JohnG

Or how about a Perfect Sub?

Yeah, but look at your examples! There are still people around who cherish public service as a noble calling and continue to behave with seriousness and integrity long after others have used the "if you can't beat them join them rationale" to sell their souls. I won't name examples because that will just invite debate about particular individuals, but I am sure we can all think of politicians we wished were more representative of their field as a whole. And I knew you were only semi-serious.

Well in fairness some of the posts I am thinking about were in the other thread. But I have read quite a few expressing the desire to exclude from the forum those who are not helping to pay for it. I guess this rubbed me the wrong way. I agree absolutely with what you say about the diversity of the membership.

Well I for one will agree that I don't comprehend the wisdom in making snide remarks that might offend non-contributors. The administration has said there is a shortfall. Now is the time to woo non-contributors, not try to make them feel shitty. With few exceptions the posts that I have seen that refer to non-contributing members do not refer to their value to the forum as an untapped resource but rather lament their presence as freeloaders. I too find this attitude unfortunate.

What I guess I didn't make clear is that I believe those who are voting $5 are those who are already paying it anyway. Not many people who are already contrbuting (beyond myself it would appear) are willing to say, "I would pay less if I could." As of this post only one non-contributor has even posted in the thread. So I think it is fair to guess that those who are voting $2 are, by and large, not current contributors but might be if the price were lower. I think it is most constructive to talk in terms of maximizing the revenue that can offset the costs of administration. Debates about what is fair or what people can actually afford (something we can only answer for ourselves) are less important that picking a policy and number that will both encourage a high number of people to participate monetarily and at the same time meet the financial obligations of the board.

How much of that is macro distortion?

If I had to generalize I would call Europeans realists, not cynics. Some politicians are corrupt to be sure. But clearly not all.

It is hardly all spelled out. The U.S. Constitution lays out broad principles and is the shortest such document of any modern democracy. One might argue that is for a reason. This is the old debate between literalists and activists. No matter what your opinion, there are strong arguments that the Constitution is deliberately vague and was intended to be a "living" document that would be reinterpreted by subsequent generations of Justices according to contemporary realities. Whether this was in fact the intent of the signers is somewhat besides the point now. The fact is that the Constitution is, as it must be, interpreted by actors whose reading of the document are necessarily colored by the age they live in. No one today can read and understand the Constitution the way it was originally written because no one today has lived in the 18th Century Colonies or fought a war of independence from British rule. And even if you could magically travel back in time and present to the original drafters some of the modern dilemmas offered up for resolution under Constitutional law, they would hardly agree on the answers among themselves. The die is cast and it is a little late now to try to mind read the "original intent" of people who have been dead for two hundred years. Whatever that intent was, the REALITY of what the Constitution has become has served and continues to serve us quite well. The decisions of the Supreme Court, no matter what its composition, will never satisfy everyone. For me, it is sufficient that the system works - new Justices are appointed and the most recent ones reflect precisely the view you expound above. And thus, the entire system remains ultimately accountable to the people.

That one won't work for me - says it's deactivated so here's another:

Wait, you told me that was your Mom and that you are three years old! I had already started the adoption proceedings dude, I mean, son!

Ok I give up - what is RMFAOL?

I would recommend avoiding a particular watch - perhaps an abstracted image suggesting a watch? Or something relating conceptually to time in general? Or a movement? I am a painter as well - if this works well perhaps I will contribute a painting some day - though it would be a landscape painting - I don't do watches, sorry.

There are two price points apparent from the poll - $2 and 5$. It would seem to me that the $2 point is where most people who are not currently supporters would like the figure to be (and some supporters as well since this was my vote), and the $5 figure likely represents those that are already paying this amount and thus tend to validate their own previous choices. I only upgraded my membership after the administration said it was having trouble paying bills. I felt before and continue to feel that that figure is too high. I will pay it to help the forum remain afloat but if this were not a crisis I would probably not. At $2 I wouldn't think twice about it. I suspect a LOT of others would do the same - more than enough to compensate for the reduction in the minimum. I also suspect that if there was a way to make the payment 12 recurring and then terminating, more people would join as well. Many don't want a lump sum but also don't want to worry about drifting away and having this payment recur until they notice it and do something about it two years from now. Some people are somewhat lax about tracking their own finances, know this about themselves, and thus fear recurring payments. This is why porn sites LOVE recurring payments. They get payments months or years after members have moved on. Since this is a new thread I will also renew my strong objection to the idea of closing the forum to those who do not contribute financially. I will contribute to the forum for as long as it maintains its current architecture. If at some point it ceases to be open to non-contributors, I will cancel my membership. I have no doubt that should the board become closed its future as a dynamic, interesting, and stimulating place will be very limited. If I have to pay a little extra so that others who don't wish to pay can participate I will do so happily because ultimately I benefit from the exchange of ALL ideas - not just the ones that are paid for. I know I don't carry any weight and am frequently reminded I am in the wrong hobby anyway, but that is my opinion for what little it is worth.

I like both McCain and Obama for (obviously) different reasons. I used to have a higher opinion of Clinton but it has become clear that she wants to sabotage Obama so that he loses in November (there is NO WAY she can win the nomination now), thus giving her another run in 2112. If he wins now he will automatically be the party candidate in 2112 and she would have to wait until 2116 and by then she will face the same age issues as McCain. McCain is a solid moderate and does not pander to the party machine. He has vast experience and his ideas mesh closely with my own. Obama is inexperienced and though I do not agree with many of his ideas he is honest, intelligent, and has the capacity to be a GREAT leader. He is also a black man and I am not afraid to say that that influences my thinking. It is time for the United States to take the step of electing to its highest office a member of a race that it once enslaved. No person should be elected to office as a mere symbolic gesture but if they are qualified for the job I will take into account the simple fact that electing an African-American to be President of the United States would say a great deal about how far the country has come and where it is headed. Even though politically I stand closer to Senator McCain, if Senator Obama were elected, on that day I would feel very proud to be an American. Lately there have not been many opportunities for me to feel that way.

The problem I see with that is that it harms the seller - he will have a better chance of selling his watch if it is open to all. Right now there is an incentive for anyone who buys AND sells to join the forum so as to have a very nice venue where they can sell and trade the watches they are tired of. But by keeping it open to all buyers those contributors who are selling have a very wide audience for their sales threads.

The subject has been discussed extensively already so I will be brief. The administration asked for help. I was not yet ready to upgrade my membership but I have now done so because I want the forum to continue to exist and I don't want the administration to be unduly burdened. I have helped out and will continue to help out as long as the forum does not become exclusively for those who have paid memberships. Other people have their opinions, I have mine. I do not view non-paying members as leeches as many here seem to but rather as vital and necessary contributors to a thriving community. I make my own decisions about donating, upgrading, etc. What other members do is none of my business. Obviously it is up to the administration to do as it sees fit. I see no problem with reminding the membership that financial support is needed to keep the forum running. I also have no objection to the current split membership benefit scheme. But if this forum were to ever exclude non-paying members I will cancel my membership and leave. I am not trying to be confrontational or stir the pot. I am merely expressing a deeply held sentiment - I will only support the forum as long as it remains open to EVERYONE. JohnG

Armin, I think at least one person should point out that they might have a point. I don't know the details of your circumstances so I am speaking (as most of us here are) from ignorance. But I know myself and I have a very obsessive personality. I sometimes waste lot of time on new hobbies that consume all of my thoughts. I read and talk compulsively about the subject of my obsession and find all kinds of reasons to justify my actions. You said you had sworn not to buy any more watches until next year. The fact that you made such a promise to me suggests maybe you had a reason to but the brakes on your spending. Not everyone can afford to buy lots of reps or at a high frequency - sometimes we must delay gratification in order to take care of other more important responsibilities first. If you have other responsibilities and are neglecting them to feed an obsession with watches you may have a problem. People use the term "addiction" jokingly but for some people (myself among them) it is entirely possible to develop unhealthy and even destructive obsessions with just about anything. I have a dysfunctional personality and if I give it free reign it will wreak havoc in my life. If my family and partner are upset because my obsession is causing me to spend money I really shouldn't and then be secretive about my behavior, something is very wrong. I have no idea if you really have a problem or if your family and partner are just overly controlling. Perhaps you have adequate purchasing power to take care of all your responsibilities and enjoy your hobby as well. I don't know. But I have no doubt that I am not the only one on the boards who has this tendency. In many cases the only difference between them and me is that I KNOW I have an obsessive nature and that makes it somewhat easier to come back to reality when someone close to me says, "John, please look at what is going on..." I hope you are feeling better and if my comments don't apply to you then please discard them as necessary. If, however, they strike a cord somewhere in you, please don't ignore it. Behavioral disorders affect a lot of people, they are nothing to be ashamed of, and in most cases can be dealt with effectively. And they in no way make one a loser - simply a person with a problem that like all problems must be dealt with. Your friend, JohnG

Versions of this story have been circulating since the 1960's and are refuted here (and by countless other sources): http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcigar.htm In any event it is not a credible story as insurance policies explicitly exclude deliberate destruction of property by the insured. The story stipulates that the lawyer admitted freely that the "little fires" were in fact his normal consumption of the cigars. If you burn your own house down the insurer does not pay - period. They do not have to pay the claim and then petition the district attorney to bring a charge of arson. Furthermore, when there is ambiguity in contractual language courts (in common law countries) apply common sense. They construe the language in the way rational and reasonable people would be expected to understand it.

Something that I have noticed that contributes to the apparent thickness of the new bezel is that the teeth terminate about half way down the vertical flat of the side of the bezel. On the old bezel the groove of the tooth terminates about two thirds of the the way down the vertical and is much closer to where the bottom bevel begins... I believe that the tooth cut on the old bezel is more vertical than on the new - it looks that way in the photos. That would explain how it terminates lower with the same bezel height. .

Looks like the new bezel to me. As to the crystal - BK says the gen will not fit and has pictures of a gen next to the rep - they are not even close. But he IS working on getting a special crystal made for the SSD that would solve some of the problems. I don't know how this would affect the laser etching. Here's the link to the thread at RG: http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=12...ght=ssd+crystal

When I checked last week the site was partially operational - he is still very new. I think he jumped the gun a little - just my fetish for organization. I personally would have delayed my launch a month or so to focus on getting the site up and my inventory in place before selling. It is true, the site was not up for a while, hard to find, now it is still not very easy to navigate and borrows pics from other sites which I don't really care for (and wouldn't have been necessary if he had had time to photograph and build his stock... Save one (I think it was Radiohead) I have heard nothing but good things from his customers. Again, I am going to wait for a while for the kinks to get sorted then I will stick my toes in the water. But I still have a good feeling about him. In the meantime I just ordered two more watches from Ruby. She seems more responsive this time which may be a function of the fact that now I am not a brand-new customer. I am a repeat customer. I don't hesitate to tell her how happy I am with my new watch and that I am glad she was able to look at it before she sent it out because I have heard lots of stories about people getting watches with problems that should have been caught. I try to reinforce in her mind WHY I was happy with our first transaction. I am using positive reinforcement.

RWG1 for fun (you can swear and post nudie pics and flame to your heart's content) Here and RG for actual watch info RWI for watch info, to a lesser extent TZ just to learn and browse I live in the middle of nowhere rural Spain and when I am not restoring an old house I own I am killing time in the forums or reading. I tore the roof off the house about two months ago and since then it has barely stopped raining - so I am in here a lot.

Anything those guys can get, Ruby can get. She is very slow but she doesn't drop ship, she is less expensive when you add in the shipping, she offers an express 6 mo. warranty, and she will replace any items seized by customs. She sends a photo of your watch before shipping which is a nice touch. There are lots of dealers - Josh and Andrew are ok but they are not the be-all end-all. There are many dealers who offer better and more personal service. Right here on RWG there is an apprentice collector who is very interesting - Eurotimez. I haven't used him yet but I like his attitude. He is more expensive than Josh or Andrew but for a reason... As has been said, it is up to the consumer to shop dealers - this is what will make them more responsive. Good luck