I've been purposely staying out of this thread *for now* until I figure out exactly what kind of public stand I want to take in this. However, I'll post one thing in BG's defense, which shouldn't necessarily be considered an endorsement of everything about her post. (And nor should that qualification be considered a condemnation of it.) And that is:

> You could easily, more effectively, and less
> offensively, take your own advice, "get off your
> butt", and write some posts in the manner you
> enjoy reading.

...that if *anybody* does, in fact, have the right to say what she did, it's probably her. A month or two ago, she DID make an attempt at exactly this. She told me that she was going to try to steer the forum back to more involved and thought-provoking discussions by starting them herself. And she did. It worked for a while, too, kind of, but the effort didn't have the staying power that was hoped for, as things reverted pretty sharply when her insane job cut into her forum time and other things happened around the same time. Anyway, whatever else might be said, the idea that she didn't try taking her own advice *first* is incorrect.

While I'm at it, thank YOU for your New York thread, which is precisely the kind of thing that's been missing around here lately.