Close Encounter

Chowk Staff;

Like the USA, CHOWK may have faults, but it is still the best place. I commend your efforts to improve it.

However, Please note that Kaurasach`s other nicks are part and parcel of CHOWK`s raunak and legend and lore. How can you remove them? It will be Blasphemy!!

BTW, I being a sardar and all, have forgotten passwords to all of em except one. So let those legends (nicks) sleep in the lap of CHOWK history.

Re: # 313, {``BTW, I being a sardar and all, have forgotten passwords to all of em except one. So let those legends (nicks) sleep in the lap of CHOWK history.``}

Kauray,
That was very funny. I loved it.

Chowk Staff,
Please allow Mr. Kaura`s other nics such as Atif2 and Khamkhwa to continue to exist.
Thanks,

Re: # 313

On the subject of multi-nicks, methinks Soulat is none other than Farzana Versey.

In view of all these interesting exchanges, I thought it worthwhile to resurrect an old i-log (originally posted on April 24, 2005, since deleted) and make it a PERMANENT part of these proceedings!

The Secret Adversary

A few years ago, I developed an inexplicable interest in listening to Gospel music and since then, have owned a few cassettes of the same. It is most enjoyable when it gets your full attention, so I listen during long drives alone. The other day, I got one such opportunity. The following lines were playing:

“This world is not my home, I`m just a-passing through.
My treasures are laid up - somewhere beyond the blue…”

As usual, a special calm appeared to descend and a sense of safety, comfort, and peace wrapped all around. Later, as first the song and then the drive ended, I lingered in the parking lot a little while more, thinking and rethinking those lines. Much later, I remembered some earlier Chowk interacts, and marveled at the irony.

It is quite surprising - the amount of vitriol that can pass these web pages. This is not news to discriminating readers of these spaces (there must be some, for I did not pile up hundreds of hits by myself!) I sometimes wonder if individuals who carry on with bitter exchanges were to physically confront each other, would those words remain the same? I seriously doubt it. For one thing, most of them are likely products of a certain economic class and hopefully brought up with a modicum of training on how to empathize with fellow humans. They would at least pause and reflect just a moment longer before letting go of those words – words which can not be recalled (unlike these ilogs, which can always be deleted at the pleasure of the contributor!)

Words are special gifts to humans and no other specie has quite that ability. Sure, they facilitate basic communication, they describe the physical around us, but they also open a window to their creator’s soul and penetrate into ours - reaching depths and recesses of which we may not be aware ourselves. Merely a few weak vibrations in the air media or a bunch of tiny pixels on a fluorescent screen, they carry the wisdom of ages, the wrath of gods, the fear of the unthinkable, the marvel of creation, and the magic to give light, life, and hope!

And also, the power of death!

The anonymity conferred through the internet (in reality a myth) and the physical separation from the objects of derision can provide a false sense of invincibility like no other! How much easier it is to run somebody down, to shoot one into smithereens, to run a spear or dagger to cut one to pieces, just as long as you don’t have to look one into the eye while you accomplish that heroic feat! Yes, hack them all, a whole class of humans, the men, the women, the children, one and all till not a single sample of the offending group is left to invite your ire! Day in and day out, this macabre ritual of deadly dancing occurs right here in our faces and the crowd of jackals gathers all around and applauds. The duelists have studied and mastered every little move of the opponent and are so intimately familiar with them that they will never be taken by shock or surprise, no matter what ensues! This adversary is fully known, except in real time! One can never loose a battle to him!

Yet, there is another adversary which always defeats us! This adversary is always secret. He ensures that the fruits of victory will always elude us. He contaminates the wells that we drink our success from. He sours the pitch, making sure that no matter how accurately we hit our targets, we still lose the game because the ball we throw is a dud! He always wins because he, and only he, understands the falsity of our moves!

We rarely see our secret adversary for he is truly invisible, except in the mirror!

That Gospel singer went on to his real home many years ago, but the clarity of his message has not lost any resonance!

Re: # 311

beejay,

..... that was simply wonderful ....... loved your elephant tale .... you do have a nice way with words ........

just for the record, i was willing to look urstruly in the eye and see if he truly deserved my derision - he didn`t show up so i will continue to (de) ride him

I don` think the Chowk scheme, being suggested below, will work. Though I wish you the best of luck.

Here is my suggestion:

1. Charge anyone who wants a nic, $20 (or some amount) to set one up. Consider it a one time fee, covering the lifetime of the nic. Considering the fact that I have had mine for five years, it is $4/year. Anyone can afford it........

This will give you some revenue for your hard work. Chowk Staff can use that money for a weekly trip to Baskins & Robbins, to relax. Or if you want to be good samaritins, you can donate it to charity. I can point you to the one I work with, if you want......

2. After a person has a new nic, make it a rule that every nic will have to wait one week to start posting.

If someone is going to be on this site for years, one week wait isn`t much. However, if someone is coming here to abuse others, then a one week wait will be hell for them (not to mention the extra $20).......

3. Make a rule that you can kick out any nic you want, anytime you want, and they lose their $20. They can come back, pay another $20 and wait a week.

If you are going to swing the, ``danda,`` then you may want to swing it with some passion and gusto. The mild half-swings you have been trying so far, obviously, haven`t worked. So just ban the person, when you want to. After all, it`s your site......If you don`t want to swing the danda, then don`t try swinging it half-way. It will create partiality.......

4. Do not set up a police of any sorts, and don`t be partial. As someone who has seen quite a bit of abuse, I can say with certainity and impartiality, all the holier-than-thous here, have spent time swimming in the gutter and disrobing in the hammamm.....I have interacted with them, for far too long, to know this........

5. If even after all of this, someone is still willing to wait a week, repeatedly, and pay $20 repeatedly and abuse repeatedly. Well then let them do it. You will be making money........

But, under no circumstance should you censor anything anyone writes.........nor play favorites........

#306
``The offended interact should be removed``

Should read... ``the offending interact or post should be removed``

Thanks.

Chowk Staff:

Let me get this straight:

So if I quote somewhere ``A`oozubilla he mina-Shaiytan-Nirajeem`` (tr: main panah mangta hoon Allah ki Shaytan mardood say), will it be considered abusing hamidm?

Chowk Staff-

I would like to recommend the following:

There is no use of filter. The offended interact should be removed and that’s it. Why even give someone with bad attitude any space at all?

A new user must wait 24 hours before posting. This is common on many discussion boards.

Chowk staff needs to apply the guidelines and NOT just talk about the crude language. It is subjective and would again bring in lax moderating.

There should be a three member committee of respectable interactors to monitor the chowk staff performance or there will be problems again as chowk staff record is NOT impeccable.

chowk needs ombudsman

Chowk Staff,

Post 302 is worth considering for several reasons:

1. The implied statement that a. your staff is not as ``intelligent`` as the multi nic harrassers in question
2. That these multi nics will continue to disregard your instructions-for their own notions of ``justice`` and kicks
3. They have no intention of cooperating with any of the guidelines by which Chowk operates.

Hope its worth it to you. Good luck.

this thread is somewhere between lol-funny and you-gotta-be-kidding-moron-disgusting. or rather most of the interactors fall between these two.

got to hand it to you, t - when you kick off psychotic episodes in others you do it impartially, across the board....
:)
am.

Dear Chowk-Staff ,

Gosh you are stupid aren`t you ? If I owned an interactive website of my own , I would most definitely learn the methods of identifying and blocking IP addresses - a concept which seems to have escaped you. For had you known that , you would know that `Gujjubania` aka `Killer` aka `Ranger` , was never `Ranjit`.

As I said , you are a fool.

Re: # 302

Now please stick to this user id - ``ranger``.

Salim and gujjubania: From this point onwards use only mannu404 and ranjit respectively. Your other ids like salim_chauhan, premwalla, ranger etc will be removed. We would have preferred to send this message in email but there are way too many email addresses to know what you check.

On a general note chowk has provided features like filters and personal ignore lists to solve squabbles amongst interactors. We recommend you use these features to avoid confrontations which lead to direct attacks.

Also anyone who uses interaction space of an article for settling quarrels will be suspended to avoid digressions.

Lastly, if you want to bring someone’s comments to our attention for action then send feedback using the feedback form only. Posting it in interact space will not necessitate immediate action and will only result in your comments being removed.

Excellent! Thank you Chowk for all your ongoing efforts!

Re: # 299

Dear Samina:

Aren`t you kind of contradicting yourself ?