@hydro11 said in Grace Millane:

@canefan The thing is if this guy did plan to kill Grace, he could have prepared a lot better. The mad panic to dispose the body in some ways shows that it wasn't premeditated. If he wanted to strangle a tinder date to death, he could have thought up a better way to do it.

I still think it was the right decision. If he had called the Police after finding Grace dead then I think he would have gotten off with just manslaughter.

Not lived in NZ for years. What's difference now in minimum sentence between murder and manslaughter?

@taniwharugby said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

@pakman around the time the first AB test...not a stretch to see him given that extra time if he is keen.

Agreed. If Schmidt backed one or t'other I'd say NZRU would be very accommodating.

@Machpants said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

If, big IF, the article is right about the assistants Fozzie is a walk in. And rightly so - I don't think that is a bad group 'rumoured'

UK Telegraph reports today that Schmidt is having time out from rugby until at least June 2020.

@gt12 said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

@Chris-B said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

@gt12 Pretty much those positions.

With hindsight, I think Crotty and ALB in the midfield is the most crucial one.

Cane and Ardie on the flanks would have also left Scott Barrett to come off the bench.

I think they should have taken Big Karl and paired him and Ofa on the bench - leaving Ofa as the tighthead sub.

Ben Smith at a minimum instead of Jordie, but perhaps instead of Sevu Reece. Maybe Rieko ahead of Bridge - circumstances sort of conspired against Rieko getting opportunities to prove he should be there.

In hindsight I can’t disagree with any of those - Goodhue would be most unlucky, but he had been during the WC, so all that switching led to trouble, that’s a bit 2007ish as we should have had that combo playing together more and I think they just wanted the two best players, rather than the best combo (a little 1999ish too then).

On the front row, I agree. It’s worth noting that Moli was good when he got a chance - however he was never going to be used in a big game, so it should have been Karl in the squad which would have given us a choice between Ofa, Karl, and Angus. I think they wanted Angus’ workrate late in the game but we got a bit less experienced and had others in positions they just aren’t as good at (Ofa).

I think it was @dogmeat who said that Bridge was (supposedly) nailed on about 12 months out - but we never got to see him with Rieko or tried anywhere except on the left, so they had to see that problem arising.

The final showed that with Itoje on TH side and a big attacking LH (Karl T), a sustained second shove could splinter the English. And had Bender and Crotty been on for most of the last 40 I can't help feeling things would have been different.
Hindsight 40/40!

@reprobate said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

I kind of agree, terrible judgement from Whitelock, but it was so out of character for him - and he's played plenty of important games including MOTM efforts in the last world cup knockouts, that it seems a bit harsh to say 'not captaincy material' based on one incident. Certainly the Crusaders have performed far better with him as captain than with Read.
You need more than Sam Cane's steely look in the eyes, you need to tell people what to do, and what not to do, and keep it simple under pressure.
As for whipping Ireland, the only impact that had was on over-confidence. We weren't tired from that game - it was never in doubt, we were able to sub early, and we had already missed the Italy game. And powder? England didn't adjust their tactics against us at the last minute after viewing the Irish game. We changed ours (poorly), dropped Cane, and we showed up without the right mindset - got smashed early and never recovered momentum, and the guys lost composure - that situation not helped by picking people like Jordie over B Smith, no Crotty etc.

England had been planning for AB semi. Bringing Ford in worked fantastically for them. I think they correctly picked we'd be aiming to go wide to beat rush. Contrast with Boks in Final.

I think we did change things a bit, but under pressure players reverted to what they'd been practising for last month.

@Stargazer said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

@Wurzel said in [Poll] Next All Black Coach:

So the good oil is that Fozzie has the job with Razor as assistant. It's been made clear to Razor that turning down the gig as Ian's assistant would damage future aspirations.

NZR know they can't sell Fozzie to the public without a popular figure like Robertson in his camp.

For how many years? If it's only two years, and then Robertson taking over, that might not be the worst idea.

Review after two years would make sense. If results there Foster gets to stay. If not, Razor moves up having had a chance to assimilate the set up.

@NTA said in Aussie Bush Fires:

@mariner4life said in Aussie Bush Fires:

@chimoaus said in Aussie Bush Fires:

476 Homes lost in NSW and Perth has its hottest November day ever since records began in 1897.

Heat wave Tuesday this week too.

It's a message from God according to Brother Israel

https://www.smh.com.au/national/israel-folau-links-bushfire-crisis-to-same-sex-marriage-and-abortion-20191117-p53bf4.html

Israel Folau links bushfire crisis to same-sex marriage and abortion

Sacked rugby union star Israel Folau has linked the NSW bushfire crisis and drought to legalising same-sex marriage and abortion, warning the disasters are a "little taste of God's judgment".

Speaking at his church in north-west Sydney, Folau said his remarks were a "message mainly for the people that are outside [the church], within the world". The video footage was posted online on Sunday.

"I've been looking around the events that's been happening in Australia the last couple of weeks, all the natural disasters, the bushfires, the droughts, all these things that are currently happening," Folau said.

"I'm doing this all out of love, for people to hear this message and hopefully be able to receive it with open hearts and they may come to know the truth of [God's] word."

The footage of Folau preaching to the congregation at his church was posted to the Facebook page for The Truth of Jesus Christ Church Sydney in Kenthurst as more than 50 fires burned across NSW.

Six people have died and 476 homes have been destroyed in fires throughout the state since the start of this year's bushfire season.

Folau said: "God's word says for a man and a woman to be together, one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage.

"The world, I'm speaking to Australia right now, they've come and changed this law. They've changed that law and now they've legalised same-sex marriage."

He also said of abortion, which was decriminalised in NSW in October, that "in the eyes of God it's evil, in society today it's good".

"Look how rapid, these bushfires, these droughts, all these things have come, in a short period of time. You think it's a coincidence or not? God is speaking to you guys, Australia, you need to repent.

"What you see right now in the world is only a little taste of God's judgment that's coming, it's not even a big thing."

Folau said the natural disasters were "no coincidence" and the solution was for people to "turn from their wicked ways".

Rugby Australia sacked Folau after he wrote a post on Instagram saying drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators would go to hell unless they repented.

Folau is suing Rugby Australia for unlawfully terminating his contract because of his Christian beliefs. Australian rugby officials maintain that Folau breached a players' code of conduct.

In October, Folau said he knew before his social media post warning that homosexuals and other sinners would go to hell that the remarks would be "offensive" but he would "absolutely" do it again.

@MajorRage said in Aging:

@pakman said in Aging:

@Crucial said in Aging:

@Hooroo said in Aging:

@Crucial said in Aging:

@Hooroo said in Aging:

@Crucial said in Aging:

Supermarket pain seems to be amplified when in the UK. At least in NZ the staff usually at least try to be helpful.

I very quickly learned that most of the pain could be removed using an online supermarket. Lucky for us the distribution centre was not far so if you booked an early morning delivery slot 99% of the time you were first delivery and didn't have to wonder when they were turning up.
Found I spent less as well as you don't trawl the aisles or make impulse purchases as easy. Just check and adjust your usual items and hit go.

I couldn't believe the cost in London last year for a cart full of groceries and booze. When the price came up I exclaimed "Really?!?" and the checkout operator thought I was saying it was expensive.

It's sooooo much cheaper than a cart full in NZ.

really depends on what you buy and/or the quality level you are happy with. Some items I used to do a double take on how expensive they were. Some were same price in £s as $s.
Of course there is also no such thing as seasonal pricing on fruit and veg. You pay the same all year and the supermarkets source it from cheap suppliers around the world. I tend to buy seasonally in NZ and don't waste money on buying stuff in scarce supply.
The other thing is the availability of what would be an imported or boutique product in NZ at a high price whereby in the UK you can get it cheap e.g. fish mozzarella or real Parmesan. Then again something like a tasty cheddar is equiv of $16 for a kg block.
Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.

As I said, a cart of groceries, generally speaking, not specifically.

Heaps cheaper in London than NZ.... generally

What is a 'general' cart of groceries though?
Buying the cheapest in the UK is cheaper than NZ, I agree. I could go to Lidl and fill a trolley full of shite for under a £100. Even buying the cheapest shite at Pak'N'Save would be well over that.
Heaps cheaper though? Nah, not for me and I am the shopper in our house and currently working out prices etc and adjusting back to things here.

Two Saturdays ago, a Vicks inhaler, sixpack of small Coke Zero cans and packet of Ibuprofen in New World Warkworth was $23! Was shocked!

Hungover much?

On ocado.com this comes in 2.12 + 2.99 + 2.92 for Nurofen. So 8.04. Exchange rate of 2, it's around 16 or roughly 33% cheaper.

The real cheapness of the UK comes in when you move away from branded things. Could probably get the Nurofen for 50p if go on a different brand, and similar for the inhaler.

Dreadful cold. Can't remember last time I bought inhalers. Worked though!

@JC said in Aging:

Anyway, on topic, getting old is no fun. I’ve gone from having a phenomenal memory to remembering that I despise the Blues but not why. Things I can probably look forward to in the near future are being weak as piss, saggy skin, humongous sized ears, some form of cancer, dementia and a lingering death. Going on previous efforts I’ll probably never see the ABs win another World Cup. Thank fuck I’m not bald.

As a Blues fan memory detrioration can only be a blessing!

@taniwharugby said in Aging:

my first job was a paper run, delivering free papers and advertising material to houses, and where we lived was ficking hilly, I reckon a good month would be about $120...

For some of the advertising mailers, if we got a big lot on a friday, i'd have to do some on Saturday there were that many...or, I'd accidentally throw a whole heap down a steep banks where the chances of them being found were minimal.

Christ! In 1975 I was on $6 a week delivering the Herald.