.

OK, let's just chill out, people. Those of you going around waving your arms about supposed censorship and journal deletions, how about you step back and take a look at what evidence there may be for such accusations?

Journals get deleted for a number of reasons, and as far as I know, censorship has never been one of them, at least here on LJ. For me to believe that LiveJournal has suddenly decided to start interfering with its members' freedom, I'll have to see quite a bit more than hyperbole and finger-pointing. Does anyone actually have any proof of this?

Statements by LiveJournal? Emails from them to the community owners? Replies to inquiries? Anything at all? If so, then trot them out. Otherwise, let's just stow these rumors where rumors usually belong, why don't we?


ETA: Okay, having seen a couple of things that've been pointed out, it looks like those journals were deleted for listing interests that could encourage illegal activity.

I gotta a couple of words to say about this which will no doubt piss some people off, but you know me. I can't keep my trap shut.

( Basically, it boils down to this... )

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To whoever sent me the virtual rose: What a lovely way to start my day! Thank you for being my friend, as well. *hug*

Can anyone tell me how to put really big text in an LJ entry? No matter what I try in html - h3, h6, h10, big, large, whatever - the text I get is not large at all.

What's the html code I'd need to do that? Anybody know?

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I'm planning on doing a friends list cut soon, so if you want to remain, please comment here.

( Further notes )

That was really fucking RUDE.

Interesting way to be inclusive, there.

Could someone explain to me how one goes about putting up one of those locking posts that stay at the top of your journal? People use them to state their journals are friends-locked. That kind.

Having conversed with danachan today, she's installed me as co-mod at ringprov. Basically, that means I'll be coming up with the challenges for a while. I'll be posting my first one this coming Sunday the 11th.

The purpose of the community is to help writers sharpen their skills via quick, impulsive writing. I've tried it myself and been surprised at the results. I hope any writers reading this will be inspired to contribute.

See you there! ;)

How does one go about changing one's username? I've seen other people do it here, so I thought I'd ask. Anybody know?

A few months ago, I made the decision to clear out some of my friends list, and to start friends-locking my non-fic journal entries. This came about for a few reasons, but mostly because Real Life had dealt me a blow which brought into sharp relief what some might think was an obvious thing - that I had been wasting my time with a lot of online drama which was...well, a waste of my time. I made myself a vow that I would go back to doing what I'd come to LJ for; namely, reading and writing fic. And that I would not take part in any more personal and/or wanky crap.

Well, now I find that I've slid right back into that whole morass again. It's happened a little at a time, which is how a downhill slide usually takes place, innit? But last night I found myself getting very upset over some really ugly remarks I read, stuff that deeply offended and hurt me. Now, the gods only know why I would be surprised at coming across what I came across, after so many years of hearing just such shite from people who think there's nothing wrong with being as abusive as they like just because it's what they feel about a subject. But it did upset me, and as those of you who know me know, when I get upset, I get upset. I responded, but the whole thing was so disquieting that I haven't read the combacks that were posted, and I honestly don't think I will. Anger was my first response, but this morning it's just turned into sadness (though with some anger still present), and if I keep thinking about it, it'll spiral into depression, which would not be productive as this point.

So what started as the impulse to post an angry, snarky, fangs-bared rant, and changed into the impulse to post a sad, lamenting rant detailing my history on the subject in general, has become this - a post about how I'm getting pretty damned tired of LJ drama, of people being nasty without really knowing what they're talking about, of having to listen to people berating and insulting my beliefs simply because their beliefs have the upper hand and that somehow gives them the right to be nasty, and of wasting my time with crap that once again has nothing to do with my real life and the things that actually have an impact on me. How does this keep happening? I think I'm just too easily distracted.

So once again, I'm backing off. I probably won't do any friends-list action, simply because I'm not feeling like I have time to think about who I want to dump and who I don't. But I will be changing my reading filters over the next few days. The Desiderata advises us to avoid vexacious persons, and I think that's a pretty good piece of advice. So from now on, I won't be reading the posts of anybody who comes off with a view that I dislike. Sorry, but I don't have either the time or the energy to give anymore. And I do not have the slightest desire to go through that kind of upset again, ESPECIALLY resulting from the opinions of people whom I don't know, and whom I clearly would not gain any advantage from knowing. If bigotry, closemindedness and nastiness can bubble to the surface like that unexpectedly, then I'm not going to expose myself to the breeding ground. Swamp gas makes me bilious.

That is all.


ETA: rubynye has posted a very charming fic, which uses some English folk lyrics that I posted a few months ago, and which has cheered me up considerable. Please go read it, as it's quite delightful and yay! for hobbitpiles! Meanwhile, I'm gonna try and take a nap, as I have a late tarot gig tonight which will bring me lots of money and for which I must be sharp. :)

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This post is public because I feel this pertains to everyone, and everyone could derive some benefit.

There have been some wonderful, passionate posts by mirabile_dictu, mirabellawotr, beizy, blackbird_song, oselle, aratlithiel, elanorgardner, and many others around LJ. I'd like to thank all of you for writing all that great stuff - it's been wonderful to see how many people feel comfortable expressing their feelings at LJ. How great it is to have a place where we can take solace with each other, though we've never met!

And that brings me to the point of this post: I've been hearing and reading this and that about the election and the Patriot Act and consequences thereof. Predictions of what may happen to our liberties, and our right to communicate, and the internet especially. It's a complex subject, but not one likely to go well, in my opinion.

So I have a suggestion for everyone, one which I hope people have already begun to act on:

Start collecting addresses. Those of you who have met here on LJ and share like minds, those of you who've become friends without any RL ties, those of you who feel heartened and lightened by each other's similarity in viewpoint and feelings about what's happened. Exchange your real-life info. Make sure there's a way to keep in touch with each other besides the internet. Make sure that the people out there that care about you, know who you are and where you are. Let's all start creating a web of connections besides the internet, a real-life web that can be touched on and relied upon in some other way than electronically.

Because the time may soon come when all of this will be gone. Either gone or sharply curtailed. Or even worse, here but spied on, carefully watched so as to entrap people. We've all heard what happened to anniesj and "Dilyn". Do any of us really think that's going to stop, now that those who created the legislation to facilitate it are firmly in power for four more years? Do any of us think they won't go farther with it?

Err on the side of caution, folks. Trade info with those people you don't want to lose contact with, and keep it safe. Don't keep it on your computer - write it down in a notebook and stash it. WRITE to each other. Put your actual hand to pen and do it the way we've done it for centuries. The internet is a wondeful place, and really fun, but there's no feeling so warm and comforting as the one you get when you open a real, honest-to-Hermes letter and know that somewhere, someone thought enough of you to create that little piece of history. And there's no feeling so helpless as suspecting something has happened to an online friend, but having no way to find out what.

Who knows where we're going from here on out? It may well be sinful to despair, as Tolkien believed, but the fact is there are dark possibilities for the future, and it would be well to prepare for them. This is one way we can prepare that is hopeful and productive in the midst of the oncoming gloom. Even if the worst doesn't ever happen, and the internet remains as free a place as it already is (and yes, that IS a debatable topic), we would still have good ties established with people we care for, and ways to communicate that would help in any crisis.

Love,

Serai