FOR ALL NEW READERS AND THOSE WHO WOULD COMMENT

FIRST, THANK MOST OF YOU FOR READING.
THE TEA ROOM IS ABOUT TO ENTER OUR 6th YEAR ONLINE.
FOR OUR FIRST POST, WHICH INCLUDES OUR "MENU", SEE
http://havacuppahemlock1.blogspot.com/2012/10/

WHILE MANY COME HERE BY WORD-OF-MOUTH OR PERHAPS AN INTERNET SEARCH BROUGHT YOU HERE, OTHERS SEEM TO COME TO THE TEA ROOM MERELY TO TRY TO LEAVE THEIR ADS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
I DO NOT THANK THOSE FOR COMING HERE.

NO ADS, NOT OF ANY TYPE, NO LINKS UNLESS THEY PERTAIN TO MY ARTICLES' TOPICS.
IT'S MY BLOG, MY RULES, MY WAY.
I'VE BEEN OFFERED PAYING ADVERTISEMENTS TO POST HERE AND REFUSED.
IMAGINE HOW I FEEL ABOUT PEOPLE TRYING TO LEAVE FREE ADS.

I ALONE MONITOR EVERY SINGLE COMMENT AND I ALONE DECIDE WHAT GETS POSTED TO THE TEA ROOM.
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND IT, IT IS FUTILE TO TRY TO LEAVE A LINK TO YOUR BUSINESS, WEBSITE, OR SCAM OR PORN SITE.
YOU WENT THROUGH 'CAPTCHA' FOR NOTHING.

WE RECEIVE SOME VERY GOOD COMMENTS THAT DON'T GET POSTED. HERE'S WHY:
TOO MANY VALID COMMENTS OFTEN CONTAIN IDENTIFYING NAMES WITH HYPERLINKS, OR PERHAPS INADVERTENT LINKS TO THE PERSON(S) MAKING A GENUINE EFFORT TO COMMENT.
IT'S QUITE EASY TO DISCOVER TOO MUCH ABOUT PEOPLE BY SUCH LINKS.

PLEASE, FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY ON THE "WORLDWIDE WEB", DON'T LEAVE A TRAIL FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW AND HARASS YOU OR TRY TO PHISH YOU.
I HAVE HAD TO OMIT THOUSANDS,LITERALLY,OF SUCH COMMENTS JUST TO PROTECT READERS.
AFTER SIX OR SEVEN COMMENTERS INFORMED ME THEY WERE "FOLLOWED" FROM THE TEA ROOM BECAUSE OF THE LINKS ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR NAMES OR SOME PART OF THEIR COMMENT LEFT A LINK TO THEM, I STOPPED POSTING ALMOST ALL OF THOSE UNLESS THE PERSON COMMENTING SAID THEY DIDN'T MIND.
.
AT LAST COUNT, ABOUT 92 COUNTRIES' READERS HAVE VISITED THE TEA ROOM AND SOME DO SO MERELY TO FIND SUCH LINKS.
BLOGS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERNET 'FORUMS' ARE PRIME TARGETS FOR SUCH PHISHING.
AS WE SAW RECENTLY, THAT CAN LEAD TO BIG PROBLEMS LIKE 'RANSOMWARE'.
JUST BE AWARE OF THAT.

ALSO, PLEASE BE SURE YOU'RE LEAVING A COMMENT ON THE RIGHT BLOG ENTRY.
DOZENS A DAY FAIL TO DO THAT, SO THE COMMENTS JUST DON'T MAKE SENSE WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. 
I CAN'T MOVE THEM ELSEWHERE WHEN YOU LEAVE THEM ON A PARTICULAR BLOG POST.

** THE TEA ROOM WILL NOT POST PERSONAL THREATS AGAINST ANYONE AND WILL NOT TOLERATE EXTREMELY ABUSIVE, NEEDLESSLY VULGAR  LANGUAGE.
MY GRANDCHILDREN READ HERE.
WE'RE ALL ADULTS, I'M NO INNOCENT 'PRUDE', BUT I JUST CAN'T ALLOW SUCH BECAUSE I RESPECT MANY READERS, YOUNG AND OLDER, WHO LOATHE THAT.
IF THAT APPEARS IN YOUR COMMENT, THOSE GET TOSSED.
'MILD' EXPLETIVES ARE ACCEPTED.

'ANONYMOUS' COMMENTS.
I DO READ MANY, BUT NOT ALL FROM ANY "ANONYMOUS", AS I HAVE STATED MANY TIMES BEFORE.  IT'S JUST BETTER IF PEOPLE MAKE UP A NAME, GET A "NOM DE PLUME" THAN POST AS 'ANONYMOUS'.
BLOGGER ALLOWS YOU TO DO THAT QUITE EASILY.
THERE ARE MANY FREE EMAIL SITES WHERE YOU CAN ESTABLISH A PSEUDONYM WHICH LEADS NOWHERE.
WHEN YOU HAVE 50 COMMENTS BY 50 DIFFERENT READERS NAMED "ANONYMOUS" IT GETS CONFUSING TO READERS.
I DO ALLOW A FEW EACH MONTH, MAYBE, IF I SPOT REALLY GREAT ONES...NO GUARANTEES.

WHY DO I USE MOSTLY ALL-CAPS AND HIGHLIGHT SO MUCH?
REASON #1- ON THE ALL-CAPS, SOME DAYS MY EYES DON'T SEE AS CLEARLY AS THEY SHOULD.
BECAUSE OF MY CONGENITAL PROBLEMS, I'D NEED GLASSES WITH 5 DIFFERENT LENSES TO SEE AS WELL AS MOST DO. I TRIED TRIFOCALS AND DECIDED "SCREW THAT!"
I CAN SIMPLY SEE THE CAPITAL LETTERS BETTER.

REASON #2- ALL-CAPS, BECAUSE IT IRRITATES SO MANY "INTERNET GESTAPO" TYPES WHO DEMAND "INTERNET ETIQUETTE".
I AM NOT GOVERNED BY "ETIQUETTE" SO MUCH ANYMORE.
AFTER 70 YEARS ON THIS PLANET, I CHOOSE TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR ME UNLESS IT HARMS OTHERS.
I ALSO DON'T SEE THE LOGIC IN THAT CRAP ABOUT "ALL-CAPS IS SCREAMING".
HOW THE HELL DID ANYONE COME UP WITH THAT?
IF YOU LOATHE ALL-CAPS, DON'T READ HERE?

REASON #3- HIGHLIGHTING AND DARK BOLD TYPE..
I HIGHLIGHT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HEAR ME SPEAK.
WHEN I SPEAK, I STRESS CERTAIN WORDS MORE THAN OTHERS.
HOW CAN I DO THAT IN PRINT? BOLD TYPE AND, YEAH, HIGHLIGHTING. 

I SPEND AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 3 HOURS A DAY GOING THROUGH SUBMITTED COMMENTS.
I FOLLOW EVERY LINK IN THEM BECAUSE MY ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE IS THAT GOOD.
I DO THAT, AGAIN, TO PROTECT MY READERS.
NOT ONCE IN ALMOST 5 YEARS NOW HAS ANY LINK FOUND IN THE TEA ROOM LED ANYONE TO A MALICIOUS OR SCAM SITE.
SOMETIMES, LINKS 'EXPIRE', PEOPLE REMOVE ARTICLES OR VIDEOS OR PHOTOS i LINKED TO, ETC, BUT THE LINKS HAVE BEEN TESTED WHEN I POST THEM, OR ALLOW ANY IN COMMENTS.
YOUR SAFETY ON MY SITE  IS MY #2 CONCERN.

TRUTH WILL ALWAYS BE MY #1 CONCERN.
TRUTH IS TRUTH, NO MATTER WHO SPEAKS OR WRITES IT, EVEN IF IT COMES FROM PEOPLE WE REALLY WOULDN'T URINATE ON IF THEY WERE ON FIRE. 
TRUTH IS WHAT THE WORLD SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN TO HATE AND FEAR.
I ADORE TRUTH, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME.

KNOWLEDGE... KNOWLEDGE IS A GREAT POWER, PERHAPS THE ONLY POWER WE SHOULD SEEK TO HAVE?
KNOWLEDGE REMOVES FEAR AND IS A BALM TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT, IF ALLOWED TO "SINK IN".

OFTEN HERE, YOU WILL FIND THE FOLLOWING PHRASE...
"LEARN OR PERISH."

IT WAS MY FATHER'S FAVORITE PHRASE, ONE HE REPEATED TO US ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE.

I SAW THE TRUTH IN THAT PHRASE WHEN I WAS A CHILD.
THE THINGS I DID NOT KNOW SEEMED DESTINED TO HOLD ME BACK, BUT I WANTED TO GO FORWARD, IMPROVE MYSELF, SO I LEARNED TO LEARN...SO I DID NOT PERISH.

PASSING ON EVEN A TIDBIT OF KNOWLEDGE IS A GREAT GIFT.
I AM GRATEFUL TO ALL WHO HAVE HANDED ME SUCH A GIFT FREELY.
I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR EVERY DAY I HAVE TO DIG AND SEARCH TO FIND IT. 

AS I HAVE ADMITTED, I HAVE SEEN SEVEN DECADES OF LIFE HERE, AM A MULTIPLE CANCERS SURVIVOR, SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD DECADES AGO, BUT HERE I AM, FOR WHATEVER REASON. BUT I AM IN A NEW BATTLE AGAINST 'THE MONSTER', WAS DUE FOR SURGERY TO REMEDY THAT, BUT BECAME "NOT A CANDIDATE FOR SURGERY" AND AM MUDDLING ALONG  USING ANCIENT HEALING PRACTICES AND A FEW I'VE DEVELOPED ON MY OWN.
WE'RE SEEING SOME SHRINKAGE OF MASSES, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG I'LL BE HERE, SITTING AT THIS KEYBOARD, POUNDING OUT A BLOG EVER SO SLOWLY AND POORLY BECAUSE I NEVER DID LEARN "TOUCH-TYPING".
I TOOK PHYSICS AND LATIN INSTEAD.

JUST A FEW MONTHS BACK I DISCOVERED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE 'FORMATTING' ON THE BLOG, MADE SOME PROGRESS ON GETTING IT RIGHT, FOUND TOO MANY POSTS THAT NEEDED EDITING TO "FIX" THE HORRIBLE WAY SOME POSTS APPEAR.

YEAH, I DECIDED "SCREW IT!"...IT IS MY AWFUL NATURE TO DO THAT WHEN THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO TO WRITE A NEW BLOG, ETC.

I'M POSTING MUCH LESS FREQUENTLY DUE TO HEALTH AND A FEW OTHER THINGS, BUT I DON'T INTEND TO STOP, AS I ONCE DID.
IF ALL POSTS END FOR OVER 2 WEEKS, CONSIDER ME REALLY, REALLY "GONE".
TOO MANY PEOPLE ACCUSED ME OF GIVING UP WHEN I TRIED TO STOP HAMMERING OUT THESE AWFUL POSTS...
I AM NO QUITTER!
I DON'T GIVE UP.

SO, HERE WE ARE, THERE YOU GO, AND MY ADVICE TO ALL IS, ONLY READ HERE IF YOU CAN TAKE THE TRUTH, SOME POOR WRITING HABITS, WANT TO LEARN SOMETHING WITH ME, NOT FROM ME, AND DON'T MIND MY REALLY BAD TEMPER SHOWING UP IN WHAT I WRITE SOMETIMES.
I ALSO MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR MY NATURE.
AS POPEYE SAID, "I YAM WHAT I YAM AND THAT'S ALL WHAT I YAM." 

YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH HERE, I HOPE.

IF EVER YOU FIND ERROR HERE, ANYTHING LESS THAN FACTS,PLEASE, DO INFORM ME.
I DON'T OWN A CLOSED MIND.
I AM WELL AWARE THAT I AM FALLIBLE.
I CAN MAKE ERRORS.

PLEASE, ALSO INFORM ME OF BROKEN LINKS, IMAGES AND VIDEOS THAT DON'T APPEAR AS THEY SHOULD, ETC.
I RARELY GO BACK TO READ OLD POSTS, SO I DEPEND ON READERS TO LET ME KNOW WHEN ANYTHING IS WRONG.

 UNLIKE MANY SITES, IF YOU CARE TO COMMENT ON A POST BUT DO NOT WANT YOUR COMMENT PUBLISHED, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MARK THE COMMENT "PRIVATE COMMENT" AND IT WILL NEVER BE POSTED HERE.
HOWEVER, IF YOU WISH A REPLY FROM ME ON UNPOSTED COMMENTS (O AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF ALL THESE POSTS), YOU WILL NEED TO LEAVE ME A WAY TO REPLY.

I SPEAK ENGLISH, GERMAN, SPANISH, FRENCH (NOT AS WELL AS GERMAN OR SPANISH), THE GIDUWV DIALECT (AN 'AMERICAN INDIAN' LANGUAGE), CAN CONVERSE IN LATIN, KNOW A BIT OF 3 OTHER LANGUAGES, NONE OF WHICH IS "STREET LANGUAGE", CAN READ QUITE WELL IN 2 OTHERS, BUT I LEARNED MOST OTHER LANGUAGES AS JUST COLLEGE 'CRAP', WHICH IS JUST ABOUT USELESS ON THE STREETS OF ANY COUNTRY.
I DO, HOWEVER, HAVE EXCELLENT TRANSLATION SOFTWARE FOR THOSE WHO DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH ENGLISH. I CAN MUDDLE THROUGH.

MAY YOU WHO READ HERE AND ALL WHOM YOU LOVE BE SAFE AND WELL AND MAY YOU LEARN, SO YOU DO NOT PERISH.
AND MAY TRUTH BE ALL YOU EVER ACCEPT FROM ANYONE, INCLUDING ME.
DEMAND TRUTH, SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS.

ALL THE BEST.


//WW