LTS

I play on PS4 unfortunately. I could play on XB1 but the group I play with is on PS4. I really wish EA would cross-platform the sports games. Fundamentally it should be some of the easiest things to cross-platform.

The short answer is that yes.. they are effective. The money spent there is just one aspect of an overall marketing budget. Most advertising these days isn't about reeling you in so much as staying relevant in a sea of advertisements and competition. I don't go to Key Bank because their name is on the arena, but every time I refer to the arena I have to say their name. It forces their brand into relevancy compared to other banks. Indeed. I don't buy into any of the "story" of an Audi commercial but every time I see one I see the style of the vehicle and it reminds me of how much it appeals to me. The good news is that I'm practical enough to know that 1) I cannot afford those cars outright and 2) the cost of maintenance on an Audi is also not something I can afford. However, for many people they only see the symbol of status and feel the need to buy it so they can be relevant, even if only in their own mind or closed social circle. Very true. We are dominated by advertising. Our society runs on it these days. Every social media platform is advertisers dream. Political campaigns are not about substance they are advertising campaigns. People plan product placement with the precision of a brain surgeon to try and reach people who don't respond to in your face advertising. Social media influencers are everywhere, even when you think they are not. Media outlets write articles that mention brands and those are nothing more than paid engagements. Authors write books and they reach out to various brands to get some level of financial compensation so they can casually write in a paragraph that the lead character of the story used that brand. The proliferation of advertising is expected as everyone pursues their own flavor of their American dream. As the noise in the room escalates everyone must shout louder to remain relevant. It's an escalating cycle that shows no signs of stopping. We already have sports teams that are branded/owned by corporations. It's not real stretch to see more of it. It's the stuff that fuels the dystopian authors dreams of a future where corporations rule the world. Although I'm not sure that those should be considered dystopian at this point.

There definitely are some of those. We know that early on the number was anything but accurate and there were plenty of instances where COVID was attributed to the death when it might not have been the cause. So, the basis for people to question it is there... but to pretend it doesn't exist is pure ignorance. That said, to question the current status is probably an entirely different level of ignorance simply because testing, etc. has come so far. Of course the accuracy is testing is questioned by some and I have no idea if its valid or not. I'm still firmly in the camp that we simply do not know enough about this to understand how it impacts people. A co-worker of mine with 5 kids had it go through his house. Wife and one child tested positive, had symptoms but mild. Another child tested positive, no symptoms, and he and another child tested negative. They didn't quarantine from each other or wear masks inside, etc. In short, they did nothing to help reduce the spread inside the house. It's just interesting in those cases as to why some get it and are impacted and to what level and yet others in what would be about the same situation don't. I think situations like this also lead people to feel a certain sense of security. There are obviously certain risk factors that lead people to being more susceptible but as for the "average" person, it's kind of a crap shoot it seems. I tend to look more macro. Most information I see still attributes the rise in cases to stem from people who don 't take basic precautions. I am happy to hear that only in the sense that it tends to indicate that basic precautions are effective. That information allows me to move about in society with less concern because its easy to take those precautions. if we begin hearing about it dominating despite precautions then I would be more concerned for so many people. Pretty much everyone I know follows those basic precautions.

This past summer I walked by numerous $1-$3M boats docked at a harbor on Irondequoit Bay.. they were nice but nothing near a yacht or even a super yacht. $10M is a lot, but boats are not cheap either.

Chance.. I actually only found that feature a few days ago and I wasn't even looking for it.

All you've ever wanted to know.. https://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/daylight-savings-time-state-legislation.aspx#:~:text=All states but Hawaii and,also do not observe DST. Hawaii does not observe DST either and the Navajo nation does observe it in their portion of AZ so they can remain in sync with the parts of their nation that are in UT and NM. I knew about this one but I could not remember exactly where in IN the situation occurred and knew that it had since been aligned but could not remember when. Thanks. Also.. something about football.. just so I can say I stayed on topic. 🙂

A 1st round pick and potentially a mid-tier prospect?

I haven't tested this.. but if you change the following setting to "Take me to new comments I haven't read" would it then make it so even if you clicked the subject of the thread that you'd end up at the latest comments?

They're not wrong, especially when it comes to time zones.

Those are fanatics.. and they exist in every facet. Some are just more violent than others. It will be wonderful when a few of them decide to act on their beliefs and basically become terrorists.

Made pitas from scratch to go along with the homemade beef schawarma and some yellow rice (mediterranean style with turmeric, cumin, onions, garlic, cilantro). first time ever making any of it and it came out great. Pitas are fun to cook...

Agreed. He's going to be the President and there's plenty to discuss on what he's already doing in preparation.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/federal-judge-rejects-trump-campaigns-pa-lawsuit-prejudice/story?id=74340354 Another one bites the dust..

Perfect!

Just making you aware (if you aren't already).. the notification pop-up you get when accessing the forum appears to be using black text on a black background. You see how many notifications you have, but you can;t see the line below it. And again, thank you for spending your time on this.

Intriguing. I've never heard of Parler. I might have to check this out.

Thanks for spending your time on this. I'm sure it's exactly what you had planned for today.

If anyone is wondering why the last page or two may look strange it's because I deleted the ongoing personal attack posts after I requested them to stop. I'm not a forum expert but the deletion process is a bit cludgy, so if I missed anything it was not intentional and if a reply that had multiple comments in it was deleted I apologize but the stink of personal attacks taints the whole post. The next step is to be removed from the club. I have sent personal messages along with this. Keep it above board or take a break.

Rather presumptuous isn't this? Do you know Team Canada's policies? The fact that both players chose to sit out when given a choice by the coach and that the coach even came up to them about it seems to indicate they are all okay with this. But somehow, from your chair, this is all wrong?

The Earth being round is a very bad example and you know this. The lawsuits that are in progress need to be ruled upon. It doesn't matter what you think the outcome will be. It matters what the outcome actually is. For what it's worth, you have used the word illegitimate in this response. At no point did I see that used before. The point being debated was whether the election was being disputed and if it was over. Everyone who has commented in opposition of your opinion have all said, Biden will be named the President. I have not seen one person say otherwise. The argument has continued to be, it's disputed (it is) and it's not over (it's not). Let's not be indirect, it really hinders conversation. If you have "someone" in mind, please use their name. Let's be done with this. This is below the standards we want for this forum. Healthy debate, even slightly heated is one thing. This goes beyond that in my opinion. (Sorry, it combined my posts). This last comment was directed at the two quotes above.

Not in my mind. The President becomes the President when the inauguration occurs. The election results become final when the electorate votes and all counts are certified. The apparent winner would be Biden, and in most Presidential races the loser has conceded by now which certainly leads to less discussion on the topic. In this case, it has not happened. I would love for Trump to concede and get this over with. No. Look. I don't know what else to say other than to post this: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/11/16/trump-election-lawsuits-republicans-battleground-states-vote-count/6177538002/ How can you look at that and where things sit and say there is not a dispute? If you want to keep saying "genuine dispute" can you please define it so we can all work from the same definition? As for your last sentence, people have the right to question the validity. The lawsuits are being ruled upon by our judicial system. I would think it far more harmful to America to argue that people should not have those rights as you are doing.

If it is wrong to state fact then you are on equal grounds with the delusional man currently in office. I don't want to say that about you, but it's accurate. I am not creating doubt, the election is not certified, the electorate has not voted, and as such the determination is not final. That's reality. I am not controlling reality here. You are portraying it as sowing seeds of doubt, that's inaccurate. I am portraying it as reality. I don't enable anything. I could just as easily reverse your position to say that those who are claiming this election is over and Biden is President are enabling a mindset that process does not matter and that when media outlets call an election then its over. Essentially that's what anyone is doing who claims the results are final and that it is over. Claim it's over now and you might as well have been claiming to stop the vote counting before they were over. Follow the process, see it out. You can state, with a high degree of certainty, what the outcome would be. But to call out those who would say it's not over until the process is completed is wrong. 100% wrong. You let your emotions over Trump get the better of you. If there is a lawsuit disputing any outcome, it's disputed. I don't care what Trump is trying to do. He's an idiot. You can use any word you like, I am only sticking to what is happening with regards to the authenticity of the votes and any lawsuits that might impact what is certified. Trump can continue to dispute the election results as long as he wants. I do not have the current status of all lawsuits that might be disputing validity of results. If there are some in motion or time to file more and there is an intent to do so then I would say there's a dispute. I don't know what "genuine dispute" is from a legal foundation but I see it as I see it above. If there is a legal dispute in motion or can still be one put in motion then I would not consider things final. Not even close. I think you are accurate on the faithless electors. It rules the states are not unconstitutional in their rules. I did not go a further level to see what states have those rules. If it is indeed so few, then there is still considerable risk that electors could go against the popular vote. No, my argument is not akin to the Sabres winning the Stanley Cup. But let me throw a sports analogy at you. There is an athlete who wins a Gold medal. They are handed the gold medal. They are the gold medalist... then a doping sample tests positive 3 months later and they are no longer the gold medalist. There is a NASCAR driver who wins a race. He has the championship trophy in his hands. He sprays champagne everywhere. Then officials take apart his car and find it out of compliance. The NASCAR driver no longer is the champion, despite having held the trophy. The results are final when the process that is required to make them final is complete. You don't have to like it. You can claim anything you want, but it's not accurate. I'm not bothered by the fact that it's not official, other than people telling others they are wrong for saying it's not official. Biden will be declared the winner of the election. He will be President. I am certain of that. But the election is not over. It's just not. Despite your claims or anyone else's claims. It's not over. You can argue with me, but you are wrong and that is indisputable. To me arguing the election is over is like arguing that Joe Biden is President when he has not yet taken the Oath of Office. Or do people think we should skip that part?

That's right. It's another one of those decisions that makes you wonder why it was made. At best I think your last point is part of the reason. They close the schools because they fear that an outbreak in schools is the ultimate black eye. As such, if so many kids are being expose because of close contacts its best to close the schools just in case. But, the impacts to kids are immense. At least our school district is one week on and one week off (half the student body alternates each week). My kids (13 and 16) are concerned about school's shutting down.. it is taking a huge toll psychologically on them. My son's hockey team is dealing with a COVID case and its amazing how poorly it has been handled. Not from the quarantine perspective. But basically they sent a generic statement with no information to the team. Everyone was left wondering when exposure might have occurred. Most people chose to skip practice the night the information came out and did not notify the coach. The coach in turn got pissed and called everyone "snowflakes" (he actually used more colorful language) and canceled practices next week so everyone can be "safe". Then, last night we got the information from the parent of the child and said that the DOH had determined that no one on our team would have been considered at risk for exposure from contact. It's like a microcosm of society where you have some families all panicked over possible exposure (they traveled to Pittsburgh for two tournaments in the past month though) and then a coach who basically called everyone stupid for having concerns. I happened to agree with the coach (not his approach however or his cancellation of practices). People are exposed all the time. The player on our team was asymptomatic. And that's what it boils down to for me. If you have faith that you are following protocols and that you don't hang around those who are not then you should not be worried. If you are worried despite that, then you should probably not be in public because you will be exposed in some way. There's no right answer except the one you feel comfortable with. However, if you follow protocols and still find out someone you may have been around gets COVID and you react the way the people on our team did, you should probably re-examine what you are comfortable with in the first place.

Your statement is in direct contradiction to your position. The very fact that Trump is disputing the election makes it a disputed election. It's not wrong. Sorry, but allowing for possibilities regardless of probabilities is not wrong. Think of a door closing.. there's a point where people may consider the door closed before it is, in fact, closed. At this point, the election is not closed. As such, there are possibilities of things that can happen. 100% this. And this is why I am thankful the Supreme Court killed the "faithless electorate" over the summer. That was one of my concerns. That electorates ignored the state mandate and voted for one candidate or another. How do you define dispute? If he is filing motions then it is in dispute. The outcome could be plainly obvious but that does not change that it's happening. Someone can file a frivolous lawsuit, just because its outcome is all but assured it doesn't mean the lawsuit does not exist. Biden has not won the election. The process used within this country dictates that. Yes, I am in agreement that Biden will almost assuredly win... but it is not official. --------------- People are emotional over Trump and they want him to go away. I understand that. I do too. But when we choose to let our emotions overtake the facts we are falling victim to similar issues that plague the current President. The facts are: votes are not certified, electorates have not voted and because of that, Biden has not won. Improbable things happen all the time... as Buffalo sports fans we should be very familiar with the concept. When it's official.. it's official.

I'll say this. When I was in Pittsburgh two weeks ago masks were not being enforced, not by a long shot. Even when asked, the one hotel did nothing to enforce it basically saying they could not. I don't think PA is any different than anywhere else. Enforcement in NY only works because they threaten the businesses, but that really only works with some businesses, places like hotels aren't going to care. I still see some people walking through stores without masks. I see people in the gym not wearing them properly so they might as well not be wearing them. Bottom line, this is why NYS basically shuts things down, because people aren't going to comply, some businesses are not going to enforce, and ultimately you are left with shut down the business and we're all impacted at that point. Everything has to be defined at some point. Why not 11 or 12 is a fair question... but if you are going to define a rule.. you need to define the applicability of that rule. Why do bars close at 2am? 4am? midnight? (even without COVID)? Theoretically there is some science behind the limit... not sure there is here, but they had to define something.