OCinBuffalo

My numbers are 11% to 20% as quoted by the team, and they represent all ticket sales in general, not just STH. You're asking for a quantitative, discreet set of data that neither of us have, and using its absence as an argument for your position? Try again. However, I bet Russ Brandon has that data. Um, this is the current value of the Canadian Dollar, and it wasn't "high" for the last 2 years of games, at least, in Toronto, as shown in the graph. (I will always remember the pissant Canadian howling "The US is done" in the bathroom at the Bills game, in 2008. ) So, we've gone from the Toronto series being a total loser idea, created by a complete idiot....to an effective cash grab. And now it's time to move on? Interesting. Perhaps if you do a little more thinking, you can see beyond the cash, and realize that it wasn't the only objective.

Every time I hear this I laugh. The Bills, and specifically Russ Brandon, raped Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment on that deal. That was a pure cash play, and we got the better end, far and away, which is why they extended it at first. And, it acheived another stated, and obvious goal: Canadian ticket sales have now increased from 11% to 20%. It was merely one more tactic that suports Brandon's regionalization strategy. Why the F would anybody complain about a business guy doing a business guy deal, and that business deal working as designed? However, and this is pure speculation on my part, but...try and find a hole in it, the Toronto series had a stealth objective as well. You can see it based on the behavior of Jerry Jones. Prior to Pegula, Jerry Jones was the best indicator of whether something the Bills were doing was good for them, because it was bad for him, and he'd publicly complain. Why? Jerry Jones is overextended financially. It's gotten so bad, that Cowboys home games: aren't. And here. And here. For Jones, everything now is about valuation. Wins and losses don't even matter. His debt to equity ratio is king. His equity has to be valued high enough, to prevent the banks he's borrowed from foreclosing on him. Therefore, in addition to crazy ticket prices, Jerry Jones requires 2 things: 1. Every other team in the NFL has to have a high enough appraised value, to make the Cowboys claims of their valuation feasbile to their creditors. If any team is sold for less than what Jerry Jones says is market price, he's in trouble. 2. Jerry Jones needs every NFL team to be making as much revenue as possible, therefore, more revenue goes to him when it is shared. All small market teams reduce the potential Cowboys revenue, and so he wants to either eliminate them, or, force them to increase their revenue significantly. This is why Jerry Jones bitched when the Toronto deal was first signed. This is why he called Bon Jovi a "great husband and father". This is why Donald Trump got involved. All of it was to make sure that the Bills were: sold for a high price, and, either moved to Toronto to guarantee more revenue, or, owned by somebody who Jerry was sure would generate more revenue. That's why: the minute Pegula stepped up and said he'd pay top $ for the Bills, Jerry shut his mouth, and both Bon Jovi and Trump were left twisting in the wind. (Although I remain convinced that Trump was merely doing the NFL a favor by being a stalking horse, gaining forgiveness for his USFL sins, and gaining the option to buy a team in the future) But, Jerry Jones was outfoxed by Russ Brandon long before this, with the Toronto series. Jones bitches about revenue sharing: the Bills go out and bring in a cash windfall. What can Jerry say? That was the stealth objective: counter Jones's narrative, and thereby, weaken his credibility with the other owners. Brandon was, and now is, able to snag Toronto revenue, while keeping the team in Buffalo. At the time it was the last thing Jones wanted. This is all confirmed by the fact that Jones hasn't said a damn thing about the Bills since Pegula made his bid. As I said, this is all speculation, but, where am I going wrong/what's a more likely explanation? Not when your job, as stated, is to be the business guy. Tim Murray and Doug Whaley are, in both title and fact, responsible for Ws. Russ Brandon is responsible for $. Period. Again, why are we bitching about a guy outperforming expectation in his assigned role?

Um, yikes. It's one thing that today's "journalists" will bend any truth, and tell any pre-prepared story, in order to keep their access to athletes, teams, and leagues. But, this? Ain't that. This is playing Barbies, and having the Lance and Tom dolls hang out with and maybe... kiss Barbie(Sally). And of course this is part of the larger story, lazy sports journalism, yes, but caused by marketing replacing journalism. Rather than checking up on the Patriots* for cheating, ESPN would much rather "build their brand" around Tom Brady, the "Patriot Way"(which, ask any Chiefs fan, doesn't exist), Jerry Craft, and the entire New England media market. That's because the phrase "build their brand" is all ESPN knows. The quality of their work?(See: Mike Rodak) Irrelevant, build the brand. NBA sucks? Irrelevant, have Colin Cowherd disparage hockey to the point of absurdity, and build the brand. Things like Tom Brady cheating simply don't compute for these people.

Ever since the Boston attack, good old Julian has mattered less and less. With each new attack by radical Islam, his relevance disappears. I wonder what he's doing now to impress the ladies? I also wonder what else this "hacker" has actually hacked. Seems like all he has done is be the guy willing to post what our traitors have stolen. Yeah, a "hacker" whose cred stems from running a wiki. If we continue to have attacks, and lets hope we don't, Snowden and Assange and Bradley "I did it because I'm gay" Manning(hey don't cry to me, that was his defense at his trial) aren't going to end up being bad guys, they are going to end up being nobodys. They are already teetering on that status now.

Yes but I truly believe that Obama doesn't know when he's lying, in terms of the content. "If you like your doctor", "If you like your plan" etc. Who the hell would purposely go out and say those things, if there was any chance at all of them not being true? A politician. Yes, I get it. But, I am talking about sheer political calculation here: the damage has made whatever good might have been gained irrelevant. And, I'm not just talking about Obama, I'm talking about the credibility of the D party to deliver on its health care promises for the next 50 years.

Jesus F'ing Christ....there goes my perfectly good Dr. Pepper. I am still giggling as I type this. I have no idea why I think this is so funny, but I can't stop laughing. It's almost unnerving. It's like the guy is warning the town that the Normans are about to attack, but instead it's an asshat! Also, I am a huge Bernie Sanders supporter in one aspect: Get the crazy out in the open. Let everybody hear it once and for all. Enough of Obama's veiled, not-socialism socialism. My dream is the far left coming out of the closet and feeling free to tell everyone exactly who they are and what they believe. Because then? We can shove them back into that damn closet, and permanently nail the door shut. Right now, I feel like the country is tanking, no different than the Sabres. We are doing it on purpose, so that Obama's failure is so complete, nobody will ever even suggest we nominate another far-left wingnut for 40 years.

If you want to be fatuous, fine. We'll see.

God DAMMIT! I don't want you to play Uncle Jesse on Dukes of Hazard. Get off your ass, and start Yoda being. Yoda what you are is. Can we do anything with this? Answer the damn questions!

Aren't you? Along with Magox, TPS, and with junior members being meazza, Chef and TTYT(and I know I'm forgetting one more senior member, at least). Wedge Antilles is hilarously accurate for DC_Tom. birdog is Princess Leia, all platitudes and drama, but doesn't do that much, and is mostly along for the ride. TTYT could also be a convincing Han Solo in this. Yeah, I get that. Duh. Look, the first set of questions was for you, not the second. I want Jedi Finance lingo! Now! If I don't starting hearing it soon? If my questions don't get answered by the council? I'm gonna be who I am always am when I play Star Wars: Boba Fett. And then everybody gets a backpack rocket up the ass.

How does one, "embrace truth"? I can't imagine a situation where I'm not going after the right answer y to the question x, no matter where it leads. Thus, seeking truth, and of course failing, and starting over as often as is necessary, is part of what defines me. I don't need, want, or trust other people to capture truth for me, skin it, tan it, and then hand it to me so that I can embrace it like a scarf. And that's my general theme here in many threads: Obama doesn't put any effort into finding the truth. He's been living in a bubble of pleather manufacturing his entire life, and he wears whatever he is given. Often he wears it incorrectly, which is how "You didn't build that" came about. He wore his pleather underwear on his head, because he didn't know any better.

Well of course not: you already think you're the undisputed PPP Heavy Weight Champion, and nothing I will ever do will sway you from that. Thus, your focus is always on what you're going to do to clowns like this, and never on what I am. It's the same reason you constantly ruin my antics with your "head of the class" routine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/11766449/China-losing-control-as-stocks-crash-despite-emergency-measures.html I of course defer to the PPP Finance Jedi Coucil. However, this doesn't look just bad, this looks like downward spiral bad. The Chinese are losing control of the things they have tightly controlled ever since they abandoned Communism for whatever we call what they are doing now. The question seems to be: can we turn the tables on them, and start manipulating the dollar? I'm thinking about our $17 trillion debt here, and basic finance: the last thing a debtor wants is for the value of the currency he owes to increase. Or, inflation benefits debtors. If China goes down, what are our options? I don't want the value of our debt going up, and, I see an opportunity here. Therefore, my questions for the Jedi council are: 1. What do you guys make of all this? 2. What should we be doing? 3. Is it really possible that China's fundamentals were never strong enough to bear the manipulation/"encouragement to invest"/bubbles created? Are the fundamentals incapable of preventing a downward spiral, since so much of China is "shadow banks" and false, government coerced, never mind sponsored, contrivances? 4. Does #3 mean we are looking at China becoming a giant sinkhole, where the only way it makes sense to invest, is trying to unlock the rest of the money you already invested, and trying to get some back? How is that not throwing good $ after bad? Why would any investor, who isn't already there, look at China now? No matter what has been frozen, and how long China delays, sooner or later they are going have to let go, and what is stopping everyone from pulling out when they do? Thus, is a major depression in China inevitable? 5. Given mostly yes answers in #4, is it possible for something like: our Fed investment in Chinese equities, bailing them out, in return for 10x the dollar service of our debt, to be acceptable, and to work? 6. What other approaches do you guys have than towards this end? 7. Politically, does the money not matter as much as trying to use this to destroy the Communist government? And, hey, I'm sorry if this is busting any of the Jedi council's balls, in any way. That's not my intent. For the non-Jedi council members who want to participate: can we use this crisis to bail the Chinese stock markets out, in return for a sizable amount of our debt to them being cleared? Or, should we go the other way, see to it that their economy is destroyed, hope that the Communist party goes down with it, and then simply declare our debt to them void, since whatever the new government is has no claims on the old ones deals.

Of course it's possible. Emails follow the same request/response pattern as anything else. You add code in the response that inserts the incoming header and content into a database, before the "sent" response goes back, and you're done. I will say "secure data system" reeks of "I don't know WTF I'm talking about". It's not a system. It's a server. A software DBMS server(not to be confused with the hardware meaning of the word), within which many databases can be created, and one or more of which can be used to store emails. The FOIA statement is pure idiocy. This is like telling us water is wet, and just as irrelevant. The issue here is whom did she email, and about what, that doesn't work for the US government? Did she disclose classified info in those emails, via her own stupidity, or the stupidity of accessing an unsecured Pop server with her easily cracked or intercepted phone/blackberry? Or, did she do it intentionally? Did she decide to unclassify things on an ad-hoc basis at her convenience? See, unless she is a total moron, she wanted to conduct messaging outside of the US government's ability to prevent or reprimand her from telling whoever she wants, whatever she wants. FOIA has nothing to do with that whatsoever.

I bet the rest of you are laughing your asses off. Waiting to see what I do to this guy, and thanking God it's not you? Amirite?

It's like the Democrats have completely forgotten HOW Bill Clinton balanced the budget, or HOW he facilitated(because that's all a president can really do) the economic booms we enjoyed. Broad based economc growth? These clowns are doing much more than just the bolded, to achieve the exact opposite. Then? They have the temerity to talk about income inequality? Every rich person in the country has nearly ALL their money in the market. Why? Because no fool is going to invest their capital in a new business with Obamacare/EPA/Dodd Frank and the rest of the nonsense. And, when everybody is in the market, and sure that everybody else is too? What is the market going to do 100% of the time? Go up. Which, by definition, makes the rich, richer. Meanwhile no new, broad economic growth-based jobs...means the poor get poorer. Of course these simple truths are too hard for the media, and most of the left, to understand. I'll say it again: the people currently running the D party are not Democrats. The D party has been highjacked by power hungry totalitarians, and it's far past time for rank and file Ds to wake up and do something about that.

Heh, me stating facts = insecurity? No. The fact that you missed the nuance: "class and crass" pretty much says it all. Let me dumb it down: I was trying to sound like a tool, intentionally, you unmitigated moron. I accuse myself of being a tool every day. The best I can make of it is that I am a modern day...privateer...in every aspect of the word. I know what I am, and I accept the good with the bad. The thing is: you'll never experience any of it. Sorry. And yeah, this wonderful chestnut you tell about the time "we were all out for dinner...one night"? Here's how relevant that is to my life: I'm out for dinner ~250 nights a year, with all sorts of people, all over the country.

No. In fact, the estimated CO2 levels for these models never accounted for the massive increase in coal burning by India, and more importantly, China. These countries, depending on the model, have relased between 2-3x more CO2 than the models anticipated. If anything, we should be seeing the models as "right", and then debating that the extra CO2 made them right. That should be the argument, but it isn't, because even with the "help", the models are STILL analytic Fails in every respect. QED Google. Look it up. Do your own work for a change. It is you who doesn't know what you are talking about. Like Obama, it's far past time for you to stop parroting, and stop F'ing about using other people's talking points, or relying on contrived, college professor, theoretical, but dies as soon it's exposed to oxygen, "policy"; which is exactly how this Iran/nukes deal was created...and start doing your own work. Example: if you, or Obama, did your own work on this Iran deal, you would know that giving 24 days notice before an inspection is ludicrous. But, because you don't know anything about the material, and because your ideology tells you that negotiation is always the answer to everything, you will go along with whatever has been "negotiated"...because that means "no war". Then you will self-congratulate yourself for being "enlightened". Of course, when Israel attacks Iran the day after Obama leaves office? You won't dare show your face here. You'll go hang out in the college bar with the rest of the grad students and professors and claim that none of this proves anything, least of all that none of you know WTF you are talking about. EDIT: Hell, what am I thinking? Obama is such a joke, Israel will probably attack before he leaves office. WTF is he going to do? Negotiate them into compliance? Give yet another speech? Hold a fundraiser? The entire world knows the guy is a candy ass.

Heh, there's like a 2% chance you could afford me. If anybody here was on anybody's payroll? You'd be on mine, I assure you. My life is wonderful combination of class and crass and it suits me quite nicely.

Yeah, Obama is like you in that he needs to be confronted with the scientific reality that AGW is merely a theory, and, given the state of the current data, more like a hypothesis, and nowhere near, or even on the right path towards, anything resembling a law of physics, or a physical constant like gravity. THAT is settled science. AGW isn't even science anymore. See, like you, if he was confronted with... ...the fact... ...that the global, empirical data isn't matching the AGW theory's projections, and, given... ...the fact... ...that the predictive models expected 2-3x less CO2 than has actually been released in the last 10 years, so we should be seeing 2-3x the factor in warming they predicted today, but aren't? He'd have no answer, just like you have no answer. I don't know if he'd keep running the same nonsense/keep ignoring the facts, like you do. I'd like to think he's realize it's time for him to do his own work on the topic.

Shortsighted? Or, is it ideologysighted? Is it bubblesighted? My contention is Obama's problem #1 is: he's never experienced anything like PPP in his entire life. A few hours here would benefit him immensely, because he'd get his ass kicked so badly + taking it all personally, that he would immediately set out to inform himself. Sure, he has hired a few Rs, and he supposedly listens to the other side of issues. However, hiring someone, and then never speaking to them again, is doing it wrong. Listening, not to understand, but rather to collect intelligence on how your ideas are going to be attacked, and going into meetings not with an open mind, but with a belief in your own superiority in all things? Also doing it wrong. No president since perhaps Grant, has done less of his own work on each issue/program in his policy. Obama defines parrot. Look at what happened when he tired to parrot Elizabeth Warren's speech on government infrastructure contributing to business success(which is like giving credit for a TD...to the football): we got "You didn't build that". That's not what Warren was saying. That's not what any reasonable D believes. Yet, bubble-boy, who relies on everyone else to do the "details"(otherwise known as being personally familiar with the material and the issues), repeatedly Fs things up, and then blames everybody else("I got screwed by a website"). Hey clown: you know the best way not to get screwed by a website? How about knowing how to manage something, in general, and, doing the F'ing reading to know what to avoid. Like I said: a few hours on PPP would force Obama out of his Valerie Jarrett bubble.

And, you bet your ass we are bidding/sending out info on potential mobile solutions. If you could pre-order your food on the way to McDonalds...using our voice component...then, the drive through is a pick-up station. No waiting, and no "F'ing you at the drive though". Understand, they are going to come to us anyway. So, we might as well bid, because at least with us, the workers get to choose how things work, and, while we can't save all the low-paying jobs, we do create some new, higher-paying ones. As you say: companies consider doing this all the time. Especially banks(um who came up with the ATM? That stands for "Automated Teller". Or, "Teller...not gonna work here anymore"). The fear of backlash is what prevents them. But, if these idiots begin by lashing companies, the companies are already being hit, and they stop caring about backlash...my phone rings.

If you were half as curious about basic economics, this thread would have ended 10 pages ago. I, and I am sure others, have already given you the answers. Now, instead of accepting them, you keep asking different questions. At what point do you accept that an artificial increase in wage directly leads to an artificial increase in price, or, removal of the worker entirely? I mean, it's not like I do mobile software and kiosk applications for a living or anything. It's not like I've helped my clients sunset jobs by not hiring new people to replace those that leave/retire...because the applications/kiosks are more efficient anyway. And, it's not like I've been doing this kind of work for literally 20 years. I was doing Microsoft CE/Pocket PC when it first came out, and I was designing/writing C code for barcode readers in 1999. I am an expert on the impact of kiosks on: employment, and, customer retention and interaction, and, cost of doing business, and, logistics, and, just in time accounting systems, and, anlaytics, and, ergonomic preferences. So, I could literally tell you just about everything. But, I don't need to. I've already told you what you need to know.

I wish to thank all of you for the opportunity to rationally discuss topics, learn new things, obtain insight and fresh perspective, see takes I hadn't considered, and of course....crush unmitigated morons. That is all. What, you didn't really think this was going to be a short post did you? 8000 posts ago, I predicted that the regular joe Ds, and their party, would eventually be destroyed by the far-left buffoons, many of whom are NOT Democrats. Looking back on this, I'd say things are unfolding as predicted. After all, the so-called Democrats are seriously running a F'ing socialist, by name, and he's gaining ground. It's about time the truth came out. 10 years is too long. These people left the confines of the US Democratic party's politics, priorities, and values long ago. Now, as we see in example after example: they don't believe in democracy, never mind our republic. They don't believe in the rule of law, since law never applies to them, or, is brushed asided when it gets in their way. The believe in their own totalitarianism, and hide behind the word "offensive" and passive aggression whenever they are called out on it. They don't stand for the little guy anymore. They stand for an amorphorous mass of the lazy, the greedy, and the entitled, and will give them false hope and failed change in exchange for votes. The worst: neither the mass or its leaders even care. As long as the handouts keep flowing, whether they are the welfare kind, or the crony capitalism kind, none have any reason to be accountable, for anything. Accountability itself is anathema, as we hear yet another turd say "don't judge me". But, this is all irrelevant now. Why? There is an anger that has been growing every day for the last 10 years. And this anger is "Grapes of Wrath" level anger. There is going to be a reckoning. Some of you feel/see the anger right now. Some won't get it until its far too late. But the anger with the media and government incompetence and corruption is going to reign down on these people like a firestorm. 10 years ago, the far left and their media sponsors began this with their own hubris: co-opting discontent with the Iraq War into "people love our ideas". Now they are going to pay a heavy price, very soon.

I forgot: When we did 35 people 2 years ago, we decided to get Danny's to deliver some wings, for obvious reasons: 35 people. Danny's will deliver to anywhere in the lots, as long as you give them good enough directions. I thought the prices were fair. The wings were up to standard. You can also sign up for their tailgate, and just hang out there for a flat price/head. A few years ago miserable rain was predicted, and was right. That Saturday my group voted to go to Dannys. I know its weak, but, spending 5 hours in driving rain, followed by 3 hours in driving rain, wasn't what the majority wanted.

Appealing to the pulpit now? Regarding...science? Once again, I ask GreggyT especially, and birdog: "Where is your Global Warming BS line?" Or, in this case, does appealing to faith leaders, on what is supposedly a 100% cut and dried science issue, get you closer to your BS line?