[Thelma]

John Lester has given more than a decade of his personal time to BrainTalk. It isn't his job and he doesn't get paid for it. BrainTalk is a labor of love. That love is for us. Those who need a place to share experiences and gain wisdom from others.

There was a time, years ago, when BrainTalk wen't down and the fix was $10,000. JL paid for that fix out of his pocket. His personal income. Just as the inception of BrainTalk, the hardware, software, etc. was out of his pocket.

I thilnk these are the very things that make thlis situation one that can not be discussed rationally.

Firstly it was his job and it was at the request of his boss that the site was first done. MGH suppllied the room to house the computer that was the first used and indeed payed for it. It was much later as the membership grew that he needed more up to date equiptment and both MGH and the membership got it.

Dr Anne B Young Head of Neurology MGH who is a member of his executive at the Braintalk communities. There are no members there save the executive which are composed of 5 members with John holding 2 or 3 of the positions.
John is the President and the treasurer as well as something else that I don't remeber what just now. Tom Ferguson is on the executive along with John's friend from MGH who used to be on Braintalk from time to time. The fifth one is a girl who's name I have forgotten.


Secondly when Braintalk went down those costs you are relating to were covered by the membership with some funds left over for the future as John himself reported. It was not from his personal pocket.

I know about John and I value all that he has done for people but he is not a saint.He is a normal human being that has done a good thing for a lot of people but like all of us he has a personal motive in doing it and his profession now shows his active interest has been in this type of work for many years and Braintalk has been a vital ingredient for his job prospects.

But that only goes to make me and others not understand why he has not taken the time to assuage the feelings and concerns of those members of the site that have helped him through the years to get where he is today.

It was and is a moral responsibility to let the members know just how long the site will be down and indeed if it will be back.

So from these actions many are finding it hard to feel that it was only a job and nothing more. There was really no contact otherwise.

That for many is the hurt they feel.............at least i think that is it

I may be wrong..................but have been before..............thlis time I hope

I am totally wrong

Since this reply was posted on a different thread which had other postings before it which appear to be gone, it doesn't make sense, so I deleted it.

[Mama Bear]

I can wait as long as JL needs to get BrainTalk back online. He has been there for me for a decade. I can be there for him for the few months it takes, even if it takes more than a few months.


I agree with Flowergirl.

John Lester is the reason that all of us are here. He created Braintalk, and we flocked to it. He gave, we gave. He received, we received.

I'm guilty of blithely assuming that Braintalk would always exist. While it's obvious that members can reassemble as they have done here (thank you, DocJohn), the wealth of information and experience on Braintalk is irreplaceable. My hope is that everything written there can be retrieved, otherwise, re-opening Braintalk would be like starting over. It seems that that is what is occuring here on BT2, so what would be the point?

For now, a better use of our time and energy is to continue the supportive spirit of Braintalk here at BT2 and wait patiently for either the resurgence of Braintalk or an explanation of its demise.

If we are starting over, we have a lot of work to do!

Mama Bear

[ConsiderThis]

Hi MamaBear,



You've made me think of Spring!