French Entree - I was livid, but now I'm ZEN...

[Giddy Goat]

I don't always agree with Paolo -- especially as regards his sandpaper obsession debk

Paolo,is that true? Even I draw the line at eating sandpaper!!

[debk]

Worse than you think. He doesn't eat it. He uses it on himself... and his children!

[Alan Knighting]

“A long time ago by the light of the moon� a particularly unpleasant contributor to this Forum suggested that I was the monkey on Paolo’s shoulder rather than it being one of Paolo’s children. If both Paolo and I can survive that sort of thing nobody should have any problems with Garri, should they?

Fluffy

[paolo]

Forums are dictatorships, because someone runs the thing and foots the bills. If you make a point of setting yourself against that person, and questioning his integrity at every opportunity, you will find you do not have the freedom of speech afforded (in theory) by a democracy. You will be banned, without the right of trial or appeal. That is what I mean by a dictatorship. Same as being barred from a pub by the landlord.

This is not about waving my manhood around to show who is boss. I’m not threatening to pull the plug if you don’t all sing the company song. If I wanted out I would just hand it over to its users and leave.

However, I do not want to spend my time on LMH defending myself against silly, spurious accusations. I’m sure that many have found Garri’s input useful. That’s the point of why he is here, it is not for a love of holiday-home owners, we are his future bread and butter. But you have also found him to be courteous and correct. I have not.

Fortunately I am a very lovely dictator, and the rules of this forum are pretty easy-going - basically: be nice.

So when Garri comes back, he can be nice, or he can bog off. It’s his choice.

[debk]

So when Garri comes back, he can be nice, or he can bog off. It’s his choice.

Well said. Thank you.
debk

[Alan Knighting]

Dear All,

However, I do not want to spend my time on LMH defending myself against silly, spurious accusations.

That is the bottom line. Thanks to Paolo we have an almost uniquely friendly forum here, a forum I value very highly and I have two words for anyone who wants to change the status quo and they are “bog off�.

Fluffy

[vrooje]

I love the analogy of the pub owner. I think it's nearly perfect, except LMH is more like a pub where we all drink for free!

[Jimbo]

But you have also found him to be courteous and correct. I have not.

Talking face to face, we effortlessly use subtle signals to help understand the meaning of what somebody is saying - maybe the exact opposite of the words. Emails and internet posts are a crude instrument of communication by comparison, it's easy to dash off what feels to you to be a sparkling bit of prose, only for it to look provocative and ambiguous on the page. Even getting the punctuation wrong can radically change the meaning. It's sensible to be cautious before we hit the submit button.

A number of respected LMH contributors have rallied to Garri's support. On this thread (it seems to me), Garri refused to take hints from Paolo that it was time to quieten down and got himself banned. If you keep flicking peanuts at the male Silverback, eventually he's going to lose his patience which is just as much a rule of forums as the jungle. Sometimes, discussing problems privately with the list owner or mods might be a better way to resolve difficulties (to be fair, maybe Garri has done this).

In the end, intemperate postings which invite a like response distract from the business of the forum and threads get subverted. Everybody enjoys a bit of fun but courtesy and mutual respect are the bedrock of successful forums like LMH.

Jim

[Rocket Rab]

In the end, intemperate postings which invite a like response distract from the business of the forum and threads get subverted. Everybody enjoys a bit of fun but courtesy and mutual respect are the bedrock of successful forums like LMH.

Jim,

...... tick tock tick tock ...wondering whether to hit Submit with indecent haste! ..... well, here goes:

Courtesy and mutual respect: what pleasant and refreshing sounding words those are.

[enid]

Sometimes, discussing problems privately with the list owner or mods might be a better way to resolve difficulties (to be fair, maybe Garri has done this).

I hope he has too - I know he has sent at least one very rude private e mail. I am not a big private mail sender so my views are openly posted - we are never ever going to agree about everything but this forum iszdistinguished frr me by its professionalism where argument means debate not insult.

[la vache!]

It may not be appropriate to ask, but how private is the PM system? I have absolutely no problem at all if the administrators, i.e. Paolo as owner and Brooke as a highly respected forum member have access to all the PMs of members, but I think I would if the various mods (who do a very good job of stopping the spamming) had access to them as well.

[Hells Bells]

La Vache,I can only see my own PM's. They are private after all.

[Big Sis..]

Jenny wrote

Gascony Goat wrote:
though I love LMH, have benefited, made friends, and get a daily fix here, and understand where you're coming from Paolo, the choice of the word 'dictatorship', malevolent or benevolent, makes me a trifle squirmy.



GG, you are always so eloquent. Nothing to add. I share your all your sentiments, and would not like to see Garri go.

Totally agree..........though havent had time to read all will when I get back though

[enid]

but how private is the PM system

Just to confirm I was referring to an e mail not a pm on this forum

[paolo]

how private is the PM system?

It's totally private because I do not have access to users' passwords, nor do I have the technical know-how to get access, nor do I want to.