A'Villan

Yeah, great post. While I spend more time listening to some genres more than others, I find it hard to say there's any one that I have a distaste for, hence my curiousity. Maybe Heavy Metal, or commercial radio. Yet both have the odd track that makes me think, 'yep, that's art right there' Thanks for giving it a shot!

Played basketball last night. Had uni 10am-5pm today (what institution has Saturday classes, c'mon!) and will watch the Villa tonight. AFL match tomorrow and then Brother's birthday dinner tomorrow night.

We want to take them away from their preferred methods, and to do so requires knowing the soul of their team. Thanks for the post. Also agree that in some games it is necessary to make the most of our superiority on the ball and play not only an attacking brand but possession based play. Nyland Elmo Tuanzebe Chester Hutton Hourihane McGinn Adomah Grealish Green Kodjia I don't see much from preventing that team from winning this fixture.

If we actually kept our best players of recent (by this I am not implying we always had the capacity to) we would not be that far off European placing right now. Gueye Delph Albrighton Grealish Young Benteke Grealish will be an integral part of any success this club will see in the near future. I believe this club can have the capacity to be among Europe's elite. It's a matter of leadership and loyalty, severely lacking at the club for what nearly became a decade. It's a long way back to European football for us, thankfully we have a player like Grealish on side. That's not a bad start. The fact that he is a supporter too is special.

I'll say it again, GIFted.

Can I ask a favour of you? Can you listen to either song by Immortal Technique, "Caught In a Hustle", or "Leaving The Past", then come back and tell me if you think it anything less than instrumentally pleasing and lyrically superlative? I know people have different tastes, but some things are universal. As hip-hop has been such a strong presence in my life, from break-dance to rap even back to my teenage years as a scallywag graffiti muralist, I would like to promote it's practice and appreciation. I'm not talking about the dumb s*** by artist like "9 Gold Rings On Each Finger" where song title and lyrical wordplay is as accomplished as "i luv dem strippaz". I can totally relate to the notion that stuff is unbearable. I'm just curious to know if you've ever actually been exposed to anything good? Some rap is as powerful as Bob Marley, satirical as Zappa, political and philosophical as Dylan, and if you're at all a fan of wordplay and puns, then hip-hop is where it's at.

Whether Bruce is doing a good job here or not, four promotions is impressive in relative terms.

Well, it would seem this Kenyon would be a real coup. I know nothing of him. I'd rather not have any business at Villa that sends clubs broke due to 3rd party player ownership, even if we're on the right side of the people involved.

They have to commit themselves to the discipline and work involved in order to rise above their current level, grow up instead of old as they say. Without a doubt. That said, while one should be forgiven for thinking otherwise, nurturing the cultivation of a community based approach to the integration from academy to first team, is actually a methodology that has had considerable and consistent success at the highest level. This is however unusual in football, where talented individuals tend to dominate selection and games from an early age, and coaches, in the pressure cooker environment that is professional football, tend to be authoritarian, shouting, control freak-esque, so it is understandable then that there is an overemphasis and glorification of winning and individual achievement, rather than a spiritual, moral and benevolent cultural emphasis. Just simply because this is what we are used to, doesn't make it the best practice. When you really start questioning this, say 'Is that the way I have to assume life is? I know everybody does, but does that make it true?' It doesn't necessarily. It ain't necessarily so. So then as you question this basic assumption that underlies our culture, you find you get a new kind of common sense. Proving their worth is also something the club and its coaches are responsible for and should be investing every effort and penny to ensure they have upheld their end of the deal in. These young men need to be developed in to combative athletes. To be strong. They actually need all the love and support they can get on this journey. In the warrior culture of the Lakota Sioux tribe you honor and respect your opponent, why should we treat our own any differently then? This attitude toward their opponents was an acknowledgement that they help you to achieve your best and hone your skill as a warrior. In Lakota Sioux culture strength is, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - myself. The very word competition derives from the Latin con petire, meaning to search together (that is for excellence in self-fulfillment), and doesn't necessarily mean that there is an inherent and unkind nature to it. Like others have said, I'm not sure the focus should have been the 7-a-side tournament, but what's done is done. I have confidence in O'Hare from the little I've seen, he has the right ideas and I hope they develop into a craft for him, wish him well with the loan.

I believe in the ability of our players to challenge in each and every fixture and come out on top, therefore promotion is a very real prospect. That's about as much input as I have on this topic for now.

A brief excerpt from the original piece that brought it to my attention. I will source more for you later. The Federal Liberal Government has given the controversial Great Barrier Reed Foundation $444 million to 'save the reef'. But this shady organisation is actually being run by oil company bosses - including the former Chief Executive of Exxon's Esso Australia John Schubert. Exxon and Esso are renowned for their environmental disasters (Valdez, PFAS poisoning), their wage cuts for Australian workers, and their systemic corporate tax dodging.

Yes, I'm just you're average pioneer of the hipster movement!

Both are roughly five foot five inches tall, NBA players. One played alongside Manut Bol who was like ten foot ten inches, funny to see them side by side.

I'll nitpick here, but first point will be to say I have no problem with your idea, with one exception. Why wait and lose your best asset, failing to obtain your objective in the process, when the plan is to move on regardless?

Google Spud Webb and Mugsey Bogues

Amen. I don't drink but your local should be a place of refreshment both in ale and from ail.

Sorry, bickster, your post and the one you quoted are lost on me.

How's this? The Great Barrier Reef is iconic, right? If you weren't aware it's in some trouble regards its health. The Turnball government has given $444,000,000 to a 'charity' of six people, in order to oversee the restoration of the GBR. Who are these six people? Oil magnates. It's beyond a joke, or sad indictment, I'm wondering how it's not an offense worthy of prosecution.

Outside of the 'bunch of hip hop influences' part, this is like a different language to me. At this stage I just write the lyrics. I'll get on google when I get home tonight and do a bit of research as to what you do. Cheers.

Ha! Your prejudice is your loss, I'm afraid. Just being silly, it's not for everyone, and there's A LOT of very poor quality rap going around.

It's hard to give feedback on your situation without knowing the specifics. I worked construction for 7 years, it was a well paid gig but it was simply work to me, it also compromised my energy for basketball which I play semi-professionally. At the turn of this year I made the decision to change career path, I chose to volunteer with the homeless and at risk youth as a mentor. I was also appointed to an advisory board for mental health, just last week this opportunity expanded and I have taken on an assistant role in what is essentially the prioritising of agendas in regard to mental health facilities and organisations in Melbourne. This is a paid role but minimal. Last month I undertook full-time study to become a Youth Worker. Couldn't be happier with the switch. I've gone from anticipating knock off from the minute I stepped foot on site to investing my time and energy beyond what is expected of me and loving it.

Does anyone on here make hip-hop beats? If so, what software do you use? What's a rough guesstimate on how many hours it took you to produce something you liked?

Went to Primary and High School with this stunner

My casual shoes

My basketball shoes