Dinarduo

Holy macaroni - I take a week or so off and I come back to find the land is undergoing a sex change, each home can now have guns, they are shaving their beards . . . this is starting to sound like an Iraqi party! Now all they need is an RV - which is also sounding pretty good in the news today. Thanks for the post Yota - Happy Monday all!

mcjockey - same person just very discouraged. The number of posts may not mean knowledge and understanding, but it is a direct reflection of time, commitment, and contribution to this forum. Is it completely accurate - of course not - but it is all we have. And to not recognize how much these guys do and not respect their efforts is in my opinion why so many good articles now go uncommented on - we are losing those who contribute. I do not have the knowledge or understanding to ever reach those kind of numbers nor is it something I am concerned with - I am here to learn and grow, contribute if and when I can, and hopefully offer my appreciation and congratulations when this ride is over. In the meantime we need to appreciate those who bring us news and insight rather than display rudeness and disrespect or I am afraid this great forum is going to continue to get quieter and quieter.

You are right truthful, there are a handful of troublemakers on both sides - and it seems that it is the rudeness of those who cause good people to leave. I don't mean good by way of Go RV cheerleading, I mean good as in they give insight, provoke thought, enlighten those of us who may not understand with their knowledge, do not repeat the exact same thing over and over in attempt to cram in down our throats, but actually discuss the articles and the information in them. The conversations on this site are minimal in comparison to the past because those that debate and bring insight are leaving. There are a lot of good articles that go without comment - we read in silence and move on. A forum needs discussion and debate and should be thought provoking, but if we keep losing people that comment and/or post articles what will be left? It saddens me to see the changes this forum has gone through and it scares me to think what will happen if it continues. And I am not denying faults of anyone - I am saying if we used respect more liberally in our wording maybe we could have better debates/conversations, etc and the forum would be more enjoyable for us all. However, for that to happen those who post only to cause frustration must stop and I do think there is a good bit of that going on. As for the reps - in my opinion they do matter - and not as a popularity contest but as a measurement tool. If pluses are given for bringing beneficial info/insight and negs are given not for bringing a difference of opinion but for rudeness and trouble making then the system works and it is a successful tool to measure contribution. If people are using it differently then that is their right although it is unfortunate. She may post on occasion but it is minimal in comparison to the past - previously she brought so much insight to the forum.

Just my . . . All of these people have posted over 1000 posts - and all but one has over a 1000 reputation - yet the one with minimal rep (less than half that of the others) and others like him are running off the ones who contribute the most - we've lost enough good people! How many more names have to get a line through them before this nonsense is stopped? I don't like the thought of having to report every time these guys rear their ugly, negative, nasty, mean attitudes, but if that's what it takes then that's what I will do . . . This is DinarVets, not DownerVille! Fnb 1640 rep 2204 posts Yota 2924 rep 5291 posts Zig 1774 rep 4355 posts JustInTime 1021 rep 1063 posts Stryker 2309 rep 2182 posts Carrello 3607 rep 5875 posts TimS 447 rep 1672 posts

Wow - he is certainly trying to be politically correct in his statements. Sure would be nice if they would finally hold the National Meeting and move forward with the Erbil agreement! Thanks for the post Yota - another good find!

More than $68B - I wonder how much more! Thanks for the post Yota!!!

Thanks Yota - sounds like great strides in the right direction!!!!

fnb I hope and pray you're not gone too - you, Yota, Zig, and a few others are PRICELESS . . . You guys bring so much to this site and it is so appreciated by the majority. Don't let a negative Nancy like him run you off - DV and all of us here would suffer a great loss.

I'm no genius but could this have anything to do with the debt reduction by way of paying off debts and the reductions in debt owed by Paris Club, etc? Could that combined with the increase in oil bpd being exported account for such a drastic swing? Just the first thoughts that came to mind. Feel free to rake me over the coals if I am way off base. Regardless this can't be a bad thing - GO RV!!!! Thanks for the post FNB.

Iraq was really on a roll not that long ago . . . now everything seems to be falling apart. I am going to remain optimistic that these rough waters won't last long and they will get back on track. I pray that is the case. Running away to the mountains of WV for the weekend for some much needed downtime - have a great weekend all.

GM Yota, Another very telling article by a reputable, independent group. I really hope this along with the article from the Crisis Group lights a fire under those who need it so they can intervene before it is to late. Personally, I don't see a resolution without external interference. Thanks for the post.

Thank you Yota, that is awesome. Obviously the UN and the rest of the governing bodies do listen to the Crisis Group and hopefully they will intervene and give the guidance needed. I had no idea this group was so highly respected - thank you so much for this and for all you do.

Looks like Exxon's work with the Kurds may have cost them in the end. Pretty sure they are being made an example of so others don't cross that line in the future.

Great article Yota - now to get them to actually listen! Pride comes before fall - I hope they swallow their pride before they end up in a civil war.

Great news - thanks Yota!