BF>>    So it all boils down to your definition of the word
"rank" then?

 ml> no... not /my/ definition of the word... the definition as used by those
 ml> who wrote the document and in the geographical area in which the
 ml> document was written...

   So. as usual, the rest of the world is expected to adopt the US way? Figures...

 ml> ie: a former president is still called "Mr. President"

   You are obviously confusing "title" with "rank"
here. Surely you'll not get far, if you claim that Bill Clinton is still
the highest *ranking* politician in the US, do you think?

   But, what the heck, if you really believe what you write above, what's
the difference than when it comes to an IC? With the practice you advocate,
surely Ward should still be called "Mr. IC", or what's the big
difference here?

 ml> is not a former kind or queen still called "King" or
"Queen"??

   Of course not, stupid! This is a completely different world, remember!
An ex King, Queen, Prime Minister, #1 rank tennis player, or whatever, is
still nothing but an ex.

 ml> many retired military personel are still called/known by their military
 ml> rank...

   Really? So an officer, that's been degraded to a private, still holds an
officer's rank? Well, then, that could explain why the US still hasn't won
a single war, ever...

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