SkiFaxon

You can download and install SQL Server Management Studio Express without having to install the full SQL Server package. SSMSE This will allow you to connect to the db and run queries.

Rant. Plea. An introduction: I joined this board last summer with the full intention of becoming involved in the community. I discovered it while researching some gen watches and became amazed at the quality of the reps that are out there. I discovered Bell & Ross and quickly became enamored with their watches. I have yet to be able to purchase one as I have intended to do. Additionally the community here seems pretty cool. Very helpful and informative and very little chest-pumping and berating. Then the economy smack down hit. I am one of a few guys who started up a golf course management software company (the software will also accommodate use in restaurants or retail shops) a few years ago and we were just starting to get our product to a semi-mature level. We had a commitment for another round of investment capital that evaporated. Scramble time....... Now I'm looking for any way to keep it afloat and more importantly maintain some standard of living. Maybe I need to come up with the next credit default swap scheme. The capital search continues......... /rant

I wouldn't just throw Reagan under the bus. It was Clinton's policies that lead to the reduction in lending standards for mortgages.

That was a great article. It's amazing there is/was little or no regulation involved. I traded options for a few years and at times could be overwhelmed at the complexity of some spreads but the whole mortgage derivative market, with credit default swaps, blows me away. I would have loved to hedge some of my trades with 'air' and then been able to show the clearing house that I was (wink, wink) hedged on paper. It would certainly make shorting options quite a bit less stressful. I also thought it interesting that the author traced the root cause of this back to the investment firms going public. Didn't Greenspan just say the one flaw in his model was his inability to account for the lack of concern given by investment firms to their shareholders? I agree that a privately held firm would be quite a bit more careful. Thanks for the link OP. I've passed it on to quite a few friends.

I concur with previous suggestions of a shot or two before hitting the floor. TEQUILA!!! The ladies love a guy that can dance.....it may come in handy some day.

Shoot. If I knew that a nice watch (gen or rep) would get me laid on command I would've maxed out my first credit card to buy a rolly. I guarantee you I'd be way ahead by now. After hitting the clubs, wining and dining I've spent way more than that over the last 15 years. Plus having to listen to all of the yammering and drama.....if only I had the magic watch!!!!! It's not the watch bro, it's all personality.

Any current input on this? I'm looking at jumping in and getting my first rep. I like the military style of B&Rs and UBoats but I'm not sure who has the best versions.

This is a great thread. I'm new here and am kinda excited to see some passion for F1. It's not very prevalent in the states. Although I haven't followed it very closely this year it's nice to see some excitement and actually hear/see people discussing it. These occasions in F1 racing seem to be few and far between. I do not believe in conspiracy theories. If Glock pits for tires, Hamilton wins. Since he didn't he had to try to keep the car on the track in the wet and fend off Hamilton. Keep in mind these guys are professionals. They ascended the auto racing ladder not by ceding victories but by being ultra-competitive. It would not be in there 'nature' to just let someone pass. My two cents. Good thread!