Where did everbody go?

JR

I'd be glad to explain the differential (as I estimate it) if you have not figured it out already. Cost of mailing credit card solicitations to 160,000 people - something around $60,000 Cash flow from credit card fees to retail outlets @ 0.5% - lets assume $5000/year from 10% of the people that sign up for the cute card with their favorite airplane on it . $400,000 - This does not reflect the usury interest rates charged those unfortunate enough to run a credit card balance. RCU sales/auction fees for private sales - $0 Which is a heck of a lot less than the potential 4X+ return USBankcorp is getting on their $90K investment. I realize that with your broad expertise in financial, legal, and administrative matters that I may have subjected myself to severe rebuff in making the above estimate, but that is the way I see it.

From the above it looks like the AMA left a bit of money on the table for the USBankcorp deal. I wonder if anyone else bid on it?

Or to take another tack (probably more realistic), how many AMA members even visit the AMA site? From some of the questions we have seen on various groups it appears to be unknown to a many modelers (members). RCU with their closeness to the hobby knows this and what a link is really worth, USBankcorp on the other hand sees 160,000 potential credit customers and are probably clueless as to the exposure they get. Give someone on the AMA staff a bonus for a great selling job here.

I'm sure our Exec. Director, Mr. Holland, has briefed all the EC members on their responsibilities under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. I'm also sure they get their share of veiled threats of "serious grief " from any number of amateur lawyers and have learned to deal with it.

Red S.

SNIP

SNIP

Red, I wonder if that is why the RCU folks feel it is within their right to change what posters have said with no notice? They understand stupid followers will still follow, much like some unnamed AMA DVP's. Enjoy their high level of integrity and honor, if you can find it.

I don't know where you get your information. Speculation? The expenses of mailings, etc. is borne by the bank. That is to say, the AMA gets $90,000 + free and clear, as I understand. Now, the DVD program that no one seems to love made the AMA over $50,000 last year. Would it make more sense to put a link to that enterprise? Of course it would. Horizon Hobbies has agreed to give buddy boxes to all new AMA members at no cost in a Buddy Box program approved by the EC a few months ago. Would it make more sense to give them the space than RCU? of course it would!

Red, you can not justify RCU having that space for $307 if you know what other enterprises could potentially use the space instead. Perhaps they belong on the page of links you alluded to earlier. You can not justify the price charged if you know the amount being paid/donated by other enterprises. There must be a reason RCU is on the front page, and it certainly is not service to the membership, nor money, relative to the other potential uses, IHMO.

Holland briefed the EC on Sarbanes-Oxley before Stillman, Smith, and Argenio were elected. It might be worth checking on. Perhaps he briefed them individually, perhaps not.

I offered to discuss this with you, and you have responded to one of my questions. How about the others? I suggested a discussion, not an inquisition. Perhaps the answers requested of you won't support your end of the discussion????

Noah, I agree with you. The problem is that the RCU clowns decided that THEY knew what I should have said and fixed it to be so with no notice. If there was a problem, I have previously demonstrated the willingness to change what was said or even the manner in which it was said. However when some new clown comes in and changes what I have said, in an environment where an AMA DVP has offered to change my AMA membership status and threatened lawsuit over posts here and there on the Internet, I take personal offense because RCU has exposed me to uncontrolled liability and as such have not been back since. I even have private e-mail where they defend their actions and rights to do such. I feel the RCU moderators are into control and power games and deserve the idiocy they get. Too bad, because they used to have a valuable site that we all had the chance to use in our attempts at learning lots of things. I hope their business model allowed for the abject stupidity demonstrated. They lost my interest and that of others I respect.

Jim Branaum AMA 1428

Now that is an interesting (and correct) point of view. Thank goodness for broadband....

I missed one question. USBankCorp out bid the prior bank the AMA had been doing business with. That is why they now have the AMA as a partner. Their bid was well above any other, I have been told.

Why do you ask? Do you think soliciting bids is the appropriate way to do business?

Never trust or believe ANYONE who won't use his real name or sign his mail :-)

If you are talking about me, I have never had a problem disclosing my name. You can also have the AMA number so you can verify it on the AMA site memeber verification page.

Jean-Pierre Rondot (J_R) AMA 732

I really wonder why you are asking for pedigrees again. Is Red going to attack JR's wife on the internet as he did mine or were you going to have someone else do it like AMA AVP Bill Fulmer with his threats? It looks like you folks want to take the AMA into personality cult attacks on modelers. From time to time I disagree with Red, which should be fine except he seems to have a problem with freedom of thought. Sort of like the forum HE started and threw me off because we disagreed. Lockstep his way or the highway, a fine example of AMA leadership mentality seen in more than one case.

Jim Branaum AMA 1428

For all of those strict Usenet constructionists (no top posting, etc.) this thread is an example of one of the most egregious violations. It's called "Stealing a thread." Sorry pcpoopy ;-))

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uunet!in1.uu.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!in2.uu.net!tale

Hmm.. I guess E-mail, since it's "older" than usenet, is on its way out then?

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 17:46:26 -0500, "Ed Forsythe" wrote in :

Thread drift happens.

Let the one among us who has never drifted cast the first aspersions. :-P

Marty

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 03:21:40 -0500, "Ed Forsythe" wrote in :

Hi, Ed!

"[Forsythe], forgive them--they know not what they do."

Marty

| For all of those strict Usenet constructionists (no top posting, etc.) this | thread is an example of one of the most egregious violations. It's called | "Stealing a thread." Sorry pcpoopy ;-))

Actually, that's incorrect. The netiquette guides generally don't consider `thread drift' (which you call `stealing a thread') to be a violation at all -- it's just something that happens.

They might suggest that you update the Subject: as is appropriate, but really, the only people who scream `don't steal my thread!' are those using web forums (or those who grew up on them anyways.)

For Usenet, they're expected and generally not even considered to be a bad thing (some think they are, of course ... but it's hardly a `egregious violation'.)

| > FWIW, here's the original charter:

Quit trying to confuse the issue with verifiable and relevant facts! :)

Don't forget that many of our group's members are simply dying.

I always thought that I would see this, or notice it, when/if I reached my seventies. Nope, mid fifties. I have lost close to one third of my friends and acquaintances that graduated on or around my High School graduation date.

The second unclaimed war didn't help any, but drugs, heart disease, diabetes and cancer have taken a considerable slice too.

I was raised in the shadow of what was formerly one of the world's largest chemical manufacturing facilities. I can't help but believe that this fact holds considerable sway over the outcome. Then again, we did live better than most for a while with the high wages, etc. I guess life is a set of trade-offs.

Also, those that have not died have been forced into early retirement, with reduced retirement benefits and healthcare. Models are expensive.

Now that I have cheered everyone up...

My new Rossi .60 with tuned pipe came today. I couldn't get one of these back when I was flying pattern because the few that came into the country were distributed to the top name flyers first. But I'll have a lot of fun with it now.

Ed Cregger

wrote in

You beat me to it!

Ed Cregger

Ah-ha! That's MY forte' - or four-tay - erm - forty?

Ed Cregger

Don't feel bad. Last year I was hot and heavy into guitars and bass guitars. A new forum started up and I discovered that I was on the "do not let register list". I'm not a guitar snob, so I was never given the opportunity to let everyone know that they are getting screwed if they pay more than $250 for a guitar or bass these days. The cheap imported instruments are honestly that good. The con-o-sewers of several thousand dollar instruments really got in a huff when I proved that you can't buy your way to making good music and that you still have to have some personal talent (which I lack).

Ed Cregger

Models are expensive.

Sorry Ed I couldn't help it. You know, bandwith and such :)

Anyway link to one of my latest, F-15. A whole $1.50 in foam. Radi and Motor, well that's a different story.

-- starca

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