Posts by Jerry Garcia

Alright, I hope it’s clear that any suggestions saying "pick me" won't be taken seriously 🙂

@ Sarah Wilson95: Being an admin is more than enough work for one person, I don't need you handling Politics too 😉
Some of the past Politics moderators turned out to be poor choices, true, but many others were actually quite good 😉 though, of course, I wouldn't expect you to admit that.

And no, I'm not expecting any Submissiveness Inc. from you or anyone else, for heaven's sake 😁

Come on, find someone who only has bans from a single moderator; we aren't going to take those into account.

And yeah, wiredsailor10, by saying a moderator needs to be "objective," you really went a bit far...🙄 do you honestly think moderators are chosen specifically to be one-sided and narrow-minded?

But look, keep in mind that every high-quality forum user HAS an opinion, and being granted moderator powers doesn't mean they have to drop that opinion...😉 you can't expect a moderator to act like a bot.

Come on, Jeremy Wilson3, here's your chance: who would you actually want seeing as a moderator?

Look, we have a few ground rules: they can't be someone with a mountain of warnings, they shouldn't be getting banned constantly, they need a solid post count, and they should be long-time members of the community.

Even though I previously said I wouldn't do this, I'm giving the users of Politics a shot to suggest someone for the role themselves. Just remember, there’s no democracy here—it doesn't mean I'll just listen and install whoever you think I should pick. I'm simply curious about what kind of moderator profile would actually be welcomed with open arms by the community... especially since the current ones aren't cutting it.

The admin team wants to give a huge shout-out to driftingdriver for all the time and effort put into moderating the politics subforum.

1. Please, we kindly ask that BEFORE STARTING A NEW THREAD, you check the subforum index to see if your question has already been asked. If a thread already exists, yours will be merged into the current one, and you’ll likely receive a warning card for breaking subforum rules. There's really no benefit to opening a brand new thread just to ask something that's already been covered.

a) Answers to all questions regarding weight loss can be found in the threads How to lose belly fat and Weight Loss Basics - Only Good Posts. Also, if you don't have the patience to read everything and still want to ask something, please just post it within those existing threads instead of starting a new topic. There are regulars who visit those threads constantly and have plenty of expertise, so you can be sure someone will get back to you sooner or later.

b) The same applies to questions about gaining weight, specifically building muscle mass (I doubt anyone is looking to put on fat 😁). Check out the thread How to gain muscle mass.

2. Additionally, we ask those into recreation to follow all standard US forum rules regarding thread naming, capitalization, chat, off-topic posts, and more. The moderators work hard to maintain order in this subforum—let's not make their jobs harder than they need to be...😉

3. Don't open new threads without checking if similar ones are already active 😁 -> http://i35.tinypic.com/2uiepeb.jpg

Where should I start?

• Recommendations for recreational sports...

Indoor sports:

• badminton
• squash
• bowling
• volleyball
• tennis
• handball
• basketball
• table tennis
• hockey
• fencing

Outdoor sports:

• speedminton
• soccer
• scuba diving
• Power walking
• Kayaking and similar activities
• Windsurfing
• Surfing
• swimming
• rollerblading
• triathlon
• beach volleyball
• hiking
• cycling
• running
• triathlon
• ice skating
• fishing
• golf
• paintball
• airsoft
• horseback riding lessons
• parkour
• skydiving
• water polo style games
• frisbee

Group classes:

• S-factor
• yoga
• spinning
• pilates
• Zumba
• Zumba step and aerobics
• gymnastics dance

Dance:

• Where to go dancing?
• dance
• belly dance
• jazz dance
• latin and salsa
• Ballet for adults
• pole dance, S-factor, Pole dance

Martial arts:

• Boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai - general thread
• Capoeira
• Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do and Kung Fu MMA
• MMA/ultimate fight
• tai chi mental sport

Mental sports:

• bridge
• chess

Gyms throughout the US:

• New York
• Miami and California
• Houston
• Phoenix
• Seattle
• Chicago
• Big topic about gym
• What you all get annoyed at in gym

Sports nutrition:

• Proteins
• Athlete hydration
• athlete nutrition healthy nutrition

Healthy nutrition:

• Weight loss basics - only good posts allowed
• How to lose weight
• Lose weight - through healthy nutrition and exercise
• How to gain muscle mass?
• Recipes - classic food made fitness style
• discussion about food, recipe comments
• Oats
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Grains, soy - bad for health?
• What did you eat today (food diary)
• How to gain weight?

Supplements...

• Creatine Whey...
• Whey protein...
• PWM L...
• L-carnitine...
• Supplements and dietary aids...

Specific exercises:

• Glute exercises...
• Arm exercises...
• Back exercises...
• Chest exercises...
• Calf exercises...
• Pull-ups...
• His Highness Squat...
• Training programs - questions and advice...
• Push-ups...
• Abs...
• Working out with high blood pressure... It's a delicate balance. You have to be smart about how you move. Always listen to your body first. Some exercises are great, others might be risky depending on your situation. Talk to your doctor before starting any new training program... Safety comes first.
• Chest exercises at home...
• Gym exercises for people dealing with injuries...
• Knee injury...

Equipment and home workouts...

• Working out at home...
• Yoga at home...
• Leg Magic yourself...
• Get after it! Fitness...
• Renata Sopek fitness DVD...
• Working out with Jillian Michaels, Zuzana, or people like them...
• Orbitrek...
• AB Rocket...
• Power Plate...
• Kettlebell...
• P90X five...
• P90X...
• Five Tibetans...
• Rushfit training program...
• Brazilian butt lift TRX...
• TRX experiences...

various : forum user picture

• various : forum user picture Chat ban comment...
• Comments on various : forum user pictures...
• Show off those gains - Only posts featuring people who clearly hit the gym regularly
• The confessional for those who slipped up (hint: yeah, I'm looking at you 😁)
• Hype music
• Workouts for kids

If anyone feels a thread belongs in the archives, just reach out to a moderator...

Two separate threads merged here because they share the exact same premise: complaining about how the politics mods do their jobs.

Regarding the Napoleon situation, the ban was lifted, but the thread stayed closed BECAUSE IT WAS PROVOCATIVE. It was designed specifically to trigger a fight, not because discussing the cross is forbidden.

As for the second question, politics moderators aren't perfect. No moderator is. To become a mod, you have to be someone recognized for being able to articulate a clear perspective. You can't expect politics mods to be people who don't have defined opinions on a given topic or situation.
The former America subforum was created because most users posting from the US—who honestly couldn't care less about what's happening in Mexico or Canada—were getting annoyed seeing those topics cluttering the main politics front page. Now, those discussions have their own dedicated space, and anyone uninterested doesn't even have to notice they exist. As a regular visitor to the politics section, I think the former America subforum has served its purpose perfectly.

Provocateurs of all stripes get penalized and deleted every single day. If you're looking for it, you'll see it. But the fact remains that some things slip through unnoticed too. That's actually a good thing...😉

That one sentence was basically the moderator's entire reaction to the news that Smart_bitch accepted my suggestion to join the PŽK moderation team.

So, just letting all you subforum users know that we’ll have a female perspective on the team starting today—sharp, fair, and ready to go. Wish Smart_bitch luck, plenty of patience with you all, and with the rest of the PŽK mods 🙂

By the way, we're also prepping some upcoming changes to the rules and conduct guidelines here at PŽK. We'll let you know when that happens.

Smart, from me once more: good luck.

Nah, you all just refuse to admit the moderator is right and you're the ones in the wrong. And anyone who tries to point that out is going to be labeled a criminal by you people...😉

boldhound8 said:Nah, it’s actually the exact opposite lately. I’ve got less and less energy for this, and honestly, even less patience for people. The newbies act like they own the damn place—I don't even know how else to put it—instead of actually taking a second to read the rules when they first show up. And the old-timers? They just refuse to learn anything. Breaking the rules is clearly way more fun and easier for them than actually following them. Of course, there are exceptions in both groups, but man, most of them are just exhausting.

Even if the Prime Minister doesn't have that specific post to back him up, it’s crystal clear that getting those people banned was totally justified. Honestly? It was more than justified.

Oh, so I’m "good" just because I’m not posting on your pathetic little corner of the internet? Please. If I actually started hanging out on your board and you had to drop a few bans on me just to keep up, then suddenly I’d be the bad guy. Give me a break.😁 I’m telling you, it’s all just a matter of perception.🙂

Look, I wasn't even trying to defend him. I told you straight up, I have no clue what's actually going on here. But if you're gonna stand there acting like you've got all the facts, then maybe—just maybe—that red card was a bit much.

Look, I know some people here think I’m living in a dream world, but let's get real. I'm not even trying to make excuses for us, but damn, we’re dealing with five times the headache they are. When their site hits peak traffic, maybe 400 people are online at once. Here? We’ve got 3,000 to 4,000 users hitting it all at once. They barely have 4,000 total members, while we’re sitting here with over 100,000. It's not even a fair fight.
You know what I’m trying to say here? Seriously, just look at that nightmare of a dream you had—thinking you're looking at 13 threads that need deleting in just five days. Now, stop and actually do the math. Think about how many individual posts have to be nuked, how many warnings have been handed out, all those random emails, and all this other garbage we deal with... it adds up to way more than that.

Look, cousin, whatever you want to say, all I'm saying is there's just no comparison here.😉

I'm with you on this.
Can you even imagine? Even us moderators sometimes feel awkward because we don't have a boss looking over our shoulders.
I mean, on paper, we do, but in reality, it often feels like the moderators are the highest authority. To me, that feels stupid sometimes. Because when a user files a complaint and I shut it down with solid arguments, I actually need someone above me to look at the situation and back me up—to confirm it because they believe in the logic, not just because I'm some "big shot"
It's the same thing when I screw up. I need that higher-up to discipline me. When I mess up, I *want* to be punished, because I don't want it to look like I'm the "bad guy" who can just do whatever the hell I want. We're humans! Someone pushes my buttons, I say something stupid, I get a strike—it's insane.🙂

That's why I keep saying the FBI needs a total overhaul, and I think better oversight would come from that reform...

That's not fair 😉

Not toward me, not toward the right side, and definitely not toward Cats

Maria Thompson2 said:All right, let’s just drop my suggestion regarding the cardboard boxes. It's simply unfeasible, and frankly, we aren't going to make it happen.

Sash, what exactly are you getting at here? I’ve been reading over your post, and I have to ask—what is this idea of exercising a higher dose of tolerance just for the sake of being collegial when someone is being absolutely verbally abusive? It seems a bit misplaced, doesn't it?
It’s quite a heavy thing to say—claiming there was no Auschwitz—to someone whose own parents were essentially sacrificed just because they stood up for their beliefs, belonged to the opposition, or dared to be part of the "wall" faction.
He had the nerve to call our war of independence a mere scavenger hunt—and he said that to a man who actually bled on the front lines back in '91. I went over there because I truly believed in defending my country, not because I was looking for an opportunity to line my pockets.
Imagine the sheer audacity of someone bringing up such things to a man whose own grandparents were murdered in Auschwitz—a man whose father barely escaped with his life, only to be met with the chilling denial that even the tragedy occurred.

There are three specific individuals among our regular contributors here on the forum—people I know quite well by name.
It seems we’re seeing another instance where there's a distinct lack of tolerance being applied; typically, a person like that would be banned immediately, yet this second individual just keeps right on posting. Sure, they might run into trouble once, but then they simply spin up a clone account—one that somehow manages to dodge the ban entirely. Honestly, it feels like you’re dealing with clones upon clones, even though under our community guidelines, having multiple accounts is strictly forbidden. And even if you try to call them out on this endless cycle of secondary accounts, all you get in response is a shrug and a dismissive, "Well, what can you do?"

That is precisely why I went looking for a permanent seat at the Politics table. It’s also the reason I had to give Ego a much-needed reality check regarding the current state of the Religion section—though, if my observations are correct, Shady has actually started heading in the right direction, and honestly, more power to him. That situation is exactly why nobody bothers showing up over by the Wall; frankly, I doubt anyone ever will. It’s quite telling when you realize that even those who clearly understand religious history—people who likely have entire college degrees in the subject—seem to avoid that area entirely.

Colleagueship? On this forum, much like in the rest of America, the issue isn't actually the laws themselves. They never have been. The real problem has always been that nobody bothers to enforce them—or if they do, they just bend them to suit their own whims. And the second someone dares to step up and say, "Hey, hold on a minute," that’s when everyone suddenly retreats into a sense of misplaced professional courtesy to protect one another.

Please forgive my bluntness, but I truly believe that if there were a bit less professional courtesy among our politicians, the average American would be living a much better life. To be honest, whenever I hear the word "collegiality" tossed around in Washington, it actually makes my skin crawl a little; I can't help but blame that very sense of politeness for much of the mess we find ourselves in today.
Do you really think an average user shouldn't be allowed to quote whatever nonsense catches their eye? By the very nature of being here and actually wanting to engage in a conversation, one is practically obligated to quote the garbage being posted. Besides, as far as I can tell, none of you are bound by some legal contract that prevents you from heading over to the "moderators" sub-forum just to say, "Well, it's been lovely, but I'm out!"

To my fellow moderators: please, let’s maintain some level of professionalism here. If you have stepped up to take on the responsibilities of a moderator, then I ask that you act with the dignity the role requires. It’s quite simple—if you can't handle the pressure, perhaps this isn't the right role for you. Now, if someone has truly messed up, we shouldn't be looking for excuses or playing favorites. Some people seem to think that because they've become close buddies with a rule-breaker, they should just overlook everything—as if they'd be willing to share more than just a hobby or a conversation! That’s not how this works. If you are holding a moderator position, you need to enforce the rules fairly. Whether it's issuing a temporary ban or letting the admin step in to deliver a reprimand, we have to stick to the standard.
Look, you can at least be honest enough to admit that you’re playing by the exact same rules as everyone else; if you're going to act like you're above the fray, please, just spare us the moralizing lectures. You handed out a ban? That's that. You hold the power here? Simple as that. When you run into someone who carries even more influence than you do, you just bite your tongue and move on. Period. Who cares if your "rights" were violated in the process? It really isn't worth the trouble.

I’ve already told you the truth: you aren't colleagues. You aren't friends, and you certainly aren't comrades. You’re just moderators—essentially nothing more than machines designed to enforce the rules. Oh, so redmarlin3 messed up? Well, of course, she’s such a precious little angel that we could never possibly hold her accountable; instead, we’ll just run straight to the admin.

Well, look, this is simply the status quo in America, and there really isn't any reason to expect anything else from a forum like this. Personally, the only thing that truly gets under my skin is when someone tries to shove the idea down my throat that the Wallers, Americans, or Muslims are inherently malicious just because they stick together; honestly, you should just ignore them! They engage in all the same activities that are openly acknowledged here on this forum or throughout the country—it’s just that we happen to do them much more efficiently. There is no genuine outcry here regarding "rights," "justice," or the plight of the oppressed; those are merely the desperate cries of losers.

------------

hollowtrucker77, please don't take this personally; I suspect your intentions were purely good and you simply wanted to provide some clarity. What we are seeing here is something being forced upon us, and it's becoming increasingly obvious.

I completely agree with you.

Every single mod has the right to be wrong, and every one of us should be free to say what we want and deal with the fallout. The consequence is just getting a warning. A blacked-out username shouldn't offer any protection, nor should moderators apply different standards to their colleagues. There’s no reason for it... just a silly software limitation...

Maria Thompson2, let's take this step by step:

We can't—and honestly, we don't want to—set up a system where users hand out warnings to moderators. There’s no real need for it, and it wouldn't actually fix anything. It would just create more headaches... if it were even technically possible to build such a feature.

Regarding these specific threads, I've read through the posts. I can't say I disagree with redmarlin3 🤷. Look, I have the ability to issue a warning or jump into a thread and flag someone without giving a second thought to their username color, but in this particular case, I just don't see why Ego deserved a strike 🤷. I'm sorry you feel differently, truly, but I hope you can accept that someone reading this completely neutrally from outside the topic might have a different perspective than yours.

I really don't know what else to tell you, other than this: a moderator will be flagged outside of their own sub-forum if serving a moderator decides it's necessary and takes the request to the admin.

A moderator CANNOT issue a penalty to another moderator. I have absolutely no idea why driftingdriver thinks otherwise.

A moderator CAN request a penalty for other moderators from the admin, and they hand them out without much questioning. There are several moderators who have an enviable collection of penalties, not just Mr. Ex.President.

I haven't handed out a single one in my five months here, but if any of the moderators asked me, I wouldn't hesitate to issue one. Just because someone is a moderator in, say, a food section, doesn't give them the right to act out in the automotive section.

Actually, people acting as moderators should generally be model forum users anyway (that doesn't mean moderators have to be perfectly sanitized, obviously. Let's give them room to say something sharp occasionally, penalize them, and move on. The problem only arises if it becomes a pattern, which I've never seen happen as a rule)

The way you’re handling this thread you opened on Apple takes away any right you have to complain.

My first instinct was to just hand you a week-long ban right now, giving you seven days to cool off and learn how to communicate respectfully before you come back. But honestly? No. I’ll let you keep acting this way so when I finally hit you with a permanent ban, I won't feel a single shred of guilt about it.

Let's just wipe him out and call it a day😎

Lately, we've seen more and more people reaching out for help with medical costs that insurance won't cover and families just can't afford on their own. To help out, we’re opening this dedicated thread in the Health subforum specifically for these types of requests.

We aren't going to lock this thread, but we do ask that you keep it clean. No arguments, no debates, and no skepticism. This is simply a space where these requests are allowed to exist. Everyone is responsible for deciding for themselves where their money goes.

For those posting requests, please keep a few things in mind:

a) Posting your bank account numbers or personal details completely ruins your anonymity. Think about whether you really want to do that...
b) Don't spam the entire forum with your posts. You'll end up annoying the users and making the moderators angry, which is the last thing you want.

Thanks for understanding. Wishing the best of luck to everyone who reaches out here... 🙂

There’s zero chance we can delete an account with 4,500 posts on it. There isn't anything you can do to make that happen. Just change your password, swap out the email address so you can't log back in, and walk away from the forum... Don't do something as silly as what you're suggesting. All that'll get you is just a permanent ban, not a deletion.

Regarding the search tool:

As you've probably noticed, Google search isn't directly available on our forum anymore. If you're comfortable using the built-in forum search, you can still find what you need there. But if you prefer the power of Google, you can search this forum by using this link... It opens Google with a preset search specifically for our site. Just type site:ourforum.com followed by your search term and you're all set 🙂