Your list is a very good list!

"appreciate what is here. It's amazing" is what keeps me sticking about, on and off. It really is such a wealth of information, stuff that's nowhere else really. And created through the efforts of so many people, all interested in the same thing.

The forum's a bit of a sideshow. But it's not always so melodramatic. It's a bit cyclical isn't it. Like sunspots. Maybe it's time for a lull.

see you in six months then :)
(and thanks for the vote of confidence)

To be fair not all humans will behave 'appropriately' if they feel passionately enough about something... this isn't a vicar's tea party, after all. However we musn't lose sight of the fact that Mr Cope funds TMA as a serious attempt to collate knowledge and understanding of what - in many respects - is a fast disappearing past world which, according to viewpoint, may still hold many lessons for us nowadays. Does the Christian or Islamic (etc) worldview possess greater insight than the Bronze Age or Neolithic? I would suggest not, but obviously open to debate.

I post with the knowledge - anticipation, in fact - that some will think what I do is not the best. No shit Sherlock. Exactly. There are no rules.... we are not professionals. However what better way to react than to go out there and post how you think it should be done? Don't slag off the person... use him/her as inspiration. Up the ante every time. Then eveyone's a winner. Particularly the sites themselves. Which is what it is all about, I think.

As my sainted mother used to say, "To get a letter, write a letter." Just ignore the few actual instances of squabbling and pitch in with your valuable contributions. Help us set a tone, so to speak.

Please?

Hi nix,

I'm not gone, just taking a back seat. There has been a lot of bickering and bad feeling on the forum. I can't claim innocence in this, as I did get involved now and again, putting in my two-penneth.

After looking back at some of the post I got involved with, especially my contributions, some of which I am not proud of, I decided to try to avoid the confrontations as much as possible by keeping away. Some of what I posted I believed in, where I thought others were being badly done to. As for people having a go at me, well, that's fair enough, as far as I am concerned, as I can take it. Some people were banned. Some bans I agree with, some I don't, as I think there were ulterior motives. That's just my view, based on what was going on at the time between people.

The forum has changed. That's a fact, if you compare it the earlier times. I suppose that it's evolved the way most internet forums do, i.e. they deteriorate from sharing views and info into arguments. That's the way of life and relationships, which is what this is: a relationship between lots of people.

I think that there are a few people who deliberately try to cause arguments, but the majority could get on, if left to.

Here's to the future,
TE.