d, g... BTW it was not only 1 person it was the loss of many

For me, most often... a, b, c, d, e, f, h, i, j... I figure out for myself not here on Fodor's quite honestly. People come/came to this board for different reasons.

nimrod, i mean this most kindly and gently, but since you say you don't know what went on, and don't really care what did, i am not sure how in the next breath you can post that it was blown way way out of proportion.

Good point, suze :)
Good to see you Calamari!!
There are many great posters who may only check in once a month or once in awhile because they are too busy with families or other forums or dating or...and the list goes on. There's a world out there besides fodors.

Last Friday evening, November 11, when I initiated this thread, there was a lot of evidence of what had transpired.

Multiple and consecutive threads expressing protests to the fate befallen Patrick were bombarding Fodor's then. At that time, his was the only absence being relentlessly mourned. A cursory check of other threads on this and other boards painted the story in oh-too melodramatic tones.

Anyone engaging in dialogue on any private website on the web knows (or should know) that the operator of said website can terminate privileges to post at any time -- without notice -- even "at whim" if so desired. You don't even need to read the TOS to understand that. I wasn't too shocked, but everyone else seemed to be. If memory recalls, Patrick had previously been called online to "dial the attitude back a notch or two" by a Fodor's person. Hard to tell what transpired privately after that.

Fast-forward a week -- now a week later, others (I'll take the reports at face value) have been barred from participating here. Regardless, I still maintain that I don't need to, nor do I want to, know "the gory details".

Life, travel and the internet will endure.

And suze, no need to be &quot;gentle&quot; with me -- I decidedly like it <i>rough</i>.