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On the day the French banned smoking (seriously, I never thought I'd see the day - this is the country that shut down Paris when cigarettes went up to five euros a pack, 60% cheaper than the UK), the offside blog community has been growing.
miro has left the picket, offside has taken his strike to unprecedented new levels and strange new workers have appeared on the factory floor - wearing dark glasses, fedoras (or is that trilbies), overcoats with collars turned up and sporting suspiciously large moustaches. Andrewm is still in splendid isolation - and will not return
I have also discovered that I had blocked non-blogspot users from posting comments to the independent republic of Ebren's blog (this has been rectified) so all are now welcome to post whatever they like (I'm looking at you Marcela).
I can't ban you but I can delete comments, I have already got rid of several off-topic posts and links to Sunderland bongo from Glendenning.
And guitougoal has been in contact, he wants you to all become email buddies with him, guyanthome@mac.com
Offside has left his email in a comment on the last post [can't help you with the login name - look at the blogspot registration, possibly change your username?], mine is floating around somewhere, and miro and andrwm (as well as less well known bloggers such as Margin, MocneyJim, dogfacedboy, and cabezon) can be reached through me if needed (sense of power growing - becoming more Irish - adopting more and more cynical tone... )
And feel free to speculate on the newbies names below - I have been far too unsubtle already
Latest banning debate here:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/29/football_weekly_19.html
posted by Unknown at 1:26 AM
9 Comments:
I'm liking the current trend for people posting what they will change their names to if they are banned before they are banned.
I think it could catch on.
ProfFarnsworth says [s]he will become "blogsofwar" and BillEShears wants to become "Hedonism Bot"
Oh - and this from Barry G:
"If somebody's 'cheek' is clever and/or amusing, I have no problem with it. By the same token, I personally have no problem with something being off topic if it's entertaining. Consequently [Warpster], I fear your days may always be numbered whatever your nom de plume.
"You make it sound like I'm responsible for regular acts of blogocide. I've had three posters banned, ever - all with good reason. On the subject of post deletion, I have never removed any post that wasn't either offensive, racist, threatening or completely stupid.
"This is my final word on the subject, because it's very boring. You could do with changing the record too.
"All the best,
"Barry G."
Struggle to see how I hit any of those buttons - but then I was banned by a female mod who was not Barry. At a stretch it could be considered sexist that I referred to moderators as "he" in my first song (although - to be fair - it was he in the original song).
Posting comments on your own blog Ebren - now things are getting desperate...
:)
The grass is green again. At home and abroad. Welcome back, if only for a short time (is repulsive a term of abuse? It's pretty accurate, though)
They have just closed the Football Weekly" thread. I wonder why.
Flooding the blogs with aliases and enough off-topicness to keep their team of moderators busy 24/7 sounds like a fun idea. But I think I'll wait for seani to provide that blog on blogging about blogging that he has promised and see what happens after that.
Clear blue skies and soaring temperatures over Polynesia. The lagoon beckons.
Catch you all later
offside
Offside -
yes, it all felt greener for a while.
Then I let my anger get the best of me, mis-read a post, and accused Glendenning of sexism.
When I realised my mistake, they had shut down the blog (getting to be a habit when I'm around) so I had to go on the Andy Cole blog to apologise.
Ebren -
you really are working hard on this; gratitude!
Is MocneJim around? I thought he had chucked it!
GG
GG - I clicked on the "[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]" button on one of BG's posts.
I sat there with the email open, trying to decide whther to hit send or not for about five minutes.
The overiding assumption on all of this is that posters are male - and that is sexist. Technically the post in question only applied to men, and assumed that men were doing all the bad.
I didn't hit send in the end.
Mocney I havn't emailed for a good long while - but I assume the address is still good.
Hello all
Having some trouble commenting so apologies if this appears seven times. I never did get a double post on the blog :)
It's good to see some of you continuing the fight on the blog. I was almost tempted back - but I think I've had my time.
If any of you visit Edinburgh, give me a shout. Don't worry if you don't - I do have real friends :)
All the best to all the best, and keep your blogging standards up - I'll be watching :o)
Cheers
andrewm
ebren, i don't know why you're looking at me because as you know, pc screens are like the telly in one sense: you can't see the other way! (emo phillips).
but i did come here last weekend and was unable to post so now i will say to you all that it is my personal opinion that you have enhanced the GU site over the last few months and it would be a shame if you didn't ALL continue to do so. Andrewm included.
anyway, in the arts page today this is on offer:
"Kelis on her raunchy songs and videos, why she is not a feminist and how to make the perfect quiche." it did make me laugh - but it IS on the arts and entertainment page rather than the sport.
i'm sure you all know that i consider football to be part of the arts and entertainment industry, and i would like to continue seeing music, film, books, philosophy and indeed gastronomy creeping up in the discussions. I also felt wronged that the deletions and bans were motivated by the 'off-topic' label rather than the 'offensive' one.
however:
"Even the most highly principled people have to compromise at times. Usually, it does them the power of good. If we stick too doggedly to any perspective, opinion or policy, we become rigid and brittle. We lose our spontaneity, our ability to adapt and our need to recognise that we are not in control of the universe or even, indeed, sometimes, of ourselves. You are human. You are not perfect. That, in its own sweet magical way, is perfect!"
(and that is a verbatim quote from Jonathan Cainer's scorpio horoscope - i hope you'll agree anybody called caner should be listened to with some respect).
Please lay down your weapons and return to the fray, in your own time.
respectfully yours,
marcela (given name and only handle)
Marcela, lovely to hear from you.
I agree, but I have also been seen many times arguing on the other side.
As was written above on the wall of the Oracle at Delphi "Meden Agan!" - or "moderation in all things". (One assumes that includes moderation).
I have come back, and argued here everyone else shoud.
But our community has been threatened, and no one likes that, and people also reat to threats.
In anthropology and archaeology funerary rights are one of the key tools for understanding a culture.
Nothing threatens cultures more than the loss of their constituent members, and how they react to this loss is incredibly revealing about their nature.
The reaction against the removal of me and greengrass, and the two others is a wonderful demonstration of the community and the strength of feeling, and esteem we and the community we were part of is held in.
Not all the reactions were positive (we want you back AM), and there have been some notable stay-aways (HM and Cally off the top of my head), but I think it is an indication of the strength of feeling of the community - which I think is positive.
offside,
your strike is touching, and worthy of the greatest admiration. I always say that if you want a job doing properly, get the specialists in and you lot are undisputed world champs.
I actually feel a tinge of guilt: under my new, "clandestine light" identity, I impulsively allowed myself a few quips on the Liverpool thread today; when done, I was suddenly struck with the thought that you were there, alone on a far-off desert island, suffering by
your brazier for the cause of liberty, equality and fraternity (and, not least, for my fickle soul).
My sole consolation is a sneaking suspicion that you and your kin actually enjoy "doing a Wilson", blocking motorways and creating frequent carnivals because - well, simply because order and normality
are just boring.
My Sicilian friends share this laudable spirit: before I learned the Italian word for "tomorrow", I wrote a love song to them called "Manyana People".
Vive l'esprit francaise!
GG
P.S. e-mail on way!
Marcela,
grand to see you on here, young lady (I hope you don't report me to
Ebren for sexism)!
Please excuse me for my poor spelling of "Manyana" above: that is simply the way it sounds in my rough tongue.
And - again! - many thanks for some
extremely enjoyable writings!
I am happy to see your sense of fairness and solidarity. I was about to thank you for that, but am not really sure if we should thank each other for solidarity or not:
either it's as natural as breathing, or not. If not, there's
nothing to discuss.
I for one will never forget the solidarity shown by my Argentinian
friends in Stockholm during the British miners' strike 20 or so years ago.
Venceremos!
GG
Good news!
Sean has finally e-mailed me, telling me why I was banned: apparently it was for being repeatedly off-topic, not least for my part in the virtual tap-room. He explained that the banning moderator left for 2 weeks in Miami at the weekend, which made it hard for him to delve out the reasons for my ban.
I replied that a simple message informing me/us about this would have saved us all a lot of strife.
It would, however, also have denied
us the opportunity of learning things about one another that I for one am very grateful for.
I am looking forward to a constructive, productive blog on blogging; yes, Ebren - we must certainly gird our loins!
I hope everybody has a grand weekend - start mixing those cocktails, Offside, this is my round!
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