First Post-Nikon Monarch 8x42 vs Swift Audubon 8.5x44 Porro

[theskippur]

I have narrowed my binocular search down to these two binoculars, unless I drastically change my mind. I don't mind that one is porro and one is roof. My question is which binocular is sharper with better contrast, edge to edge? I have had the opportunity to look through the Monarchs, but I cannot find the Swifts anywhere convenient in Seattle. Thanks for any comments you might post.

[matt green]

I have narrowed my binocular search down to these two binoculars, unless I drastically change my mind. I don't mind that one is porro and one is roof. My question is which binocular is sharper with better contrast, edge to edge? I have had the opportunity to look through the Monarchs, but I cannot find the Swifts anywhere convenient in Seattle. Thanks for any comments you might post.

never tried any of these myself....

but you will find more information about the swifts at

www.betterviewdesired.com

best of luck

matt,oh and welcome to birdforum :t:

[lucznik]

As far as image quality, the Swift will be better. You may or may not have the experience to discern this right at first but, you will be able to see it soon enough. With its phase coated prisms the Monarch offers a very good image indeed but, its roof prism design involves design complexities and issues that make it impossible for it to match the image quality of a comparably priced porro prism binocular.

This is not to say the Monarch is an inferior choice. The size, weight, and ergonomics of the Monarch might still dictate that it is a better binocular for your purposes. Even though the image quality might not be as good, it might be plenty good enough for what you want to accomplish. You will however, have to decide this for yourself.

[FrankD]

A big "ditto" on what lucznik posted. I have owned several porros that would blow the Monarch away in terms of pure image quality but the Monarch has other characteristics that appeal to folks. You have to weigh the various attributes and determine which combination is the most appropriate for you.

On a side note, though I vaguely remember a prior post concerning this bins, why did you narrow it down to just these two? The reason I ask is because I just bought another bin in approximately the same price range as these two and I am very pleased with its optics and handling. But, if you are devoted to these two choices then I will not mention it further.

[theskippur]

A big "ditto" on what lucznik posted. I have owned several porros that would blow the Monarch away in terms of pure image quality but the Monarch has other characteristics that appeal to folks. You have to weigh the various attributes and determine which combination is the most appropriate for you.

On a side note, though I vaguely remember a prior post concerning this bins, why did you narrow it down to just these two? The reason I ask is because I just bought another bin in approximately the same price range as these two and I am very pleased with its optics and handling. But, if you are devoted to these two choices then I will not mention it further.

By all means, please mention it. I narrowed it down by reading people's comments on them, reading professional reviews of them, and because I like Nikon's $10 fix or replace warranty. I also like that Swift Optics is a USA company. Just feeling all nationalistic and all. :-)

[FrankD]

Sorry for not posting back sooner but my two boys keep me busy some days. The reason I asked is because I was trying to get a feel for your reasoning for these two bins. Both receive fair praise on these forums and the various internet reviews but I was also trying to determine if you were stuck on the 8x4- configuration. The reason will be painfully obvious shortly.

I finally decided to give one particular pair of bins a try. These bins, at least their product line, is also fairly highly regarded especially for the price and is regularly commented on being just a gnat's hair away optically from many of the $1000 plus bins. Ofcourse, I am referring to the Pentax DCF-SP lineup. After purchasing their 65 mm ED scope and being extremely pleased with its optical qualities and construction I just had to buy one of their top end binoculars to see how it compared to other models I have owned.

In my case I wanted the 8x32 model because it is somewhat more compact than the 8x43 and has a significantly wider field of view (393 feet versus 330 for the 43 mm model). On paper it meets all the criteria of a top of the line binocular...waterproof, nitrogen purged/filled, phase coated, fully multicoated, aspherical lenses and ED glass, twist up/click stop eyecups, good weight (approximate 24 ounces) and an overall really ergonomic feel. In addition I have yet to really see any negative comments about the DCF-SP lineup anywhere on the net.

The only thing really holding me back was the price. I just don't have enough money put aside to be spending $500-$550 on a pair of binoculars right now. However, I could probably put together $300 or so. I searched on the web and found a few internet sites (Pentax dealers) that were selling them for right at the $350 price point. Close enough as far as I was concerned so I ordered them. They came in a couple days ago and though I really haven't had a chance to do a good birding excursion with them I am very impressed with them so far. Ergonomically they are exactly what I have been looking for...a good mid weight bin that perfectly fits into my hand. Not too small, not too large, not too light, not too heavy....perfect. Focusing is very smooth and precise.

Optically they are very good. They are a step up from other roof prisms in this price range...Monarch, Bushnell Legend, Leupold Cascades, Olympics, etc... The field of view is fairly wide and very easy on the eyes. The view is also much more free of distortion over a greater percentage of the field of view. Resolution is above average for this price range as is contrast. They are, in my opinion, an almost perfect bin especially at this price.

Now before I start sounding like these are the best bins out there I would like to refer to their image quality in reference to my "go-to" bins the 8x42 Nikon Venturers. When looking through both side by side the most noticeable difference is the brightness level. As expected the 42 mm Nikons are significantly brighter as they should be considering the difference in objective size. Contrast is very good in both bins with a slight edge to the Venturers. The Nikon still has a slightly flatter field overall but there aren't any bins in the SPs price range that offer as close to the flat field of the Nikons as the SPs. I also notice the color bias between the two bins. The Nikon has a decidely warmer tone. I remember comparing the Pentax XPs to the Nikons about a year ago and seeing much the same thing.

I am going to be taking the Pentaxs out a bit more in the next few days to see how they actually do in the field but I have high expectations at this point. Hope this was somewhat helpful.

[Tero]

The ones Frank got, these...?
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=3690
are pretty good.

If you have a Wild Birds store, they sometimes carry the Swifts. You will get good optics either way, so I would make some effort to try them out. Weight has become an issue for me, though I can hold 28 oz even if necessary. So there are other issues besides optics. Also, the Swift roof prisms are not great with glasses.

There are some other models in the price range, but if you have no other roof prisms in mind, the 8x42 is a good starting point. Pentax has good models, but one 10x36 did not impress me as bieng on the level of the Monarchs. Maybe the 8x is better.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=4168
The Monarchs are pretty light. Make sure you check the actual pair of Monarchs carefully before you take them out of the store. People have complained of pairs with some faults.

[FrankD]

The ones Frank got, these...?
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.as...urch=1&pid=3690
are pretty good.


Yes Tero. Those are the ones. Though that isn't close to the price I paid for them.

[theskippur]

Thank you for comments, Frank. It was very helpful. I am also considering the Pentax SPs, simply because I have Pentax glass for my DSLR, and I am very satisfied with them. I didn't list them in my original post because they are $100 more than the other two binoculars on the web, and I'm not sure I want to go that high. Today, I will be making a trek to the Seattle Audubon Nature Shop and will be able to compare the Nikon and Pentax. Unfortunately, they don't carry Swift.

[Tero]

Wild birds stores
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=wild+birds&near=Seattle,+WA&sa=X&oi=local&ct=title

give them a call. Prices may be a bit high, good to have the option though.

[g8ina]

Anyone know of a USA online store who will sell to UK ?

Our UK prices are about dollar for pound the same !

I'm hoping to get either the Monarch 8x42 or the Swift HHS828 8x42.

[theskippur]

Anyone know of a USA online store who will sell to UK ?

Our UK prices are about dollar for pound the same !

I'm hoping to get either the Monarch 8x42 or the Swift HHS828 8x42.

www.adorama.com does, and they have good prices. I quoted this from their website.

"International Orders:
For international orders we will require a legible fax copy of credit card bill, showing name & credit card number. or you may scan it and email it to us."

[g8ina]

Just took the plunge and bought the Swift 828HHS roofs, UK for £229 post free.

Fabulous first impressions !!!

[WJC]

I have narrowed my binocular search down to these two binoculars, unless I drastically change my mind. I don't mind that one is porro and one is roof. My question is which binocular is sharper with better contrast, edge to edge? I have had the opportunity to look through the Monarchs, but I cannot find the Swifts anywhere convenient in Seattle. Thanks for any comments you might post.

Here at Captain’s Nautical Supplies, we have been selling Swift since there was a Swift. We have 150 binoculars models in stock. We also carry Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski, Fujinon, Orion, Celestron, Kahles, Canon, Alpen, and others.

If you might consider dropping by, you might want to contact ANY of our competitors in town (SEATTLE) and ask them where you should go if you want to talk serious optics with folks who know what they’re talking about. We will be pleased to stand by their answers.

Kindest Regards,

William J. (Bill) Cook, Chief Opticalman, USNR-Ret.

[theskippur]

I ended up going with something different that the two in my original post. I went with Nikon, but I purchased the Action EX ATB 8x40. Mr FedEx man is delivering them today. I went to a nautical shop in Seattle on 15th Ave NW and compared a bunch, and I liked them the best for the amount of money asked. Am excited for their arrival.

[FrankD]

Congratulations on the new bins. I have a pair of the 7x35 EXs and they are very good bins for the price.

[WJC]

Theskippur’s purchase goes a long way to illustrate why binoculars keep getting cheaper and cheaper and collimation threads and “can I fix these myself?” threads keep popping up and getting longer. The people with the knowledge and guts to get the manufacturer’s attention are being put out of business.

Theskippur said: “I ended up going with something different that the two in my original post. I went with Nikon, but I purchased the Action EX ATB 8x40. Mr FedEx man is delivering them today. I went to a nautical shop in Seattle on 15th Ave NW and compared a bunch, and I liked them the best for the amount of money asked. Am excited for their arrival.”

That means he came to our shop, tied up a good bit of our time “compare[ing] a BUNCH” of binoculars—something he couldn’t do over the internet and the ability to do so being worth real dollars—getting answers to questions he couldn’t get anywhere else in the state, only to use us as a warehouse showroom for his internet purchase.

At my age, and with what I see on the horizon, I would NEVER write such a memo on behalf of Captain’s. As a matter of fact, the CEO is such a great and humble man, he would think little of it.

Instead, I am writing this as a fellow birder, amateur astronomer, optical technician, optical engineer, and Chief Opticalman for the Navy. It is my belief that if people want to take advantage of the knowledge and inventory and time of a brick and mortar store while shopping, they should be courteous enough to pay the price of the services they use—that were unavailable through internet shopping—when they are ready to make their purchase. To do anything else is like wrecking the car to turn the radio off. It is immediately effective, but may not produce the desired results, over time.

I will certainly admit that there are a lot of brick and mortar stores that are stocked with optically clueless people. But folks on three continents know that Captain’s is not one of them.

Cheers,

Bill :hi:

[lucznik]

That's an interesting ethical dilema that you have broached. I am definately guilty of shopping at one store only to buy from another or order online when I felt the price or level of service or whatever would be superior. I get Cabela's catalogs all the time though, I don't usually order much from them. Mostly I use them (and their Salt Lake retail store) to see what kinds of things are available on the market and then I only buy the item at Cabela's if it is only availbalbe exclusively through them. Just recently I bought a refurbished Bushnell Elite from Eagle Optics. I like to order from them because they have a 30 day money back guarantee on every product. I still went over the Sportsman's Warehouse to look through an Elite and compare them with a Discoverer and a Swaro EL, just to be sure of my choice and even though I knew Sportsman's was not going to get the sale. Sure I could have ordered all of these from EO, compared them, and then sent back the two I decided I didn't want but, that's just too much hassle. Retail competition is not a new thing and comparison shopping is a long established tradition - even among "brick and mortar shops."

Certainly you have brought up a new aspect of this issue and I'm not sure where exactly I stand on the issue but, I'm quite sure your solution of "just pay the extra money" is too simplistic to be realistic. I still have to feed my family and my salary is not limitless. I therefore, need to stretch my income dollars as far as they can go. That means getting the best price I can for the products I buy. If a store wants me to spend more money they need to be able to convince me (not just be convinced themselves) that they are in fact offering a service that is worth the extra cost. If they haven't done this, they can't simply pass the buck by decrying that I'm not courteous or have engaged in anything unethical, immoral, or fattening. This expectation is not impossible to meet and I do regularly shop at certain stores that have impressed me with their customer service, expertise, and professionalism even though I know I can get a better price elsewhere. There's a car-repair shop in Salt Lake City that I frequent with almost all my car issues that fits this description to a T. Though I will point out that the difference in prices are not extreme.

If you are experiencing a lot of problems with people using your "brick and mortar" shop as a showroom only to buy somewhere else, then I would suggest that perhaps those consumers are not seeing the service you are offering as being quite as valuable as you perceive it to be. No product or service is worth more than consumers are willing to pay. That's the key component of market forces. Maybe what you need to be asking is, "how much better is the price they are getting online?" and "can we really justify this difference and still hope to sell the product?"

[henry link]

If behaving ethically is not enough motivation then consider a reason based on self interest. I always buy from local stores if I can because I can test and evaluate the exact item I am interested in buying before I buy it. It's worth a bit extra to know I am getting a good specimen. Returns usually involve shipping charges and take time.

[lucznik]

An excellent point, Henry. However, at the markup that can be seen at some stores (I don't know specifically about "Captain's" as I've never been there) it is sometimes possible to engage in one or more returns before you reach the price offered by the "brick and mortar" store. Whether this is worth the time and effort involved would depend on both the product and individual in question.

Also, as I alluded, I don't think this is an issue that can be defined so simply as ethical/unethical. The practice in question is not far removed from the age-old practice of comparison shopping. Certainly such activity has always involved asking questions of the employees ("experts") at one shop only to buy at another store. There is also not a whole lot of difference between this practice and simply "window shopping" or in other words, going around and examining products when you know that no purchase at all is to be made. Much of the retail market depends on such shoppers as products often referred to as "impulse buys" are strategically placed to catch the eye and motivate a reach for the wallet. Are we to call those who successfully avoid that temptation to buy "unethical?" Certainly they have taken up time (and thus money) by asking questions, discussing options, examining products, and then walking out the store. If at a later time these people decide that they really would like the item they looked at, are they ethically and morally obligated to return to that same store? Do they need to seek out the same salesman? For how long does this obligation exist? A day? A week? A month? A year? Longer? What if the store in question is fairly distant and how much distance has to exist before we give the consumer the green light to buy elsewhere? 25 miles? 50 miles? 100 miles? More?

[WJC]

If a brick and mortar store can provide you with no more service than you can get on the internet, then, without a doubt, the internet is the way to go. These places upset me probably more than they do the average consumer.

However, Captain’s reputation for going the extra mile for the customer, having the biggest selection, having the best advice, and providing liaison between the customer and importer is not a secret. That’s why knowledgeable people often cross state lines to shop here. That’s why every competitor in town sends us their customers when they get over their head optically.

Now, it would be easy to say that I should prove that to the customer not just myself. I agree:

1) The University of Chicago asked me to test the design of their 24-inch Cassegrain before sending it to the CARA project at the bottom of the world in 1993.
2) Some of my routines (conceptual) are used in Zemax lens design software.
3) One of my telescope designs is packaged with Zemax software.
4) I am the designer of the Baywatch telescope www.baywatchscope.com, a telescope the folks at Men’s Health Magazine call “a telescope to build a beach house around.”
5) I have been called upon to design objective lenses for one of America’s leading telescope manufacturer’s and importers.
6) I have been one of Zeiss’s most recommended repair and restoration techs for older Zeiss binos.
7) I retired from the Navy as a Chief Opticalman.
8) I have been manager of the optics shop at Captain’s for 19 years.
9) I have been inside thousands of binoculars and have had my hands in and eyes on the industry for 35 years.
10) I was editor of Amateur Telescope Making Journal for 10 years and,
11) I have written about optics for dozens of magazines including National Wildlife, Sky & Telescope, Sky Watch, Sea, Ocean Navigator, Latitudes and Attitudes, and many more.
12) etc., etc, etc.

Tell me, should that kind of experience not be of some value to the average consumer? So, why the unbridled bragging? Well, as George Patton Said: “If you’ve done it, it ain’t braggin’.” The fact is that with the help you get at Captain’s, the inventory you have at your disposal, the backing you get should you need it, and the information you get that helps you cut the crap that you see in print and on the internet all around you, I think that the benefits of shopping here are more than apparent and verifiable, as they have been since 1897. And the same can be said for any number of honorable merchants strewn from coast to coast. Merchants who are dropping like flies because 25% to 30% of their customers are using them as a showroom in support of the very mail order houses that are putting them out of business, and who, in many cases, are too cheap to provide a desent level of knowledgeable service, choosing instead to be parasites feeding on the life's blood of those who came before them and who actually know something about binoculars and the optics industry.

This has been hard for me to lay down the facts knowing that I would sound like some hotdog salesman. Well, I am not. But, I AM a hotdog optician who is doing the best he can to help people make good decisions. And that does not mean decisions good for a day, but rather for a lifetime. And I know when all the mom and pop stores are out of business, the American public is going to get just what they deserve . . . nothing!

As for me, my ire has nothing to do with Captain’s. It has all to do with the shuck and jive that is happening in the industry and the things that everybody’s local “expert” should know, but who can’t figure out.

For example, in the current Practical Sailor, 10 models of binoculars are reviewed and rated. But are there really ten models? At first glance, I count THREE. Does making one binocular yellow instead of blue and changing the importer’s name make it different “model?” On page 30 we see a photo of two binoculars that are IDENTICAL except of the fact that one has ruby coatings and one does not. Does that constitute a different model to anyone here?

I also have a binocular in the showroom that carries a famous brand name, a brand name that leads people to believe that it was made in Europe. Was it made in Europe? Nope. But, because of the allusion, that bino sells for $230 more than its counterparts that come in from the same country of origin—Japan.

How much is it worth to talk to people who know the truth and refuse to bend it. And, can you get that on the internet? You can save on socks by cutting your legs off. Still, it may not be a good decision over the long haul.

Cheers,

Bill (ornery in Seattle) Cook

PS After telling people about that “European” binocular and seeing that they still want to buy it for the sake of snob appeal, I can sleep well at night.

[Tero]

I have bought most of my stuff in stores. The scope I found, Raven, was the same price at the time in stores and at Eagle Optics, so I got that in the store too. I can't really say they had expert advice. I prefer not to have them tell me what I need. ;) I prefer the clueless teenager at the sports store, he lets me look at every bin.

[WJC]

And, of course, there are those who live in the middle of nowhere and who, in order to find a good selection and knowledgeable staff, would have to travel hundreds of miles. For these folks, mail order makes sense. I know Dan Hamilton of Eagle Optics. A great guy, and I have offered to work with him in building his new line. Then, there is Zach Garrett of Garrett Optical. He is a nice fellow, too. And, of Course, there’s Tim Gardiner who has Alpen at 2,000 feet and climbing. Nice folks, all.

Does that mean I don’t think all mail order dealers should be shot at sunrise? Absolutely. Mail order MAY be the best way to go for SOME people. However, if you are going to spend your money online, anyway, please don’t drain the resources of your local dealer who, thanks to the rise in the internet and the drop in integrity, is already on the ropes.

For those who don’t know, merchants aren’t sitting on their hands waiting for customers. There are things to price, put away, test, return, mark down, clean up, etc. And when customers, who are planning to buy on the internet, anyway, take up an hour or two of the merchant’s time, [even though a knowledgeable bino shopper can make a great decision in a field of a hundred units in less than 5 minutes—10 if he is sick or lazy—some folks feel they won’t be taken seriously unless they look through the same binos at least a couple of hundred times and make the top of the display case look like a binocular burial ground.] those things are not getting done.

So, how does a merchant know who to spend time with and who to cast off? Well, I pretty much know the customer’s game plan within the first few seconds. The Cabellas catalog under the arm shouts at me with a blow horn. Even so, I don’t play favorites. Those folks are extended the same courtesy as a long-time customer. That, too, is part of the old school way of doing things, as it was once done and expected to be done from coast to coast. Thus, we brick and mortar dealers must rely on the consumer’s sense of fair play.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? Even so, there is a peace and comfort in doing the right things for the right reasons.

Cheers,

Bill

[elkcub]

I agree with what Bill has stated. Plane and simple, it's unethical to use a retail store to research products and then buy them by mail order to save a few dollars. The time and attention provided by the retailer was, in effect, stolen. If that concept is not self-evident, save your energy trying to defend conditional morality.

Ed

[WJC]

Unfortunately, that is true EVEN if the sales people are clueless.

A few years back, one of my customers had to have an accessory that I didn’t have, and wanted to know what I thought of the knowledge base of a company not far from his home. In Miracle On Thirty Fourth Street fashion, I called the company to see what I could learn.

I got a very nice young lady who was not nearly as interested in telling me about the company and accessories as she was about telling me that there were “really only two kinds of telescopes: . . . refractors, and REFLACTORS that use a bigger LENS.” She said they also sold a SPECIAL kind of telescope called a “SMITH-Cassegrain.”

Was this person an optical professional? Nope. Does that kind of salesperson give us all a bad name? Yep. Be that as it may, she was a very nice person and was as helpful as her knowledge would allow. Would I send a serious amateur astronomer or telescope maker there for advice? Ain’t no way! But, could I recommend them to someone who knew what they wanted? Certainly.

Even with their possible dearth of knowledge (one person does not make a team), they should not be used as an internet warehouse for some multi-million dollar sales organization. As Elkcub stated: It’s plain and simple theft.

But then, that’s just me, another greedy optics merchant.

But then again, I felt that way BEFORE I was an optics merchant, and I will feel the same after I stop being one.

[WJC]

For many years there was a nice pizza place within easy walking distance of Ballard High School (north Seattle). For a long time they served all you could eat pizza and soda (that’s pop for you mid-westernersor, Coke for the Texans among us, and cold drinks for those from Mobile) at a good price.

It was often hard to have a peaceful noon-time meal there, though. The manager had to spend a good bit of his time running all over the restaurant fighting the losing battle of trying to keep ONE high schooler from ordering an all-you-can-eat special and then seeing to it that he or she fed THREE or FOUR others before heading back to school. It was an everyday occurrence. The kids thought it was funny, and I watched the LIES fly like crazy at just about every lunch time.

The kids who now follow that first batch of liars and crooks don’t think it’s too funny. The restaurant has now been out of business for ~3 years.

So who suffered? EVERYONE in the community who liked a good deal on pizza and fresh salad. The kids who helped put the business under are long gone. But, the results of their greed and dishonesty will be in effect for some time to come.

Good things CAN be lost forever. When the optical merchants who have our backs now are all out of business, who will watch our backs then?

Just a thought.

Bill

[lucznik]

For many years there was a nice pizza place within easy walking distance of Ballard High School (north Seattle). For a long time they served all you could eat pizza and soda (that’s pop for you mid-westernersor, Coke for the Texans among us, and cold drinks for those from Mobile) at a good price.

It was often hard to have a peaceful noon-time meal there, though. The manager had to spend a good bit of his time running all over the restaurant fighting the losing battle of trying to keep ONE high schooler from ordering an all-you-can-eat special and then seeing to it that he or she fed THREE or FOUR others before heading back to school. It was an everyday occurrence. The kids thought it was funny, and I watched the LIES fly like crazy at just about every lunch time.

The kids who now follow that first batch of liars and crooks don’t think it’s too funny. The restaurant has now been out of business for ~3 years.

So who suffered? EVERYONE in the community who liked a good deal on pizza and fresh salad. The kids who helped put the business under are long gone. But, the results of their greed and dishonesty will be in effect for some time to come.

Good things CAN be lost forever. When the optical merchants who have our backs now are all out of business, who will watch our backs then?

Just a thought.

Bill


Hmmm, that's an interesting anecdote but, it begs some additional questioning...

1. If this particular deal was such a monstrous hassle to manage as well as an unbearable drain on operating capital, why did the restraunteur continue to offer it to the point of putting himself out of business? This sounds to me to be similar to the idea of badly cutting oneself while "in the bush" but refusing to put direct pressure on the would to help stem the bleeding because your hands might be dirty. Thus, you die of bleeding because you're worried about maybe getting an infection.

2. If the business owner was willing to lose his restaurant rather than simply adjusting his marketing model to allow for continued longevity, isn't the blame his own? For example, he could have started by eliminating "all you can eat" specials alltogether or at least during school hours. He might also have thought about participating with local police to help enforce laws that restrict high school students to the school campus - most communities have such rules, though they are largely ignored, especially by local businesses that are all too happy to invite student-based revenue.

3. What other bad business/marketing practices was the restaurant engaging in that contributed to its downfall? To be sure, the loss of lunch revenue you describe could not possibly have been the only cause.

[ceasar]

Yer gettin' a bit fine haired there, Lucznik!

Parables aren't meant to be analyzed from an economic standpoint. If so, it would be interesting to hear your take on the "Sermon on the Mount" and the 5 loaves and 2 fishes that fed everyone. From an economic standpoint, of course!

Cordially,
Bob

[lucznik]

...it would be interesting to hear your take on the "Sermon on the Mount" and the 5 loaves and 2 fishes that fed everyone. From an economic standpoint, of course!

Cordially,
Bob


That would be known as "Divinity-based Resource Management."

[WJC]

Yer gettin' a bit fine haired there, Lucznik!

Parables aren't meant to be analyzed from an economic standpoint. If so, it would be interesting to hear your take on the "Sermon on the Mount" and the 5 loaves and 2 fishes that fed everyone. From an economic standpoint, of course!

Cordially,
Bob

Ah, but comments of whatever kind should be able to stand on their own. Thus, I will offer an answer.

The merchant was a GODFATHER'S PIZZA merchant. The company POLICY was to offer all you can eat pizza during certain times. Obviously, it would have created a lot of ill-will to have different policies at different locations. People go to fast food chains because they KNOW in advance what they will get regardless of where they would go.

So, the merchant had to do the best he could and go down with his ship, while other merchants—not within walking distance of a high school—kept right on going. Certainly, Godfather’s in this area had more going against it than a troop of dishonest kids. The store in question was certainly not the only store to close in the last couple of years. But I know how much the lunch issue hit that particular unit, because as a frequent customer, the merchant talked with me about it on a couple of occasions.

We can alter the words, shift the blame, and conclude that all the kids were just having a negative psychological display because they were abused, impoverished, or forbidden to have a sex change. However, from my 1950’s-1960’s upbringing, the perpetrators were simply a bunch of something for nothing thieves—the kind of folks who make life hard for every caring, intelligent, hard-working kid who that happens to share their generation.

Unfortunately, the bad thing about the cream “rising to the top” is that the cream usually has to spend an inordinate amount of tax dollars to keep those who REFUSED to rise to the top in Court, Jail, Rehab, or the Hospital.

But that’s just the rambling of an old optics geek.

Cheers,

Bill

[Otto McDiesel]

A few years back i tried examining binoculars in a store fiirst and then ordering online. In a certain mom-and pop store in Texas i changed my mind, and i buy from stores only.

[ceasar]

That would be known as "Divinity-based Resource Management."

Not bad, Lucznik. Not bad at all!! |:D| |:D|

Bob