In defense of Chris Ryser...

[Uncle Fester]

Chris is a survivor and probably the most senior poster on this board.

I so hope I can have as agile and active a mind as he does at his age!

Obviously he rubs some the wrong way with posts that promote his former businesses (intentional or not), but I wish all who do not think he should spend the twilight days of his life keeping active by posting his thoughts and links that you simply put him on the available ignore list or skim them. There is nobody forcing anyone to read anything here.

From my early days when I first joined Optiboard we had the curmudgeon side of him lamenting how the world does not need progressives which prompted me to promote this:


Ryser's rule: The success of a first time progressive wearer is directly proportional to the motivation to wear a progressive.

And per sage of yesteryear Dear Abby- Don't sweat the little stuff and after your health it's all little stuff.

[TEdFitz]

In every print (gasp! ) newspaper I read, there is a dedicated pathway: first, front page news above the fold, then obits, opinions of others from the editor, probably a 'day in the life' of some local, the 'on this date' history session, dear abby, the horoscope for some reason, and then finally, when the comics are consumed, I'm all full.

On my nearly hourly Optiboard scour, there's simply one rule: Never pass up a post from Mr. Ryser.

[Uncle Fester]

Pretty much how I read my Boston Globe (sans Horoscope) print edition daily as well. Of course I also for some reason have the on line subscription as well but my old school self just can't give up the daily "paper".

[lensmanmd]

Chris’s posts can infuriate me. Also, they can make me think from a different angle. Sometimes I call him out. Sometimes I ignore him. Sometimes I just shake my head.
Same goes with other members here.
However, isn’t that the value of forums like this? To debate, to disagree, to agree, and to help each other?

[Chris Ryser]

Chris is a survivor and probably the most senior poster on this board.

I so hope I can have as agile and active a mind as he does at his age!

Thank you Uncle Fester ........................

36 years ago, on summer holidays on my 54 foot boat, I collapsed on the Rideau Canal between Ottawa and Kingston and got taken to the Kingston General Hospital, were they operated me for 4 hours. The following morning the surgeon came visiting and said, I got some good news and some bad ones.

The good news is that "The four hour operation was successful and we corrected everything that was wrong" and now comes the bad news, "you have between 5 to 8 month to live, because the tissue removed, shows that you have a totally incurable type of cancer nobody has survived so far." .............and so far they still want to see me on a yearly basis, because I did survive since then.

I have always tried to be a non insulting member right here on optiBoard, even when occasionally being attacked for my style of posting, some people did not like for one reason or the other.

Thanks again for the good words.

[Uncle Fester]

I seem to remember in his Swiss days of dispensing the Ryser family shop(?) had Royalty from the East visit (Indonesia?). The King was paid in a, shall we say, different way.

Chris- Would you be so kind as to regal us with the story again?

[Chris Ryser]

I seem to remember in his Swiss days of dispensing the Ryser family shop(?) had Royalty from the East visit (Indonesia?). The King was paid in a, shall we say, different way.

Chris- Would you be so kind as to regal us with the story again?

You do have a good memory "Uncle Fester", ................................

What you are referring to, is my time time on the apprenticeship in the optical store in Lausanne Switzerland, where I Learned the profession as well as the French language.

We had a lot of royalty customers in that store from the young King Bhumibol of Thailand who was a student in town, King Farouk of Egypt, and the old former Queen of Spain to buy and or service their glasses. Even Charlie Chaplin showed up once in awhile.

The incident with the old "Aga Kahn", is the story you want me to tell you again, and I will post it after midnight tonight, so I have something to do during my sleepless hours.

[Chris Ryser]

Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan IIIGCSIGCMGGCIEGCVOPC (2 November 1877 – 11 July 1957) was the 48th Imam of the NizariIsmaili religion.

He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League (AIML). His goal was the advancement of Muslim agendas and protection of Muslim rights in India. The League, until the late 1930s, was not a large organisation but represented the landed and commercial Muslim interests of the British-ruled 'United Provinces' (as of today Uttar Pradesh)

BOMBAY, Jan. 19. -- The picturesque ceremony of weighing the
Aga Khan against gold was the principal feature of the opening of the celebration of his fiftieth year as head of the Ismailian sect of Mohammedans here today. He receives from his followers each year his weight in gold.

Picture and Details at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_III

It was published at the time, that he was paid by his followers his weight in gold, at periodic times on his birthdays.



I did my 3 year optical apprenticeship in an optical store, in Lausanne Switzerland, were international royalty liked to shop for their glasses.

Someday a secretary of the Aga Kahn, staying at the Lausanne Palace Hotel came to the store with a pair of glasses and asked us to repair them and the bring them back to the Palace Hotel. That was my job as the apprentice, who made a monthly salary of 30.00 Swiss Francs at the time.

The frame was fixed, and I had to bring it back to the hotel a 10-minute walk away. I found the floor that was occupied by one of the richest men in the world with his entourage, asked for the secretary and delivered the glasses. I was told to come in and make an adjustment, we I did after introduction to the Aga Kahn..

Then the Aga Kahn asked me how much he owed me, and my answer was that the repair was a charge of SFr. 3.50. So, he waves at the secretary and said “pay him”.

The secretary pulled out a 100 Franc bill and handed it to me, but I said that I had no change for that amount.

The Aga Kahn just waved his hand and said keep the balance as tip. On the way back to the store I bought a chocolate bar to make some small change, to hand over to the store. My boss never knew that I made that much as a tip.

That was the most generous tip I made in a lifetime.

Two days later a story hit the newspapers that the Aha Kahn had soiled the carpet in his suite and called room service in the middle of the night to have it cleaned up, and the hotel management refused and told him that he should use some of his own staff to do it.

24 hours later the Aga Kahn had purchased and paid a few million Swiss Francs, for the Lausanne Palace Hotel and fired the whole staff without notice.