Gene_Clark

Thanks for the kind words about the cat. He has less than 12 hours left; he's dozing softly in my partner's arms. It's almost as if he knows it's time, as he buries his head gently in the crook of her arm. He's eaten nothing for a few days, no longer washes & can only take sips of water every so often. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see a cat that had lived so long (born the day we beat West Ham 3-0 in March 96 when the late Les Sealey had a stormer) just ebbing away. i have no doubt it is the right thing we're doing; the vet is calling tomorrow after morning surgery, then we'll have him cremated & have his ashes returned in a small casket. The fact is, this just makes me think of my dad's death 3 years ago; if only we'd been able to give him an injection when the prognosis was outlined rather than the dreadful pain of his last 2 months. This may only be the passing of a pet (a beloved, adored one admittedly), but my goodness it gives you a sense of maudlin perspective. Anger is so fruitless an emotion; hatred so pointless and so destructive. Be good to your loved ones, human or otherwise. I am thinking of you all.

Desperately sad; our 16 year old cat has been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour. He will be leaving us tomorrow.

"Ancient & Modern" by The Mekons arrived this morning; not had a chance to listen yet

i saw a bloke wearing a duffle coat in town today; i know it was a bit cooler than the weekend, but that's ridiculous....

i think only those of us who've lost our fathers can really know just how hurtful those messages to Tom Daley are.

indeed; 3 years. i remember hearing it on the news just before i walked up to the Freeman to see my dad; it was my old man's last day on earth & i told him SBR had gone. my dad said "i'll see him soon enough" and at 12.30am on 1st august 2009, the day after Bobby went, so did my dad. visiting the ground covered in scarves on sunday 2nd with the whole family was a cleansing, healing experience & one i'm very glad i had. i miss sir bobby's benign presence around the club, but i miss my dad in a sharper, more elemental way every single day of my life

i just read it last week; what a wonderfully evocative, deeply moral book it is. one interesting thing is just how far Tommy & Second Prize fall in "Trainspotting" from their social position in "Skagboys."

you wouldn't say that if you'd read "skagboys" - ouch!!

the fine line is, of course, a matter of personal opinion; mickey taking to one will be either emotionally wounding or seriously inflammatory to someone else. as i say, my rule of thumb is that is someone acts up towards me (regardless of their motivation), i simply put them on ignore or, in the case of LM, don't read what they say 99.9% of the time, as it was of no interest to me

tonsorial accuracy - who is the bloke in the photo?

perhaps that's true of a tiny minority of trolls, but most of them, in my opinion, are seeking to get a laugh out of someone / anyone - they don't know you; you don't know them & the opportunity for a quip or jibe that gets them some kudos for being a wisecracking comedian will always be taken. don't lose sleep over it.

point taken mate

excellent post; it is applicable to both LM & his coterie in general

i ignored him because i found his relentless droning on about shepherd tedious beyond words; consequently i didn't have to deal with the internet equivalent of the whining of a shithouse door in a gale

ironically, i've met him (totally by chance) in a pub & he was perfectly fine; had a pint & a chat with him - shook hands at the end of it. quite a few years ago now.

sadly many messageboards, including this one, have such trolls who see their function as to roam around, insulting people for no good reason. obviously many of them are simply on a wind up & have no agenda other than mischievously playing to the gallery; this may make them irritating, but ultimately they're harmless - stick them on ignore & they'll stop being an irritant. the danger comes from ones who are out there with a real need for revenge for imagined insults; perhaps LM was like this. my initial opinion of him as a harmless, middle aged, right wing, socially conservative, intolerant bore hasn't changed; however others hint at a deeper malaise.

What an interesting post; I agree with most of it. My advice though is just to put the loony trolls on ignore; it deprives them of the oxygen of publicity that they crave. Since doing just that, I find this place a far more entertaining read.

i see your point & since i'm generally only interested in the General Chat board as a poster, he doesn't affect me. however, there's 1 poster of the 4 i have on ignore (the other 3 are just daft, boring trolls) who i think is a dangerous, unhinged man & a probable cause of people leaving this board - banning him would no doubt increase the flow of traffic. however, you lot run the place; i just drop by to talk about music mainly....

honestly i could see me, you & him sitting in The Trent upstairs, back in the day, having a crack on about football. unlike the trolls i've put on ignore, LM is a time served NUFC fan

i find the best way to avoid confrontation, other than self control, is to put posters who irritate / confront you on ignore; since i put 4 posters on here on ignore, i enjoy reading the board much more. also, the chance to delete posts that, in retrospect, may be inflammatory, rather than simply editing them, is a superb touch.

it's certainly intriguing that he's been banned for effectively being so boring & repetitive that people aren't using the board as much. i suppose he is the nearest thing to a troll on here. i feel trolls blight messageboards.

i've met LM in real life & he's a thoroughly decent, normal, middle-aged bloke; not really followed his stuff on here (though i know he's a Shepherd devotee, for inexplicable reasons i must say). surprised he's been banned, though he is typically xenophobic in his opinions; have many others been banned? what for?

I've just finished "Skagboys." Like all Welsh novels it's a joy to read; the understated morality & politics blend perfectly with characters you know well enough to consider them as friends. Of course there's biting, cruel humour in every situation, as well as real pathos & superb attention to the nuances of speech & the importance of period detail. Thoroughly recommended.

Saw Parastatic, who veered between New Order (tame) & Faust (inspired). The Exes were great; reminiscent of Thee Headcoats. On Sunday, Treetop flyers & Slim Chance were both excellent; a lovely vibe at Summertyne - one of the real treasures of the Newcastle summer social calendar

The night Carroll went to Liverpool, I saw a Shakespeare play; "The Comedy of Errors" at the Theatre Royal. The night he was rumoured to be returning, I saw another Shakespeare play; "Much Ado About Nothing" in Jesmond Dene. Irony......