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LDiCesare
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La Ferté sous Jouarre France
Jan 2001
time: 05:26
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quote:
How hard can it be to chase a lump of rock down an ice rink with a broom? |
I thought it was actually getting chased by a lump of rock while sweeping the ice? Now how did such a sport come into being?
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:26
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quote:
Originally posted by LDiCesare
I thought it was actually getting chased by a lump of rock while sweeping the ice? |
I suppose it could be if the guy who pushes the lump of rock gets his timing wrong! 
quote:
Now how did such a sport come into being? |
This is what I'd like to know too. I lie awake at nights wondering.
Obviously the sport started in one of those arctic-type countries where there's nothing much better to do in winter than chase a lump of rock across ice with brooms.
But how did it come about? Chasing a lump of rock across ice, per se, sort of makes sense. Greyhounds, after all, chase an imitation rabbit around a track. Maybe it started out as a fitness thing. Lars could have looked at himself in the mirror one day, discovered he couldn't see his toes anymore, and turned to Sven - "We're putting on too much weight, Sven, let's go and chase a rock across the ice".
But how did the broom enter the picture? Was Sven doing some sweeping when Lars suggested chasing the rock across the ice and he couldn't be bothered putting it down? Or was it so cold that the broom handle stuck to Sven's hand and he couldn't put it down?
But the greatest mystery of all is this - Why don't they ever catch up to the lump of rock? I mean, it's patently obvious they could if they wanted to. But they don't. Do they worry about the rock's self-esteem? Are they concerned the rock will slip into a blue funk if it's constanty overtaken by guys on skates with brooms in their hands?
I've worried about this all over Easter. It ruined by Easter break.
Thus I shake my fist at whomever first chased a lump of rock across the ice with a broom and I curse him or her!
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:26
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Who is currently coaching Scotland? There's some gossip in this morning's rugby media to the effect that the Saints' Wayne Smith will be in the chair after the World Cup.
Last edited by finbar on 25-04-2003 at 06:07
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
I don?t want to bog down this thread down with IT tedium but in a very generic description a Server is a usually a Device that provides the information, files and other services to the clients that access it. However the word is also commonly used to represent the OS and associated software running on the hardware. The word is a contraction of the older expression File-server that was rather more descriptive to my mind. Wherever this ?server? is dependent on a single big beige box you run the risk of hardware failing causing the grief it did to Apolyton. Of course in a business environment you tend not to run critical services on a single box - and then hope the building all your boxes are in never blows up ? which is why we spend endless hours working on Disaster recovery plans ?just in case?.  |
So, in summary, the Apolyton site existed on a big HD on a computer in a room somewhere and the HD crashed? Mmmm. I hope they backed up occasionally. Well, obviously they did.
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It?s creeping commercialism ? too many ?fans? there now following the success not the club itself and they want these to renew season tickets too for cashflow. |
Yes, and they'll be the first to drop off. You just have to hope some of them cross the line to the club culture rather than just polishing the silverware.
Happens everywhere. An AFL club was transplanted to Sydney - the Swans, formerly South Melbourne, a very old, traditional Melbourne club. The AFL is desperate to break into Sydney, the RL stronghold, and the AFL subsidises the Swans enormously.
But the Swans are so desperate to keep up the membership and crowd numbers that they're constantly opting for short-term solutions with player trades, et al, rather than cleaning out the player ranks and rebuilding. That, of course, would result in a spell in the cellar until the rebuilding paid off, which they think they can't afford. They're afraid the fickle locals will abandon a cellar dweller. It's ultimate self-defeating, of course, because you never achieve real success via short-term solutions. Thus they're doomed to linger on the fringe of success. What they haven't realised is that, after 15 years, or however long it's been, they've probably maxed their membership and crowd numbers. The supporters are bona fide supporters and probably wouldn't drift away. Incredibly silly thinking for what amounts to a multi-million dollar business.
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There myself and my club differ. I will attend the next AGM and make sure my voice is heard and my vote counted (I mentioned I was a shareholder right?). |
I hereby appoint you my proxy to King Hit Austin Healy as hard as you can.
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Nooooo! We don?t want him spotting new talent for them ? certainly not whilst they have crafty little chaps like Jones who know how to use the talent better than Bob these days.  |
Crafty old bugger is our Bob. While he's around, I somehow feel a bit more comfortable.
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My favourite is Australian Culture. |
That's nothing as fancy as an oxymoron, that's an utter myth.
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It?s a poison chalice for Smith ? he should avoid it. |
Looking at some of the talent he has available at the Saints, I'd've thought he's under-achieved at the club.
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:26
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I missed these bits.
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The last I heard he was ready to sign for them. Less money but less than half the games a season too ? plus the better climate of course. I think we have lost him. It may be for the best ? Tigers expect players to graft so if the number of games bothered him he is coming to the wrong club ? we are not a retirement home. |
Frankly, with great respect to the Old Country, I'd settle for the Perpignan lifestyle too. And if they do sign him, it will make them a real force.
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It?s a serious problem though ? I am more certain than ever Kafer on his way out next month so we need someone with strong backs skills and a coaches brain very soon. Could you find Pat?s address in ACT for me? |
Pat came off the bench again tonight against the Highlanders. Played very, very well. Featured in a couple of superbly worked loops with George Gregan - quick, close and bullet-like. Blink and you miss it stuff. I think he's been coming off the bench because the Brumbies are using Matt Giteau - he who debuted nervously at Twickenham - at inside centre, where he's showing enormous promise, and could finish up in a Wallaby jersey there; and a young chap whom they're nurturing at outside centre. But Pat is certainly class. I'm absolutely sure your people have been on the phone to him. That there's been no reports of a return suggests he's back for good.
Actually, George Gregan had a very good game with the Brumbies tonight, too, despite the loss. He's running and kicking a lot more, and he scored a magical try - drifting, almost ambling, with the ball parallel to the line about 20 metres out, apparently looking for a runner, but waiting for a gap to open in the defence. It did, fractionally, and almost behind him. But he knew it was there and through he went at the speed of light. Beautiful to watch. We're going to need him firing later in the year.
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Havak
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Swing Low, Sweet Chariots.
Aug 1999
time: 05:26
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It does look rather like they were relying on a single device yes – and it shows how important good backups are. Imagine of the pearls of wisdom in the OT were lost forever.
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Yes, and they'll be the first to drop off. You just have to hope some of them cross the line to the club culture rather than just polishing the silverware. |
Some of them I would be happy to see gone – some people will just never be able to ‘get’ the club culture.
I find franchise hopping very bizarre – though it happens routinely in some sports. I do recall hearing something about the Swans whilst down there. If they are following the practice you describe it does rather sound like they will always be the bridesmaids at best.
Interestingly RL tried something similar here – to break out of their northern stronghold they poured huge amounts of money into the London Broncos and continue to prop them up. Broncos are of course an assembled team (bought and paid for) and they follow a similar pattern – short term fixes. For all that they have taken a few impressive scalps they have never troubled the trophy cabinets.
It isn’t easy to transplant a sport into enemy territory.
As for moving franchises Union has one here. London Irish may be named that but not a bit of it – for three seasons they have been based in Reading. It might be Thames Valley-ish but it isn’t London.
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I hereby appoint you my proxy to King Hit Austin Healy as hard as you can. |
If he is around at the next AGM I’ll consider it. I don’t think he will be myself.
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Crafty old bugger is our Bob. While he's around, I somehow feel a bit more comfortable |
You can’t beat a bit of the Bob factor that’s for sure.
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Looking at some of the talent he has available at the Saints, I'd've thought he's under-achieved at the club. |
Very much so – as did his two pre-decessors. Something else might be wrong there beyond his control? He arrived in a fanfare last year but despite one notable scalp (ours) he has not moved them up the table consistently and he has lost two consecutive Cup finals with them. He needs either to move or achieve something tangible next season or those fickle Saints fans (they come from the wrong side of the East Midlands you see – weird folks over that way) will ditch him.
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I'd settle for the Perpignan lifestyle too. And if they do sign him, it will make them a real force. |
I don’t blame him at all. I’m angry with our club for not having him signed and sealed by now.
USAP are already a force – although Leinster should be too much for them.
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I'm absolutely sure your people have been on the phone to him. That there's been no reports of a return suggests he's back for good. |
I heard rumours it was his missus being home sick that clinched the return rather than Wallaby aspirations as per the official line. If that is right then he is back for good. It’s a shame – Pat should not be settling for shining wood with his butt and if they are playing Giteau in front of him were I him I would leave anyway. Remember we only saw a few mins of that young man up here and he was not exactly impressive.
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We're going to need him firing later in the year. |
Best scrummy in the world when he fires on all four. The test for him, and indeed the Wallabies now, is that so many positions in the national side can no longer say that.
If I were picking a world side now I suspect most of my front eight would come from France and England with some Kiwi augmentation possibly – and maybe Smith is in contention along with possibly a fit Giffen and Sharpe on the fringes?
Ooh is it time to think about another World XV? I have some suggestions – the second row is totally English with Chris Jack on the bench. Scrummy is Gregan, Stand Off I think has to be Wilko? Flankers – pick from Smith, Back, McCaw? Were Moody fit he is a shoe in for Blindside I suspect (with Betson having had a weak six nations) – explosive talent. Number 8 the young man from France with the long confusing name (the lad who famously criticised all things English the week before the sides met – nice motivational grist for the English boys in hind sight).
Front row – well for me it has to be a combination of Rosbiffs and Frogs.
But the girlies I throw to the thread – I suspect a mix of Kiwis, Aussies, Irish, French and a token Englishman. Anyone who leaves O’Driscoll out is making a mistake I would suggest. Similarly Robinson – for all his (Flatley chasing) faults he is a game breaker.
Oh and clearly Healey on the Wing. 
Also - Victory to the Stade Toulousain!!!
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Bearcat
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Oregonia
Dec 1999
time: 05:26
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Tomorrow we are going to the OYR Playoffs at Camp Withycombe. We (Eastside) finished the season with an undefeated 5-0-1 record and 22 points, in a tie for first with the Tualatin Valley Thundercats. Because TV scored more points than us though, we will be going into the playoffs with the 2nd seed in the OYR North division, meaning we have to play the OYR South 1st seed. The 1st seed from the South is McMinnville. We played McMinnville as a friendly earlier this year and won 17-7, but McMinnville has improved a lot since than. They beat the Vancouver A team last Saturday to clinch the 1st seed 31-21. We beat the Vancouver B side 48-8 though.
McMinnville has a couple of good players, and a good backline, but our pack is much better than theirs and as long as we hold on to the ball, instead of kicking it away we should do pretty well. It's going to be a tough game though, but I'm confident that we can win if we play with our heads, seeings as we are the more experienced team.
If we win that game, we go on to play a second game for the OYR title, against the winner of the Tualatin Valley-Corvallis match. We tied Tualatin Valley this year, we're the only team to have scored on them this year in fact. And we'd be real hungry to beat them for the state title if we ended up against them. We beat Corvallis at the pre-season tournament, but doesn't mean much. A lot of teams were abbreviated and were missing players. Corvallis only lost two games this year, but one of those was to the Vancouver A side and the other to South Eugene, a first year team. They also only scored 80 points in total, compared to our 134. I'd like to see Corvallis knock off TV and face us for the title.
Also , if we win both our games, which we have a good chance of doing, we get to travel to Olympia, Washington to play in the PNRFU (Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union) U-19 tournament, which combines teams from both Oregon and Washington.
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Apolyton Time is 00:26. |
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17-04-2003 04:17
The very suspect ‘ward’ of Bruce Wayne.
Just what I'd expect from a blindside flanker! 
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