Meet Your ATS Staff - 2013 Edition

This means we are in the beautiful city of light where always comes the dawn,

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


I mentioned that I made silver jewelry in the past. I made mostly clan symbols for the Highland Games, where I also participated in the caber toss. I wasn't very good at it, and in fact managed to clonk myself a few times. That's a clonk that leaves a mark. Scottish ain't Irish, but there are several commonalities, yeah?

One of the stars of the caber toss once told me, "you're not sa big, but ya got heardt (heart). Ya have two things against ya though........ ya have two separate eyebrows, and ya got a neck." I'm 6'1 and at that time was about 220. I was petite.

A little late, but here's my presentation.

I am the only Portuguese member of the staff, but I know that I'm not alone, there are some Portuguese members here.

I was born in Lisbon 50 years ago, on a typical Lisbon 19th century building, but we moved to the other side of the river when I was 7 years old, and I have lived since then here in Almada.

The happy finding of ATS is curiously related to one of the saddest occasions in my life, as I was using the Internet during the three days license for the death of my father because I thought the Internet was a great place to help me think about something else. I remember I was searching for information about some man that was murdered and that people said may have been linked in some way to the JFK murder, and in one site I found a link to a thread on ATS.

Since that day in May 2003 I have visited ATS almost every day, and, during a local holiday in 2004, I decided to join, so I could answer a post about Atlantis and the possible connection with the Azores. I also thought it was a good way to practice my English (mostly the written), as I had only written in English two or three times in some newsgroups (I started using the Internet in 1996, with a 14400 modem) and I am not (and never was) really good at writing, not even in Portuguese, and I learned English by watching movies and TV shows (almost all foreign TV shows in Portugal have subtitles).

Since that day I have come to ATS every day, and I don't even log out.

This place have been proven to be much more than I thought, but, strangely enough, as a Portuguese, I feel at home here, as in Portugal it's usual for people to meet just to talk about something or nothing, usually while drinking a coffee or some beer (I don't like either).

When I received the message asking me if I wanted to be part of the staff I wasn't as freaked-out as most because I already was a FSME for the Aliens & UFOs forum, so I was already prepared for the shock.

One thing I find amazing on ATS is how all the members, when they work together, are capable of solving almost any problem that they find, with everyone's best points complementing everyone else's, making ATS more than the sum of all of us.

Thanks everybody.


PS: although I may have some problems understanding some sentences and my English may not be the best, if anyone has any problem just send me a message.

Thanks for the great intro's!!

It's good to know your all normal folks.

(and I am really hungry for "fish taco's", also)

Thanks for the hard work

and fun place

argentus
One of the stars of the caber toss once told me, "you're not sa big, but ya got heardt (heart).

Ah, the cursed caber.

About 20 years ago I was very much into power-lifting and thought the caber would be a piece-o-cake. hah!

Eating meat-pie and Scottish ale ended up being my event at the Highland Games.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

wondermost
One thing I will openly admit to you, that I feel I should be ashamed of but am not. I have never seen the movie The Big Lebowski......

You need to see it at least three times before the astounding zen-genius becomes apparent.


Before moving to Arizona, my specialties were filet mignon and meatloaf. Now I like Mexican food and also make a killer straight-up no-frills guacamole. I also really like pan-seared salmon... sometimes never turning it, letting the goodness of the skin infuse up into the meat.

Its amazing how much people can have in common and never know it! Steaks of all cuts, sizes, and temperatures are something that I take pride in. It is my specialty, but I've gone more into learning other culinary arts due to becoming bored with the meat and potatoes, lol. I haven't gone into Mexican food as much as I want to, but I'll get there one of these days!

As for meatloaf. Man I miss meatloaf, a lot......... My wife hates meatloaf to the point that just mentioning it makes her nauseous. I fear I may never be able to partake of the loaf again........

Salmon, love it! all ways that you can prepare it! It is probably my favorite fish, and you would be amazed the flavor you will get from just placing the fish skin side down on a plank of oakwood and broiling it, truly amazing!

I would try your guacamole, but I am really not a big fan of avocado's! I, personally, find them to be bland. My taste buds are geared to the extremities of all foods. I bet there are some good guacamoles out there, It just doesn't tickle my fancy! I've made it before at a restaurant I used to work at, but it was just avocado's thrown together with pico de gallo, and some lime juice. Surely there is more to it than that!

.... I forgot to mention some stuff....

Yes, I've seen ghosts.

Yes, I've seen UFO's

Yes, I've experienced both telepathy and telekenisis

Yes, I've been dead (technically, but not for long)

Yes, I've signed the official secrets act in the UK (and no, I can't tell you why)

oh... and you can find my band here Illustrial....

maybe more to follow....

Wow, a lot of moderators all chiming in.

I have found, from being on ATS for as long as I have been, it is a good cross section of thinking for a lot of the world, and in particular the country that I live in. It kind of reminds me of a Delphi survey. It also at times alerts me to things before it makes the news. But nice to find out about the moderators and who they are, confirming that we are not alone.

reply to post by argentus


we dont really do the 'caber toss' in Ireland, that's more of a highland games thing, but haha you are a braver person than me for trying it lol, the size of those things! jasus!

Some Scots would take offence at being compared to Irish and vice versa, mainly because we are both a fiercely proud people lol, but mostly we dont mind and get along fairly well, we share a common Celtic background and a love for drink of course

YAH!! Finally nice to meet you all. This is the first greet I have ever read!!!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I think I could still well qualify for those events. There used to be a place outside of Sacramento, CA that made excellent meat pies, and at one time I would drive four hours there and back just for a box of them.


reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


...........and many musical commonalities and instruments. Food+music+drink= !! What I found at the Highland Games was that several clans claimed relatives/areas/geography that crossed into both countries.

......or maybe it was just a reason for anyone with a tenuous link to party. That's Celtic too.

wondermost It just doesn't tickle my fancy! I've made it before at a restaurant I used to work at, but it was just avocado's thrown together with pico de gallo, and some lime juice. Surely there is more to it than that!

OMG NO! Those poor avocados!

First, you need a good mocahete. There's no point in making guac without one.

Make what's almost a rue first... grind diced tomatoes, diced onions, salt, cilantro, chilies, dash of cumin, and lime into a soupy-paste.
Then slowly grind-in spoonfuls of avocado until until you have rich scoopable texture. Add more salt to taste, more diced tomato/onions and mix in diced jalapeños if you like. Garnish with more onion/tomato, cilantro, Mexican oregano, and few jalapeño slices.

Then get your chips and tequila. 'nuff said.


Oh god, hungry now.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


WARNING TO ALL ATS MEMBERS - RUN!

I just put some of staff names together and came up with a bunch of scary acronyms!

Neformore
SkepticOverlord
Ayana

DontTreadOnMe
Hefficide
Skyfloating

Maria_stardust
JacKatMtn
12m8keall2c

TheBandit795
Semperfortis
Asala aka Julie

DontTreadOnMe
Elevatedone
Argentus

Neformore
ArMaP
Springer
Ayana

Blaine91555
Byrd
Crakeur

Yeahright
tothetenthpower
Kinglizard

Seagull
Elevatedone
Crakeur


It's a conspiracy I tell ya, and it's a conspiracy against US!

reply to post by jiggerj


Drat! foiled again (twirls moustache)

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


So many innuendos I can say about tossing the caber...must resist must resist

reply to post by jiggerj


Tothenthpower you have banned member jiggerj for figuring it all out.

It was nice knowing you


~Tenth

reply to post by neformore



No offence nef but I thought you were chris moyles when I first saw your old avatar... sorry... xx

A Tale Of Majic

Hmm. I suppose I should probably say a few words... *cough*

Way back around the beginning of the New Millennium, I happened upon ATS while searching for information on Area 51. SimonGray's articles on the subject were well-written, informative and caught my attention, but I wasn't interested in joining a forum, just finding out about some specific things.

Over the next few years, I found myself returning to ATS now and then as more searches led me back here, notably about 9/11, Iraq and related subjects, but it wasn't until the fateful summer of 2004 that I realized I was spending as much time on ATS as I was. I also realized at this point that most of what I was learning wasn't in the form of articles per se, but member comments in discussion threads.

Finally, after giving the matter probably a lot more thought than was needed, I joined ATS on July 9, 2004. I chose the handle "Majic" based on its pun potential and its tie-in with the Majestic Documents, as some of them are stamped "TOP SECRET/MAJIC EYES ONLY". As an aside, while there's clearly some fraud/bogosity involved with that whole business, there are some intriguing angles as well, but that's a subject for another time.

Fig. 1: A vintage early Majic avatar.

Ironically, the choice of the "Majic" handle was the impetus behind my becoming an anime fan, which in turn led directly to a series of avatar themes culminating in today's pony motif. Back in 2004, while googling for avatar source material, I happened upon the character of Majic Lin from the extremely-low-budget anime Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. Aside from Speed Racer as a kid, I'd never really watched anime, but was intrigued by the character's goofy appearance and the funky name of the series.

On a lark, I bought the anime and, despite its extensive animation corner-cutting, liked it. That led to a long period of Majic Lin avatars, such as this one, and a blossoming anime hobby.

Fig. 2: Say, when was the last time I actually read a book?

Within the first year of joining ATS, I had many adventures, including some rather wild bipolar riffs, and it wasn't long before I realized I had inadvertently found my new home on the Internet. I became something of a BB&Q troll (it was called "BQ&B" back then) because I always had much better ideas about how ATS should be run than the staff, ended up being far more of a hindrance than a help to the ill-fated but well-intentioned ATS Member Council when it was formed and, considering my many, many shenanigans, its amazing I wasn't banned long, long ago.

Fig. 3: Maybe a Sith isn't the best choice after all...

For reasons that still mystify me to this day (my leading theory is "ironic punishment" for all my kibitzing and drama queenery), I was asked to join the staff in March of 2006. One thing that became painfully obvious very early on is that it's a LOT different being a mod than constantly criticizing and "advising" them. Point taken, believe me, and karmic justice has been duly meted ever since.

One thing I learned as a mod is when I wade into a derailed, flame-scorched thread full of obscenities, members tend to calm down and be more reasonable when I use a more soothing, feminine avatar. So began my "Haibane period", where I used characters from my favorite anime, Haibane Renmei.

Fig. 4: You wouldn't be mean to Rakka, would you?

That lasted for years, until a fellow anime fan recommended I check out an American cartoon. And not just any cartoon, but the new generation My Little Pony cartoon, Friendship Is Magic. My Little Pony? "Ha ha," I said, "Shirley you jest." For decades, that franchise has been associated with toys and media that are so girly even most girls can't handle it, so it certainly wasn't on my radar, and I sure as hell wasn't going to watch that. But after a rather convincing case, I gave the first episode a look as a joke, fully expecting to laugh myself silly at how cheesy it would be.

And the rest, as they say, is history, and now ponies are my new avatar "totem animal".

Fig. 5: Oh the irony.

And so there you have it. My ATS story and absolutely everything there is to know about me with not a single detail omitted.

Well, okay, maybe a few details here and there, but as Rainbow Dash says, what the hay.

Originally posted by Lady_Tuatha

 

I'll take it

lol

up the celts!

I swear I thought the saying was 'Up yer kilt!'

Great thread. I thought a couple of the mod ladies were actually men before I read their posts. Or aren't they and they're yanking our chains??

The tacos seem inviting, but make it a seafood pizza and I'll even risk taking a TSA exam, SO.
Musicians, artists, that treasure chest cake is really something too, all of you are a gifted bunch. I found a recipe for bacon cookies, but Heff will have to pry it from my cold, almost-dead keyboard.

So what happened to Simon gray? Does he still have some input? Does he still drop by from time to time??