I think this thread is a Bermuda Triangle.

@FionaRing I think you're right!!

Yep, that's the definition of a "volunteer".

Mmmm, take some Miralax & see if there's a change by morning.

What about now?

@FionaRing nope

@expertxx ... Are you sure?

@FionaRing absolutely

@expertxx ... It 100% was there & then it just disappeared.... again.

@FionaRing This is about 2 hours later according to the time stamp -- still nothing.

@FionaRing Eight hours now and still nothing?

@RUmytranny ... I went to bed.

@FionaRing Sweet dreams. Maybe it will show up tomorrow?

@RUmytranny ... It's already tomorrow.

@FionaRing Yes, there. I'm still in yesterday. (Many years ago flew out of NZ and landed back in Canada before we took off!)

Meanwhile, the picture is caught in the Twilight Zone.

@RUmytranny ... The twilight zone or the 5th dimension.

@RUmytranny ... T-Rump's next move is to change the international date line so America is the first country to greet the new day.

@FionaRing Ah, locked in a balloon basket in the Twilight Zone with the 5th Dimension. Ok, now I feel like I'm back in the 70's . . .

@FionaRing There was a country, a tiny one whose name I don't recall, that did that to be the first to greet the new millennium.

As for Trump, I wouldn't put it past him while changing the name to International Line of the United States of America. Such a big beautiful line, a lovely line, not imaginary at all.

@RUmytranny ... I can't recall the name of that country either but I do remember it.

Fuck they're in trouble south of you. It's not going well.

@FionaRing No, it is not. It's only going to get worse, before it gets better (if it ever does).

@RUmytranny ... I suppose a lot of American products end up in Canada because of your close proximity but I can't ever in my life remember buying a USA made product. I suppose they have their hands in things like petroleum refining & finance that makes it's way here & there was a bit of an uproar about our supermarkets selling California oranges about ten years ago but that's about it.

I know they have a huge film & TV industry & heaps of that makes its way here & has all my life & nearly all that stuff is acute garbage. Most of it is painfully predictable, formula based & remakes of old stuff or copies of other successful shows from other counties. Some of the stuff is absolutely brilliant but that's about one or two percent of the whole industry. I read reviews on IMDb & I wonder if these people are watching the same shit as me.

A lot ah American TV shows & films have flawed heroes, That isn't a bad thing per sé but most aren't just flawed, they're assholes. Especially in sitcoms.

Everywhere I look in America it's second rate, below par. American's get fed peanuts & told it's caviar. American's celibrate mediocrity as if it's brilliance.

I fucking love sport. I played everything as a kid. Everyday of the week I was training or playing sport. So when American Football found a regular spot on our TV screens I jumped at the chance of getting to know the game & watching it closely. After just over a year of watching a two hour NFL show once a week I came to the conclusion it was the most boring game ever in the history of everything. That was in the late 80's or early 90's. Fast forward 20 years & I thought... hey, it can't be that bad, I'm going to give another & try & keep & open mind. The game is absolutely fucking garbage. At best there is 15 seconds of play for every minute you watch & that's without the timeouts. The players are so unfit compared to most other sports.

Shit politics, medical, law enforcement, a primary industry that probed up by government subsidies, by all accounts the worst public education, corruption in every string of government & industry.

There are only two counties left in the world today that still use the Imperial Measuring system. Both countries, in my view, are chronically backwards. One is Myanmar & I'll let you guess the other one. Ha.

@FionaRing Ok, now tell me how you really feel. Living so close to the US we are inundated with all things American: news, sports, TV channels, manufactured products, a seemingly endless list. Oh and non-stop Trump!

Many of the US movies are actually filmed in Canada; some are filmed overseas. Now Trump wants to place a 100% tariff on movies not made in the US. How is that even supposed to work?

I'm not a fan of American football; I prefer Canadian football (CFL). Although the games are similar and will become even more so with recent rule changes the CFL announced last week. I really like Australian rules football. I haven't seen many games and haven't figured out all of the rules. But what a huge field of play!

The US education system is dreadful and most citizens are woefully uninformed about global affairs because of their education and poor media coverage of anything outside of their borders. When I was young, their weather maps didn't even have Canada or Mexico on them. You would think they were an island. And that is how many of them see themselves. The rest of the world just doesn't matter.

As for the Imperial system, Canada uses a bastardized system of Metric/Imperial. Our meat and produce are measured and sold in Kgs, but advertised in Lbs (appears cheaper). Our highways use Km and many other measurements use meters; however, many of us still measure height in feet. I'm six feet, I have no idea what that is in Cms. Body weight is measured either in Lbs or Kg. I'm 215 lbs, I'd have to do the math to convert that, aprox 98 Kg?

Now, Trump wants to take the US back 50 years. No LGTBQ+ rights, not allowed in their military either. No abortions. Civil rights being repealed. ICE indiscriminately rounding up people off the streets, held without charges or trial. What is astonishing to me, well to many, is that he gets away with all of this and many people in the US approve!

His latest act was a rambling, incoherent speech to senior military personnel flown in from around the world. In it, he said some scary things. I said it will get worse before getting better? Make that a lot worse. Be thankful you're on the other side of the globe. I've always wanted to visit Australia . . .

@RUmytranny ... Since I've retired I've been getting into some wood working projects. I've never really done any handy word but my old house needs some love. I'm always measuring stuff, with tape measure in hand... one side of the tape is metric & the other side is in imperial. I just use whatever side it lands on, so to speak. It's a bit different when I have to buy wood from the Hardware store then everything is in millimetres eg; 1800 x 600 x 18.Most people here measure a persons height in feet & inches & their body weight in kilograms. We rarely use any imperial measurements anymore.

I did a shitload of research of American football a year or so ago. It was initiated by me watching some YouTube reaction videos by Americans on AFL (Aussie Rules Footy). Over the past 12 months I've probably watched a least 100 of these Yank reaction videos on AFL. 100% of the people thought ALF was Rugby. Just pure ignorance. 100% of them were blown away & wanted to see more. One guy said, "why don't we know about this game in America, it's so crazy we don't play it here it's the best game I've ever seen". AFL started in 1858 so it's older the American Football & Baseball. Although it wasn't called AFL back then.

One of the big questions was about injuries, since AFL played wear no protective gear apart from mouthguards. Mixed Martial Arts has the highest instances of confusion of any sport. Then it's a toss up between College Football in the US & The AFL followed by the NFL. Research shows that the helmets worn NRL players increase the chance of concussion & neck injures. Just because the outside of your head is protected the brain still bounces around inside the skull. Knee injuries are pretty common in the AFL too.

So who plays Gridiron apart from Americans in America. You said there is a healthy competition in Canada, Yep, that's the number two country then 3rd is Germany who has a reasonable completion then there's really no other country that plays it seriously Although every country seems have some sort of fledgling competition. One must wonder why that is, given the amount of influence America has around the world?

It's played in Australia & I actually watched a game on YouTube from Melbourne... it was hilarious. I'd rather watch the under 10's play soccer to be honest. I looked into how much it costs to join one of those Melbourne clubs, with a ball & the full kit & joining fee. Club fees, for all sports are very expensive here in Australia. Insurance drives the fees up. So about $3,500 all up to play Gridiron in Melbourne. Fuck me dead (FMD). The kit would be much less in America & I did compare prices at the time of my research.

Summery is pretty easy. The game (Gridiron)is not play widely around the world because it's a really shit game, that not many people want to play, let alone let their kids play. Most parents prefer the children to play soccer.

@FionaRing Thanks for the rules videos. I think I had most of it figured out other than the ball bounce every 16 yards and the shoulder to knee tackling restriction. I still can't get over the size of the field. Awesome.

The CFL has its origins in 1907 but it was more of a rugby league. Rugby in Canada dates back to the 1860's even before we were a country. The actual CFL league didn't come about until 1958 with the merger of two similar leagues. The championship prize is the Grey Cup, first awarded in 1907. It was donated by Lord Earl Grey, the Governor General at the time.

Many people in Canada know about Rugby and would easily see the different between it and AFL. Canada's women's team came ever so close to winning the world championship last week in London. (Well the final score against the UK wasn't that close.) They got there by beating the NZ All Blacks, so that's something.

Interestingly enough, another professional league championship trophy also had its origins from a Governor General of Canada. The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize of the NHL (National Hockey League). Commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it's now called the Stanley Cup after Lord Stanley of Preston who donated it as an award to Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. It was first awarded in 1893. Too bad a Canadian team hasn't won it since 1993, The Montreal Canadiens. (My team, I'm originally from Montreal.)

This has been fun. It's been great to talk with a fellow "commonwealther" (is that even a word?) about common interests and history. Thanks, again, for the AFL info.

@RUmytranny ... The Aussie Rules football field is played on a cricket oval. It was cricketers that started the game of Australia Rules to keep themselves fit & active over the winter break from cricket.

@RUmytranny ... I wasn't ignoring your views & comments on T-Rump, just making a separation of topics.

I am totally fascinated with the whole T-Rump phenomena. I was secretly & selfishly hoping he would win over Sleepy Joe as to continue the sordid saga.

I've watched many docos on T-Rump, most impartial & some very anti but all informative. To a degree have come to understand his popularity. He has always portrayed himself as a success story, almost like a "rags to riches" man, overcoming adversity. If it wasn't for his 1st wife making such a success of his first casino & his dad bailing him out of his ridiculous Taj Mahal casino he would have gone bankrupt. He left so many people out of pocket, so many construction workers never got paid. That's the his business plan... don't pay people.

There are things about T-Rump that are abundantly clear to folks outside the US. He is an absolute attention whore, completely egotistical & conceited like no other public individual in the history of the world. Everything decision he makes is totally motivated by self-interest. It seems that he is almost like royalty in the US, bit like the Kennedy's & people are will to ignore some of negative things about him, like his propensity to regularly molest women & his close friendship with Epstein. T-Rump surrounds himself with yes-men & operates much like a gangster using coercion, bribery, fear & intimidation. Like him getting Erika McEntarfer, an economist, sacked because T-Rump didn't like her statistics. People cow tail to him because they want to keep their job

T-Rump is a much discussed figure here in Australia. I listen to the news everyday & almost without fail he dominates the headlines everyday. It's either something ridiculously stupid he says or some nasty plan or action he has or about to undertake. If a politician in Australia, even remotely, aligns themselves with T-Rumpism, it is political suicide. It appears that only people in the US fail to see T-Rump for who he really is, As I said, a person only motivated by self-interest.

My burning question about T-Rump has always been the same, why do people, in the US, revere him so much? He's not even a good con-man. Some things are universal like racism & xenophobia. Anyone that politically runs on these platforms is going to have some degree of success anywhere in the world. I think the answer is simple pretty though... A large portion of Americans are very poorly educated & easily manipulated. When I say poorly educated I really mean almost cretinous. No knowledge of geography, gosh so many Americans think New Mexico isn't part of America, lol. The thing I come across the most, being online a lot, is the lack of English skills. My fun thing to say to those that struggle with the written English is something like... "I won't criticise you about your poor English, as it's most likely your second language", then sit back & wait for the outrage. I left school at 15 & English was by far my worst subject, yet my English skills are on a par or exceeds American university graduates & I come from a backward hick mining town where education wasn't much of a priority & both my parents were poorly educated. I did however make an effort to improve my written English, vocabulary & diction, post schooling, in part due to constant ridicule & also my job on two way radio. Is the US education system as bad as it appears... what the fuck do they teach the kids? I like to watch some American true life crime shows like The Homicide Hunter from Colorado Springs... The show has sub-titles for Australians viewers, mainly for the suspects being interviewed, because we just can hardly understand a word being spoken. Admittedly some of it is just poor audio. Put simply... Americans are a world wide joke & the American presidency is seen as just an extension of The Apprentice. It's all theatre.

A side question... what is the leading cause of death for children in the US? Answer; guns. What an absolutely embarrassing statistic for every US citizen.

I had to laugh about your comment on the US weather maps that didn't include Canada or Mexico. The absurdity of that is self evident & a clear indicator of the American psyche in general, as you clearly articulated, nothing outside of The States matter to people inside The States. It's been a long running joke to non Americans, about the ignorance of Americans about non American stuff.

T-rump will find a way not to relinquish power. Maybe one of his kids will take over like Ivanka or Barron, Eric & Don Jr are just too stupid. Barron is a nasty little shit.

I have friends on both sides of politics here in Australia & we have some great genuine political debates but we always walk away amicably & still friends. That is in stark contrast to American politics as I see it. The Left & Right are bitter enemies & getting worse. I feel America is close to another civil war, anarchy or widespread social unrest. I could go on & on, there's so much I haven't mention.

@FionaRing I did not realize that was a cricket oval. And, I don't think any two games could be more different than Cricket and Footie.

@RUmytranny ... Ice Hockey is a great game, so fast, almost too fast, my eyes can't keep up with the puck. The Stanley Cup is a well know completion here... FUCK this fucking useless American made auto correct is doing my fucking head in... I need to work out how to turn this useless fucking thing off... it's just this site I have trouble with & it's weird formatting too. Every fucking time I type "competition" it changes it to "completion" fucking useless American designed piece shit. Just another example of sub0standard American made

Imagine a world where everything in America was American made... I'd like to see that. How fast would that nation crumble.

Where was I?

Fuck it!

@FionaRing Nothing you've written here is wrong. Trump has said on numerous occasions he loves the uneducated and the reasons are obvious. At the moment most of his actions adversely affect his followers and they are too oblivious to see it. Now he has succeeded in closing down the US government! Is there another country in the world where that is even possible?

In Canada, we haven't had a Federal budget in over a year due in part to how our politics have been shaped by Trump. Our next budget is expected in early November. And yet, the country continues to function, the government remains open. So many things in the American political system are uniquely American -- and just plain dumb.

The US education system is as bad as you think and describe for many Americans, despite the fact that they have some of the best Universities in the world. The average US citizen is poorly educated and knows very little about the world. Years ago when Bush Jr was elected for his second term, I heard an Australian commentator remark that the stupidest people on the planet are responsible for electing the leader of the free world. That was about 20 years ago and nothing has changed.

We had a Canadian comedian and political satirist, Rick Mercer, who would take Canadian politicians to task; however, some of his best bits were about the ignorance of Americans regarding anything Canadian. He even pranked George Bush with a bit including our PM Poutine (fictitious name based on the french fry food) supporting his bid for Presidency and Bush didn't realize this or the name of our actual PM!! When you really think about that, it's as much scary as it is funny, perhaps even scarier than funny.

Now we have Trump, a president that makes Nixon and Bush seem like luminaries. What we Canadians can't understand, well the world really, is how he remains in power despite everything he is doing domestically and internationally. It is absolutely appalling. His recent tirade at the UN and then his performance in front of his Generals and other senior military members are mind numbing.

As a former Canadian Air Force officer I can only imagine how dumbfounded they must have been. I heard parts of his speech and it was dreadful, rambling and plain idiotic at times. These are senior military staff with decades of knowledge and experience flown in from across the globe forced to endure his stupidity. Just unbelievable.

The US is in serious trouble and by extension the rest of the world. I don't think the US has been closer to a civil war since the end of their last one. He and his acolytes continue their rampage of destruction while nobody in the US can find the stones to do anything about it. And in Canada we try to prepare the best we can for what is to come. Trump has made it no secret, he is coming for us. Free trade talks are scheduled for next year and that's when we'll see Trump's true intentions.

@FionaRing You were at centre ice waiting for the face off when a puck made in the USA was dropped and the game had to be cancelled because the US made puck was defective . . . (Wink)

@RUmytranny ... I tend to go off a bit.

@FionaRing LOL! I've noticed. This site can be frustrating at times.

@RUmytranny ... I should tone it down & stick to the main topic... me.

@FionaRing Turns out, you're one of my favourite topics, too.

@RUmytranny ... Fuck me dead. (FMD)