Well it finally happened

I have gotten banned from the forums.

I was already fuming about how the Moderators handle their positions and how they deal with discipline with other posters, yet there was a post that sent me over the edge. Two of them actually

One was:

"As long as we are sharing forum pet peeves, you know what I really hate? Those people who come on the forum seemingly for no other reason than to attack and bully other forumers just for the sake of making them feel bad.

I have even seen some people go as far as making jabs at others in their signatures! So sad.

It's particularly bad when you have grown adults picking on kids.

Just saying...don't care much for people like that."

another was:

"I hate when the same 4 or 5 people have to go into every thread belonging to certain other people, and pile on like a sack of smelly cat poo. And then complain when the OP decides to clean out the litter box."

Those were obvious stabs at a lot of posters who are in fact not rude, mean, or otherwise, merely people who are brutally honest. These same people make the same comments, yet they aren't penalized for their actions. I had a reply right after the both of them :

"Seeing posts like this makes my blood boil! This is a very untrue and spiteful accusation! If you can't handle the truth, that is simply your problem to deal with, and calling someone bullies and part of gangs is completely coward like and irrational. I am tired of it! Tired!

Perhaps I should follow you around from thread to thread and call you a bully, because that is exactly how you treat some of the posters here!

No one is treating anyone unfairly, and by God it is not your duty to play second lieutenant Ninja to the moderators here! Let the moderators do their jobs! Let the Moderator determine who is breaking the rules and who isn't! If you have a problem with someone, simply report them. Following people around, calling them trolls, bullies, and being a part of a gang is not going to help you in any shape or form, it will simply make you even worse than what you already are.

I have had enough of these useless accusations on myself, and some of the other posters, they get punished while you pass you false accusations. Something is wrong with this picture

I am fuming now. thank you very much!"

Yes I am sick and tired of these same people crying "Bully" every damn chance they get! Yet they can't accept fact and truth. It pisses me off to no end. I had made other posts in that thread, regarding who was originally being discussed.. yes DISCUSSED, yet a handful of us are banned. Do the instigators of this post get touched? None...well one of them did.

The Moderation of these forums are laughable! The ones who always post the "Ninjas Rock!" threads always never get a slap on the hand, where as the rest of us who have been there longer, and know the inner workings of how scams can be avoided... we are banned, penalized, and slandered for telling the truth. I am sick of it all!.

Did I learn anything from a forum ban? Yes I have: Unless you are a Ninja brown noser you will get far in the forums. If not, you are automatically put on the radar for disturbing the tranquility of the forums. The moderators have their pets, and in every single post it shows, crystal clear.

Once we were all banned, I saw a screenshot of one of those said people post a yet again "Hail Mary Ninja" post. Saying how great they are for being on top of the game. Right after we were banned. Basically the thread rang, "Ding dong the witches are dead, thank you mods for banning them all!" That pissed me off. I did like the moderator's reply though, for them not to stir the pot, since she is simply doing her job.

So why is it people like that only get a passing glance, while the rest of us are shot down? Because we don't worship the ground the moderators walk on, and we know again how people work. Most of us on that forum don't like liars, cheaters, scammers, and beggars. We frown on it, because we get taken advantage of, and they do that to other people there too! We expose these people for who they really are and get slapped down for that. Oh well then, you can have your liars, cheaters, and beggars. Don't cry to us when you get scammed, hacked, cheated, or taken advantage of. We don't give a fuck anymore!

Irritated

There are a lot of irritations I have, probably more than I should have. But there is one that gets under my skin. That is, abuse of power

YoVille is a game I play on Facebook, and I frequent it's adjacent forums a lot. Lately the staff had a change, and in my opinion that is for the worse

The moderators that started the place up were great. They were fair, up front, and told things like they are, tactfully. If rules were broken, they were kind enough to explain what, and a don't do it again. If one was banned, they would explain why the person was banned, for a certain amount of time

These new "Ninjas" as the moderators are called, are power hungry jerks who apparently like the thrill of slamming the hammer down if they get offended by a mere comment. No explanation, no reprimands, nothing.

This morning I woke to some disturbing news that a fellow forum friend was banned. She isn't the type to go and stir up trouble for the sheer fun of it, She is in fact kind. But I will say that she will not hesitate to defend herself when the time is needed. She isn't rude about it, and she will defend herself tactfully.

Online forums I thought were a venue where different discussions were allowed, as long as statements like "You're stupid for thinking that way", "You're an idiot for doing that", "This game fucking sucks"... etc were kept out of them. Every forum needs a healthy debate and discussion to keep them alive. Not for the mere posts of, " I got x amount of posts, go me!" "I got hacked, scammed, suckered, reported for no reason" ,"Oh this is so funny, does this outfit make my Yobutt look big?" that is utter garbage and should either have a section all to itself, or kept out of the forums altogether. This forum however discourages such debates and discussions, associating them with arguments, and they keep those mediocre threads open... they let those other threads happen. I like YoVille, I like the players but there should be a line drawn somewhere. I love a healthy debate.

Once the new moderators showed up, the rules changed. No one knew what was or wasn't allowed and that pissed majority of posters off. People got banned for no explanation, threads were getting shut down, without an explanation, and so on. What really pisses me off is a lot of the people who should be getting reprimanded aren't even getting looked at. No matter how many degrading posts they make, or no matter how many times they cuss, insult, or 'Troll" others

Ever since a fiasco from someone who used to post a lot in the forums, things there went to hell. Because of her, let's call her "Prankster" the word "Bully" has been popping up on people's posts for sharing a contrasting viewpoint and opinion, where other posts calling others "Troll, bully, part of a bullying gang" are getting no glances.

No my friend is neither a troll or a bully. But she did call out someone for posting phishing links in her mailbox, and her post. She shouldn't have gotten banned for that. Excessive bumping you say? She was in a Trading thread asking to buy YoCash and she wasn't the only one bumping that post. "Oh she said 'Booger butt'" Not offensive enough to get banned. I searched her posts and not one thing I saw was offensive. Not one thing!

I have a suggestion for Zynga. Pull the fucking plug on those forums! Start another one! Run them under the Zynga site. Supervise your mods and admins. Because right now it's a fucking communist camp going on there in those forums, The Moderators have their favorites and least favorites, and their actions of favoritism shows by their bannings and reprimands and handing out of disciplinary actions! We're not allowed to talk about disciplinary actions? I think there should be an appeals process for those who felt wrongfully banned.

Sio there's my rant for the day. I feel a whole lot better now

Going home

I have spent the last three weeks revisiting my home of Flagstaff Arizona, and I will tell you one thing. That place draws me in like a magnet. No matter how many idiot tourists come in and trash the place, and no matter how many snobby assholes from Phoenix and California come in to try and take over my home, it is still my home. and I will always call it my home.

During the Fourth of July Parade some asshole decided to bitch and whine to me about him being crowded out by my mother, me, my daughter who is 3, and other spectators who had young children. He decided to bitch at me about it. I basically told him he can either move, or take up a complaint with the local police department, who were in fact behind us. Since it was a public street with lots of other people crowded in the street he had no right to tell us to move. Once there was someone else that was carting her kids in the back of a wagon that "crowded him out" he and his family left. Good riddance!

Fifteen years ago I promised everyone I knew I would move away from Flagstaff and Arizona somewhere else and never come back. Others had said the same thing, although they returned. I see pictures of the mountains, of the old buildings, of the landscape and something just draws me back. Maybe it's familiarity, maybe it's the homeyness, but it still draws me in.

There are some great businesses in Flag that are the cream of the crop, so far this is all I can list:

Late for the Train - Our local version of Starbucks for better priced coffees that taste better, and is locally roasted

NiMarco's Pizza- I have been going to this establishment since I was 4 years old, and it was a small shack on the corner of Beaver street and Cottage Ave. Now it's expanded and modernized. They make the best pizza ever!

Monte Vista Hotel- One of the great historic hotels that was opened in 1927. They can call it "Hotel Monte Vista" all they want, but to me, it's always gonna be the Monte V. I had booked a room while staying here for a night with my husband, and it is a night I will never forget.

Weatherford Hotel/Charley's Grill and Pub- Another great hotel with an added bar and grill. Their food at Charley's is superior and priced reasonable. The staff is friendly, and the building itself can tell you stories of old. Next Flagstaff visit I plan on booking a room at the Weatherford.

Granny's Closet- If you're into sports, beer and chicken wings this is the place for you. Granny's makes the best wings around. They also do Italian, and American dishes as well

Bun Huggers- The name gets a lot of snickers but they make the best burgers ever, period, end of sentence. FiddRuckers came to Flagstaff only to lose business in a year. I suspect the locals favored Bun Huggers better.

Animas Trading Company- This store may not be for everyone, unless you're into shopping at unique import stores. They sell items that are handmade in India, Nepal, Guatemala, South America, and other countries, mostly selling hippie style clothing. They also have other shops scattered downtown that sell beads and import furniture from the Far East. Never would you find anything from the U.S. sold here.

MatrAnne's Cafe- Originally called Martans, They specialize in Mexican cuisine. Usually for breakfast they are crowded with a line on the sidewalk. They sure do make a great meal though.

Campus Coffee Bean- This is also another local roastery that I like to drink at. Mostly this place aims for the university crowd, hence the name of the place

Bookmans Entertainment Exchange- Forget Barnes & Noble, this place has everything you can think of. Books, music, software, knick knacks, posters, DVD's, VHS cassettes, magazines, video games and systems, and clothing. They do activities for kids all year around, and are community involved. I love them because even if they are a resale secondhand shop, they always have the best selection of books and everything else for a great price. What makes them even better is you can sell your own crap to them and they can either give you store credit or they can pay you in cash for your items, depending on what they are. The Flagstaff store's roof recently collapsed due to heavy snow and rain, but they are still buying and selling at local events, and at the Flagstaff visitors center. They also have locations in Tucson, Phoenix, and Mesa.

Flagstaff's store is due to reopen in late fall of this year. Too bad I didn't get a chance to go to the store, mostly to surf the web and read the books before I buy them.

Other places I wished I could go were:

The Lumberyard Brewery and Grill

McGaugh's Beer and Smoke Shop

Tinderbox Kitchen

Alpine Pizza

Maybe next time....