onoway

I used to be against the death penalty..for one thing too many people are found guilty and later found to be innocent and the death penalty makes that particular wrong a bit difficult to correct in any meaningful way. That said, I now am ambivilent if not pro execution for people who are PROVEN in a true court of law to have behaved in such a fashion as to make it questionable whether the accused has any capacity to be trusted to behave in a "civilized" fashion. I am thinking specifically of people who rape babies (it happens, believe it or not) and that level of antisocial behaviour. To me, anyone who behaves in such a fashion has virtually rejected his right to be called human and should be executed like any other rabid animal. However, I also think that should there be any doubt whatsoever, there should be some sort of failsafe where people who are found guilty could be put into some sort of cold storage...I read some time ago about an anesthetist who was investigating various natural drugs used in various cultures, including those used to create a state where the person was in a state of suspended animation, so to speak..able to see and hear but unable to move. it seems to me that should such a situation be available it would be a much more terrifying and preventative prospect for the person comtemplating murder or such...be a whole lot cheaper to run than most prisons are now, and in the event of a mistake the person could be restored to some sort of life. Admittedly, it sounds science-fictionish, but how much more so than instant communication throughout the world through the internet? as far as Saddam...he lived by the sword, so to speak, so if you play in that sandpatch..unfortunately Bush is also playing in that sandpatch and it seems unlikely he will ever be called to account in this world for his actions. Even people whose parents were killed by Saddam acknowlege it was not a fair trial. It is unfortuante that someone who claims to be trying to bring the world to democracy seems to have so little faith in democracy and the rule of law actually working.....

I don't know just where this should go but was wondering about whether or not the POINTS SCHMOINTS series by Marty Bergen was available in individual books or cds. I am looking specifically for the one on Understanding 1NT Forcing... also, before Christmas one of the clubs had tee shirts with a BBO logo on them as prizes..has BBO given any thought to having these things available for us poor schmucks who would love to have one but are unlikely to win one? Aside from that, a huge thank you to the BBO people for the many many hours of fun and frustration this site has provided over the last year . THANK YOU :D

Most certainly this was by far the worst example of bad manners I have seen in BIL, However, I think it overkill to rearrange the format because of it. There were a large number of people there who had never attended such an event in BIL before (as far as I could tell that was partly the point) and perhaps were unaware of the unigueness of the opportunity being offered and of the protocol. Perhaps some of these people are normally deficient in manners, perhaps others were not fully aware of how these events are run. However, in most of the past events of this type in BIL, the events have gone off extremely well, and I have found the general atmosphere to be enhanced rather than diminished by the occassional comments. The problem as I see it was not that there were comments, but that the comments were rude, aggressive and defiant, and totally out of keeping in any way with courtesy or common sense. Occassionally in the main lounge and sometimes elsewhere bad manners are encountered but it was a shock to meet them in BIL. I suspect many of us there that day would have been pleased had Maureen simply removed them from the tourney and from BIL. I don't know if that was possible, but I am quite sure that the rest of us are less than interested in having members like that in our "safe haven". I would hate to think that such boors had the ability not only to upset a large number of people short term, but by encouraging restrictions previously unneeded and unwanted to be put into place, to diminish the freedoms and pleasure the rest of us get from the events in BIL. A short comment...I personally LIKE having the analysis of the hands after each hand, while it is still fresh in my mind. The analysis after the whole turney is over is useful, of course, but sometimes the information has more impact if it is available directly at the time rather than diluted by time and a myriad of other later problems. In any case I hope Mr. Klinger forgives us for the behaviour of a few socially deficient nitwits and realizes our embarrassment, shock and shame at the way he was treated by them.

just a comment that I really like the improved format for the analysis of the hands. It is a lot easier to follow. Now if only the results posted to my name were only a little better.....:-)

[hv=d=e&v=n&w=shaj32dak8754caj2&e=sqt3hqt74d9632cq8]266|100|Scoring: IMP bidding as follows 2CL Pass 2DI 2SP 3DI Pass 3HE Pass 4HE Pass Pass Pass I opened 2CL as I was afraid pard would pass 1DI..suggestions and comments?[/hv]

I wasn't thinking so much of penalty doubles as generally with pickup pards these seldom seem to kick in below game (or when opps are obviously stopping). What I find confusing is how to tell the difference between support, negative and takeout doubles...they all seem to promise slightly different things..how is a declarer to know? :unsure:

don't quite know where all the hostility to equestrian sports comes from..a favorite of mine is cattle penning..useful sort of thing in this part of the country. I have seen teams with children five or six years old and grandparents who had to be pushing 70 sharing the responsibilties....can't touch the cattle, nothing gets hurt, but the time limits assure there is plenty of action once things get going...how many sports activities can be identified where generational teams can be truly competitive? :) Pam

I wonder if the way this is heading is maybe a division between those of us who play at a lower level, and perhaps do not have the inclination/talent/desire/time to aspire to the world's and those who do? Now it seems both groups are co-existing relatively comfortably, but most of the suggestions I have seen reflect the ideas of those people heavilly into very serious competition. Might it not be a good idea to have a club dedicated to them within BBO that could be as stringent as they seem to want to make all of BBO? One of the special things about this site is that it is so hospitable to people of varying degrees of ability and ambition. e.g.The new convention card..what I have seen of it..seems to be very helpful in facilitating communication, and after all, if you are in a solid partnership aren't you supposed to know what your p's bid means anyway? so presumably it isn't telling you anything you don't know,right? In the meantime, for those of us who play with pick up pards,and with sometimes erratic bidding skills, it is nice to know what is going on..from both sides. It certainly can be a learning experience...oh my god, I didn't mean THAT..and thus will I think lead to better bridge. If it can be shut off for players who do not wish to use it, or perhaps in tournaments, how can it be other than a good thing? I believe most of us want to play the best bridge we can, but bottom line, are also here for the fun and social aspects of the game, not just the strategy. I am going on at length as I suspect many BBO regulars don't rummage around the forums much. so am trying to bring another point of view forward....

seems to me people ought to be able to take responsibility for their own computers. I think it isn't a monstrous problem to chat to someone and be told they may not answer immediately and personally I like it the way it is. If someone comes back and forgets to click it off, sooner or later they are reminded , and in the meantime, what harm is done? The other side of the coin is that it is possible to vanish for a short time and not miss anything the way it is now. Some people don't even click on brb, just go and leave their computers on. That is somewhat more disconcerting as you don't know if they are deliberately ignoring you or what, but changing brb will not address this,(except I suspect that more people are likely to do exactly that if it is changed.) I think the system functions extremely well as it is. If I could only bid/play half as well as this site works I would be a happy camper.

does anyone know of a good computer program for BIDDING? I have the bridgemaster and it is fantastic for play but of course does not address bidding. Also have GIB but since I don't play 2/1 I have found it frequently to be frustrating and at times bewildering..I am unable to play sometimes for a couple of months at a time and would love to find a program I could take with me so it doesn't feel like starting all over again every time I return to BBO....