Art Bell

[Value Of Pi]

In the current "limbo" state, Heather's the best option for MitD.  Because if they brought a seasoned pro in to host the show (although honestly I have no idea who that could be since experienced hosts already seem to be perfectly happy doing their own programs), that person isn't going to want to take over the show with a "but if Art wants to come back you'll have to step down" caveat.  Heather is the only host who would be thrilled to step aside if Art chose to return.

Frankly, if they could find some top gun to host, I think they should start a new show altogether which could run for the 2-3 hours before MitD, or in the same time slot on the weekends.  It would be nice to have an extra show to fill out the night, and it would provide a new income stream for the network, while keeping the door open for Art if he ever decides to return.

I think it would be good for Heather to have an occasional guest host from time to time - she'd probably enjoy a night off once in awhile, and it could give another emerging talent a chance to shine.  I'm bummed that it went sideways with bateman, because he seemed like a fun idea for a guest host on the show.

The best option would depend on a few things. First, who's in control of the show and is making the final decisions? Second, what are their priorities and goals? Third, what kind of money is available to help realize their goals? Generally, you're looking for the best talent you can find so that the show and the network can be as successful as possible.

This will surely sound very non-specific to this situation. Nevertheless, it all applies -- in spite of the fact that we really don't know much about what's going on. It's almost all assumptions. We don't know if Art is planning to come back or when. We don't know how bad the financial situation is, although it doesn't look promising from what I can gather. We don't know if anyone involved has the skills to get things on track, even if they had a workable plan. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Most of the problems you raise could be solved as far as producing a quality show, but only if the principals have their act together. From what I've read and heard (on Heather's MITD), I'd say they don't. I'm not going to repeat why I think Heather wasn't a good choice, except to say that I think they had better options for how to spend what they're paying her -- especially if her claim of being well-compensated is true.

As someone said a few posts up, I want good radio, specifically the best show we can get on either the paranormal or whatever subject matter might be edgier and more entertaining these days. I hope we get to enjoy that, one way or another.

[paladin1991]

Sincerely,
ab

Thanks for the clarity.  Though I am certain that there are those who don't want to see.

[paladin1991]

   I'm really not a big conspiracy guy, generally. However, in the case of my appearance(s) with Mr. Bell... I find his subsequent complete unwillingness to examine my proof(s), or say anything publicly to redress my grievance, to be "very convenient".

   There are grand pablum masters who would prefer humanity not have any simple uniting technology they don't control and profit from.

   Divide and conquer... time zone, area code, zipcode, country, ethnicity, size, language, gender, religion... my "simple little fidget" is the same to all. It is a manifestation of a consistent circular cyclical process, far more efficient than government itself. It provides a common "frame of reference" irrespective of all those "evolved divisions", for whoever experiences it... and that could did change the balance of power overnight.

I suspect "they" told him to ignore me.

*ding *ding *ding... Mr. Bell.

It's just a matter of time.

Y3k compliant!

For fucks sake, don't you have your own thread?  Take your damn meds and get back in your bed (thread).

[Value Of Pi]

For fucks sake, don't you have your own thread?  Take your damn meds and get back in your bed (thread).

GD, you say that with authority. And not all of us can say we have our own threads. Very few, actually.

[pate]

... has the skills to get things on track, even if they had a workable plan...

Let's all just take a Hoax-Pill and calm down a bit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujm_Cw8aWSg

And, yeah...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVdkz5Mj97M

jah,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5oSfuZfpLU

[malachi.martini]

Aldous's intriguingly indulgent meltdown is the best so far, would read again. There's real sadness there, not in how it dresses outgrowing a haunt, but in how it concerns itself with the horror of platonic relationships for the invested. Seems like a good guy, if only Art were half as thoughtful on his way out.

[VictoriaPandora]

Anyone else getting the popup ad for a website where you can search for young Asian women? Is that a shot at Art or just coincidence?

Nope, all this site ever tries to sell me is racy underwear.

[VictoriaPandora]

Many of those "empty sacks of witless humanoids" don't seem to be around here any more. But still remaining are many people who legitimately wonder how and why Art chose Heather to host the show instead of someone better qualified and more talented. Don't expect anyone to feel guilty about asking this question, or to apologize for asking, because it is a very legitimate (and moral) thing to want to know.

MITD deserves a better qualified, more talented host for however long Art is away. I look forward to your thoughts and insight on this issue, because it's not going away -- even if we all get bored with talking about it, which is about where we are now.

..

The last time Art allegedly hand picked a replacement, it was George Noory. Of course years later didn't he confess that he never really chose George?

[VictoriaPandora]

So, I asked a millennial friend who's never been to Bell Gab or done anything other than tune into DMRN when Art came back.

She's been an Art Bell fan since she was ten years old, and really excited that his show was back on the air.

She had no pre-conceived notions about Heather.
I was more surprised than I should have been by her reaction.

I don't want a picture of Heather, or have any considerations about a "woman being on the radio".
But I don't like affectation. And that's all I'm getting with Heather. And it grates on my nerves.

[Chronaut]

Nope, all this site ever tries to sell me is racy underwear.

You must have an alluring cache ;

The last time Art allegedly hand picked a replacement, it was George Noory. Of course years later didn't he confess that he never really chose George?

I seem to recall that.  The Prem Rats owned the show, so it was their call.  And Sneorge was everything they had ever wished and prayed for - the exact opposite of Art:  a compliant company man down to the marrow, without an independent thought in his head.  Rumor has it that at the last contract signing, he surrendered his rights to his own genetic code so they own all of his future clones as well, who will host the show until the end of time.

Art also confessed that he was pressured into saying the words "he gets it" because the audience was aghast at Sneorge's vacant attempts to host the show, and GN's corporate handlers were desperate for Art to endorse him.  You could actually hear Art cringing when he said it, no joke.

Heather wasn't so much chosen, as the only person crazy and/or dedicated enough to volunteer to walk into the furnace of blowback the night Art hung up the mic.  She single-handedly saved the show and the network that day:  both Art and Keith were ready to burn the whole thing down until she stepped up.  The problem is, it was a desperate "Hail Mary" to simply keep the lights on and buy Art some time to resolve the stalker crisis.  It looks to me like they're still just trying to hold things together one day at a time, hoping for a resolution that may never arrive.  Living with this kind of uncertainly must be an absolute hell, but I guess as long as Keith and Art and some of the fan base are still behind her, she can keep it alive until the troll callers get sick of bitching and she can start enjoying herself, or she has a nervous breakdown.  I wouldn't have though this possible a month ago, but I'm actually starting to think she's going to overcome the relentless heckling.  I just wish Art would make a decision one way or another; it's pretty cruel to leave her hanging in the wind like this.

[Chronaut]

But I don't like affectation. And that's all I'm getting with Heather. And it grates on my nerves.

Nobody likes to hear affectation in someone's voice, but it's a natural defense mechanism.  Some people have it all the time, but I think for most of us it only comes out strongly when we're uncertain, like when we're speaking to strangers we don't trust.  It's like a shield to keep people at arm's length.

The problem here is, she's been under constant attack from day one.  How is anyone supposed to drop their guard under the hostile conditions she faces every night?  I'd like to hear how she sounds when she's relaxed and enjoying a good conversation with a close friend, because it's probably markedly different than what we're hearing on the air.  But I don't know how that's going to happen while a bunch of assholes are willing to spend an hour dialing into the show just to say "you suck."

[SredniVashtar]

OK, first of all, you always come across as a good guy, and I am sure you're sincere in what you have written, but you are all over the road here. It's just a prejudice of mine, admittedly, but I tend not to totally trust the judgement of someone who appears to spend a good part of his time shitfaced on mind-altering substances.

I understand that throwing poop is an act that primates engage in and that online anonymity emboldens those lacking any sense of honor to hurl their fact-free feces with no responding consequences, but this is the sport of cowards.

Yes, damn those anonymous poop-flinging cowards. They are almost as bad as anonymous radio hosts who get people fired from their jobs. Be careful when you start denouncing faceless online people, because you stray into hypocrisy.

And so it is to these empty sacks of witless humanoids that I address this post.

How can the sack be empty if it contains a witless humanoid? It's stuff like this that makes me avoid the peyote breakfast burrito in the mornings.

Because I have had a long and fruitful history of associating with the most interesting people I can find,  I can honestly claim that I am a well seasoned and well calibrated judge of character. I have lived with cops and also have been locked up with murderers. Swept up around the ashram for years and also rolled with rock stars, psychedelic gurus, and all manner of hooligan.

Charles Manson could boast a similar resume. I have never met anyone who hasn't claimed to be a great judge of character, just like nobody thinks they are a shitty driver. Everyone who says they are a fine judge of character is always wrong. Except for me!

I've associated with the most free living and free loving feral humans I could find and also have had very deep relationships with celibates who I hold in the category of saints. I know a few things about the variety of human nature and did not just get on this pony ride. In this carnival midway of humanity it is possible with time, to gain an understanding of the personal qualities that you gravitate toward or are repelled from.

It's early here, but I feel I need a drink after reading this bit. OK, you hung out with some stinky hippies who shake it all over the place, and some frigid types who like to dress up their sexual hangups as some kind of spiritual calling. Which proves what, other than to boast what a seasoned badass you are?

Consider it a character reference if you will, mostly for myself, since my folks were decent people who did not raise me to associate with degenerates or fools or to lie, even to strangers.

Hang on! Just a minute ago you told us that you had shared spit with some of the worst types of gunge imaginable, the next you are telling us that you are some kind of moral boy scout, who wouldn't be seen dead talking to a person unless they were formally introduced and thoroughly vetted first.

I am no eagle scout either but you see, Heather is an individual with real couth, not someone who presents herself as even vaguely sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious.

I lasted one day in the Scouts before they threw me out, bad boy! Or I didn't like it and went sobbing to my parents, take your pick. Nobody says 'couth' either. That's like saying you are 'gruntled'. It's either 'disgruntled' or 'uncouth'. If Heather is all you claim her to be then she sounds a crashing bore. I've met Sunday School teachers with more moxie.

Honestly, I enjoy getting hit on by the ladies but our friendship IS our destination and we've had an easy time arriving here in spite of all our natural hormonally instinctive attractions being present and accounted for thank you very much. I believe that we've each developed a trusting sense of our respective boundaries over time, which I am grateful for, as it allows us to have the kind of friendship in which we can travel and spend time together without the added complicated dimension of intimacy, however potentially awesome it might/could be.

That sounds straight out of the plot synopsis for 'When Aldous Met Heather'. I expect it will have the same ending as the other version. OK, she's a seraph, we get it, just ask Bateman. At least you are approaching this in a spirit of total impartiality.

I assured her that since Art had heard her on the gabcast, he would remember her ability to articulately converse and would be likely to respond. 

The things we say when fucked up out of our gourd, huh?

If you can sense wholesome, well it was like a sweet incense wafting with the fragrance of loving parents raising their child with the best of every impulse they've got.

I'm glad I didn't write this.

This is exactly why it pisses me off that it can be considered fair sport, genuinely speculative discourse, or anything other than rancid and disgusting to state or imply or cheer on the idea that something amorous or sexual was or has been involved in Heather and Art's working or personal relationship.

OK, so you're a kind of ethical Jedi who can sniff out impropriety from thousands of miles away. You can tell that no funny business goes on because you are attached like a limpet to her day and night. And nobody ever tells lies where men and women are concerned. Check. I was going to say that you even accompany her to the bathroom, but she's so angelic she probably doesn't need to bother.

Heather was introduced to Art by my instigation.

Here's a Scrabble question. You have the letters P A H R U M P on your rack, and you try to think of a four letter word that describes a man who effects a similar kind of 'introduction'. Clue: you'll need to find an 'I' somewhere first.

Heather's and Art's interactions were nothing but mutually respectful and professional. My sense of their personal chemistry was and is one of mentorship on Art's part, and correspondingly that of potential student/apprentice on Heather's part. And I mean this in the most positive of ways. Apprenticeship is a thing you know, and the natural instinct to learn/teach/pass on a craft is in our cultural genes. There is no gain from folding, mutilating, or stapling this type of relationship into a banal ambition unless you are an unimaginative social imbecile lacking sufficient talent to have your own life.

Rubbish. You take on a apprenticeship so that you can learn and get a decent job from the knowledge you learned. There is nothing 'banal' or unpleasantly ambitious about that, just smart. Otherwise what's the bloody point? The trouble is, this 'apprenticeship' wasn't done in a very clever way. Instead of finding her a place to acquire skills and learn from her mistakes, he dumps her straight into a job that she is unqualified for and, frankly, not very good at. Are you going to hire an electrician to do a job who never learned in a proper, structured way, but expects to learn as he goes? 'Oh yes, this guy is getting better by the day, he only burned down three houses last week, so just give him a chance!' Bollocks.

You may not appreciate how it's gone but figure it out- what pisses any of you all off is that you believe he hasn't been straight in the walking his talk or has been a quitter. But guess what? Met the guy, shook his hand, and Art is the rare kind of person who I'd trust with my kids. What more can I say?

I'm not Force-sensitive like you, so I can't tell much about someone by rubbing palms together. I guess you're right. They used to say the same shit about Jimmy Saville, and what did those idiots know?

Regarding the freedom of speech excuse for defamation of character and garden variety cyber bullying- well sure, MV owns this board so you are free to pass gas as long as he finds it tolerable for whatever ostensible reasons of entertainment or monetization. But let's not confuse hurtful cyber slander with "freedom of speech" which more accurately pertains to the inalienable right to speak our minds free from governmental censorship, not some mistaken justification to wipe a dirty mind with a Jeffersonian hanky. It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

Let's not forget that this 'hurtful cyber slander' is being directed at a ghost. We know nothing about her, other than that she's not awfully good on the air. It's on the same level as accusing me of molesting guinea pigs: it may be true (they are such sluts sometimes), but my RL reputation will not be affected, and neither will Heather's. It's interesting that most of Heather's support comes from men; women have another view, and your rather dewy-eyed advocacy doesn't really add much here, because you all come across as too besotted to have a valid opinion. Why don't you compare notes with Bateman to see if you still have this unspotted opinion of her?

Nobody can say what's going on, I imagine, and it's hardly likely to be something that one would boast about to someone anyway, would it? But, most people who weren't born yesterday tend to look at situations like this and draw conclusions. It may be horrendously unjust, but a lot of the blame rests on them for handling the situation so badly.

[onan]

OK,... badly.

So you lost a radio show. That pretty much sums it up. The guy behind the mic told a story you and others didn't like. Then the shit storm hit.

Guess what? you have still lost your radio show. Whatever iteration (if there is one) comes next, you and others probably won't listen.

Aldous isn't the word smith you are. What he may lack in wordsmithery (yes, my word, I claim it), he more than makes up in showing a different perspective.

He is angry because he knows Heather personally. What is not to understand? Your and several other's only skin in the game is you lost a radio show.

[SixWeekTenure(tm)]

But, most people who weren't born yesterday tend to look at situations like this and draw conclusions. It may be horrendously unjust, but a lot of the blame rests on them for handling the situation so badly.

[Gruntled]

OK, first of all, you always come across as a good guy, and I am sure you're sincere in what you have written, but you are all over the road here. It's just a prejudice of mine, admittedly, but I tend not to totally trust the judgement of someone who appears to spend a good part of his time shitfaced on mind-altering substances.

Yes, damn those anonymous poop-flinging cowards. They are almost as bad as anonymous radio hosts who get people fired from their jobs. Be careful when you start denouncing faceless online people, because you stray into hypocrisy.

How can the sack be empty if it contains a witless humanoid? It's stuff like this that makes me avoid the peyote breakfast burrito in the mornings.

Charles Manson could boast a similar resume. I have never met anyone who hasn't claimed to be a great judge of character, just like nobody thinks they are a shitty driver. Everyone who says they are a fine judge of character is always wrong. Except for me!

It's early here, but I feel I need a drink after reading this bit. OK, you hung out with some stinky hippies who shake it all over the place, and some frigid types who like to dress up their sexual hangups as some kind of spiritual calling. Which proves what, other than to boast what a seasoned badass you are?

Hang on! Just a minute ago you told us that you had shared spit with some of the worst types of gunge imaginable, the next you are telling us that you are some kind of moral boy scout, who wouldn't be seen dead talking to a person unless they were formally introduced and thoroughly vetted first.

I lasted one day in the Scouts before they threw me out, bad boy! Or I didn't like it and went sobbing to my parents, take your pick. Nobody says 'couth' either. That's like saying you are 'gruntled'. It's either 'disgruntled' or 'uncouth'. If Heather is all you claim her to be then she sounds a crashing bore. I've met Sunday School teachers with more moxie.

That sounds straight out of the plot synopsis for 'When Aldous Met Heather'. I expect it will have the same ending as the other version. OK, she's a seraph, we get it, just ask Bateman. At least you are approaching this in a spirit of total impartiality.

The things we say when fucked up out of our gourd, huh?

I'm glad I didn't write this.

OK, so you're a kind of ethical Jedi who can sniff out impropriety from thousands of miles away. You can tell that no funny business goes on because you are attached like a limpet to her day and night. And nobody ever tells lies where men and women are concerned. Check. I was going to say that you even accompany her to the bathroom, but she's so angelic she probably doesn't need to bother.
Here's a Scrabble question. You have the letters P A H R U M P on your rack, and you try to think of a four letter word that describes a man who effects a similar kind of 'introduction'. Clue: you'll need to find an 'I' somewhere first.

Rubbish. You take on a apprenticeship so that you can learn and get a decent job from the knowledge you learned. There is nothing 'banal' or unpleasantly ambitious about that, just smart. Otherwise what's the bloody point? The trouble is, this 'apprenticeship' wasn't done in a very clever way. Instead of finding her a place to acquire skills and learn from her mistakes, he dumps her straight into a job that she is unqualified for and, frankly, not very good at. Are you going to hire an electrician to do a job who never learned in a proper, structured way, but expects to learn as he goes? 'Oh yes, this guy is getting better by the day, he only burned down three houses last week, so just give him a chance!' Bollocks.

I'm not Force-sensitive like you, so I can't tell much about someone by rubbing palms together. I guess you're right. They used to say the same shit about Jimmy Saville, and what did those idiots know?

Let's not forget that this 'hurtful cyber slander' is being directed at a ghost. We know nothing about her, other than that she's not awfully good on the air. It's on the same level as accusing me of molesting guinea pigs: it may be true (they are such sluts sometimes), but my RL reputation will not be affected, and neither will Heather's. It's interesting that most of Heather's support comes from men; women have another view, and your rather dewy-eyed advocacy doesn't really add much here, because you all come across as too besotted to have a valid opinion. Why don't you compare notes with Bateman to see if you still have this unspotted opinion of her?

Nobody can say what's going on, I imagine, and it's hardly likely to be something that one would boast about to someone anyway, would it? But, most people who weren't born yesterday tend to look at situations like this and draw conclusions. It may be horrendously unjust, but a lot of the blame rests on them for handling the situation so badly.

See here, Sir!
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/gruntled

[SredniVashtar]

See here, Sir!
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/gruntled

“I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.”

― P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters

Nobody likes a smartarse! I might have known that you'd poke your snout of your burrow sooner or later. Name me one instance - apart from the one above - in ordinary speech when that word has ever cropped up and I will buy you a Drambuie and Coke.

Anyway, you sent a link to a US English dictionary, and I will have no truck with that barbarous dialect, so you have shot yourself straight out of the water!

[CornyCrow]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

But what Saucy Rossy is saying is true and I feel a responsibility to clarify my "insider knowledge" at the risk of being labeled as a white knight. (As if I care)

      .    .    . It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

It is commendable of you to speak out on behalf of  your friend.  You must realize that many of us do not know these people as do you.  Please realize, also, that a person can be different things to different people. 

I don't care whether or not Heather and Art have an amorous relationship.  I have worked for too many major corporations in which that seemed to be the best way for a woman to get ahead and many took advantage of it.  They were all 'nice' girls, too - just wanting to get ahead.

I have also worked with a guy who was among the most personable and knowledgeable that you'd want to meet, but I knew him well enough not to trust him around my hypothetical children. 

People who 'play the game' the most successfully are those who most would least suspect. 

What Art and Heather have going for them is their own business.  My main thing, which I share with others here, is that I would be happy if Art were getting therapy to try to understand this peculiar pattern he has of committing and then quitting. 

[Gruntled]

“I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.”

― P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters

Nobody likes a smartarse! I might have known that you'd poke your snout of your burrow sooner or later. Name me one instance - apart from the one above - in ordinary speech when that word has ever cropped up and I will buy you a Drambuie and Coke.

Anyway, you sent a link to a US English dictionary, and I will have no truck with that barbarous dialect, so you have shot yourself straight out of the water right out of the gate!

Interesting choice of words for someone named after a Ferret.

[SredniVashtar]

So you lost a radio show. That pretty much sums it up. The guy behind the mic told a story you and others didn't like. Then the shit storm hit.

If he'd said 'that's all, folks!' I don't think many people would have minded. He's an old guy with a history of giving things up, so it wouldn't come as a surprise. I think people (well, me at least) don't like having their intelligence insulted, and are having their say. Just as I don't mind you disagreeing with me, I think everyone should expect to have their opinions/competence/whatever questioned at all times. Unfortunately, as it's now reached the stage where Art has retreated into a bunker mentality and starts threatening legal action, it doesn't totally 'sum it up'. Personally, I think the old boy has a screw loose, and that's fair comment under the circumstances.

Guess what? you have still lost your radio show. Whatever iteration (if there is one) comes next, you and others probably won't listen.

People like to hear good radio, they don't care who delivers it. You seem to know more about me than I do, because I'd listen to something if it had promise. I don't want to be part of someone's radio internship, that's all, and it has nothing to do with who is behind the mic.

He is angry because he knows Heather personally. What is not to understand? Your and several other's only skin in the game is you lost a radio show.

I was criticising what he said, not his right to say it. He can feel as angry as he wants, I wouldn't dream of denying him that right. He made his feelings very clear and I respect that. I was doing the same, that's all. I felt that a lot of the points he made were nonsense and pointed them out, but doubtless others disagree. That's life.

[littlechris]

[onan]

If he'd said 'that's all, folks!' I don't think many people would have minded. He's an old guy with a history of giving things up, so it wouldn't come as a surprise. I think people (well, me at least) don't like having their intelligence insulted, and are having their say. Just as I don't mind you disagreeing with me, I think everyone should expect to have their opinions/competence/whatever questioned at all times. Unfortunately, as it's now reached the stage where Art has retreated into a bunker mentality and starts threatening legal action, it doesn't totally 'sum it up'. Personally, I think the old boy has a screw loose, and that's fair comment under the circumstances.

People like to hear good radio, they don't care who delivers it. You seem to know more about me than I do, because I'd listen to something if it had promise. I don't want to be part of someone's radio internship, that's all, and it has nothing to do with who is behind the mic.

I was criticising what he said, not his right to say it. He can feel as angry as he wants, I wouldn't dream of denying him that right. He made his feelings very clear and I respect that. I was doing the same, that's all. I felt that a lot of the points he made were nonsense and pointed them out, but doubtless others disagree. That's life.

OK, how come, "That's life" works for you here, but not with Art insulting your intelligence.

Look, there is no one brighter here than you. That is what surprised me so much about your dog in the fight.


Oh, and get used to the idea that I know more about you than you do. I have spoken with your parents.

[CornyCrow]

If he'd said 'that's all, folks!' I don't think many people would have minded. He's an old guy with a history of giving things up, so it wouldn't come as a surprise. I think people (well, me at least) don't like having their intelligence insulted, and are having their say. Just as I don't mind you disagreeing with me, I think everyone should expect to have their opinions/competence/whatever questioned at all times. Unfortunately, as it's now reached the stage where Art has retreated into a bunker mentality and starts threatening legal action, it doesn't totally 'sum it up'. Personally, I think the old boy has a screw loose, and that's fair comment under the circumstances.

People like to hear good radio, they don't care who delivers it. You seem to know more about me than I do, because I'd listen to something if it had promise. I don't want to be part of someone's radio internship, that's all, and it has nothing to do with who is behind the mic.

I was criticising what he said, not his right to say it. He can feel as angry as he wants, I wouldn't dream of denying him that right. He made his feelings very clear and I respect that. I was doing the same, that's all. I felt that a lot of the points he made were nonsense and pointed them out, but doubtless others disagree. That's life.

Some of us think you'd be great if you had your own show, Srendi. 

[SredniVashtar]

OK, how come, "That's life" works for you here, but not with Art insulting your intelligence.

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Art's 'stalker' sounds like it came straight out of the 'dog ate my homework' school of lame excuses. I'm not saying we should march on Pahrump with lit torches, just that it sounds a little implausible, and I'm pointing it out, like many others. I know nothing I say is going to change anything in the slightest; it's just a discussion, that's all. If I disagree with something I tend to say so, rather than simply accept it, but perhaps I misunderstood your point.

That is what surprised me so much about your dog in the fight.

I don't have much of a dog in this or any other fight on here, believe it not. I am just responding to what others have to say, I don't have an agenda of my own. It's interesting that Art's show - once such a promising idea - is crashing and burning, of course, but I usually end up posting because I read something from someone I disagree with. Take, for example, Chronaut's latest dispatches from the sick bed. I can't let those pass, can I?  It's less to do with Art or Heather, but more the attitudes and perspectives of other people that I usually take issue with, I think.

Oh, and get used to the idea that I know more about you than you do. I have spoken with your parents.

I have had to buy an extra large closet to keep all my skeletons safely stowed. I don't know when you spoke to them, but it must have been a long time ago. Unless your iPad has a ouija board app!

[GravitySucks]

I have one more month of research for my next literary work. The working title is "A year in the life of BellGab". Just when I think I have a coherent plot line going, somebody mucks up the works. This is going to take me some time to develop into a coherent story, but I need material to have a real strong, climactic finish.

All of you are on notice. I only have one more month to complete my research. Please step it up a notch. Your posts are getting quite tedious and tend to be hard to categorize. It will be much simpler to correlate the data if you limit your posts to a single topic.

I suggest using tags if you want your role in this saga to be represented accurately and fairly. Here is a starter set to use. Feel free to add more if you deem them necessary.

<fact>
<opinion>
<rant>
<joke>
<sarcasm>
<British humour>
<nonsense>
<conjecture>
<slander>
<libel>
<premonition>
<prediction>
<stupidity>
<drunk>

Incorporating these tags will simplify my efforts greatly. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Let's all see if we can step it up a notch. This is a Leap Year, so I will be including posts dated By midnight, February 29, 2016.

Post on, your time to make a difference in the literary world is now.

Remember people, it is quality, not quantity that we are looking for.

[Sehnzeleid]

[onan]

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Art's 'stalker' sounds like it came straight out of the 'dog ate my homework' school of lame excuses. I'm not saying we should march on Pahrump with lit torches, just that it sounds a little implausible, and I'm pointing it out, like many others. I know nothing I say is going to change anything in the slightest; it's just a discussion, that's all. If I disagree with something I tend to say so, rather than simply accept it, but perhaps I misunderstood your point.

I don't have much of a dog in this or any other fight on here, believe it not. I am just responding to what others have to say, I don't have an agenda of my own. It's interesting that Art's show - once such a promising idea - is crashing and burning, of course, but I usually end up posting because I read something from someone I disagree with. Take, for example, Chronaut's latest dispatches from the sick bed. I can't let those pass, can I?  It's less to do with Art or Heather, but more the attitudes and perspectives of other people that I usually take issue with, I think.


I have had to buy an extra large closet to keep all my skeletons safely stowed. I don't know when you spoke to them, but it must have been a long time ago. Unless your iPad has a ouija board app!

Let's assume everything Art said was a lie. We have no show with Art.

Let's assume everything Art said was true. We still have no show with Art.

Let's assume, like almost all of us, some truth, some not quite true, and some not true at all. We still have no show with Art.

I don't own a crystal ball. So what Art would have done under other conditions is impossible for me to know. What I can say is that all of the contention did nothing to help. Fine, as you say, that is life.

However, Aldous came here to address the attacks on Heather, and for my part, good on him.

I have found that burying my skeletons in the neighbors garden has benefits of not only distance, but a better tomato from the garden as well.

[GravitySucks]

Let's assume everything Art said was a lie. We have no show with Art.

Let's assume everything Art said was true. We still have no show with Art.

Let's assume, like almost all of us, some truth, some not quite true, and some not true at all. We still have no show with Art.

I don't own a crystal ball. So what Art would have done under other conditions is impossible for me to know. What I can say is that all of the contention did nothing to help. Fine, as you say, that is life.

However, Aldous came here to address the attacks on Heather, and for my part, good on him.

I have found that burying my skeletons in the neighbors garden has benefits of not only distance, but a better tomato from the garden as well.

<fact>

FIFY

But I am giving you the benefit of the doubt on the tomato thing.

[SredniVashtar]

Let's assume everything Art said was a lie. We have no show with Art.

Let's assume everything Art said was true. We still have no show with Art.

Let's assume, like almost all of us, some truth, some not quite true, and some not true at all. We still have no show with Art.

I'm trying to recall if there has even been a time when I have contributed to a discussion on here that led to any tangible outcome...Nope, not one! I have never felt that I was setting the universe to rights, or making the world safer for democracy - just discussing topics that interested me. If we limited ourselves to doing things that had any sort of real-world usefulness I think we would be missing out on a lot of fun. If you want my opinion, I think all these discussions (although irksome to you) do have a beneficial effect, because they give people a chance to say all the stuff on their minds and get it out of their system. It's probably the sort of thing that aldous (although not me) would call a 'psychic cleansing'.

I don't own a crystal ball. So what Art would have done under other conditions is impossible for me to know. What I can say is that all of the contention did nothing to help. Fine, as you say, that is life.

I can let you borrow my crystal ball, just return it the way you found it! The contention didn't help, but I doubt whether it did any actual harm. After all, you can remain ignorant of the comments by the simple expedient of not reading them, but Art chose not to. He also stirred things up when he could very easily have left it alone.

However, Aldous came here to address the attacks on Heather, and for my part, good on him.

Yes, fair play. But he laid out some pretty swingeing criticisms himself, so it seemed only appropriate to respond in kind.

I have found that burying my skeletons in the neighbors garden has benefits of not only distance, but a better tomato from the garden as well.

I have worked out a deal with a local teaching hospital where they will take the overflow when occasion demands.

[onan]

I'm trying to recall if there has even been a time when I have contributed to a discussion on here that led to any tangible outcome...Nope, not one! I have never felt that I was setting the universe to rights, or making the world safer for democracy - just discussing topics that interested me. If we limited ourselves to doing things that had any sort of real-world usefulness I think we would be missing out on a lot of fun. If you want my opinion, I think all these discussions (although irksome to you) do have a beneficial effect, because they give people a chance to say all the stuff on their minds and get it out of their system. It's probably the sort of thing that aldous (although not me) would call a 'psychic cleansing'.

You may have me, on this point. Although, I don't see anything beneficial. If anything, I found it, mostly, on the ugly side of things.

I am contacting my local hospital as we speak.

[VictoriaPandora]

Nobody likes to hear affectation in someone's voice, but it's a natural defense mechanism.  Some people have it all the time, but I think for most of us it only comes out strongly when we're uncertain, like when we're speaking to strangers we don't trust.  It's like a shield to keep people at arm's length

It's was just as bad when she got the exclusive interview with him and everybody loved her for it.