The off topic thread 4.0

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jd2010

Well done boys. Good process, carry on
Feb 1, 2010
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Test Champ final 3rd session the only real watchable time for the kiwis over here. Hopefully it's a good test and it's worth getting up at 4am for the final 3 hours of play each day. Oh and the first hour or so like today would be okay too. Good thing about test cricket, can still get a solid 5 hrs sleep and only miss very little of the action ;)
 
Sep 5, 2014
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Oh Boo Hoo.

A gripping World Series game that goes to the 10th innings (and beyond) is far more exciting and tense than any tedious game of Test Cricket I have ever seen.

Football aside, I am much more of a fan of US based sports than Britshit sports, which also includes Rugby League and Union, and Darts.


There is no real or tangible reason to follow Cricket any way. Only 3 or 4 nations (maximum) are in any serious international contention for honours, and the domestic game, esp 20/20 is crap.

However there is a majestic poetry and romantic history to baseball.

One of the best episodes of The X-Files ever was based around baseball.

The sport is and always will be a part of modern pop culture in a way Cricket cannot and never will be part of.
Have you ever been to a baseball game? Aside from the World Series the atmosphere is awful. I assume you have never been to a decent union match or the darts. They are great to watch live.

Modern pop culture? Aside from moneyball and maybe field of dreams, there is no pop culture relevance to baseball. Like with the NFL, aside from quarterbacks and a few stars, nobody knows what any of the players look like. If Mike Trout walked past you in the street you wouldn't recognise him. The only US sport with pop culture references is basketball.

I agree with you on 20/20 though. it is shite
 

jd2010

Well done boys. Good process, carry on
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Have you ever been to a baseball game? Aside from the World Series the atmosphere is awful. I assume you have never been to a decent union match or the darts. They are great to watch live.
Not having that about union. Awful sport live. And not much better on tv. Tried getting into it a couple of times and internationally I can't. The recent super rugby NZ comp was fun with 4 pretty even flair based sides. Less reliance on penalties or more open.

I need to find a hobby every time they have an international tour or tests on over here because the country little stops for the ABs every time. Painful!
 

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Sep 5, 2014
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Not having that about union. Awful sport live. And not much better on tv. Tried getting into it a couple of times and internationally I can't. The recent super rugby NZ comp was fun with 4 pretty even flair based sides. Less reliance on penalties or more open.

I need to find a hobby every time they have an international tour or tests on over here because the country little stops for the ABs every time. Painful!
Did you go to Twickers or any of the big stadiums in Europe to watch any rugby when you were over here? Fantastic atmospheres.

I'd suggest going to watch a local team in the mitre 10 cup or whatever they call it these days. Watching the AB's would be pretty unbearable in NZ.
 
Have you ever been to a baseball game? Aside from the World Series the atmosphere is awful. I assume you have never been to a decent union match or the darts. They are great to watch live.

Modern pop culture? Aside from moneyball and maybe field of dreams, there is no pop culture relevance to baseball. Like with the NFL, aside from quarterbacks and a few stars, nobody knows what any of the players look like. If Mike Trout walked past you in the street you wouldn't recognise him. The only US sport with pop culture references is basketball.

I agree with you on 20/20 though. it is sh*te

Of course he hasn't been to a game, he can't even be bothered going to see his precious Leeds United down the road when they were over.
 
Australian voters react to the headlines, rather than read the fine print. Unfortunately for the informed minority, most headlines in this country are sensationalist.
Some react to how policies affect them, or their area.

I mean I don't know which of 2 electorates I'll be in next May but my choices are Coker in Corangamite who has used her time in parliament and flyers in letterboxes to put pressure on a company I work for, that has led to a torrent of unjustified abuse in person or online about myself or my colleagues. She will not be getting my vote.

If I am back in Corio then I have the often seen rising star of Labor - Richard Marles - a man not fit to take office as he does absolutely nothing for his electorate.
Some of the highest unemployment rates in Vic are in his electorate ( weeks pre-covid Corio/Norlane was nearly at 20%), duration of unemployment is longer, youth unemployment is higher. Education has regressed. Jobs and industries have been ignored. Some northern suburbs have households with more than 1 generation long-term unemployed.

Both could have liaised with the ALP state government to get activity in the region but all we've had is Worksafe and TAC relocated, bringing their own workforce with them, the NDIS, which wasn't the right type of job needed given the massive loss of labouring/manufacturing in the region. Little to no investment in education to upskill and not much in the way of suitable jobs being created.

And this is a man Labor see as part of their future??
 
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Rugby Union is excellent. Newlands/Twickenham/Eden Park tests all on my post-Covid bucket list.

Great watch if any of you have the time:


If you are coming all this way to see a game at Twickers, go and see a Gloucester game at the Shed. Amazing atmosphere.
 
Jul 25, 2019
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Watching Stand By Me for the first time since I was a kid in the 80s. Good film, but depressing when you now know most of those child actors at the time (male or female) were passed around as currency by perverted Hollywood Moguls and or actors in hindsight.
 
Dec 22, 2009
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Misleading.

The vast majority of the Australian population is concentrated in major cities. Sydney and Melbourne both have populations over 5 million. More than enough warm bodies in close proximity to keep a respiratory virus happy.

Not really misleading. UK'S major cities have a significantly higher population density than Melbourne / Sydney. And the distamce between major population centres is far less.

There is simply no justification for Melbourne being under a lockdown with far more severe restrictions than what the UK currently has. Furthermore we haven't even reached the northern beaches outbreak numbers yet which the NSW govt managed just fine without locking down.
 
Apr 8, 2007
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Not really misleading. UK'S major cities have a significantly higher population density than Melbourne / Sydney. And the distamce between major population centres is far less.

There is simply no justification for Melbourne being under a lockdown with far more severe restrictions than what the UK currently has. Furthermore we haven't even reached the northern beaches outbreak numbers yet which the NSW govt managed just fine without locking down.
Jesus Christ Zidane, stop regurgitating already debunked bullshit from Alan Jones.
 

ADL9798

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There is simply no justification for Melbourne being under a lockdown with far more severe restrictions than what the UK currently has. Furthermore we haven't even reached the northern beaches outbreak numbers yet which the NSW govt managed just fine without locking down.

Why would the UK be held up as the gold standard model to follow for timely and proportionate introduction of COVID-19 restrictions?


  • "GDP growth returned to pre-pandemic levels in early 2021 in the five countries that opted for elimination, whereas growth is still negative for the other 32 OECD countries."
  • "Among OECD countries, liberties were most severely impacted in those that chose mitigation, whereas swift lockdown measures—in line with elimination—were less strict and of shorter duration."
View attachment 1144224

We also know that regions with larger outbreaks had greater disruptions to general health service access, these countries/states are likely to see larger flow on effects on late diagnosis or poor management of other conditions.
 
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ADL9798

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Many factors behind slow vaccine rollout in Australia.

Re: supply constraints, 2 main issues need to be resolved:
  1. Patent protection - while providing a time limited monopoly on a new technology is important during peacetime to incentivise innovation, patents have become a real hindrance to vaccine rollout during this pandemic. Once patent waivers are introduced and with support to access raw materials, vaccine manufacturing facilities around the world will be able to produce generics and production will go through the roof.
  2. Vaccine nationalism - WHO estimate 80% of vaccine doses have been administered in just 10 countries. The US are yet to export a single dose of vaccine manufactured within their borders. The EU/UK are also prioritising their own nationals before exporting. Because of this, contracts the Australian government signed in good faith have not been honoured. This is compounded by #1. The fact that the US are now rolling out vaccination to 12-15 year olds before exporting to meet the needs of elderly and vulnerable people in developing countries with large outbreaks is ridiculous imo.
Will need both of these resolved if we’re going to end this pandemic. Slow and inequitable vaccine rollout risks the emergence of variants which could undermine all vaccine rollout to date and put everyone back to square one.

I agree with the calls for a stronger communication strategy from our state and commonwealth govts. We just aren't seeing the same demand for vaccines that other countries are because we've created this artificially safe environment where people don't see the need, or overestimate the risk of adverse events associated with the vaccine vs the risk of contracting COVID (not helped by poor messaging around the one vaccine we do have a lot of, AZ, which is very safe and effective).
 

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jd2010

Well done boys. Good process, carry on
Feb 1, 2010
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Did you go to Twickers or any of the big stadiums in Europe to watch any rugby when you were over here? Fantastic atmospheres.

I'd suggest going to watch a local team in the mitre 10 cup or whatever they call it these days. Watching the AB's would be pretty unbearable in NZ.
Yeah went to twickenham and yeah the atmosphere was great. Just like the buzz in nz us great when the ABs are playing. But its just such a hard sport to enjoy. I feel like not only do I have no idea what is going on around the ball, but even most the people who do know have no real idea either and just cheer or boo the decisions based on which way it goes
 
Have you ever been to a baseball game? Aside from the World Series the atmosphere is awful.

I think people make a mistake if they're going to baseball for the atmosphere, there are better sports for that.

Baseball is great to sit back, have a beer, have a chat between pitches and innings. If you understand the game there's nothing better than talking with complete strangers about something that happened in the last inning, whether the pitcher should have stayed in, whether a bunt should have been put down etc etc.

It's never been a rah rah type of sport.
 
Jun 21, 2007
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Went to a Metz a game.

Thought the atmosphere was great and didn't mind it considering I don't really like baseball at all.

I went to Chicago for my birthday in 2018 and watched the Cubs on the day. The Cubs won 11-10. That was a good game to watch.
 
I think people make a mistake if they're going to baseball for the atmosphere, there are better sports for that.

Baseball is great to sit back, have a beer, have a chat between pitches and innings. If you understand the game there's nothing better than talking with complete strangers about something that happened in the last inning, whether the pitcher should have stayed in, whether a bunt should have been put down etc etc.

It's never been a rah rah type of sport.
So just like test cricket?
 
The only good thing about baseball is Moneyball
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