Steph

The most adorable prequel ... Whitney was destined to be a National Marbles Champion .... Whitney practicing her winning moment.....12 years before it was needed, lol Whitney's first National Marbles Tournament, just learning to shoot. Trying to take her first shot at 9 months..........those are itty bitty knee pads!!

Debra Stanley-Lapic the National Marbles Champion of 1973 hasn't missed a national tournament in 37 years. She has a wealth of information, not to mention photos, which she'll share if there is interest. Here is the first installment ... from this year's tournament ... a very special event! I have the privilege of posting this time while the Lapic family is traveling, celebrating and unwinding! But Debra will be back to field your questions if you have any. Thank you, Debra! The pix and captions are classic! National Finals.....Whitney Lapic, Berks County, PA and Penelope Bauer, Allegheny County, PA The traditional kiss 2009 National Marble Champions....Ricky Brode, Cumberland, MD and Whitney Lapic, Berks County, PA Whitney shooting during National finals Lining up a shot Last years National Champs crowning the new champs Me crowning my daughter.....a very proud moment Mibsters with attitude, lol

anyone have examples of polished pelts? Those can look odd ....

There are a few marbles SOMEWHERE in here. 3 peewees and a bumblebee

Here's a pair of pix showing how the poles can open up on an onionskin during polishing. I think they were from ebay. They were posted in a previous discussion.

I'm confused? Were all those things posted on this board, or at least in public? Being proud of this board for planting its feet in the sand and standing up against abuse sounds like something I might have said. But I don't know that I said it in public. Lou and Sue did stand up against abuse. And they've been paying for it ever since. It's hard to stay balanced and positive when you're having crud slung at you on a regular basis. Actually, it's sort of a compliment to them how much some others want this board to suffer. There is a lot of gray area. Few people are 100% innocent in any given situation. Few hot situations are cleanly dealt with before more than one person has dirtied their hands in ways they generally wouldn't do. Situations wouldn't have gotten hot if everyone were contributing in a rational manner. But what free speech should be allowed? And what is too far? And what about the people who are savvy enough never to be direct yet who inflict much more damage than the people who are just awkward? The best bullies aren't going to get caught as often as the less practiced ones. Some talented bullies have Lou in their sights. They deftly poke fun at Lou for cutting the awkward people slack while saying nix to people who oughta know better. I've been annoyed when that standard has been applied to me. I know better than some of the other people, so I should behave better. The fact is that moderators have to make decisions on a case by case basis, in context. No set of rules will ever be made to cover every situation specifically, and someone will be upset with how the rules are interpreted. There are people who are trying to hurt this board. I think that by reacting to it, we're letting 'em do it. Same way I let them hurt me, when I couldn't help reacting to it. But reacting hurt both me and the board more. It's tough. How much do you take? and how much does Lou allow? The critics won't allow that gray area could be decided on a case by case basis. They outright call Lou a hypocrite for taking past events into consideration when making a decision. Two similar seeming cases could get called two different ways, based on consideration of the big picture. It's a reasonable thing to do but the people who scorn this board are going to say it is hypocrtical. It doesn't matter what is said here. They're going to say it is hypocritical. They'll find SOMETHING wrong no matter what is said. And when it gets hard to find something specific wrong they can always fall back on making fun of the people on a more personal level. So, really what is the point in responding? Certainly not changing the critics. But people still feel a need to vent when they've been attacked. It's understandable. I sure feel it. ;-) I vented at the Alley though. ;-) Coz this is a marble board. And the Alley is Almost Anything Goes.

He's been gone after on some fronts. He is persona non grata here and at LOM. He registered a new name at LOM and posted this very marble last month. He thanked us for the "useful information" we gave him. And then he listed it as a CAC anyway. He doesn't seem to be violating ebay's policies most of the time since the companies whose names he is bandying about aren't in business anymore and won't sue them for trademark violation. And I don't think the couple of people who may have contacted his local police department were considered compelling enough to respond to. Someone who has actually been taken by him needs to (a) realize it and (b ) do something about it. Gonna be hard to get the right person for that job. Maybe someone with some bucks to burn and the knowhow can become one of his victims and then contact the right authorities to get action. In the meantime, he seems to get a great thrill from flaunting his doublespeak auctions and forgeries. This is one of the few he's listed recently where he's outright declared the wrong thing about it. Usually he just sort of alludes to what he wants people to conclude and many seem to fall for it.

When the culture makes something seem cool, kids want to take part in their own way. When "adult" is defined by what sort of things you need to be of age to check out from a video store, instead of in more old-fashioned terms such as the ability to take responsibilty, kids think it's more cool to be that kind of adult than to be the quiet hero kind. Maybe I'm not saying it exactly right, but the idea seems clear to me on a very common sense level. But sometimes people are laughing too loud to get the sense. If the most prominent adults in a kids life are spending as much as it sometimes seems competing to get the biggest laughs, and if the subject matter doesn't matter as long as it delivers the laughs, then what are they teachin' the kids?

modern chinese handmade pretty sure they can still be had for a buck or two.

that also bugged me. that's the kind of fold which seems to pop up in dug akros on a semi-regular basis. if it's dug who knows what would happen? not arguing. just saying. that's also keeping me mystified. But the Vitro voices are calling from across the moors ..... ooooohhhhh vitrroooooooo

If you think we might be able to help with the pix, let us know! It would be awesome to see them. I did see a 25 second video showing Whitney being crowned. http://wfmz.com/view/?id=1218630

Thanks Edna for the compliment! And thanks Dani for saying "vitro". That's what I was wondering about. Sounds as if Edna was getting at that too. But to tell the truth, I'm still mystified. The base is messin' with my head.

Well, she did it! Congratulations to Whitney! And to you, Debra!

Ditto!

All from round your neighborhood Brian?

Supposedly Pink and Peltier had financial interests in each others' company. or so it has been said. don't know how formal that was. Stacy, how's this for a start? Wrangling marbles on a scanner is tricky. Some features could be highlighted better but this is pretty close up ... (click to enlarge)

The black corks are a great group Edna! Nice!

P.P.S., That's one bag I'd try not to open, in spite of the wasps! But I might have to got out and buy half a dozen other wasps to keep me from being tempted to pull those out!

oh that pink is scrumptious, John! yeah, I know, of all the things to care about, right? with the left hand twist, and the mica, and the Akron ceramics .... but that's pink!

Cool one! I've seen other MK/Pelt crossovers, especially in that style of packaging. p.s., omigosh, those are some pretty rainbows!

Not quite true ... I have a few other unopened bags I now recall, unopened for different reasons. But several open ones anyway. :-) Darn, it's starting to be hard to keep track of all my marbles! Ugh, I have too many. Okay. No more. Done collecting now. :rol: :icon_lmao: :rol:

Sure Ray. :-) I've opened other bags. I've been okay with it so far, mostly. One bag only have I chosen not to open. The Fairygrand cat's eyes I was given recently, the "Empire Made" bag with the odd WL marking. (a mystery! and a cherished gift!) I have a tin in which the Anacortes bag fits nicely as is. The tin is lined with 3 layers of bubblewrap. "If" I open the bag, I'll do it neatly and put it below the bubble wrap. The marbles will rest safely above. The collectible value will be lost, but the educational value will be saved. And I'll get to see the marbles. My main regret in something like this has been my Bicentennial bags which I've opened and mixed in with other marbles. I got them early on and was overwhelmed with things to keep track of. Next bicentennial bag might actually stay closed but at the very least it will be specially repackaged for sake of preserving it's origin for myself and those who trust my labelling! :-)

LOL! on you it looks good!

The starting bid on this one was $23. That's what I got it for. No competition, so maybe they usually sell for less. But I'm very happy with this one. Oh Edna, I'm torn. I'm probably going to open it. There's at least a couple in there I want to see closer, and I don't get that many chances to find loose ones! arrgggh

I have something which I feel is of value to say about the things which happen on sites dedicated to lampooning others in a vulgar manner. People can turn anything they want into a joke. Joking is easy. Ethics and responsiblity and logic and standing up for virtue, these may be boring to some, but they're not easy. To live principles well, and reap the benefits thereof, is a challenge and a worthy one. At that 'wonderful' site which we've been discussing of late, Steve K. said, To which Lloyd's response was: I'm not going to use any fancy words to say which type of fallacy that is. It's enough that it is one. Lloyd is patting Steve on the back as if Steve were clever. Steve is not being clever tho'. He is making the case for the exact opposite point to the one he seems to intend. If he is correct that 3/4 of school kids are "sexting" (sending sexually explicit messages on their i-phones and such), and if as he seems to imply this is a problem which needs to be addressed and not merely the set up for a joke, then think about it. It doesn't take above-average brain power to see how related the problem of sexting is to the problem of shock-value humor and language demeaning women for the sake of laughs. To put it more bluntly, how the heck can teenagers be expected to avoid such temptations when the "adults" don't lead by example? Yeah, "wholesome" principles can be boring, or old-fashioned, or however people might want to write them off, and it's easy to fall short. But they beat the alternative. IN MY OPINION