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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Best run board I've been on
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
A bit of random reflection had me thinking, not for the first time, that Ship of Fools is the most effectively run message board I've ever been a regular member of.
So I thought it was about time to say it out loud. That's all, no other agenda. Thank you to those of you who have spent your time and effort building the Ship, and to those of you who spend your time and effort keeping it running so that folks like me can just wander in and post as the mood takes us. It's much appreciated.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Golden Key
Shipmate
# 1468
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Posted
Ditto.
![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif) to H/As, techies, and everyone who made/makes the Ship what it is.
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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")
Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
Agree!Agree!Agree! Thank you so much Simon and crew and all our talented volunteers!
And with that in mind, if ya'll have a few bucks/quid/shekels to spare, please throw the Ship's Floating Fund a bone. If as many of us as can manage it, do so, it would take a load off Simon and company. I consider it as I would paying for a news subscription that I read every day. And it pretty much is for me. And much more intelligent than most.
I realize times are tight and if you can't, you can't. And I don't begrudge anyone enjoying this place gratis. But, say, if you could afford even a ten-spot, please consider it.
A Message from the Ship's One Person PAC, unrequested by the PTB.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Patdys
Iron Wannabe
RooK-Annoyer
# 9397
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
A Message from the Ship's One Person PAC, unrequested by the PTB.
Very nicely done.
Your cat, sans the ear you have already received by mail, will be left at the townsquare at 8 am next Tuesday.
And my thanks to the mafi...ptb as well.
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Marathon run. Next Dream. Australian this time.
Posts: 3511 | Registered: Apr 2005
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M.
Ship's Spare Part
# 3291
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Posted
My thanks to the PTB as well.
I have got so much from the Ship over the years and continue to do so.
Thanks.
M.
Posts: 2303 | From: Lurking in Surrey | Registered: Sep 2002
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Anselmina
Ship's barmaid
# 3032
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Posted
to Simon and the Ship - and the much missed Erin. A great place to remain on one's spiritual toes!
Posts: 10002 | From: Scotland the Brave | Registered: Jul 2002
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The Silent Acolyte
Shipmate
# 1158
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
...Ship of Fools is the most effectively run message board I've ever been a regular member of.
Oh. You mean there are other boards?
Posts: 7462 | From: The New World | Registered: Aug 2001
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
I agree. The layout and management is brilliant! ![[Angel]](graemlins/angel.gif)
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Orfeo, I had no idea you wanted to be a host!
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
You can only be a Host if you get slapped on the head by a flying fish as you lean over the ship's bows on a clear, moonlit night. But whether or not that ever happens to Orfeo, I agree with him. (And I'd say that regardless of whether I was a host.)
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Silent Acolyte:
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
...Ship of Fools is the most effectively run message board I've ever been a regular member of.
Oh. You mean there are other boards?
Same here. Not only is it brilliantly hosted and run but the structure is excellent. Most boards need heavy moderation. The Ship has Hell, by convention the 'If-you've-got-something-personal-post-it-here' board, which by general off-Ship consent is one of the finest ideas ever implemented anywhere on t'interweb.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
You can only be a Host if you get slapped on the head by a flying fish as you lean over the ship's bows on a clear, moonlit night. But whether or not that ever happens to Orfeo, I agree with him. (And I'd say that regardless of whether I was a host.)
I thought you got a visit from Flopsy, the Ship's rabbit ...
Um ... thank you ...
Tubbs
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
Ahem -- excuse my ignorance, but for the purposes of making a donation des a debit card behave the same way as a credit card?
Huia
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
I have certainly done that in the past.
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
From experience, don't send a cheque - it's likely to be returned as 'not known at this address' by the PO. Credit card is much more reliable.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
Same here. Not only is it brilliantly hosted and run but the structure is excellent. Most boards need heavy moderation. The Ship has Hell, by convention the 'If-you've-got-something-personal-post-it-here' board, which by general off-Ship consent is one of the finest ideas ever implemented anywhere on t'interweb.
Absolutely. Dare I say it...
Hell is the Ship's greatest invention.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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The Weeder
Shipmate
# 11321
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Posted
Whenever I go on-line, the Ship is both my first and last post of call. It has amused me, challenged me, engaged me, and I have met some lovely people on the journey.
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Still missing the gator
Posts: 2542 | From: LaLa Land | Registered: Apr 2006
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Orfeo, I had no idea you wanted to be a host!
I'm preparing for a run at getting the position when I retire from full-time work in about 30 years.
[ 29. April 2012, 22:30: Message edited by: orfeo ]
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Spike
Mostly Harmless
# 36
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Huia:
Ahem -- excuse my ignorance, but for the purposes of making a donation des a debit card behave the same way as a credit card?
Yes
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"May you get to heaven before the devil knows you're dead" - Irish blessing
Posts: 12860 | From: The Valley of Crocuses | Registered: May 2001
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Evensong
Shipmate
# 14696
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
A bit of random reflection had me thinking, not for the first time, that Ship of Fools is the most effectively run message board I've ever been a regular member of.
So I thought it was about time to say it out loud. That's all, no other agenda. Thank you to those of you who have spent your time and effort building the Ship, and to those of you who spend your time and effort keeping it running so that folks like me can just wander in and post as the mood takes us. It's much appreciated.
Hear, hear!
Posts: 9481 | From: Australia | Registered: Apr 2009
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
Yay! A small donation in NZ dollars (and probably miniscule when translated to pounds, or euros) has successfully been made - thanks to the advice given above.
I am (in Pete's term) a technopeasant, but it's good to learn new things and as it's so easy I will repeat the exercise in the not too distant future. ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
Oh yeah, and what everone else said about the Ship being well set out, sensibly moderated etc, with an additional vote for the brilliance of Hell ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Orfeo, I had no idea you wanted to be a host!
I'm preparing for a run at getting the position when I retire from full-time work in about 30 years.
You can never start too early. Why, I've heard of people preparing to be SoF hosts while still in the womb!
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Kelly Alves
Bunny with an axe
# 2522
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
Absolutely. Dare I say it...
Hell is the Ship's greatest invention.
Credit due: the way I heard it, the idea for Hell was proposed by one of the Admins (Laura?) based on a similar designated bitchfest area in the "Straight Dope" message boards. I think theirs is called "The Boiler Room. " Our name is cooler.
Orfeo, son, I can see you being a doggone fine host, with that thirty years of grooming. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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I cannot expect people to believe “
Jesus loves me, this I know” of they don’t believe “Kelly loves me, this I know.”
Kelly Alves, somewhere around 2003.
Posts: 35076 | From: Pura Californiana | Registered: Mar 2002
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churchgeek
Have candles, will pray
# 5557
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Posted
Great thread!
Yes, the Ship is the best web forum out there. As others have said, it's really well laid out (and aesthetically pleasing). It's brilliantly conceived, and really well-run. And the community is also to be commended! Discussions in this forum run at lightning speed compared with others I've been on, and the people here are - for the most part - polite, interesting, and thoughtful. I also appreciate that the Ship's hosts, admins, and community also tolerate people's humanity (honest mistakes and sins) quite a bit.
Other boards should use this as a model.
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I reserve the right to change my mind.
My article on the Virgin of Vladimir
Posts: 7773 | From: Detroit | Registered: Feb 2004
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QLib
Bad Example
# 43
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Posted
Yes, I don't get how the layout is so good, when apparently the software is nothing special and has been around for yonks. Why are other boards so much less easy to follow - too many bells and whistles, perhaps? The triumph of style over substance.
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Tradition is the handing down of the flame, not the worship of the ashes Gustav Mahler.
Posts: 8913 | From: Page 28 | Registered: May 2001
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Spike
Mostly Harmless
# 36
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Posted
Well, we're Anglicans. We've always done it this way
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"May you get to heaven before the devil knows you're dead" - Irish blessing
Posts: 12860 | From: The Valley of Crocuses | Registered: May 2001
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Horseman Bree
Shipmate
# 5290
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Posted
That is the point of the Ship, innit? The discussion matters more than the technobells & whistles
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It's Not That Simple
Posts: 5372 | From: more herring choker than bluenose | Registered: Dec 2003
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ecumaniac:
This is probably a good time to encourage people to participate in the "tradition" of making a donation to the Ship on the anniversary of one's joining date.
Personally, I do it in December/January in commemoration of Erin's death--but your idea is better. It spreads the donations out during the year.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Our name is cooler.
Definitely. The whole Heaven-Purgatory-Hell thing makes it.
Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence in my 30-year potential!
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Tubbs
Miss Congeniality
# 440
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
Absolutely. Dare I say it...
Hell is the Ship's greatest invention.
Credit due: the way I heard it, the idea for Hell was proposed by one of the Admins (Laura?) based on a similar designated bitchfest area in the "Straight Dope" message boards. I think theirs is called "The Boiler Room. " Our name is cooler.
Orfeo, son, I can see you being a doggone fine host, with that thirty years of grooming.
I thought it was Erin and David who came up with the idea of the Hell Board. But one of the longer serving Admins would have to confirm.
Tubbs
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"It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it up and remove all doubt" - Dennis Thatcher. My blog. Decide for yourself which I am
Posts: 12701 | From: Someplace strange | Registered: Jun 2001
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RooK
1 of 6
# 1852
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Posted
I think the Straight Dope's "BBQ Pit" predates Hell, and I recall Erin saying that it formed part of the inspiration for Hell.
I've always loved how both places are needed on sites that face people's popular misconceptions. Though I do envy TSD being able to nail the truth in most of their subject material.
Posts: 15274 | From: Portland, Oregon, USA, Earth | Registered: Nov 2001
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EJ.
Shipmate
# 9063
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Posted
Dead Horses is a brilliant invention, too. It filters out the gay/abortion -threads that generate enough light and heat to power a city from the general discussion: but it also gives me the chance to indulge in them in case I feel like doing so.
Posts: 137 | Registered: Feb 2005
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guinness girl
Ship's Barmaid
# 4391
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Posted
Just want to add my voice to the chorus and say that the Ship is, without a doubt, the best message board I currently visit or have visited in the past. It's well moderated, has truly enlightening and intelligent discussions, and visually provides welcome relief from the migraine-inducing format some other forums use. HURRAH for not having animated gifs or pictures in posts or sigs
Posts: 463 | From: Leeds, England | Registered: Apr 2003
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Lyda*Rose: And with that in mind, if ya'll have a few bucks/quid/shekels to spare, please throw the Ship's Floating Fund a bone.
LOL, you can forget about shekels, it won't even accept euro's!
But I'll put in a couple of pounds.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Robert Armin
All licens'd fool
# 182
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Posted
Of course it won't accept euros - this is a Christian website after all!
Posts: 8927 | From: In the pack | Registered: May 2001
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jbohn
Shipmate
# 8753
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Posted
What the OP said. Thanks to everyone who works so hard to keep the Ship afloat, and to everyone who makes it worth reading and posting.
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We are punished by our sins, not for them.
--Elbert Hubbard
Posts: 989 | From: East of Eden, west of St. Paul | Registered: Nov 2004
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Quizmaster
Quick quipper
# 1435
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Posted
I still recommend this forum to all those I meet who need an outlet for their own heretical thoughts.
It is, without a doubt, the best run forum ever, and that is down to the dedication of all those who value this place highly.
I did enjoy it more when contributors were slapped and banned regularly but that is just the anarchist in me coming out.
Keep up the excellent work so that each generation can find the sanctuary outside the formal church that all of us here need.
N.B. I attended a conference on Friday where the church leaders are trying to move from "Turn up, pay up and shut up" to a more enlightened church but they found, as we do here, that you cannot keep everyone happy. We all need different things.
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The more questions I ask the more I ask fewer questions.
OR=========================================
The wise person does not know all the answers, but always asks the right questions.
Posts: 3326 | From: Exeter, Devon | Registered: Oct 2001
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
Quizmaster: quote:
I did enjoy it more when contributors were slapped and banned regularly but that is just the anarchist in me coming out.
Yeah, unfortunately when you do too much banning of the annoying sorts, you wind up with too many people sitting about saying, "I agree, I agree, I agree!" Boring. ![[Snore]](graemlins/snore.gif)
We need some chew toys in this kennel after all.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Tea gnome
Shipmate
# 9424
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Posted
As well as the straightforward Organ Fund, you can also buy mugs and postcards. My lovely shiney new IITWACW mug has just arrived and is waiting for me to put the kettle on. Thank you CK ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Floating Fund!
Posts: 771 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Robert Armin
All licens'd fool
# 182
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Posted
Did the Ship close earlier on today for maintenance? I couldn't get on, and got a message saying maintenance was taking place, but normally these things are well signposted. Since other sites were also unavailable I wonder if my server was at fault.
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Keeping fit was an obsession with Fr Moity .... He did chin ups in the vestry, calisthenics in the pulpit, and had developed a series of Tai-Chi exercises to correspond with ritual movements of the Mass. The Antipope Robert Rankin
Posts: 8927 | From: In the pack | Registered: May 2001
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ElaineC
Shipmate
# 12244
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Posted
I got the 'closed' message for the Ship too.
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Music is the only language in which you cannot say a mean or sarcastic thing. John Erskine
Posts: 464 | From: Orpington, Kent, UK | Registered: Jan 2007
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RooK
1 of 6
# 1852
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Posted
We are experiencing some persistent indexing problems, so are needing some unscheduled maintenance. Brace for rough seas.
Posts: 15274 | From: Portland, Oregon, USA, Earth | Registered: Nov 2001
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Lynn MagdalenCollege
Shipmate
# 10651
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RooK:
We are experiencing some persistent indexing problems, so are needing some unscheduled maintenance. Brace for rough seas.
I was told by a Scotsman that's Scottish foreplay: "Brace y'self, lassie!" Of course, I wouldn't know and will respectfully bow to others with experience.
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Erin & Friend; Been there, done that; Ruth musical
Posts: 6263 | From: California | Registered: Nov 2005
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pimple
Ship's Irruption
# 10635
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Posted
Ah - serendipity! I came here to ask about the maintenance too, but saw the plaudits and wanted to add mine. Now both needs are satisfied. (I thought it was something I said -now I'm miffed to find I'm not that important ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) )
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In other words, just because I made it all up, doesn't mean it isn't true (Reginald Hill)
Posts: 8018 | From: Wonderland | Registered: Nov 2005
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Lynn MagdalenCollege
Shipmate
# 10651
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by RooK:
We are experiencing some persistent indexing problems, so are needing some unscheduled maintenance. Brace for rough seas.
I was told by a Scotsman that's Scottish foreplay: "Brace y'self, lassie!" Of course, I wouldn't know and will respectfully bow to others with experience.
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Erin & Friend; Been there, done that; Ruth musical
Posts: 6263 | From: California | Registered: Nov 2005
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Mrs Shrew
Ship's Mother
# 8635
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Posted
A little late to this, but can I add my thanks to all who work so hard to keep the Ship running. I may not post much, but I read a lot and this place is very important to me.
So thankyou all for your hard work and dedication.
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"The goal of life is not to make other people in your own image, it is to understand that they, too, are in God's image" (Orfeo)
Was "mummyfrances".
Posts: 703 | From: York, England | Registered: Oct 2004
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mrs Shrew:
A little late to this, but can I add my thanks to all who work so hard to keep the Ship running. I may not post much, but I read a lot and this place is very important to me.
So thankyou all for your hard work and dedication.
A very well run board indeed, with your post at midnight exactly.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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pimple
Ship's Irruption
# 10635
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Posted
And congratulations to those experienced mariners who enabled us to weather the storm while still asleep in out hammocks.
Splice the maimnbrace!
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In other words, just because I made it all up, doesn't mean it isn't true (Reginald Hill)
Posts: 8018 | From: Wonderland | Registered: Nov 2005
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