Chas_P

It is also a big help to abuse if you attach some visual proof to your complaint....a screensnap if it's abusive language or links to suspicious boards if it's suspected cheating. That doesn't mean the complaint is not investigated if there is no visual proof; it is. But the old saw about a picture being worth 1,000 words definitely holds true here.

It's real easy to see a player's profile before you sit opposite them. Just hover your mouse pointer over the username. If the profile is blank or doesn't match your style you can keep looking for one who does. Hamman, Garozzo, Lawrence, Fantoni, Nunes, Versace, and many others have blank profiles. :rolleyes:

Man's best friend

If some guy can sell an air guitar on ebay I guess anything's possible.

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Conclusion, 1854

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zar_Points

http://www.bridgebase.com/help/v2help/comm...reviations.html

Apparently some state attorneys general agree with you. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30949.html

Not true. Here is the function of "exclude new members": Let's say a TD develops over time a list of members who are unwelcome in his games and chooses "exclude players from a file on your PC" when he creates his tournament. Badguy1 is on the list, tries to register, sees that he cant, so creates Badguy2 and tries again. Exclude new members will bar Badguy2. That would be true if you have previously encountered all 40,000 and added them to your exclude list.

I have heard it estimated that BBO currently has over 2 million registered usernames. It's probably reasonable to assume that everyone has at least 10 aliases; some hard-core troublemakers/cheaters/bad guys (take your pick) probably have over 100. But let's assume that it's only 10. That leaves 200,000 real people. I think it's safe to assume that out of 200,000 people you're bound to have some jerks. To say that BBO is "brought into disrepute" because some lunatics slip through the cracks is both insulting and undeserved imo. I can't speak for BBO management; I'm only a volunteer. But I can tell you that we all work very hard trying to keep bad guys away. I just looked at the next 50 free tournaments scheduled on BBO and 49 of them are restricted in some way...either friends, no enemies, include custom list, exclude custom list, etc. You might consider trying that. As long as free tournaments are open to the world at large you can count on some undesirables showing up.

http://online.bridgebase.com/doc/gib_system_notes.php

Assuming you are starting from scratch and using BBOWin......... 1. Open bridge movie. (You may want to log in invisible when you do this so that you aren't interrupted.) 2. Click "new". 3. Put in the number of the last board. 4. Create the hands. 5. Click "save". The movie will be saved in Bridge Base Online in the root directory of your C drive. 6. Open a table in partnership bidding. (You can also open a teaching table anywhere and do the same thing.) 7. Click movie. 8. Click "open" and find your previously saved movie. 9. Highlight the hand you want and click "send".

Being born in 1938 I am equally familiar with rotary dial telephones that could only be used within a 5' radius of where they were sitting, but that doesn't mean I want to go back to them. :) I, like you, find the "start pulling their weight" explanation offensive to all of us who pay the bill in full when it arrives. But if I have to pay $20/year for the convenience of internet shopping, pay at the pump, motel reservations, concert tickets, etc. etc. I'll pay it. Years ago when solicitations by the credit card issuers were constant I asked a banker what was up with all that. Here's what he said and these statistics may not be completely accurate, but they're close: 25% pay the bill in full when it comes; 20% will carry a balance a few months of the year..Christmas, vacation time, etc.; 55% make the minimum payment every month and it's that 55% that they're after. I don't see this law so much as an attempt to protect the "financially unwary" from the credit card companies, but an attempt to protect the financially unwary from themselves.

I didn't say it was the biggest....just that it was nice and classy. I guess paying off a cocktail server's mortgage is pretty classy too.

Years ago I read that the origin of tip as used in this context was as an abbreviation for "to insure promptness". I can't verify it, but it makes sense to me. If someone gives me service above what I expect I'm happy to leave them a substantial tip. On the other hand, I detest getting a bill with 15% added just because 3-4 couples eating at the same table asks for separate checks. I'll pay it, but there won't be 1 cent extra. The nicest tip I ever heard of occurred in 1993. Every year during The Masters in Augusta, GA a number of homeowners will vacate their homes and rent them to players in the tournament. The couple who rented their home to Bernhard Langer in 1993 did a little extra. They came by several times during the week to make sure everything was satisfactory, brought fresh flowers, etc. When they returned home after the tournament's conclusion they found their tip....the set of clubs with which Langer had just won The Masters. I think that was a class act.

The rules of this site, which are probably unread by the majority of the membership, clearly state playing on this site should be seen as a privilege, not as a right. If someone grants me the privilege of using his property, whatever it may be, e.g. "you may use my mountain cabin this weekend" I would feel compelled to abide by whatever rules come attached to that privilege, e. g. "but you can't take your dogs". Obviously you don't see it that way.

I think the keyword in the question is "impose". The implication is, "OK pard, here's this wonderful system I've devised and you can either play it with me or I won't play with you anymore." Good bridge partnerships are like good marriages imo...if both sides don't see the benefit it ain't gonna work.

I've added you to the membership Tim. The tourney times in the diary are correct; the Tuesday night game is at 7:30 EST and the Sunday night game is at 8:00 EST. Both are 12 boards and both are pairs; sometimes they're matchpoints and sometimes IMPs. The Thursday night game is an Indy also 12 boards and at 7:30 EST.

This probably isn't what you had in mind, but the man always played acoustic guitar and I love his music.

I think a real important word in all this is "earned". I could be wrong but I take it to mean that old pharts like me who are now living off dividends and interest from money earned and invested 50 years ago will get no credit since our income is not "earned". I guess that's ok. At my age I don't need too much stimulation. :(

Caitlin is teaching the transition from SAYC to 2/1 on Tuesdays in BBO_IAC if you're interested. http://pigpen.org.uk/IAC/

All airline transport pilots are highly trained. They aren't just "glorified bus drivers" as many proclaim. I once got in a Delta 767 simulator with my best friend who was a Delta captain (now retired). Without warning the sim operator put the aircraft over South America in minimum weather at night and opened a cargo door (loss of pressurization). Without incident my buddy got it down from 35,000 ft and landed Rio. So they train frequently for emergencies of all types. With that said, I doff my cap to Sullenberger who did what he had been well trained to do with great aplomb. But I gotta say he was also extremely lucky. If that aircraft had taken off from O'Hare, Hartsfield, LAX, etc. instead of fishing live folks off the wings they would've been dragging corpses from the cabin.

Pics of the retrieval are here. http://reasonpad.com/?p=1903 Those people also did a great job.

BBO_IAC has organized team matches on weekends. They are suspended during the holiday season but will resume next year. Members organize and practice in the club regularly. http://pigpen.org.uk/IAC/