I’ll have a Shirley Temple instead, thanks.
I think I’m with Em on this one. Fruit-filled Jello.
And who said “community”? I’m with you there. We’ve wandered in because we like whistles and stayed because the other conversations were interesting. I wouldn’t stay in a conversation that starts flaming, I just don’t need to deal with it.
Since the splintering off of the Pub forum, I dip in through the “find new posts” search. Then I ignore the monster Political thread, various postings on the Test forum, and the pipers, and then just look into the ones that look like they might be interesting. Or the ones started by interesting people. Like Dale.
But basically, life’s too short to worry about who’s posting what where, and why.
M
Oh, I know you can stand up for yourself, I just think he’s your guardian angel anyway.
Like I keep Peter out of harm’s way? Right. 
Speaking of guardian angels, I am looking for one myself. Applications welcomed. Intelligence a must, will consider IQ of 34D and up.
A lot to think about here on this one.
First off I agree mostly with MurphyStout aka Jack but have the good/bad unnatural sense to try and see both sides of the situation and find a middle ground for myself in all of this. I like the pub format and all the other formats that I have learned so much on, asking few questions but doing a ton of reading and then taking what I read and practicing it. I don’t have a formal musical background or training, I’m basically self taught on the whistles, flutes and bodhrans that I play, I don’t have enough knowledge to even ask in most cases the simple questions that I want to ask, and I thank those that have asked what would appear to be another newbie dump question.
In pre-pub times the whistle board did get sluggish with political, religious, and other highly opinionated views and a new vistior would have a hard go of it trying to fine whistle related posts. In brief I learned a lot about the American way of life and thought (since most political/religious posts are American) at the ground roots and very personal level, that I don’t get from the six Detroit television stations and two newspapers across the river. But I stay out of those posts, I read them but don’t comment. Who was it? Stokely Carmichael said “if you ain’t part of the problem, you ain’t part of the solution.”
I mostly only post when at work sitting at the reference desk most of the time, when there isn’t much time to do paper work between questions. Today is my day off, I have already put in three hours of flute practice..Jack, usually forty minutes on my lunch hour, AND I am guilty of posting useless but somewhat interesting posts. I have held back since the one I did post of a man doing something with a chicken. I have even gotten to the point now of not posting things that I know would be of interest to others in the pub..am thinking of doing it through PM’s though.
I’m betwixted and between, I love an almost empty pub on a quiet afternoon, sitting in the corner with a pint and a friend playing tunes, but then it always brightens my day when others come in with their thoughts and music, then when the sun sets, the session is going in the corner, the craic is flying and the cacaphony of life reverberates off the walls, life is happening!
MarkB
I wish to take this opportunity to THANK DALE for setting up the Pub so all you nutjobs have some place to vent (you know who who you are).
I think Dale should be awarded some kind of metal for making a positive contribution to the mental health of the planet. Goodness knows what you folks would be up to if you didn’t have the Pub. 
Also, because all the ravings here take place by way of keyboard rather than by actual speech, think of the savings in carbon dioxide emissions. So Dale should also get a ecological award. 
I don’t know that Bloo is anyone’s guardian angel, but more that he’s probably a member of the Fipple Five, with an association to the Montreal Syndicate.
Something I’ve found puzzling is the membership to posting ratio. Approximately 10% of the 5,000+ people are what I consider posters (at least 500 posts in a span of 1-4 years), with an even smaller percentage very regular posters (Dale referred to that in a post somewhere). That makes for 4,500, or so, that don’t participate with any regularity or at all. If you visit for the purpose of lurking, then why join - it isn’t necessary. I’ve wanted to ask these people why they remain silent. Is it shyness, dislike of the threads, changed their minds…? If it is shyness, I’d invite all those in the silent majority to PM with their reasoning; I’m honestly curious.
There’s one job I’m eminently unqualified for. What a relief.
Actually, Peter, I did some very minor editing to remove your indiscreet use of a name that caused great consternation to the member so named for a reason, I trust, to which you are not privy for if you were I do not believe you would have posted it. That necessitated cleaning up a few ‘loose ends’ that resulted.
It’s Alan! I saw Alan!
(kind of like spotting Elvis.)
Emmline if you come into chat once in a while, many’s a night Alan is there!
MakrB
Hey, Murph. Isorta remember you from my previous life on tho board. I always thought you were a decent chap. Sounds like you’re loooking for more of “your kind of people.” Some of us don’t measure up. That’s fine (i suppose). It’s only human nature to be happiest when we’re with people who think like us and act likde us. Just ask any of the kids sitting at the cool table in any schoold cafeteria. (Of course most of them will be working for the kids sitting at the nerd table in a few years.) That’s also why there are country clubs, and fraternities, and various good and nasty little organizations that recruit members who only want to rub elbows with “their kind of people.” It’s a little hard for some folks to feel good about themselves if there’s not someone else to exclude or to knock. We can’t be superior if there’s no one out there who is inferior. So what good is it to have a forum where we can’t exclude people who don’t look like us, or think like us or play as well as you do? Kind of stinks, huh? Perhaps some day Dale will wise up and kick some of us out of here to make this place more excusive. Till then, I guess you’ll have to deal with these boring posts.
Will O’BAn
I started out on the session.org and got to know the folks over there. A couple of my flute students, (Murphy was one) suggested I come and have a look at C&F. I started lurking here for a while, but I didn’t want to get involved with another message board… so I just lurked now and then. When the pub started up I really liked the idea of talking with people you have music in common with about subjects unrelated. It is like a pub in that way because at my local I do this with my musical pals. (as well as non-players) So I enjoyed getting involved in the pub for that reason. Does that answer your question?
Ignore that man behind the curtain!
Emmline if you come into chat once in a while, many’s a night Alan is there!MakrB
Who is this MakrB and why is he saying these things about me?
Yike… this makes 156 posts for me.
Jack (Murphy), please don’t despise me for contributing so to the forum pollution! 
Is okay…you’re holding a flute!
No offence Tyler, but I DO care what people think of my posts. I consider that being reasonable and responsible.
Plus I have 763 red barrells of cat sphincters that I simply MUST get rid of as the perfume factory refused the shipment.
I might be ok as long as I JUST hold it!
You know something, Jack, anyone who communicates privately with other posters on this board has their own view of what the consensus might be. I have also communicated with folks who have similar (to my own) impressions and concepts about the board, what goes on and feelings about individuals that post here. But the difference between you and myself is that I don’t assume that it represents a consensus. I don’t think the pub was created to live up to your standards – or mine – so I don’t have any expectations – I just enjoy it for what it is and give the moderators the benefit of the doubt.
The solution to your problem is overwhelmingly simple. If you don’t approve of what goes on and think people should be practicing instead – go bloody practice then and don’t waste your time reading posts that don’t interest you.
As for the community here at C&F (in the pub,) I’m not concerned about what level their playing is at or how much they practice. I think the board represents a very interesting cross section of people from a wide variety of locations. This is where my local pub and this one are very different. There are some brilliant minds that contribute here as well as people like me that are just interested in other things besides music. I don’t read and contribute exclusively to political threads; I also enjoy the playful ones.
Also, I would never go into my local pub and start lecturing people about what they choose to talk about – this strikes me to be a bit pompous. If you walked into the Plough and started in with this kind of pedantry you’d find yourself sitting alone before too long.
My advice is to relax and do your own thing, Jack, don’t waste time lecturing others on their thing. This board is for everybody… not just you.
Being reasonable and responsible is one thing, putting up with someone trying to tell you you’re a time waster because what you post about bores them is another.
Besides, I don’t give my cat sphincters to just anyone; there’s a lot of valuable civet in those babies!
I will hand them out for free, though, at the C&F Christmas party
Jaysus, you guys are making me out to be some kind of nazi.
To everyone, I’m not trying to be exlusive or anything or scare anybody away. I was just voicing my opinion that the forum isn’t what it once was and that I wish people wouldn’t hit the submit button as much.
Cynth, you say you can only discuss the music so much and then it becomes pointless and you run out things to talk about. I disagree. I have so many questions to ask and discussions I would like to have but there are just so few knowledgeable people on the forums to provide good answers.
And to people who say I should just skip the posts I don’t like. I’ve tried that but there is just SO much to skip past these days that finding the good stuff is extremely difficult. And skipping everything is kinda depressing because you don’t have any idea of what’s going on and frustrated because what you do read isn’t worth reading.
To people who’ve sent me PM’s appologizing. There is no need too. You are entilted to post anything that you wish to as I am. Post away, I just wanted to voice an opinion and get a few people thinking.