[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Actually, "the list" started as Mercedes-Veterans list and was started by > Alex Gabard of Switzerland.
Disinformation. The VETS list was started by Gabard. The mbz.org lists were started when Richard, along with several other people, got themselves 'banned' from the Ritter/Easley list. The two are completely independent of each other. The first mbz.org list was actually what came to be known as the "Banned" list. > Richard agreed to administer the list for > Alex, then commandeered it. Disinformation. Richard did not 'comandeer' lists, nor is it technologically possible to do so. If a list owner was not keeping it up a list, or had lost interest in continuing to do so (a very common occurrence, as mailing list admin requires both time and patience, and never ends), Richard would take it over with their approval, and bring it under mbz.org. Sure, Richard used volunteers as list admins. I have a rough idea what the Bimby sponsorship amounted to, $$$$ wise, and if you want to suggest that Richard could have made money off it, while also paying list admins, then please teach my accountant your math before my next tax return. There seems to be some suggestion in these exchanges, that Richard only had interest in lists that he could dig money out of Bimby to subsidize. Maybe someone would care to explain, therefore, why Richard also hosted lists for Rover cars and tropical fish, among other things, as well, though last time I checked Bimbyparts has no interest in either. > Rusty has graciously provided funding to keep the MBZ.org list > alive for several years (at exorbitant (extortion) rates) and continues to > support this list financially. Disinformation. Rusty does NOT support Kaleb's lists in any way, shape or form, unless such an agreement for support has taken place in the last few days (and I imagine we would have heard about it). Rusty's presence on lists is for business advantage. That is fine. He contributes parts expertise from time to time, and is kind enough to host parties for list participants. No one, including me, has any objection to that (and such participation is refused on many, if not most, car lists by the way). Bimby sponsored the mbz.org lists. True. However, Bimby did not 'own' them, in any way shape or form. To the best of my knowledge, it isn't even legally possible. Rusty's main agreement with Richard was for the original portal to buymbparts.com, linked off mbz.org, AND (probably most importantly) to use Richard's expertise in keeping Bimby appearing in the Google top ten of search results for mercedes parts. Fooling with coding to 'optimize' Google's results is specialized knowledge, and it does not come cheap. Whatever Rusty and Richard agreed to, for fees, was between them. Surely if Richard's fees were extravagant, as a competent businessman Rusty would have sought out the same service, elsewhere, for cheaper? And in any case, the buymbparts pages moved from Richard's server at least a year ago, did it not? Anyone who has spent more than five minutes in the world of business knows that there are two sides (maybe more) to every story like this. So my point is, this was and continues to be a disagreement or dispute between Rusty and one of his suppliers. To discuss it here, especially without the 'other side' being provided the opportunity to rebut, is just plain ignorant. Mac
