I've played both snooker and pool a lot, and in my experience anyway snooker isn't just a bit more difficult, it's a lot more difficult.
Here in the UK, I suppose we are the home of snooker. Our standard pool tables are 6ftx3ft, so quite small. A snooker table by contrast is 12ftx6ft, so a playing area equivalent to 4 UK pool tables.

UK pool is quite easy to master. I played in pub teams a lot, and if the balls fall right it's not too uncommon to be able to clear the table in a single visit.

But I found snooker a lot harder. The balls are bigger, and the distances involved are just ridiculous. One problem if you're used to playing pool, and you get down to make a shot on a snooker table, is that it's difficult to get used to the perspective, and to remember that because of the distance a shot in snooker will be a lot straighter (more of a full-ball connection) than you might think if you're used to pool distances. It's definitely a great sport to try if you can, particularly if you like pool... just don't expect to be any good at snooker!

I think the part I've highlighted in red may be significant.
Many people are born into a religion, they don't actively choose that religion, it just happens to them.
Whereas people who are born into a non-religious family, who choose a religion later, are actively selecting that religion.
Perhaps people in the second scenario are more likely to try to follow the teachings of that religion?

Del Potro was a brilliant player, but yes severely hampered by injury. I don't doubt he could have won a few slams if he'd been fit the whole time. We'll never know if he could have been up there with Nadal, Federer, Djokovic,  he may have been at the Andy Murray level, just below the big three, but way better than anyone below that.

Not sure about Soderling being under-rated. His slam record is pretty poor. He was born in 1984, so didn't even get past a slam third round until his mid-twenties, which is not suggestive of an elite-level player.

Newcastle had a lot of signings, too. Also don't forget that Everton have lost Digne recently. They are right in the relegation fight now, and at this stage of the season direction of travel is the most important thing. A team just above the relegation places but in freefall in February usually means they go down.


I don't think the points that Man U dropped are really relevant to anything, they're not fighting for a spot at the top of the table. I wouldn't think people were shocked at this result really.

I suppose whoever finishes fifth in South America should still be strong favourites to qualify for the World Cup. Fifth place goes into a single match play-off against the fifth place team from the Asian qualifying, which at the moment looks like it would be either Australia or the UAE. It's a single match and anything can happen, but still, you'd have to favour the South American team in this scenario.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(AFC)#Inter-confederation_play-off

Looking at Rotterdam, one prediction that is tempting is Andy Murray:

1. Beats Bublik fairly comfortably.
2. Beats FAA after a really tough match that takes a lot out of him.
3. Can't recover fully, loses in straight sets to a weaker opponent in the next round.

Why would PSG want Ronaldo, though? Yes he scores goals, but he comes with deficiencies in other areas that team-mates have to try to make up for, and that the opposition will exploit. He's certainly a good player, but I don't think he's suitable for the very best teams, as any weakness will be picked apart by other elite teams with ruthless efficiency. He made Juve worse, and he's made Man United worse. He's also getting older. He will score a lot of goals wherever he plays, but that's not the complete story. The best teams are teams rather than collections of talented individuals.

Scientist: Please find attached conclusive, fully-documented evidence that SARS-CoV-2 exists.
IsolateTruthFund: Lies! So-called experts! So-called scientists!
Scientist: Um, okay. So, do I get the money?
IsolateTruthFund: 5G! Nanobots! Did Bill Gates write this for you? Big pharma!
Scientist: Do you even have €1.5m?
IsolateTruthFund: Depopulation! New World Order! Illuminati lizards!

This may have happened to an extent in my country (UK) too, where AZ was the main vaccine, but became the subject of media scare-stories (driven in part, I'm sure, by some understandable anti-UK sentiment coming from the continent).

This has led to a situation where many people here are mixing vaccines. My first 2 shots were AZ, but the booster was Pfizer. I didn't have any choice over this, the decision was made for me by the NHS.

Interestingly, there are studies* that suggest a mix-and-match vaccine buffet may confer greater protection than staying with a single manufacturer.





* Anti-vaxxers take note: the Professor Snape in this video is not the character from Harry Potter.

How long will it be until one of the big clubs agrees a deal to sign latest Brazilian sensation, Endrick? The kid is only 15, but has been big news for a while now... and his latest performances, including a crazy goal in a Brazilian youth competition, will only increase the enthusiasm.

Big European teams have been fighting each other for emerging South American stars for a long time now... but how much longer will it be until someone agrees terms with Endrick? If he's 15, then IIRC he can't play in Europe until he's 18, so a club would be taking a big gamble signing him now, but is his potential so high that someone will take the gamble and agree a future transfer 3 years ahead of time? Apparently he likes Barca - will they have their finances sorted in three years?

Obviously I have no idea about this specific case, and single incidents can't be used to establish a trend anyway, but even if you think that this is happening quite a lot, it's easy to see what is happening on a national level... Just disregard reason for death, and look at totals deaths from any reason. Data on excess deaths are readily available. And the trend is perfectly clear, large spikes in the death rate coinciding with the pandemic.

I'd argue that there hasn't been a spate of millions of extra firearm deaths. What else could explain it?

For some reason, it doesn't surprise me that you're incapable of using a search engine. This might be useful: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines
Or are the WHO part of the global conspiracy? You can't spell "Big Pharma Whores" without "WHO", amirite?  


Mind sharing the data we all like to see who produced the data.


Mind sharing the data we all like to see who produced the data.


Oh yeah, and Instagram.

Millions of people were dying, so the vaccines were developed with some urgency. There wasn't the luxury of waiting 30+ years to see if they are okay. But the vaccines have been through the full trials process, the data are publicly available, and they have been in use for over a year. Over 10 billion doses have been administered, and a huge number of lives have been saved. They are safe and effective, and their development is a huge triumph of modern science. I'm simply saying that in this context, saying "Yeah, they seem safe, but what if they aren't? Let's wait 30+ years to be sure" isn't the best option.



I spend a lot of my time in P&S refuting anti-vaxxer arguments that often come from bitchute, FB, or YouTube. This can range from carefully-curated misinformation based on selective evidence, to outright lies. I assumed, given your aversion to the data I present, that you fell into that category. If you don't, then apologies, I'm guilty of making a lazy assumption.
And I'm not denying that governments can be involved in secret agreements etc, of course they can be. But you are contending that 'my data', which usually comes from ourworldindata, is all corrupt and flawed. Please review the data sources page, and let me know if you do genuinely believe that all of these countries are working together in a secret conspiracy that somehow the general public knows nothing about.

One cause of vaccine hesitancy is the inequality within* society that has been exacerbated by successive governments over the last few decades. More and more people feel disenfranchised, cast adrift, that the government is not interested in giving them the opportunities they need to succeed. People are trapped in low-wage jobs with no hope of escape, forced to watch as the richer parts of society pull ever farther away from them. People are divested of power and dignity, with no means of fighting back, because there is a widespread political consensus, and what differences do exist between parties are dwarfed by their similarities. It doesn't matter who these people vote for, they will never be the priority.

So if the government demands that everyone takes the vaccine, I think it's no real surprise if people grab hold of their last shred of dignity, their last shred of real autonomy and say "no, f- you". It is no coincidence that vaccine hesitancy is so much higher in poorer areas, and amongst left-behind groups.

Not saying this is the case with your aunt, or with anyone on this forum, other people have other reasons. But this is certainly one reason. If you feel that the government is playing you for a fool, and then someone on Facebook says "don't take the vaccine, the government is playing you for a fool"... then you will be more susceptible to their message, irrespective of its truth.

A good way to reduce vaccine hesitancy in the longer-term would be to give everyone a fairer chance in life. In the short-term, as a consequence of government behaviour, we have the question of (effectively) enforced vaccination... which would reduce the danger from the virus, but would amplify social division.

And of course people should take the vaccine, it may save their lives, and those of their friends and relatives, and help society as a whole. It's understandable why they won't, and this is quite an indictment of society.


* Within a society, not between societies, because a low income person in the US will see themselves as poor (relative to others in the US), not rich (relative to a billion people in Africa).

How could it show future case numbers and deaths? Unless you're talking about predictive modelling, which is something else entirely.
The data that I have shared, and that others have shared, are not only 'current', but also include trends over time.


The vaccines have all been through the usual trials, and the data for these are readily available. The vaccines have also been used by a huge number of people over the last year and a bit, and the picture there is very clear, too. Over the last year, the data show perfectly clearly that you are less likely to die from Covid if you've been vaccinated.
Your argument of 'we don't know what will happen in the future' seems a bit silly; you could use it against anything. If you want to understand what is likely to happen in the future, then do your own predictive modelling. You might want to start by extrapolating from existing trends.


^{[CITATION NEEDED]}
Have you looked at the sources of the data I present? If you are suggesting that there is a vast conspiracy involving governments, universities and professional bodies from pretty much every country in the world, but some random guy on youtube or facebook (or more often bitchute) is the only reputable source... then there's not much I can do to dissuade you.


I wouldn't trust the magic potions, when there are safe and effective vaccines available.

If you don't appreciate how this statement is divested of context, then you need to read some of the previous posts in this thread. I've been trying to explain this for nearly two years now. It's not difficult.

What, despite the fact that apparently "'80% of serious COVID cases are fully vaccinated' says Ichilov hospital director" ?





Nice to see you posting from ourworldindata - have you changed your mind about that site? I think previously you were against it because they are funded by 5G DNA-altering nanobots or something.
Anyway, whilst Covid deaths are certainly rising in Israel, it might be interesting to break that down a bit...


https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-omicron-in-israel-unvaccinated-die-in-much-higher-numbers-1.10586137

We can certainly agree on that, yes. 



I assume his interests were in selling his back catalogue in order to make some money. It doesn't mean he has ties to them, or does 'whatever they tell him'.
I mean, I've sold stuff before. What happens is the person gets my stuff, I get their money, and neither of us ever meets or has any dealings with each other again. Certainly neither of us 'owns' the other merely because a trade has been completed.

There is a big psychological obstacle for younger players to overcome. The big three are all all-time legends, the best and most dominant players that tennis has seen. Yes, their ability to come back from seemingly unwinnable situations is a big part of that... but imagine you are an elite tennis player, just broken into the top 10 in the world, playing Nadal or Djokovic or Federer in a Slam final. You are 2 sets up... and then suddenly they start to fight back, they start to take games away from you. The tension these players must feel just knowing who is across the net from you has to play a part... they are almost guaranteed to fight back, and history shows that if you think you are winning easily against them, it is often an illusion, their status as legends of the game gives them an aura of invincibility, and it can be difficult to fight that.

Doctors all around the world treat people for Covid. Healthcare in my country is provided free of charge, there is no financial incentive for doctors to perform unnecessary work... but they still treat people for Covid the same way they do anywhere else.

This isn't all some big scam.