OK I've put £100 at 16-1 on Belgium to win; only because De Bruyne is so brilliant as a team player. So unselfish; so aware of where all the other players are; so accurate in his passing. For me the best player in the world by miles; way better than the show-off goal scorers.

Hope you win! Belgium were third the last time and (unlike England, and many other countries) played in the first World Cup, in 1930.

Favourites though are Brazil and Argentina - with Neymar and Messi in the mix. Adaptability to heat will be a very significant factor.

I am at local boozer, people are talking about everything and anything apart from the football.

I don't get what the fun is either. Kicking a sphere around on a small field.

I think you'll find, GM, that interest will explode when the World Cup begins. Like many sports (tennis) I tend only to watch the big events but thoroughly enjoy them. Exceptions - baseball; my favourite; I love every game. And on the other end - many men's sports played by women; they may have certain skills but not the important ones with muscles in different places. I can't watch any of them.

Good luck to plucky Belgium.
Let's just enjoy the soccer and not worry about the things we have absolutely no control over.

Green Man wrote:
I am at local boozer, people are talking about everything and anything apart from the football.

I don't get what the fun is either. Kicking a sphere around on a small field.

Most sports involve the control of spheres of some kind, and the enjoyment evolves for a variety of reasons.

Some admire the skill, others are there for the atmosphere and many just have a deep allegiance to a particular team.

What's the fun in watching actors repeating Shakespeare's words - time and time again? All over the world.

Those who saw Burton, Schofield and Olivier would have difficulty in explaining the enormously enjoyable experience - for them.

And music lovers will never forget the night they once saw the Beatles, Dylan, Pavarotti or the Royal Philharmonic.

Gester wrote:
Green Man wrote:
I am at local boozer, people are talking about everything and anything apart from the football.

I don't get what the fun is either. Kicking a sphere around on a small field.

Most sports involve the control of spheres of some kind, and the enjoyment evolves for a variety of reasons.

Some admire the skill, others are there for the atmosphere and many just have a deep allegiance to a particular team.

What's the fun in watching actors repeating Shakespeare's words - time and time again? All over the world.

Those who saw Burton, Schofield and Olivier would have difficulty in explaining the enormously enjoyable experience - for them.

And music lovers will never forget the night they once saw the Beatles, Dylan, Pavarotti or the Royal Philharmonic.

All the people I know who saw Bob Dylan live, came home disappointed and moan about his gigs for weeks.

Wyot trained Pavarotti also Barney.

Green Man wrote:
I am at local boozer, people are talking about everything and anything apart from the football.

I don't get what the fun is either. Kicking a sphere around on a small field.

And many people don’t get what fun it is in killing wild animals
(For anyone who doesn’t know what this refers to, see GM’s post on Ted Nugent in Tipsheet MB).

My thoughts on "killing" are well known by regular posters. If you can put a value on life and decide, morally, that killing millions when you drink a glass of water or eat a carrot is OK because we humans cannot understand their communication, whereas killing something that appears to move or make sounds is not allowed, as that life form is more familiar to us stupid, superficial humans, you're quite entitled to hold those opinions and to live that way.

Tom Stent wrote:
Green Man wrote:
I am at local boozer, people are talking about everything and anything apart from the football.

I don't get what the fun is either. Kicking a sphere around on a small field.

And many people don’t get what fun it is in killing wild animals
(For anyone who doesn’t know what this refers to, see GM’s post on Ted Nugent in Tipsheet MB).

Plant based food kills animals also Tom. Field mice, birds, grasshoppers and rats get caught up in combined harvesters and tractors and ends up in food. I eat what I hunt, I am an outdoors person, I can't stand being indoors. Even roadkill is good meat if you know what you're looking for.

No one has a right to criticise those who hunt wild animals or fish for food, unless they never eat meat or fish themselves.

The consumer is simply at one remove from the killing, but created the demand. Like ordering a contract killer.

If you never eat meat or fish on principal, you then also have to justify why ominovores like humans should be the exception species, and not eat others on "moral" grounds.

I loathe animal cruelty, though. And gratuitous killing for trophies. I love a slow-cooked lamb...

Wyot wrote:
No one has a right to criticise those who hunt wild animals or fish for food, unless they never eat meat or fish themselves.

The consumer is simply at one remove from the killing, but created the demand. Like ordering a contract killer.

If you never eat meat or fish on principal, you then also have to justify why ominovores like humans should be the exception species, and not eat others on "moral" grounds.

I loathe animal cruelty, though. And gratuitous killing for trophies. I love a slow-cooked lamb...

Thank you Wyot!

Like I said I eat what I eat and find. Anything that can't be eaten makes good offal for my dogs.

Sadly not all kill for food, and the list of extinct - or virtually extinct - creatures grows longer every day.


www.huntercourse.com/blog/2011/08/10-ani...unted-to-extinction/

Learn to difference between hunter and a trophy hunter moron.

And then there's those who just kill animals for fun. No trophies required.


www.scientificamerican.com/article/hunti...ill-animals-for-fun/

Gester wrote:
And then there's those who just kill animals for fun. No trophies required.


www.scientificamerican.com/article/hunti...ill-animals-for-fun/

Hunting big game like that is still trophy hunting.

It's not for me and never will be.