I am reading all the praises and generous plaudits that are being lavished on this outstanding individual, all thoroughly deserved, and wondering why was #Rickman never knighted.

Well it turns out that he was offered a CBE but politely turned it down. As did David Bowie. Honours Refuseniks!

Perhaps it’s time the English reviewed their honours system and adopted a more universally accepted regime. Or would the Refuseniks still decline such recognition?

Alan you have only increased in my estimation.

RIP Hans Gruber 😦

James Hird has spent the week talking to the press and media. Tonight he appeared on the ABC to give his side of the story. 

 http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-17/james-hird-supplements-saga-essendon/7094054

You be the judge. 

Worst movies of 2015

http://time.com/4178709/razzies-2016-worst-movies-fifty-shades-of-grey/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter

http://www.inc.com/tim-ferriss/the-best-tools-and-apps-to-boost-your-productivity-in-2016.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter

This is the most complained about ad in Australian history….

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/01/14/15/25/2016-australia-day-lamb-advertising-campaign-becomes-most-complained-about

Why do we procrastinate? Choose the immediate “pleasure” rather than the long term benefit? How do we beat procrastination? How did Victor Hugo beat it to write Hunchback?

Learn about akrasia and how to beat procrastination in the article below. 

http://lifehacker.com/the-akrasia-effect-why-we-make-plans-and-dont-follow-t-1752799091

http://www.sen.com.au/news/01-16/watson-releases-statement-on-behalf-of-essendon-34#tv2F87Z4qLLbsESW.97

The article below sets out examples of lives being ruined by big lotto wins. 

Why do these people win? 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/beware-the-lotto-curse-when-instant-riches-ruin-your-life/news-story/e5cd968928f894f6404cdc0924493884?utm_content=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=EditorialSF&utm_source=HeraldSun&utm_medium=Twitter

I was very happy to hear of the support the AFL will provide Essendon and affected clubs. 

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-12/afl-reveals-contingency-plan-for-weakened-bombers
Our sympathies are with the players.  They are but mere pawns in this drama. None of them would knowingly inject suspect substances. There can be no doubt about this. Should they be penalised for unknowingly injecting the same substances?

Unfortunately, the rules and law is clear, if not harsh, on this issue. Yes, they are responsible for everything that goes into their bodies, with or without their knowledge.  

The need for such a “harsh” regime is obvious. If the rules did not apply high standards on athletes then an obvious loophole will develop. 

Ignorance is no excuse. 

But surely when the supplement regime has the approval of the coaches and management and it is administered (largely) on club premises, it would be difficult to fault the players?

Lady Justice is blindfolded, and she carries a sword for a reason. I would have liked to see more scales/balance and less sword/punishment in these circumstances. 

The important question is “Is the anti drugs message now clear to players and administration alike?” Will we ever have a repeat of this situation?

I am not confident that the message is understood. We still have a number of commentators objecting to what has occurred. Don’t they get it?

We have just learned that #WADA’s appeal has been upheld by #CAS and 34 former and current #EssendonFC players will be suspended for a year. 

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/cas-upholds-wada-appeal-essendon-anti-doping-verdict/7081874
This is not only terrible news for the club, the fans and sponsors. It is also a shock to the AFL and the 4-5 other clubs rocked by these suspensions. 
One can’t help but think that the issue could have been better managed.

Forget Danks and his injection program. By 2013, that was history. 

The question is, “Could the club, particularly Hird, and the AFL have responded better to the pending storm?” 

How would you rate Essendon’s crisis response?

We look at Cronulla in the NRL who also faced scrutiny following Danks’s brief injection program. They accepted a plea and a short penalty and moved on. 

I accept the Essendon program ran for a longer period but ASADA offered them the exact same deal.

The only thing that separated the two clubs was that Essendon was not prepared to accept the error of its ways. This is a criticism levelled at management, the coaching staff  and, yes, the players themselves. 

It now appears the legal maelstrom will continue for some time to come. 

However, shouldn’t someone look at recent history, note the poor results obtained through the legal system, accept the admonition of a world authority and simply call an end to hostilities. 

There is likely to be little joy gained from the prolonging this saga. It’s time to call quits….. but that will take some courage.