Posts by Nickolas

83

I am out of here

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

Nickolas

imo some of the athesits on here are way more kooky than any christian. I often have think whaaaaaat - particularly at nickolas and Terry

I am flattered. Almost to tears.

No more comments please! Let it die.

You did a good thing starting this thread, Oz. There are always many facets to individual perceptions. The challenge is to see and process as many of them as you can. From my innate perspective what you had to say and, in particular your umbrage, was justified. But I also can force myself to see the other side. I don't think anyone has all the answers, and that includes you and me and all the folks you and I think are delusional. I'm pretty convinced that I have sufficient evidence to prove that what I hold to be true is right, but I've been proven wrong too many times to believe in my own infallibility. So, I've learned that if I want respect I need to respect others, even those I think are kooky. Fact is we're all kooky, it's just that the really kooky ones aren't able to see it in themselves.

83

I am out of here

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

Nickolas

You do take some getting used to, my dear, and I've never been the knight in shining armour type. You don't need me, anyway. I've seen you in action. You remind me of the guys I used to work with when I was a logger. Honourable, strong, proud and generally respectful, but if you messed with them they'd snap you in half like a twig.

Get well and then you and I can resume hammering at each other's perceived delusions.

31

The Wine Thread.

by Open mind in

jw
friends

if you enjoy a glass of vino now and then, tell us what you like and how your tastes got to where they are now.

wine snobs & non-snobs alike welcome!.

my intro to the world of wine was my jw parents buying a huge screw-top bottle of paul masson or gallo red or white, having half a glass, and sticking it out on the back porch thinking that wine stayed good like that.

Nickolas

While visiting Paris for the second or third time back in 1977 I bought a bottle of 1973 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. It was one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the shop but I recall it costing less than the equivalent of $50. That would be about $200 today, but there is no way you can touch a Lafite of any description for that price these days. Even the miserable 1997 vintage (which I had the great misfortune to purchase at $175 back in 2002) will now set you back $800 and a bottle from a more recent better vintage will go for around $1200+. Regardless, I gave the bottle to my dad as a gift, he kept it in his cellar for another 5 years and opened it when my wife and I were visiting, so it was 10 years old when we had it. It was, in a word, orgasmic. I never had, nor have since, tasted anything as incredible as this was.

Best cheap wine I've tasted is much more recently. This is a 2007 Fuzion Shiraz/Malbec out of Argentina. It's available for about $7.50 in North America and for $2 more you can get the reserva. Both wines are a little shy on bouquet but have great mouth feel, round tannins and surprisingly (for the price) good complexity.

83

I am out of here

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

Nickolas

Now the (unnamed) person above (who is not on the same page as I am but whose manifest intelligence and debating skills I admire) is also talking about leaving for good. So much adrenaline is not good for one's internals, to be sure. I suggest a time out.

83

I am out of here

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

Nickolas

I'd like to read the offending thread and post, myself. One of the consequences of not spending most of one's time on this board, as some do, is that you miss so much. However, I'm not sure what is missed is worth the dedication. Sometimes I'd like to advise some of you folks to get out and expand your horizons a bit, but to each his/her own.

The ironic thing about this thread is it laments an apparent stifling of freedom of speech, but from what I understand the tempest is over objections to an individual poster's (Shelby's) writing style which is itself a subset of freedom of speech. The serpent eats its tail.

I would never want to be a moderator in here. The old saw about herding cats comes to mind.

65

Anyone from Canada? Thinking of emigrating there...

by teel in

jw
friends

title almost says it all.

i'm sure there are some canadians here, so please voice your oppinion - am i out of my mind to move there, or is it the best decision of my life?

- of course the answer is somewhere in between, but feel free to be extreme if you want to .

Nickolas

I would recommend that people make sure they are going to the WEST coarst and no tth eisland on the EAST coast Newfoundland. I have no idea how anyone ever "found" that land and didn't mistake it for an iceberg. They must have the worst winter blizzards of anywhere

I've never lived there as a resident but spent a fair bit of time working on Newfoundland's west coast, commuting out of Ontario. I applied for a permanent position there several years ago but didn't get it. Newfoundland is stunningly beautiful and is an outdoor sportsman's paradise. It also has the friendliest people in the country - ask all those American folks who landed there on 9/11 when their planes were rerouted. Yes, their blizzards are fierce, but so were the blizzards in northern BC and northern Ontario where I lived for many years. It's all relative. The downside of Newfoundland is not its weather but its cost of living. It's an island, and everything has to come in by ferry. Services are also expensive, so income taxes are amongst the highest in the country. Given the right job that pays well, I'd go there for sure.

31

The Wine Thread.

by Open mind in

jw
friends

if you enjoy a glass of vino now and then, tell us what you like and how your tastes got to where they are now.

wine snobs & non-snobs alike welcome!.

my intro to the world of wine was my jw parents buying a huge screw-top bottle of paul masson or gallo red or white, having half a glass, and sticking it out on the back porch thinking that wine stayed good like that.

Nickolas

...sometimes I even add it to the food.

and so much more succinct. (Wish I'd said that.)

g'night, all

83

I am out of here

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

Nickolas

Admin's admin. They're like the GB. Not perfect. Still, I'm wondering what's happened while I wasn't paying attention. I'll take a look in the morning.

g'night

31

The Wine Thread.

by Open mind in

jw
friends

if you enjoy a glass of vino now and then, tell us what you like and how your tastes got to where they are now.

wine snobs & non-snobs alike welcome!.

my intro to the world of wine was my jw parents buying a huge screw-top bottle of paul masson or gallo red or white, having half a glass, and sticking it out on the back porch thinking that wine stayed good like that.

Nickolas

BTW, when exactly is "Sun's over the yardarm" in your world?

Traditionally, 5:00.

I do enjoy a good port or sherry as well. Also on the list are late harvest and ice wines.

Love port, don't like sherry, but the late harvest and ice wines can be pretty intriguing.

one of the down sides to living in Canada.

ain't it the truth? I just about weep whenever I visit a wine store in the US, wanting to buy all of it and smuggle it back north.

I cook with wine all the time...

me too, but I'm drinking it while I'm cooking. Hardly ever actually put it in the food I'm cooking.

31

The Wine Thread.

by Open mind in

jw
friends

if you enjoy a glass of vino now and then, tell us what you like and how your tastes got to where they are now.

wine snobs & non-snobs alike welcome!.

my intro to the world of wine was my jw parents buying a huge screw-top bottle of paul masson or gallo red or white, having half a glass, and sticking it out on the back porch thinking that wine stayed good like that.

Nickolas

I love wine and do my best to drink it every day. I have a small semi-passive cellar - about 450 bottles - stocked 80% to reds and the rest to whites with the odd rosé that's great with burgers. Favourites are the big reds out of California, Australia and Italy, although there are some really good Chilean and Argentinian offerings at really decent prices. I prefer German, Alsatian and Canadian whites. I've got some big buck reds in the cellar but most are $20 or less. Value for the dollar and wines that will improve with cellaring is the name of the game. My wife and I took a vineyard tour in of all places Ensenada Mexico back in February. I didn't hold up any high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. Their merlot and petit syrah offerings were really good, and cheap. I've just bought a case of the latter. 2009 L A Cetto. Best deals I've seen in Italian reds lately has been 2007 Ricossa Barbera d'Asti Superiore and 2006 Rocca delle Maci Chianti Reserva, both 90/100 and exceptional values. Another good one is 2007 Catena Malbec out of Argentina, 91 and another Argentine malbec, 2009 Chakana Mendoza which rates a conservative 89. Almost forgot the recent release of 2008 Penfold's Mourvdre Bin 2 Shiraz, a maybe overly generous 93 rating but a fabulous wine just over $20. Lots more but these are the ones that come to mind.

Sun's over the yardarm. Time to find something interesting.

Edit. Just checked the inventory. One solitary NZ wine. 2008 Monkey Bay Sauv Blanc. I'll try some others, karter. Any recommendations?