Shannon,
 
> You "assumed" that I just obtained a certificate by some
'easy' method.
 
A lot of US-degrees indeed are obtained by an easy method. The requirements
often are sub-standard.
 
I remember writing overthere someone's US thesis on sociology in a matter
of a few days late in 1992, never having studied the matter and with just a
couple of key-pointers to go on. She went on to earn her PHD that way.
 
What is the value of a certificate? Nothing! It's what you do with and how
you further develop the knowledge-gained which makes the difference.
 
> You forget that I have a considerable education, as well as extensive
> training afforded to me by my employer.
 
Well so have I. What's the big deal? Some are just lucky ... you, me, some others ...
 
> I'm here, you're there, Michiel is in The Netherlands, who cares?  I
> stated my opinion here, -- and that's pretty apparent.
 
Based on mail? That is a very thin basis if you ask me.
 
I've got the advantage of having broken bread with him and that's the edge
which I've got over you. We have talked, ate, drank coffee, exchanged
opinions, agreed, dissagreed etc ... "in person". And my
experience is, I'll repeat it, that so far I've still got to meet the first
real asshole of Fidonet in person.
 
>> I've got boxes full of certificates, some even issued by the UN ... big
>> deal!
 
> Well there you have it.... The UN?  What a useless organization....
 
"Useless" is the wrong word because there is a "raison
d'ˆtre" for such an organisation. Having worked for it I can only say
it could be managed better with a way lower cost.
 
> The fact is, Michiel has a "HATE" issue, and that's
apparent.  When I'm in
> an echo, he goes on the attack.  It doesn't take a frigging PHD to figure
> out that the guy has some issues......  Use your eyes to read his
> messages, and your noodle to understand them.
 
Michiel never attacks anyone. 'Gentleness' and 'reason' are his
middle-names, he's a soft-spoken person who's experienced a number of blows
in his personal life, happens to love cats, is a HAM-operator, has
something good going at home and ... never raises his voice.
 
As I said, I've met the guy, he's just a phone-call away and the perception
that several here have of him could not be more wrong.
 
The only bad streak he has is that he is very bright and always wants to be
right. The real trouble is that most of the time he _is_ right, and the few
occasions where he isn't he always concedes.
 
Now, as to who is first ... in this particular thread it is quite obvious.
 
This past Monday Fidonews was not released. Somebody caught it, allerted
me, I wrote a message about it and within hours 'you' posted this:
 
************************* QUOTE *************************
Date: 19 Sep 06  16:29:26
From: Shannon Talley
  To: All
Subj: FidoNews Editor MIA?
____________________________________________________________________________
 
Does anyone know what the plan is for Fidonews?  It appears as though Bjorn
is absent from his duties with no word otherwise.
 
Does a new editor need to be assigned?
 
Shannon
 
19 Sep 06 07:12, SHANNON TALLEY wrote to All:
 
 ST> To the current editor of Fidonews:
 
RW>There isn't one...no use in asking.
 
 ST> Since there wasn't an issue of Fidonews released this week, what is
 ST> your plan regarding future issues of Fidonews?
 
 ST> Will there be another, and if so, what naming scheme will you use and
 ST> when will it be sent?
 
 ST> Shannon
************************ UNQUOTE ************************
 
The man's system having crashed and 'you', not someone else, 'you' went
into the offensive in both echoes FIDONEWS and here in IC. Totally
unprovoked, there hadn't been a single message published here for 27
consecutive days.
 
Just for the record ... my own system had been down for a full 3 days some
3-4 weeks ago. During that time there was no Fidonews-distribution either
... nobody probably noticed, nobody complained. That is because nobody
reads Fidonews (the publication) because nobody writes something in it. So
nobody misses it ... until someone writes a single message about it.
 
Also during my 3 days of being down, there were no demands for my
replacement. And some time ago Janis also had some technical issues to deal
with ... I didn't hear anyone call for her replacement.
 
And when the former ZC6 went missing for over a year there were no calls
for replacement, neither were there calls for replacement when a former ZC5
went missing for the better portion of a year.
 
But when Bjorn's system goes down, then within 8 or 9 hours 'you', not
someone else, 'you' posted what we all saw here. There's no denying
possible and to me it seems in this particular thread you've got the
protagonist and antagonists switched.
 
Just my unqualified opinion of course.
 
Take care,
 
 \%/{at}rd

--- D'Bridge 2.55