Open Letter

Eboni, Catherine started threads about IDEAS. Not to go completely against the TOS by pointing out people she thought were doing bad things, as Ulrika did. Nothing she said in her threads were cause for them to be closed - minus maybe the Hitler remark, which she regretted later, apologized for, and the apology was accepted by Ulrika. (Although Ulrika did hold a grudge about it, apparently.)

The threads were closed because people here saw to it that they were, a tactic I've seen all too often on these boards. Culminating in the worst personal attack I've ever seen on this or any boards, which one would think is surely against the TOS, and I quote:


“OK. Fine. I'll say it.

”Catherine, you seem a little unbalanced. I don't know if this is episodic or chronic but perhaps you could recognize that forums aren't beneficial to your current or constant state of mind and find an alternative mode of communication that results in less drama for us all.

”You should make the decision to abstain before that decision is made for you.

”~Ulrika~”


Ulrika called her mentally unbalanced, told her the forums were not good for her, suggested she leave, and threatened that the decision would be made for her.

That goes against the TOS in a big, big way. That sort of thing isn't good for the forums, or the game.

Now, one can reasonably presume the mods thought so, too. In any case, I don't think any of us is free to say whatever we like on the basis that we are somehow better than the others.

coco

I made a roast pig shoulder this weekend. I've been meaning to for awhile, because I've been craving Cuban sandwiches, and so has the missus.

I didn't like how it turned out, though, so I'm going to stick to beef roasts. Not as fatty and much easier to harvest the meat for storage.

On the bright side, I did get plenty of good lean meat out of the shoulder. The first batch of sandwiches was pretty tasty, so all in all, wasn't too bad.

Let me know if y'all would like details on Cuban sandwiches. They're damn tasty and you'd be surprised how easy it is to make such a Carribbean delicacy.

That's correct.

Cat

no. what i'm telling you, coconuts, is that the rules probably do not apply as strictly to ulrika.

anyone capable of reading ulrika's posts without the filter of pedantic paranoia can generally find the general formula of 1> problem 2> analysis 3> potential solution, regardless of whether they agree with her or not. for that and many other socially and technically constructive projects she participates in inWorld earns her the right to take off the kiddie gloves when dealing with her <insert appropriate adjective here> detractors. why should such a passionate and productive player have to put up endlessly with a bunch of do nothings?

some people's game is personal satisfaction and sense of entitlement. other peoples game is socially productive and constructive. ulrika's is the latter. she is more valuable to sl than me or you.

plus she owns an entire sim.

I completely and utterly disagree.
And
That elitist attitude in a nutshell; is the very problem in these forums that needs to be addressed and dealt with.

I sure as hell hope no noob every sees this thread

Just who determines this "value"? You? Your friends? These forums? Your friends would say that you're more valuable, mine would say that I am - it's completely subjective.

I own an island, does that put me in this elite "valuable" group?

Agreed. Though I still prefer early Ulrika to later Ulrika.

Oh. Wow. OK then.

coco

Say what?

Actually, we can weight someone's value rather easily be examining the sum of their accomplishments in SL. Someone may be valuable to a few intimate friends, but completely worthless to the community as a whole. I am one such person. I build stuff which receives localized praise, but which is utterly forgotten on the global scale. In Ulrika's case, her value is not limited to those who know her well but extends to the whole community, as her accomplishments demonstrate.

Well I already own an island so ....Kewl then that means that I can accomplish great things in SL then go around calling ppl mentaly ill and whores and never worry about getting banned.

This is crap.

unfortunately or maybe even fortunately, there is no such thing as equality in this universe (except in in mathematics, i guess). the question was asked why is ulrika is able to make ccertain comments that others can not. if we accept the case that ulrika does indeed get away with making certain comments to certain players, i offer the possibility that
1> ulrika contributes to the social development sl beyond her personal enjoyment
2> ulrika does not complain but puts forth constructive criticism
3> ulrika owns a sim - this is in jest.

well my answer is conjecture of what the moderators might value. they are the hands of LL on this forum. i think your utopian aspirations are moving you away from coco's question. of course it's subjective. what isn't (inter)subjective

yes as a paying customer, it quite possibly could. who knows. it was a joke, but if i ran LL you would be on a valued customer list and i'd offer you a concierge service as long as you didn't disrupt the sl community at large.

"We believe that all avatars are equal and have a right to be heard"

Sound familiar to anyone?

you can also call people hitler or you can post this garbage

1> so have I
2> You consider calling another productive members of SL "mentally ill" is constructive criticism?

You know what Prok for all his faults was right on some things apparently. FIC indeed.

Elitist Crap.

no. when was that said, by whom, in what context, and what relevance does it have here?

I would just like to clarify that I do not own a sim. I am part of a nonprofit land cooperative, where each member of the cooperative owns a share of the sim. The person who is responsible for collecting the fees and paying LL (the owner in their eyes) is Sudane Erato.

I don't think I receive any special treatment, having myself had two informal warnings and one formal warning in the year that I've been in SL.

If anyone would like to contact me personally to discuss grievances, I would welcome it. I don't think it's fair to subject the hundreds of users of this forum to a never-ending litany of personal dissatisfaction.

~Ulrika~

That's almost good enough to be a signature.

The sun was shining in Tahiti today, and the high temperature was a balmy 82*F. Meanwhile, on the Elysium Mons plateau on Mars, a summer windstorm exceeded 225 mph, and the temperature reached a scorching 31*F, turning the top two inches of dry CO2 permafrost into slush.

My dog ate part of a banana. He didn't like it.

And by the way, Ulrika has a wry and self-deprecating sense of humor, in addition to her other qualities. She not only pokes a little fun at others, she holds herself up for satire at the same time. That kind of humor is a little tougher to appreciate than most, but it's more rewarding. It fits with a person who likes to test the edge, usually in an intelligent and civilized fashion. It's not just the method, you see, it's the content, too.

Or, I could have said: "Insert dry and pompous supportive statement from Seth Kanahoe here."

I apologized for that, a well known fact. Which was accepts by Ulrika.
Which apparently was a faults apology, after reading her the vile insults that followed.

Question is why are you brining that up? To incite drama?

I apologized like an adult when I was wrong, I have never so much as gotten a formal warning. But I will be damned if I will sit by and watch ppl declare that it is ok to call anyone mentally ill in these forums for any reason what so ever.

More so I do not accept your elitist entitlement excuses for this type of behavior.

Someone is making SL look damn bad, but it sure as hell isn’t me.

ps as for the garbage yes ty for once again reminding me how the ppl in these forums with the same elitiest attitude ruined my Christmas last year. That is bile.

It is, of course, not okay to suggest someone is mentally unstable, or to threaten that they will be dismissed from the forums if they don't leave voluntarily.

As for value, no single one of us has more value to Sl than any other one of us.

As for the rules, they should apply to everyone, and equally.

coco

Then do not use these forums to insult me publically.

I am discusted by this I have nothing more to say.

Sauteed some thin-sliced chicken tonight for dinner. Seasoned with salt, pepper, a few other sundry spices. Added some soy sauce and chili oil to the pan for a little flavor.

Didn't feel all that creative, so I dumped the sauteed chicken and a can of sliced mushrooms into a pan of rice-a-roni.

It *is* the San Francisco treat, after all. Though, in fact, the dish is originally Armenian. Betcha didn't know *that* one.

Anyway, let the chicken, mushrooms and rice/vermicelli simmer until the rice was tender, then I sprinkled some grated mozzarella on top and let the steam melt it.

Not a bad meal for 30 minutes work and two people to feed, I say.

Insert smiley representing jovial approval here.

~Ulrika~