Yeti_Poet

Yeti_Poet t1_j9rl1re wrote

There is risk of brain injury from repeated hits in rugby, the risk is not zero and part of that is sub-concussive impact. There are lawsuits taking place currently in England around the issue, but those players played in an era where there were no substitutes (even for injuries, if you lost a player you played a man down), and players just clattered into each other at a sprint in lots of parts of the game. Even once substitutes became a part of the sport, the was (and of course still is, in some places) a culture of playing through "head knocks" and other injuries.

That said, rugby really has changed a lot recently, in order to try and preserve the sport while protecting players. Revisions are still ongoing, and only time will tell how effective they are. But it's a very different attitude toward head contact and brain injury than football has, where they still routinely use their helmets to make hits and have just removed the most flagrantly unsafe things (helmet to helmet targeting).

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Yeti_Poet t1_j9nfkj0 wrote

There are plenty of clubs in the Boston area, who is best kind of depends on your background, where you live, and how serious you are looking to get once you know what you are doing. Any team can welcome new players and does it routinely, there are always a few people just learning to play on every team.

I have to plug my club, Charles River, which has both a Men's team and a Women+ team. Celebrating our 50th year of rugby this year, very successful division 3 club that is also fun and social. We play at Moakley Park in Boston (like most Boston clubs) and practice at various fields around the city through the year. South Shore is another great club. Mystic River in Malden is by far the best club in New England, the only d1 club and recent National Champions to boot. Along with that comes a very competitive and demanding environment. Boston Maccabi in Newton are a Jewish club (but obviously anyone is welcome), Boston Ironsides are a gay club (but again, all players welcome).

On the women's side, Beantown is one of the best clubs in the country, and several of its players play on the national team. If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer.

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Yeti_Poet t1_j8p4ekl wrote

It costs "too much" is usually the response. High school starts early so that the same buses can then go get elementary and middle school kids. When districts study possible changes, the outcome is usually "this would be beneficial but would increase bus costs by 30% so instead we will make a small adjustment that is free and do nothing else."

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Yeti_Poet t1_j66cmt3 wrote

When I was there many years ago for the Ben Folds and a Piano Tour, he was just cracking up at the setup, with a great big fence down the middle of the venue seperating the 18+ and 21+ sides. No clue if that's still how it is for shows. But he said he'd never played a show before with a "Alcohol drinker's jail and a weed smoker's jail."

Good banter, it was a fun show.

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Yeti_Poet t1_j13t9f2 wrote

Good for you for recognizing you need support. A lot of people want the meetings, relationships, and support of a recovery group but may not be a good fit for AA. I won't repeat the criticisms, and it works for some folks. So check it out as the best thing about AA meetings is that they are everywhere all the time.

If you find it isn't a great fit, check out Smart Recovery. They use CBT principles in a supportive group setting without some of the negative aspects of AA. It's a huge benefit for people who don't click with 12 step programs. They also have a lot of online resources and meetings.

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Yeti_Poet t1_itxki78 wrote

We aren't about the same as our neighbors, we are lower than nearly all of them. And they have progressive tax structures. MA is coming in line with the region. New York's 10.9% at the top of their structure will still be higher than us. Vermont's 8.75% will be almost the same. Other neighboring states are around 7%. It's just flatly wrong to frame a 9% income tax as exorbitant or out of line for our region. I find it amusing that your last paragraph is you just saying "but of course I will never have evidence to support my claim."

But you do say you are worried about revenues. Are you genuinely suggesting that you think tax revenues will fall if this passes? That is what you are using as a frightening outcome here to try and persuade people to your side. You think the net effect will be LOWER tax revenues? Or are you willing to admit that that is just another fantastical scenario?

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Yeti_Poet t1_itxgps7 wrote

Nah. This is just a fantasy. Or maybe more accurately, a meaningless threat.

If they cared that much, they could already be in one of the many states with no income tax at all. A shift from flat to progressive income tax is not going to drive the owner of Suffolk Construction to move to Texas.

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