US General Election 2016

ah, glad to know Sinister is probably ok, IIRC around the time he stopped posting he some family stuff going on.

I myself have found in previous forums I was a member of that once you fall out of the routine of regular posting it's often harder and harder to return, probably been a year since I posted on TORn

Some people just have an unusual online presence that you cant forget. Sinister, Ally and Meiko had that, and also Turembar had that, but all of them seemed to have problems and just fell out of the sky and disappeared, it always leaves an absence. I think Tin is ok because she seemed quite happy and just getting on with studying, she didn't seem to be depressed or anything. I wonder what it is about Tolkien that draws people with problems together in the way it has. maybe its taps into something on a deep level. Tolkien has something gentle and sad, fragile and evocative about it, maybe that's it.

halfwise wrote:  Her thinking processes were a wonderful, delightful outlier;

Many of Ally's seemingly random posts had deeper layers once you recognized them as fragments of song lyrics, particularly Bob Dylan. If I could guess the song, then I'd have the key to the code and I'd see that a line or two before there was a reference to whatever we were all talking about at the time. I remember we'd sometimes go off riffing on Dylan or whatever while you folks were scratching your heads. Good times! Miss her too...

Mrs Figg wrote: I wonder what it is about Tolkien that draws people with problems together in the way it has. maybe its taps into something on a deep level. Tolkien has something gentle and sad, fragile and evocative about it, maybe that's it.

I tend to believe that everybody has problems, big or small. But I think your point is well taken about Tolkien's world. It somehow seems to make sense when our own worlds don't. That's probably part of why so many of us keep going back to it over and over. I know that's true for me.

Is it because Tolkien's world is the escapism that we need ? Its a comfy blanket to curl into. Much like Narnia. As a child I sat in my wardrobe praying the back would open up for me, & Id go ! Leelee & RA, they are not around either ? Mrs Figg is right, some people have a spark & even if you've never met them in person you have met them in spirit because they leave something like a Summer breeze. Its really sunk in about Bungo & I feel quite miserable. Ive never liked the expression "rest in peace". I think, if there's another life that you should be in the happiness you couldn't have in this life.

I can tell when I'm under stress because I start to re-read the comfortable classics. It was Tolkien for a long time, but having gotten to know it a bit too well it's been Dune recently.

Hey everyone,

Sad news from the other thread. I was doing a search to see when I last conversed with Bungo and came across all this.

I was actually thinking about some of the people who were on here and disappeared like CC (I think I joined later than a few of you and knew her as Carly for some reason... is this the same person as Ally?)

I was at my grandmas funeral yesterday and all of this does make you realise that interactions you take for granted could be your last ones. Family that you haven't seen in months or years because there is always an excuse might not be there.

If nothing else, let this be an excuse to check in with someone that you haven't in a long time. There might be someone who will really appreciate it and possibly impact their life more than you think it would.

I believe CC and Ally were the same, I think Eldy would know. They had somewhat different personalities but inimitable quirks in their thinking that made for a pretty clear correlation.

I have reasons to suspect that Rigby was Ally's straight-man persona.

Sorry to change the topic, but this is downright spooky:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/1950s-western-predicted-border-wall-231339598.html

....titled “The End of The World,”...

halfwise wrote:I believe CC and Ally were the same.

Yeah, that was back in the days when sockpuppets were the norm. My memory is that when Ally was made a moderator she became a bit more reserved while CC became a lot more active, picking up the slack in some of the wilder conversations without having to wear her moderator/AnnieOakley hat.

halfwise wrote:I can tell when I'm under stress because I start to re-read the comfortable classics.  It was Tolkien for a long time, but having gotten to know it a bit too well it's been Dune recently.

yeah I comfort read as well.  I like Harry Potter when things get hairy, and The Hobbit is perfect too. I also love M C Beaton Agatha Raisin books for a good old cozy reading session.

I found a pic, he looks so happy. I remember the post he put up about it. He had met someone he admired. I am truly sorry if this upsets, I wont speak of it again. You can tell me to feck off if you like, I wont mind..

Spoiler:

oh jesus that made me sad. why did he do it.

Lancebloke wrote:I was actually thinking about some of the people who were on here and disappeared like CC (I think I joined later than a few of you and knew her as Carly for some reason... is this the same person as Ally?)

When Ally registered her second main account she originally used the name "Carly Castle". At some point she asked me to change the username to "CC12 35", so she was commonly referred to as both Carly and CC.

azriel wrote:I found a pic, he looks so happy. I remember the post he put up about it. He had met someone he admired. I am truly sorry if this upsets, I wont speak of it again. You can tell me to feck off if you like, I wont mind..

bungo had a really kind and empathetic response when my childhood cat, Fred, was put to sleep last year. I remember him posting about his own experience going through that with Lucky back in 2014, and one of the pictures he shared at the time had him in it as well.

Picture:

In happier memories, here are the Photoshops I referred to earlier, both of which still make me smile after all these years.

Pictures:

Eldy wrote:

Lancebloke wrote:I was actually thinking about some of the people who were on here and disappeared like CC (I think I joined later than a few of you and knew her as Carly for some reason... is this the same person as Ally?)

When Ally registered her second main account she originally used the name "Carly Castle". At some point she asked me to change the username to "CC12 35", so she was commonly referred to as both Carly and CC.

Ahh yes... I remember now. She was a funny one! Whatever your reasons were, hope they are not correct and she is about somewhere being a but crazy.

Az - that pic was with his hero composer Philip Glass.  Bungo and I also bonded over our shared fascination with medieval music, which inspired many 20th century composers (but not Glass).  I was never a fan of Glass, as I could apply some of my snarky comments about popular rap music to him, but am glad I never did.

Yes Halfy, I remember that now. When you see someone smiling & looking so happy it makes it harder for me to understand the "why".

{{{ I reckon there is often is no why Az. Not one that would make sense. And I suspect that even if he were able to say he may not even know the why. Best thing to do is with all losses, remember the best of them. }}

got a question about Rudi Giuliani, when he was mayor during 9/11 was he respected as a bit of a hero, because now he seems like a completely different person.

I wasn't in NYC when he was, but my impression is he was always seen as a bit off, but he got the work done of clearing the criminal element out of New York, so he has some respect even if he's gone off the deep end now.  But he pushed things a bit too far and New Yorkers had enough of him.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/10/how-rudy-giuliani-turned-into-trumps-clown

halfwise wrote:I wasn't in NYC when he was, but my impression is he was always seen as a bit off, but he got the work done of clearing the criminal element out of New York, so he has some respect even if he's gone off the deep end now.  But he pushed things a bit too far and New Yorkers had enough of him.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/10/how-rudy-giuliani-turned-into-trumps-clown

thanks Halfy that's what I thought too, when he was mayor he did some good stuff and had a lot of respect even if he wasn't liked by everyone. But what the heck is he doing now, he has turned himself into a stooge.

Trump seems to have that effect on those who are properly inclined. Giuliani's the worst but the amount of gibberish that gets spewed is really something. If Kellyanne Conway hadn't put a cork on it for the last year I think Guiliani would be less noticeable.

Government Shutdown and The Wall

Trump just gave a very good, very presidential speech.  Not once did he sound like a nincompoop.  Not sure who wrote it or coached him, but if he had been like this from the start things would get done.  He was smart enough to drop the emphasis on the phrase "The Wall" which was the only real sticking point on both sides in this political clusterfuck.

I'm hoping Pelosi is noble enough to accept he's earned consideration and back down.  He probably only did it because she proved a strong opponent (I loved the recent back and forth between the SOTU and foreign travel, well played on both sides).

But I'm likely dreaming.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?457118-1/president-trump-proposes-common-sense-compromise-end-shutdown

It's nice to know our president actually can demonstrate capability. Hadn't seen it before this.

Wow.  Nancy Pelosi denied Trump the venue of House of Representatives to deliver the State of the Union speech due to the shutdown, ostensibly because it would require heightened security from unpaid guards.

Trump actually has no constitutional mandate to deliver a speech in this chamber.  In fact Thomas Jefferson delivered a couple of State of the Unions via letter.  But for the optics he at first refused to back down.

He just backed down.  I thought in this power struggle he would refuse to cede the first throw to Nancy Pelosi, but he just did.

Now we'll see how the shutdown struggle progresses.