djbinder

Ah, jesus man, I'm so sorry to hear that. I can't even imagine going through that kind of loss. Again, my sincere condolences...I hope, in time, you'll find some peace. One never gets over these things, but hopefully time will at least make it a little easier to cope. I have a friend whose wife just went through a trying time with cancer. Ultimately, it wasn't the cancer that nearly killed her, it was the treatment. Thankfully, they were able to deal with that (though she was absolutely on death's door more than once in the past 8 months) and she's now cancer free and soon may be going back to work. Thankfully there are stories with happy endings, but I'm just so sorry that wasn't the case with you. I'm sure you must miss her every moment at this point; again, hopefully time will at least make it a little easier to cope. Again, I'm just so sorry to hear this - and am frankly really sorry I even brought it up, but I didn't know.

Well, I'm glad you have it under control. My only knowledge of them comes from documentaries and what I've read, but they're seriously (extremely seriously) nasty critters - perhaps more so than Black Widows because sometimes (correct me if I'm wrong) you aren't aware that you've been bitten immediately...and unless you have treatments on hand like you do, the damage can sometimes be irreversible....is that right? But it does sound like you've got what you need to take care of it, which is a relief. I guess these are the kinds of things you really have to think about when you're distanced from an urban center. Feel better!

I'm not suggesting boards aren't important places. I am suggesting that sometimes we become so immersed in them that we lose perspective. Lord knows I have.... And are you serious about being bitten by a brown recluse? Holy crap - that's serious. One reason I'm glad not to live somewhere that poisonous critters are common.....I hope that you get that attended to.....is there nowhere closer that can deal with something like this?

Absolutely. Sometimes I think we all forget that, like them or not, whether or not we believe fair play is in action or not, they're just boards. Life is far more complicated and important, and jazzbo, I sure do hope that second bone marrow transplant yielded a positive outcome. Quick now Dave, check the ECM Yahoo grp to see if there's any action from Monica lately...maybe argue with Royd a bit... I'm not being argumentative ("yes you are," "no I'm not!" ). Just suggesting that jazzbo's post really kind of puts things in perspective. And that includes Royd...!

John has posted, more than once, that not only does he not let personal differences color his moderation (and we can choose to believe that or not), but that he's had serious disagreements on topics with other posters who remain at AAJ to this day. I'm not sure if that proves his personal feelings were, indeed, separate in the area of Chris (he was not involved with Lonson), but it certainly lends at least some credence to it. But we can all believe what we want to, that's for sure. And we all seem to be doing just that. Absolutely. And there have been (and will, no doubt, continue to be) heated debates at AAJ. Where the policy seems to draw the line is personal insult. And while it would appear, in recent times, that the policy has not been exercised completely equitably, it's also true that things were getting so out of hand that I suspect it was difficult to do so, especially when at least two of the moderators - Mike and John - had other responsibilities at the site. That they have decided to step down when replacements can be found sounds like a good thing all around - for them as much as for those who feel they've been applying the policy with a big stick.

Absolutely. Sometimes I think we all forget that, like them or not, whether or not we believe fair play is in action or not, they're just boards. Life is far more complicated and important, and jazzbo, I sure do hope that second bone marrow transplant yielded a positive outcome.

I repeat: John banned Chris; Mike banned Lonson. if you want to criticize someone, at least do it for things they've done, not the doings of others.

Whether or not Kelman banned you because of personal issues is unclear, but you're certainly entitled to your opinion. The only reason I question it is that he's had strong disagreements with others who remain active members. So it certainly would not be safe to draw the conclusion that he bans folks if they disagree with his personal views - at least some or most of the time. Like I said, can't comment on your situation, but seeing his posts over time, I'm certainly not inclined to believe it's a pattern.

You can, of course, have your view of "the guy from Ottawa," but let's be clear about something: he didn't ban Lonson, nor did he ban Clave - Mike did. So if you want to levy accusations re: moderation of the board, don't just single out the one moderator, since all moderators have banned folks over time, at least from what I've seen. So I am not sure what you refer to by his "serial abuse," since it seems to me that you could then make the same accusation of all the moderators, not just the one you had a problem with. As I said way back in this thread? Balance, folks, please. I repeat: the guy from Ottawa is not the only moderator to have banned folks from the board, so just because you had a bad experience with him (and I'm not denying that) doesn't mean he's the singular problem with the board. The recent exodus, in fact, came as the result of the clave incident, and that was Mike's issue. And as far as I understand, MG left when Lonson was banned, and that was also Mike's doing. Not defending the guy from Ottawa, just saying he's by no means the only person who has been involved in what some folks see as a problem at the board. And if you ever checked out the main site you'd see the Ottawa guy is a senior editor, responsible for the CD Review Center, Interviews, Artist Profiles and Upcoming Releases, in addition to being one of AAJ's more prolific contributors. Both he and Mike have posted on the AAJ board that they simply don't have time for moderation and that they need to focus on the main site. That may be good for the board, but depending on who takes their place, that's not a certainty. Still, Mike is planning the teleconference to discuss the board, and the guy from Ottawa will also be in attendance. They're both interested in finding proper resolution to the current situation, and want to hear what some folks have to say. So at least they're both being open-minded, at least it seems that way to me.

The Last Good Kiss by Crumley is one of the all-time best in the genre. Thanks, both of you, for another rec; uh oh; I see myself about to start spending again...

Hey, nothing wrong with good escapism - frankly, these days that's what I'm looking for in a read; life is complex enough...! Well, you might want to check out that one and those after, especially the first 2-3. Burke is basically ambushed, Pansy is shot and killed, he's critically injured and, when all's said and done, he ends up having to leave New York for awhile, so the books take a different turn. He's been back in New York for the past four books, as I recall, and the outside stories have helped add more depth to the ones back in the Big Apple. Thanks for the tip on the Rain novels, will check it out.

I hear ya; yes, some of the characters are a little thin, but the plot lines can be really superb and, if you've followed the novels from the beginning, there's an ever-increasing cast of characters - some, from the earliest novels, making a return it seems, lately. Have to admit, though, that my heart took a big dive when his faithful (and protective) dog, Pansy, took the hit. I figured, since the dog was old, Vachss was going to have to do something more than just let the dog die, but if Burke could said to be truly close to anything, Pansy was it. Are they like Vachss in that it's best to start from the beginning of the series, or can you pick them up anywhere and not lose context? If you need to start at the top, can you give me the title? If not, can you recommend a couple? Thanks.

Asked this in another forum, but since this is the right place: any Andrew Vachss fans, in particular his Burke series? I've been sitting on the last three - Down Here, Mask Market and Terminal and am about to dig in. I don't think things get more noire than Vachss.....

Well, thank you!

Oh...change the subject eh? Well, I did say I was done on the other subject....