Sheepdog1969

I have always been a big Motown fan and Thriller maintained that traditional Motown vibe as it's foundation, but then layered tighter, slightly increased BPM, end of disco era dance beats and unique frequency modulated synth tones atop it. Michaels signature style was the perfect icing on that cake. I typically refer to Motown rhythms as "Grooves". I used to describe MJ's Thriller as "Driving Groove", but maybe Bruno Mars described it better with the term, "Uptown Funk".

What a great truck! Petty efficient with the 6. My 2006 Honda Accord EX 6 will be the last new car I will ever buy, for many, many reasons. I have a 1970 Chevy Chevelle 4 door 250 Turbo Thrift inline 6 with 56K on the OD, and numbers matching original that my grandma bought new. Super easy to work on. I also have a 1884 GMC 2500 Vandura Explorer conversion with a 307 5.0 8 with overdrive. It was bought new by my father and I restored it about 19 years ago. (I still need to reupholster the interior) I love it too! No chips, no electronic ignition, and naturally asperated (both are two barrels). Spark, fuel, and air baby!!

The MJ Thriller album is a favorite of mine. The production value is great, every song jams, and EVH plays on it so it has to be great, lol. (I was hesitant to post it here for fear of the slings and arrows I expected to be launched at me for posting it 🙂)

Yup, I saw the post from the guy who said he had purchased it, and I truly think he bought a fake. Regarding the Gold, I am basing my comment on how the 24K gold hardware on my '83 CSE Korina Explorer aged. Mine did not "pit", but rather wore down, for lack of a better description. Not sure what type of Gold is on the '72 reissue, but I don't think the '72 reissue is a CSE, so the Gold plating probably is not the same 24K as on my '83 Explorer CSE, (or other CSE models.) Literally everything on the V in question is wrong, (Based on my decades of research on the '83 Korina Heritages/CSE Explorers) Below is a link to one of my posts about '83 Korina Heritages and CSE Explorers . Check out the pictures, in this link, of the Gold hardware on my '83 CSE Explorer to see what I mean. There are no "pits", as you will see. (The pics are posted a few replies down from my original post, btw.) https://forum.gibson.com/topic/170547-1983-gibson-heritage-explorer-confusionmisidentification/#comment-2162042

I just read your post and I have extensive knowledge about '83 Heritage and Custom Shop Edition Explorers. I have a '83 CSE Korina Explorer, btw, purchased new and verified. Admittedly, I have far lass knowledge about the Korina '83 V's. However, No '83 Heritages had Gold hardware, nor did any CSE versions have Ivory/plastic tuning knobs. I noticed no markings on the tuners and the type of tuners are not the type Heritages or CSE's came with. From my understanding, no Heritages from '83 were painted, and all were natural. Heritages did come with "inked" serial numbers and CSE '83 Korina's has "pressed serial numbers" and "pressed" Made in USA markings AND inked two color (gold and black) Custom Shop Edition "banner logo's". The 20 black '83 production amounts matched exactly how many '83 black CSE Korina Explorers were made. There are far to many inconsistencies in the pictures you posted for me to believe your V is a '83 Heritage, a '83 CSE, let alone a Korina. If the "inked" serial numbers, when checked via the Gibson site, match a Heritage V, I would surmise someone simply used real numbers to make a forgery seem real, and this happens quite often. I can't even see any "Made in USA" markings. Additionally, I'm 99% sure the hardware is not 24K Gold (which all CSE models came with) due to how they have corroded/tarnished. 1983 Heritage Korina V's run between $25,000 to $50,000 plus, and no one would ever consider painting one, or replacing the Silver colored hardware with Fake/non Gibson hardware (like the tuning machines in your pictures), nor would it be possible to paint a Heritage, yet somehow not paint over the inked serial number. '83 Korina Heritages are so rare and so hard to even find pictures of, no one would ever thing of devaluing one by doing anything to it at all! '83 Custom Shop Edition Korina's, about half of which were painted, run between $15,000 to $50,000, so the same applies. But your V cannot be a '83 CSE, (or any year CSE) because there is no pressed serial number and no "pressed" Made in USA marking. The finish does not appear to be "nitro" either. In my opinion, you have a fake, especially if the "inked" serial number indicates it is a Heritage, which it defiantly is not. The tuners alone, (no Gibson markings), scream fake/forgery. Hope you didn't pay too much for it.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael was accepted into the Pro Football Hall of fame today! He is the 7th '85 Bears player to make it into the Hall of Fame. Mongo has advanced ALS and is paralyzed below the neck. He cannot speak, breath, or eat on his own. Let's pray that Mongo is able to make it to Canton for his induction. God Bless his wife Misty and all those who have diligently cared for Steve as his health has declined.

Wow, that's a massive story. I will say that because of how it unfolded, (and because of what I was forced to do), Brian Culbertson's life took a different path which led to his successful music career.

PS - Till the day my mother died, (actually till the day Frontal Lobe Dementia stole her memories from her), she HATED "The refrigerator" Perry because she thought he stole the touchdown that Walter "Sweetness" Payton deserved in the Super Bowl. (Which he never got, btw.)

Until now, I have never told these stories in a public forum like this. Obviously, our close family friends were told these stories, and more, but we always respected the privacy of any of our family friends and we limited details of what we told, and what we told was focused on the positive. I defiantly have some non publicized stories that aren't so upbeat, but none of them are as sordid as what we all hear about athletes and public figures today. Every person I talked about here are/were genuine God fearing Christians who, in my opinion, were better human beings than I could ever hope to be. Even Butkus matured into a well spoken professional actor, commentator and loving parent. It is said that, "You should never meet your heroes", presumably because they could never meet the expectations that you have of them. Sadly, I could never meet the few humans I may have considered as "heroes", because like my great uncle who died on a beach at Iwo Jima, my "heroes" were military folks who sacrificed their lives defending Freedom. Let me amend that statement. Not all of my heroes perished in war. That was a pathetically short sighted and careless comment. My heroes defiantly include every single service member who returned from their service "different", mentally and/or physically, because of what they experienced in the service of our country. So, I never considered any athlete a "hero", solely based on their athletic achievement, just to be clear. The guys I have talked about here were "Grabowski's", and every real Chicago Bears fan knows what that means. (And their family members, who I mentioned here, were/are "Grabowski's too.) Each one of them that I "met", exceeded my expectations, and to a person, they treated me and my kin as if we were family. Lastly, I should mention something that George Stanley Halas graciously did for my father, and a few other A.E. Staley management team members in March of 1983, each of whom had continued to support his alma mater, The University of Illinois, with their personal funds, in lieu of corporate donations from A.E. Staley to the University, which had been discontinued by Staley's Board of Directors in 1982. Apparently, the large share holding descendants (family members) of Staley founder Augustus Eugene Staley had ceased to remain as active members of the Staley Corporation, and no family members held positions on it's Board of Directors in 1982. As such, Staley's management team chose to end the company's decades long tradition of donating corporate funds to the University of Illinois. My Father, and a few other Staley management team members chose to continue this tradition of giving by collectively from their personal funds, (albeit a lesser amount of total funding), to the University in the Staley name. George got wind of this, and as a token of his appreciation, he and the team members of the '83-'84 Bears presented signed team footballs to my Dad and the other management team members at Staley who had selflessly continued to "anonymously" donate their personal funds to the U of I in the Staley name. Essentially, these signed balls contained nearly every player who played on the '85 Super Bowl Champion team, including Halas, "Da Coach" Ditka, Buddy Ryan, Payton, etc., save for "The Refrigerator" Perry and a few other player added to the '84-'85 team. George died on October 31st, 1983, only months after this generous gift. Little did we know that the '85 Bears would win the Super Bowl, sadly without GSH at the helm. Having George's signature on that football, along with the '83-'84 Bears team members/coaching staff, means more to my family than a signed '85 Super Bowl Championship football ever could. Dear God, my brother and I may have to dual with live pistols at twenty paces to determine who gets that ball when Dad dies, (since my Dad's mom lived to 103, we will be waiting awhile. Plus, I've always been the better shot, so screw you Jeff, LOL).

Unfortunately, **** passed in October of 2023. My Dad was barely able to attend the University of Illinois because his family was so poor. They literally played music, as a family, at local bars when dad was quite young, just for tips and food. Dad had to work in the dorm cafeteria to earn a few bucks to help with expenses while attending The University of Illinois. He was allowed to eat his meals with the athletes, who ate before the non athlete students in the same dinning room, so he could work the lunch line as a cafeteria assistant when the regular students ate their meals, (there were far more non athlete students who ate there each day than scholarship athletes who were fed an hour earlier in that hall, so dad's help was far more necessary in the cafeteria during regular dinning hours.) Dad said that he noticed that no one would sit near **** when he ate. Dad said he was truly like an animal, and he would grunt the few words he would speak, (if he was ever spoken to), as he devoured his meals. Dad felt bad for him, and he saw **** as Illinois' next Red Grange. So, Dad sat with him every chance he got. He admitted it was quite terrifying, and he told me that he never actually had a single meaningful conversation with ****. Dad told me that after 6 months or so of being the only person willing to sit at the same table with him, Butkus occasionally would look up from inhaling his food and acknowledge Dad with a simple head nod and/or tiny smile. Dad said **** actually gave Dad that same head nod a few times as they crossed paths on campus. "**** was a real a$$ hole" my Dad would say, "but his meanness was unequalled on the field. He was a guy who actually played like he lived. He was my favorite Neanderthal." I never forgot that. #50 with The University of Illinois and #51 with the Bears. Both numbers are now retired. NOTE: **** = Richard. Thanks censors... ...NOT!

My Dad worked for A.E. Staley in Decatur, Il when I was little. Papa Bear bought the "team" from Staley's when they were called "The Decatur Staley's". My Dad was fortunate enough to meet George a few times because of that connection. (This may help those who wondered why the Bears mascot is named "Staley the Bear".) Dad said being a Bears fan was in our blood. When A.E.Staley's and Continental Food Products Company merged in the mid '80's, we moved up to Barrington Hills, Il, since my Dad was asked to run the new company's Pension/Benefit asset program. My family's Bears connections grew unexpectedly and exponentially in Barrington. The Vice Principal of Barrington HS (when I attended) was Gary Fencik's Dad, and Gary's younger brother was my classmate. (I have so many great stories about Gary, BTW!) Sweetness, we found out, was our neighbor, and he and Connie, and the kids, lived down the street on Mundhank Drive. Connie and my mom got to be friends and my brother would baby sit Jarrett when Connie had her hands full with newborn Brittney. Mike Singletary moved into that same neighborhood, just east of Walter's place, around that time. We got to know Mike and Kim through the Payton's, and I think Kim was preggo with Kristen around then. She was the first of their 7 kids. Kristen's birthday is one day before mine, and she was born about a year or so after Brittney Payton. Beyond talk of our family's Bears connection via Staley's, my Dad and Mike spent a lot of time talking about their hearing issues. My father is profoundly "hard of hearing", and he did not know that Mike was nearly deaf until I told him just before he met Mike for the first time at the Payton's. Mike's speech was extremely affected by his hearing loss, and with my dad's hearing issues, Kim and I had to translate quite a bit, mostly so my dad could understand Mike. Quality hearing aids were becoming available at that time, but were very expensive, and were only being prescribed by a handful of audiologists back then. I will be forever thankful for Mike and Kim's efforts that connected my dad with their audiologist who was able to allow my dad to regain a bit of his hearing. Mike was very private about his hearing issues and his speech limitations. I remember he and Kim very discretely signing to each other in ASL at get togethers. Although Walter did not mind when my mom continually referred to him as "Sweetness", (Jeff and I always called him Mr. Payton or Sir), I never heard anyone call Mike "Samurai" except when I heard Hilgy call him that once. (That's an interesting story for another time that includes Butthead and beers.) Steve Fuller moved in a few houses up from the Singletary's around when Mike and Kim moved in, as I remember it. I only met him a few times, but he was very nice, always smiling, and was a towering man (6'4"), who made Sweetness and Singletary (5'10" & 5'11" respectively) look tiny! About 2 years later while I was attending the University of Iowa and working as the Assistant manager/Bartender at The Sports Column Bar & Grill, (owned by Don Stockfleet), I was again fortunate enough to spend more time with a group of '85 Bears, a few of which I already knew. Don Stockfleet had been Iowa's 2nd string center behind Jay Hilgenberg. Both of them were born in Iowa City, and they had grown up together, played ball together, and were inseparable until they graduated Iowa. After graduation, Donny stayed in Iowa City and opened a sports bar and Hilgy went to Chicago to play for the Bears in '81. Every year during the off season, Hilgy would come back to Iowa City and spend a few days with his brother Joel, (who also was a starting center at Iowa until '84 when he was drafted by New Orleans), his family, and his best friend Donny. Hilgy loved to drag a few of his Bears teammates to Iowa City each year for his visit, and Hilgy's status/history in Iowa City insured him and his crew the royal treatment. Donny's bar was "home base", and it was walking distance from the hotel suites, (at the nicest hotel Iowa City had to offer), where Hilgy and his boys would stay while in town. Donny would assign his most trusted bartender to the group each year as a concierge/personal valet during their stay. This person needed to know the town, the other bar and restaurant owners/managers in town, the local cops, the hotel management team, and be intelligent, resourceful, and confident enough to control the reigns of Hilgy's motley crew. He had to keep them all fed, happy, and entertained without letting them get to drunk, or getting into fights, or knocking up some freshmen girl, or getting arrested or hurt, etc.. Basically keeping them from doing anything that could jeopardize their NFL careers. They needed to be driven anywhere they wanted to go, no cabs or rides with anyone else, nor were any of them to go off alone. They were to never wait in line or wait for a table, nor were they to pay any tabs or have any tabs in their names. (All tabs/bills were to be set up and collected by the "concierge", and then given to Donny each night so he could pay and tip the appropriate business(') the next day.)This "job" got exponentially more difficult after '85. In '89, after working for him for 6 months or so, Donny assigned me the task. Other than knowing that my parents lived in the suburbs of Chicago, he had no idea of my Bears connections, (nor did he know my actual age. At the time, as I was using an altered ID to bartend). When he told me what he wanted me to do, (a week before Hilgy and crew were to arrive), I had never heard of this annual ritual, nor did I know that Donny was Iowa's center behind Hilgy, nor did I know about their Iowa City history and friendship. Since Donny loved to give orders and talk more than he liked to listen, I never got the chance to tell him about my family's relationship with the Bears, prior to Hilgy's arrival. When Hilgy, Joel, Butthead, Tom Thayer, and Dan Hampton arrived a week later, I greeted them as their airport shuttle arrived at the hotel. Their suites were ready for them, and I introduced myself as I escorted them to the top floor of the hotel. I then gave a brief history of my family's relationship with the Bears, from Staley's to Sweetness, Singletary, Fuller, and that I had met Hilgy and Butthead at Singletary's house a few years before. Any hint of uncomfortableness these adult professional athletes may have had with a teenaged college student being their valet/nanny for the next few days, evaporated immediately. Apparently, if Connie Payton and Kim Singletary liked me, they had no choice but to treat me well or face Connie and Kim's wrath. It was a fun 4 days and 3 nights, and I got to do it all over again with them a year later, (except for Hampton who couldn't come back for what ever reason. A kid named Cap Boso came instead, and I happened to know his uncle who lived in Barrington Hills, so we got along quite well too.) I was blessed with getting to know, and making friends with some of the greatest Chicago Bears ever to play the game, and with some of their family members too. Connie graciously reached out to us when she heard about my mother's passing, just as we were there for her and the kids in '99 when Walter died. Hilgy's dad Jerry, who was also an all American center for Iowa, an Air Force Veteran, and then an assistant coach at Iowa, died 1/14/24 at 92. Dad and I braved the cold and went to Iowa City on 1/28/24 for the informal memorial at Kinnick Stadium. Unfortunately, I did not get to speak to Hilgy, Joel or Donny. Sadly, Mike McCaskey destroyed the proud GSH legacy of the Chicago Bears, and nearly 4 years after his death, the Bears have yet to recover. They are nearly impossible to watch and it's quite hard to remain a fan. After my mom passed, nearly a year ago, we decided to give up our season tickets. That kinda says it all.

Heck yeah brother! You beat me to it. I have a 1st pressing (vinyl) of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Greatest Hits/ A&M Recordings. It sounds sooooo good through my system (1,500+ watt, dual sub 7.2 system with high end speakers and a Gemini PDT-6000 turntable) I grew up listening to this album on my Dad's Panasonic 2 channel stereo tiny speaker home system and loved it then. My mind was blown when I played it through my system after restoring the turntable. I was a Fifth Bone/Bass Trombone player in a HS funk/jazz band in my teens that was rated No. 1 in the USA by Down Beat Magazine. We recorded albums each year, and toured Europe the summer after my sophomore year. (Jim Culbertson was our director. He is the father of recording artist Brian Culbertson, btw.. Check him out on Youtube. Jim plays lead trumpet on his sons albums.) So, obviously, I really appreciate horns. I always get a kick out of playing "Spanish Flea" for my older friends who all say, "It's a great little car.", when I play it. (per the Mazda GLC ads). Yes, the "Dating Game" references are called out as well, LOL.

https://hazeguitars.com/blog/setting-intonation-on-a-gibson Hope this helps! 🙂

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Why should you never trust atoms? Because they make up everything!

I think you added at least one digit extra in the serial number.

Can you imagine paying a premium for a brand new Porsche with intentionally manufactured dents, scratches, chips, rust, and faded/worn upholstery, instead of paying less for the exact same car in pristine condition? (And why would it be extra cool if that purposeful damage was inflicted by someone with name recognition in the industry?) My ball gloves, (baseball mitts), my guitars, my recliners, and my women: Things I like to acquire first hand when they are pristine, pretty, and capable of fulfilling my needs, (and I'm happy to invest a lot to get the best). Sure, there will be a break-in period when I will need to provide them with extra attention, lots of doting, elbow grease, and TLC, but that's how you start a relationship and get a custom fit. I never intentionally inflict damage upon things I care about, but no matter how hard I try to protect them, life happens. With each blemish, scar, or age related malady, a memory is created, imbuing the things I cherish with my history. Of coarse I still cringe every time I see the half dollar sized down to the Korina "chip" on the upper pointy a$$-end section of my quite valuable Explorer. But the memories of every impact that created it, the where's, the why's, the who's, the how's, always turn that cringe into smiles and laughter, ALWAYS. Intentionally "relic'd" new guitars tell no stories, detail no history, and cannot possibly represent anything about the person who buys them other than exposing the buyers sad lack of life experience. But, that's just my opinion, and nobody really asked me for it, so...

What year is your Firebird? Just did a quick search on Firebird VII's and there were multiple "small runs" in the 2000's, and some, but not all, were indeed true "Custom Shop" runs. For example; 2002 had Firebird VII Limited Editions, 2008 had Firebird VII LTD., 2013 had the 20th anniversary '65 Firebird VII Gibson Custom Shop release, etc. etc.. (all quite pricey.)

Sounds like the 345, per it's COA booklet, may indeed be one of those limited run Gibson Custom Shop offerings. Are the serial numbers inked or pressed? Sometimes that tells a lot. Have you run the serial numbers through Gibson to see what comes up, (on both the 345 and the Firebird?). I would give that a try for sure. Gibson also has Heritage offerings, but that is just another nightmare to decipher. SLIMT has good points as well, so factor those in. But, as you know, you have two awesome guitars that surely play and sound even better than they look. Badging/labels, or lack there of, only matters to bean counters, NOT to your/our ears.

Were/are they labeled "Custom Shop" in some form or fashion? I am, admittedly, not very versed in how Gibson labels/marks their Custom Shop guitars but, they should bare some type of "Gibson Custom Shop" designation/badging.

There are two distinct and vastly different types of Gibson "Custom Shop" guitars. The first version is a true "Gibson Custom Shop", which is made to order, (or was made to order originally,) or possibly from a very limited release of a version/versions of Gibson guitars made by hand (for the most part) by the Gibson Custom Shop. Either way, every Gibson "Custom Shop" guitar was built in the Gibson Custom Shop. The second version is the Gibson "Custom Shop Edition", which refers to limited runs of high end Gibson models that come with "upgraded" hardware/electronics, (24K gold hardware adorns many of the CSE versions), Pearl headstock/fretboard inlays, and often better tone wood than non CSE versions. These CSE Gibsons are not necessarily made in the Gibson Custom Shop, nor should anyone expect their CSE to have been made there. (They are made in the USA, however) CSE's runs are chosen by Gibson management, as are the model(s) made, the number made that year, the color schemes, and how they will differ from the high end Gibsons from which they are derived from. If Gibson chooses to make CSE's any given year, the consumer simply gets what Gibson decided to make that year, if any are made that year. All Gibson Custom Shop Edition models have a two color (Gold w/black shadow highlight) inked label on the back of the headstock with pressed serial numbers and Made in the USA imprints. As to fretboard inlays, my CSE has pearl dots, but I know of many other CSE's that have different types of Pearl fretboard inlays. Since Gibson "Custom Shop" models are traditionally "made to order", they style of fretboard inlay would have been based on the original buyers desires, (and what the Custom Shop offerings were the year it was ordered/made). Determining if a Gibson guitar is a Custom Shop model, (or even a CSE model), should not be based on the type of pearl fretboard inlays, in my opinion.

Freshman year of college I had an English professor (it was some writing/composition prerequisite course) who kindly explained the difference between how we had written essays in grade school/high school and how we should be writing them now. (He said this applied to how we interacted with our teachers as well.) He said that before college, most of us simply wrote, (or participated in discussions), in ways that corresponded to how we felt personally. He said that, in most cases, this expositional style did not effect our grades, as grading focused on factors such as grammar, spelling, our knowledge of the subject, etc.. Those days are gone, he said. Nearly every college professor and TA, regardless of the subject being taught, have nearly identical political viewpoints that are reinforced and validated within the isolated, unopposed, monolithic echo chamber of academia. Worse yet, he said, was that most of them had low self-esteem, had questionable abilities to practically apply their knowledge in a real word job, and that they relished the power they had to control their students, (since they felt powerless in all other aspects of their little lives.). He said that from this moment on, you will be writing and communicating entirely in ways that match the viewpoints/positions of your professors and TAs. He told us to pay close attention to "the extraneous" , "off the cuff" language used by our professors and TAs, ESPECIALLY when it seemed unrelated to the subject matter being taught. He told us to go to "office hours" offered by every professor/TA, if only to see what books they read, what magazines they had, what art/pictures/flyers were on their walls, and to listen to their "small talk", (both with you and with others). Get to those office hours early, and listen. Stay a bit late and listen. But more importantly, speak sparingly and keep it focused on the course work. He said these profs/TAs love to talk, especially about themselves, so by asking, "How do you feel? I'd love to get your advice about that, since I know so little about that subject", is the perfect way to avoid saying "the wrong thing" when asked a pointed question. This will defiantly be a tough pill to swallow for some of you, he continued, but you will only have to endure this until you graduate. Regardless of your proficiency, knowledge, or accuracy per assignment, your conformity to the positions/view points of your professors, (both with-in assignments and while interacting with them), will be the determining factor in how you are graded. No student is more despised than the one who answers every question correctly, understands the course material, and meets/exceeds every deadline but who obviously has a world view that is opposite of their professor/TA. He said to watch and see how that person, somehow, barely passes the class. But, watch how those with far less course knowledge and far less adherence to deadlines, manage to get A's, because they express the same world view as their professor/TA. Validating these professor's/TA's world view, combined with giving them the illusion that they are "molding young minds into the correct way of thinking", is their heroin, and they consume it by the gallon. This was the most despicable, factually accurate, and invaluably useful information I received from a Professor in my college tenure. In courses that were relatively easy for me, I applied this advice sparingly, and my grades accurately reflected what I had learned. However, in courses that I struggled with, I laid it on thick. I would go as far as to show up at the places where my professors/TAs dined and drank. I would find an opportunity to interject myself into their conversations and expound upon the virtues of Marxism or Communism, or what ever "ism" they favored, (and buy a round or two when/if appropriate.). Somehow my C's became B's or A's at the end of the semester, despite my poor course work. Obviously, what I learned from my finance, accounting, business management, psychology, and business law courses facilitated my success in the business world and as a business owner. However, the lessons I learned about how to "read" people, how to subtly influence and manipulate over-confident people, who were in positions of power over me, (without them ever knowing what I was doing), was undeniably just as important to my success. (admittedly, manipulating mean, arrogant "know-it-alls" for my personal gain feels pretty good. But, they can never know what you did, nor can you ever "rub it in", because that behavior "burns bridges" and will always come back to bite you. It's always better to let those people think they "won" when they didn't.) If you can't beat 'em, make 'em think your joining 'em, AND THEN BEAT 'EM! How to win friends and influence enemies

Just so you know, I am one of those people who believe none of what I hear and half of what I see. I agree with a lot of what you say about the propaganda machine and societal manipulation. I just think this video is real. However, I DO think it is being amplified for a multitude of reasons. Opinions are like belly buttons, everybody's' got one.