whip and chair

Yeah sometimes I wish I wouldn't post things impulsively.. I can't seem to help it. When I do this, sometimes it can make me feel all knotted inside after. Cause unlike a piece of writing in your abcset, you can't click on a delete button and erase what you've wrote. Maybe I will take a break from the forums for a bit too. Just concentrate solely on my writing - fill up my abcsets. And definately concentrate on reading, as I've got well hooked on reading stuff lately; it's become my inspiration for real. There's some cracking writers on this site. And I get real excited when I see the way some authors styles evolve and grow. Though I'll just e-mail the authors privately about pieces I like from now on, and not post it in the forums.. think I'am gonna go lie down for a bit.. feel awful man.

They ain't what they used to be that's fer sure! There used to be a better class of poison here!

and what about that R2D2?

I want to thank mississippi for the remarks he made about greece and the greeks..... you really helped me in growing and become more mature. you have to feel attacked to be more tough and a fighter. you have a greek voice here in abctales com, a different greek voice ... not the kind of voice you will listen from all the greek students existing right now in your colleges and universities..... not the kind of voice you will listen in EEC neither the kind of voice that will inform you about the late departure of your plane from Athens....... for those that are keen listeners they alread know what kind of voice I am speaking just like I know yours. skydolphin will be silent concerning the threads. my work is deleted. but there will be a new identity hidden as well soon. it will be me. With great respect for your voices Nikoletta

jerst a leetel billet doux to say 'le pun' was not moi. I theenk it was ralphie having a leetel game wis us all.

anyway, define puerile. I bet we all have a different idea of what we think peurile is in this forum. some will think the above sort of post peurile. others might think the continual listing of favourite movies or music peurile or the either/or type posts. the running story in ten words could be considered peurile by those with a hyper intellect. the luvvy duvvy posts may seem to be childish to some. all i know is that when everyone walks away the peurile will come to dominate. it seems that everyone is now scared of posting in case they fall into the peurile catagory. I've just had a scan over the last 3 pages of posts. there have been some excellent ones amidst the not so good. this is the way of the forum as it always has been except, as missi says, the bile level is way down on how bad it sometimes has been in the past. Easty makes a good point. if you think this is bad ... you need to experience some other places out there to see how dreadful people can be to one another. I had a look into thoughtcafe today. the forum their is fairly civil but it seems a tad dull and it is very, very quiet. I see britgrrl has also left the site. I can't cope with all this flouncing.

I can't spell there either.

I have just come on to this thread haven't even had time to read all as when I thought most of you are thinking of running away, yes I said "running away" and I can't believe you all as I have always looked up to you and all of you in your own way are teaching me so much, but never in my wildest dreams would I have put any of you down as quiters and I am asking "nay pleading" please prove me wrong. I did read that thread that started all this (even wrote on it) and some of it was bad, but!!! why in life do people always let the few win. I'm not saying being on the recieving end can't hurt but only each and everyone of you can let that happen and they know who they are and are laughing at you all the way because they got just the reaction they were looking for. As I said haven't read all, but good on you Andrea you have the right idea. Come on girls and guys you lot are keeping me alive and who knows maybe many more like me with your quick wited remarks, your intelligence minds yes even your petty fights so please don't leave us to go back to our dull little worlds now that we have found you, think of it as doing your bit as you yourselves might be crying out for help one of these days. So I'm asking you to rise above it go on doing what you know you do best, "Dont!!! let the few Win" as we!!! need you and they couldn't give a toss. Took me two hours to write this as I can't spell or work the key board very quickly but it has been........... "Writen from the heart" Regards to all...

Jay I hang my head in shame. You are a very wise woman and I apologise to you and everyone else that I have not shown enough character to stay around and try to contribute to this site. If you fine people will allow me I will repost some of my work and stop showing such petty behaviour.

Oh Yanus you don't know how I have been waiting to welcome you back, I am always crying mostly sad tears but these tears that are raining down my cheeks at the moment are so very happy ones and I shell sleep better to night. "Missed You", "Missed You", "Missed You"...

bloody hell janus have you always had this affect on women? stop preening about and stick your work back up. don't do it all at once though. two or three at a time will do nicely then I might get to read it all. I can't cope when people post 10 at once. (well I can but as several others have mentioned, it gets boring to read all of someones work in one session). Jay, quit the crying or the girlsindahood will have to pay you a visit. I don't do winkywankysmileyfaces if I can help it but I realise that if i did, it might be appropriate to do one now just to make sure you don't join the flounce brigade.

For me it's not a matter of running away....it's just limiting the time I devote to the forums....though since I'm still awake at 12.22 and...guess what....on the forums....I may not have much success....

alors mes enfants, messieur le stormy ...tut tut tut, il aussi fait un problem wis ze werd puerile. oui/non?

Hay Stormy, Long, long while since I have had someone jealous over me, feels great can't thank you enough unless I read it all wrong (won't be the first time) but if so don't spoil it for me by telling me as three good things have happened to me tonight that being one of them and I am on a high!!! Now Justyn hear's a bit of useless information, I've always been a night bird love the night time its so peaceful when everyone is sleeping so now I don't work anymore I get to my bed most morning about 6 or 7 then I read and then have about 4 hours sleep before I face the day again, in one way its nice to be able to please ones self in others it isn't. "Did say it was useless information"...

Goddamn it. I have lost track of how many times I have asked people to conduct their arguments on the site with civility towards each other - anyone who aspires to be a writer ought to be able to make their case without descending into personal insult. However, having said that, anyone who leaves this site because they don't like the forums is missing the bloody point. The forums are a place where you can meet people, maybe decide who you would like to correspond with privately, kick some ideas around. THE FORUM IS NOT THE SITE - if the forums bug you, do what you are meant to do when visiting abc tales and read some people's work and give them some feedback. As I said to someone last night, sometimes it feels like we've all gone to the cinema and spent the whole evening examining the Pick and Mix.

andrew if i am one of those people who you think has left this site because of the forums, you are so so wrong. i enjoy the threads that offer amusing banter and mickey taking. they are good fun and i feel that i can get to know people on a personal level not just as writers. Believe me wheni am irritated and upset my words can become savage and hurtful. i hope to god that i have never come to that stage. if i have then i humbly apologise. if the thread is going to be nasty and insulting, then frankly andrew i would rather go to a different cinema. Isn't one of the descriptions of this place that people are just shootin' the breeze? That to me means having a joke and a laugh and getting to know people NOT shooting at each other. Sorry I'm in a lousy mood

BROTHERS, BROTHERS STOP! we shouldn't be fighting each other, we should be united against our common enemy THE JUDEAN PEOPLE'S FRONT!!!!!!! (splitters!)

The Judean People's front thats us isn't it?

What goes on in this forum is much milder than some of the other ones I've looked at. (And it's full of highly intelligent people, who can easily get into a heated arguement, which is frankly better than watching two people call each other one word names.) Don't get me wrong, I'm not supporting any rude, personal insults, and I do think it might turn away potential new contributors to the forum. (Look at what the virtual cocktail party did and how many new people came in -- or was it a cheese and crackers party.)

it was cheese and wine... and i know that there are many many other sites out there that have horrendous flaming and name calling on, my point was (and still is) that ABCTales is better than that. It has a gentle air about it... and it better continue that way, or i'll @!#$ @!#$ with the @!#$ @!#$ @!#$ that dont behave!!!

I think it ended up as a crunchie and lemmingade party - but only after the wine had run out.

Shut-the-f u c k-up about the lemmingade Mykle, it was s h i t e then and it's s h i t e now.

*presumes above is an example of better class of poison*

You're right, fish, that and Missi’s sublime criticism of the Prince Of Wales on the “Plane Spotters” thread ;o) We lesser mortals can only marvel at the wonderful command of style and language Missi uses in making his point.

OOppss - I meant Prince Phillip not his son.

It was meant to be tongue in cheek reply to Liana, I just used Mykle as a......oh why do I bother? Yes, yes Mykle I know.

well it made me laugh... *slaps hand*

Missi, what do Bruce Forsythe, Jimmy Tarbuck and Tony Blair have in common - besides all being comedians? They are all trying to get that Collinson chap out of jail - you know the bloke who you mentioned got jailed for rescuing golf balls from a lake. Strange that the Prime Minister can't just say “Open Sesame” and the prison gates spring open to release him.

While I'm at it here's a little something for Justyn. Given that Al Gore has no job, he decided to take a sightseeing vacation to Europe. While visiting Europe, he is invited to tea with the Queen. He asks her what her leadership philosophy is. She says that it is to surround herself with intelligent people. He asks how she knows if they're intelligent. "I do so by asking them the right questions," says the Queen. "Allow me to demonstrate." She phones Tony Blair and says, "Mr. Prime Minister, please answer this question: Your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it? Tony Blair responds, "It's me, ma'am." "Correct. Thank you and goodbye, sir," says the Queen. She hangs up and says, "Did you get that, Mr. Gore?" "Yes ma'am. Thanks a lot. I'll definitely be using that!" Upon returning home, he decides he'd better put some of his old friends to the test. He calls Bill Clinton and says, "Hi, Bill, I wonder if you can answer a question for me." "Why, of course, Al. What's on your mind?" "Uhh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?" Clinton hems and haws and finally asks, "Can I think about it and get back to you?" Gore agrees and Clinton hangs up. Clinton immediately calls members of his old staff, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Clinton calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem. "Now look here, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?" Powell answers immediately, "It's me, of course, you idiot." Much relieved, Clinton rushes back to call Gore and exclaims. "I know the answer Al! I know who it is! It's Colin Powell!! Gore replies in disgust, "Wrong, it's Tony Blair."

While on this tangent, I actually find it a bit disturbing when politicians interfere in justice - not that I don't find the golf-ball case utterly ridiculous, but there's a legal process and one that should be followed. If a Prime Minster (who, let us not forget appoints judges, sets pay scales for judges, awards Silk status to barristers, is part of the executive and oh, has a barrister for a wife) intervenes in a judicial decision for short-term political gain then we are in a dangerous state - for if he is going to get people out of prison (and I am still appalled that he gave comments on things like Free Deidre Raschid), then the converse is true - PM drops hints like the Damilola boys need to be convicted and receive tough sentences in future trials and judges jump. It is a pretty fundamental principle in this country that the judicial and the executive need to be kept separate, because otherwise you end up with a system where people get imprisoned for political beliefs and people not involved in the trial or appraised of the facts start making decisions just to keep the tabloids sweet.

Perhaps the next step will be to put controversial trials on TV so that the public can decide in the same way they choose pop stars now-a-days. In that way Tony could make sure that he was always in touch with public opinion - perhaps he and his wife could host the show - Tony's Trials ;o)

Ah, that's a good joke for a staunch American Republican like myself, if there ever was one! I didn't try any lemmingade -- I was locked in the bathroom. Do you have any left over?

Sssshhh! Wisper when you mention Lemmingade cuz, it has the same effect on Missi as Cluseau had on his Chief Inspector. Ari has stocks of Lemmy and crunchies ready for the next party.

Mykle, has anybody ever told you, you are a bore?

I take it that you just have Missi :o)

i am with you on that one liana ... have seen some very nasty posts recently ... the envy thread for example ... i've been a victim of it too ... and yes i have probably done some of it before anyone jumps on me ... but it makes the threads and uncomfortable place ... everyone p.issing up the fence and am sure it puts people off ...

I agree - it makes the threads seem a bit scary. Surely we can have disagreement without getting personal. Or is this sort of thing just the norm? (I've never really been involved in any other discussion boards.)

no, its not the norm, and its horrid.

Its the norm for all discussion boards... but it shouldnt be. Its the norm because when people argue they are competing against each other, if its in real life people are intimidated physically, on here its with words... On some boards I have seen people threaten to beat people up, its always 'Tell me where you live and Ill come down and...' Or its 'Im now gonna hack your computer'. This is one of the nicer boards so its very rare it happens here but Ive not been on here long and Ive seen it happen a number of times. Its just human nature.

I kept out of that "envy" one partly because my views are quite controversial and might offend (and I totally agree with Liana that we should be a bit more civilised ) but mostly because I was in the pub drinking strong continental lager. I think we should ditch the personal snipes, banter in a more pleasant way and drink more together. I'm off to Ireland on Monday for two weeks. I'll log on when I can but that may not be often or at all so see you all soon and missing you already. jude xxxx xxx xx x

Good afternoon all I only visit the discussion rooms once or twice a week these days. An underbelly of immaturity that isn’t really nasty to me but puerile and stupid has replaced the wit. I can see how it can be offensive to others though. These days I concentrate much more on my writing in my sets like I did in the early days, which for me is good and progressive. I have felt for a while that the forums were taking over and my real reason for me joining this site was being lost. Something I feel has happened and is still happening to a few of us. It’s about writing after all. Mind you I was deeply offended round about six or seven months ago by something that started out on the forums but then descended into hateful emails but that ended up with the police getting involved. Many old stagers on this site were very supportive when that occurred. I am still though without doubt having a huge love affair with ABCtales and all that it can offer. I am not going anywhere. Bless you all Ralph

Is this the hypocrisy thread?

Here we go...

No - its the strong continental lager thread - Mine's a pint of numbers

At first I thought this would be the pink and swollen thread. *ouch-ouch* Methinks Ralph is on to something here. It's time to put things in perspective and do more work and less ..... whatever. At least for me it is. Hoist a few in Ireland for us, jude. *fondly recalls 1973 visit to Emerald Isle*

I agree, as I mentioned in my "Can The Forums Cramp Your Writing Style?" thread.

Agree wholeheartedly with all of the above, espcially Ralph. Not that I've ever contributed anything particularly momentous, but I find the forums becoming (as Ralph also said) inreasingly puerile and thus feel less inclined to join in. Attacks? Yep, have had 'em, too - I just ignore 'em and laugh.