Curmudgeon
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Everything posted by Curmudgeon
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Yeah, about that: Couldn't get past his criminal conviction: "In 1999, Japanese fraud investigators accused Armstrong of collecting money from Japanese investors, improperly commingling these funds with funds from other investors, and using the fresh money to cover losses he had incurred while trading.[14] United States prosecutors called it a three-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.[15] Allegedly assisting Armstrong in his scheme was the Republic New York Corporation, which produced false account statements to reassure Armstrong's investors. In 2001, the bank agreed to pay US$606 million as restitution for its part in the scandal.[15] Armstrong was indicted in 1999 and ordered by Judge Richard Owen to turn over fifteen million dollars in gold bars and antiquities bought with the fund's money; the list included bronze helmets and a bust of Julius Caesar.[16][17] Armstrong produced some of the items but claimed the others were not in his possession; this led to several contempt of court charges brought by the SEC and the CFTC, for which he served seven years in jail until he reached a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.[18][19][20] Under the terms of the agreement, Armstrong admitted to deceiving corporate investors and improperly commingling client funds—actions that according to prosecutors resulted in commodities losses of more than seven hundred million dollars—and was sentenced to five years in prison.[21][16] He was released from federal custody on 2 September 2011 after serving a total of eleven years behind bars.[22][23] The case against Armstrong was finally closed in 2017, with the distribution of about $80 million to claim holders by the receiver, according to court filings.[24] Armstrong appealed the refusal of the receiver to transport his remaining possessions from storage lockers in New York and Pennsylvania to him in Florida, but the appeal failed in 2019. In 2014, a New Jersey day laborer claimed to have found a cache of valuable rare coins while clearing out the basement of a house, and subsequently sold them to a local thrift shop. Three years later in 2017, the thrift shop announced they were to auction the coins, however Armstrong came forward and claimed to be the rightful owner, saying he hid them in his mother's old house to take them "off the books" in anticipation of his firm's public offering. The thrift shop sued Armstrong, and asked the court to declare the thrift shop as rightful owners. Armstrong counter-sued also seeking ownership. The US government found out about the coins, in 2019, and claimed the coins as part of the treasure horde Armstrong had refused to hand over to the Court, in 1999, and for which he served seven years in jail for contempt. The horde consisted of 102 gold bars, 699 gold coins, an ancient bust of Julius Caesar, and rare coins in total valued at $12.9 million." Edit: Sorry, but I doubt the words and the judgement of liars and thieves.
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CPPIB is one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and one of the world's largest investors in private equity, having invested over US$28.1 billion between 2010 and 2014 alone. As of September 30, 2019, the CPP Investment Board manages over C$409 billion in investment assets for the Canada Pension Plan on behalf of 20 million Canadians. In December 2013, the Chief Actuary reaffirmed that the CPP is sustainable throughout the 75-year timeframe of his 2012 report. Over this long timeframe it is expected that there will be periods where returns are above or below this threshold. The CPP total assets are projected to reach the following levels according to the 2012 actuarial report: (in assets): $175 billion by 2013. $300 billion by 2020. $518 billion by 2030. Edit: I suppose this is the Alberta vision of what federal government failure looks like. I think he might be confusing failure of CPP with failure of the Alberta Heritage Fund. You know, the one that successive Alberta conservative governments mismanaged.
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Joe Biden Debates Donald Trump September 29
Curmudgeon replied to DonLever's topic in Off-Topic General
So much oil revenue and they couldn't manage to run a functional country. And they don't even have the lIberals to blame for their own mismanagment. -
[PGT] Vancouver Canucks at Carolina Hurricanes | Feb. 02, 2020
Curmudgeon replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
What does it matter? You aren't paying his salary so who cares? If the team runs into salary cap issues, there isn't a single thing you can do about it, so why stress? -
Notice that he's making the White Power symbol with his right hand. Or maybe he's just reaching for something cylindrical.
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Rupe got it right away. My point was that the Freedom Conservatives have zero credibility with Alberta voters, so maybe the threat to "immediately hold a referendum on independence" is as absurd a threat as the Monty Python crew's was to overthrow the Roman Empire in the Life of Brian.
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About the People's Front for the Liberation of Alberta, or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Alberta or the Alberta People's Front, or the Freedom Conservative Party. And apart from the roads, the rail lines, immigration, sanitation, the cannabis, federal police, pensions and the aqueduct, what have the Canadians ever done for us?: The party was named the Alberta First Party from 1999 to 2004, when it changed its name to the Separation Party of Alberta. In 2013, it reverted to Alberta First.[4] In April 2018, it became the Western Freedom Party of Alberta.[5] On June 22, 2018, it was announced that the Western Freedom Party had changed to its present name. Number of seats out of 87 currently held by the Freedom Conservative Party: ZERO, which represents a LOSS of one seat from the previous election. I think the best course of action would be to Kidnap JT's wife and issue demands. Such demands would be to completely dismantle Canadian occupation of Alberta within two days or she is executed.
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[PGT] Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks | Jan. 29, 2020
Curmudgeon replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
Driving quickly, dodging random whacked out pedestrians with all windows up and doors locked. Not stoppin' for nothin'. -
Steve n' Seagulls play ZZ Top. As an aside, saw ZZT in Abbotsford a couple of years ago. Sound was really muddy and everything sounded exactly the same. We were left wondering if those guys on stage really were ZZ TOP because how would you ever know?
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Better idea: As a humanitarian move, send Brock home to Minnesota straight up for Kirill Kaprizov. Minnesota gets a home town hero who would be a key piece to their rebuild and Vancouver gets a very talented Russian to play with Podkolzin and Tryamkin. Who says no?
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But only when it benefits Alberta? Sure. Okay. Why not?
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First and foremost, I am a fan of the game of hockey and Vancouver has been my chosen team since the old Western League days when I was just a bit of a kid. I have always found it silly to make distinctions between Canadian, American and European players and teams. I just love the game and want to see it played by the best players, not all of whom are Canadian. And that's just fine with me. That said, I can understand how some Canadians feel some kind of ownership of hockey and constantly want to project Canada's superiority over the game. I just don't agree or find that argument in any way useful or helpful. And I don't find it a national embarrassment that no Canadian team since 1993 has won the Stanley Cup. Hell, the last Canadian team to make the Final was soundly criticized all across this great country of ours, so being Canadian in the Cup Final doesn't exactly count for much if most of the country is hoping you lose.
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8 Billion dollar rail Van to Abby/Whack
Curmudgeon replied to kingofsurrey's topic in Off-Topic General
In 1910 an interurban rail link between Chilliwack and Vancouver was established. It ran electric cars until the 1950's. In 1910 it took about 2 hours 45 minutes to go from Vancouver to downtown Chilliwack. The late afternoon train out of Chilliwack was the milk run, where local farmers loaded milk aboard the train for delivery to Vancouver area dairies like Avalon. The rail bed is still there and belongs to the Southern Railway of BC but the provincial government retains the right to re-introduce passenger service whenever it sees fit. With the explosive residential growth in the Fraser Valley, a reintroduction of interurban service seems more viable, even if the cost is prohibitive. -
Archaeology news and discussion.
Curmudgeon replied to 189lb enforcers?'s topic in Off-Topic General
Yeah, life begins when the kids move out and the dog dies. If you are asking about Mexico as a whole, I have to tell you that my wife and I have a bit of an obsession with Mexico and have travelled and stayed in 24 or 25 different states, but have avoided all of the northern states for safety reasons. Here are some highlights: 1. The west central highlands are north and west of Mexico City to Guadalajara (great city). Three outstanding places to spend two or three nights each are Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Morelia. Guanajuato is awesome, San Miguel is full of art and great architecture and Morelia is a university town full of young, arty folks and great food. 2. Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula, is a busy city (and always hot) which is very close to a number of Mayan sites. My local favourites, which are tricky to find but worth it, are Oxkintok and Mayapan. Also try to make it to the Loltun Caves, which are awesome. A great hotel in Merida is the Hotel Gran. You really need a car if you are going to spend any time on the Yucatan. Driving is dead easy and rentals are pretty reasonable through Rentalcars.com. 3. Veracruz state is beautiful and has lots to see, but the city of Veracruz is tired, run down, not especially friendly. We've stayed there twice and did not enjoy it either time. The city of Jalapa (or Xalapa) is in the mountains and has a stunning, world class museum full of Olmec giant heads and scores of other Gulf Coast artifacts. We made a special trip to Jalapa just to see the museum and would do it again. Papantla is farther north but is the place to stay to visit El Tajin, which is certainly in my top five in all of Mexico. (Along with Palenque, Yaxchilan, Edzna and Teotihuacan. 4. Oaxaca city is out of the way, but a great place. Take a local tour that includes Hierve el agua, a weaving factory, lunch and a visit to a mexcal distillery (free drink). 5. Zihuatanejo is a great place to chill out at the beach for a week or two. 6. Taxco is built on several hillsides and is where virtually all the silver jewellry in Mexico is crafted. There are over 600 silver shops in this lovely place about three hours south of Mexico City. 7. Mexico City is fabulous. Many people avoid it because they think it is dangerous. While it is not a place to wander aimlessly around at night, you'll be fine if you stay alert, stay sober (in public) and don't hail a cab on the street. There is so much to do in Mexico City that you could stay three weeks and still find things to see and do. 8. Guadalajara is great if you find a hotel within a few blocks of the centre of town. Lots to see and do in the Centro Historic. Be sure to see the stairwell mural in the government building. It is a depiction of Father Miguel Hidalgo, one of the fathers of Mexican Independence from Spain. The mural is magnificent. 9. The south coast of Oaxaca is remote, but very peaceful and laid back. We liked Puerto Escondido (great for surfers) and Puerto Angel (tiny town, great beach). 10. Isla Mujeres is a short ferry ride from Cancun and has my favourite beach on the east coast of Mexico, Playa Norte. We wound up there during Carnavale one year where several costumed flash mobs would stop traffic at any intersection and dance to music set at volume 15. Places we won't go back to stay: Playa del Carmen, Cancun, maybe Cabo San Lucas (all kind of glitzy and foreign-touristy) and Veracruz city (a sullen place) and Acapulco (where actual human heads have sometimes turned up on city streets). Hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask me anything else. I can talk Mexico for days. -
Archaeology news and discussion.
Curmudgeon replied to 189lb enforcers?'s topic in Off-Topic General
Simply awesome. The really cool thing about the Maya is that more sites are being uncovered all the time. I listened to a podcast about the cultivation of corn on the Yucatan peninsula. This particular researcher believes there isn't a single square metre of the entire peninsula that wasn't under cultivation at one time or another. -
Archaeology news and discussion.
Curmudgeon replied to 189lb enforcers?'s topic in Off-Topic General
Yes. It is worth the time and effort to get there from Valladolid. There is a central pyramid that you could climb two or three years ago, but so many sites have begun to prohibit people climbing on the structures I don't know if Ek Balam is or isn't, but there is a restored portion of the pyramid that has plaster sculptures of Mayan themes. Valladollid is a pleasant, small town with a few cenotes in the area that are worth the money and are swimmable. Cenote Dzitnup is a few kilometres southwest of town and Cenote Zaci is two or three blocks from the central square. Chichen Itza is about 45-50 minutes west of Valladolid. If you happen to be on your own with a rental car, the town of Piste is about ten minutes from Chichen Itza. On the main road through town, on the south side of the street is a restaurant called Pollos Los Parajos. A very jovial man grills whole chickens on a charcoal grill outside the front of the semi-open seating area. You get a whole chicken for two, a soup and I think tomatoes and onions. There is nothing like chicken grilled this way, which is done over much of Mexico. But yeah, I've been to Ek Balam. -
Found Jake's latest playlist. There is definitely a trade coming, based on the titles of the songs: Do You Know the Way to San Jose Chicago, Chicago (is my kinda town) I'm From Big D-little a- Double l- a- s New York State of Mind By the time I get to Phoenix I Love L.A. Philadelphia Freedom Going' to Carolina in My Mind Nashville Cats (play cool as country water) Rocky Mountain High (Colorado) Yup. He's definitely on the move.......
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The rising NHL powerhouse that Jim Benning constructed
Curmudgeon replied to aGENT's topic in Canucks Talk
They took Pettersson because they wanted a number one centre. They took Boeser because they needed a scoring winger. They took Hughes because they needed an offensive defenceman to increase scoring from the back end. They took Jake because they wanted a power forward. The took Juolevi because they wanted premier defenceman who could move the puck. When HAVEN'T they taken somebody based on positional need? -
Joe is a highly regarded poster who is universally nice to everyone. His age and experience command both respect and affection. You, not so much.
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When he was hired to lead the Leafs out of the wilderness, Babcock was hailed by the Toronto media as the second and final coming of Christ. He would establish world peace, free the slaves, cure cancer, end all criminal activity and build the Great Wall of Ontario to keep all the Central Canadians in and the bad Canadians out. He would redefine the game of hockey, reimagine success and prevent Auston Matthews from trying to grow a moustache that looked like a giant caterpillar devouring his face. Now that he has been fired, well, he never was any good, 95% of his players hate him, he resolutely treated players with contempt and he won't bow down before the mighty Dubas. He also beats his wife and skewers small children while in his cups and kicks invalid beggars on the downtown streets of Hogtown. And Torontonians are sincerely mystified when the rest of the Canada views them with a contempt that they misinterpret as jealousy. Not jealous, Toronto, just grateful not to be you. I have enormous respect for the Leaf players who live under the biggest and most intrusive microscope in the NHL and I don't even mind most of the actual fans because, like us, they love their team and only want to see them succeed. But the Toronto media? They remind me of the Egyptian Plover, a small bird that makes its living by picking bits of meat from between the teeth of Nile crocodiles that, curiously, allow them to be living toothpicks. Or maybe Remoras, fish that live semi attached to sharks, and that get their food from scraps the sharks make when devouring their prey. In both cases, these critters owe their living to the hard work of others, which pretty much defines Toronto media. They love a front runner, but once somebody leaves, he was as useful as a kidney stone.
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[PGT] Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals | Nov. 23, 2019
Curmudgeon replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
I stand corrected. Thanks for clarifying. -
[PGT] Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals | Nov. 23, 2019
Curmudgeon replied to -Vintage Canuck-'s topic in Canucks Talk
JT Miller is the best free agent pick up Benning has ever made. He plays with such poise and confidence that he makes players around him better. I know Tampa had cap problems, but they dropped the ball when they let Miller walk. Miller has 23 points. Stamkos leads Tampa with 20. Oops.- 437 replies
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Babcock or Green. Who would you rather see coach the Canucks.
Curmudgeon replied to rekker's topic in Canucks Talk
Glad you see it my way. -
Babcock or Green. Who would you rather see coach the Canucks.
Curmudgeon replied to rekker's topic in Canucks Talk
Nevermind. Someone else wrote pretty much what I was going to say.