Welcome, Daniel Rivera!

[Billiken Rich]

Being real and having done some laudable things doesn't mean you can't be a troll from time to time.....

[slufanskip]

7 hours ago, Old guy said:

Of course I am real, I am old (76), and I am retired. I am an MD (Georgetown '71), internist (Georgetown '74). I spent 4 years after residency at Harvard doing immunology and Microbiology (2 degrees, MPH '75, MS '78 in lieu of a PhD). I spent most of my professional life working in insurance dealing with disease, life expectancy, and disability. I know statistics and probability reasonably well and can apply them reasonably well. During my medical training (1973?) I did a training rotation at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) where I worked for a couple of months as part of a clinical team led by no other than a much younger Fauci, yes the one you have been hearing in the news. He did not impress me then and still doesn't. I also volunteered and did 8 years as an MD in a Army NG Infantry Division. While the troops trained, we, the medics, worked taking care of the heat shock or deep hypothermia cases, plus all kinds of odds and ends kinds of accidental trauma cases that happened during training. My division was the 26th ID MAARNG, and we were designated the relief division for the 10th Mountain, so we trained with them. Oh, and my division contained the oldest artillery unit in the US army, which was first created with the guns taken from Fort Ticonderoga way back when. Finally, I have traded the market since '72 and I am familiar with uses of AI in the market. I have also testified in court many times as an expert in disability and insurance.

Even the Mexican Ice cubes and disease are real. The company would send me to Mexico every year to speak to the Mexican insurers about life expectancy and disability. I suggest that, if you doubt the Mexican Ice Cube stuff, you should go to Mexico City to check out their tequila on the rocks and Margaritas. See what happens after you are there 4 to 5 days. If you want to go fancy in DF for lunch or dinner, I suggest the Hacienda de los Morales in DF. Do not forget to visit the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon near the city, and drink some more booze with ice cubes out there. The anthropology museum is also a must see. After you come back home go check the Cahokia mounds park and museum. It is amazing how similar the Mississipian culture and the pre-colombian Mexican culture remains and artifacts were to one another. Oh, and if you are closer to the Shiloh battlefield than to the Cahokia mounds, the battlefield park also contains Mississipian culture mounds and an exhibit of artifacts.

Sadly, the pre-colombian cultures had no basketball, but they played a form of ball game where the object was to pass a rubber ball through a vertical hole high in a stone pole. Winners won, and I believe the losers were sacrificed afterwards. The last paragraph of this is included because this is, after all, a basketball board, so why not give some credit to the pre-colombian cultures from creating their own ball game version for sacrificial purposes.

So, yes I am pretty sure I am real, and have had a real life behind me.

You might be real or you could possibly be unreal. A person needs to look at the entire situation and decide for him or her self is he real or unreal, but also be willing to realize they could be right or they could be wrong. You have to be willing to accept that there are variables that could affect your perceptions of reality which may or may not be right. The world is full of things we can’t completely comprehend or understand. We have to accept that we can’t know everything. Honestly, it’s 50-50. 

[thetorch]

13 hours ago, dennis_w said:

My father told me to be courteous and respect my elders and if he saw that i didnt he would have given a well deserved ass whipping. i think we should be courteous to all posters regardless whether we like them or not. i see shots taken at old guy that i quite frankly are petty and undeserved. class up and respect your elders, we will all be old someday

At 43 years old "respect your elders" doesn't do much for me.  

That said I feel like if we knew "oldguy" was some college kid on the board the conduct wouldn't be tolerated.  The fact that he is "old" (he's not that old, the board has several posters older than him) is not an excuse.  How many times now has he posted his resume on the board, citing all his credentials?  A dozen at least.  I don't care how much life experience he has, doesn't give him the right to muck up the board and make it unreadable.  You'd think with all his degrees he could learn a thing or two about basketball and contribute to the discussion.  I'm just a dumb food salesman who didn't graduate college so what do I know.

[Billikenbooster]

Torch, I’m also a retired doc and have had him on block for years. My take on him is incredibly smart, but little common sense. 

Block is a great feature. 
 

mhg

[Old guy]

1 hour ago, slufanskip said:

You might be real or you could possibly be unreal. A person needs to look at the entire situation and decide for him or her self is he real or unreal, but also be willing to realize they could be right or they could be wrong. You have to be willing to accept that there are variables that could affect your perceptions of reality which may or may not be right. The world is full of things we can’t completely comprehend or understand. We have to accept that we can’t know everything. Honestly, it’s 50-50. 

I could not agree more with you that the world is full of things we can't completely comprehend or understand, and I agree that my opinions, as well as yours or anyone else's, could be right or wrong. If you think about it that is why they are opinions. Perception or reality can indeed change from person to person. But lets understand that opinions are opinions and should not be the same as beliefs. The problem is that the division between opinions and beliefs is not firm. Opinions can become a part of each person's beliefs and therefore of their own self image. So, it is entirely possible that some people may find my opinions deeply offensive to their beliefs or their self image.

I have no problems with people having opinions and beliefs which  are not mine. If I really find them objectionable, I place them on ignore and I am done with them. As far as I am  concerned I have no idea what they are saying or how personally offensive to me they may be, they might as well be talking to a wall.

I am saying this because most of what I post is what I believe is reality and what is obvious to me. I would encourage you to place me on ignore if you find that my opinions or views of reality are so offensive to you that they become intolerable.

[Old guy]

8 minutes ago, Billikenbooster said:

Torch, I’m also a retired doc and have had him on block for years. My take on him is incredibly smart, but little common sense. 

Block is a great feature. 
 

mhg

Totally agree, block is a great feature.

[kmbilliken]

10 hours ago, Old guy said:

Of course I am real, I am old (76), and I am retired. I am an MD (Georgetown '71), internist (Georgetown '74). I spent 4 years after residency at Harvard doing immunology and Microbiology (2 degrees, MPH '75, MS '78 in lieu of a PhD). I spent most of my professional life working in insurance dealing with disease, life expectancy, and disability. I know statistics and probability reasonably well and can apply them reasonably well. During my medical training (1973?) I did a training rotation at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) where I worked for a couple of months as part of a clinical team led by no other than a much younger Fauci, yes the one you have been hearing in the news. He did not impress me then and still doesn't. I also volunteered and did 8 years as an MD in a Army NG Infantry Division. While the troops trained, we, the medics, worked taking care of the heat shock or deep hypothermia cases, plus all kinds of odds and ends kinds of accidental trauma cases that happened during training. My division was the 26th ID MAARNG, and we were designated the relief division for the 10th Mountain, so we trained with them. Oh, and my division contained the oldest artillery unit in the US army, which was first created with the guns taken from Fort Ticonderoga way back when. Finally, I have traded the market since '72 and I am familiar with uses of AI in the market. I have also testified in court many times as an expert in disability and insurance.

Even the Mexican Ice cubes and disease are real. The company would send me to Mexico every year to speak to the Mexican insurers about life expectancy and disability. I suggest that, if you doubt the Mexican Ice Cube stuff, you should go to Mexico City to check out their tequila on the rocks and Margaritas. See what happens after you are there 4 to 5 days. If you want to go fancy in DF for lunch or dinner, I suggest the Hacienda de los Morales in DF. Do not forget to visit the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon near the city, and drink some more booze with ice cubes out there. The anthropology museum is also a must see. After you come back home go check the Cahokia mounds park and museum. It is amazing how similar the Mississipian culture and the pre-colombian Mexican culture remains and artifacts were to one another. Oh, and if you are closer to the Shiloh battlefield than to the Cahokia mounds, the battlefield park also contains Mississipian culture mounds and an exhibit of artifacts.

Sadly, the pre-colombian cultures had no basketball, but they played a form of ball game where the object was to pass a rubber ball through a vertical hole high in a stone pole. Winners won, and I believe the losers were sacrificed afterwards. The last paragraph of this is included because this is, after all, a basketball board, so why not give some credit to the pre-colombian cultures from creating their own ball game version for sacrificial purposes.

So, yes I am pretty sure I am real, and have had a real life behind me.

On the tour of the pre-Colombian city I had they said the captain of the winning team was beheaded. Not much incentive to win unless you don’t like your captain

[dennis_w]

43 minutes ago, thetorch said:

At 43 years old "respect your elders" doesn't do much for me.  

That said I feel like if we knew "oldguy" was some college kid on the board the conduct wouldn't be tolerated.  The fact that he is "old" (he's not that old, the board has several posters older than him) is not an excuse.  How many times now has he posted his resume on the board, citing all his credentials?  A dozen at least.  I don't care how much life experience he has, doesn't give him the right to muck up the board and make it unreadable.  You'd think with all his degrees he could learn a thing or two about basketball and contribute to the discussion.  I'm just a dumb food salesman who didn't graduate college so what do I know.

I am sorry you were not raised to respect your elders, i hope that works out for you when you are the elder that is disrespected, time will tell

[Old guy]

1 minute ago, kmbilliken said:

On the tour of the pre-Colombian city I had they said the captain of the winning team was beheaded. Not much incentive to win unless you don’t like your captain

That could be a great incentive to win for the team. A lot of corporate interactions are not very different nowadays, although bosses get fired instead of beheaded.

[Old guy]

Thank you dennis_w, I would prefer that Torch would simply stop reading my posts, which he apparently reads despite having me on ignore, and go on living a happy life on his own.

[HoosierPal]

1 hour ago, thetorch said:

At 43 years old "respect your elders" doesn't do much for me.  

That said I feel like if we knew "oldguy" was some college kid on the board the conduct wouldn't be tolerated.  The fact that he is "old" (he's not that old, the board has several posters older than him) is not an excuse.  How many times now has he posted his resume on the board, citing all his credentials?  A dozen at least.  I don't care how much life experience he has, doesn't give him the right to muck up the board and make it unreadable.  You'd think with all his degrees he could learn a thing or two about basketball and contribute to the discussion.  I'm just a dumb food salesman who didn't graduate college so what do I know.

There is an age limit on respect?  I guess I missed that message.

Try respecting all man kind. It will improve your life. 

[brianstl]

2 hours ago, slufanskip said:

You might be real or you could possibly be unreal. A person needs to look at the entire situation and decide for him or her self is he real or unreal, but also be willing to realize they could be right or they could be wrong. You have to be willing to accept that there are variables that could affect your perceptions of reality which may or may not be right. The world is full of things we can’t completely comprehend or understand. We have to accept that we can’t know everything. Honestly, it’s 50-50. 

[BIG BILL FAN]

1 hour ago, thetorch said:

At 43 years old "respect your elders" doesn't do much for me.  

That said I feel like if we knew "oldguy" was some college kid on the board the conduct wouldn't be tolerated.  The fact that he is "old" (he's not that old, the board has several posters older than him) is not an excuse.  How many times now has he posted his resume on the board, citing all his credentials?  A dozen at least.  I don't care how much life experience he has, doesn't give him the right to muck up the board and make it unreadable.  You'd think with all his degrees he could learn a thing or two about basketball and contribute to the discussion.  I'm just a dumb food salesman who didn't graduate college so what do I know.

You’re right, being old is no reason to act like an ass…. So what is your excuse??? also, with being a salesman, you would think one would learn to act respectfully even when they don’t personally like someone… you embarrass yourself with your intolerance…

[dennis_w]

1 hour ago, Old guy said:

Thank you dennis_w, I would prefer that Torch would simply stop reading my posts, which he apparently reads despite having me on ignore, and go on living a happy life on his own.

that would be advice he well should heed, there are a number of posters i dont care to read and it is real easy to move on

[RUBillsFan]

"Respect for your elders" has nothing to do with giving OldGuy a pass for making the board less enjoyable.  Torch is absolutely right that if he was a college kid contributing tons of nothing posts to the board / making it less enjoyable, he'd be called out for it.  Folks who have been on the board for a long time know this happened to some degree with 05 and NH way back when.  They both caught a ton of crap in their younger days.  05 still does.  Other MBMs have called me out for things in the past as well.  That is fine.  The board has to police itself somewhat to keep it from totally going off the rails sometimes.  Torch probably could have been more tactful with his words or used PMs to communicate to Oldguy, but it sounds like maybe that hasn't worked in the past.  Either way, IMO it doesn't  make what is is saying wrong / untrue.

[slu72]

As a veteran old time poster on here, I will say, like all boards, we've had our share of quirky characters on here. My advice is don't let anyone on here get under your skin too much. It's all small stuff and not worth losing sleep over. 

[dennis_w]

12 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

"Respect for your elders" has nothing to do with giving OldGuy a pass for making the board less enjoyable.  Torch is absolutely right that if he was a college kid contributing tons of nothing posts to the board / making it less enjoyable, he'd be called out for it.  Folks who have been on the board for a long time know this happened to some degree with 05 and NH way back when.  They both caught a ton of crap in their younger days.  05 still does.  Other MBMs have called me out for things in the past as well.  That is fine.  The board has to police itself somewhat to keep it from totally going off the rails sometimes.  Torch probably could have been more tactful with his words or used PMs to communicate to Oldguy, but it sounds like maybe that hasn't worked in the past.  Either way, IMO it doesn't  make what is is saying wrong / untrue.

untrue or not it is not a civil way to respond, i am sure most on this board would prefer a courteous respond to a disagreement as to the way old guy has been treated. as for as policing the board, it is Steve's to police as he will, not mine or yours

[bauman]

Imagine if you were the title name in this thread and was looking for information about the Bills and their fan base.  You would have to be scratching your head and wondering what you have gotten yourself into.

Any chance the mods can move all of the non-recruit posts into a separate thread?  This is really not a good look for Billiken fandom.

When I checked back on this thread every once in a while, hoping newer post have something to do with our new player all I find is a debate about personalities of posters,  Come on, guys and gals, we can do better than this.

[RUBillsFan]

25 minutes ago, dennis_w said:

untrue or not it is not a civil way to respond, i am sure most on this board would prefer a courteous respond to a disagreement as to the way old guy has been treated. as for as policing the board, it is Steve's to police as he will, not mine or yours

Steve is generally hands off unless somethings is totally out of control (which is a good thing IMO).  There are many  examples of MBMs self-policing over the years without Steve having to intervene.

Perhaps a catchy acronym MBMs should use to think before they post would make things better.  I propose CRAPPY:

C - Is what I am posting "Concise"

R - Is what I am posting "Relevant to the topic"

A - Does what I am posting "Add something meaningful to the conversation"

P - Is what I am posting "Polite to other MBMs"

P - Avoid posts about "Politics"

Y - Is what you are posting "Your own words/content"  Avoid plagiarism / needless repetition of others.

"Make CRAPPY posts, not posts that are full of crap."

[3star_recruit]

18 minutes ago, dennis_w said:

untrue or not it is not a civil way to respond, i am sure most on this board would prefer a courteous respond to a disagreement as to the way old guy has been treated. as for as policing the board, it is Steve's to police as he will, not mine or yours

I agree that we are all guests in Steve's house.  And being a moderator is a thankless job -- that's why no one wants to do it.  With a lightly moderated board, all you can do ignore the content you're not interested in.  Determining who gets to stay in the house ain't our problem.

[wgstl]

I wonder what Daniel is thinking after reading this thread about him 

[BIG BILL FAN]

21 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

Steve is generally hands off unless somethings is totally out of control (which is a good thing IMO).  There are many  examples of MBMs self-policing over the years without Steve having to intervene.

Perhaps a catchy acronym MBMs should use to think before they post would make things better.  I propose CRAPPY:

C - Is what I am posting "Concise"

R - Is what I am posting "Relevant to the topic"

A - Does what I am posting "Add something meaningful to the conversation"

P - Is what I am posting "Polite to other MBMs"

P - Avoid posts about "Politics"

Y - Is what you are posting "Your own words/content"  Avoid plagiarism / needless repetition of others.

"Make CRAPPY posts, not posts that are full of crap."

You’re so full of it…. Let me summarize, something is only offensive IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT… again, the arrogance and self righteousness being displayed is pathetic …though not surprising…..

[cheeseman]

13 minutes ago, wgstl said:

I wonder what Daniel is thinking after reading this thread about him 

He is probably saying - wow they are just as crazy as the other fan boards of the 3 schools I plan to visit.

[dennis_w]

49 minutes ago, RUBillsFan said:

Steve is generally hands off unless somethings is totally out of control (which is a good thing IMO).  There are many  examples of MBMs self-policing over the years without Steve having to intervene.

Perhaps a catchy acronym MBMs should use to think before they post would make things better.  I propose CRAPPY:

C - Is what I am posting "Concise"

R - Is what I am posting "Relevant to the topic"

A - Does what I am posting "Add something meaningful to the conversation"

P - Is what I am posting "Polite to other MBMs"

P - Avoid posts about "Politics"

Y - Is what you are posting "Your own words/content"  Avoid plagiarism / needless repetition of others.

"Make CRAPPY posts, not posts that are full of crap."

"polite to othe mbm's"Would that include old guy? just asking for clarification

[Slu let the dogs out?]

Welcome, Daniel!!