I believe during a major crisis they seem to keep the current party in power. No matter what, Trump might do better out of this.

Also, Biden, Bernie and Trump are all in their 70's. They'll be a lot of hand shaking or similar going on for them come election time which could make the choice of a Vice President interesting.

Arsenal 'legends' Alex Song and Djourou sacked by FC Sion
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavi ... 31062.html

Coronavirus: Ex-Arsenal players Alex Song, Johan Djourou released by Swiss club for refusing pay cuts

I was only saying what I read and after all this is a football forum. There have been previous posts re how they see the season panning out. It's a little dictatorial to tell people to stop writing football related posts on a football forum. Decisions need to be made to plan for the future after all this has calmed down.

I am fully aware of the seriousness of this virus and I'm in one of the at risk groups but it's also a bit of a diversion to discuss non virus stuff. I welcome the closure of pubs etc as it was evident a lot of people were being too cavalier about it. I'm filtering the news at the moment just for my own peace of mind. I know what I need to know and not taking it lightly at all but I also need to have a break from it as well.[/quote]

Senators using Senate briefings, the public is not privy to for personal gain and donors.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/20/poli ... index.html

Two things derived from this. The briefings allegedly said this virus was serious and could be similar in size and scope somewhat to 1918 Spanish flu. They acted accordingly, albeit, to their own gain. The fact is they took it serious.

Second thing is Trump received a far more detailed briefing, much earlier and his reaction was to dismiss it publicly when he had to speak on it, and call it a 'hoax' and has since had to reverse himself.

Why did he dismiss it? Because he was only concerned about how it would affect the stock market and its residual affects on his chances for re-election. Not a damn given about the public and the people he swore to protect. With Trump, you knew what you were getting prior. Maybe not to the depths he has displayed but he was well known character wise. Senior members of his own party called him a charlatan, a habitual liar, and those were the kind words. Hillary Clinton accurately said that she has been around all manner of leaders, and has known Trump for many years personally. She said during the campaign what ever you thought of her she was the only thing standing between a possible apocalypse (Trump).

Stilll, he has a fair number of hardcore supporters, similarly the same percentage that voted for Hitler in the early 30s (about 33 percent) and another 11 or 12 percent or so supportive but not with religious conviction.
That's simply too big of the American public that can be checked or trusted. If the Democrats voted in full force, near record turnouts, doesn't have to be record turnouts, they would win every national election. On the state level when the Democrats vote in a big turnout they win unprecedented victories. In 2018, Republicans voted in record numbers in the Virginia state legislative elections and lost because Democrats turned out. This is a state that hasn't had a Democratic controlled legislature in many decades. An election in Kentucky yielded similar results. A red state for decades, where the leader of the Senate is from.

The problem is you need many different groups to come out in numbers at the same time and its like herding cats. Each having their own agenda and if its not met they often won't bother to vote. Republicans have only one niche they enjoy a majority of. White males, voting roughly 60 percent or more, depending on the candidate. White women vote 38& Republican, Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Gays, Union members, etc., all vote predominantly Democrat. And as much as the religious right gets media coverage for its un-Christ like, zealous support for Trump, like no preceding president in recent memory, even more than Bush, a born again Christian, they are from the south and midwest. Christians in the other parts of the country, vote Democrat. Cahtolics, Jews, non deep south and midwest Christians vote Democrat.

Why do the Republicans do so well? They are really the minority party and conduct politics as such. They use any means fair or foul. They are far better at the game of politics than the Democrats because they have to be. They have all manner of ways to suppress the vote. A low turnout is advantageous to them because their voters will vote in high percentages because they know they have to stay in power.

(cont'd)
Politics in America these days is a religion. Polite discussion didn't speak on religion or politics decades ago. Nowadays Republicans wear their fealty daily in the form of 'Make America Great Again' caps. Social media has also played a part. No need to guess any longer. The media used to be neutral. You had no idea what political party the major news anchors were. These days its obvious Fox News for example, is nothing but the propaganda wing, the Goebbels of the Republican party.

Fox News were willing to risk lives in support of Trump, agreeing with and supporting his every word no matter how dangerous it was. Covid19 is no different.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business ... n-business

If the last four years hasn't told the world we are done as a moral leader then the one who knowingly follows a fool is worse than the actual fool. The last 20 years should have showed we enter conflicts akin to a Roman emperor trying to emulate prior accomplishments.

The Covid19 is now being used as political cover to bail out the 1% and his core businesses. Unemployment has been rumored to shoot up by a third. Rumored because the labour secretary is allegedly hinting to states not to give them their unemployment data in hopes of delaying the bad news. More than 1 million jobs lost, the stock market has removed all gains over his presidency. Both stats are what is repeated by his supporters when ever you say what about children in cages? What about repeated lying? What about anything. jobs and stock market, despite Obama cutting unemployment in half and also having record stock index numbers and there is an unbroken line showing Trump's numbers were an extension of the trend under Obama.

Despite all this, it is not a given he will lose in November, if he doesn't try and postpone it for political power. That's the American people today. Enough of them willing to endure any scenario for the sake of their man. Curiously there haven't been any reported stats on Trump's support since February where it stood between 44 and 47 percent. The science of polling has been made very difficult in the smartphone age. In the past you called a home and they answered survey questions. The only people with landlines are people over 60 primarily. Most people under 40 living on their own do not have a landline.

Biden isn't the best candidate. If you are looking for someone to coalesce all factions of the Democratic party its not him. He can win, maybe even should win. He is well liked by the blue collar working sort in Pennsylvania especially where he is born, as well as Michigan and Ohio, the factory states. But he's not certain to. Trump is a back alley, no holds barred fighter politically and the Dems play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules in national elections. They will answer kidney punches and punches to the groin politically with a stiff upper lip and won't cry foul. It also remains to be seen if the Sanders support will vote. My guess is they may not in the numbers the party would like.

Strange and interesting times.

The quandary seems to be public health and giving the people some distraction when it comes to football. What is the Rugby union going to do?

Without a handle on the virus, its going to be tough to argue for a resumption of league play. Unless, the league can minimize the possibility of contracting the disease that will satisfy the public and health officials.

A former coworker of mine who moved to another state became the first personal knowledge of Covid19 that I know. She is 45 years old, reported that she had flu like symptoms and had it confirmed by tests. She is being quarantined with her family who were already exposed.

Sadly, if the numbers bear out, most people will end up knowing a person.

There's no harm at all in discussing football. As you say, it is not good to be completely immersed in the COVID19 newsfeeds. However, I can't see how it helps matters to set a target date of 5/6 weeks from now to resume the league when we are not even close to getting this thing under control. The PL made their announcement earlier this week - before the sweeping measures introduced by the UK government yesterday. You have the president of La Liga saying it is his mission to ensure all leagues and European competitions are played out to completion. All of this against a background of people being asked to stay at home. It is difficult enough to get people to adhere to the social distancing guidelines and it will be very difficult for everyone as the weeks go by. A target date for the resumption of football in a few weeks time is not helpful. Also, let's not forget that money plays a huge part in this. The leagues and the clubs want football back asap because the goose has stopped laying the golden eggs at the moment.

Nothing but wooden stake through the heart would kill Pence so Trump is probably wise to stick with him.

Kamala Harris seems to tick the right boxes for Biden.

Thinking out aloud about some ideas if they really want to get some football on TV. Call the season dead. Split next season into southern and northern leagues to minimise travel (starting to sound like WWII) - no crowds - just for TV. Could do some of the other divisions with some ideas like this.

But this is only to give people the circuses they seem to need - they could always try - pick up a book, download audiobooks if you can't read, listen to some podcasts. Put some exercise classes on the BBC - imagine people actually doing exercise. Yeah I know too radical.

I agree. Having plans is one thing, indecent haste is another entirely. I did think the plan Richie mentioned seems to make some sense but the way the curve is looking I really doubt that it would be viable.

I’ve found that drastically reducing one’s access to the constant news cycle helps minimise any anxiety. And also trying to avoid the supermarket

I’ve found that drastically reducing one’s access to the constant news cycle helps minimise any anxiety. And also trying to avoid the supermarket

Here you go...mark your own papers and hand them in afterwards...

1. 'After the revolution we must worship the victorious' was a tag for a Le Shark advertising campaign featuring which double winner?
Emmanuel Petit.

2. We're moving to a new ground soon but what is the current ground called?
Arsenal Stadium.

3. How does a Primrose stop a goal?
Primrose is Bob Wilson's middle name.

4. How many times (to nearest 10) did Arsenal's first team play in Woolwich?
0. Our grounds were in Plumstead not Woolwich.

5. Jennings, Rice, Nelson, O'Leary, Brady, Stapleton. Who is the seventh?
John Devine. Not Terry Mancini...

6. Bergkamp. St James'. Who was the keeper?
Shay Given.

7. Our record score at Wembley is 7-1. Who were we playing?
Charlton Athletic (1943 Football League South War Cup Final).

8. Who was Pele's favourite Arsenal keeper?
Jack Kelsey. Played against each other in 1958 World Cup and Pele described it as the best display he'd seen by a keeper)

9. Who was told by the ref not to be greedy at Villa Park when he complained his shot had gone over the line?
Ted Drake.

10. Who managed us to a title in the '30s, but isn't called Chapman or Allison?
Joe Shaw.

11. You're Terry Neill. Five minutes to go in the Cup Final and you're 2-0 up. Who do you bring on?
Steve Walford.

12. (I can't read this one properly because of a beer stain so you can all have a point here).

13. Who EEGd Rushie's record up?
Charlie Nicholas (although when I did this someone argued quite well that the answer was 'we' as in the chant).

14. Which 'City' did we score 26 goals against in one game?
Paris. http://www.thearsenalhistory.com/?p=7355

15. Name our scorers in all 3 1993 Cup Final matches?
Merson, Morrow, Wright and Linighan.

16. Spell Boro's surname.
Primorac.

17. Who was Arsenal's record scorer before Ian Wright?
Cliff Bastin.

18. Who did Vieira make his debut against?
Sheffield Wednesday.

19. What is the most dangerous piece of gardening equipment if you're an Arsenal double winner?
Lawnmower. Charlie George says that fiddling with one is what chopped his finger off.

20. What was the previous name of Arsenal Station?
Gillespie Road.

Great collapses. I take exception to the '98 Man Utd side not in there. As well as even the '02 Man Utd side.

Interesting things about the glory years squad from Lauren.

Interesting view on how the government is spending money in this unique type of situation.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/john-r ... -recession

both correct ...... Trump is stupid beyond belief but what you two termites fail to grasp is Hilliary Clinton would have been three thousand times worse .
A sleazy grinning two faced underhand bottom feeder of the first degree . A stooge for Wall Street ...Trump to his credit hasn't started a war with anyone ...yet .


Obviously the hot topic Corona V .... my take on the subject ...... today I went out to get some steel to repair my trailer ; driving home I had a mini sore throat

..... sugar what to do ...... No mealy mouthed approach in this household ... 2.30 in the afternoon ..grabbed the rum bottle took a swig ...gargled for about twenty seconds , swallowed ... problem solved .

Had a couple more , just to be safe ..... if those grubby %%%$#@ C19 germs can get past a haze of alcohol fumes good luck to them .

A former coworker of mine was chatting with her on an app at the time she became ill and passed on.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... sults.html

Like I said at the start of this weeks ago Britain’s flawed policy around corona virus would have be determined by a populist decision by Cummings rather than what people were saying “I’m glad they are listening to the scientists”...... well they were not.

Also who was it who said John was being ridiculous to suggest Eugenics were being considered as part of the policy to manage it ?

In today’s newspapers .....

..... when Matt Hancock is the voice of reason my goodness your *%^@**


Cummings had a “meeting of minds” with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, who wanted stronger action to prevent NHS hospitals being swamped. Department of Health officials had impressed on Hancock that the death rate in Wuhan province was 3.4% when the hospitals were overrun and 0.7% elsewhere in China.

I questioned the idea that eugenics were part of the UK coronavirus policy.

Eugenics - the study of how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarded as desirable.
However misguided or distasteful you find Cummings' comment here, what has it to do with eugenics?

What is scary, amongst the talk of mild symptoms for most people, is that hospitals are apparently already overflowing with cases and soon will be overwhelmed and it's only just began.

People are dying in agony with relatives only able to say a quick goodbye if a protective suit is available and there may not be enough to go around soon if things head the way they look like heading.

It appears the govt may have made a catastrophic error in not closing the country down sooner. I realise that this is a novel virus and that no one has the answers and that most decisions are based on no more than educated guesswork but it feels like we should have heeded the actions of countries like South Korea and Japan who have more experience in dealing with these kinds of viruses.

The numbers of people testing positive, including footballers and celebrities, does suggest that the virus may be endemic in the population already.

Its a decision that skates dangerously close to wiping out 500,000 people largely over 50.

It’s a decision on policy so close to an inhuman action around what people in life are important or not. It’s not far from Eugenics and you can see his personal beliefs are stamped all over it

Eugenics is completely the wrong word.

I didn’t say it was Eugenics at all. It’s a decision around what people in life are important and can progress and who aren’t. That’s not far from eugenics

You said a government endorsed cull was far fetched. You were wrong

This is what you said:

'Also who was it who said John was being ridiculous to suggest Eugenics were being considered as part of the policy to manage it ?'

I repeat, not eugenics. Also I still think a government 'cull' was indeed far fetched. This is an unprecedented situation, and while we can all pick holes with hindsight, I'd say the government are doing a decent job.

The point was around what was far fetched and what wasn’t. You said eugenics was ridiculous and and cull was fetched.

It wasn’t and the government have evidently endorsed it.

Ok TG, explain the eugenics part to me. I've already googled the definition for you.

Your not listening it’s not about the definition of eugenics. Its that someone said the accusation of eugenics was ridiculous and that the government wouldn’t endorse a “cull”.

Now .....



1st case UK
-Jan31

If means pensioners die, too bad -Cummings
-Feb

1st Cobra
-Mar2

We'll get through good shape PM
-Mar3

Business as usual vast majority PM
-Mar5

Herd Immunity is plan CSO
-Mar13

Herd Immunity not plan
-Mar14

Shutdown
-Mar20

You were wrong.

Post #519307. You brought eugenics up, and mentioned a poster you couldn't remember who happened to be me. Now do the right thing and just admit that eugenics has absolutely nothing to do with coronavirus policy.
Thanks.

You must be on something much stronger than rum -- RT? Alex Jones? crack?-- if you seriously believe Clinton would have been worse than Trump ...

that wasn’t my point. My point was the suggestion was so ridiculous it couldn’t be considered and That a “cull” was far fetched. Read the timeline. You were wrong.

Are we having fun yet?

Just a bit of humour. Hope everyone doing alright so far.

Merkel's doctor tests positive. Also, Republican Kentucky senator Rand Paul test positive but is asymptomatic. Most senators are old by societal standards. They were saying that they saw him in the capital building gym this very morning.
Washington DC has ordered all the city's health clubs closed. The Senate of course is above this and now may have to suffer for it.
Rumour is they are very, very worried, as well they should be.

Yes I really shouldn't debate issues with someone who gets all their " good oil '' from Whoopi Goldberg , Joy Behar , Don Lemon , Rachel Maddow and Bishop Tutu .

My apologies

very strange times Zed ...went for a drive to get some steel yesterday ; it was like a ghost town , not many people out and about .

NZ completely shut it's borders couple of days back .

No -one but returning Kiwis allowed in and they have to self isolate for fourteen days . Plenty of tourism outlets will fold .

Had to laugh .... listening to the Rugby League show .

Braithe Anasta said he'd been out five times in a vain attempt to buy some toilet paper and because senior citizens alone get to shop for the first hour at the supermarkets Adam Reynolds the Rabbitohs half back asked 70 year old coach Wayne Bennet to buy him some

Well even if he did that here he would still have *%^@ all chance of getting any. Towards the end of the supply chain here and even for early shoppers I am told that there are bare shelves. What happens is at some time during the day there may be a supply. People aren't hoarding they are just running out of supplies now. Plenty of fruit and veges available but because of the way they are frozen, gassed etc they only last about 3 days.

For example bananas are picked green and then receive gas to make them ripen. The largest banana farms in Australia are 2 f%&$#n hours drive from me but they are picked, driven 1300klms to Brisbane, purchased by organisations or if supplied direct to some of the bigger supermarkets, taken about the same distance south to repackage and then come back here, to have gas applied to ripen them. Only God knows what chemicals they use to achieve this.

Hi Kiwi,
Never thought I'd ever experience something like this. Many places like a ghost town. Only getting out for what I need as well as a walk occasionally. Majority of any returning citizens to their own country are allowed in. Then there's those who are stranded, some cruise lines that can't dock at some ports, irreagardless of nobody on board having signs of C19. Yes, strange times.