Another good week for my AFL tips this week, but it is a tad concerning that the overall trend is downward. Hopefully next week, where there isn’t any NRL to split my attention, I can avoid the big losses.
Fremantle V Essendon -4 North Melbourne V Sydney -39 Melbourne V West Coast +94 GWS V St. Kilda +72 Geelong V Carlton +16 Gold Coast V Brisbane +2 Richmond V Western Bulldogs -67 Collingwood V Hawthorn +55 Port Adelaide V Adelaide +9
Fremantle V Essendon North Melbourne V Sydney Melbourne V West Coast GWS V St. Kilda Geelong V Carlton Gold Coast V Brisbane Richmond V Western Bulldogs Collingwood V Hawthorn Port Adelaide V Adelaide
I’m seeing a bit of traffic landing on this site due to various searches relating to radio host Heidi Harris, and in particular questions about whether she is still with radio station “The Answer” in Los Angeles.
To briefly answer the question, Heidi left The Answer in March and went back to Las Vegas. As far as I know, she isn’t on-air in Vegas again yet, but she is still podcasting. Apparently Heidi never stopped living in Vegas and was commuting between Vegas and L.A. every week. For the Australians reading this who are wondering how far that is, it would be comparable to living in southern Canberra and driving to northern Sydney for work if your Sydney commute occurred during peak hour.
To catch up on the results of my tips, I’m putting all of the ones which have not yet been published, in to this post. After this point, AFL and NRL tips and results will be treated separately.
NRL Round 3 Storm V Bulldogs -4 Tigers V Eels +13 Titans V Sea Eagles -2 Roosters V Broncos -8 Sharks V Warriors +24 Panthers V Rabbitohs -12 Raiders V Dragons -13 Knights V Cowboys -28
NRL Round 3 total: -30
NRL Round 4 Sea Eagles V Tigers +26 Bulldogs V Rabbitohs -5 Broncos V Storm -6 Sharks V Dragons +13 Panthers V Titans -18 Knights V Raiders +16 Warriors V Cowboys +2 Roosters V Eels -50
NRL Round 4 total: -12
NRL Round 5 Bulldogs V Sea Eagles -14 Titans V Broncos +20 Eels V Sharks -7 Cowboys V Panthers +30 Warriors V Rabbitohs -2 Dragons V Knights +3 Raiders V Roosters -2 Storm V Tigers +14
AFL Round 1 Adelaide V Essendon +35 Fremantle V West Coast +28 Carlton V Richmond -5 Western Bulldogs V Brisbane +68 GWS V Sydney +30 Gold Coast V St. Kilda -13 Melbourne V Port Adelaide +79 Hawthorn V Geelong -7
It seems that, somehow, I missed the North Melbourne V Collingwood match. Consequently I lose the amount of points for the margin of that game. -16
AFL Round 1 total: +199
AFL Round 2 St. Kilda V Richmond -17 Sydney V Gold Coast +41 Western Bulldogs V Fremantle -28 Brisbane V Adelaide +19 Port Adelaide V GWS +56 Essendon V Melbourne +148 Geelong V North Melbourne -4 Collingwood V Carlton -17 West Coast V Hawthorn -50
AFL Round 2 total: +148
Total for the year so far: +347
This week’s footy tips will follow shortly, but first I have to go for a walkies with Nattie and Pebbles. They’re giving me the “why aren’t you moving?” look while doing their excited half-jump, half-run moves every time they think I’m about to stand up.
It is very sad news that Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders of the modern era and probably of all time, has died at the age of 87, although given her recent ill health it is comforting to know that she is now in a better place.
I was quite saddened to hear of her passing. It was one of those deaths that I wasn’t entirely sure was real when I first heard the news, and I had to double check as it was quite a shock to the system. It was quite saddening at the time, and has proven somewhat more so as her legacy has had time to settle in.
Maggie was a politician who knew what she believed in, and fought for it. She was the type of politician that we need more of now. She was not the type of person to go in to a meeting with an opponent with the hope of reaching some sort of agreement where both sides got a few things they wanted and a few things they didn’t, but instead went in to fight for her beliefs and try with all her might to block the opposing view, which she saw as being wrong.
“Consensus is the absence of leadership” she once wisely said. She expanded on this by saying “Ah consensus … the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner ‘I stand for consensus’?”
She was a lady of conviction, a true leader, and regardless of what you thought of her views, you knew what she stood for and that she would consistently stand for it. She was the very essence of what a politician should be…someone who proudly put her views to the people for their consideration, and acted on those views once elected. She was not a politician who surprised people with “backflips” and broken promises. The word “divisive” has been used by many to describe her in these last few hours, and while this is true, it is true because of consistent views and statements, and not divisive in the manner of so many modern-day politicians who say one thing and do the opposite, while trying to pretend that they are doing exactly as they had promised.
I am a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher’s world view, and the brilliant work she did to bring the British economy and society back from the brink of collapse. She was in power at a great time in world history, and was only strengthened when Ronald Reagan was elected as President of the United States of America. Together, these two great, and now sadly departed, leaders were a beacon of light for hope and prosperity, and helped to vanquish to evil and sorrow of socialism and communism from much of the world. It is a tragedy that leaders since these two have been quite lax in defending people from the slow and steady encroachment of socialism and the growing power of the state.
Of particular importance in the legacy of Margaret Thatcher is the way she ran the Falklands War. Maggie knew something that our leaders during the first and second world wars knew, and that was that when your enemy is ruthless and intent on conquering you, you must fight with everything you have, and not let yourself get wrapped up in bureaucracy and thoughts of “but if we attack them, then we are no better than them”. It is not acts of defence (or acts of offence during a war) which define whether you are better than your enemy, but rather your moral character and the reasons for your actions which define your position in relation to that of your enemy.
As I have reflected on the legacy of Margaret Thatcher in the hours since her passing, it has occurred to me that she was not a part of the historical education which occurred during my primary and high school years. Perhaps, in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s it was too early to judge her full legacy, but to the same extent as a then-recent and highly influential world leader, her part in recent history should have been discussed. Older history is very important, but recent history is critical if one is to understand the current state of the world. World leaders around the time of the two world wars were discussed in some detail, and Gough Whitlam was as well, but the more recent leaders were not discussed much at all. I gather that this was partially due to some attempt to not appear to be imparting political views on students, however given that political views were imparted either accidentally or purposefully anyway, I fail to see how discussing recent political history can really be a problem, and thus it bothers me that many of my generation may have little, if any, detailed knowledge of the legacy of as influential a figure as Margaret Thatcher.
It is my sincere hope that people learn something from the legacy of Margaret Thatcher. Of course I hope that it leads to a greater understanding and appreciation of her ideological views on the importance of liberty and of free markets, but I would be happy if it merely leads to more people, and in particular more politicians, having the courage of their convictions. Let ideas win or lose on their merits, not on the back of trickery and deception; let people be forthright and honest with each other about their views without fearing that they may offend or be offended; And may people be less interested in compromising at the drop of a hat, and be more interested in fighting for what they believe to be right and just.
I hope that this is the lasting impact that Margaret Thatcher has on the world.
There are so many great quotes and videos of this great lady, and we are fortunate that she was in power at a time when video recording and storage of things of public interest was really becoming viable on a mass scale, but there are so many great videos of Margaret Thatcher that it is difficult to choose only one with which to remember her, so I will share a few with you.
This video is my favourite. It is of Margaret Thatcher during her last speech as Prime Minister, in which a question was asked of her by opposing members of parliament, which gave her the opportunity to clearly and concisely display the folly of their socialist views.
From the same session of parliament is this video of Maggie explaining how the Euro (currency) would lead to major problems, not least of which would be the loss of democracy. If only her warnings had been heeded.
And finally, when Ronald Reagan died, Margaret Thatcher, who herself was not in the best of health, recorded a eulogy for President Reagan. Most of what she said about him could equally be applied when looking back at her life.
(There are a few brief video glitches in this clip where some words have, sadly, been lost, for which I apologise profusely)
It is a great loss that the world has suffered in the loss of Margaret Thatcher. I offer her, for her leadership, courage, and vision, the Samuel Salute.
Margaret Thatcher, 13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013. RIP.
AFL Round 2 St. Kilda V Richmond Sydney V Gold Coast Western Bulldogs V Fremantle Brisbane V Adelaide Port Adelaide V GWS Essendon V Melbourne Geelong V North Melbourne Collingwood V Carlton West Coast V Hawthorn
NRL Round 5 Bulldogs V Sea Eagles Titans V Broncos Eels V Sharks Cowboys V Panthers Warriors V Rabbitohs Dragons V Knights Raiders V Roosters Storm V Tigers
Actually, good might not be strong enough a word, so I think I’ll use “fantastic” instead.
Barnaby Joyce will be the National Party’s candidate for the federal seat of New England. It’s a reasonable assumption that he should defeat incumbent MP Tony Windsor, so this clears the way for Barnaby to eventually take over the leadership of the National Party, and be the Deputy Prime Minister in a future Liberal/National coalition government.
BARNABY Joyce is poised to stand unopposed as the Nationals candidate in New England, after his two chief rivals for preselection indicated they were unlikely to run for the northern NSW seat currently held by Labor-leaning independent Tony Windsor.
Nominations to stand as the party’s candidate will close tomorrow afternoon, after the previous candidate, former NSW MP Richard Torbay, was expelled from the party and reported to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Speaking to The Australian yesterday, Senator Joyce’s key potential opponent for preselection, National Farmers Federation president Jock Laurie, said he “would be surprised” if his name were among those submitted for consideration.
[..]
Senator Joyce’s other potential rival, Keith Perrett, said he was “pretty sure” he would not run, because it could force his resignation as chairman of the government’s Grain Research and Development Corporation.
[..]
Senator Joyce, 45, a New England native who represents Queensland in the Senate, has indicated he will seek the Nationals leadership – and potentially the deputy prime ministership – if current leader Warren Truss, 64, becomes “sick of the job and resigns”.
Barnaby has been a fantastic Senator for Queensland, representing the interests of Queensland and conservatives in general very well. He has been quite outspoken over the years, but is more-often-than-not correct when he makes a statement which the media thinks is “a bit out there”. One such occasion which springs to mind is when he warned Australians that the United States, under the stewardship of Barack Obama and his administration of dubious competence, were at serious risk of having their credit rating downgraded. This was at a time when anybody who had been paying attention to the situation in the US, and not just the talking points and dodgy statistics of the Obama administration, knew that this was true, but the media and Wayne Swan laughed at him and ridiculed him for it. A few months later Barnaby was proven correct…he did not get an apology or acknowledgement from those who ridiculed him.
It was my pleasure to meet Barnaby at the Convoy Of No Confidence protest against the carbon dioxide tax in 2011.
It would, in my view, be a wholly positive thing, and a privilege, for Australia to have Baranby Joyce as Deputy Prime Minister. I wish him all the best of luck with his campaign in New England, assuming that he does indeed get preselected there.
