[paula_w]

"Maybe that's just me though." Evidently, a lot of people don't have very much faith in others.

That's an opinion you are welcome to have but not yours to determine for anyone else. How much faith one has in John is not reflected in the discussion. I don't know you I don't think- so HI and hope that was ok to say.

Paula

[ConsiderThis]

Originally Posted by lisa6wks

Now see, the way Doc says "refuses" make it sound volitional and biased. If we don't know the whole story, we don't know why John doesn't explain and we don't know if he can help it. By saying refuses like that, it makes it sound as though John doesn't care and I really don't believe that, nor do I know it to be true and neither does anyone else!

Like you, ZS, I am confused and upset. But I don't want to think badly of someone who has behaved so well and so generously for so many years. Seems to me the least he should deserve is a couple of months of trust.

Maybe that's just me though. Evidently, a lot of people don't have very much faith in others.

Lisa

lol
everything in the world is open to interpretation...

[paula_w]

uh-oh i'm in schoolteacher mode....gotta go....lol...cya later.

paula

Is there some reason that every thread on this forum here has postings about cookies, dogs, or other totally unrelated things. It seems pretty rude to keep injecting these non-sequitors. How about starting a cookie and dog thread so those who are interested can stick to the subject of the thread. Several pages of cookie stuff is annoying to have to wade through.

ZS,

I totally agree with you.

It seems childish and ridiculous to jump all over someone who has done so much for BT for many years.

How DARE the man have a private life, go on vacation, and not respond to emails when the senders demand????? And.... he was seen going into a restaurant? How dare he do that when if he got carryout he could keep working on our forum.

The fact that he doesn't get paid should have nothing to do with his OBLIGATIONS to us. He OWES us.

If I were him and saw this forum, I would just say to hell with the whole thing and drop BT forever.

If this forum is going to be anything other than a bash BT forum, then perhaps BT one should be dropped from being the main topic of discussion around here.

As to the moderators, like everyone else, I don't always agree with what they say, but on the occasions I have seen them ban people, it was for violating the TOS. Anyone who doesn't like the TOS can choose to follow them or go somewhere else.

The TOS are posted and you have to agree to follow them to join. People seem to think that once they have agreed to follow them and don't, that somehow they are entitled not to be required to follow them.

Yeah, I would have liked the notice updated more often and the forum not down for so long, but that is different than making up unsubstantiated allegations about people's motives and actions.

[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.

[lisa6wks]

Hi Paula W.
Actually I have been around for years, mostly a lurker, but sometimes a poster. And it's all right for you to say anything you want. But I do think that having or not having faith in John is being discussed in this thread. Does anyone know here whether or not John is having some sort of crisis in his life? I know I have no idea and I haven't heard that anyone else does either. So until I hear from John otherwise, I prefer to think there is something going on that prevents him from communicating or otherwise fixing the servers. I think he deserves at least that.

By the way, I am a school teacher as well.

Lisa

[paula_w]

Fair enough.....I felt like we were supposed to have faith according to someone else's standards. It's an individual thing.

Personally, I haven't heard from John in years. Some of us are closer to him than others, and there shouldn't be any expectations. It's hard to imagine a situation that he couldn't update...but everyone who has a need should be able to say it.

Some of us have been reading it longer and i'm one of them so I need to move off this thread lol.

Peace,
Paula

[Chemar]

Originally Posted by DocJohn

I think, honestly, that while people could and should vent their frustrations about the situation and lack of communication, we should try and do this once and get it out of our systems. And then move on and not make any more assumptions about his or anyone else's behavior.

Really, there's nothing more to do about the situation for now. If he refuses to update anyone on the situation, that's his perogative. We just have to accept it and move on.

John

BRAVO.............again!

[KTM5665]

this sounds a bit like "a he dumped me" high school musical or something.