<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; cha= rset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff= f"> <DIV>In a message dated 5/4/2004 3:59:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Richard.B= rekne@grieg.uib.no writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue = 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>Grin.. I just love these kinds of replies to P= olitical or Religous OT <BR>threads...<BR><BR>One starts by pointing out tha= t such posts have nothing to do with the <BR>general topic of pianos... then= without further ado engage directly in <BR>the OT thread with a counter att= ack... directed right at ones person.  <BR>And not only that.. but one = feels the need to do it in public... to <BR>display for all to see ones own = position on the (both) matter (s).</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Grin...... I just love the replies to these kind of replies. They = always ignore the fact that if someone hadn't already "attacked", and in pub= lic, there would be no need to respond, then without further ado they talk a= bout the responder's remarks and call those remarks a "counter attack direct= ed right at one's person" instead of it occuring them that those remarks wer= e not meant as an "attack" nor were they aimed at one's "person" but rather = were made to show that the same rock can be tossed both ways, so quit tossin= g rocks and get back to talking about the things you're here to talk about.<= /DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For instance - we've learned a lot from all this, haven't we? We've lea= rned that those on the right disagree with those on the left. Wow..... I nev= er knew that.... that information is going to help me a whole lot next time = I'm trying to find a squeak in someone's piano....I know now that the answer= is to ask the owner of the piano if they're on the right or on the left, an= d if they're on the left, their piano squeaks because it's a Republican and = it wants to get away from them. And as we learn these valuable lessons, I ha= ve noticed that major topics of the goings on in the piano business are flyi= ng right over everyone's heads - for instance.... is anyone aware that Samic= k bought part interest in Bechstein and that Bechstein now offers C. Bechste= in from Germany and a line labeled simply Bechstein made in Korea? Has anyon= e discussed the fact that Samick bought Young Chang and may be discontinuing= the YC and Pramberger brands, or may simply turn them into stenci= l brands placed on Samick pianos? I don't recall reading anything here about= it, but it has a lot more to do with your career as a piano technician=  than which side of the political spectrum the management of these comp= anies belong to.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As I said before - I don't post much here, because for the most part I = get ignored when I do. I suppose I don't know the secret handshake. But it s= eemed silly to me that someone would engage in a political rock tossing and = then make a grand exit because they didn't like what got said back. That see= ms like such a waste when there are things they could be learning = about pianos. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>From my point of view, I just told you more about pianos than you've le= arned in this entire thread. So either way, I may have done some good - I us= ually am ignored so totally that a thread simply dies the minute I post to i= t. That would be a good thing in this case. On the other hand, I've just tol= d you two things about the piano industry that will have a major affect on t= he marketplace, and as a result could have an impact on you. Maybe that will= earn me the right to learn the secret handshake. But it seems to me it woul= d make more sense to discuss these two issues than to discuss politics.</DIV= > <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>