There have been many incarnations of NeuroTalk/Braintalk and many generations of participants. I imagine we each have our idea of which were the halcyon days, but everything changes. Unfortunately, most of us have Parkinson's disease and, unfortunately, there has been no advance sufficient to slow, stop, or reverse our decline so that people--friends, confidants, enemies, comrades--continue to decline and at some point don't have the energy or physical capabilities to participate. Also, at different stages of the disease, one is looking for different kinds of of interaction, like getting involved off line.

Oh, for crying out loud!

OK, I stand by what I wrote above, but reading the responses on the second page of this thread made me actually mad--which is good. I got mad at most every close friend I have made from this forum, or its predecessor(s) at one time or another.

People change. People with PD change a lot. People with PD change for the worse physically, but frequently for the better in non-physical ways (mental, psychological, spiritual--how come there isn't an all-encompassing opposite of physical like matter and antimatter? Or am I just missing it?). This forum reflects all these things. It is a reflection of the variety of experience, interest, tolerance, identification, comfort and insensitivity (and all their opposites) people bring to it. And it is a place to find out and share information, information that is hard to cull from the mass of words out there.

Discussion is the key, whether you agree or you disagree, whether it is scientific or not. This forum iis a barometer of the community at large (for ourselves and any of our supporters who care to pay attention) and it is invaluable. It is invaluable for its downs as well as its ups--so long as we keep communicating.

So thanks for bringing this topic up. These changes in the forum have always been fraught with pain, disappointment, and anger, but change is like that. We have a lot to ***** about that is valid, and that belongs here just as much as the companionship, information, and challenges.

This likely sounds rather hypocritical from someone who is still is a junior member of the forum, but if I may refer to the "clique" or a "clique," my "aj" moniker should be familiar. That's my street cred. And I miss all you oldtimers (I can't believe we are now the oldtimers!).

And, as an aside, Paula, you and Peg (expletive delete) amaze me! Careening through the airport like that. Haven't you ever heard of wheelchairs? Especially with the amount of luggage you pack! Ooops, maybe that is too OT even for NeuroTalk.