JohnG

I am beginning to.

Now see when I read this post, it sounds to me like you are saying if you DON'T believe that Bush downed the Trade Center Towers you are a drone and have been brainwashed by the Big Brother. It is true that I make fun of conspiracy theories. I have been in enough serious debates over them to realize the futility of even taking the whole things seriously. You will get the same circular logic seen above: if you cannot concede these theories are valid to any degree (using your words here), it is only because (paraphrasing now) you cannot handle the truth - it would overwhelm you. Friend, you cannot argue against this logic and so I don't. As to the "company line" from the government. It is one thing to admit that the government uses various methods to attempt to minimize negative coverage of its own incompetence (there is ample evidence for this) - it is quite another to accuse it of complicity in mass murder of its own citizens. That is the view these theories are advocating. Again, I won't get into debating specific points because I will never convince you and you DEFINITELY aren't going to convince me (God forbid). But something for you to consider. I can go to any city in any Arab or Muslim country and find, in minutes, people who will argue, with just as many "facts" and with all the same conviction that there were no Jews in the Towers on 9/11, The whole thing was a frame up by Israel to put the U.S. into a war against Islam. Millions of people believe this. If you point out the fact that there were many Jews in the towers? That is, they will say, according to the state-controlled media in the U.S. - and you can't trust the lists of the names of the victims given out by the government. It is all part of the cover up. This is the EXACT SAME LOGIC that you are using. Once you accept the basic premise that all facts are in question, that ANYTHING can be manipulated, that ALL sources of information (except your own) have been compromised, then ANY theory becomes equally valid on its face. That is the beauty of circular logic.

An annual subscription to the Economist is a good start. It is an easily digestable dose of news - well researched and written - politically somewhere in the center - and covers the entire globe. Despite the title, this weekly publication covers politics, art, literature, science, social issues, the environment, and (of course) economic and business issues. The analysis is sophisticated and in depth. The letters to the editor are not censored and can be as illuminating as the articles they critique. You will get the important news from all the continents without many space wasting glossy photos and without ANY of the nonsense tabloid stuff. In case you are still not convinced, just look at how well reps and the Economist mesh:

So where are all the complaints about slow shipping?

There was an interesting article in the International Herald Tribune perhaps five years ago. They sampled their own editorial columns from the past century. What they found was that every generation thought that the world was falling apart, that their period was unique and marked the imminent decline of America as a world power, the decline of Western civilization in general, the decline of youth in general as a suitable custodian of the world's future, etc., etc.. The American public has NEVER been especially well informed. That is why the United States is a Republic and not a pure democracy. And as long as civilization has existed there have been little games people play to garner power to themselves. Lamentable? Sure. But that is part of our nature as a species. Crying woe and handwringing will do nothing to change it. We cannot control others' actions - only our own. So try to do the best you can, be honest and kind to your fellow, vote responsibly, and accept that ugliness is as much a part of the world as beauty.

Not without one of those springy poles...

You forgot Tony Robbins They believe in him too.

So I take it no one here is thinking / re-thinking some of the events that have happened in the not so distant past?

Conflict has been brewing in South Ossetia for years. This is an escalation but it was bound to happen - Saakashvili promised in his election campaign to take South Ossetia back. The only thing I find surprising is that anyone is surprised.

I hope people will have more common sense than to get into a flame war over this. I took a brief look at some of the material - it is all tin foiler silliness but pretty much every major world event has generated myriad conspiracy theories. The moon landing, American involvement in WWII, the assassination of JFK, etc., etc., etc. all have their theories that all claim to rest their conclusions on "science" and yet are impervious to the the most rational analysis that the debunkers offer up. If you disagree they will say it is because you have been fooled or, worse, brainwashed and are one of "them." You cannot argue against these types of "theories" because you will never win. They have an answer for everything and it will only drive you mad. Nevertheless....

I have seen people banned there for the virtual equivalent of looking a mod or admin directly in the eyes. If they don't like you you will go away sooner or later.

Yes. If you ever had to make a claim I would not mention that the merchandise is counterfeit but there is little chance the seller will out himself as a dealer in fake watches when the transaction is investigated. If you say you bought a "watch", the seller is not going to dispute that. I have seen several successful chargebacks against scam dealers so I know for a fact you still have protection. I use PP with a cc as my funding source. Some people say PayPal won't "allow" the credit card to reverse the transaction if your pp dispute is denied. I don't believe it. I have also seen MANY successful chargebacks after PP claims were denied. In the United States consumer credit card protections are not gifted by the issuers, they are guaranteed by Federal law. PP is unreliable but convenient and more accepted by rep dealers. Adding another layer of protection by funding with your credit card NEVER works against you. KNOW YOUR DEALER'S POLICIES. Some will replace watches but don't expressly say they will (Andrew/Josh) so you must count on their good will, others such as Ruby guarantee replacement of watches in case of customs seizures. You must do your homework for each dealer and ASK if you are not sure. I know nothing about MB but WU, MG and Bank Wires only guarantee that the money arrives. Except against intercept in transit, there are ZERO protections. Once they have your money that is it. Some people will jump in and point out that you should resolve problems with the dealer rather than resorting to chargebacks. I agree. But it would be naive to imagine that there could NEVER be a situation where you might need a drastic remedy. And at the very least, having the option increases the likelihood of a favorable outcome when trying to get solutions. If someone knows that you have NO recourse against them are they going to be as eager to resolve your complaints? Protect yourself. Choose your dealer carefully. Know their policies. Know the kinds of problems that can crop up and the proper way of dealing with them. Do these things and you will have a good experience. Good luck.

I would be interested in seeing those.

That guy has an account at RWG1

I know that feeling. I have ex gf's I wouldn't do anything for. And I have a couple that I would give my left kidney for if they needed it. It sounds to me like more than an "ex", she is a close friend of more than twenty years - and is in a bad situation and you are helping her out. I would hate to think I wouldn't do the same for any really close friend.

You edited all those posts to make me look like a fool!

35 Posts and that I have seen not one mention of currency translation. I agree that demand has had an effect as well as price manipulation by dealers. But last month the Yuan hit an ALL TIME HIGH against the U.S. dollar. The weak U.S. dollar is the single biggest cause in the rise of ALL import prices to the U.S. But to judge by this thread you would think it has nothing to do with the price of reps. Like it or not, as long as reps prices are denominated in dollars and the current administration's monetary policy does not change, prices will continue to rise.

Thank God - I was starting to worry about you guys.

Yup. Scary thought isn't it? I joined because it is sure to be interesting (I am as addicted to the forum soaps as I am to the watches themselves) but I was smart enough to use a different password. I suspect some people are going to have a little surprise when they try to log into their forum accounts - never mind their email accounts - and from there the sky is the limit...

Yeah, I wish they could rep the Sub that well!