Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

The Pakistan Cricket Board has taken the task of disciplining their players for recent infighting during Pakistan’s tour of Autralia, rather seriously; issuing lifetime bans from international Cricket for former captains, Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf.

It is reported they were charged with bringing the game into disrepute over their bickering and attitudes, which in turn affected the entire team and their performance. Other players have been issued with fines and bans ranging from six months to a year.

Speaking to the Cricinfo website, the PCB’s legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi explained the ramifications for Khan and Yousuf.

“They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on,” he said, adding that the PCB had stopped short of imposing a so-called life ban.

“A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that. They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad.”

Source: Yahoo!7 Sports News

We’d like to know your thoughts on this controversial move by the PCB:

• Is the banning of Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan from playing for Pakistan for life, a fitting penalty?

Leave a comment below or on the question above!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by inka7791

Welcome to week two of the Yahoo! Answers “Get Fit Program.” Last week we told you how you can meet other people looking to share fitness ideas in a Yahoo! Group called “Get Fit, Stay Healthy,” shared some practical exercise tips for corporate employees, and provided a few tips on how to shed excess pounds to tone up your muscles.

This week, our fitness pros, Joanne and Joan from Plus One Health Management have picked a few more questions to answer from the community—you can find their answers below.

Question: “I need help with eating healthy at school when all they sell is cheese fries and pizza!” – Danni

Answer: I can understand your frustration, if you are trying to eat healthy but the healthy options are limited.  You may want to bring your lunch to school, to avoid temptation, and to be prepared.  You can also talk with the foodservice provider to suggest healthier options.  Healthy foods that cafeteria providers sometimes have include sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, baked chicken or fish, and pasta with veggies. Good luck! Also remember that if you are limited on food and have to eat pizza, you can try walking around your school campus with friends to ensure that you’re including a healthy activity with your lunch.

Question: What’s the best way to stretch before working out? – Chris

Answer: Prior to a workout, a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching should be performed. Dynamic stretching involves performing low-intensity movements similar to your workout activity. For example, squats help to get the muscles warm for any type of lower body activity. Static stretching (stretch and hold) is the most beneficial if it is performed after a workout. Not sure what the difference is between dynamic or static stretching is? Check out the definition from our pros, here.

Question: Are there any standing up ab exercises you could do, say, in the shower or waiting in line (that might be awkward)? – Hah.

Answer: Wow you’re really thinking! However, I don’t recommend exercising in the shower as you could slip and injure yourself. Instead, when you’re safe and dry, try standing up tall and tighten your abs. Practice good posture, suck in your abs and maintain normal breathing—all of these things will help you maintain a tight core and help work your abs.

Question from Shine: How do I start exercising when I’m already out of shape?

Answer: Start slowly, but make it count—don’t overdo it. Progress quickly,  keep it up, and read this article for even more tips from Shine.

Check back next week for even more tips from our fitness gurus as they answer even more of your health and fitness questions!

Photo by colonnade

Each January many people across the world make a similar New Year’s resolution: to lose weight, get fit, or get healthy. And each January, they start the year off right—with the best of intentions, and the best laid plans, but about a week in, they run into a road block: where do they go from here?

If you’re one of these people, Yahoo! Answers is here to help! We’ve enlisted the help of Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty: two fitness pros from Plus One Health Management, Inc., who work with the staff at Yahoo! Headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

Over the next few days, you’ll have the opportunity to post your fitness related questions to the open question found here and Joan and Joanne will select a handful and answer them over the next few weeks. With your questions and their help, together we’ll help get the Yahoo! Answers community in shape for 2010!

Each week, we’ll feature one question on the blog, as well as health tips and tricks that will help you get in shape and meet your health goals for 2010.

Joan and Joanne: Our Fitness Gurus

Joan Arico

Joan has over 25 years of experience in Corporate Fitness and is certified in both Group Exercise Instruction and Personal Training . She is an AFAA Certified Group Exercise Instructor, AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, BS Degree Recreation Administration, CPR/AED Certified.

Joanne Haggerty

Joanne believes that physical activity should be an integral part of your life as much as is brushing your teeth, but far more fun and enjoyable. She is a personal trainer and works in both individual and group wellness programs.

Between the two of them, they have more than 33 years of fitness and health experience in both the personal and professional sector. Both enjoy sharing fitness and lifestyle tips with others in addition to keeping Yahoo! healthy!

Please note that all questions must be in line with the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines and you should always check with your medical professional before starting any new treatment or health routine. Please review the full disclaimer here.

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Photo by colonnade

For Australian baseball fans, November is the best time of year!

The World Series is in full swing, the Claxton Shield commences this weekend in Australia and the summer season for junior and senior community-level club baseball has been in session for over a month.

The 2009 World Series sees a standoff between the powerhouses of the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees have a staggering 26 World Series titles to their credit and the Phillies are defending the title after winning their second ever World Series last year, the first being in 1980. Both are clubs with a long history in American Baseball, the Yankees were established in 1901 going through several relocations and name changes before becoming the New York Yankees in 1923. The Phillies have the distinction of being the oldest continuous club in North America with the same name and being affiliated with the same city, having being established in 1883.

The Yankees are currently leading the series 3 games to the Phillies 2, with Game 6 scheduled for this morning (Australian time). Who will win through to claim the rings this year?

Meanwhile, back in Australia, preparations are underway for the 2009 Claxton Shield. This is currently the highest level of competition available to Australian players, aside from the Baseball World Cup or the Olympic Games, seeing teams from 5 states (NSW, QLD, VIC, SA and WA) compete across the country right through until February. Games begin this weekend in Geelong and Sydney.

Community baseball clubs around the country are currently running competitions for both senior and junior players; most have competitions that actually run year-round. There’s nothing quite like a friendly game of ball on a warm summer afternoon. It may be worthwhile checking with the Australian Baseball Federation to see if there’s a club near you!

If you haven’t quite figured it out by now, I like baseball! I have been playing the game for close to ten years, spectating for even longer and am an avid supporter of the game at all levels. It is quite simply; to me at least, the best game out there!

What about you? Have you ever watched or played a game of baseball? Or maybe you have been thinking that it looks interesting but never really thought about it further?  Leave your thoughts below!

Kate
Community Manager

Brett Lee is on Answers! He wants to know: Do you think Australia will win the fifth Ashes test? Why or why not?

After a fairly disastrous, rain soaked start to the Ashes this year, we’re finally in an optimistic place. The scores are level going into the fifth test and Australia’s chances of winning the series are looking good.

The rivalry between Australia & England goes way back and funnily enough, it was an English loss that was pivotal to the history of the Ashes. Apparently in 1882 during a test at The Oval, England won by a devastating 7 runs which the British press coined the death of English cricket. The subsequent tour to Australia in 1882-83 was dubbed as the quest to regain ‘The Ashes of the Dead’. The actual urn was presented to the England Captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women during this tour.

The urn isn’t actually the trophy presented to the winning team. Whilst replicas have often been displayed, vakayil k explains that: ‘the actual urn has never been presented or displayed as a trophy in this way. Whichever side holds the Ashes, the urn normally remains in the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord’s since being bequeathed to the MCC by Ivo Bligh’s widow upon his death.’

We’ve got a very active cricket community at Yahoo!7 Answers from the four corners of the globe who like to discuss all areas of the game. Will England rush back Flintoff? Probably, according to Shiny Metal Ass, and his injury fears are easing as reported by Yahoo!7 Sport.  What do you think was the reason for England’s defeat in the fourth test? Good bowling or poor batting? Roger Ford says: “A combination of both but mostly good bowling I would say. The pitch helped a bit but Siddle and Clarke were right on the money yesterday making short work of the English batting lineup.”

How about Ponting? There has been a lot of discussion about him being booed by the English crowd and many are critiquing his ability as a captain. Julia L says: “He’s our most successful captain as far the win percentages are concerned.! He has led his team from the front through thick and thin! And never lost faith in team. Many will call rate him an average or lucky captain. But whenever he had faced a crisis he was able to pull off miraculous wins for his team. Any captain who had to face a mass exodus of great players will do worse than him.”

Currently there is no rain forecast for the fifth test, starting on Thursday 20^th August. Tell Brett Lee – Do you think Australia will win the fifth Ashes test? Will Australia manage to secure victory or do you think England will be back on form? Or is a draw the more likely proposition?

Caitlin
Community Manager

As we mentioned earlier this week, recently the Yahoo!7 Answers team got the opportunity to meet Robert Knepper, the villainous T-Bag in Prison Break. He was in Australia promoting season 4 of Prison Break which includes all 22 episodes of the final series as well as a unseen footage and the final 2 hour movie length special that concludes the story.

While Robert wanted to ask the community a question (answer his question: Who is your favourite TV or film villain of all time and what makes him or her fearful?), we also asked him some questions on your behalf. You might remember a few weeks ago we asked you what you would like to ask Robert Knepper. We chose some of the best questions and have it all on video!

Ever wanted to know what it was like filming Prison Break or what the funniest thing that happened on set was? Or perhaps you’re more interested how Robert became an actor and what advice he has for young children with stars in their eyes. Perhaps you’d like to know how people react to his scary character when he goes out in public?

The question that I particularly wanted to know is what it was like wearing the fake hand? Was it uncomfortable or did it become like a glove that he could forget he was wearing. Here is Robert’s particularly amusing answer:

So to see all the answers to his questions, check out our official video page. Don’t know about you but hearing all about the behind the scenes info of Prison Break makes me even more excited about watching that last episode! How do you think it will end?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Wow what a week. Water cooler conversations and news bulletins alike have been bouncing from discussions about paid maternity leave to the treatment of women by Rugby League players, from predictions about the upcoming job losses to the very high profile demotion of Matthew Johns.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Matthew Johns should have been stood down by Channel 9 and Melbourne Storm. A question we featured on the Yahoo!7 Frontpage yesterday got an astounding 700 answers (and counting)! We hope the writer Mumkaren didn’t have get a notification for everyone of those answers… that would be one full inbox! She asked Do you think Matthew Johns should have been sacked for something that happened 7 years ago?

There are some pretty heated opinions on there, here are just a few:

NO!!! It was consensual, not illegal and had nothing to do with Channel 9 or Melbourne Storm. I’d like to see statistics showing how many people have had group sex – I bet you it would be a large percentage. – Altezza

If Johns has a daughter, and this happened to her, what do you think he would do to the guys who did it? – Anonymous

Apparently this was investigated by NZ police and he was not charged. Why does someone get to come back 7 years later and upheave his life. I think it was a publicity stunt on her part and she will probably be well paid for her story. – HJ

This was a 19 year old girl. One who could very easily be taken advantage of. And the police investigation? Hmmm 6 witnesses vs 1. What do you think the police can do? Turns into a “he sad she said” situation. – Karl

The thing is, this type of behaviour brings up wider implications that we’re not unfamiliar with. Remember the Brett Stewart incident? He is still waiting to face court in a few weeks for allegations of sexually assaulting a minor. Yet he was only banned for 4 weeks from the NRL, even though the reason he was inebriated on the night in question was because of a Manly Sea Eagles booze up.

As dogsoldier1962 asked the Answers community, have the NRL backed themselves into a corner? Should the NRL go back over all the incidents that have happened like the Bulldogs in Coffs Harbour, the 3 Broncos players from late last year and even Brett Stewart and start tearing up their contracts?

What is even more scary is what does this behaviour say about the football culture? Why have there been so many scandals like this? Lou asks, why are NRL players prone to pack sex? Is it a rite of passage? There’s certainly a lot of discussion in Answers about it and the NRL has a lot to think about. Furthermore, we have a lot to think about whether these are the type of people we want as role models, particularly in a media capacity like Matthew Johns.

So what happens to Matthew Johns now? Do you think he should ever have a TV career again or has he ruined his public reputation permanently?

Caitlin
Community Manager

What a week. It’s been fairly dour these past few days, with discussions about Australia’s lowering employment rate, wild weather and even the sporting arena has been filled with controversy and speculation.

Many of us are hanging out for the tax stimulus payments to pay of various bills or buy that new washing machine, although some still seem unsure whether they qualify. Unemployment is up to 5.2% and there is huge debate over whether the government is doing a good enough job.

In the north of Australia, residents of Queensland were in the grip of Cyclone Hamish, wondering whether it would reach shore. Although in the end it weakened, it caused a fair amount of concern about how bad it could really get.

Considering the league hasn’t even started yet, it’s been a pretty big week in the world of NRL. There was plenty of controversy and fervent discussion over Brett Stewart’s suspension and whether he deserved it.

Dean W is on the compassionate side:

I feel for this guy in this case. I have been that pissed before. You wake up and ask the question “what happened last night?” Not being able to remember what happened is the worst feeling ever. This is still no excuse for his actions. In that kind of drunken state you are capable of anything and for that reason alone I believe he is guilty of TRYING to rape the girl. For the record 17 is legal. Not morally ethical but legal non the less.

Whereas Michelle J doesn’t think there should be any excuses.

Yes he should definitely be suspended until these issues are sorted out by the courts. These guy’s need to learn to account for their behaviour both on and off the field.

Well after this week, it’s probably time for some R&R! What’s your favourite way of relaxing to forget about your troubles?

Caitlin
Community Manager

I have to admit, I’m not the biggest tennis fan. Whenever Wimbledon or the Australian Open is on, I usually have to stifle a yawn during the conversations about Federer vs. Nadal and which of the Venus sisters will win that year.

Strangely, this year I’ve been unwittingly pulled into the drama of the Australian Open. I was forced into watching the Federer – Berdych match on Sunday and despite all best intentions, became strangely captivated. I cheered as the Czech rising star got 2 sets up against the world number two and then joined in his despair as the Swiss maestro fought back to take the game in 5 sets.

There was no time for disappointment as in a matter of minutes, Jelena Dokic was on the court. Talk about a comeback – I couldn’t believe as she fought all adversity (and a twisted ankle) to win against Russian Alisa Kleybanova. As the Aussie crowd cheered, I started to see what all this tennis fuss was about.

The Australian Open has certainly caused a fair bit of discussion on Answers. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be asking a few basic questions about the rules and technicalities of the game:

• What does “ad” mean in tennis?
• What does the umpire in tennis say when the ball at serve touches the net but is in? Net or let?

If you’re a bit more experienced at tennis, you may want to discuss specific styles:

• What do you think of Marion Bartoli’s serving style?
• Which players’ tennis strokes do you find the most aesthetically pleasing?

For those more intrigued by the players than their game, you might want to know:

• What happened between Dokic and her family?
• Is there really an actual feud going on between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer?

Or you might be more interested in sharing your last minute predictions with other tennis fans who are watching the games live:

• Who win Safina vs Jelena Dokic?
• Who will win in the quarterfinal action?

If there’s something you want to know about tennis, simple visit the Tennis section of Answers, do a search and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask a question to the myriad Answers tennis fans who are online right now. And don’t forget, you can see all the live scores and video action at Yahoo!7’s Australian Open site.

Caitlin
Community Manager