now where is that smiley that sticks its tongue out?

I absolutely agree with Tweety!
I enjoyed aussie's presence here and undoubtedly, she is well liked.
However, it would serve us well to remember that this VJ service is being offered gratis. Also, I am aware of how much time it takes to administer a website,and to maintain, improve and also bend over backwards to please freeloading members. If anyone of the folks here on VJ were tasked to hire out of their pocket, a webadmin like Ewok to do the job that he is doing they'd realize: 1) how hard it is to find one, 2) how much it's going to cost them.
This is just getting to be a little bit too much

if you are going to do that, you need to use the organizers more in a moderation role..and not just for moving posts..

Awwww Rebecca....I didn't wealize you felt dat way about me...

*goes off to weep in a corner*

I find this quite offensive to many of the members here who have given many hours of their own time free of charge.....The idea of paid membership has come up before, I personally would have no problem with that. We don't actually have a choice other that being "freeloading members"....but then IF we were actually paying for this VJ service.................................

I am a member of a few sites that offer "membership extras"......What it boils down to is is being able to have a pretty avatar, sig and advance searches. I think offering paid membership opens problems that admin have been looking to avoid.

So call us freeloading all you like. Afterall, regarding immigration.......the truth is out there.

This is a free site. Always will be.

I have no dog in this fight and I said what I said with nary an intention to offend anyone. I expressed the thought that came to my mind following this thread. But then, being offended is a state of mind of the offendee, not the offender and I have no control over whether you are offended or not. Your state of mind IS your state of mind not mine. Goes without saying that someone who is determined to be offended will be offended regardless of how far the other party goes to prevent it.
So I stand by my POV and you're very welcome to be offended.

I was very interested that you bought up the point of VJ being a free site. And as a dog with no fight you seem to bite somewhat.

That's a good come back and you're welcome to do that too!

And VJ being free has nothing to do with this conversation....

Thankyou.........Freeloaders united.

Yeah...this offends me too. First off, *everyone* here is a freeloading member, are they not?? Including, YOU, by the way. (and just in case you're about to come back with "but I"m not the one bit**ing..etc..." everyone gripes about something sometime. I'm not saying I want to leave VJ, I'm not saying the Cap isn't trying to resolve the issue now, that VJ isn't a wonderful resource...etc. I'm just stating my opnion about what is happening NOW. I think it was wrong, and it may be too late to make things right with AW. In fact, it VERY likely is. That's unfortunate and I don't think it was necessary. Since when have any of us not been entitled to state our opinions here??? NEVER...so, guess I'll carry on with that now and not go sit in the corner after all.

Secondly, I don't think any of the questions that have been posted here, especially those posted in a respectful manner (most of them) are any more out of line than the both of you (or anyone else) coming along and tsk, tsking us for stating those opinions or questions that we have... especially in the condescending manner with which you wrote your opinion about it. I'm not a child, and I really don't need to be treated as such, thank you. M.

I see nothing's changed around here!

Lucky Strike here's ur invite...... www.removed.com

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Hey Sukes!!!

ETA..did you get the PM? How are you feeling girl??? (and love them freakin bugs!!!)

You're right!

Its Has everything to do with Biology
link





n order to understand some of the deepest roots of our own behavior, scientists have no other option but observing the behavior of our closest relatives: the chimpanzees.

In a study published in International Journal of Primatology, Dr Nicholas Newton-Fisher, lecturer in Biological Anthropology at the University of Kent, revealed for the first time that female wild chimpanzees will
counteract the male aggressiveness through politics, forming coalitions.

Newton-Fisher studied two years a group of eight adult males and 21 adult females of the East African chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda.

Females were often severely castigated by aggressive males but after few months of observations, the researcher saw females retaliating in direct response to this aggression.

In their counteracting actions, the females formed coalitions of two to six and retaliated with vocalizations, threatening gestures, and direct pursuit till physical attack, and on several occasions, were seen to solicit the support they then received.

Despite more than 40 years of detailed behavioral studies made in chimps groups from a diverse array of populations across Africa, this is the first to signal this behavior, even if this conduct has been detected in captive chimp groups.

"Female wild chimpanzees form coalitions as a strategy to counter male aggression. This strategy may reduce the incidence, severity or effectiveness of male aggression. Why they do this is still unclear but the levels and forms of cooperative retaliation that I observed among the chimpanzees in Budongo Forest may be because these females tend to be more gregarious than in other populations of East African chimpanzees, as other work studying the same population has suggested." said Newton-Fisher.

"Also, the absence of similar reports from wild populations suggests that females may be able to form coalitions only under appropriate conditions – such as ecology, demography or local tradition. If groups of females are able to spend time together because of the way food is distributed in the habitat, then they are ‘on-hand’ to provide support and form coalitions. Whether they do this simply because they are present when another female is threatened by a male, or because they have previously formed a supportive relationship, are questions for future research."

Good to see ya again sister Sarah BUT..............
I want MY darn invite too Sukie!!!!!

Mich' )))))H((((( yeh I did thanks on 'Planet X'

Been very sick, still on 16 pills a day and doped to the eyeballs, seen the Endo in 2 weeks - I will pm you all my details & Welshie too & a post soon

Thanks for caring, it means alot when something horrible happens to you

I'm outta here, you know where to find me!!



P.S. Love the Man Utd stuff - GOOOOOO 's

This topic is going on longer than a MENA red-flag wavin party.

J

Hey guys please lets stop the ebickering as it is not helpful and not a part of what this site is for. Also at some point I think we should move off topic issues from this topic. There is not really anything new to add to this at this point. I will keep you updated if so. I have not heard anything new myself. Thanks for understanding .

Update 5/18: AW and I did coorespond via email. See here:



http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=920364