Buc, I have a different take: Folks making apologies on both sides for getting carried away are certainly welcome to do so, but the test of sincerity is determined over time going forward. My two cents: Malaysian culture, Laurel and Hardy humor, flamboyant, green, and likely adolescent in some respects. A great disguise for a troll, but I doubt it (they usually never apologize and retract). We shall see.
Sincerity and integrity accrue on SMBs for all to see-- how we express ourselves reflects the content of our character. There is a lot shared here, directly and indirectly, and not everyone has access to the same PMs, so we must by a bit humble in that regard. Nobody has "complete knowledge" but we strive to pool what we know to help or humor, or sometimes aggravate one another. And yes... at times it feels quite personal. Almost like family...lol.
SMBs are but one way we get to know each other better, and I for one appreciate Kelt's wit and his family struggles; Bioman's caffeinated eruptions, Dr. F's calm expertise and precision, Drano and Jeff's bouncing humor, tob, Karin and seel's breadth of knowledge and concise sharing, and more recently 58nout and lucky9's very poignant personal stories. (there are too many to name, but you know who you are!) Both this place and the other can be quite wonderful boards, minus the occasional distractions.
I welcome diverse viewpoints but not character assassination. And character, like motivation, is a quality not always accurately determined by first impressions. People can change, learn and grow under certain circumstances (but usually not if they are tied to an agenda..lol). There's the rub: we are all used to bashers showing up, and believe we can sniff them out a mile away. We all make snap judgments, because its only human-- and first impressions are strong ones. I like to continue to test reality as new information arises.
btw... are any of us consistent in our assessment of people (even friends) over time? Is our evaluation of any particular company we invest in subject to change as info changes?
Personally, I find trolls who bash to be rather despicable people, and it doesn't matter whether its out of fun (to get a rise), boredom (no life), profit (professional) or anger (prior loss, cynicism). Those folks need to be confronted swiftly and watched closely.
That said, I continue to very much enjoy what I read here: equanimity in the context of passion, accuracy and facts in the midst of emotion, and civility as an increasingly rare form of modeling. Who was it that said: "if you use your enemy's tactics you become no better than they are." (?)
Glad to see folks have had time to reflect and are moving forward. Thank you everyone for your contributions here and there.
