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How does one not accept that climate change exists? WTF?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-sanctions-china-xinjiang-1.5959080

U.S. AstraZeneca Study Shows Vaccine Gives Total Protection From Severe COVID-19 AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization, according to the results of a long-awaited U.S. trial released early Monday morning. The impressive figures—based on a massive trial which included more than 32,000 participants mostly based in America, but also in Chile and Peru—showed 79 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and total protection from severe disease. Crucially, the trial identified absolutely no safety concerns and, specifically on the issue of blood clots that caused a wave of panic about the vaccine in some European countries, the independent committee found “no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by thrombosis.” The findings will now be sent to the Food and Drug Administration to support an application for emergency authorization of the vaccine. U.S. AstraZeneca Study Shows Vaccine Gives Total Protection From Severe COVID-19 (thedailybeast.com)

I'll say this.... I used to be wildly opposed to profit sharing (**** the Argos and Als... Why should our support of the Bombers help them when they have zero fans??) but if it's profit sharing vs becoming the ECHL of football...? Give me profit sharing... Whatever it takes.

I don't know if his math checks out or not, but I sure appreciate where he's coming from... The CFL’s business model isn’t broken, its leadership has failed John Hodge "The CFL remains in crisis mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I remain unconvinced that its business model is broken. According to their financial reports, the Saskatchewan Roughriders produce approximately $40 million in annual gross revenue. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers generate $35 million, while the Edmonton Football Team checks in at $25 million. It’s believed that the CFL’s gross revenue in a non-pandemic year is between $200 million and $240 million. As such, we can project that the league’s six privately-owned teams average between $17 million and $23 million in annual revenue. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie caused a sense of panic in May 2020 when he told the House of Commons finance committee that the CFL’s nine teams lose $10 to $20 million collectively each year. That number sounds scary on the surface, but it’s hardly overwhelming in context. Annual losses of $10 to $20 million mean the league only needs to increase revenue by five to ten per cent in order to start breaking even. If teams had an equalization fund for gate receipts and Grey Cup revenue — more on that in a moment — the losses would be easy to manage across nine franchises. The CFL had an average attendance figure of 22,917 in 2019, which was third-best among North American professional sports leagues. That number is better than MLS (21,310), the NBA (17,844), and NHL (17,377). Fans were buying tickets to games before COVID-19 and they will again when it’s safe to do so. The league should try to become less dependent on gate revenue — ticket sales account for approximately 35 percent of revenue in Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, and Edmonton — but selling tickets to live events is still a perfectly viable stream of revenue in the entertainment industry. The CFL also does relatively well on television with its TSN contract worth approximately $50 million annually. Partnering with multiple networks would be smart from a marketing and exposure perspective, but the deal is respectable. The Grey Cup also remains one of the most-viewed television broadcasts in Canada every year. It often finishes in the top five to ten, particularly in non-Olympic years. The game was a blowout in 2019 but still finished as the year’s No. 9 television broadcast with 3.9 million viewers. Four games of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals were ahead of it (4.3 million to 7.7 million) along with the Academy Awards (5.2 million), Super Bowl LIII (4.3 million), The Big Bang Theory series finale (4.3 million), and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals (4.2 million). Virtually everything that tops the annual list for television broadcast ratings in Canada is American. The Grey Cup is the exception. The Grey Cup is ours. It’s uniquely Canadian. The CFL’s business model is not broken. It’s far from perfect, but it would be perfectly viable with better leadership that can explore new sources of revenue. According to Frank Cosentino’s book A Passing Game: A History of the CFL, the league’s gross revenue in 1976 was $12.9 million. This would equate to $59 million today with inflation. The league’s television contract with the CBC was worth $1.5 million and player spending was approximately $750,000 per team, which is $3.4 million in today’s dollars. This means CFL players got 52 per cent of league revenue in 1976. Today, they receive approximately 25 per cent. For comparison, NFL players will receive 48 per cent of league revenue in 2021, while NHL and NBA players get 50 per cent. Taking inflation into account, the CFL’s annual revenue has quadrupled since 1976 and the value of its television contract has increased by 700 per cent. Meanwhile, player costs have only increased by a little over 50 per cent. The CFL doesn’t have a broken business model. If its business model was ever broken, it was broken in 1976. There have always been ebbs and flows for the popularity of the CFL across its various markets. Struggles in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal are hardly a new phenomenon. Average attendance in Montreal fell from 23,192 to 12,022 over course of the 1960s. It was the league’s largest market at the time and declining ticket sales were of grave concern to its stakeholders. The Grey Cup was hosted in Montreal in 1969 to try to boost interest in the league. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was a strong supporter of the festivities, even performing the game’s ceremonial kickoff. The Montreal initiative worked with ticket sales doubling in 1970. The average ticket price was $3.70, which is the equivalent of $25.44 today. In his Grey Cup report, legendary CFL commissioner Jake Gaudaur stressed that it was important “that as many federal government representatives as possible be familiar with what Canadian football really is.” Has the CFL and its leaders made a conscious effort to consistently remind our political leaders how important, special, and unique the league is? I’m not convinced they have. One of the ways in which the league remained healthy through its leaner years was an equalization fund. Wealthier teams would subsidize those who had struggled financially the previous year, helping ensure that all nine teams remained viable. It’s hard to believe today, but two teams that received a lot of financial assistance over the years were Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. It’s tough to imagine Toronto, Montreal, and B.C. becoming CFL powerhouses in the future, but the same could have been said of the Roughriders and Blue Bombers in the not-too-distant past. We also live in a world where new iterations of nostalgic properties are exploited for profit across the entertainment industry. Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., and MacGyver are all among the highest-rated scripted shows on television, while films like Dolittle, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Bad Boys for Life dominate at the box office. Nostalgic brands print money for Hollywood, but the CFL isn’t viable? That’s a joke. I’m not an accountant or a corporate CEO. I don’t have access to the league’s exact financial figures, nor does anyone who’d be willing to disclose them on the record. With that said, even I can see that the CFL generates plenty of annual revenue with lots of room for growth. It has solid attendance numbers, a strong television partner, and one of the country’s most popular television broadcasts of the year. It’s disingenuous to say that the CFL doesn’t have a viable business model when revenue has increased so dramatically relative to its expenses over the decades. There’s money to be made. The league’s history proves that. The CFL will never be a financial powerhouse like the NFL, but it doesn’t have to be. The CFL is an accessible product that provides high-quality entertainment and celebrates our country’s rich heritage. I believe the CFL could become profitable again by 2022 or 2023 with proper leadership in place and that’s with or without the XFL."

he was the best kicker in the league not named Medlock, so yeah, definitely mature enough...

any time it gets even remotely cold here in Alberta, without fail, I will hear (or see online) someone say "Well, so much for your global warming! HARUMPH HARUMPH!" it blows my mind....

Edmontons isnt bad, but even when it was new it wasnt a great football venue imo. It gave them a huge capacity but the stands are soo far from the field. Maybe they could get away with a thorough over haul. To be honest the state of the league seems better than it was just over 10 years ago. Ottawa has a great stadium and following. Hamilton has a fantastic owner and stadium, the riders and us got new stadiums, MLSE finally owns the argos, montreal has finally turned it around and has private owners and the tv deal has grown considerably. For a league like the cfl to get that many new stadiums, and many really nice ones too, in a 10 year span is great.

This happened yesterday and it is important information for particular age group. A friend had his 1st dose of the vaccine at the vaccination center. Afterwards he began to have blurred vision on the way home. When he got home, he called the vaccination center for advice and to ask if he should go see a doctor or be hospitalized. He was told NOT to go to a doctor or a hospital, but just return to the vaccination center and pick up his glasses. * -Shared from a friend.

hajrullahu wouldn't sign a contract where he was just pushing a kid. If Maher has no other options maybe he would.

Yep. Kind of ho-hum. Better then that sub hunter movie.

That is the coolest thing about curling, that as a recreational player any given day you could practice next to, or even play against, the best in the world.

Yeah, they just spent tens of millions on refurbishing Commonwealth a few years ago. It's a great place to watch a game. If anything it's too big. It should have stayed at it's original size of 42,000. McMahon is a dump. That's all I'm gonna say about that place. Unfortunately, no one wants to replace it.

It varies every year but it still usually sells 5-7 million copies while back in that era it was closer to 10 million. It's still a major franchise that generates a tonne of money. The online competitive scene is very much present these days and definitely a thing.

I think at worst the truth lies some where between hodge and henny penny. I dont think the CFL is on the verge of collapse out side of covid. It does need some improvements and growth especially amongst the youth of the nation. It cant carry a team or two each year financially. The biggest thing is getting new stadiums in alberta. That might be a situation where the league and the fed might need to kick in. I dont think a new stadium in southern BC does any thing. Maybe playing out side of the metro VC area is whats needed. From my time in bc, the interior is hard core lions country.

Zero question in my mind that post COVID world is going to see a HUGE spike in live event attendance. Once people feel safe again, they're going to spend a pile of money on travel and event attendance.

Same thing in rural MB. What's App statuses and Instagram stories were a real treat - during the Feb. cold snap.

Maher...meh. Larry Arugala for sure...that'd be an interesting name if Medlock is done. But he's gonna ask for a lot of money...best kicker outside of Meddy.

I'm fairly conservative and have voted conservative but yes, totally believe climate change is real.

Harkins for Dubois? lol

Add player/team Long term relationships. Hard to build a loyal fan base when your favorite player (henoc/Jefferson/walker/etc) switch teams often. These 1 or even 2 year contracts just aren't making it possible for fans to connect with the players and grow up with them.

Stadiums are way down the list in terms of CFL problems. Teams don't build stadium's anyway and governments aren't going to build them, especially in Alberta right now. No one is building a new stadium unless/until the CFL gets back on its feet. Profit sharing? Take money away from the well run teams, make them less profitable and give it to the badly run teams to reduce/eliminate their losses. That's the opposite of being competitive with each other. Competition is what's needed, not profit sharing. The CFL needs more fans in the stands and no, that doesn't mean cheaper tickets, especially for teams that are just barely hanging on as it is. The CFL is focusing on the wrong things. International players don't put fans in the stands. Tons of player turnover doesn't put fans in the stands. Changing the rules yearly doesn't put fans in the stands. Talking with the XFL doesn't put fans in the stands. A better product would help putting fans in the stands. Better players can be done by reducing the ratio which would reduce costs too. (Would you rather reduce the costs and keep the Canadian game or merge with the XFL and lose it?) Grass roots support needs to happen and to start right away, but it will take a long time and I don't know if we have a long time. Injection of capital? That's what the XFL, the ask for Government money and the ill fated US expansion from years ago are about. Make the at game experience better? How? Mardi Gras night? Cheaper beer? (Selling more beer at a lessor price is like selling more tickets at a lessor price to try to come out ahead) Better half time entertainment? (Not much of a selling point) More hot chocolate during cold games? The big question is the CFL losing fans in the first place? Partly because the CFL isn't the best players in the world playing against each other. That's the NFL. The CFL isn't even the second best players in the world playing against each other because of the ratio and the number of NFL players being paid not to play. Nothing we can do about that. Partly because the CFL ignored young fans for 30 or more years. Can't do anything about that either, but they can increase the grass roots engagement going forward. Partly it's that there are too few teams playing each other to many times each year. The average fan doesn't want to see the same two teams play each other 3 or sometimes 4 times in the same year, plus playoffs. Increasing the number of teams is the right answer, but it's unlikely to impossible in the current climate. That leaves reducing the number of games each season from 18 to 16. Partly it's because the CFL play 18 games to eliminate 3 teams. Change the playoff structure so the top team gets a bye, then 2 plays 5 and 3 plays 4 to eliminate an additional team. Quite frankly, if your team can't win half their regular season games, they shouldn't be in the playoffs anyway. Partly it's because the CFL relies on rich folks who don't mind losing money most years to run a local football team. Those folks are few and far between and a lot of them don't last for very long. For every caretaker Bob, there are a bunch of Bernie Glieberman's. Unless the find a way for CFL teams to consistently make money, this isn't going to change. There's no one right answer. It's a bunch of things that have been festering for years and that have been brought to a head by the pandemic.

I have a feeling this is going to become the norm in the coming years for events such as sports, shows, concerts, etc. whenever large groups of people gather in a venue. And I'm more than okay with that.

I'm a big fan of these personally. As a consumer (customer, event attendee, etc...) I'll feel safer (and therefore am much more likely to leave my house and support a business event) if things like this are in place.

That's incredible if true.

I started playing because my best friend played. We played at Deer Lodge. When I was in Junior High, I played out of Charleswood, who would let me practice daily after school, which was right next door. I was lucky enough to practice next to Jeff Stoughton and his team many times. I also played a bit with Kelly Scott (nee Mackenzie) when she was on the Provincial winning team. Great atmosphere and environment to encourage young curlers.

Former Top Capitol Riot Prosecutor: Maybe Trump Is Culpable The federal prosecutor who initially led the Justice Department’s inquiry into the Capitol riot believes there’s enough evidence to charge some suspects with sedition—and that ex-President Donald Trump may be criminally responsible. Michael Sherwin oversaw the investigation as the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. until he stepped down from the role last Friday. In an interview with 60 Minutes broadcast Sunday night, Sherwin said: “It’s unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to DC on the 6th... We have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying, ‘Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house.’ That moves the needle towards that direction. Maybe the President is culpable for those actions.” Sherwin also said that the “evidence is trending toward” sedition charges against some of the rioters—the crime of conspiring to overthrow the government. It would be the first time federal prosecutors have brought a sedition case since 2010, when members of a Michigan militia were charged—but later acquitted—of the crime. -CNN

McMahon is showing it's age very badly. Needs an upgrade in the worst way unfortunately calgary seems more focused in an arena for the fLames than ever talking about a new stadium.

That solution won't work. It's no different from a Canadian ratio for American teams. The issue isn't not enough players (though I suppose that would be an issue too) to keep the ratio, it's that American labour laws won't allow it. The only solution I've seen that would likely work is in state/local college ratio for any American team.

No team is giving up a prospect of Perfetti's level for 1.25 years of Ekholm.

These are helped by lower prices. Long term investment.

Teams are losing money so they should drop the ticket prices? Nope. Just Nope. You can't sell that to owners. 3 downs is the reason people go to games? Nope. They go to see their home town team, hopefully beat the other team. They go because their parents take them as kids. They go because it's a great night out. They go because they love live sports. Fans will stop going if they change the rules? A few. Most will complain and still go. Kids love Madden because it's 4 downs? Nope. They play Madden because it's THE football game game. If THE football game game was CFL, they'd play that, but of course that will never happen. The League has ignored each new generation for 30 years or more. They needed a plan to keep fans for at least that long. Take a good look around the stadiums and you'll see that the age of the fans is really old. They are literally dying off. I'm in my 60's and I'm a youngster when I go. When I was a kid, the Bombers sent a player or two to one of my practices each year. They had our team play some football at half time. They gave the whole team end zone tickets. They allowed us on the field at the end of the games, where we patted the players on the back and tried to get them to give us their chin straps. We threw a football around and pretended we were them. Great memories created great fans. Sals sold cheap endzone tickets. In high school, everyone on the football team and a lot of others bought them. It was a great day for me when I could take my Dad to a game instead of the other way around. That's what the CFL used to do. That's what they need to do again if they want to build young fans to keep their business viable, but it's long term thinking and companies don't think that way any more. They just plan for the current year and ignore the long term, expecting it to take care of itself. At some point, the reckoning happens. Companies then get bailed out, taken over, or shut down. It looks like that's where we are now.

This teams defensive play is absolutely ******* garbage. 4 unanswered goals. Leaving guys wide open and so many giveaways.

Evander Kane files motion claiming lenders wishes violate 13th Amendment - The Athletic

They (and similar provincial parties) just do not understand how Canada is evolving and becoming more and more progressive every day. They're getting left so far behind and just don't seem to care. There might be enough rednecks within provinces like AB/SK that can get them elected, but nationally? If you're not at least a little bit progressive.... You're totally ******.

Yes, his speech was progressive, then the party's real platform came out. Anti-science, anti-indigenous, usual alt-right platform. They are who they are. And, this is the party that's going to lead Canada? What a joke they are.

Apparently O'Toole was pushing for the resolution to pass. Even when they have a leader who's on board, they stay stuck in the mud.

User name checks out!

Not wrong. I mean we won a Grey Cup with what he had last year so that can't be overlooked. Im just dreaming of a vastly improved passing attack with Zach Collaros at the helm this season.