"Hey Elsie, what is your opinion of Cecelia Bertoli"...never heard of her, (as you might guess!)

"By the way, what is the definition of folk music once more ??" here-at this site, it is whatever Dick decides to add to the database....and other stuff which is similar My personal opinion is even narrower, but I can live with the general run of what is in the database. Much if what is being requested is outside that realm, therefore I object...what else cam I say?

" how do you police access to an open site which has grazers and fly-by- nighters? The general answer seems to be civic manners, reminding people of the rules, sending them on their way with a smile, and so on"....exactly!!

"I hate to disagree with you Elsie, but I don't believe there can ever be a Deep Folk even for the songs" sure there can...nothing is ever 'complete', but the more that is in a data base, the less we will have to look elsewhere! Songs will still be folk-processed, and there is always another variation out there, but the basic idea is to gather a lot of stuff into one place, so we can refresh our memories easier, or add something new easier, or make research easier.

" wonder what would a computer think of the disgusting conversation going on next door in the Woodpecker Song thread!" The computer would not care...and if we are smart, we would not add most of that to it's database!

"

I can hardly call myself a purist. If there's a tradition I come from, it's the "camp song tradition." I'd like this forum to be open to all forms of singable music, a one-stop forum for everything I'm likely to want to sing. For me, "Rise Up Singing" is just about the perfect song book. It doesn't limit itself to folk music - it covers just about anything that's singable. I'd like to see Digital Tradition cover the same area, only with lots more songs. "....aaaarrrgggghhhh!! I should have known!!! NO!NO!NO!NO!NO! That is the ultimate form of dilution!! It's like saying, throw away all of those narrow recipe books and whenever you want soup, just dump the contents of your fridge in a pot!!If YOU want to cook (or sing!) that way...fine...but allow those who WANT to to have their books of traditional recipes (and songs).You don't go into a Mexican restaurant and expect them to cook you Ravoli with mustard and goat cheese! If you FIND a restaurant that serves that, feel free to eat there! Start one, if you like....but this place needs a polite sign on the door that says 'we serve only traditional folk-soup here'.The kitchen does not have room in the pantry for "Mamas & Papas" & "Love is a Many Splendored Thing".....Please, Joe Offer, understand...I am NOT criticizing your taste and choices...only your notion that THIS restaurant ought to serve you any meal you want! As for "Rise Up Singing"...it is a nice book, but it is NOT a modern equivilent of the Dead Sea Scrolls(although it is being treated like that by some)

"If we're going to prosper in the interconnected world we have to be prepared to deal with a plethora of inputs, many of which will be unpopular and unwelcome." And these little discussions are one way to do that.....

" I think (in spite of Elsie's remarks about Professor X, that we are not here to learn how to do research. This is not a university of the air -- thank god." And some do get through school doing very little research! ONE MORE TIME.....No one can, or will, stop you from making requests outside the stated topic of this forum....and you may even get someone to take pity on you and 'find' it for you! In doing so, however, you are contributing to a watering down of the basic purpose(go on, call it 'expanding'..it still muddies the waters)