jkerouac

The thing is, no athlete, not Jordan, Armstrong, Phelps, Favre, Maradona, Woods, Beckham, etc.... is bigger than their sport itself. I respect what Armstrong accomplished, but to come back now doesn't do the sport of cycling any favors, it just casts a different kind of shadow over the next generation of champions. It would create the impression that there is Lance..... and then everyone else. Not good for the sport. I watched and cheered from Armstrong during every one of his seven tour championships. I watched less of this year's tour than in my memory. And 2007's Tour was like watching a train wreck. You kept asking yourself, "could it get any worse?".... and it did. But if Lance follows through with this "comeback," I will find a worthy adversary to cheer for against him. I would even prefer that Lance "pick" a next generation champion and mentor him to the top levels. That would be classy.

Call first and talk to them. In person, you can always start out by pleading ignorance, that it was a gift or you won it in a card game and just want to have the watch inspected. Gauge their reactions and analysis. Then perhaps try them on some simple service and get a feel for their capabilities that way before handing over your favorite rep for a full overhaul. I've had good luck with a local independent who professed admiration for the quality of some reps that he has seen (though another member I pointed in his direction was less satisfied with his service on both a rep and a gen. I need to send him a message to see how that situation turned out.)

7-time winner to come out of retirement and race for Astana, sources say What more does Armstrong have to prove? Step aside and let the next generation of (post doping) cycling leaders emerge. The same goes for Brett Favre of (American) football. He should have retired with dignity rather than retiring, then coming back. What more does he have to prove? It's ego, all ego, and the inability to let go and move on to the next challenges in life.

Now that two weeks of speeches and posturing before the faithful are over, the rest of the campaign can begin. By the end, I plan to write down the key issues, draw a line down the page, and sum up my thoughts on how each camp would address that issue. And how the candidates address the issues over the next two months will have a greater influence than how they postured at the conventions.

They were in fashion back in the 70s, along with really wide belts, fringed leather jackets, etc. I wore a watch on a strap like that when I was a teenager.... .... Not to date myself or anything.

Just think what it would do for RWG contributions if indeed a [censored] was one of the privileges of platinum membership. Heck, I could see people signing up over and over and over again.

Actually, spotting gen Breitlings is not that rare. Spotting gen Breitling Bentleys, on the other hand, is a rare event. It's a flashy "I've got money" kind of watch that only seems suited to a particular kind of person, so I become especially critical to size up the wearer and whether they are genuine. My own personal opinion: don't wear a Bentley unless you can really pull off the look, which means you can probably afford the car to go along with the watch. I wouldn't say that about other watches inspired by cars, such as the Ferrari or Porsche, but with Bentley it just seems in poor taste. Just my personal opinion.

This looks to be a photoshop fiction: Too bad. In contrast I seldom think of Joe Biden without remembering his hair plug transplant of about 10 years ago. Photoshop Palin would be a tough act to debate. You'd be annoyed at every moment the camera stays on Biden rather than her. (Moderator: "Excuse me Senator Biden, did you say something?....Now Sarah, about that moose recipe......") Perhaps this is McCain's secret strategy to conquer Carla Bruni's France? This is as serious as I am going to get in this discussion.

Actually, the most famous alumnus of Salon.com is Michael Kinsley, who I believe is the former editor of Salon.com.. I haven't seen any reports on the incident being discussed here, but my next stop was some of the news sites anyway.

The dealers who have good relations with the board all have their own subforums under Watch Collectors. They generally have links to their sites, that is if they maintain a site. Some just use photo posting services or do all of their business via PM or e-mail.

Half as large as Dave246

What I'd really like to do is develop a nice polished finish on some cases that are unpolished between the lugs. My question for anyone who has done this is, how do you polish evenly right up to the lug itself? Would you do this section manually or with a dremel? Brush vertically as opposed to horizontally? I'm glad that I have a few junk watches to practice on.

Arty is an Orlando dude with suspicious political leanings.

I think you could have showed a tad more enthusiasm with Ms Charo, though she is probably old enoug to be your mother!

There is a problem with market regulations that favor a very small number of large parts suppliers. Say you pass this regulation that forces smaller producers to buy a larger percentage of parts from the big guys. The big guys could then raise prices to squeeze out smaller competitors. If I were a small producer I would push for more variety and competition among parts suppliers before agreeing to such a change.

Edwin is one of the people in his avatar..... but which one????

Pho, I think this is really commendable of you, but I'd be concerned about what you might be getting yourself into as the intermediary. I'm sure that The Zigmeister would share one or two horror stories about members who couldn't be satisfied, watches that couldn't be repaired, or issues with watches that got lost in the mail, etc. Also, there might be a fair amount of hassle for you even with the most agreeable of members and service requests. Would this watchmaker pay you a commission for serving as his front office? Some questions to consider. Best regards.

I just requested two -- but now I have to figure out which of my Pams would receive the new crowns. It may very well end up being a new watch that I don't even own yet. I don't recall any mention of the Venus/Lemania movements in this thread, which means that my 192 would not be a candidate for any of these crowns. Does anyone have insight into this?

Dutchy has good taste. That Master Compressor always draws my attention when I visit an AD that carries the JLC line. I would think that some "ultimate" JLC reps would be good investments for the rep factories and dealers.

SMP stands on its own unique merits. I see the PO as an updated competitor to the Submariner rather than as a competitor to the SMP. As a stylish and modern competitor to the Submariner I think the PO stacks up extremely well..... but then I'm not a huge Rolex fan. By the way, I'm wearing the same version as Samurai this a.m.

Awesome find. Wasn't the 192 a limited edition of just a few hundred? I had to pull my own 192 out to compare against your pictures. In your pictures, which strap is the most accurate? You'e almost sold me that I need to get a camel-colored strap as well.

And more on the sisters Feres: http://www.spike.com/video/bia-branca-feres/3017180

Apparently there are cheerleaders between beach volleyball matches: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.ht...nelcode=sportbv I wonder what the Chinese authorities have to say about this?

Trains can get you just about anywhere in Switzerland in a flash -- my wild-assed guess would be not more than 90 minutes from Zurich to Geneva by train. You don't have to stick to the major cities either. Many of the great ski towns are also very easy to get to.

If you are up for some great traditional German/Swiss food, be sure to have dinner at the Zeughauskeller, a beer hall in a former armory that dates back to the 1400s. In fact, you should go stop there even if you don't stay for dinner.