Recently Trig wrote about how he completed his 2 yrs and so many months here on OS, which made me go look at the date on my very first post on OS. It said Feb 20, 2009.

Which means I completed two whole years too. Funny I was counting  the days  from when I left OS and me and my friends stopped writing here.

Except James Emmerling - one of the original members of our Tao group -  continued to post sporadically. And we would come back in here just to check on him and to keep his spirits up, we would rate or comment and leave. Yeah, even tho we did not write in that one year period - we came  here, just for him. He was going through shifts in his life and we were concerned. Twice he took down all his posts - so today, ALL of the genuinely good work of JME is lost. I wish bloggers would not take down posts. It is unbloggerly I think. Once you commit yourself to typing out something and publishing it, edit, keep editing, but do not take it down!

I remember Critical Mess, CCC, JRDog, C Berg, Cathy Riordan, Smithbarney, Jimmenace, Simonetta, Newton, Melissa, DeliaBlack, BBE Catamite and all the people that have since stopped writing but had made me feel welcome. I remember how on my second day here I had come across First Awake's short story and was amazed by his writing and immediately had shot off a mail to Critical Mess and they had paid attention too, even though I was only a day old here. First Awake's post was featured as a Reader's Choice selection. 

In those days, there used to be this parallel Cover run by Critical Mess that featured what the reader's felt was good as opposed to what the Editors selected to sell the site on the cover of Open Salon.

I think I had had my Reader's Choice post too once. Only once.  Judging by what they post on covers now, I guess, at least three of my  earlier posts here should have made cover easily :D 

There was more creativity, less ugliness, and I had never ever encountered anyone the likes of Victoria Wolf over here. Most people around here were North Americans, decent folks that either wrote about their personal journey through life or North American politics or posted literary or eclectic stuff.

Salon was like a Salon should be. Courtesy was important.

I was appreciated as a 'foreign' voice and accepted as such. No one made hate posts against me calling me "bully" or called me names the way Victoria Wolf has, here,. They knew I was an Indian posting from India and therefore, when they posted about their experience of India they felt happy if I went to read and I made a comment. If I took the trouble to write down a comment, it was appreciated as such.

Writers wrote. Expecting to get both feedback and crticism as is the tradition.

People behaved like educated, cultured, sophisticated adults. Crassness was not common, neither were whisper-campaigns against people. 

I was amazed that when Wolf posted errors about Hindu Religious Symbols, and I pointed them out, patiently, politely, she reacted viciously by attacking me personally. Instead of editing in the corrections (and I had taken the trouble bec she had claimed to be 'researching and was getting ready to publish, which I now realise was a hoax) she deleted ALL her posts along with my comments, and THEN cunningly she went and put up a post about how I was harrassing her on OS!!! A 'scholar' would never usually post without thorough research or delete posts.

She was not content to simply post that horrible post where she complained to whoever was listening that I had bullied her and harrassed her by posting her own nasty letter to me on her own lcurrent blog post, she did something very very interesting - which makes me smile and analyze her and slot her as ''impetuous and harmful':

after posting and deleting all the posts where I had commented, she came over to MY blog, she opened MY freind's list, then she sent the link to that hate post and hate mails to ALL MY friends!!!

Isn't there something very diabolical and malicious about that action?

I mean what had actually happened?What was she reacting to?

A Hindu from Hindusthan pointed out errors in your post about Hindusim. The post could have been edited, or simply the comment ignored, why the vicious attack?

And why delete the post? Why not let the whole world SEE for themselves and judge - most average Americans know little about the world outside even if they are literate and can use the computer, but a lot of people here, are educated, and they DO know. If I had been a "bully" they would have called out anyways!

People like Myriad, Algis, Emmerling, Kathy, Padraig, Nana and a lot of others know a great deal about India! More than even I do, bec people like James are scholars and obviously they know more. 

So why delete and then attack?

Now who would have thought a writer and scholar is capable of that?

Usually a scholar or a scholarly mind, when confronted with comments calling out errors - checks, rechecks and either accepts with a thank you or politely declines with his own argument.

Not our great scholar, Emmerling's darling bright mind.

In fact I feel annoyed with Emmerling the most about this dirty encounter bec he as the one who send me to read her. He is the one with an intense interest in India and Hinduism and he wanted me to go check the post out - "you two should meet" were his words. He was so delighted that I had returned and was reading again, he eagerly wantedto direct me to wahtever he thought was good here. But for once Emmrling I think I was not hapy with your judgement and as they say actions speak louder than words, so you can see for yourself how your protege behaved.

You for one know she deleted the priginal posts along with your comments and mine and then reposted and then send the hate mails.

You even defended Thoth in Trig's post - and Thoth you really know nothing about, we followed you for two years we KNOW who you read and we never saw you at Thoth's.  Why? Just bec the great Victoria wrote she admires him?! I smiled. Wow! How even a bright male scholarly mind gets influenced by a sexy siren. Most of her posts were about how she felt when she had sex, prosaic descriptions punctuated with raunchy suggestive pictures of naked human forms designed to titillate - NEVER to make a point or ever RELATED to the the SUBJECT she was writing about.

People like Trig, BBE here used sex to sell important ideas that demanded public awareness and a public stand. And few here are interested in sex and they write about it SERIOUSLY. Which are good reads and absolutely OK.

Anyway, Padraig and Nana were not on HER list. And when they had come to defend me, she attacked them equally viciously and then DELETED this post too!!

She operates in a very sneaky fashion:

delete evidence and then attack

So then no one knows what she is talking about.

Who over here has the time or inclination to check facts about an unknown blogger Victoria says is a "bully"

CLEVERLY  she took advantage of that by trying to destroy my reputation. 

NO ONE before they decided she was right, came to read my blogs to find out who I was, or checked with ME as to what is this about, but they just took her word for it.

Infact even the otherwise smart FusunA fell for the angry sobstory.

Influenced by her, the 'lovely' FusunA went and posted a post. that on the surface talks about fables and the Sun and the Wind story, but under the surface it was a righteous lecture about how bullies shd behave. While reading the comment thread, I pikced up a comment that revealed it was directed at the great "bully" Moi!

Interestingly on that post - only TWO people in the entire commenting crowd had actually noticed that the interpretation of the fable was incorrect and Robinson and another person pointed out that probably the post was biased. 

How many people whose mother tongue is English and have decent education would actually associate that Sun Wind fable as a "Bullying" story with moral that "bullies should know better"? 

Anyway, Fusun is intelligent - so, later understood partly what had happened and she had commented on VW's original posts so she was also aware that the originals were gone, so, she 'favourited' me.

But I somehow, feel wary of people that are hasty in their judgement, people that act out of impulse, without proof, that neglect to be mindful or courteous to ALL irrespective of what they are and meticulously cut off everyone even remotely connected to the great beautiful mind VictoriaWolf and the lovely lovely FusunA. 

This was the first time since I joined OS, I experienced such ugliness and I actually started.

I shall never forget the horror that is Victoria Wolf but Icome here for Amercian blogs and tomingle with American bloggers. I would be in their part of the world soon and this is the best way I can study the people, their culture, therealities of life there.

Just as you, if you really are interested in 'exotic' and ancient cultures like India, perhaps would benefit by reading Indians and typical Indians writing from there. Not the American Indians posted in America and turned half American themselves. Instead of attacking the foreigners maybe, you ought to consider what it is they are objecting to in your Indian post. 

If I write something about american and an american approves I would feel vindicated. If an american points out a mistake I would gratefully edit and thank him. I would not call them a "bully" - at least thats not our culture. And I know it isnt yours either and that that horror is an exception.

I have blogged on a number of blogging platforms: I began with Word Press, VOX (which is now gone, sold off), Live Journal, Eblogger etc I am quite Internet savvy and have Twitted to study the medium, Facebooked to find old friends, and know about various listserves that are literary (where real writers post and interact with the readers and you can stay up to date about who is writing what and reading what where and what has been the reviews inwhat country)

I stopped it all.To be here. Am a one man woman, and am a one blogsite blogger too. I am still not quite ready to do real writing yet. But I would keep making these little personal posts.

I love people and history and real time. I find only Salon has this amazing community. A community that comes together to save people when they are ill, going through bends in life or are in serious trouble. People here went out of their way to keep me safe and alive when I was in danger, yeah, in India. They used texts, mails, blogs - the whole Internet medium to keep track of me and to help. I would never forget that everin my whole life. 

If today am back - surfaced again to be here again, it is in great parts thanks to that wonderful community that are filled with more real people than 'fakes'.

I only care about what I read, and I like quality content, I like genuinely good people, and being a firesign and Mercury person, most of all I love talking and communicating and technology and the Internet fascinates me.

No one reads my blog anymore thanks to what Victoria posted, only some of HER 'friends' come occasionally to fight here, on their "great mind"'s behalf but if anyone accidentally reaches here: please remember, a democracy anywhere is safe ONLY whenmembers are MINDFUL and do not rely on heresay or on "educated guesses" but take care to uncover facts and then take "informed" decisions. OS is no different. 

OS is us.

We determine its quality by being who we decide to become here. If we decided under the obvious anonymity sites like this offer, we would choose to be monstruous and harmful and use the medium to bring down people, then that is what OS is going to be! On the other hand if WE decide to be decent gentle writers, discerning and courteous, even while we choose to dissent, then OS would continue to be a Salon.

A Salon  is supposed to be "elegant", a place where like minded people get together to dispaly / share/ showcase their artand all artists expect some feedback - being sensitive and human they are pleased when these are congenia, sad and hurt when they criticise, and writers feel inspired and encouraged when the 'critique' is serious and constructive.

All writers know when they write crap. Well real writers know - and they dont want us to rub it in. Maybe they are trying to get over their blocks or the uninspired-writing phase.

Thats when 'freindly' nurturing readers ought to be patient and let them be - when I comment, that is what I at least think of. I usually always rate too if someone is on my favourite list bec as human beings I do not expect them to always have to "earn" or "deserve" my love and respect. Friends are supposed to give it "without condition" and that is what I do when they obviously are struggling with their work. I leave an encouraging thought and rate as that means for me giving someone a virtual mental hug. It doesnt cost to be nice and warm to people. 

When it is really good I mention my delightand say I rated happily or without reservations so they know it is really good

So I would continue to write. And maybe not give up this favourite blog of mine after all. James Emmerling, I heard you, shall heed and not let shadows outside become innershadows that chase me away from what is good and what is right.

Now you know mentally where I am, geographically, this is where I am right now: posting this from Lucknow, Rumugate, Mar27, 2011, afternoon 1209 P.M. IST. Thank you.