<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4922.900" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>If you want a list dedicated to off topic posts for = and from other piano techs then click below</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=1></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=1><A href="mailto:tito@philbondi.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE = MPT">mailto:tito@philbondi.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE MPT</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=1></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><BR>Brian</DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><BR> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=davidskolnik@optonline.net href="mailto:davidskolnik@optonline.net">David Skolnik</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, March 26, 2003 = 5:44 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: RE Politics...was = something else.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>This is going along just fine.  Please see my = other post about OT Summaries.  <BR>First, Richard B and Dave Stahl, I don't = recall any  "decisions" being made about OT or political issues, though = there has been a good deal of discussion.  If you recall the posts last = week, at some point,  Andy Rudoff responded to my quote from "Cheers" = (wanna go where they know your name, ect) as follows:<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite>This is an excellent = point.  When someone posts an off topic joke<BR>to pianotech, they are often = doing so because they know the people<BR>on pianotech and they think those = folks will get a chuckle from<BR>what they post.  Sending the same = content to some list provided by<BR>yahoo or MSN might make the message exactly = on-topic, but you're<BR>posting to strangers</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I think = anyone would have to admit that, while discussions regarding political issues = are guaranteed to be disruptive and contentious, to completely disregard = something as demanding of our awareness as these current events are, is = unnatural.  I am not advocating for the presence of such posts on this list, per = se, however, I find it disingenuous to censure Mr. Bernard for trying to = find a way, within our list community, to express some deeply held feelings. = He did, after all, designate it as "OFF-TOPIC".   Even on a parallel = "OT" list, such as what I find myself advocating, such expressions would, undoubtedly engender heated discussions and raw nerves, as, beneath = the commonality of our profession, we are quite a varied collection of creatures.  On such a list, we might ultimately find it desirable = to further spin off a specifically political list, as vitriol might tend = to overwhelm less contentious non-technical issues on the "OT" list, such = as praising Tom Sheehan, or complaining about pictures being sent to the list.<BR><BR><BR>Keith - what I find interesting about your comments = to Richard is that, while you are criticizing him for perpetuating an OT = post on the list, you do so in a (lightly) demeaning way that almost = guaranties that, not only will he be forced to respond (on the list), but the ensuing = exchange could become an OT personal dispute, all by itself.  Given your = closing, I am sure that was not your intent.<BR><BR><BR>Respectfully, and affectionately,<BR><BR>David Skolnik, RPT<BR>Hatings-On-Hudson<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>At 06:05 AM 3/26/2003 = -0800, Keith Roberts wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite>And as always, you comment = about the comment. Which makes it an off topic post even if it's originally an = on topic subject. Alan cc'd the letter, which still doesn't excuse him, = and it doesn't appear to be a blatant OT post. Inappropriate, for sure, as = this is an international list.<BR>So, while we are jumping on people for OT = posts, Richard, it would be nice to have your name among the missing, for = once, in association with an off topic thread.<BR>By the way, I do like your temperament tests on real, unsuspecting subjects, though I haven't = commented about it till now.<BR>Peace between us. <BR>Keith Roberts<BR><BR> <DL> <DD>----- Original Message ----- <BR> <DD>From:</B> <A = href="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no">Richard Brekne</A> <BR> <DD>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> = <BR> <DD>Sent:</B> Wednesday, March 26, 2003 12:04 AM<BR> <DD>Subject:</B> RE Politics...was something else.<BR><BR> <DD><A href="mailto:Piannaman@aol.com">Piannaman@aol.com</A> = wrote: <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite type="cite" cite> <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Alan,</FONT> <BR><BR> <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Nice of you to think of our = troops, and to suggest that we all do in kind, but I kinda thought we were = keeping political stuff off the list.</FONT> <BR><BR> <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Dave = Stahl</FONT></DD></BLOCKQUOTE> <DD>I thought so too. As in no exceptions. As in because it can = ignite all kinds of unsavoury utblowings. You can use your own list of mail = addresses for this kind of thing by the way. Works great lasts a long time = :) <BR><BR> <DD>RicB </DD></DL></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>