm. Never had better since, although the surroundings may have influenced my thinking.

Well said BB, Matt Jones Terlich, McKenzie, Bail were solid today, stand outs for me today were Salem, Cross, Garlett , Nathan Jones - pleasant surprises Billy Stretch and Frost

Agree Dawes was still double grabbing disappointingly, although he managed to hold on with the second

Gawn and Spencer were about on par today, not the day for big men, about the only one still going full steam at the end was Pedersen

Vandenberg didn't play because his shoulder needs one more week, Watts because of his groin, White his toe, Vince and Howie with hammy and Jack Fitzpatrick with back related issue (I think), Hunt same still working to full fitness

Had a chat to Petracca, he is fine, just wants to stay involved, more pleased with his tweet referencing a 'computer'/console game, and JB HiFi coughed up 20 new ones, said he might mention he wouldn't mind a Mercedes in a tweet

Howie is getting frustrated, the fitness/medical staff are holding him back, he hasn't been given a return to aim at, just has to follow day by day, understands the caution though, Bernice Vince redoing his didn't help

TDI is it my imagination or has the rehab/injury group grown exponentially in the last few weeks? Does it now resemble our normal scene of carnage that we are used to every preseason since 2007?

TDI we need you to visit the Hawks in training to work out what they are doing right. You know heading for three in a row and hardly an injury amongst the list, ten or so players with 200 plus games but still playing their best footy with no physical impediments. What is their secret?

From 4 PM tomorrow I will have fingers and legs crossed, hoping for the best, no injuries and that we finally have a win!

Yeah after we prised him out of the hands of Man U.

And no one has mentioned Todd Viney beating Boom Boom Boris Becker in an under age tennis tournament! Todd must have been a late starter as well. If Gary's son has been playing rugby, he should pick up AFL quickly given his athletism and the gene pool. But only if he really wants it.

I'd be interested in peoples' views on our prospects, given our current list and coaching staff, compared with other teams in the competition. Not prospects for winning games or even making the finals, but prospects for winning the next flag. That is, in comparing us with each other club, ask just one question: who is closer to winning the flag? I think that sometimes the answer to this question puts us ahead of some sides who are currently better than we are (ie most clubs) but have less scope for improvement. These sides might need to go through a phase of renewing their list before they could be genuine contenders.

So going through last year's ladder from the top, I'd rather be Melbourne than:

Essendon (too many important players are too old)

Richmond (can't see the current list winning a flag. Too many deficiencies to be able to 'top up' to contend in the near future)

Carlton (mixture of Essendon and Richmond's problems)

Brisbane (only because we have Hogan. Their midfield looks better than ours)

St Kilda (among other reasons, Hogan might be here for our next flag, Riewoldt will not)

I hesitated about a few other clubs, paricularly North and the Bulldogs. In the end though I think they can each lay a claim to being closer than we are (Boyd is critical for the Dogs). This year we may be a better side than GWS, but I think they've got greater potential over the medium-long term. I have also assumed that key players will stay where they are (eg Dangerfield)

Needa

Re - Jesse Hogan

I was listening to SEN this morning and heard Andy Maher throw in a mischievous question to Russell Robertson, supposedly supplied off the SMS by a Dees supporter: Robbo have you heard the rumour that Freo are all over Hogan and have offered a $1 million a year for 7 years? Robbo genuinely sounded like it was news to him.

After the Boyd contract nothing is impossible I suppose but I thought Hogan had extended his contract a year to compensate for last year's problems.