Speculation: And yet again...the Off-Topic Thread

[Bench]

The fact that this company has license to sell NHL products and other sports apparel is outright shocking. I can't think of any other clothing company, sports or otherwise, that put out such trash and still remained in business. How does this happen?

They pay the most for the license, that's all the NHL (and others) care about. Then when you have exclusive rights, you don't exactly have many competitors and there's no incentive to improve. You want a new jersey? You gotta deal with them.

It would be nice to see the NHL have the smallest of goodwill and not only chase greed and look out a little for their fans but... lol.

 

[Bench]

Merry Christmas to all of you fools!

So is the Netherlands awesome or what? It looks awesome. Do you bike to work now? Looks like a dream commuting saturation to me over there.

 

[Electric Eric]

So is the Netherlands awesome or what? It looks awesome. Do you bike to work now? Looks like a dream commuting saturation to me over there.

Its great, been here for just over a year now and at this point you'll have to drag me back to the states kicking and screaming.

Bike everywhere really, including work. Everything we need is either a short walk or bike ride away now and its not like I'm living in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Living in a village thats basically the suburbs of Eindhoven. Had some last minute christmas shopping and thought about going into downtown Eindhoven and a 20min drive didn't sound fun to me. I used to do that twice daily if there was no traffic. I'm spoiled now.

I can go on and on. Its awesome.

 

[Konnan511]

Merry Christmas and Happy Honda Days.

 

[Bondurant]

I get that. But how often are the store owners the ones pressing on the numbers and not fanatics? I'd bet close to none of the cases are done by the staff at LCA or any other store for that matter. There's just such a long track record of Fanatics putting out the absolute worst trash product. The fact that they're in business still boggles the mind.

https://www.mensjournal.com/news/fanatics-apologizes-selling-lopsided-nfl-merchandise

Fanatics is rated "Bad" with 1.5 / 5 on Trustpilot

Trust Pilot score of 1.5.

MLBShop Reviews - 1.1 Stars

2 positive reviews. 93 negative.

Why fans are furious about the NHL's uniform deal with Fanatics — and why they should be

The fact that this company has license to sell NHL products and other sports apparel is outright shocking. I can't think of any other clothing company, sports or otherwise, that put out such trash and still remained in business. How does this happen?

Fanatics is trash but if the shops at LCA operate like the shops of GRA did many of the jerseys name plates and numbers are done in house.

Even if Fanatics shipped these Yzerman jerseys the fact that LCA shops would actually shelve them is shocking.

 

[SantosHalper]

Christmas gets tougher and tougher, year after year. My stomach is so full of food and alcohol, i think that im going to burst. And i still will be eating those christmas chocolates until 2024 NHL draft, my god..........

Merry christmas and happy new year everyone....

 

[TCNorthstars]

Its great, been here for just over a year now and at this point you'll have to drag me back to the states kicking and screaming.

Bike everywhere really, including work. Everything we need is either a short walk or bike ride away now and its not like I'm living in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Living in a village thats basically the suburbs of Eindhoven. Had some last minute christmas shopping and thought about going into downtown Eindhoven and a 20min drive didn't sound fun to me. I used to do that twice daily if there was no traffic. I'm spoiled now.

I can go on and on. Its awesome.

What are the taxes and health insurance costs like?

 

[Electric Eric]

What are the taxes and health insurance costs like?

Taxes are a bit higher than most US states if not all, but right now I've got a 30% reduction in taxes due to my visa. Part of a program to encourage highly skilled migrants to move to the NL, get a tax reduction for 5 years.

Health care more than makes up for it though, we pay about $400 a month for health insurance that includes health, eye, and dental. No deductible and kids are pretty much free. We've gone to the doctors a few times and haven't had a follow up bill yet.

Financially I took a pay cut moving out here when you compare take home pay, but at the end of the month after bills I have more spending money due to lower cost of living.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Taxes are a bit higher than most US states if not all, but right now I've got a 30% reduction in taxes due to my visa. Part of a program to encourage highly skilled migrants to move to the NL, get a tax reduction for 5 years.

Health care more than makes up for it though, we pay about $400 a month for health insurance that includes health, eye, and dental. No deductible and kids are pretty much free. We've gone to the doctors a few times and haven't had a follow up bill yet.

Financially I took a pay cut moving out here when you compare take home pay, but at the end of the month after bills I have more spending money due to lower cost of living.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like quite the experience. What is a highly skilled migrant? Is there a list of professions? Can spouses work too or must they be in a highly skilled migrant position? I can see where you would have more after tax money moving from the PNW! Looks like cost of living is pretty similar to where I am in the Midwest.

 

[Electric Eric]

Thanks for the info! Sounds like quite the experience. What is a highly skilled migrant? Is there a list of professions? Can spouses work too or must they be in a highly skilled migrant position? I can see where you would have more after tax money moving from the PNW! Looks like cost of living is pretty similar to where I am in the Midwest.

Biggest thing for a highly skilled migrant visa is the pay range, theres no set list of skills that qualify right now. Basically if you can find a job while living outside of the NL and it has a higher than average pay rate (for the NL) then you can qualify. I'm an engineer by trade but took a project management role out here and qualified.

Spouses can work too off, wife got a job a few months after we had settled in and made sure the kids were all set with school and their schedules.

Moving from Portland definity helped with the house hunting mindset, theres a housing shortage in a lot of cities and overbidding is still the name of the game like it was in Portland.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Biggest thing for a highly skilled migrant visa is the pay range, theres no set list of skills that qualify right now. Basically if you can find a job while living outside of the NL and it has a higher than average pay rate (for the NL) then you can qualify. I'm an engineer by trade but took a project management role out here and qualified.

Spouses can work too off, wife got a job a few months after we had settled in and made sure the kids were all set with school and their schedules.

Moving from Portland definity helped with the house hunting mindset, theres a housing shortage in a lot of cities and overbidding is still the name of the game like it was in Portland.

Thanks for the info! From looking around a bit it looks like pretty much any IT person could be considered for this. Congrats on having the fortitude to move your family over there. The idea really intrigues me, but the pay cut would scare me as the rent I see is more than my mortgage! And my teenager would probably kill me. The younger one would be all about playing football in Europe though! Ah, maybe after they are in college and my wife is retired!

 

[Electric Eric]

Thanks for the info! From looking around a bit it looks like pretty much any IT person could be considered for this. Congrats on having the fortitude to move your family over there. The idea really intrigues me, but the pay cut would scare me as the rent I see is more than my mortgage! And my teenager would probably kill me. The younger one would be all about playing football in Europe though! Ah, maybe after they are in college and my wife is retired!

For sure the timing was just right for us with both my boys being younger. Teenager might be a bit difficult.

Looooots of IT jobs out here, no dutch language required for a vast majority of them too.

 

[TCNorthstars]

For sure the timing was just right for us with both my boys being younger. Teenager might be a bit difficult.

Looooots of IT jobs out here, no dutch language required for a vast majority of them too.

Yeah, saw a few decent jobs for my field. The US must be far above what the rest of the world pays in the IT arena.

 

[Austrianwing]

Yeah, saw a few decent jobs for my field. The US must be far above what the rest of the world pays in the IT arena.

Lots of other factors to consider other than just the bottom line salary number, but what looks like a 40% pay cut is pretty daunting. At least that's what it looks like in the German speaking markets from the limited looks I have taken in the field...

 

[Winger98]

happy new year, everyone. Hope this year is ending well and that the next year is kind and generous to all of you.

 

[odin1981]

If I was the owner of the Lions, I would be raising he'll this offseason about the Dallas game. We should have a #1 seed and playoff bye round if it weren't for the gross incompetence of that ref squad.

 

[Electric Eric]

Man all these snow storms hitting every where in the US and back home its close to freezing.

Pretty nice being able to walk around in a tshirt in Taiwan right now.

I am prepared for all your hate

Stay warm and safe out there!

 

[heyfolks]

Random thought: Every now and again, I still get a kick out of how Detroit went from the Western Conference to not just the East but to the Atlantic division. Ozzie's comments on topic are great. He said he went on a road trip with the Islanders and never got on a plane and road games where they would not even spend the night in the visiting city.

 

[heyfolks]

Mac was hammered but Ozzie was spitting some truth. That trip on Pav was RIDICULOUS..... Unfortunately, NY DID hear them and made sure the bad calls of 08 were even worse in 09 to get to that 7th game and orchestrate a win for Crosby.






Good interview









Ozzie was made out to be quiet and soft, but he has a determination to succeed that is clear in his record.

HOF career

 

[Winger98]

Hey, I need some help on audio gear. I'm looking at putting a small stereo system together again with just a 2.1 reciever, a pair of speakers, a turn table, etc. I'm looking at this sony receiver right now. Is this a competent receiver or should I throw funds elsewhere?

I am not looking to spend significantly more than that, btw. Start going $300 and up and that's just a no go right now.

 

[Winger98]

Mac was hammered but Ozzie was spitting some truth. That trip on Pav was RIDICULOUS..... Unfortunately, NY DID hear them and made sure the bad calls of 08 were even worse in 09 to get to that 7th game and orchestrate a win for Crosby.






Good interview









Ozzie was made out to be quiet and soft, but he has a determination to succeed that is clear in his record.

HOF career

It's ridiculous his biggest critics are Wings fans, and that's just because he wasn't a top5 all time guy like Roy.

It's a shame he got hurt in 99. I think we sweep the Avs with a healthy Ozzy and have a very good chance at winning 3 in a row.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Man all these snow storms hitting every where in the US and back home its close to freezing.

Pretty nice being able to walk around in a tshirt in Taiwan right now.

I am prepared for all your hate

Stay warm and safe out there!

Storm was a dud. Wanted 14” of snow, got maybe 5”.

 

[Ricelund]

Hey, I need some help on audio gear. I'm looking at putting a small stereo system together again with just a 2.1 reciever, a pair of speakers, a turn table, etc. I'm looking at this sony receiver right now. Is this a competent receiver or should I throw funds elsewhere?

I am not looking to spend significantly more than that, btw. Start going $300 and up and that's just a no go right now.

Paging @Bench, our resident everything expert.

 

[Bench]

Hey, I need some help on audio gear. I'm looking at putting a small stereo system together again with just a 2.1 reciever, a pair of speakers, a turn table, etc. I'm looking at this sony receiver right now. Is this a competent receiver or should I throw funds elsewhere?

I am not looking to spend significantly more than that, btw. Start going $300 and up and that's just a no go right now.

I've seen other people review that receiver and it's basically the entry level one people buy to get started. If you're buying new and keeping it simple, it's going to be a no fuss option.

But...

How adverse are you to looking around at used gear? And what features do you need that are "must haves" such as Bluetooth?

If you're willing to knock around pawn shops and check Facebook marketplace and the other online used markets, that's where you get some big value. You might even find someone dumping a whole set you're looking for a fraction of the retail cost.

I guess the question is are you looking for good enough and usable or are you looking to get into the hobby and buy quality stuff that you'll want for the next 20 years.

If you're just looking for a bare bones "it works" turntable solution, you can go even cheaper and hook up some $50 amps that even have Bluetooth. Or Sony sells basic turntables that have Bluetooth built in. But if you want it to control a whole entertainment center that's definitely where you want the receiver proper.

 

[Winger98]

I've seen other people review that receiver and it's basically the entry level one people buy to get started. If you're buying new and keeping it simple, it's going to be a no fuss option.

But...

How adverse are you to looking around at used gear? And what features do you need that are "must haves" such as Bluetooth?

If you're willing to knock around pawn shops and check Facebook marketplace and the other online used markets, that's where you get some big value. You might even find someone dumping a whole set you're looking for a fraction of the retail cost.

I guess the question is are you looking for good enough and usable or are you looking to get into the hobby and buy quality stuff that you'll want for the next 20 years.

If you're just looking for a bare bones "it works" turntable solution, you can go even cheaper and hook up some $50 amps that even have Bluetooth. Or Sony sells basic turntables that have Bluetooth built in. But if you want it to control a whole entertainment center that's definitely where you want the receiver proper.

Definitely not looking to get into it as a serious hobby. I have a turntable hand-me-down from my dad, and a set of speakers he made for me twenty-five years ago that I need to replace the subs in. Wife wants a dedicated CD player and I'd like to hear my movies but not real interested in surround sound.