So, can we still make fun of Ovations? I suppose any dedicated tiple-lovers are no longer here to annoy so we can carry on with that too, they won't be back.

To the comment that "due to the nature of the medium..." I have to respectfully disagree. I've heard this a zillion times because its become an Internet cliche, sorry Bert. The medium is the written English language. We all read it & write it, that's the minimum requirement for being here. Language can be exactly as friendly or unfriendly as you care to make it, and I believe that most of these messages communicate not only content but mood (including irony, although some folks are always immune to it) _very_ effectively. (If in doubt, check for the presence of Paw and/or Cletus in the message.) These little flash fires happen sometimes, e.g. in the discussion of the RUC, someone's description of an absent third party as an "enemy of folk music", a recent exchange concerning minimum wage, and of course in dealing with recurrent requests for Mariah Carey lyrics. Most of them lead to interesting discussions. Its important not to attack the person making the comment, its easy enough to phrase an argument on the content, ennit?

Fortunately practically everyone who's a recurring poster is willing to talk things out when theses little contretemps arise--this is obviously a quality-people outpost. If some folks post once, get shot down and leave in a huff--that's unfortunate, we should try to be especially welcoming. But I figure your essential Mudcatter will quickly realize the value of the place, I know I glommed onto it immediately.

I reserve unequivocally, though, my right to publicly wish bad things for Augusto Pinochet. That #$%^&*! He better not come around here. Thats when "its time to be not nice".

Bill