bluto
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Posts posted by bluto
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13 minutes ago, GCJenks said:
I have a Samsonite Xenon 2 Spinner briefcase that I use when I travel to trade shows and am collecting crap all day as I walk around and it will be the last item of theirs I ever own. I have had issues with it since the first time I have used it but none of them were deemed warranty and repair/replacement was denied.
I have the same Stanley Thermos and a Navy Blue coffee tumbler that is one of the best I have used but the 3 piece top is a pain to clean.
I'm bummed to hear that about the recent Samsonite models. I guess that some things aren't made the way (or where) they used to be. I was looking at the Samsonite Classic NXT 3 Gusset Briefcase as a replacement for my daily. Makes you nervous when you can't just walk into a store and physically compare them. You just order it, wait until it arrives and hope for the best these days.
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On 2024-03-16 at 10:52 AM, GCJenks said:
In on the hunt for a new EDC bag with potential for use as a personal item when travelling. Have done a bunch of reading on so e of the EDC forums on Reddit and other places and have a hard time deciding. Any thoughts? Thinking 26-28L, would like it clean lines. Laptop,iPad slots usual daily pack out, Yeti water bottle and coffee tumbler.
I really like my Thule Subterra spinner carryon and am drawn to the Thule Accent 26 backpack.
Thoughts? Recommendations?
Hard to go wrong with Thule in general. As a travel bag they really are good stuff and the Subterra line have a nice modern, minimalist look externally. But you could likely get enough in there between their spinner and backpack to last a good week on the road.
I'm the same as you for my workday bag (lappy, water bottle, good ol' stanley thermos in hammertone green just like grampa's was, and my EDC pouch). It's a Samsonite 3-zipper briefcase/shoulder bag that I got 22 years ago and after two decades of rough use is only now coming up for replacing. (mostly I'm a total mark for that company because as a child I remember their commercials featuring a gorilla attempting and failing to destroy their luggage).
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2 minutes ago, Noeller said:
it's definitely not cheap, but generally really enjoyable with the right group of people. I don't enjoy golf with randos. It's best when it's a scramble-type event.
My goal in life is to be able to Fish in the early AM, golf during the day when it's too hot for the fish and the bite dies, then fish again in the evening. One day....
You just need to blend in carving up a twisty road with your brothers in a pack of v-twins on your way to the bar to watch the away game...
That's a good day.
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Lots of duffers here.
I gave up golf about 10 years back (except for when my late father asked me to join him).
A green fee, cart, beers, lunch... It would usually be a $300 day.
Whereas for $35 of premium gas a sandwich and a few Gatorades, I could have a heckuva day on my Indian with the fellas.
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Elks seeking private ownership.
QuoteThe Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Elks have begun seeking new ownership in a planned transition from non-profit stewardship into private hands for the first time in the franchise’s 75-year history.
The CFL club has been working this off-season with the California-based Park Lane, a sports investment bank that managed the sale of the Montreal Alouettes to Pierre Karl Péladeau just over a year ago.
Roughly two weeks after Park Lane began putting out feelers to potentially interested parties, more than a dozen non-disclosure agreements have already been signed.
While the Elks’ board of directors will be seeking an owner with a strong commitment to the Edmonton community, there is no requirement that a potential owner be based locally.
It is believed the timeline for completing a sale is roughly in line with the start of the CFL regular season. Mid-April is the cut-off for expressions of interest, and a shortlist of finalists will be drafted by mid-May. The hope is to select the successful bidder by the middle of June.
The Elks are scheduled to play their first regular-season game of the 2024 season on June 8.
Though the team is not in a financially distressed situation, with reserves of roughly $7 million, it is in need of a capital investment to restore the season ticket base as well as improve the club’s infrastructure and its standing in the community.
A couple of dynamics make this sale unique.
For one, there is a growing belief within the Edmonton football community that a new or refurbished stadium has to be part of the team’s future. As such, owners prepared to invest in that kind of vision could be valued more than those who are not.
Additionally, since the Elks sale is being overseen by a non-profit, the priority is expected to be how much a potential owner is willing to invest in the club and it’s infrastructure, rather than the sale price.
Until recent seasons, the Elks had been a model of stability throughout their history and the only CFL team to not face an economic crisis over the past half-century.
Its reserves were fattened by $10.4 million (U.S.) in 2003 when the non-profit ownership sold the Triple-A baseball Edmonton Trappers to an owner who moved the team to Texas.
But those reserves began being tapped in 2019, and accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the cancellation of the 2020 season and left the league playing only a partial season before limited crowds in 2021.
The 2021 season was not a good one for the Elks on the field either. The team finished 3-11, with both head coach Jaime Elizondo and general manager Brock Sunderland being dismissed at season’s end.
Edmonton followed that up with back-to-back 4-14 seasons in 2022 and 2023 under Chris Jones as both head coach and GM.
The team started the 2023 season 0-9 and set a major North American men's professional sports record in late July by losing its 21st consecutive home game.
The losing seasons also coincided with the name change from Eskimos to Elks in 2021, which was unpopular with some of the fan base.
As recently as 2018, the team announced a profit of $2.8 million. That figure slipped to a loss of $1.1 million in 2019, followed by losses of $7.1 million in 2020 (with no season) and $1.1 million in the pandemic-shortened season of 2021.
The 2022 season saw losses of $3.3 million, as attendance plummeted amid on-field losses, with the team’s stabilization fund listed in its annual report for that season as $11.36 million.
The annual report for 2023 has not yet been released.
The CFL is comprised of six privately owned teams, and three teams operated by non-profit boards – Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Edmonton – often referred to as “community” ownership.
The Calgary Stampeders were community-owned by a non-profit board until 1991, at which time they were sold to Larry Ryckman and have remained in private hands ever since.
Earlier this week, former Edmonton player Garrick Jones, who now lives in Houston, told Global News in Edmonton that he has put together a group of former players interested in buying the team.
- Fatty Liver, wbbfan and Dr Zaius
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16 hours ago, Noeller said:
I go back and forth on it, but I can't imagine being with someone who doesn't share the same passions. On the other hand, it might be nice to have something that's just yours and gets you away from them for awhile. S'posin' it depends on how much you enjoy being around your significant other...
S'posin that it does. But it sure helps me out when I want to skip my Saturday chores and errands and go do a 5 hour lap up around Algonquin when the Lady says she wants to hop on the back. (also an avid tailgater and hearing her womansplain football to people is really just the best).
Edit to add: she also rarely objects when she finds another hidden EDC item that I stashed in her purse "for her".
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1 hour ago, Noeller said:
Not sure it's a "hobby" (we take it a lot more seriously than that) but my wife are extremely into fishing 12 months of the year. It's painful living in Alberta at the best of times, but when you factor in our passion for fishing, it's that much worse. Last year (2022/2023) we took our ice fishing to the next level and started ice camping. It's been a lot of fun. I work too much during the winter, and the best fishing spot close to us is about 3 hours away, so we don't get out as often as we'd like, but we have a ton of fun when we do. For the summer, we DID have a little 14' Lund with a 25hp Evinrude (...lesson learned: Friends Don't Let Friends Drive E-Tec's...) but sold it when it was being too much of a hassle. We decided we're going to wait until we move back to MB (likely not too far off) before we buy our next boat... an 18' tiller with a nice big dance floor up front. There's just no sense in AB because you have to haul the damn thing for hours to get anywhere "fishable". In MB you can be on the water in minutes.... some places you can even leave the boat docked up for the summer so you can just jump in and go. That's the dream.
Anyhow, yeah.... fishing fishing fishing. Obsession.
Definitely a plus when you can share a passion with your partner.
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7 minutes ago, itchy said:
I'm President of a Beer collectibles club, with a basement full of stuff.
I mostly collect beer tap handles and have about 450 displayed, along with neon and LED signs, tin signs, rare bottles, keg fridge- anything beer or Crown Royal related. I also have 7 arcade machines and a virtual pinball machine down there.
Needless to say, a popular place for poker nights or family get togethers.
I bet it is! I find myself wanting to have a cold one there!
EDIT: which arcade games?
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The idea for this thread is to both be a meta hobby thread which jumps off into existing hobby threads that are already in here (music, fishing, etc...) as well as to perhaps spark some new ones. It may also help you become better acquainted with some of the posters that you've "known" for many years.
So basically just start by listing your hobbies and interests. You never know who may be lurking here who wants to talk about your classic Lego sets or whatever.
I'm Into:
- all things motorcycle. Currently still on my Indian Roadmaster, but have owned and ridden all types and sizes of bike. I have taught and trained about a dozen riders over the years and am happy to give advice on how to start out safe and smart. I am Pres of my riding chapter which has a worldwide affiliated chapter system.
- EDC (Every Day Carry), I spend way too much money refining the common items that I have with me every day. (for those unfamiliar with EDC, think wallet, watch, keys, pocket knife, multi tool, etc)
- sports wise, obviously the Argonauts are my passion but I am also a long suffering Leaf fan. As discussed elsewhere, I'm also a 28+ year supporter of Manchester City (the only club in Manchester).
- I am a long time member of a fraternal order which is known and meets around the world.
- I own a large (and busy) auto repair facility, so any questions about cars or small businesses are welcome
- Musically, I mostly listen to post-punk, new and classic southern rock, grunge era and classic metal. But I was a radio jock for nearly 7 years and have an appreciation and some knowledge for all types/styles/formats.
That about does it for me. Looking forward to seeing what you guys do when you aren't busy fretting over who your favorite CFL club may draft in the 4th round for depth.
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4 minutes ago, GCn20 said:
Don't compare this to an acrimonious divorce. You are trying to minimize the situation by reframing it and it shows. This isn't the case of a lover scorned and you putting it into that kind of comparison can only serve to minimize the victim's credibility while garnering sympathy for the accused. This is a workplace sexual harrassment investigation, let's get that straight.
Obvious syllogism between using accusations as leverage in lawsuits is obvious.
- Jesse and Rex_Banner
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10 minutes ago, Mike said:
I wonder how we’d be reacting to this news if it were about Dalton Schoen
Like I said, there are a lot of men on the CFL internet right now who have never had a friend or loved one go through an acrimonious divorce, and it shows.
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46 minutes ago, GCn20 said:
Maybe it is a hit piece from a disgruntled ex-employee, but it very well might be that this employee was earnestly wronged. You seem to be dismissing that possibility. Kelly has a long history of troubled behavior, and this unfortunately lends some credence to the need for an investigation of these allegations. If it found to be much ado about nothing, then I am sure the CFL will move on and the Argos will still have their star QB. Restoring his reputation? You may not realize this because you are a died in the wool Argos fan, but most of the fans around the league regarded Kelly as a wingnut even prior to this.
I'm not dismissing it. Really. Just presenting the other side of the coin while people gather up their torches and pitchforks.
I have no trouble at all believing that a pro athlete hit on a coworker and crossed a boundary. Especially in this day and age where boundaries for that are basically set at zero-tolerance by default (which I have no beef with).
And yeah, we know that he's a loon. But he's now been painted as a sexual harasser in national media. That's a different sort of reputational hit. And if it was because he asked a girl out at work, that's pretty harsh.
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15 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:
I agree but let's let the investigation take place before we jump to conclusions.
Too late for that now, my dude.
And if the "investigation" yields no basis for the allegation, how does Kelly and the Argos get their reputation restored? Do they get to sue the Accuser? will they face civil or criminal charges? We know that they won't. It's a free hit as part of a civil wrongful dismissal case designed to produce a nice, easy settlement.
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3 hours ago, johnzo said:
I listened to that game on the radio and I can still hear the Bob Irving call.
"He dropped it. He. Just. Dropped. It."
edit: found the play on youtube:
That was the first video I've watched today. I had to search for highlight reels of good plays before I felt sufficiently "up" so that I could leave the house.
There's no way I'm starting my day like that.
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10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:
Muamba always chased a paycheque rather than a championship. He'd rather play for a winless team as long as they paid the most. He could have gone down as one of the greats. Money rather than championships was his priority.
And yet, look how his final game turned out for him.
What a way to sign off.
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38 minutes ago, GCn20 said:
THIS isn't...however if we take a walk down the Chad Kelly memory lane... I told you last year this was an inevitability with Kelly. You scoffed and called him a consummate team mate or something like that. That crow tasting good?
Kelly has been conspicuous for his hard work and charitable hours and for the record, I don't recall ever scoffing... but then I don't ever recall attesting to any particular player's sainthood either.
I don't think I'm likely to taste any crow here based on a $50k add-on to a wrongful dismissal suit. But you never know.
Like I said earlier, ask Shawn Oakman about this stuff.
Or, as I trust that most people around here are men of middle age or more, I find it difficult to believe that nobody here has an acquaintance who went through an acrimonious divorce where allegations were made. These things happen in lawsuits. They are common leveraging tools. And the tell is that usually the civil suit is filed and no criminal one is. Because if there's a criminal suit, it always makes the civil one a tap-in.
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On 2024-02-24 at 9:50 PM, SpeedFlex27 said:
Just for the sake of argument, What if the allegations by this coach are found to be not true & the Argos had already tossed Kelly on heresay to placate the fans of other teams calling for his blood. MLSE would be dragged into court & sued for millions of dollars in damages by Kelly. And while it's true MLSE has hundreds of millions of dollars that any judgement found against it would be but a pittance, the damage to the brand would be far, far worse. Let's see what the CFL does about this.
I'm not taking Kelly's side. I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here for the sake of discussion.
Ask Shawn Oakman what that's like.
11 hours ago, Goalie said:Hopefully Sheed got more than what he got last year.
Didn't see that signing coming. Thought that we may have brought Cam Phillips back. Bailey will look good with Daniels, Coxie, Brissett & Nield.
(and with 21 DBs under contract according to our roster page, I guess I'll give up hope on re-signing Robertson Daniel now)
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34 minutes ago, wbbfan said:
The person who was fired for refusing the advances of a player.
You’re blinded by double blue glasses.Nobody was fired. A contract wasn't renewed.
I know that's hair-splitting, but it is relevant.
And if it was only because of the alleged harassment and the Accuser can prove that, then they would win in court.
But as I suspect that actually proving that would be a monumental hill to climb in a court room, her counsel went for plan B. Trial by media.
Still think that they could have gotten the full amount they are currently asking for had they just asked.
There is a 0% chance that MLSE/Argos legal department would have not taken this very seriously and seized the chance to pay the asking price.
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1 hour ago, TBURGESS said:
Assuming the allegations are true, and I have no reason to believe they aren't, the Argos and Kelly should have simply paid what she is asking for and kept it quiet.
Right??
Given the opportunity they almost certainly would have considering the small size of the suit. $140k is a speeding ticket to MLSE.
Makes me wonder if it was ever a consideration or if airing it out in the press was just always going to be the move by the Accuser's legal team.
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29 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:
If Kelly and Murphy are found guilty, I don't see how the CFL can allow them to be involved in the CFL any longer. Particularly Murphy who has made multiple issues for the CFL. Kelly....maaaybeee after a year suspension and multiple steps taken to correct his behaviour....but what that would look like I don't know.
Where do you imagine, in a Wrongful Dismissal suit that anybody will be "found guilty"?
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1 minute ago, JuranBoldenRules said:
There could be some pretty big damages in a civil case like this in Canada. Say judge finds that the Argos handling of this situation impairs her ability to be a S&C coach in pro sports. That's what, 20 years of earnings she could be after? That's a few million bucks.
I'd thought that too.
Which is why it's a bit peculiar that the "damages" the Accuser seeks is $85k from the Argos and $50k from Kelly.
The 2024 Grim Reaper Thread
in General Discussion
Posted
And was in, what is for my money, the greatest movie made in my lifetime.