Cause

Losing everything is like

the sun going down on me.

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Goodbye: There have been moments in the past when everyone was sure the board was coming down but this is the closest thing I can imagine to a cathartic fan assisted closing of the final curtain. Fans from all Jericho walks of life have been saying their goodbyes on the CBS boards and creating closure so they can move on. Even if this is not the end, the goodbyes have been said so the true end turns from a spectre of surprise to a guest with an open invitaion whose arrival will signify an era's end. Great job Rangers on beating the network to the punch and saying farewell on your own terms and in your own time.

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Truth and Consequence

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Inspiration...
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Where do I find it to make another post? If I thought simply not abandoning all of you would be enough to keep me going, I was wrong. If I thought that by isolating myself so as not to be seen as aligning with any particular side that I could stay connected enough to secure your trust, I am afraid I was wrong again. If I thought I could help my readers to face the dark sides of fandom by revealing them in myself without becoming a casualty, I was wrong. If I thought the truth would set me free, I was dead on.
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I am free to write a blog or not and my readers are free from obligation to read it. This is good on the one hand because no one wants to feel beholden to something which challenges their opinions of what is right and true. But on the other hand I wish folks would allow themselves to be challenged equally by the truths they so readily accept.
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I have many of my own tightly clung to truths as well. Some of them I have said aloud and some I have kept to myself. Some of them I am throwing away today because they just are not valuable to me anymore. They do not tell the kind of stories I want to hear or listen to. They reflect a man who got caught up in a movement and almost forgot he was alone. They tell the tale of one who sought approval and worried endlessly about whether it was forthcoming. They spin a conflicted yarn about truth, consequence, failure and flight. I am not shutting down this blog, instead I am shutting down my expectations of what this blog could or should be and I am asking a question: "Why must the show go on?"
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Jericho Needs You - Part Two

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Have you ever thought about being a Jericho Blogger?
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The CBS board may not be available to us for much longer so I am imploring any of you who are wondering about how the fandom would stay connected to become a landing point for others by starting a blog.
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Blogging Jericho is a great way to greet new fans. Most any of the theme like threads that are on the first page of the CBS message board could be adapted to a blog. The Welcome Center , The Porch and Welcome new and returning fans are perfect examples. These threads have already adopted a blog like feeling as they attempt to disperse information on what is happening throughout the Jericho Fandom. This type of information would be even more pertinent if CBS were to suddenly disappear.
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But say we get lucky and the mother board stays. Still it would be good for Jericho if more folks were creating interesting content about the show. Jericho has lost a lot of important bloggers in the last six months or so. This leaves us with less up to date content that is being found over search engines. It is depressing when you search a subject and find only old information about it. It makes you feel as though the thing has been forgotten.
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If you have any interest at all I encourage you to go to blogger.com or any of the free blogging sites and look into it. The software is growing easier to use by the day.
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Who will be the next Jericho Blogger?
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Jericho Needs You!

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To do what you can to help keep it alive

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As most of you know I draw a good many ideas for posts from The CBS Jericho message board and today’s post is no exception. NightShade10 has created an excellent thread entitled “What Can You Do? A Ranger Check List”. In it she breaks down various ways that rangers can contribute to the cause of keeping the show alive and she does so by arranging those ways into three categories. They are: Things to do for Jericho that involve a donation or spending money, Things to do for Jericho that involve nominal cash expenditure and Things to do for free that don’t involve money or supplies, just a computer and your time.
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It is the last category on the list that I would like to blog about today because this is the method that I have always been partial to for helping the show for practical reasons and to some extent on principle. I should explain myself and say that a brave soul, Kricka, Inspired me this week by revealing that she never made any phone calls on behalf of Jericho for the simple reason that she dislikes talking on the phone to people. The detail which really struck me about her story however is that she kept this something of a secret because she didn’t want anyone to think she didn’t care enough to do it. I think this is an inclination that we all can understand to some extent and it is in this spirit that I say here and now that I do not spend money on Jericho.
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There are basically two reasons for this. The first is that I am a carpenter who has had my worst year financially since I got into the business. Income is down and prices are up and to be perfectly honest if I were to even approach the subject of donating to a TV show, for which my wife does not even hold the same regard, it could lead to some real problems. The second reason is a little more complex and fortunately for me has always been less relevant than the first. The second reason is that in many ways I am not inclined to on principle. I feel there are entities that should be investing in this show because it is they who stand to profit from its success and that our contribution should end with buying DVD’s and official merchandise if we are so inclined. It makes little sense to me that we should pay to make someone else money when money is so tight. There it is. That is what I have not been saying and doing but what I have been doing is giving something that is every bit as valuable in my opinion. I have been giving my time to the Jericho cause.
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I hope that my statements do no ring like admonishment of those who donate money to keep this show alive or to the various humanitarian causes which have come to be associated with the show. I respect all of your efforts and investments in whatever capacity and I realize that had someone not paid to send nuts that I would not be here today. Still, I am so excited to see NightShades thread include the donation of time because as I look out over the sea of avatars and screen names that continue to fight I ask myself where would Jericho be if it’s fans had decided it was not worth the kind of time we have given it. The answer I believe is a resounding nowhere. Thank you Kricka for helping me to say something which has been on my mind for a long time.
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My next post will be about how you can donate your time to Jericho by creating a blog to help keep Jericho Rangers Informed and entertained while they fight.
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The passion of the silent ones

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On May 22, 2007 a simple man posted a message in the teeming 8 lane highway that was the Save Jericho folder on the CBS Jericho Message Board. His name was jerk-o-cbs and the reason I call him a simple man is because of his sincere and straight forward message:
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“Hi,
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I do not post much. I am very passionate about Jericho. There must be thousands out there like me that have read every thread and not responded. I read up until I go to bed, I read as soon as I get up. I am a man of few (typed) words. I sent email, snail mail, and honey roasted. My wife and I love Jericho. Bring it back. That's it.”
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The post, in my opinion, is nearly perfect and it had an impact. It was an economical and poetic arrow that struck the targeted hearts of the silent, lurking Jericho fans and brought their hands to the keyboards. I was not there in Camp Passion that night but I have read through it and the responses do not stop coming. Here is a one from a poster many of you may know named Swenciler:
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“Hi have been lurking since the beginning of the board. I registered but only posted about twice-actually I was kind of frightened of some of the posters after I read the different threads. But since I found out Jericho was canceled-things changed-I faxed, I emailed a lot, I emailed sponsors, CBS, affiliates, snail mailed, bought nuts, and bought nuts again, and contributed to the Variety Ad, Right now I have to catch up because I was at work since 12 and I don't know what has happened. Thanks everybody for pulling together to save Jericho!! We will do it!”
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The thread came to be known as PASSION of the SILENT ONES *THE ORIGINAL "CAMP PASSION" JERICHO BOOT CAMP and reading through its beginnings really serves to conjure a palpable sense of the frenetic buzz of the boards; some of the folks who enter the thread almost seem winded. Amazing.
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Creative Fandom: K6 and Ranger Cynthia

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Click on image to enlarge

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K6 says: "Wow am I flattered that Terocious asked me to do this piece. I dabble with Photoshop just for fun. It's not a difficult process but does require a little time for the more complicated pieces. I cannot take much of the creative credit as my wife Ranger Cynthia is my muse. She is always making suggestions and so all the work is truly a team effort. The Photoshop I did for Jericho Junction was the most fun so far. I was not sure what direction to go with it but after giving it some thought it was clear what to do. Jericho Junction is this fandom's Tank. So Terocious... Tank you very much."
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Terocious says: "When I first saw K6's work I was impressed not only with his ability to blend all of the individual elements within a piece but also with his choice of color and the care in his compositions. I loved the way I had to search for details I hadn't noticed; details that were literally earmarking moments in the Jericho story. Perhaps you were as surprised as I to learn that these works are a collaborative effort with his wife Ranger Cynthia. I think this is so cool and a classic example of rangers working together for the cause. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to you both for the piece you created for the Junction. It is stunning. Thanks to both of you for your keen eyes, your great sense of humor and for all your hard work for Jericho!"

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Creative Fandom is an ongoing series on the Junction spotlighting those who use their gifts to make our Jericho experience richer. Other posts in the series include:

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Reality Agent ~ The Nina

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Eric, April and Mary (Part Three)

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From Red Flag [Episode 1.10] - Eric's parents are talking:
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Gail: why do you keep acting like it’s no big deal?
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Johnston: I don’t. I’m also trying not to act like a hypocrite.
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Gail: This is nothing like what we went through.
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Johnston: Oh No? I seem to recall when my mother thought your name was ‘the other woman’. And I ignored her, just the way Eric’s ignoring us. Now, if this is so different, I’m not seeing it.
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Gail: It is different because we were barely in our twenties. She wasn’t your wife. And she wasn’t pregnant.
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Johnston asks Gail if Eric knows. She says no but it won’t be long before father tells son and before Eric and April are standing amidst shafts of autumn light in the Green family living room ending their marriage.
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“I didn’t want you to stay with me because of the baby Eric.”
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“Well I think we’re the only two people who agree on that.”
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As Eric shuts the door behind him the tiniest convulsion flips thru Aprils body.
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* * *
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Gail goes to Mary Baily with a piece of paper in her hands. She glances at the paper while telling Mary she will never be able to forgive her for dividing her grandchild’s family. Later Mary finds the paper on the chair where Gail had been sitting.
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It reads:
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When April dies shortly after as a result of a complication with her pregnancy in the now sub standard med center where she had worked, where she and baby could both have been saved just months before, we, the viewer, become acutely aware that the world this lovers triangle finally plays out in is nothing like anything we can imagine. It deserves to be judged differently and though it takes some time for Eric to realize this through his grief, he eventually returns to Mary. The savage events which follow continue to take reality by surprise to the extent that when we see Eric and Mary walking together to help dig Bonnie’s grave it is completely natural and as though they were meant to be together.
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Debby from South Carolina also had this to say:
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“What the writers did best in that storyline was to have characters that seemed real. All were flawed. I don't usually root for the relationship between the cheaters to work but after April's death I did.”
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So did I Debby.
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Eric, April and Mary (Part Two)

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I am a child of a divorce which came about as a result of infidelity. Sparing you the details I will tell you that what I witnessed was the demoralization of my mother and her slowly eroding self esteem in the face of a situation she did not entirely understand. I will not dwell on my own history any more here except to say that I recognize my mother in the performance of Darby Stanchfield.

In response to the first installment of this series Clutz12001 wrote: “It seems April had filed divorce papers on "the day before." What else had gone wrong besides Eric's infidelity? Did April already know about Eric and Mary? I suspect she was not as clueless as it seemed on the surface.”
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Undoubtedly there could be a case made for an Eric and April who had been growing apart for some time. “It seemed both were defined by their careers.” This is an observation made by Debby from South Carolina and yes, perhaps these two were growing apart rather than growing together. Still, with the split focus and obfuscation which comes along with leading a double life mistrust is born in a relationship between two people and I feel that mistrust is evident in April’s looks and mannerisms. She no longer trusts her husband and she refuses to trust her intuition. She has dread in her eyes even as she pulls the divorce papers from the manila envelope in the car. She has discovered she is pregnant and decides she will keep this a secret of her own. At least until she knows what Eric wants without the baby being a factor.
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Another comment made by Debby was “I think Eric thought he could have both relationships”. This would not be unusual but I have to wonder if this is the case because I feel like the one thing Eric has going for him in all of this is he has made up his mind. I think he is in love with Mary. Here is a scene from episode 1.9 Crossroads:
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Eric: Okay, let’s talk.
April: When I, uh…had the divorce papers drafted. I did that because I couldn’t see a future for us, [holds Eric’s hand] but now I can.
Eric: I can’t.
April: What?
Eric: Look, the last thing I want to do on this Earth is hurt you April, but I’m in love with someone else.
April: [gasps] Who?
Eric: Mary Bailey. April, look April….April..I’m sorry
April: No, you don’t get to do this. You son of a bitch. [April walks away]
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The last thing anyone ever wants to do to someone they care about is hurt them and it is an odd quirk of humanity how often we do just that.
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Stay tuned for part three.
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Eric, April and Mary (Part One)

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Reading clutz12001’s post on the CBS Jericho Board entitled Jericho Backstory brought me to consider the relationship of Eric Green and Mary Baily. Now, I know for some this is most probably still a sore spot so I intend to tread lightly but only so lightly because I think the writers broke marvelously from tradition with these two.
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I should set this up for those of you who do not know the Jericho Characters very well. Eric Green is the successful son of the Jericho Mayor. When we meet him he is kempt cocky and judgmental. So much so that his younger brother Jake quips at him “We were both born on third base, quit pretending you hit a triple.” But one gets the idea that it would be very hard for Eric to quit pretending, that pretending is indeed what Eric does best. It is his skill if you will and he uses it to hide a lot more than infidelity.
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Eric is married to April who is a doctor at the local medical center. They are a picture perfect couple but it seems this may be the only thing perfect about them. When we meet April she is a women confounded by her husbands distance and frazzled by the nagging unspoken truth that something has gone very wrong in her marriage.
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What April senses but cannot articulate is that Eric is being unfaithful. This is where Clutz’s wouldn’t you like to know back story enters the picture. Just how did Eric Green, Mister right, end up in an affair with the owner of the local tavern. Mary Baily is confidant in life and business but less so in her relationship with Eric. It is revealed to us that Eric has told Mary that he will be leaving April. Mary tells this to her new friend Mimi who retorts “Men like that don’t leave their wives for women like us.”
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So we are presented with a perfect lover’s triangle. Nothing good can come of it and yet the situation will over and over implore us to do something that might at first be against our better judgement. Another major theme in Jericho is redemption. The writers, through masterful story telling will suggest that instead of looking for proof that people are screwed up that we try looking for proof that they are not.
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There will be two more installments in this series.
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Military Send Off

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Battle imagery and Metaphors of War in the Jericho fandom.

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Earlier this week I announced in not so many words I was leaving the Jericho fandom. In response to my doing so KrzyKitty wrote:
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“Another one has fallen. As I dig my claws in for the long battle ahead, another ranger calls retreat. With each retreat, the weight of impending doom grows. As each safe house closes, the light at the end of the Jericho tunnel diminishes. I will not falter in my faith, will not give up my hope or resolve that we will win this battle. I am here till the end. God grant peace to the fallen and rest for the weary ones who soldier on…..”
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Wow, who said anything about retreat?
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The honest answer is, on any given day, it could be just about any of us. Within our ranks war metaphors and battle imagery are about as plentiful as nut jokes. Sometimes the nut jokes and war metaphors have overlapped as evidenced by the friendly "Shelling" of NTN targets and by the early “Not Understanding Term Surrender” Slogan. The Nut/war theme has certainly been visually incorporated into our campaigns:

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And who could forget “Mister Peanut goes to War”? This one is apparently a poster from WWII but the significance of Mister Peanut I have not been able to determine. Jericho Fans however gladly attached to it their own meaning.
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The evocation of war extends deep into American history as well. Rich Becker and Rubberpoultry collaborated to create this homage to the American civil war:
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All along, Jericho and the community surrounding the show have been exposing a thru line in American wars and the countries history. This collaboration it should be noted has been embraced by both sides and the winds of influence have blown both ways. My hat remains forever off to the folks who conceptualized Jericho and the fans who embraced it.
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The importance and timely relevance of a show where the central theme is war cannot be overstated. Of course, stories of war are relevant no matter when they are told. They help us to examine, understand and appreciate how seemingly insignificant events can escalate into the unthinkable.
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Upon further consideration it is no surprise that the language and imagery of war have been adopted by the Jericho fandom. War is to no small degree why we are here huddled in the safe houses and continuing to fight on all fronts.
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My name is terocious and I am reporting for duty. ;-)

Over and Out

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Who Loves You Baby?

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I understand that word has come from the creators of Jericho that they would like to see less money spent on campaigns and that there is much speculation as to why. There have been a number of theories floated on the boards but I would like to offer another here because I feel it simply cannot be overlooked and if true correcting it cannot be emphasized strongly enough.
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If the folks who make the show watch the boards and have seen discontent lead to anger and eruption and if they have also taken note of fan insistence that only season 3 will do then they may feel that our continuing to invest in Jericho may be leading to eventual disappointment. From there it would not be that big of a stretch for them to imagine us turning our frustration on them if the outcome of their efforts does not jive with our expectations.
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How would we change this if it were true? It might be time for some Unconditional Jericho Love. We love and respect the creative team behind Jericho and we love the premise so let’s promise to try to keep on loving Jericho. The time between cancellation and now has most certainly shaped the realm of possibilities for the next incarnation so for the good of the many, and out of respect for one another’s investment of time, money and energy let’s be prepared to love whatever new Jericho development comes our way. Then if we do not we will have come by it honestly as the expression goes and we can reevaluate our position at that time.
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Even if this turned out not to be the reason for their request what could it hurt to reassure those working hard on our behalf that we appreciate their efforts and are openminded about what they will produce?
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Can Bygones be Bygones?

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.It is comfortable to stay as we are but profitable to change.

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A Jericho Fan Walks Into a Bar

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all in all you’re just another brick in the wall

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I think it is probably a common dream amongst message board inhabitants; to create a thread that is so well received that it takes on a life of its own. Well, Need2No2 of the CBS Jericho Board did just that. She created a thread that leapt like a pop up book from the screen. Here is her first post on that thread in its entirety:

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Hello, and Welcome to ~

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Baileys: The Place Where Everyone Knows Your ScreenName!

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My name is Mary Bailey. I will be your Hostess and Bartender. Bailey's is a "Virtual" Bar where we have virtually anything you would want. I do offer specials. Today's specials are:

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NutTini; TangoMargarita With Salt; Nuts.

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Until the ATMs are operational, I will barter a drink for a grain of salt! The nuts, however, are free -- for some reason (probably a computer glitch) I have about 20 tons of them in the store room!

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There is also a virtual jukebox; although, I can't seem to get it to play anything but "World" and "Nothing Compares to You" ??! - feel free to sing along - you're all such good singers!

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Also, virtual darts and pool table are available. You may virtually wager but only salt bets are acceptable. Bailey's is open all day, every day, and we never run out of virtual bar stools!

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So Welcome one and all; come in, relax; put your feet up; have a drink or two or many whatever you can handle. We have free "tankie" service (compliments of CynCity30) for anyone who is too drunk to drive home.

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So, what's your pleasure?

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1416 pages later Baily’s is still drawing posts from its virtual patrons. As I write, those patrons have apparently not heard the news that Mary Baily AKA Need2No2 has just placed her name on the wall in a thread that I created barely a week ago. A thread called the Jericho Memorial Park.

The Jericho Memorial park was born from the idea that it would be nice for folks to have a place to post about and remember their ranger friends that are no longer with us on the boards. It did not have a wall as I envisioned it but embellishment is the name of the game on a message board and in a somewhat ironic but not totally unforeseeable twist of fate the Park has become a place for folks to lay down their nuts and call it quits. An act that is fast becoming known as Placing your name on the wall.

So, Mary Baily AKA Need2No2 has done just that this evening and she leaves behind her a tiny URL and a whole heck of a lot of very real memories to be swept up off the virtual floor.

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A Tribute to General Anthony Mcauliffe

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Brought to you by Jericho's International Fans!

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Read more about it HERE

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Congratulations to everyone involved!

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Special Thanks to Veronique Huet of the bastogne historical center.

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Leading Jericho

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I posted this earlier on the CBS board and thought it worth reposting here.

Everyone of us are leaders.
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This movement is more like an organism than an army. Push here and something on the other side of the fandom begins to move.
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I read somewhere that highway traffic has a memory of at least ten miles. This means that you having to apply your breaks might be the result of something that is happening miles up the road.
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I think internet/message board traffic is similar. There is no leader, just each of us in seperate cars with the potential to cause or avert catastrophe.
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By reading each others posts we become a part of a great chain of time, place, chance and possibilities. And just like in traffic, by how we respond, we have the potential to have a profound effect on one another.
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We are all leaders who bear a great responsibility to the welfare of the whole.

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And now Jericho reader I have a question for you: What would you like this blog to be? Is it at all helpful or entertaining at least to have commentary on events within the fandom or do you see that as more often than not simply throwing fuel upon the fire? Help me to lead the Junction in the direction you would like to see it go. If you readers only want to see Jericho news here presented in a more neutral fashion then I will strive to accomodate you. To be frank, I am no longer sure what this blog should be and need your input.

Thanks -t
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Jeritopia Down

Or

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Word slam in bedlam

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Tick

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I cannot tell who authored the post and I cannot tell who my best friends are. Through words and war we’re forgiven. Through malice and loss we are living.

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In what grey world do the most man made mad men, mad women, white knuckled, afraid Bull doze, mow down half the promenade with a cunning cum laude and death ray gaze.

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Tock

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Dock you’re butts right here and I’ll tell you a tale, incomplete, unfinished ‘cause I landed in jail ‘bout halfway through so I missed some stuff which might be important but was never enough to hold back the flood gates and prop up the walls, weren’t fire brought ‘em down weren’t nothing at all that could not have been avoided had we all just fall flip bent over backwards and kissed it all goodbye where a dream shaped ribbon wraps a pie in the sky in a black and yellow wrapper, in a paint splattered smock …

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Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock

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Are we here to make friends? Are we here to save a show? Are we are here to live together? Are we here to say no? Are we hearing one another? Could we be a better lover? Would we know if we recovered? Would we know?

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So, take away the avatars and see if you can tell who is authoring the post that is coming straight from hell ‘cause both sides now have sides as well and all have friends who fell.

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And you can’t un-ring this bell.

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Shock wave mock wave we’re talkin’ ‘bout you what’s new, we're through, what’s new?

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What’s new, we’re through, what’s new?

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