ANZAC Day 2014

Over the weekend, I went to our Council's ANZAC Day Ceremony. I think the biggest surprise for me was the number of people who turned out. It wasn't the best morning, but the local plaza was full. Full of people coming from a broad range of ages and it was great to see families with young kids there. One of the highlights for me was the 13 year old Girl Guide member, who talked about how her understanding of Gallipoli had changed, how she had learned more about her family preparing for the speech. It was great to see the Scouts & Guides involved in the ceremony, along with the political representatives (one of the local members, the Mayor) and the local RSL.

I was impressed with the local Anglican minister who conducted the ceremony - his faithful words and prayers. Corp Ben Roberts-Smith, reminded us of the

"profoundly sad reality that our wounded tend to be forgotten, though they have always vastly outnumbered our dead. There were over 155,000 wounded in the First World War alone. 

The war in Afghanistan may be coming to an end, but for those who were wounded there, it will never end. The physical scars inflicted will remain their curse and inspiration for life; the other, deeper, more complex, more insidious scars to hearts and minds will wreak havoc and pain over lifetimes." 

 ANZAC Day, is not a day that glorifies war, but reminds us of its' cost.

The lasting memory I have from ANZAC Day this year, was the silence I experienced during the service I attended, and the communal silence I witnessed from the MCG - over 90,000 people standing silently remembering the cost of war (and the price of peace).

Weekend sport recap.

AFL

• ANZAC Day, the observance before the Collingwood - Essendon game is an amazing spectacle. 90,000 people, standing in silence, remembering those who have served us in the Armed forces, and you can hear a pin drop. The game would have to be Collingwood's best game for the year, after quarter time, Essendon kicked something like 3 goals to Collingwood's 12.
• Swans had an ugly win against Melbourne, But hey, I'll take and ugly win over a pretty loss.  Great to see Goodes back on the ground too. 
• Port showed why they might be the real deal - very impressive win over Geelong yesterday. 
• What can you say about Carlton. Kicking 5 goals in less ten minutes to get back in front (with an amazing smother in the mix too), but definitely helped by West Coast's  1.8 last quarter.
• Gary Ablett Jnr's goal against the Giants was probably the moment of the round

NRL

• Somewhat impressive win by the the Warriors too..  
• There's a break next week for the Australia - New Zealand test.  Hoping for an upset, but suspect it will be a comfortable win to the Australians. 
• The table seems to be shaking out a little.  Bulldog's are deservedly on top at the moment, grinding out wins, rather than blowing teams of the park (their last four wins were by a total of seven points).  The Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Roosters are climbing the table, getting closer to where they will probably finish.
• Aside from the Warriors win. Greg Inglis' try was the highlight of the round. 

Super XV Rugby

• Good home win for the Hurricanes too; and given a few other results they are now sitting on top of the NZ Conference table. Great to see the Blues win too. Fair to say the Waratahs did help them out a touch too. The Hurricanes are in Sydney next weekend to play the Waratahs. Hope they can continue to run of wins. 

Football

• Great to see the Western Sydney Wanderers, making their second final. They play Brisbane (in Brisbane) for the title. 
• The EPL will go down to the wire - with Manchester City back in the drivers seat.
• Can't believe it's almost May, which means its Finals time (Champions League, FA Cup, Europa League) and then June is the World Cup. Can't wait...

Easter weekend sport recap..

AFL

• Pleasantly surprised by the Swan's performance on the weekend. They're now 2-3 and tackle Melbourne next. The first time the Swan's will play a side coached by Paul Roos. Hopefully Tippett will be back in the side. 
• Was a great effort by the Saints performance on Saturday. Essendon never really looked into the game. 
• Port Adelaide had a great win over West Coast in Perth and are now second. 
• Geelong are now the only undefeated team. After beating Hawthorn for the twelfth time in thirteen matches
• Good Friday - looks likely there will be football on Good Friday next year. I have no problem whether they decide to play or not, and reckon there maybe something in the idea of taking the game somewhere else - maybe a double-header in the bush (or at the MCG)

NRL

• Not much to say re the Warriors. 
• The Bulldogs won by a single point for the third time in a row, and are now on top of the ladder. 

Super15

• The Hurricane's won again.  Pretty good performance against the Blues. Now 1 point out of the Wild-Card race. 
• The South Africa Sharks still sit at the to of the table - with the Brumbies and Chiefs at the top of the Australian and New Zealand conferences respectively. 

EPL

• Who'd be a Premier League coach -  Manchester United have missed Champions League and possibly Europa League Qualification - currently sitting seventh.  It is looking likely that their manager David Moyes will be sacked.

Weekend sport recap (13 April)

AFL

• I didn't see the Swan's game on Sunday. But doesn't look like there was any positives to come out of it.  North Melbourne lost about 10 games by less than a goal last year, and it seems they are reversing that this year and closing out games well too.
• Good on Melbourne too, good to see them win.
• Sydney host Fremantle and given their performances to date it is a game they must win.
• Next week sees the current top four all play against each other - West Coast v Port Adelaide, and the match of the round between Geelong & Hawthorn. 

NRL

• Warriors did better than I was hoping for this week (yes it was a one-point loss..). Was a good start under their new (or caretaker) coach. Will be an interesting season following them...  
• Impressed with the Titans early season form. 
• Parramatta are another big surprise this year, a good win against the Roosters (especially given the round 2 result). 

Football

• The Matilda's drew their two test series against Brazil, 1-1. This is a great result.
• The English Premier League season is nearing the end, and looks most likely that either Liverpool or Manchester City will win this year. Given City's loss this morning they trail by 7 points,  but with 2 games extra to play. Chelsea are an outside chance, they've played 34 games too, and are 2pts behind.
• Arsenal at least have a chance to win the FA Cup now - they will play Hull City in the final. Mind you given their recent performances, Hull winning wouldn't be a complete surprise (Arsenal, you think, need a miracle to finish fourth...)

The weekend recap (April 5)

AFL

• The Swans are on the board - 1-2. Much better performance this weekend. 
• Hawthorn were really impressive on Friday. I wasn't completely surprised by the result - a little by the margin.
• Yes, I know its round three, but who'd have picked the Suns & Giants to be in the top eight. The Suns may well stay there, will be interesting to see how the Giants go.
• Rumours of Geelong's demise seem to be premature.
• West Coast have their first real test next weekend (v Geelong), but great start for them.

NRL

• The Warriors have won the two games I thought they'd lose (North Queensland - away & West Tigers ''home"), and lost the three I thought they would win (Parramatta, St George and now Cronulla).  Breaking news this morning suggests that the Warriors are the first to sack a coach this year.
• Sunday Afternoon at Liechhardt Oval is what Rugby League is all about. Shame about the weather, not so much about the result :)
• Again, it's only round five, but who had the Titans at the top of the table.  Seriously though, I've been most impressed by the Bulldogs.

World T-20

• Australia claimed their third straight World T-20 Cup overnight beating England in the Final.  Great effort by the team. The Men's followed and was won by Sri-Lanka.

Super 15

• Hurricanes won again. They won't make the finals, but still two in a row. Now sitting second in the NZ Conference.   

Borgen - Season Two

Some thoughts on season two.

The second season, reveals more about Kasper's history, and goes to explaining his character. The scene when Katrine founds out Kasper's secret is powerful & moving.

Other political issues dealt included Nyborg brokering a peace deal with the leaders of North & South Sudan, and what it might look like when a party changes a leader, early retirement, and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

What I found the most gripping and distressing was the interplay between media and politicians. What level of scrutiny do they sign up for when they seek office, and how is what's in the public interest determined. In the show the PM's daughter is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and the press stake out the home in which she stays, making a huge impact on the home. Another story was around the Minister for Justice, being set up to be exposed as a gay man. The final example was when the TV station had a great story about the North Sudan leader cheating the Southern leader out of money, which given the delicate state of the peace negotiations, if made public would completely derail the process.

The scene that hit me the hardest was in the hospital when the television program was discussing the Sudanese Peace Agreement, while Philip and Brigitte were dealing with their daughter's second anxiety attack. The cost of public life was so clearly portrayed.

I am looking forward to the final season.

T-20 Worldcup

Overnight both the BlackCaps and WhiteFerns lost, meaning that both miss the semi finals, the Women were "unlucky" given they finished level of points with both Australia & South Africa, but their inferior net-run-rate cost them. I'm proud of their efforts throughout the tournament, and looking forward to their next games.

Great win by the Netherlands overnight too.  Given there performances against South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland and England, it was sad to read that the Netherlands' future in Cricket is unclear: they didn't qualify for next years' One Day World Cup, their one day status has been removed and their financials are it quite a state (apparently).

Back on the field, the women's semi finals are most likely, Australia v England and West Indies v South Africa, and the men's India v South Africa & Sri Lanka v (the winner of tonight's Pakistan v West Indies).