Earl Hood

My weakness is The grape on all its forms unfortunately, red, white, rose! Not fortified though. Are there other types? if it is in a bottle I am tempted. Although on a hot night you might find me having a beer at The Rose in Fitzroy. Is that place the last of the Aussie pubs still going around as in untrendified and unhipstered so far?

PEFO plus JOEFOO equals MYEFO. A new econometric equation for a nation. That is where I spend three months as treasurer spending or cutting my own tax income like a drunken sailor to the tune of $16 to $20 billion and then get up in front of the press and act as if I am bewildered at the mess I have inherited. Joe is in line for an Oscar at this stage.

The pre election economic outlook PEFO was set up by Peter Costello to tell it how it really is. That is how it was Joe as of September. Anything that has changed is yours mate! But I am sure he has got most of the usual suspects totally convinced that he has walked into a budget black hole.

Of course this tradition goes way back to Jeff Kennett and Peter Cotello who both claimed crises and believe it or not turned it all around in one budget with little more than taking a baseball bat to the poorest and least powerful in the community.

Good heavens the jury is still evaluating Jimmy. Reasonable start, showed some signs and some areas that needed work. We need more information. Remember this kid was thrown into probably the worst performing, least confident side ever put onto an AFL field. No leadership, no protection, stuff all game plan. He is raw and recovering from surgery with high expectations. Let us see how he goes next year. I believe with some leadership he will surprise.

That said I am on record as wanting Wines just in case someone brings it up. I think that would have worked but it is in the past let us get Jimmy up and firing.

Isn't it the coach's job to control and prevent this sort of player revolt?

He gave them too much autonomy that they obviously were unable to manage with maturity.

Guys like Moloney, Rivers, Green and Davey, whilst not necessarily bad people in all instances, just simply weren't adequate leaders.

Not enough for them to be handed the reigns in any capacity.

Bailey should've been able to identify and manage that.

But the inference here is that Bailey had control of his own destiny. I believe the reason for the schism in the Football Department at the time stems from Baileys frustration at decisions by Chris C and CS. They sent Junior on his way and Bruce, so our first tier leaders went out the door. Green and co were not the leaders we needed for 2011.

. I remember Robbo on SEN saying he was at a function with CS and Don Mclardy a few years ago and debating with Schwab about the recruits MFC should be chasing and he was adamant that CS was obsessed with nimble, fast running outside receivers as the future of footy. This doesn't surprise me at all and explains much of our first round recruiting. We blame Bailey for much of our failings but I doubt he had full control and we know he had SFA resources. In 2010 we were on track playing competitive football. A year later we were in a death spiral with a dysfunctional FD.

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, - What for, doing what every other government does?Julie Bishop and the Chinese. - Once again what for, standing up to the Chinese; do you think we should just bow and scrape? The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. - They will get their funding even if the plan is a Labor decision that they don't agree with and it doesn't incorporate all the recommendations. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. - So you think they weren't going anyway and it was Joe that tipped them over the edge; laughable. Do you actually believe that yourself? Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say. - Haven't followed the rest but I guess after seeing where you've come from on the other points I won't bother.

Robbie there is a body of opinion that Holden was looking at their options, the new government pulled $500k worth of support and was reviewing any more on going support. With some positive signs GM may have been open to talk about the future. While the door is open there is always hope, once the door shuts that is it. Hockey shut the door. What I find interesting is that the RBA is finally trying to talk the $AUS down after so many years. If the $ drops down to the 80c region suddenly Holdens are viable as an export. And we start to make export income and maintain jobs.

What do you reckon Hood should the rest of the World just stand by and allow China to annexe anything and everywhere?

They might decide to take over Vietnam, or Thailand, or perhaps Malaysia. But let's not upset them, let's just allow them to do what they want..

http://www.news.com.au/world/tensions-continue-to-bubble-beneath-the-surface-in-the-south-and-east-china-seas/story-fndir2ev-1226783825825

My response to that would be to look at our options if and when there may be some evidence that this might be a likely option in the foreseeable future. Is there any evidence that China is about to move on these countries? Yes there is ample tension with Japan at the moment that needs calm talk and advice, not us taking sides.

Robbie this issue is not party political, both sides in my opinion are besotted with the US alliance. From my view point China pays our bills, on the other hand the US pays us nothing, we are always in a trade deficit with them, we help fight their wars.

We hang on the idea that they will come to our rescue if we are invaded. It is an old storey based on what?

To answer your question, if it were up to me I would be opting for a low profile in all these international problems. Say nothing unless asked. Willing to help in negotiations but not willing to take sides at this stage. If the US and China are building toward conflict we should be working both sides to find a resolution. This seems reasonable to me unless you have some problem with the Bamboo Curtain that must be challenged to avoid Chinese expansion in the future.

Gee we can really pick our CEO's. My brother is a lapsed Demon follower who is a golf tragic. He used to play golf occassionally with a former MFC CEO of a similar era to Ellis at his club in the mid week comp. In the end he refused to play with him because the said CEO had a habit of moving his ball out of a tough lie when he thought no one was looking.

I suppose golf is the ultimate test of your integrity. And that value has been in short supply at the MFC in recent years, at all levels. Jimmy and the present regime exempted.

Dipper was a thug who wouldn't last beyond one game in today's competition. He made very sure that Robbie Flower's career ended in the medical room. To suggest that SS was a coward for not allowing himself to be destroyed by a maniac who weighed 20 kilos more and was clearly intent upon severe injury is stupid beyond comprehension.

SS was an excellent player who gave great service and joy to the MFC. I loved watching his run and accurate delivery and to have his son at the club would be fantastic.

Agree totally but can someone explain how that assassin ever won a Brownlow? What were the umpires thinking? We all know why the greats never won one like Barrassi, Whitten, Matthews. They knew they could not win one the way they played. Somehow the biggest thug did? Please explain.

I see Tony has given his Government gold medal mark on its first 100 days of office! Well really! In opposition he set the bar at absolute perfection in his demands of the then Government.

In Government I would say the bar is somewhere now in the sand, if you can find it. A stuff up is good enough for Tony now. We have had the ministerial travel rorts, the spying problems and Tony's inability to really say sorry, Julie Bishop and the Chinese. The Christopher Pyne double backflip on Gonski and then sell it out anyway. Holden heading out after being goaded by Joe Hockey to take the plunge. Oh and we have the reports of Oz negotiators playing spoiling tactics at the Warsaw climate talks and now in tabacco talks in the Pan Pacific Free Trade Talks where we are apparently willing to sell our soul for a sugar deal with the US. Who gives a Shyte about sugar really. But in return we may open up the opportunity for US Companies to sue us for any legislation that is detrimental to their interests!!! Citizens please stay vigilant with this mob in charge is all I say.

My recollection is that while we made the finals in 2004 to 2006, it was still very much a roller coaster ride with some real highs and lows (my idea of a very bumpy road) during each of them.

Top of the ladder in round 18, 2004 then finished the season with barely a whimper losing the last four games going from 14-4 to 14-8 followed by elimination in the first week of the finals .

In 2005 we were 9-3 and in second place after giving Collingwood a flogging in round 12 on the QB weekend (albeit that they were tanking)and we then lost 7 in a row to drop to 11th by round 19. Some of those defeats were real floggings and our percentage dropped from 121.5 to 91.5. We were saved by three narrow wins (Geelong at Skilled by a point, the Bulldogs by 4 points - thank you Jeff White - and lowly Essendon by 10 points) which enabled us to scrape into the finals. Eliminated by Geelong first up by 55 points.

Then we get to 2006 when we lost the first three games and were 15th after round 3 before going to 11-4 after a purple patch and finishing up with only 2½ more wins for the season to drop to 7th. We suffered a 10 goal thrashing at the hands of Adelaide in round 22 while, a week earlier, we squandered a 38-point lead in our draw at the Cattery. We then beat St. Kilda in the elimination final before going down to the Dockers 11.8 to 14.18 in a game in which we were never in the hunt.

In the following year, we lost the first nine games on end and our years of doom and gloom were well under way.

I call that a "roller coaster" notwithstanding that we fell into the bottom half of the finals of each of the three years. As to your claim that it's "not even a bumpy road" -

Unfortunately, the club failed to see the warning signs that should have been evident during that crucial time when senior players were given a free rein to play as they wished (often selfishly) and there was little regard to proper succession of leadership or younger players being given more responsibility. As for our recruiting - pfffft! Neale Daniher was past his use by date but we were all seduced (myself included) by the fact that we were making finals but in fact, this was the time when the foundations were laid for the disastrous era to come. That includes the four wasted Bailey years and the last two under Neeld.

I hope we, as a club, have learned our lesson and can move forward in the future but let's not ignore or sweep under the carpet what happened in our past.

I think the roller coaster depended on David Neitz in those years. He held that mob together. You could add Jeff white as well. If hose two were out or struggling the rest just went into shutdown. Perhaps exclude Robbo who stood up when Neitz went down in 2005?

Neitz led by example and was a great player perhaps without being a really great leader. If he had been he would have demanded more and got more commitment from TJ, Yze, Robbo, even White in that era. That said I take nothing away from Neitz who single handedly kept us in the game. Oh for a forward like him who loved smashing a pack to take a mark or set up a goal.

Your argument is of course correct .The loss of skill sets is essentially detrimental on the whole .

I was told a story about Japanese temple builders who constructed timber temples and burnt them every 25 years.

The point of the exercise was to maintain the passing down of essential skills to the next generation.

It makes no sense to manufacture in wealthy countries now.It makes little sense to support a multinational either(GMH)

We can still teach Engineering here.

It's an inevitable consequence of Chinese growth that our car industry is now closed.

The effects on the economy will not be good short term but let's not forget GMH is a private company-not our baby.

I take on board your points but I still don't like to see one of our economic options go out the door for ever. For instance you cough up a few hundred million $ over the next five years and in that time the AUS $ drops to 80 cents US and we then have a seious export industry worth billions. Holdens to the the US and middle east, tnis happens now. This has happened in the past all dependent on the dollar. The high dollar had destroyed this industry more than some of the other factors that we know are working against the industry.

Is it a wise strategy to try to nurse the industry through to a lower dollar era when they can become competitive? I tend toward that strategy myself. The mining boom has caused much of this problem. A trillion invested to dig up our resources and ship them out as soon as possible. The mining tax wil only kick in when production ramps up following the invested expansion, but the tax is being withdrawn so we get little benefit from the invested expansion but cop the negative effects in the higher dollar. its called Dutch Desease.

Keato would have crushed the Car companies earlier too.

I'm a right -winger on this issue-sink or swim you parasites-that includes miners digging our assets up for sweet FA.

In fact -much as Robbie thinks i am a Pinko for accepting the baby bonus from Costello ,I don't agree with govt assistance to anyone but the neediest .

I for one are sorry to see the car makers go myself. I don't think I have interviewed or employed a young mechanical engineer over the past 20 years who hasn't cut their teeth at GMH or Ford. Where do they get their first university work experience or their first grad position now? The fact is kids will walk away from engineering because there are limited job opportunities. If they follow the market trends they will become financial advisors or lawyers, instead I suppose. That will add value to the national economy!

Victoria will feel the economic effects no doubt in the coming years. If we can't afford to prop GMH up well as you say Biff let's get some consistency so we can stop subsidising the mining companies with their diesel costs; nd we can stop giving industry assistance to the foreign multinational health funds via the private health rebate. This all adds up to several billion dollars that adds SFA to our exports or skill development. If you are going to do go down this track lets do it properly.

Of course the current LNP Government is a mix of hard economic dries, agrarian socialists, flat earth loonies and religious zealots that there is no way of predicting what decisions they may make except the ones to dismantle any former Labour policies. It will be interesting to see how Tony keeps this lot in check and how Big Joe deals with the very real prospect of an economic downturn at least in Victoria and SA when these manufacturing companies walk.

It would be great to see an industry strategy for the future so we have some confidence that there is a future for engineering and manufacturing in some form.

the falcon and the snowman

the holy blood and the holy grail

the life of jack dyer

beyond capricorn

lights over the southern skies

Interesting list Jazza. The first one is about Chritopher Boyce? And his work,for the CIA and allegations about Whitlam. Am I right? The poor bastard is still in jail I think.

Holy blood and grail is a real eye opener, a great read especially if you were a poor catholic kid brought up by the Chritian Brothers.

The last two books I haven't read.

It's tough living in a dry area isn't it

Is that why I now live in Fitzroy? there is a pub or bistro on every second corner. Not sure how they all make a quid but then that is why they all want 3 am licences.

I drank at the Croxton Park Hotel another of the pubs that started out small and turned in to a beer barn; we were welcome to drink and spend our money there but as the pub got bigger and they wanted to attract more females they made it harder for us to stay. Life was different then, 6.00pm closing beers lined up and sculled before 6.15 then we'd head off to the Preston Town hall for the dance there or Fitzroy to get some booze on the side. Then 10 o'clock closing and we just stayed at the pub; fights were either in the public bar or outside.

I remember when I was playing under 16 the coach took us to the Crock and bought us a beer each in the stable bar; he'd be locked up for doing it now.

I only ventured into Richmond in those early days on a Sunday morning in summer. You could always pick up a dozen bottles of Abbotts Or Carlton from the back street behind the The Royal Eagle pub. Load up, pay in cash and head down to Kerford Road beach. I lived in Port Melbourne at the time, not sure why I was going to the Royal Eagle in Richmond when there would have been ample out of hours supplies in the pubs around Port. But the Pubs in Port were very clickey as I remember in the early 80's. they had their regulars and anybody else was a potential police informer.

Excluding just staying in th Melbourne airport, I been to Victoria once.

When to watch a MFC game as I wanted to see a game with even number of fans.

It had to watch a live game in the west.

Bring back the early 80's in the WAFL!

When Earl Spalding, Warren Dean and even a young Alan Jackovich were running around the WaFL. Not bad talent!

Collingwood to scary I doubt it; I'd much rather have walked past the Colingwood commission flats at night that the ones in Fitzroy.

Rob Roy Hotel, Champion Hotel now they were scary, a friend of mine got king hit outside the Champion one night, went in to a diabetic coma and subsequently died. I got Married one day and went to his funeral the following day.

Carlton was gentrified before Fitzroy and there were several spots in Fitzroy where you had to think twice before going there. But there were some great pubs Like the Newry and great company in those days.

Richmond, now there was another World, very scary.

I grew up in the eastern suburbs, Box Hill actually. No pubs so we had to travel. The Fitzroy pubs were a no go for us when I played footy by order of the coach as I remember. We went east to such upstanding establishments such as the Burvale, the Blackburn, the Whitehorse and the Manhatten. Watered down beer and brawlers in the car park as I remember it. 0.05 when did that start? Somehow me and all of my footy team mates over 15 years managed to survive those days. Not just drink driving but also the punch ups between the Boxhill and Blackburn guys. Totally mindless stuff but I don't remember any ambulances being required. We were not as vicious back then as they can be today. Maybe we were jut wimps.

WOW Victoria is an interesting place

Let me see if I have this right, people can onlly live in areas in Victoria based on you political beliefs.

Call me old fashioned as I do live in country WA. But over here we don't care what your politics is and you are allowed to live anywhere you like.

My neighbours could be greenie communists or right wing RobbieF people as far as I know or care. Only thing I do care about is they don't preach their politics or religion to me.

TBF it is not that clear cut these days because people move around, but you could still make a general division based on whether you live north or south of the Yarra in Melbourne. Some things die slowly. Robbie moved to Brighton for whatever reason, who knows, maybe he had a gutfull of the lefty protesters who used to hang out in Fitzroy's pubs after a hard days work in my time spent in Richmond, trying to save Richmond High, a local community school, now a public but elite school for girls as likely to come from Brighton as Richmond.

I see your from Fitzroy, that used to be my old stomping ground, long before the place was gentrified and the left wing, well to do greenies moved in and completely changed the character of the place.

Gee Robbie you jumped from one extreme to the other, Fitzroy to Brighton back then was big move. These days I know there are a lot of trendies, greenies and hipsters in Fitzroy and there are a lot of high income neo bogans hiding out in mansions in Brighton. Most of the Footy Show lives there and till recently Warney and you could add Grant Thomas, Rod Butters, the list goes on. We could have a discussion about the relative calibre of people in both districts. But at least you know they are all pure Liberal over that side of the river. By the way I have been a Fitzroy resident for 25 years now and yes it was a more interesting place in the those days, if sometimes challenging when you had a drunk accosting you while you are trying to have a coffee at Marios.

The 2014 VFL was announced today. Richmond and the Western Bulldogs have ditched their alignments with Coburg and Williamstown adding two teams to the competition -

Round 1: 6 April, 2014 Essendon v Casey Scorpions at Windy Hill

Round 2: 13 April, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Geelong at Casey Fields

Round 3: 20 April, 2014 Frankston v Casey Scorpions at Frankston Oval

Round 4: 27 April, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Sandringham at Casey Fields

Round 5: 4 May, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Werribee at Casey Fields

Round 6: 10 May, 2014 Northern Blues v Casey Scorpions at Visy Park

Round 7: 18 May, 2014 Coburg v Casey Scorpions at Mantello Holden Oval

Round 8: Bye

Round 9: 7 June, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Collingwood at Casey Fields

Round 10: 14 June, 2014 North Ballarat v Casey Scorpions at Eureka Stadium

Round 11: 21 June, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields

Round 12: 28 June, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Williamstown at Casey Fields

Round 13: 5 July, 2014 Richmond v Casey Scorpions at ME Bank Centre

Round 14: 12 July, 2014 Bendigo v Casey Scorpions at Queen Elizabeth Oval

Round 15: 19 July, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Frankston at Casey Fields

Round 16: Bye

Round 17: 2 August, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Northern Blues at Casey Fields

Round 18: 9 August, 2014 Port Melbourne v Casey Scorpions at North Port Oval

Round 19: 17 August, 2014 Footscray Bulldogs v Casey Scorpions at Highgate Recreation Reserve

Round 20: 24 August, 2014 Casey Scorpions v Coburg at Casey Fields

well at least there are about three or four matches I can see in and around civilisation. It is just too far to go to Casey for me unless of course there is someone special playing. The last time I went outof my way to see Casey was to check out a guy called Jurrah! It was worth it that day, kicked a lazy five as I remember and he had me hooked.

They're not doing a very good job of that, are they.

So I take it you don't think it important that a former Prime Minister was involved in some really shady dealings, that could see people jailed and perhaps herself facing charges? Just seeing where your priorities lay; I guess Australians Retiring at an earlier age is much more newsworthy than that, I wonder if they'll even bother covering the trial.

I thought the HUN were the Current Affair of newspapers.

Robbie

So you say about Julia. But the point has nothing to do with me or what I may think. Fairfax is free to make its own decisions on editorial content, surely. That is a basic tenet that you stand for I assume, freedom of the press. I can not intervene surely if I disagree with an article.

Young Freemantle mid, only played a few games. Forced to retire this year due to a heart condition.

Sorry to hear this news! Life can be cruel.

Yeah, I reckon when a couple hundred million bucks suddenly disappears there's always room to suspect something dodgy just happened.

Hopefully, this will have no effect whatsoever on the price of bananas.

Well I suppose it is only just starting to look dodgy because most of us had never heard of this punters club until this week. The price of bananas is dependent on quite different criteria I think. Maybe climate in the key growing areas, who knows I am not an expert. Maybe TGP you can inform us of more detail on the punters club and what determines the price of bananas?

So who's Jayden Pitt?

Yes good point who is Jayden Pitt?

Age Headlines.

Officials ignore 'ramping': doctors

Teenage girl 'body-slammed' at Flinders Street Station

Fears for tennis coach Paul Arber missing in New Zealand

Australians are retiring earlier than expected, Bureau of Statistics reveals

Yet they continue to ignore a storey that may result in criminal charges against a former Prime Minister.

Nothing about all those important issues you mention either.

Robbie

We can debate the priorities of Fairfax and their front page decisions in this very real time digital media. If they go for the "it just happened" news item who could blame them. Remember they are trying to sell newspapers, they are not obsessed with what Julia may have been involved with 20 years ago.