# Jokes on the forum



## Harold_V (Sep 13, 2010)

Speaking for administration and moderators; 

Recent events have proven that the posting of jokes can be troublesome in that someone, someplace, is generally the butt of the joke. That is well beyond the scope of the board's purpose, and has a tendency to drag down the value of the board. As a result, the ROTFLMA thread has been deleted, as will be any future posting of jokes, so please refrain from doing so. 

To clarify, we all expect that this board will remain one of high integrity. Those that enjoy posting with humor in their choice of words is perfectly acceptable. We are not trying to eliminate humor, just the telling of jokes. 

Harold


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## silversaddle1 (Sep 13, 2010)

Well I don't think that's right. Why do we always have to worry about "offending" someone? This is just more PC crap shoved down our throats. There was a time in our great country when we could joke about our differences and laugh it off. Man I miss those days. 

Harry, my comments are not directed at you, but at the forum in general.


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## Oz (Sep 13, 2010)

Before things get out of hand again with discussion and debate, I wish to point out Harold's first sentence “Speaking for administration and moderators”. I read this to say that the administration/owner of this forum and the moderators have discussed this issue and the administration/owner has made a decision. 

The forum is privately owned and as such is a dictatorship instead of a democracy. For this reason, no vote or consensus from the forums membership is required. One should gladly follow the rules when in another man's house the same as we expect others to when they are in our home or leave. 

We are given great latitude in what we can say here, and yet this is one of the best mannered forums out there. I would ask each person that feels compelled to write something here to ask themselves one question first. If this forum was a read only living document that “you” could not post to or comment on at all, would you still wish to be a member here in order to read what is written about refining and thankful you had found such a great resource? Think hard about all you have learned here before replying. Perhaps a simple “yes” or “no” to this question posted below would be in order, a show of hands if you will.

We are owed nothing, but have been given much.

Have a great day!

Oz


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## Oz (Sep 13, 2010)

Oz said:


> If this forum was a read only living document that “you” could not post to or comment on at all, would you still wish to be a member here in order to read what is written about refining and thankful you had found such a great resource?


Yes!


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## qst42know (Sep 13, 2010)

Certainly.


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## jimdoc (Sep 13, 2010)

Really no one here should feel like a comedian locked out of the comedy club,because this is a gold refining forum.None of your jokes were that funny anyway,your not going to make any money at standup. But you can make money with what you learn here.

With facebook and myspace and even the pm feature on the forum,there are ways to distribute your jokes among those with whom you want to without worrying about offending anyone.
I don't think anybody should argue about this or cause any disruptions in our gold refining class
when the teachers have spoken.

Jim


Yes


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## Mrslow55 (Sep 13, 2010)

Absolutely, positively, affirmative! 8) 
Er, ehm. .. . YES
Rick


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## Anonymous (Sep 13, 2010)

jimdoc said:


> Really no one here should feel like a comedian locked out of the comedy club,because this is a gold refining forum.None of your jokes were that funny anyway,your not going to make any money at standup. But you can make money with what you learn here.
> 
> Jim



Who is "your" you seem to have directed that statement at someone in particular and I take offense to it should it be me your referring too.

Have a good day.


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## jimdoc (Sep 13, 2010)

My your meant everybody.

All the wanna be comedians.

Jim


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## Barren Realms 007 (Sep 13, 2010)

.


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## Anonymous (Sep 13, 2010)

jimdoc said:


> My your meant everybody.
> 
> All the wanna be comedians.
> 
> Jim



Then you should have used "the" instead of "your"


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## nickvc (Sep 13, 2010)

As a fairly new member of the forum I'm not sure if I have the right to post a response but here goes. 
The adminisrtration of the forum has spoken and it's up to all of us to make a decision, do we want to remain the only place to be if you have an interest in refining /recovery of precious metals or do we let the forum degenerate to a level that brings us down to the general level of most forums on the net? 
I enjoyed some of the jokes but as a member from the other side of the pond some of it passed me by. I can understand how people from further afield may view some of the humour with distaste or feel stigmatised whether that was the aim of the humour or not , so let's move on and concentrate on the business in hand and use our combined skills and insight to further that aim.
There is no lack of humour on here , as if you read many of the posts you will understand, so let's be professional in our outlook and be sensible enough to just let this pass without undue bad feeling or injured pride.


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## jimdoc (Sep 13, 2010)

My bad.I feel like I am back in the ghetto where nonsense arguments led to fights everyday.
I learned down there to just stay out of it,and I guess I should have done that here also.
I really didn't care for the ghetto.

Jim


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## Barren Realms 007 (Sep 13, 2010)

.


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## joem (Sep 13, 2010)

My two cents
Who would post if no one could post? That would not be a living forum, it would be a limited knowledge source. But since we can post, each one of us contributes to the knowledge base.
I have a sense of humour. We all do and I have enjoyed some jokes and not others. Moderators have a hard time keeping topics on track let alone having to moderate the common sense about the respect we feel about the smart people here. The spark that seemed to ignight the fire was the say cheese photo. Now just consider this if just one forum member was of muslim religion (or any other), would laughing at the good times they were having because of your opinion of their faith be appropriate, and maybe he or she is muslim and is a valuable member of this forum, and they left taking the knowledge with them away from this forum. Would that really help any of us.
My point I am trying to get to is respect, 
I teach my students; If it upsets the person sitting beside you then don't view it on your computer screen.
If it upsets the member reading then remove it.

Editted to answer the question: 
Yes, Of course I would read it, but I would probably cut and paste what I want from it the forget about the forum somewhere in my bookmarks. I keep coming back for all the new posts.


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## dtectr (Sep 13, 2010)

si', claro!
(clearly - yes!)


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## Noxx (Sep 13, 2010)

Certainement, oui.


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## Anonymous (Sep 13, 2010)

I feel the humor side of all of us,is what makes us human.Obviously I do not argue this decision out of fear of being banned for disagreeing with a moderator.But up until this day I have appreciated the smiles that others have given me,I am sure others feel the same,about being banned,and about the smiles.My son was one of the 4 troops killed last tuesday in afghanistan,and it was nice to see some humor on the forum.I am not looking for sympathy,if I were I would have posted it when it happened,I am just trying to emphasize how much just a little humor can help sometimes.It has in fact been medically proven that people with illnesses can potentially heal faster with laughter,and people that tend to laugh throughout life,tend to live longer.
I fear that the total removal of humor in all posts,may potentially lead to more disagreements or arguements.Even inmates on death row get to have some fun to release tension.But what do I know about running a forum?
Of course I will still be here(unless I am banned)even without the humor.


> The forum is privately owned and as such is a dictatorship instead of a democracy. For this reason, no vote or consensus from the forums membership is required.


I just read this.It should close all doors to any discussion,so what any of us think,believe,want or know,does not matter,myself included.


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## Anonymous (Sep 13, 2010)

Noxx said:


> Certainement, oui.



Noxx you may recall that I emailed you several weeks back asking you to delete my account from the forum, now I'm asking you publically to remove my account from the forum - thanks.

Best Regards
Gill



.


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## Noxx (Sep 13, 2010)

mic said:


> I feel the humor side of all of us,is what makes us human.Obviously I do not argue this decision out of fear of being banned for disagreeing with a moderator.But up until this day I have appreciated the smiles that others have given me,I am sure others feel the same,about being banned,and about the smiles.My son was one of the 4 troops killed last tuesday in afghanistan,and it was nice to see some humor on the forum.I am not looking for sympathy,if I were I would have posted it when it happened,I am just trying to emphasize how much just a little humor can help sometimes.It has in fact been medically proven that people with illnesses can potentially heal faster with laughter,and people that tend to laugh throughout life,tend to live longer.
> I fear that the total removal of humor in all posts,may potentially lead to more disagreements or arguements.Even inmates on death row get to have some fun to release tension.But what do I know about running a forum?
> Of course I will still be here(unless I am banned)even without the humor.
> 
> ...



I did not ask for the removal of all humor, far from it, but for the removal of a potentially hazardous thread.

Furthermore, discussion is allowed and you have the right to disagree (in a civil manner). After all, there's a "debate" section especially for this. 

I ban troublemakers when they start insulting or threatening other members/moderators.


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## hphoa (Sep 13, 2010)

Yes Yes & Yes hphoa


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## Anonymous (Sep 13, 2010)

> Harold wrote
> 
> 
> > Those that enjoy posting with humor in their choice of words is perfectly acceptable. We are not trying to eliminate humor, just the telling of jokes.





> Nic wrote
> 
> 
> > I did not ask for the removal of all humor, far from it,



This makes me happy,and after the last couple of weeks I have been through I need some "happy".


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## Harold_V (Sep 13, 2010)

The decisions made about not permitting jokes to be posted does not warrant any discussion, nor should there be any. We that keep watch on the forum have more than enough to do in keeping things polite without having to worry through the varied opinions of readers. In the scheme of things, they do not matter, for this forum has a purpose---to promote the extraction and refining of precious metals. Nowhere in the title is there any mention of telling jokes, so I'm at a loss to understand how anyone has taken it upon themselves to pretend to be an injured party in having the decision spelled out to them. 

Do understand that these comments are not directed at anyone in particular---I simply chose to make them a part of my heartfelt message, which follows. 



> My son was one of the 4 troops killed last tuesday in afghanistan


Words do not convey the sadness I feel for your loss. Those young men have had a dreadful job to fulfill. I hope I speak for the majority in thanking you and your son for his service to the USA and freedom.

I am not a religious person, but may God rest his soul. 



> I fear that the total removal of humor in all posts,may potentially lead to more disagreements or arguements.


I'm pleased to say that you have misinterpreted the mandate to restrict posting of jokes. I thought I had made it clear that humor is welcome, as it always has been. Some folks have a gift of making their posts humorous--which we encourage. No one wants to deprive readers of joy---we simply do not want the gold forum to become a haven for stale jokes. Most of them that had been posted weren't worthy of the space it took to have them on the board, and were a source of irritation for those of us that try to insure the proper operation of the board. 

Please do remember---there are sources online where you can find humor. Note that they do not discuss gold refining, just as we do not post jokes. 



> The forum is privately owned and as such is a dictatorship instead of a democracy. For this reason, no vote or consensus from the forums membership is required.
> 
> 
> mic said:
> ...


That's as it should be, don't you think? I certainly do. None of us have anything invested in the forum aside from our time, which we give freely. The owner is footing the bill, and has, thus far, been an outstanding administrator. He has been tolerant of off topic subjects and has accommodated most everyone that has an air of cooperation. At some point limits must be established so the forum remains a healthy and viable source of information for those that have an interest in precious metals. Diluting the forum with nonsense lends nothing to that effort and could prove to be its downfall. I can tell you with certainty, if the forum strays off topic by much, I, for one, will leave. I can't waste what little time I have left in this life moderating stupid jokes. I am not alone in that feeling, by the way. 

All of you came here to learn about refining. How is it that jokes have, suddenly, become so damned important?

What say we drop this subject and get on with refining? 8) 

Harold


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## patnor1011 (Sep 14, 2010)

Let me to point out to one of the biggest jokes here. We all 13059 of us participate on this forum. Some more, some less. We all like to think about this as OUR forum and yet there is *only 21* of us who contributed to be so. Every single word here counts - it is taking space which has to be paid for. Some posts are well worth their money, some not. I like jokes but this is not the place where I appreciate them. I come here to gain knowledge and learn. Not to stray from objective and waste time reading nonsense. Please focus on this forum as a forum of professionals and not to waste time wading through garbage looking for info about gold refining. We all had that experience before we joined here. Internet is full of fun dedicated pages. We finally found place we looked for why turn that to one too many facebook type nonsense. Why to look for spaghetti in mexican restaurant???

I will gladly recommend this link to study and think. If you think you gained something here, please give something back.
http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/donations.html
and here:
http://goldrecovery.us/index.asp


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## Harold_V (Sep 14, 2010)

Barren Realms 007 said:


> My guess is Harold that you told the other moderators that you would leave the forum if the thread stayed. I would rather have you around than the thread.


I'm up to my eyebrows with you and your comments. I made no such demands of anyone, nor would I, and I strongly resent the insinuation. 

In my estimation, you are simply placing way too much importance on the fact that you prefer nonsense over a productive environment, and appear delighted to continue to stir the pot, offering your shallow explanation to justify your negative attitude at the end of each. I expect that's going to come to an immediate halt.

I am putting you on notice. If you disrupt this forum again, I'm going to personally ban you (I will not seek approval), and I'll do it with pleasure. 

Do take note that I do not take kindly to your insinuation that I would hold my fellow moderators hostage, which would be unlikely to be successful. They are men of honor and choose to do the right thing, not patronize an old geezer. 

Harold


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## martyn111 (Sep 17, 2010)

The loss of the 'jokes' thread, If in fact you could call them Jokes, would be nothing compared to the loss of Harold and the information and guidance he provides here. Whenever I drop by, Harolds post are usually the first I read because you know there will be no 'BS'.
Heres hoping the 'Old geezer' doesn't get to a point where he stops moderating and posting, that would be a loss to everyone.

Just my 2 pence worth


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## silversaddle1 (Sep 17, 2010)

A forum without jokes is like a fish without a bicycle.


Yea, it don't make sense to me either.

And yes, I'm one of the 21.


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## Mrslow55 (Sep 17, 2010)

Death to the Jokes :shock: 
Long live the forum 8) 8) 8) 
OK. . . . . . .I'm over it!
Let's move on to more productive topics. like GOLD.
Thanks Harold for all your great posts. The great job you do can't be easy and certainly is time consuming. Thank you for all the time you spend trying to keep the Yahoo's in line, you do, in my humble opinion, a great job of trying not to step on members' toes. Some people just seem to like to be under foot :shock: So they can play the martyr 8) 
Heck if they persist, or insist, give 'em what they want. 
Rick


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## Claudie (Sep 17, 2010)

Jokes or no, let us not forget that some things are funny. :|


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## Oz (Sep 18, 2010)

Claudie said:


> Jokes or no, let us not forget that some things are funny. :|



OK, who gave you a picture of me?


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## patnor1011 (Sep 18, 2010)

That was the best joke here so far.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 
I think we will do perfectly with this kind of jokes. Besides we can find that kind of light enjoyment in a lot of threads here.


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## Oz (Sep 18, 2010)

patnor1011 said:


> That was the best joke here so far.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
> I think we will do perfectly with this kind of jokes. Besides we can find that kind of light enjoyment in a lot of threads here.


Ah, but here is the take away message from that. 

There was no mention of any person or school of thought, I only made fun of myself not another. 

It is kind of hard to offend another this way, unless of course I am schizophrenic and insulting myself.

Have fun at your own expense, embrace life, have fun, die well.


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## Harold_V (Sep 18, 2010)

martyn111 said:


> The loss of the 'jokes' thread, If in fact you could call them Jokes, would be nothing compared to the loss of Harold and the information and guidance he provides here. Whenever I drop by, Harolds post are usually the first I read because you know there will be no 'BS'.
> Heres hoping the 'Old geezer' doesn't get to a point where he stops moderating and posting, that would be a loss to everyone.
> 
> Just my 2 pence worth


Thank you kindly for your very glowing remarks. However, it takes all of us to make this forum the success it has been. 8) 

Our founder has proven to be a very wise and intelligent young man. He is, more or less, the son I never had. I look out for him and his best interest on this forum accordingly. If I have to sever a foot to save the body, so be it. However, it rarely comes down to that. We are fortunate to have gathered a bunch of people that take the forum seriously. We can have fun along the way, poking fun at ourselves and the stupid things we do as they relate to the subject matter. No harm in that, and I actually encourage such activity. We can learn a great deal from the mistakes made by others. 

I'm proud to be associated with you folks. I have nothing to gain by my presence here, considering I am fully retired and do not pursue refining in any way, but I derive a great deal of pleasure from helping when I can. As long as health permits, and readers see a need, I'll be here. 

Harold


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## Noxx (Sep 19, 2010)

silversaddle1 said:


> And yes, I'm one of the 21.



This forum has more visitors than you guys think:


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## jimdoc (Sep 19, 2010)

Does that include every time somebody hits refresh to check for new posts?I know one day I checked my history and was surprised by the number of times I visited the forum,until I remembered the refreshing to check for new posts.

Jim


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## silversaddle1 (Sep 19, 2010)

patnor1011 said:


> Let me to point out to one of the biggest jokes here. We all 13059 of us participate on this forum. Some more, some less. We all like to think about this as OUR forum and yet there is *only 21* of us who contributed to be so. Every single word here counts - it is taking space which has to be paid for. Some posts are well worth their money, some not. I like jokes but this is not the place where I appreciate them. I come here to gain knowledge and learn. Not to stray from objective and waste time reading nonsense. Please focus on this forum as a forum of professionals and not to waste time wading through garbage looking for info about gold refining. We all had that experience before we joined here. Internet is full of fun dedicated pages. We finally found place we looked for why turn that to one too many facebook type nonsense. Why to look for spaghetti in mexican restaurant???
> 
> I will gladly recommend this link to study and think. If you think you gained something here, please give something back.
> http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/donations.html
> ...



One of those 21. :lol:


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## Chumbawamba (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm surprised Harold hasn't deleted this thread yet 

Everyone should go out and take a nice long walk. And breath.


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## silversaddle1 (Sep 19, 2010)

Why delete the thread? No one is worked up about anything, just expressing thoughts and views. 

I'm sure Harold knows when to poof a thread! :lol:


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## Harold_V (Sep 20, 2010)

silversaddle1 said:


> Why delete the thread? No one is worked up about anything, just expressing thoughts and views.
> 
> I'm sure Harold knows when to poof a thread! :lol:


Thank you! 

I'd like to think I have enough wisdom to eliminate topics that are not in the best interest of the board---which is why this one remains. It should serve to set an example of what isn't appropriate for the forum. Should I, or any of the other moderators decide it would be best deleted, that will happen. Mean time, take note that the unacceptable comments that provoked my terse response *were* deleted. 

Harold


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