World Religions Simplified

Even though this blog is linked to it, I feel the need to preserve this piece of wisdom in some small way. This is one of the most hilarious internet things I've ever seen, and it would be a shame if it was lost to the ever-changing dynamics of the web.

World Religions Simplified

Taoism = Shit happens.

Confucianism = Confucius say, "Shit happens."

Buddhism = If shit happens, it isn't really shit.

Zen = What is the sound of shit happening?

Hinduism = This shit happened before.

Islam = If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.

Sunni = If we do shit to Shiites, it is the will of Allah.

Shiite = If we do shit to Sunnis, it is the will of Allah.

Judaism = Why does shit always happen to us?

Christianity = Christ died for your shit.

Protestantism = Let shit happen to someone else.

Catholicism = If shit happens, you deserved it.

Evangelicalism = Shit happens—praise the Lord!

Jehovah's Witneses = The end of shit happening is near.

Christian Science = Read about shit happening.

Televangelism = Send money or shit will happen to you.

Mormonism = Shit happens to Gentiles.

Scientology = Engrams happen.

Animisim = Spirits make shit happen.

New Age = Visualize no shit happening.

Rastafarian = Smoke that shit.

Humanism = People allow shit to happen.

Atheism = There is no such thing as shit.

Agnosticism = Maybe shit happens...maybe not.

That sucked.

Yeah, I'm talking about DWTS final Three. I loved Joel McHale's (The Soup) take on it! "In the most sexually charged moment in the show's history, we watched as Brandy got fucked." Bleeped of course, but there's no doubt what he said. I bout fell outta my chair!

In other news, a guy shot his tv after Bristol was moved into the finals, and some idiot sent an envelope containing white powder to the DWTS set. The DWTS producers must be dancing all the way to the bank!

So what is going on here? There's conspiracy theory, and I'm inclined to believe it. Look at other seasons that kept really bad dancers for way longer than we should have had to watch them. I look at polls on various gossip sites and what have you, and everyone seems to be for the better dancers. And yet, we are forced to watch a mediocre dancer in the finals over someone who had real talent. We miss out on the final routines we were looking forward to, and now must watch what we know will not be worth watching.

Many state that it's not a conspiracy. They say Bristol simply has a following in the fan base that relates to her and her tribulations. Shy girl with no performing talent or experience, teen pregnancy. Maybe. Kelly Osbourne went this far on the same premise (except for the preggers part), and she and Bristol are about equal for talent. No, I take that back. Kelly grew into a real performer, and she had an appealing personality.

So how would a conspiracy go down? Easy. There's email lists, Facebook, Twitter, etc, and they can all connect with each other. A wide spread campaign to overload the voting system would not be hard to pull off. Maks mentioned it in one of his comments. People who wanted to vote, couldn't. Phone lines and internet polls were jammed, software glitches denied votes, voters cheated by using multiple email addys. Easy.

Was it about Sarah Palin and/or politics? Maybe. She was certainly stumping pretty hard for her cub. The current political scene is certainly charged on both sides.

The judges were partly to blame. They gave Bristol better scores than she deserved. I guess they try to boost the confidence of someone like this. They did it with Kelly, too. They've been more ruthless in the past, it's time to take off the kid gloves again. BTW, one of the judges (Carrie Ann?) begged Brandy & Maks to come back and do their Free Style routine. Don't know how they'd work that in. Maybe in the finale when all the stars come back for an encore. I hope they do. We who watch the show for dance wanted to see it.

The question of how all this will affect the show came up. Will celebrities want to go on it when they know that the system can be skewed so badly? Viewers will suffer more and more lesser "stars" instead of the favorites we want to see. I can see the producers scarfing up all this publicity and looking to see where they can generate it again in future casting. The show will become more about controversy than dancing, and it will not be pretty.

I wonder when the next season of So You Think You Can Dance begins? I need an honest dance competition to cleanse my palette. Hey! Idea! What about an honest, no celebrities, ballroom competition ala SYTYCD? Show us real people learning ballroom. No fan base, no politics, just honest voting for the best dancers.

I'll mention the nonsense that is Skating With The Stars. Nope, not watching. I watched a little the last time they tried it, but it was dumb. I knew a few of the names back then and even fewer now. It was a flop then and it will be again. Give it up. You can't ride on the success of DWTS, and unlike dancing, skating is not something just anybody can do.

Can I also mention the absurdity that is the PSA for abstinence, safe sex, and teen pregnancy? Bristol and the Situation talking abstinence and condoms? Really??? Who came up with this ridiculous thing? Who wrote the script? Who thought this was a good idea?

I won't shoot my tv if Bristol wins (oh please god forbid!), but I sure won't be happy. I'm resigned to the fact that one of my favorite shows has become a parody of itself.

Good morning.

DWTS - week 6

Dancing With The Sh(hhh). What a load of crap.

OK yeah, Jennifer's paso doble was a bit frantic and there were those stumbles, but I don't think she deserved to be in the bottom 2 under the lowest scores and worst dances. I thought it a slap in Brandi's face that Bristol was chosen for the encore. Brandi earned the best score of the night with an outstanding performance, but we had to watch Bristol's wooden tango with stupid air guitar and KISS tongue waggle again. BTW, that was her idea. She thought it would show her personality that the judges were begging for. Really? That's the best you got? How many people are there in Alaska? Must be quite a few.

You know what would have been nice? If the judges had chosen Jennifer for the encore. She could have redeemed herself by getting it right, and maybe left a better impression for voters next week. The judges know she can dance, we know she can dance, she had a bad night. It would have been a nice thing to do.

Speaking of personality, or lack thereof. Another reality "star" bites the dust. Audrina is gone. I'm not sure how I feel about this. She's a good dancer and I would have liked to see more of her over the other not better dancers. But her blank expression was getting boring.

The show the night before included viewer-voted top 10 dances from all seasons. I really enjoyed that so it was worth holding on the DVR to watch again. Why has no one made DVDs of past seasons? I'd buy it. IF. It would have to be just the best scoring dances. Like 8 and above. I don't want to see the worst wasting DVD space (and my money), and I don't want the backstage drama or filler packages. I just want to see the dances. It could include the special performance dances shown on results night. Yeah, I'd buy it.

What else is on my mind this morning?

Have I mentioned I watch music video channels for short attention span tv? I finally saw the Willow Smith MV. There was a lot of hype about it and I figured it was just Papa Will pushing the publicity. I liked it. Tasteful for a young girl and it's cute. Every time I see her face, I can't get over how much like she looks like Will. No way he can deny her! Before Will was a successful actor, he was a rapper, and it looks like Willow inherited that gene, too. This probably wouldn't be worth mentioning, but Will has always been one of my fav actors so I've been paying attention.

As I'm writing this, I just realized that her name must be a sort of "jr". Never occurred to me before. I think I did notice that son Jaden was a play off his mother's name. Did Will and Jada sit down and come up with that plan? "If it's a boy, we'll name him after you. If a girl, we'll name her after me." How fortunate (and kinda eerie) that they got one of each so they could go with it.

Another MV got my attention. Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts. It's set as a contemporary dance routine. What was especially cool about it was the familiar faces from So You Think You Can Dance. Kathryn and Allison. I thought I saw Lauren as well, but research only showed the 2 names I recognized. I feel like I watched these talented young people grow up and it's great seeing them getting work on film. That's a trend I'd like to see more of.

What else do I stop and watch? Adam Lambert - If I Had You. I like him. It's not my usual listening music (that would be rock) but it is singable. I like his glam style. It's his own and I just love the top hats.

Good morning.

DWTS - week 2

Ok, I have some standouts now. Not necessarily because they are good. Just that they stand out in this musing mind.

Jennifer Grey. A front runner. She is dancing very well. In pre-show interviews, she said she was hoping she didn't disappoint fans because she didn't have any real dance training. And the only dancing she did was what...20 odd years ago in that movie? So not bad at all. I have to talk about her face. There was some tabloid hoopla when she got that nose job. She had a unique and recognizable face with the nose she had. Ok, it was big, but there are a lot of successful actors with prominent beaks and they wouldn't be the same without the snout. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't see the Jennifer we knew.

Audrina Patridge. Another front runner. I don't know her face, but then I didn't know a few other front runners in previous seasons. She can dance and might make it to the end.

Florence Henderson. The token senior citizen. Is she in good shape or what?! But she is 72 so she's not as flexible as this kind of dancing requires. At least she's not hogging the spotlight like other seniors before her. This kind of proves that stars and pros might not be randomly matched. Corky Ballas is usually paired with the older gals.

Brandy. You'd expect a musical star to have more musicality and dancing skills. Not here. She's already got into a snit with her partner Maksim, and you just don't piss Maks off. She's looking like the token diva.

That real tall sports guy. Yeah, don't know him. Basketball? I have to wonder how the partners are paired up. Random draw from the hat or assigned? Whatever, giving him to much shorter Cheryl wasn't a good choice. It makes him look more awkward than he already is. He's not dancing horribly, but I can't get past how dorky they look together. Since they panned to her several times, I'm guessing (without googling) that Eliza Dushku (one of my favorite actresses) is his other half.

Margaret Cho. Comedian. I remember her from back in her earlier days. Didn't care for her then. Too harsh and grating. She is more subdued now, or least for the show, and she's in better shape than the last time I saw her. I noticed the costume designers have been covering up her sleeve tat. Doesn't really go with ballroom style.

The Situation. This dink is a hoot! I'm sure he came into this thinking he is all that. He's all that hilarious. His face and guido accent kills me! He's built a bit like that skateboard champ a few seasons ago. Normally proportioned from the waist up and then shorter from the waist down. And he's pigeon-toed! If the show wants a comedy element, he's the man.

Everybody else. Don't know them. Don't know their names. Don't know their faces. Don't know the reason they're "stars". I think there's another guy that's not dancing too badly, but like I said.....don't know him.

There was an interesting thing. Sarah Palin. Oh yeah, forgot to mention Bristol Palin. See there? She didn't stand out. Where was I? Sarah Palin was in the front row rooting for her daughter and skarfing up the publicity. While the cameras were backstage, booing was heard out in the theater. Right after that, they went to Tom sitting with Sarah for an interview segment. There's much speculation that the booing was for Sarah. The show is feigning innocence, and even the judges denied knowing what the boos were for. Someone said maybe it was for the scores. That's live TV for you.

One last note. Brook Burke. The token beautiful co-host. She looks great in a dress, but her interview skills are worse than last season. The less she says, the better off are we.

Good morning.

What's on TV

Dancing With The Stars. Ouh gawd. There is nothing there. Nothing. D-listers, E, F, Z listers. Stars? Not. A few names we know, but more than a few gained their fame dubiously. Did they learn nothing from the Kate Gosslin and Kim Kardashian fiascos? Reality "stars" can't do anything but act badly in their reality shows. I've said it before...they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Loyal viewers are cheated and forced to watch crap dancing. Ok, nobody is forcing us, but we watch because we always have. I can't even see a potential winner and I no longer give a rat's ass. It's time to put this show out of its misery. While watching this sad season premier, I thought of a great way to go out with a bang. Bring back all the previous winners, give them new pro partners, and let's see who really is the DWTS champion. I guarantee it would be one of the highest rated shows ever!

Somehow, the results show wasn't DVR'd. I thought I had it scheduled. Doesn't really matter. Like I said, I'm not as avid about this show as I used to be, and the results are available the next day. The Hoff was first off. That's surprising. He wasn't very good but neither were less well known names. In fact, nobody was any good! There was a rumor a while back that there was a movement out there to sway voters. Not sure exactly what that agenda was but it seemed to be to keep the underdogs around as long as possible. Perhaps there are a lot of Hoff haters out there?

So what else is on the DVR?

Warehouse 13. I love love love this show! I love the stories about the mystical objects. I love the characters. The crossover with Eureka was genius!

Eureka. Oh yeah, love this one for the same reasons. Sort of like Warehouse but with high-tech objects.

Smallville, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries. I lumped these all together because I haven't watched the season premiers yet. Looking forward to them. Especially Smallville. This is the final season, and it's supposed to wrap up the mythology.

The Good Wife. Good story line, and I really like seeing Chris Noth again. Sexy man! However, Julianna Margulies in the title role is so wooden. Is the character supposed to be that serious and deadpan? I hope Cary sticks around as the villainous element. I'm fascinated by his interesting face. Makes me think evil elf.

Gossip Girl. What can I say? I gotta watch. I like most of characters except Serena. She is such a flake, I just wanna smack her! It's ironic that the bad seeds (Blair, Chuck) are actually the likable characters, where Serena as the "emotional" one is the least interesting. I keep expecting drool to drip off her strange lower lip pout.

Haven. This one kind of lost me. I started watching it, and the plot was thickening. Then it went off air for a while. I have the rest on the DVR but haven't watched it. When this happens, I stack it and watch it all at once. Otherwise, I lose track of what is going on. So I'll keep stacking until the season final. What are the PTB thinking when they do this? And they wonder why they lose ratings. We move on to something we can count on to be regular.

House. I hadn't been watching this before, but am now caught up via reruns on other channels. I'm sure (I hope!) that there aren't successful doctors like this out there. Even for fantasy, this is over the top. House is such a spoiled ego-maniacal brat. That anyone puts up with his shit is so unbelievable. How scary to think a doctor would just start pumping a patient full of drugs or break into their home to figure out what's wrong. Yeah, makes me want to go to a hospital. Now he and Cuddy have finally hooked up. Saw it coming, but didn't want it to happen. He doesn't deserve her or any other good woman.

The Soup, Web Soup, The Dish. Now this is the way to watch reality tv! Love Soup's Joel McHale and Web Soup's Chris Hardwick. Funny cute guys. The Soup should be an hour show. The Dish's Danielle Fischel...shut the fuck up! More air time is spent on her not funny commentary and stupid skits than the clips. I'll add Fashion Police to this paragraph. It just started running weekly after Soup. I like looking at celebrity fashion (even though I'm far from a fashionista myself), but this show seems to be Joan Rivers stage. She's not as funny as she thinks she is, and when she tries to make her plastic face laugh (at her own one-liners), well it's just plain creepy. BTW, when did Kelly Ozbourne become a fashion critic? Ozzy's tattooed punk daughter all growed up after her successful stint on DWTS.

Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. I really like these comedies, but unfortunately, they are on nights of other things. The DVR can only handle 2 at a time, and it has to be tuned to one of them. That's ok, I can catch them later in reruns.

Shows already past season finales:

America's Got Talent. I'll start with the beginning. Why oh why do the judges keep really awful talent? We had to watch some horrible things more than once, and they should never have made it past the auditions. That god-awful clown-face old woman pretending to sing. The stupid guy with poor English doing ridiculous impressions. Things like this were actually pitted against real talent in the same category. What an insult to the talent. Ok, I kinda get it...it's about entertainment and ratings, but it looks to me like they cater to the same people who watch reality shows.

It did finally come down to the best talent. I was mesmerized by Jackie Evancho. I've never appreciated opera before. This little girl was literally not of this world. I watched her performances over and over. I was sure she would win. I loved Prince Poppycock for his outrageous flamboyance. He puts more time into costume and makeup than Lady Gaga. His cover of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was perfection. Fighting Gravity is very cool and different. Go frat boys! And then there was Michael Grimm. The winner. I'm glad it worked out this way. Jackie and Fighting Gravity will have careers regardless. How could they not? There's probably a niche for Poppycock. Grimm deserved it the most. Not only a great talent, but he is so humble and reserved. Not to mention totally crush-worthy. I can't resist a cute guy in a cool hat. I could see him filling the hole left when the world lost Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Persons Unknown. I don't know what to think about this one. They definitely hooked me, but now I have to wait a really long time to see where it goes next. Who are the masterminds behind the kidnappings and what is their agenda? Teasers said we would find out in the season finale, but of course that didn't happen. BTW, you call that a season? What was it, 10 episodes or less?

Covert Affairs. I liked this. It seems to show what the spy business is really like. My main reason for watching could very well be Auggie. Another hot guy with a fascinating face. Couldn't they give him a cooler name? This was another too short season.

I know I mention the DVR a lot but I just love it! I couldn't live without it now. How nice to be able to record 2 shows at the same time, and watch something else recorded earlier or on DVD. I can skip past the stupid long pauses with ominous shark music before announcing a talent show result. I can skip past Brook's vapid interviews to the judges' scores. Oh yeah and of course, the commercials. Skip skip skip. DVR is good.

Thanks for the blog fodder.

What follows is a recent email exchange in response to my Craigslist ad. This is typical of the mentality and writing skills of the local CL users. Comments in italics are my asides. As you'll see at the end, I felt it in my best interests to save this exchange for my own protection. And to share with you, gentle readers, whoever you may be.

Tue, Aug 3, 8:03 pm
Buyer: if still available and can be picked up wed eve after 5pm please call xxx-xxx-xxxx thanks

* Cool. I just love getting emails like this. Probably thumbed on a tiny phone keyboard. I'm not calling until I have a better sense of the kind of person I'm dealing with, and right now, first impression is not good. I sure don't want my number stored on a nutjob's phone.

Tue, Aug 3, 9:10 pm
Me: Yes, it's still available and can be picked up most any time.

Wed, Aug 4, 5:47 pm
Buyer: R u available thurs eve?
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* Yup, as I thought...fancy phone in the hands of an idiot. Isn't that damn thing on your person at all times? Why a full day for the next contact? Wednesday came and went and now you want Thursday.

Wed, Aug 4, 6:26 pm
Me: Yes I can be.

Wed, Aug 4, 6:37 pm
Buyer: I am coming from xxxx, it would be after 4, does the [item] break down or do u have measurements. Thx
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* Wow. A reply in just a few minutes.

Wed, Aug 4, 8:35 pm
Me: The measurements are in the ad. The [item] is 2 separate pieces, but that's as far as it breaks down.

* Most any other time I would have given the measurements as a convenience for the buyer. In this case, the immature texts didn't deserve a detailed reply.

Fri, Aug 6, 2:40 pm
Buyer: I'd like to try to arrange a time to view/pick up for sat, avail?
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* 2 days until the next contact??? No, I don't consider this a serious inquiry, and no longer feel the need to be accommodating.

Fri, Aug 6, 3:49 pm
Me: No, sorry, Sat isn't good. Sunday or any day after that. Please make up your mind. You've changed it every day. I'm not giving out my address or phone until I have a firm commitment from you on when you are going to come and get it. Get back to me when you know for sure. I check my email several times a day. I would think the fact that you're sending from a Blackberry means you do, too. No reason I should have to wait 24 hrs to get a response from you.

* Yeah, I'm getting a little annoyed.

Fri, Aug 6, 3:52 pm
Buyer: Look you don't have to rude, I work crazy long hours and things change min to min, my patients are more important than a [item]! Besides you expect someone to travel 1+ hours to you and you refuse to meet! Get over your self!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* Here we go. And looky there...caps and punctuation. Meeting wasn't mentioned in this exchange. This reminded me that this person had contacted me before and in the same manner.

Fri, Aug 6, 5:16 pm
Me: Hey I tried real hard not to be rude. I could've been a lot ruder. You're pretty damn rude yourself for assuming everyone should bow to your last minute decisions. I told you why I couldn't meet. It won't fit in my car. No problem if you don't want it. Hope you find what you're looking for elsewhere.

Fri, Aug 6, 5:36 pm
Buyer: Like I said my patients are more important, I wasn't rude, I didn't expect you to bow, but labor knows no bounds, you can shove the [item], if you contact me again I will file harassment!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* Really. Now you're giving me grins, lady.

Fri, Aug 6, 6:19 pm
Me: Wow, you can write a complete sentence! Maybe if your other emails were written like an adult instead of like a texting kid, I might have given you the benefit of the doubt. Keep that in mind the next time you try to conduct business via your fancy little phone. Not really worried about a harassment charge. I have this entire exchange saved. You contacted me first, you went off on me first, and you've been wasting my time for several days.

Fri, Aug 6, 6:26 pm
Buyer: You contact me via your fancy phone too and was rude first, and texting is short and sweet dumb fuck!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

* Ah...there it is...the CL mentality.

I considered taking this further as I was enjoying getting her blood pressure up. I wanted to tell her that my not-so-fancy phone isn't text-friendly, and I was typing on a big fancy computer keyboard with all of my fingers. Among other things. I decided to let it go. I'm sure she felt very satisfied for having the last word (notice her "intelligent" very last word), and maybe I made her ragtime a little better.

Right after this exchange, I removed the item from that bigger city's list and moved it back to my own. I had posted farther due to a lack of sincere response in my area. The very day it went up again, it was flagged and deleted. Gee, I wonder who the flagger was?

Since then I've been amusing myself with the daily CL drama. Hate to admit it's one of my "must check" sites every time I go online. Ads go up, ads come down, and it's fun to see which and how fast. The occasional jab at the flaggers that you have to catch before it's deleted. I've yet to see a response from the flaggers themselves. Maybe they did post some. There have been a few pro-flagger posts that looked a lot like this buyer's last send. They mostly cower under their Almighty Flag. You don't need reality TV to see the dregs of society. It's all right there in your friendly neighborhood Craigslist.

Craigslist - an internet tyranny

tyranny - arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.

tyrant - a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.

Craigslist is one of the most popular free classifeds sites in the country, and maybe the world. Everyone knows it, many use it. It's also one of the most unfriendly free classifieds. It's poorly organized, the rules are vague, and the entire thing is governed by tyrants according to their agenda. It is a tyranny.

One of the reasons CL is so popular is its simplicity. No fancy site graphics or advanced webpage dynamics. Just simple HTML links. Anyone can use it with little internet knowledge. As evidenced by the poor communication and writing skills of many of the ad posters, it doesn't take much intelligence either.

You'll notice that I do not provide a link to Craigslist. Even though I sometimes use it, I won't endorse it in any way. But it doesn't matter. Anyone can find it with a simple google.

For the uninformed, the Craigslist Flag is the all-mighty weapon available for anyone to wield. You don't even have to be logged in to use it. Don't like that ad? You can flag it. For any reason at all. Enough flags, and the ad will be deleted. The ad poster isn't given an explaination for being flagged. They have to figure it out based on the rather vague Rules and Terms Of Use. Those same rules and TOU are interpreted by the flaggers however they choose, and it will be according to their personal agenda.

I've been a victim of CL flaggers on more than one occasion. In most of those cases, I had no idea why my ad was flagged. It was similiar to other ads that seemed to be allowed. Or were until the flaggers caught up with them. I couldn't find the reason in the rules.

So I logged in one day and went to the forums. You have to be logged in to use them. There's a flag forum where you are supposed to get help with your ad. Here's what I learned.

- There will be someone manning the forum at all times. Who are these "helpers"? My guess is they are flaggers who apparently have nothing better to do. I saw nothing that made me think they were actual CL employees. I base that assumption on the many rude replies. Flaggers are often rude, small-minded, and many are probably somewhat illiterate.

- You'll get short, curt, and often rude replies to your honest questions. Of course, you'll be referred to the Rules and TOU. Which doesn't tell you much. That's why you are asking the forum.

- When I asked why my ad was flagged, I was told (rudely) that I should have read the email that was sent. Didn't get one...ever. I was told to check spam folders. Did...not there. Oh, I take that back, I did get one, just one, in another email account. Not in the spam folder, BTW. What did it tell me? NOTHING! It's a form email that gives the link to TOU, etc. Right back where I started.

- According to this forum "moderator", my ad was in the wrong category. Ok, I'll buy that. Sort of. In this case, it was a pet accessory. I put it in the Pets category. That's logical, right? I saw other similiar items in that category. He/she said it belonged under General sales. This is where more CL unfriendliness comes in. Who looks under General for pet stuff? There is a huge list of categories for just about everything you can think of. General is for things that don't fit anywhere else. Why isn't there a category for pet supplies? Wouldn't that make sense? It's not like it's an uncommon thing. Far from it. Most other classifieds think it merits its own category. Why not CL? It would certainly cut down the misplaced ads and the "need" to flag.

An added note to the above. Posts requesting items in the related category are also flagged/deleted. Why? Because they are supposed to go under Wanted. Again, who would look there? Remember, we're dealing with a largely uneducated group of users here. They see the word Pets and go there for anything pet related. What they find is extreme tyranny.

- I was told it takes "several dozen" flags to get an ad deleted. Really? And only one flag per person. REALLY? So there are 36+ (my definition of "several dozen") people sitting there at any time just waiting to flag whatever they don't like. I find that hard to believe. Just today I went into the forum again, just to look around, and found one post that says one flag will do it. In the next line, it says two. So which is it? Do just one or two people hold this power (tyrant) or does it really take a host of flaggers?

Flaggers. I wonder if they are proud of that label? I'm sure they think of themselves as diligent upholders of the "law". What they really are...little tyrants with nothing else to fill their days. Here's what I've learned about flaggers.

- They wield absolute power (again, the definition of tyrant). If they don't like the way your ad is worded...flag. If you try to fix it to suit them...not good enough, you've already been flagged and will continue to be flagged. If you piss them off...flagged. Any flagger having a bad day can go and flag any and everything to make themselves feel better and more powerful.

- They flag based on their own agenda. Most flagging occurs in the Pets category. I've yet to figure out just what Pets is for. They say so a pet can find a new adoptive home. Yet, many such ads are flagged. According to the rules and TOU, a "rehome fee" is allowed, but the flaggers decide whether it is acceptable, and for most of them only free is acceptable.

- Flaggers will respond to your ad just to feel you out. If they don't like your response, the ad is immediately flagged/deleted. Again, I find it hard to believe it takes many flags to do this. I've only got one response and then my ad was gone.

- Flaggers are regional. Some areas don't suffer from the ever-present tyrants, others are apparently made up of small-minded people with way too much time on their hands.

One of the more interesting categories is Rants & Raves. This is under Personals where there are practically no rules. It's R-rated and pretty much anything goes. Here you can see the mentality of regional users. In my area, they are extremely crass, mostly uneducated, bigoted, and barely literate. I've looked at other areas (larger cities, for instance) and the intellectual level seems to be higher.

Oddly, I've been flagged here as well. I've ranted about CL itself, and apparently that's prohibited. I'm not even using foul language (well, maybe a few 4-letter words). The flaggers are alive and well even here, but they don't seem to mind the obscene and often bigoted comments made by others. Tell me again it takes a bunch of flags to delete a post. I don't think so.

So enough from me about that. If you are fed up with the Craigslist Tyranny, I highly recommend eBay Classifieds. It's user-friendly, intelligently organized, and you can sell whatever you want as long as it's not illegal. It worked for me. Help take down the tyranny by supporting other avenues.

SYTYCD - week 2

Don't think I like the new format. There were only 11 contestants (more about that in a minute), and they were partnered with a past contestant (the All-Stars) by random draw. It's hard to just keep your eyes on the dancer without watching the All-Star. Since this is partner dancing, both dancers have to contribute and play off each other. In the previous format, both dancers were judged, and the chemistry between them counted for a lot. Then if their partner was voted off, they got the other one left without a partner. It was interesting to see how the new partnership went. Sometimes, a dancer was changing partners all the time. That's actually a good thing. If they get work, they will have to be able to adjust this way. I guess in that respect, the new format does force them to adjust immediately. They won't have the same partner every week.

About the 11. A strange thing happened here. The original plan was to have just 10 contestants - 5 boys, 5 girls. The judges couldn't decide between the final 2 boys and changed the game by keeping them both. Seems to me that to be fair, they should have kept another girl as well.

So what do I think about the dancers this season? There are several very young people. By that I mean, they look and act young. A tiny little girl was voted off 1st week. Another this week. There are 4 boys that are just that...young boys. Everyone loves them, they are so cute, you can't not love them. But there are more mature dancers that I think should go farther.

I think it will be a male that wins this season. The girls are dropping like flies. My pick is Alex. He's an interesting case. Amazing, outstanding dancer! He had to drop out last season after he aced auditions because of his commitment to a dance company. They released him this season so he could take his shot at the big time. He's so technically perfect, he's having a hard time giving of himself. At least that's what the judges say they want more of from him. Their continued criticism of his lack of personality could cost him.

One of the things about the new format is all about the All-Stars. When the contestant pulls their name out of the hat, they get the dance style of the All-Star, as well as the chorographer(s) in that style. So if Twitch is drawn (how great to see him again!), the dance will be hip hop. There are some styles that don't really fit anywhere. Bollywood (one of my favs) I think they just use an All-Star at random, or maybe one that has danced the style before.

What else? Oh yeah, America's Got Talent. I haven't seen a lot of really Vega-worthy acts. Supposedly, this is about earning a headline gig in Vegas, and I think of what I'd want to see in a Vegas show. Flashy, unique, and maybe funny come to mind. There was the light show group. That was pretty damn cool. Actually, that's the only one that comes to my mind right now.

Some of the worst things were voted through to Vegas tryouts. That incredibly clownish old woman playing a portable piano badly, and singing worsely. How dare anyone murder Patsy Cline like that! Good god, doesn't she look at herself in the mirror after putting on her clown face. I get the feeling she thinks she looks good. That face would knock a sleeper out of bed as a nightmare.

Social Networking

Facebook, Twitter, and the like seem to taken over the internet and peoples' lives. Yeah, their lives. Some people actually live for Facebook. Cell phones are now equipped with Facebook apps so that Facebookers won't miss a single second. God forbid they do.

Yes, I have a FB account. It was a way to reconnect with old friends and family, and I can see its value in that respect. But is it an effective communication tool? Is it really social networking? Not from what I've seen. I've acquired a rather large collection of "friends", and the news feeds tell me what they are up to. What are they up to? Silly FB games, mostly. My FB page is cluttered with this shit that I don't care about. It's interesting that once a player became bored with the game, I don't hear any more from them. I tried a few games at first but became bored even faster than my friends.

Oh there's a few that post some personal status reports now and then. Some obscure thought they had, or song lyric they heard. Maybe what happened to them that day, or what they plan to do. Or they try to generate some comments and/or sympathy with a vague reference to nothing. "Vaguebooking" is a new word created for that last activity.

There's a commercial on tv for one of the cell phone companies that says it all. A serious guy is giving a "news report" with a fancy phone in his hand. He reads, "This just in from Facebook...the search is on for cute boots." It's hilarious that the company running the ad is poking fun at itself, the apps it offers, and the people who will buy this product.

What I see is that other more effective forms of communication are being used less. Especially forums and groups. I see less activity on forums, and that's sad. Forums are a great reference tool. Members post their questions, get answers, and it's arranged so that someone else can easily access the info they need. On FB, it's just a hodgepodge with no organization. How is that better communication? I've even seen forum posts that reference FB. "If you saw my FB, you'd know...". Only "friends" would know, you know. Why mention it at all if you aren't going to talk about it?

Another thing I see is that FB can cause strife. Someone makes a comment, usually vague or in regards to something no one knows jack about, and someone else assumes it was directed at them, and gets pissed. Then it's a dominoes stack as it reverberates down the line. If your FB and others are set up so that "friends of friends" can see what's going on, you don't have to be a friend to get the feed, you'll get it because one of your friends did.

What do I use FB for? Not much. It's just too public for my taste. I don't really like when someone posts on my wall because then I feel obligated to reply. I prefer to do that more privately. Like I said, it was a way to connect with family and old friends, but that's as far as it went. Even a lot of those people are using it less and less. Haven't heard a peep out of many of them for quite a while. Oh wait, maybe they blocked me because of all the crap that comes through from my other "friends" that they don't want cluttering up their FB page.

Dis & Dat on TV

So You Think You Can Dance has begun. Just finished up the auditions and Vegas Week will decide the 10 contestants. Not sure how I feel about this new format.

Past seasons' favorites will be paired up with the 10. That will be pretty cool, but it sounds like a shorter season. I liked the old format where dancers who lost their partner to eliminations were paired with another who lost their partner. This new way, no one gets a 2nd chance. They are saved or eliminated on their own merit (and their semi-pro partner's ability to show them off) instead of 1 girl and 1 guy. Like I said, probably a shorter season.

About the auditions. There is so much fluff and filler that we don't get to see more auditions. That's why we watch the auditions, you know! We wanna see the good, bad, and ugly. The goofs who think they can dance are hilarious! I love the snits and tantrums. The flaming gay boys are the worst divas! They think they are all that, but they are just all that silly. They add comic relief. Focusing on a sob story makes no sense if the audition didn't make the grade. I could see it if the audition made it to the final contestants, but most of them don't. Show more auditions in that space!

And another thing. There hasn't been enough variety. Mostly we've seen contemporary dancers and for the most part, they all look the same. Not many B-boys or other styles have been shown and I like to see unique. Have we just run out of talent in those areas?

Speaking of talent, America's Got Talent has also started. Sure am glad these 2 shows aren't in the same time slots. Not that I think AGT compares to SYTYCD. It's more like The Gong Show vs. American Idol. At least my DVR can handle 2 time slots at a time.

This is another show filled with unnecessary filler. I don't frackin care about the sad sob stories! Show me the goofy auditions. IF they make it to the contest, then you can fill in the back stories. But even then I don't give a rat's ass.

So far, I've only seen one audition that impressed me. Another humble guitar strumming singer like that chicken farmer last season, but much better looking. Now he has talent!

Howie Mandel replaced The Hoff as a judge. I like that. It seems there is less tension between the judges now. Maybe just the transition as Howie settles in, but he has such a quick wit I'll enjoy him. He's up there with George Carlin as one of my favorite comedians.

Just watched the season finale of Flash Forward. They're killing me! I literally stomped my feet and swore out loud at the end! Questions were not answered. Well ok, some were, but more were raised. I guess that was the plan for a cliffhanger ending. It's gonna be a long long wait to season 2. They better not cancel it on me!

Some of my other must-watch tv is coming back, as well as some interesting new ones. I'll say it again...thank the techno-gods for DVR. It's the only way to watch tv!

By now you are probably thinking, "What, is this blog just about tv?" Well, for now I don't have anything else to rant or rave about so yeah I'm talking tv. I'm sure something else will occur to me eventually.