Misc - Several issues - Misc Posters Read!

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Holdfast, Oct 19, 2006.

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  1. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
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    Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    First of all, Welcome!

    (or Welcome Back, if that's the case!)

    For those of you completely new to the board, Misc is the place for all those topics that don't neatly fit into the other forums. As you can see reading down the list, we often have quirky, funny, moving and downright random threads co-existing. It's a good place - enjoy it!


    Second, I would particularly advert you to a few FAQs:


    1) What happened to TNZ?

    TNZ (The Neutral Zone) - a forum for heated debate, with a looser set of rules than the rest of the board - is now a hidden forum.

    To see it and join in the debates, you can request access in your User CP. Click User CP then Group Memberships. Or click here to go there directly.

    Conversely if you wish to remove your access from TNZ you can do so on that page.

    TNZ is a useful forum for subjects that may raise strong passions and equally strong opinions, such as politics and religion.

    2) My hello thread got locked/moved! Why did you do that?

    We get a lot of new members joining us in any given day, so a separate welcome thread for each of you in Misc would rapidly overwhelm the forum. Instead, we now have a pinned Welcome New Members thread at the top of Misc!

    That's the thread to say Hi and for all of us barflys to say welcome. It's not for incessant chat between regulars though. So don't spam it up. Keep it welcoming for the newbies! :cool:

    There's also an exclusive Red Shirt Lounge in the Ten Forward section of the board for new guys and gals to chat with each other without the old folk watching over your shoulder, if you want to! ;)

    3) I want to link to a really funny YouTube video - is that OK?

    Of course. But there are so many videos floating around the internet, some on YouTube, some on other sites, that we can't really have Misc overwhelmed by lots of threads on each individual video. So we have a Video Thread instead. Currently it's pinned to the top of the forum. It's the right thread for any short video clip, esp. the funny ones.

    One thing more on this issue - rarely, if the video has a separate, truly legitimate discussion point beyond "check out this funny clip!", we let the topic run as an individual thread of its own, at least for a while. Use basic common sense on this point, please! Moderating staff can and will make a judgement call as to whether videos merit a thread of their own, so don't be surprised if your video thread is locked. Rule of thumb? Use the aggregated Video Thread!


    OK, enough FAQs...

    Just get stuck in with posting and you'll soon find out we're a pretty friendly and laidback bunch.

    Happy posting everyone! :techman:
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    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 19, 2015
  2. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    RJD's game ruling discussion, demerged from sticky for clarity

    As some of our long-time Posters may remember, it was decided a while ago that Game Threads are something that is more appropriate to the lounges than Misc. After all, Misc is all about discussion of topics ranging from "How Do Robot Monkeys Fly?" to "Do We Really Need A President, Anyway?" Serious business!

    Nevertheless, several of those "Hurt/Heal" Games have turned up in the past couple of weeks and fun has been had by all who participated, so we've let them go. But we also don't want game Threads to proliferate and take over the Forum; so, in the interests of providing a good example to our presidential candidates (and do we really need a president, anyway?), I have proposed a Compromise.

    From now on, we can have two concurrently running Game Threads. When one runs its course, a new game can begin (so, please, no open-ended game concepts like "Ban The Poster To Your Right"). After all, a little fun never hurt anybody. Much.

    And if Misc loses the "TrekBBS Hurt/Heal" Game, I'll close all the Threads and Warn everybody. Just so you know. :cool:
     
  3. T'Bonz

    T'Bonz Romulan Curmudgeon Administrator

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Across the Neutral Zone
    Political/Controversial Stuff READ THIS!

    Politics and hot button stuff do NOT belong in Misc.

    I realize some of the reason it has drifted here is because a poster can't post in TNZ and so is bringing it here and his "friends" are following him to make trouble.

    Knock it the fuck off. It stops now, or I will stop it. If that includes tossing posters off the board, so be it.

    You have TNZ. Play your games there. Keep it out of the other forums. As for the poster in question, you lost TNZ privileges due to your behavior. You are NOT to do that shit in other forums. Got it?
     
  4. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2004
    Location:
    Hiding with the Water Tribe
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    We've decided to lift the moratorium on political and hot-button/controversial topics in Miscellaneous. However, there are some stipulations.

    To borrow a phrase from RJ, focus on "ideas, not ideology," and discussion of individual policies rather than your negative impression of a political party or group as a whole. Starting a topic to discuss tax hikes by the Obama administration is acceptable. Prefacing it by saying "Those damn libs are trying to create a socialist welfare state!" in the title or body of the post is not, since that is not conducive to creating reasonable discussion. Topics that start out like this or rapidly devolve into back and forth sniping along these lines will be closed.

    The same goes for extreme rhetoric aimed at the GOP, Christians, Atheists, Muslims, Pro-Choicers, Botswanans (oh, yeah, that's a big one), etc. Avoid generalizations that paint entire groups of people with the same broad brush. Avoid language aimed at riling people up rather than getting a reasoned and well-thought out response.

    If someone does resort to this type of rhetoric in the OP or subsequent posts, as they inevitably will, then please notify or PM the mods in question rather than sinking down to the level of the troublemaking post in the topic.

    We think Miscellaneous is perfectly capable of having these types of discussions without resorting to namecalling and posturing, and look forward to discussing these types of issues with you guys again.

    I'll leave this topic open if anyone has any suggestions or questions on the new policy.

    Thank you.
     
  5. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2000
    Location:
    17 Cherry Tree Lane
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    My parting gift to the Misc Mods, to keep them calm during the return of controversial topics (which is A Good Thing, BTW, IMO):


    Gomme, lemon juice, Bombay Sapphire, soda water.

    1:2:3:4, mix well.

    Highball glass, plenty of ice, a slice, and a cherry.

    (+ a dash of bitters for the really tough threads)


    You'll thank me later. ;)
     
  6. Hermiod

    Hermiod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2006
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Curse your pro-Botswanan hides, I say.

    /shakes fist! :mad:
     
  7. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    ^^ Warning for anti-Botswanian rhetoric. Comments to Nigeria.

    Highballs are dandy, but Twisted Tea is easier. Or something like that.

    I'm happy that we're able to have 'controversial' discussions in Misc again. We've had some great discussions in the past, and most people have shown that they are able to debate in a civil and respectful fashion. As long as everybody remembers it's not about conflicting factions, but rather the thoughtful exchange of ideas, we'll have some good talks here. :bolian:
     
  8. Hermiod

    Hermiod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2006
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Warning for pro-Botswanan rhetoric. Comments to Nelson Mandela.
     
  9. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Damn, we've canceled each other out, like in Baggo.
     
  10. Gertch

    Gertch Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2004
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    I could have sworn there was a thread here when I came in. :shifty:
     
  11. Colonel Green

    Colonel Green Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Excalbia, BC
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Bombay Sapphire is shite. Invented by the Bacardi corp in the late 1980s because their Rum sales were falling. They contracted the three biggest ad companies in the US to come up with an advertising strategy, and apparently it worked.

    I'd have expected you to have more discerning taste! Bombay is the JC Penny's of gin!

    Try Plymouth gin, they've been at it for far longer.
     
  12. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2000
    Location:
    17 Cherry Tree Lane
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Fuck politics, you just brought out the REAL controversial big guns. :mad:
     
  13. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2000
    Location:
    QC, IL, USA
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    I'm trying to figure out what gomme is.
     
  14. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2000
    Location:
    17 Cherry Tree Lane
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    Aren't you a bartender? Gomme sugar syrup.

    (sorry, can't be arsed to figure out how to do the e acute at the end of gomme)

    Try it, you'll like it.
     
  15. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

    Joined:
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    QC, IL, USA
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    I looked it up. I'm quite familiar with sugar syrup, and I use it all the time. But gomme, at least according to wiki, contains gum arabic, which I am unfamiliar with.

    The sugar syrup I use is just sugar and water.
     
  16. Holdfast

    Holdfast Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2000
    Location:
    17 Cherry Tree Lane
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    The gum arabic makes the sugar syrup a bit thicker, or rather "silkier" in terms of mouthfeel.
     
  17. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

    Joined:
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    QC, IL, USA
    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    I still have no idea what it is.
     
  18. alol

    alol Guest

    Re: Politics/Controversial Topics, Game Threads, Misc FAQ - READ THIS!

    * Go home, kid, mommy's calling. *
     
  19. T'Bonz

    T'Bonz Romulan Curmudgeon Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2000
    Location:
    Across the Neutral Zone
    I know this is long. You need to read it anyhow. If not, don't blame me when I warn you, OK? I will post it in separate sections in this thread.

    Issue #1. Inappropriate Content:

    I have had multiple complaints lately from women on our BBS about the tone in this (and sometimes other) forums. Some women feel unwelcome and uncomfortable on parts of the board, due to a very nasty tendency of some men (note the "some") to express themselves in a way that makes women uncomfortable.

    Hell, I'm thick-skinned, due to growing up with a rather vulgar brother, but after reading some of what I read, while I'm not uncomfortable, I'm angry.

    Here are some examples from a nasty little thread. Bear in mind that over time, I've seen equally ugly little comments in other threads, about men wanting to "do" women and such. But so you can see what I find problematic, here is a sampling of some sexist crap:

    (Warning, this is some unpleasant stuff. Be prepared before you read.)

    Responding to that:

    Photo captions for pic of Palin:
    and
    This was all FROM ONE THREAD.

    I don't want to EVER see this kind of crap in Misc again. It is DRIVING off women, making the female mods uncomfortable (and me angry, since I always have to be different :/ ) and making those who are saying this look like they're sexist with no respect for women.

    Is that what you want to show?

    Now if you do this in the Wild-West TNZ, that's one thing. People know what they're in for there and can opt out.

    But no more in Misc. It ends NOW.

    Don't say sexist things like this. Don't say CREEPY things when women post their photos or say things in Misc. Don't do it.

    Because it will be warned from here on out.

    Next part: Misc-TNZ and Politics.
     
  20. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    Location:
    QC, IL, USA
    Hell, I'm a guy and found some of that stuff offensive.
     
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