78 years of past Psychic News in newspaper format NOW AVAILABLE online to read free of charge

".... I'm delighted to report that many months of planning and hard work have culminated in the decision to make 78 years of Psychic News in newspaper format available online and free of charge (see Pages 17-20).  Early issues can already be viewed.

As a weekly newspaper, Psychic News was a "living archive" and it remains so in its current magazine format, covering all that is important within the Spiritualist and psychic scenes, as well as the wider paranormal field.

The University of Manitoba is in the process of building the digitised Pychic News archive, to sit alongside its other Spiritualist and parapsychology collections.  Feel free to explore and enjoy it at your leisure.

This issue of Psychic News is my last as Editor, as already announced, and from the July issue the newly-merged Psychic News (incorporating Two Worlds) will be edited by Tony Ortzen.

Tony is no stranger to our columns, having edited Psychic News for long periods on previous occasions, and I know you will join me in welcoming him and wishing him well.  It can be challenging at times but he brings decades of experience to the role and I am sure he will enjoy it as much as I have.

Special thanks go out to my Psychic News colleagues who have given me such wonderful support, and to all our readers whose feedback and encouragement have been hugely important."

ROY STEMMAN

JDBP wrote:Shame they will never release the draft articles that were written but never published regarding certain mediums who they knew to be frauds and they held the proof, but were "convinced" to cover up.

Candlelight.kk wrote:From the June 2018 issue of Psychic News

Editor Roy Stemman writes:

".... I'm delighted to report that many months of planning and hard work have culminated in the decision to make 78 years of Psychic News in newspaper format available online and free of charge (see Pages 17-20).  Early issues can already be viewed.

As a weekly newspaper, Psychic News was a "living archive" and it remains so in its current magazine format, covering all that is important within the Spiritualist and psychic scenes, as well as the wider paranormal field.

The University of Manitoba is in the process of building the digitised Pychic News archive, to sit alongside its other Spiritualist and parapsychology collections.  Feel free to explore and enjoy it at your leisure.

This issue of Psychic News is my last as Editor, as already announced, and from the July issue the newly-merged Psychic News (incorporating Two Worlds) will be edited by Tony Ortzen.

Tony is no stranger to our columns, having edited Psychic News for long periods on previous occasions, and I know you will join me in welcoming him and wishing him well.  It can be challenging at times but he brings decades of experience to the role and I am sure he will enjoy it as much as I have.

Special thanks go out to my Psychic News colleagues who have given me such wonderful support, and to all our readers whose feedback and encouragement have been hugely important."

ROY STEMMAN

mac wrote:Interesting (because I've often referred to this failed prediction) that I browsed to a page where there is a piece which refers to earlier predictions by Silver Birch, Red Cloud and medium Frank T Brake, then-president of the SNU that there would be no war  - http://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2941591

I often wonder how and why so many got it wrong.

Estelle admitted that Red Cloud, as a number of prominent guides of other mediums, made a mistake in 1939 when he predicted there would be no war. Estelle explained that wrong predictions were caused through looking at the current circumstances and making a judgment from these, i.e. a 'forecast only on probabilities, on a knowledge of the facts and a careful weighing of them'.(24) In fact, indicating the peril of accepting predictions as unfailing, it is worthwhile noting that the forecast of there being no war from various communicators was one of the principal reasons for the decline in Spiritualism after the Second World War: 'The outbreak of war in September hit Spiritualism with devastating force...a section of the movement...had explicitly accepted certain predictions made by the spirits through their mediums about the possibility of war...The movement has never recovered its pre-war position'.(25) In view of the consequences, this aspect in communications is something that should be constantly kept in mind.

Candlelight.kk wrote:

mac wrote:Interesting (because I've often referred to this failed prediction) that I browsed to a page where there is a piece which refers to earlier predictions by Silver Birch, Red Cloud and medium Frank T Brake, then-president of the SNU that there would be no war  - http://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2941591

I often wonder how and why so many got it wrong.

You probably read about it here (The Voice Box): http://www.the-voicebox.com/robertsmrsestelle.htm


No I was referring to my first look at the university's archive - I put in a random date just to see what the format would be. 

I was pleasantly suprised at how easy it was to read the pages of the newspaper and the subject just happened to be one I'd referred to when responding to forum questions (perhaps elsewhere, I can't remember!) and quoting the usually authoritative guidance (as I consider it) from Silver Birch at the same time as conceding he hadn't always been 100% reliable.

Estel..................he possibility of war...The movement has never recovered its pre-war position'.(25) In view of the consequences, this aspect in communications is something that should be constantly kept in mind.

The book 'The Phoney War on the Home Front' (by E.S. Turner) refers.

You will also find reference    HERE (The Spiritual Truth Foundation). 

and HERE.

Additionally, somewhere on this forum there is a comprehensive list of questions presented to Silver Birch at various séances, together with their [recorded] answers given.  Not sure where to find it though as it would be quite a few years old now and you'd have to dig deep in the archives.

I've read many of the books of his teachings compiled from his recorded addresses and Q&A sessions.  Although I remain a firm supporter of his guidance increasingly I'm finding that he's irrelevant for most of the folk I 'speak' to online, here and elsewhere.  I used to want to be able to quote him verbatim but nowadays I just rely on my best recollection of his guidance and try to re-package it to be as relevant as possible to subjects under discussion.

Candlelight.kk wrote:

JDBP wrote:Shame they will never release the draft articles that were written but never published regarding certain mediums who they knew to be frauds and they held the proof, but were "convinced" to cover up.

I think you will find that any such articles, were they to exist, would be transparently available to anyone possessing the desire to research/enquire.  Otherwise, how else would you even be aware of their existence? 

JDBP wrote:
Completely unconnected to any of this, I always did wonder why a certain medium got fired from his gig with a couple of other mediums, and never appeared on TV again. He probably ate someones sandwich, yeah thats right, never eat someones elses packed lunch right.

JDBP wrote:

Candlelight.kk wrote:

JDBP wrote:Shame they will never release the draft articles that were written but never published regarding certain mediums who they knew to be frauds and they held the proof, but were "convinced" to cover up.

I think you will find that any such articles, were they to exist, would be transparently available to anyone possessing the desire to research/enquire.  Otherwise, how else would you even be aware of their existence? 

Yes How would I (A journalist) be aware of such things.
How would I (A Journalist) have access to episodes of Most Haunted months before their TV release.
Really is a mystery how I (A Journalist) would ever get hold of such things.

Candlelight.kk wrote:

JDBP wrote:
Completely unconnected to any of this, I always did wonder why a certain medium got fired from his gig with a couple of other mediums, and never appeared on TV again. He probably ate someones sandwich, yeah thats right, never eat someones elses packed lunch right.

Gosh, that bee in your bonnet (or perhaps, more appropriately, mosquito in your hoodie) is really not giving you any peace, is it.  It's really affected you quite badly.  For your own peace of mind, you really ought to try and shake it off.

“Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.
Laugh when you can, apologize when you should,
and let go of what you can’t change.”
~ unknown

Brian wrote:Not being funny but I find it very hard to read stuff that you write so if you really are a journalist, I suspect your writings are heavily edited.  I find your writing clumsy, disjointed, imprecise and it's often confusing trying to understand what you mean.  Add to that the arrogance and lack of objectivity you display and I really wonder how you attained such a position.

mac wrote:When I recently followed the UoM link you posted above, now-bookmarked in my browser and previously working successfully, I was denied access.  I registered for an account a couple of days ago but I've yet to hear it's been approved.

Have you tried accessing the UOM website recently, kk?

Updated Library Interface for Searching Items

by Michelle Micuda on July 9th, 2018 | Comments
Hey there! You've probably noticed  some changes to our mobile friendly library search catalogue at umanitoba.ca/libraries. Check out what we've done! 
We've improved visibility with a cleaner interface, larger fonts and graphics; provided more assistance with a floating AskUs box to help you with your searches; supported the ability to add tags to any record visible to others for collaboration and sharing of resources; and finally included the option in your search results to go beyond the UofM making it easier to request items through DocDel and more.

ariel wrote:I take it we can draw a heavy line under the expected digitised UOM library project for Psychic News then?
Or have I missed it taking off somewhere else?  If anyone's got details I would be interested to hear.

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:I take it we can draw a heavy line under the expected digitised UOM library project for Psychic News then?
Or have I missed it taking off somewhere else?  If anyone's got details I would be interested to hear.

I've heard it's still work-in-progress but completion isn't too far away in the new year.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Candlelight.kk wrote:

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:I take it we can draw a heavy line under the expected digitised UOM library project for Psychic News then?
Or have I missed it taking off somewhere else?  If anyone's got details I would be interested to hear.

I've heard it's still work-in-progress but completion isn't too far away in the new year.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

That sounds quite promising and it would seem that completion is imminent - but we have heard that before, going back a couple of years ago.  
Perhaps they just overestimated (at the time) all that would be involved; no quick-fit easy task, I would imagine.

mac wrote:Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba Empty Re: Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba

New post by Admin Today at 10:43 pm

The link is now back up and alive https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews


I've tried without any success to access the archive.  The link takes you to a page about PN but I wasn't then able to go anywhere or do anything useful - sorry.  

ariel wrote:

mac wrote:Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba Empty Re: Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba

New post by Admin Today at 10:43 pm

The link is now back up and alive https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews


I've tried without any success to access the archive.  The link takes you to a page about PN but I wasn't then able to go anywhere or do anything useful - sorry.  

I'm glad it's not just me.  I tried that link and it brought me to the front page of Psychic News May 28, 1932 edition.

For any further details it looks like you have to be or become a member.

Conditions of access: http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/services/conditions_of_access.html

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:

mac wrote:Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba Empty Re: Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba

New post by Admin Today at 10:43 pm

The link is now back up and alive https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews


I've tried without any success to access the archive.  The link takes you to a page about PN but I wasn't then able to go anywhere or do anything useful - sorry.  

I'm glad it's not just me.  I tried that link and it brought me to the front page of Psychic News May 28, 1932 edition.

For any further details it looks like you have to be or become a member.

Conditions of access: http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/services/conditions_of_access.html

I tried to find a sign up link and also tried to see if I'd signed up before - neither worked so I don't know what's happened this time but the page looks like it used to do way-back-when.....

Candlelight.kk wrote:

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:

mac wrote:Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba Empty Re: Psychic News archive - University of Manitoba

New post by Admin Today at 10:43 pm

The link is now back up and alive https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews


I've tried without any success to access the archive.  The link takes you to a page about PN but I wasn't then able to go anywhere or do anything useful - sorry.  

I'm glad it's not just me.  I tried that link and it brought me to the front page of Psychic News May 28, 1932 edition.

For any further details it looks like you have to be or become a member.

Conditions of access: http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/services/conditions_of_access.html

I tried to find a sign up link and also tried to see if I'd signed up before - neither worked so I don't know what's happened this time but the page looks like it used to do way-back-when.....

Oh well.  Looks like it's right back to square one, i.e. stalemate.

mac wrote:Take another look:  PN archive

Candlelight.kk wrote:

mac wrote:Take another look:  PN archive

I just did...   .   Thanks for posting that, mac.  

Plenty of stuff there to keep us busy up until the end of the year at least.  (That's if it stays now!)

Well done to all those involved in creating such an important database.  No easy task.

mac wrote:I heard back from the archivist who told me that 1967 is the latest year they'll have available and suggested I try contacting the current PN people for anything later.

Not sure why that should be the case but presumably the university doesn't have any more print copies to digitise and/or doesn't have the resources to undertake any more processing of them in future. I'm going to ask....

It’s now over three months since the last issue of Psychic News rolled off the presses. For the former editorial team there have been some tough times, and we have so much appreciated your messages of encouragement. The one thing we never doubted was that we would eventually return to our regular readers, and hopefully reach many new ones, with a truly independent voice for spirit. We cannot call it Psychic News, but we can certainly continue the spirit and passion of the paper our pioneers set up, hence our new title, Spirit of PN.

Candlelight.kk wrote:

mac wrote:I heard back from the archivist who told me that 1967 is the latest year they'll have available and suggested I try contacting the current PN people for anything later.

That's a shame, cos it's the 1970s and 80s era that I am most interested in.  I wish now that I'd kept all my copies.  I used to get it at the SAGB soon as it came out, always looked forward to that.  Still great to have access now to all the older editions.  Perhaps in time the later ones will become available in digitised form too.  Sue Farrow did a great job in keeping it alive as Spirit of PN when there was all that trouble some years back.

I used to look forward to delivery day and would read from front to last page before returning to re-read many of the articles and reports.  Mine used to be delivered because in them, thar days we had paper lads and lasses who earned pocket money delivering newspapers and magazines.  

It all seems like another age and, of course, daily newspapers being delivered through the letter box do belong to another century and another millennium. (along with glass-bottle milk deliveries!)  That was a time when we wrote letters to the editor if we had something we wanted to say, a time when there wasn't a worldwideweb over which we could send email messages or write on forum-based websites, a time when there weren't even the terms 'website' and 'email' anyway and forums weren't something ordinary folk knew anything about!

Ah, 'the good ol' days' of strikes resulting in 3 day working weeks, sharing a phone line with a nosey neighbour, driving a rusty, smoking car or going to work on a motor bike that left a pool of oil wherever it was parked, parafin heaters to stop the outside bog from freezing up, smoky coal fires and real metal dust bins you put the ashes in - ah the good old days!

FURTHER UPDATE:  

HAVING been in limbo for many months, in order to deal with various issues largely resulting from a transfer of ownership, the Psychic News digital archive is now back online at the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections website.

It was first launched in May 2018. The headline on the feature announcing it in these columns (PN June 2018) said it all, “Psychic News at your fingertips for free.”

We explained that thanks to a unique collaboration with the University of Manitoba in Canada, 78 years of this publication’s newspaper format editions – from 1932 to 2010 – would be made available to anyone, anywhere in the world, free of charge.

All that is needed to dive into this fascinating paranormal collection of news and views is a computer or other digital device with an internet connection.

This treasure trove of paranormal history, consisting of 4,125 issues of the weekly newspaper and its occasional supplements, was described at the time as an ongoing project that would be slowly rolled out in the months ahead.

The archive was originally owned by a Spiritualist charity, but its decision to gift it to Psychic Press Ltd, the owners of Psychic News incorporating Two Worlds, meant that a new agreement was necessary between the Canadian university and ourselves.

So, while those negotiations took place, the PN Digital Archive had to be put on temporary hold and removed from public access.

The good news is that it is now up and running again, with the first tranche of issues – from 1932 to 1967 – now available to view online.

The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year. Check it out at https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews

Candlelight.kk wrote: FURTHER UPDATE:  

Psychic News, March 2020 edition reports:

HAVING been in limbo for many months, in order to deal with various issues largely resulting from a transfer of ownership, the Psychic News digital archive is now back online at the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections website.

It was first launched in May 2018. The headline on the feature announcing it in these columns (PN June 2018) said it all, “Psychic News at your fingertips for free.”

We explained that thanks to a unique collaboration with the University of Manitoba in Canada, 78 years of this publication’s newspaper format editions – from 1932 to 2010 – would be made available to anyone, anywhere in the world, free of charge.

All that is needed to dive into this fascinating paranormal collection of news and views is a computer or other digital device with an internet connection.

This treasure trove of paranormal history, consisting of 4,125 issues of the weekly newspaper and its occasional supplements, was described at the time as an ongoing project that would be slowly rolled out in the months ahead.

The archive was originally owned by a Spiritualist charity, but its decision to gift it to Psychic Press Ltd, the owners of Psychic News incorporating Two Worlds, meant that a new agreement was necessary between the Canadian university and ourselves.

So, while those negotiations took place, the PN Digital Archive had to be put on temporary hold and removed from public access.

The good news is that it is now up and running again, with the first tranche of issues – from 1932 to 1967 – now available to view online.

The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year. Check it out at https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews

Continue reading →

ariel wrote:

Candlelight.kk wrote: FURTHER UPDATE:  

Psychic News, March 2020 edition reports:

HAVING been in limbo for many months, in order to deal with various issues largely resulting from a transfer of ownership, the Psychic News digital archive is now back online at the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections website.

It was first launched in May 2018. The headline on the feature announcing it in these columns (PN June 2018) said it all, “Psychic News at your fingertips for free.”

We explained that thanks to a unique collaboration with the University of Manitoba in Canada, 78 years of this publication’s newspaper format editions – from 1932 to 2010 – would be made available to anyone, anywhere in the world, free of charge.

All that is needed to dive into this fascinating paranormal collection of news and views is a computer or other digital device with an internet connection.

This treasure trove of paranormal history, consisting of 4,125 issues of the weekly newspaper and its occasional supplements, was described at the time as an ongoing project that would be slowly rolled out in the months ahead.

The archive was originally owned by a Spiritualist charity, but its decision to gift it to Psychic Press Ltd, the owners of Psychic News incorporating Two Worlds, meant that a new agreement was necessary between the Canadian university and ourselves.

So, while those negotiations took place, the PN Digital Archive had to be put on temporary hold and removed from public access.

The good news is that it is now up and running again, with the first tranche of issues – from 1932 to 1967 – now available to view online.

The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year. Check it out at https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews

Continue reading →

This is indeed great news.
Very well done to all those who perservered behind the scenes.

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:

Candlelight.kk wrote: FURTHER UPDATE:  

Psychic News, March 2020 edition reports:

HAVING been in limbo for many months, in order to deal with various issues largely resulting from a transfer of ownership, the Psychic News digital archive is now back online at the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections website.

It was first launched in May 2018. The headline on the feature announcing it in these columns (PN June 2018) said it all, “Psychic News at your fingertips for free.”

We explained that thanks to a unique collaboration with the University of Manitoba in Canada, 78 years of this publication’s newspaper format editions – from 1932 to 2010 – would be made available to anyone, anywhere in the world, free of charge.

All that is needed to dive into this fascinating paranormal collection of news and views is a computer or other digital device with an internet connection.

This treasure trove of paranormal history, consisting of 4,125 issues of the weekly newspaper and its occasional supplements, was described at the time as an ongoing project that would be slowly rolled out in the months ahead.

The archive was originally owned by a Spiritualist charity, but its decision to gift it to Psychic Press Ltd, the owners of Psychic News incorporating Two Worlds, meant that a new agreement was necessary between the Canadian university and ourselves.

So, while those negotiations took place, the PN Digital Archive had to be put on temporary hold and removed from public access.

The good news is that it is now up and running again, with the first tranche of issues – from 1932 to 1967 – now available to view online.

The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year. Check it out at https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews

Continue reading →

This is indeed great news.
Very well done to all those who perservered behind the scenes.

Has anyone actually tested the system to see if there any recent new additions?  I was in contact with the archivist during the winter and she told me archiving had been stopped and didn't know if/when it would re-start.

ariel wrote:

mac wrote:

ariel wrote:

Candlelight.kk wrote: FURTHER UPDATE:  

Psychic News, March 2020 edition reports:

HAVING been in limbo for many months, in order to deal with various issues largely resulting from a transfer of ownership, the Psychic News digital archive is now back online at the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections website.

It was first launched in May 2018. The headline on the feature announcing it in these columns (PN June 2018) said it all, “Psychic News at your fingertips for free.”

We explained that thanks to a unique collaboration with the University of Manitoba in Canada, 78 years of this publication’s newspaper format editions – from 1932 to 2010 – would be made available to anyone, anywhere in the world, free of charge.

All that is needed to dive into this fascinating paranormal collection of news and views is a computer or other digital device with an internet connection.

This treasure trove of paranormal history, consisting of 4,125 issues of the weekly newspaper and its occasional supplements, was described at the time as an ongoing project that would be slowly rolled out in the months ahead.

The archive was originally owned by a Spiritualist charity, but its decision to gift it to Psychic Press Ltd, the owners of Psychic News incorporating Two Worlds, meant that a new agreement was necessary between the Canadian university and ourselves.

So, while those negotiations took place, the PN Digital Archive had to be put on temporary hold and removed from public access.

The good news is that it is now up and running again, with the first tranche of issues – from 1932 to 1967 – now available to view online.

The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year. Check it out at https://libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/psychicnews

Continue reading →

This is indeed great news.
Very well done to all those who perservered behind the scenes.

Has anyone actually tested the system to see if there any recent new additions?  I was in contact with the archivist during the winter and she told me archiving had been stopped and didn't know if/when it would re-start.

Yes.  Every single edition from 1932 to 1967 is readable online, page for page, and it promises above
"The rest of the archive, right through to the final 2010 newspaper edition, will be added later this year."

mac wrote:
That link took me to a page which states "The PN digital archives for 1932-1967 are now available, with the years 1968-2010 anticipated to be uploaded in the future. "  That's what I remember from the end of last year when I was following the then lack of progress. 

The statement in the quote isn't on the page I reached but I do hope it's correct and that the full archive to 2010 will indeed be viewable later this year.

During a brief check on things a short while ago I was unable to view pages live on the archive but  I was able to download one test page.

mac wrote:I'm not sure where you mean.....  That link takes me to the university archive page and I can see all the years and the dates of the publications.  I used to be able - some long time back - to click on a page thumbnail and then magnify the image and move around it to read the whole thing section by section - I did it lots of times in the early archive.  Now I just see a totally black page but as I said earlier I can download what I should be able to see onscreen.  The page headers and footers are there but not the photo-copied newspaper text and pictures etc.

Is that different from what you're seeing?

ariel wrote:

mac wrote:I'm not sure where you mean.....  That link takes me to the university archive page and I can see all the years and the dates of the publications.  I used to be able - some long time back - to click on a page thumbnail and then magnify the image and move around it to read the whole thing section by section - I did it lots of times in the early archive.  Now I just see a totally black page but as I said earlier I can download what I should be able to see onscreen.  The page headers and footers are there but not the photo-copied newspaper text and pictures etc.

Is that different from what you're seeing?

When you click on a date you should see the thumbnails for every page of that edition.

Click into any of those thumbnail pages and you are then faced with a black page, with some toggle tools at top left-hand corner which don't work!  BUT above that is a toolbar with four buttons -
View - Details - Download - and one with a Print image.  The secret is to click the Printer image button and it brings up the page for you to view and read & confirm to print if wished.  You don't need to go ahead with the printing of it if you don't want to. You can read the whole page from there, just can't magnify or zoom etc at present as it's at a fixed size, but hopefully this will be rectified at some stage in the future.

Candlelight.kk wrote:Okay, reading through the above posts here, I have checked out the link provided and find that I am having the same issue, i.e. the necessary tools for viewing/reading (up to the year 1967) are there, but I can't get them to work either.  Perhaps you just need to be logged in for those tools to work?
I did create a log-in account way back when the archives were first created, but I don't see any reference anywhere to that now.  It's probably just something very small that we are all missing.    

As far as the imminent addition of the more recent years (up until 2010) is concerned, this advert on the home page of this month's issue (March 2020) also suggests that they are currently working on making these issues available.



Meanwhile, I have pinned this topic on the board as a 'sticky' until (hopefully soon) it gets sorted out.

mac wrote:As can be seen from my other message today, Friday, their system is working as it used to - view, move around, zoom in etc. the PN pages on your computer's screen.  There's been a problem similar to yesterday's in the past and also when I tried to access the site yesterday my security software warned me about an out-of-date certificate and the risk of the website's ID being faked.  That didn't happen today when I checked so it might be one of these computer glitches that happen time to time.

(I'm not going mad ... I know for a fact that I made that reply and posted it, pressed sent - and SAW it there on the page! I also made a comment about there being no such thing as coincidence ... )