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Mmmmmm... IPA.

I think that you are on the right track. The parabolic move of oil upward from $10 per barrell smacks of a bubble. "The greenies" are a straw man. They are fleas compared to the goliaths of big oil and other multinationals with a vested interest in oil being at alltime highs. When the bubble bursts (soon), analysts will compare this era to other parabolic bubbles of the past that were rationalized by (at least partly) specious theories like "peak oil" and exponential, unprecedented demand increases (India/China). The party is almost over with Bush and Cheney on their way out. Remember rolling blackouts, the spot price of electricity in Kah-lee-for-nee-yuh, and Gray Davis? Remember all of the thories about what was supposedly responsible? Remember how Enron then got caught? Well; not everyone who does what Enron did gets caught. In fact, most don't, imo, judging from my experience as a consultant to public companies in the energy/resource sectors. The real question is; what's the next bubble now that real estate and oil are just about over? Will it be nuclear (uranium)? Will it be alternative energy (esp solar)? How about water? How about all of the above and more... Wow! I am so happy to be back at RWG! I forgot how much I loved this place and all of the great personalities in the community. It's been almost two years since I've set digital foot in here (I frequented RWG1). The best gathering of people I've ever experienced online, without a doubt. Cheers all, FFF

Well, since no one else seems to have the sack, I am going to go out on a limb and say; "Hey guys! Look at me way out here on this limb!!!"

Dude! I am, like, totally down for one of these babies if the group-buy is a go. Make mine black and ss bracelet - unless blue becomes available...

I love my hobnail-dialed 027 2892 in ss even though it is not accurate. I plan on doing the cyclops, datewheel and crown soon. It will likely be the PAM I wear most often when it's done. It's sporty, elegant, solidly built and the power reserve is one of my favorite complications. Good luck in your decision...

Wow! They look great. Nice find...

Great advice.

I am a nut-job conspiracy theorist, too. I believe that many conspiracies or "self-serving, secretive collusive efforts" (for those that despise the term "conspiracy") exist in all walks of life, but I don't think that this is one of them. There are far too many more effective ways to sabotage than what has ocurred, imo. Now, if something happened to the hosts and/or the servers of RWG and its sister sites, and if this happened repeatedly and for long periods of time, and if the reasons why were more than elusive - then I would really get suspicious.

That's gorgeous 4th gen po and an excellent combo. I love Sirtoli straps.

I am in federal prison.

Excellent points. I think a lot of oversized pieces, including the 40mm pams with the right strap, would look sexy on women. Maybe it's a juxstaposition-type thing goin' on...

Well, then. Now that a coalition has been built, there can only be on more question: Who has the best J12??? Just kidding; they all look pretty much the same - at least the ceramic ones do.

What's "pwnz"? I am glad I was wrong about the silver pins. Makes my decision a lot easier...

I have been wondering the same thing, but for my girlfriend. So far I like the PP24 and the white Chanel J12. But yes, the PP24 might be too blingy. I am also concerned that the cz's might not look real at all or that they could fall out. The piece I pick for her has to be virtually zero maintenance and somewhat resilient. She's kind of tough on jewelery. Also - it must be a quartz. My concern about the J12 has to do with the silver screws/pins in the bracelet. They stick out like a sore thumb, and I think they are white in the gen. Other than that, it seems like an incredibly authentic piece which I think would suit her taste.

I am in control. I can quit anytime I want to.

Hehehe... you took the words right out of my keyboard. The only difference with me is that i would buy two or three high grade reps to play with, and the rest goes to the college fund. I would get an ultimate Fiddy, an MBW and a ...(???). I haven't bought a single gen since I discovered RWG, and I enjoy watches more than ever. Just my .02...

You got that right! When I was in college I used to sell home stereos in the silicon valley to pay for tuition. Bose was always an easy sell, even at their exhorbitant prices, because of all of their aggressive marketing. They never matched up in the listening tests, however, against anything in their price range. In fact, they were usually blown away. They had almost zero midrange and required heavy amplification just to make them sound mediocre. People still wanted them, though, for reasons that had nothing to do with audio quality. Women especially loved them. Interestingly, part of Bose's strategy was to reward individual salesmen for selling volume. You would get "Bose points" for every set you sold. In 2 years of part time work I earned 5 or 6 sets of their speakers, but I didn't keep a single set for myself. I either sold them in the paper or gave them away as gifts. Give me Kef anyday...

@ booster Are you going to, or have you already told your uncle about what happened? You nearly caused him some serious grief. Apologies are fine, but do you care to explain your behavior? Does it matter to you what Andy had to go through?

I second what sonystyle said, and I would really emphasize not using Fedex or UPS. I have had bad experiences with customs, duties and brokerage fees with both of them. It seems that some provinces are more strict than others. From my experience, and from what I hear, B.C. is the most difficult. I live in both Canada and the U.S. It's kind of a lot of trouble, but if you take the band off, as well as all packaging that indicates that the watch is new, and if you write that you repaired the crystal or something on the customs form, you should be safe. It has worked for me and I am in B.C. That being said; I am never comfortable receiving watches in Canada, and I almost always have them sent to my U.S. address where I pick them up eventually. Good luck...

Maybe a buyer/seller feedback system kinda like ebay's would work. It could be tweaked a little to better serve this context, but overall it is a simple system that could possibly solve a nagging problem. p.s. I thought a major tenet of communities like this is policing and justice. It's ironic that an underground club that deals in black-market goods tiptoes and curtsies whenever issues like this crop up. I don't get that...

Andy; was it Mel Gibson? But seriously, wtf is going on lately? Lots of our dealers are getting screwed. This is totally unacceptable. There has to be a way we can impose some better accountability. What's really ironic is that many of the members here were originally drawn to this forum and others to protect themselves from possibly being scammed by unscrupulous vendors.

Thanks, V. Nice assortment of very pertinent details. These are really helpful and I bet they answer a lot of questions before they are asked.

I never have that problem because whenever I go to your girlfriends house for dinner, I always wear one of my gens. Her dad really likes my Sothis "spirit of the moon".