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<<PATTAYA, Thailand (CNN) -- Myanmar's military junta has reportedly insisted it does not need help from foreign aid experts, as weather forecasts predict more bad weather this week for the cyclone-devastated country.>>
Just like PSA, the Myanmar's junta refuses to acknowledge reality. Sad...
I guess the important thing is to maintain a dictatorship at any cost -- even if you don't have any citizens left to oppress because you let them all die.
Keep in mind, this is the same country that, to solve the aids problem among it's prostitues - lined them up and killed them.
It's a struggle - do we have the moral authority, right, or obligation to step in and do what is "right" when we see evil being done? Should we force our way into Myanmar for humanitarian reasons? Should we have gone to Iraq to free the people of Saddam's tyrrany? Should we have bombed the concentration camps in WWII??
I'm curious: Do the folks who request that Leon lock threads they don't like also write to the TV and cable networks, urging them to cancel shows that they find annoying or offensive? Kudos to them if they do.
Or ... do they just choose to not watch those shows?
The best censorship is always no censorhip, imo. The more transparency there can be the better it is vis a vis "running" the board (I love to use "vis a vis" though I probably use it incorrectly). That being said the board won't get over run with this stuff. This OT is from an every day poster and is relevent to world news so I let it go. Sorry if it offends anyone. It offends me on several levels (the topic, not the request to stop the thread)....best regards
Going out to buy an engagement party present for "The Drake," George parks his father's car in a handicap parking spot, after taking Kramer's advice. An angry mob trashes the vehicle when a disabled woman gets injured, because of the illegal parking. While visiting the woman at the hospital, Kramer falls in love and feels compelled to replace the wheelchair. George becomes his father's butler after his father gets arrested for parking in the spot.
This is ironic, in that Joe Orlando was reportedly butler to Dan McKee for an incident not involving a parking space.
Marty, While in and of itself this post can be misconstrued as "tasteless". But remember, laughter is often a coping skill used in tragedies such as this.
I've seen it frequently (and effectively) in my near-thirty years of fire service. Doctors, nurses, cops, fire we all do it. Even while working the WTC site, there were occasional sarcastic comments and occasional gallows humor from the career and family Brothers within that rubble. -No question this tone increased productivity and reduced stress.
I think it's a genuine American trait, this self-protecting mechanism one employs to detach emotioanly from the task at hand. Concerning the offensive posts, The fellows making them are no less charitable nor concerned about this tragedy than you or I. Try to see it for what it is.
I agree with Marty. Using a human tragedy to bash a hobby grading company is in extremely poor taste. Perhaps some of the posters should get a little more perspective in their lives.
Fanboy statements in comparison to mass suffering and death of actual people is pretty lame. Don't know if you are being sarcastic with the "pulls a PSA" line, but if not, that truely shows the insignificance that you place on those people's lives. I don't usually care about PSA bashing unless it's a blatent lie, but in this case I found it to be in poor taste so I will defend PSA
Comeon, Jim's post is the best one I have ever read on this site: equating the offensiveness of a joke about the Myanmar tragedy with an insult against PSA, the purported savior of the hobby! That is priceless.
But what happens when the sacred cows of the hobby are exposed and brought down? Who will we worship then?
Not equally offensive or even near equally, but have to use this opportunity to thank PSA fpr bringing in thousands of new collectors and saving the hobby.
The problem is I don't think most of us care about the 1000's of collectors of 2004 shiny stuff PSA has brought into the hobby. Just how many of those are buying pre-war? PSA is losing pre-war customers, not gaining them last I looked.
Did bringing in thousands of collectors with slabs save the coin hobby?
The hobby was doing just fine without the slabs. It has spurred some interest and made collection values increase, I'll give you that Jim, but the "hobby" itself was there before and will survive long after the slabs are history. Maybe I am a little old school and I must admit I enjoy having the cards entombed and displayed in the holders for a number of reasons, but as far as "saving" the hobby, I can't agree on that one.
I'm not sure I agree. I started (so long ago, it's hard to remember) collecting what was then considered "shiney" stuff. It's a matter of evolution. I've evolved as many others here from shiney to vintage. While there are exceptions, i.e. a newbie becoming interested in collecting and starting with vintage, I suspect it is the exception and not the rule.
So without the generic interest in card collecting that PSA has generated we may have many fewer vintage collectors than we have now.
Virtually every high-end collector I know had given up on collecting cards as they could not tell for certain whether cards had been altered. PSA came on the scene and gave collectors assurance that cards were legit, collectors confidence was restored, the PSA Set Registry was established and the rest is history.
As far as the 2004 shiny stuff is concerned this is a silly comment. The best sets in every year are the graded ones and one only has to look at the huge numbers of sets registered 1887-1969 to see the impact that card grading has had.
Lets say PSA saved the hobby. What would you say PSA is doing at this point? Improving the hobby? Improving their own reputation as being the most knowledgeable grading company in the hobby? Or, (as far as pre-war, since thats what this forum is) have they stood the part of being status quo over the years and let the vintage market get away from them? I know you point out 1887-1969 or whatever...but again, I don't care for 1969 (i'll repeat this is a pre-war card forum)
"I don't think most of us care about the 1000's of collectors of 2004 shiny stuff PSA has brought into the hobby. Just how many of those are buying pre-war?"
Dave - you left a big gap from pre war to 2004 cards.
Probably the majority of cards that have been slabbed
lay inbetween those 2 periods. There's a multitude of
50's, 60's & 70's material. I started collecting in those
era's and now almost exclusively collect pre war, notably
19th Century material. So Steve's comment is spot on.
I am not an old timer in the hobby but I would tend to agree that grading has indeed helped the hobby. I know I have been saved numerous times by SGC spotting something I didn't see. I am sure you are real confident with this card too?
I'll give you Jim, PSA was the first "legit" grading company. And I understand your reasoning for having to pep them up when you have probably millions of dollars in slabs, but as far as pre-war is concerned they in my eyes have become a big joke. And this is from someone that collected exclusively PSA pre-war cards two years ago...I'd never submit another card to them. But thanks PSA for saving the hobby.
I honestly don't know. What does your friend Doug Allen say about the card. he must have an opinion.
Dave,
Well I am now trying to do certain prewar sets in SGC 84 or better--not because of any dissatisfaction with PSA but because Dave is a friend of mine, Leon says SGC is the best so it must be true, and its good to have a little diversity. As to whether PSA is actually getting better on their cards, I have been invited to their grading room to meet their graders but California is a long way from Alpharetta. In the absence of that will let the world's leading expert Kevin Saucier speak for me--if he says it I agree.
I am not sure what Doug would say but why don't you get your friend Joe O to comment on it, since his company deemed it "not altered" by putting a number on it? Inquiring minds would like to know.....I can almost hear my phone ringing now and it must be Joe with a belated call back.....Once upon a time.....
Tell you what Leon--I am supposed to meet Joe in Cali on Tueasday next week--I will ask him and report back what he says if you ask Doug Allen and report back what he says.
