activities and a variety of other topics.

Being only a member for mere months and a collector of chips for only six-plus months, and extremely interested in the workings of the .... I think it is a positive thing to occasionally debate such issues here on the ChipBoard.

And I think that all the responses to all the varied topics are helpful, for issues need to be heard in such an open-forum such as this.

A couple thoughts come to mind:

Smoking: If I understood all being said in these posts, is that the present 'smoking-areas' (or lack of them) are not that accommodating to the dealers at the convention (and likely the 25-30% of the members who smoke). Beyond debating if smoking is a good or evil thing in our society ... trying to make a smoking zone closer to the convention floor for dealers and fellow club members seems to be a worthwhile thing. If one could strike a balance between making ONE area for smoking closer then it is presently and at the same time not placing it in such an area where non-smoking members are negatively affected, then why not see if a positive change could be made. Better to work on this goal then to split the membership on a smoking policy "majority rules" vote (when members come from all areas of the country and international locations).

Borland: Being new to the hobby ... all chips are 'new' to me, as I learn each day about the hobby and its history. Borland chips are fascinating and controversial, at the same time. I only have a couple of his chips in my collection. It is a category in itself. It is great to see the debate on its history and how he was able to do what he did. It is through these debates that I learn (as I would imagine others have also) the history of the hobby and how Borland played a part in shaping it (for good and bad reasons).

Jim: Thank you for posting your thoughts on 10 statements.

: The best club, with the best members, for the best hobby.

Cheers,
Derek Bistricky R-8169