Myspace Goes Too Far: Deletes Burn Victims Photos for Being Offensive

Anyone who knows me knows my extreme dislike for Myspace and I have a lot of reasons for that. I hate the drama queen-esque happenings that always run rampant throughout the community. I hate the site bugs that always plagued my experiences when I had an account years ago. Then you have the Myspace sluts, the child predators/pedophiles, stalkers, douchebags, the adults driving kids to suicide and so on.

Now that I’ve listed a few of my dislikes, it’s time to add another one of the worst of them all: deleting pictures of a severely burned child that had past away a few years ago because they were deemed “offensive” by Myspace after a complaint:

“You may feel singled out,” reads a message from a MySpace representative to McCombs’s mother in Sullivan, Indiana. “But be assured we delete each and every one of these images as we locate them.” (Source)

Offensive?  Really?  A child who had been through hell and back is considered to be more offensive than pictures of underage girls taking cleavage shots?  More offensive than pictures of people binge drinking, smoking, making out, doing drugs, etc?  Apparently, the admins at Myspace don’t actually review the content that’s been reported as being offensive.  Because if they did and they still found the pictures offensive, then they are truly despicable human beings.

To pile on the insults, Myspace threatened the parents of little BJ McCombs with the deletion of their profile if they posted the pictures again.  These are the pictures of a child who, at the age of 18 months, was severely burned in a fire and spent the next 17 months of his life in and out of 40 major surgeries and died when he was 8.  Reality is offensive?  The fact that there are people on Myspace who could find something like that offensive makes me hate that site even more.  Myspace has turned into a breeding ground of sorts for the most vile people in our country.

For those of you with a Myspace account, there’s a support group for BJ McCombs and his family that people should be joining to show Myspace how screwd up this whole situation is.

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UPDATE:

Apparently, bringing attention to the situation worked and Myspace reposted the pictures and apologized to the parents.  Maybe Myspace has learned to actually look at the “offending” material before deleting it.

I Think I Miss School

Believe it or not, after all those years of hell and wondering if I’ll ever get out of there, I actually miss being at school.  I miss the challenge that classes offered…once I actually figured out how to manage my time…I miss the atmosphere, the thunderstorms, my internship, friends, etc.

The sad, yet ironically funny, thing is that I was told I would look back and see those days as the best days of my life.  I laughed it off with the “yeah, right” kind of reaction.  But…it’s true, those were my favorite days.  Days I’ll never have a chance of repeating.

Maybe I’m just too unhappy with California and miss the friends I had back east.  I certainly don’t have the good times here in California that I had at school…at least, I don’t have those kinds of good times anymore.  It could be any number of things, I suppose.  I know I actually kind of miss the classes (the classes got wicked good in my last few semesters) and the feeling of accomplishment when I had to dig down deep to pull out a good grade…and I got it.  I loved the late nights at the library where I spent just as much time dicking around on the internet as I did studying.

All I know is I felt a sense of purpose when I was in school.  I had some semblance of energy left in me at the end of the day, regardless of how much studying I had just done, and there was always someone to call up and get together with.

Oh well, those glory days are behind me, I suppose, and even if I did go back to school it just wouldn’t be the same.  Yup, I’ve been thinking about going back to school, can you believe it?  I thought about it when I was out in Tampa a little over a year ago for a job interview.  I managed to take a slight detour on the way back from my interview and hit up campus.  Good times.

So, for all you still in school who can’t wait to be finished: be careful what you wish for.  The real world isn’t as fun as school.  If you can believe it, anyway.

Poor Dodger Fans

Dodgers are looking pretty good right now.  They’re sitting at the top of the NL West (well, tied at the top of the NL West as of this moment) and could possibly make the playoffs this year.  They’re 4 games above .500.  And that’s about it.  I mean, they’re 4 games above .500.  The only reason they’re even in contention for the pennant is because of the league and the division they’re in.  If they were an America League team, they’d already be bringing up minor league talent to test and would already be planning for next year.  They’re 6.5 games from the top of the Wild Card.  They’ve got an ageing manager that hasn’t won it all in almost a decade.

But, they have Manny, right?  Manny has been tearing the cover off the ball for the Dodgers.  And that’s no surprise.  He’s a supreme hitter.  One of the best all-time.  It’s no wonder he’s feasting on NL pitching.  Of course, Manny also tears it up when he’s happy and you never know when happy Manny will become upset Manny.  Of course, a happy Manny is making everyone on the Dodgers that much better.  They all have confidence in themselves now that Manny is there eating every pitcher he faces alive.

Manny has also been brining in the fans, which is a little sad that Dodger fans needed a Manny Ramirez on the team to actually show up for a Dodger game.  Fans absolutely love him.  He’s a lovable guy, it’s true.  The faces on some of my co-workers when they found out Manny was on the team was like seeing the face of a 5 year old who just met Santa for the first time.  It was great, really.  But, soon enough, there will be that love-hate thing going on for Manny if Manny decides to be, well, Manny again.

I’m not saying Manny will act out like a little child before the season, or even postseason, is over.  No, Manny will probably be a happy camper until it’s time to be a free agent.  But, when that time comes, there’s no way the Dodgers will be able to keep Manny.  Not unless they’re willing to pay out the nose for him to stay.  And I don’t see the Dodgers doing that.  How much high priced talent do the Dodgers have?  They have a bunch of has-beens and guys who haven’t been around long enough to even be a never-will-be.  So, unless the Dodgers win the World Series this year, this move to get Manny and all the excitement he created may be for nothing.

That’s why I say poor Dodger fans.  They’re so happy and excited right now thinking they’re going to go all the way and win it all.  Since the trade was announced, the Dodgers have won 10 of 17 (that’s since the trade was announced, including the loss on the trade day).  Pretty good, wouldn’t you say?  But, Manny can only charge up a team for so long before they drop down from cloud 9.  And when that happens, I doubt Manny will be able to carry them to the World Series.

Besides, how is Manny going to be able to handle not having any facilities out in left field?

Reasons Why I Won’t Miss California

Ever since I moved out to California, I’ve wanted to leave.  Plain and simple.  I suppose I just never fit in, but all it boils down to is the fact that I’ve been miserable in this God-forsaken state.  There have been times and people who have made California worthwhile, but obviously those times and people have come and gone.

I was born and raised Northeast.  The Northeast versus California is like night and day it’s that different.  I kid you not.  Everything from the people to the traffic to the damned weather to the friggin ants.  I got to thinking about all this the other day during my commute (I have a long ass commute…110 hours a day in Southern California is way too dammed far if you ask me) knowing I would someday move back to the East coast.

And then there was the light at the end of the tunnel: CVS bought Longs Drugs.  There are no Longs Drugs on the East coast.  There are plenty of CVS stores.  Add that together and that means I can transfer.  Hallelujah.  Assuming nothing in my life changes (or the purchase of Longs changes), I’m seeing myself on the East coast by this time next year.

So, without further ado…my list:

Traffic: I’ve been fortunate enough to drive through many parts of the country, and across country several times, and nowhere have I seen the kind of clusterfuck that the LA region has to offer as far as traffic is concerned.  I seriously worry about the anger that rises in me whenever I drive.  I could do bad things…very bad things, which is why I decided I wanted to buy a tank for my commute to work.  But, seriously, I could go on forever (which I’ve already done before) about the traffic here.  The moment the freeway stops being straight/flat, people slam on the brakes.  They see a cop car on the other side of the freeway, they slam on their brakes (mind you, there’s several feet of concrete and steel dividing both sides…what do they think, the cop is going to ram through all of that to chase down some prick going 5-10 MPH over?).  They see more than one car on the side of the road, they slam on their brakes…even when there’s nothing to gawk at.

Sign of the apocalypse: the other day when I was coming back from work there’s an area where the freeway goes from 3 lanes to 5+ and for some ungodly reason, people had to slow down for that.  Never in the history of man have I ever heard of such a thing.  There was no Exit Only lanes right there.  Nothing.  Just plain retardation on the part of Southern Californians.

Weather:  Or should I say, lack thereof?  Southern California has two types of weather: sunny(ish) and smoggy/overcast.  Nothing else.  Oh, sure, it occasionally rains, but I’d hardly call it rain.  Of course, there’s the freak thunderstorm like the one the other night (of course me being me, I slept through it even WITH the window open…god dammit), but the problem with that is people around here just drive even worse!  Anyway, I’m used to blizzards and thunderstorms (REAL thunderstorms…the kind that put an electrical charge in the air) and hurricanes and crap like that.  Weather that can change from day-to-day.  Not the usual foggy in the morning and bright blue (with a hint of smog) later on in the day.  It’s sickening.

The People: My least favorite part of Southern California.  I don’t know quite what it is, but the people out here are just plain weird.  They act as if they’re the only people in the entire world (which explains most of the driving issues) and don’t give a shit about anyone else.  It’s all about them and their needs and feelings.  They piss me off to no end.  It’s like living in a home for mentally disabled people only on a larger scale…and the people here have no excuse for their actions.

Don’t get me wrong, people all over the world are morons.  There’s just a larger percentage of them here in California.  I’m truly convinced that these people are either taught to be this way or there’s something in the water…or something.  I know there’s a lot of crap floating around in the air…

Fellow Drivers:  Granted, this could fall under “Traffic” but this is a whole other beast entirely.  I could do several subsections of this, but I’ll try and be concise.  Just like I said with the people, drivers out here seem to be in their own little world.  It’s hard to explain, so here’s an example:

A couple of years back I was driving down a steep part of this road that has two lanes heading one way and two lanes heading another.  The urban planners in this city were smart enough to put in left turn lanes at appropriate places along the road.  You know, the kind that cuts into the median and has a giant, white arrow.  And to keep you from using the cut in the median only the opposing flow of traffic was supposed to use, there’s a big sign sign with a left arrow and a line through it.  Simple enough, right?  Well, I was behind a behemoth SUV being driven by some blond that had a kid or two in the back.  The woman then decided she wanted to turn left in the middle of this hill so she slammed on her breaks and proceeded to make an illegal left hand turn.  This required me to slam on my brakes and almost plow into the back of this bimbo (probably wouldn’t have been the first time a guy plowed her from behind…).  The kicker is that a mere 25 feet away was a left turn lane.  Why?

Then there was this incident from a couple of weeks ago where some asshole “Yankee” fan decided to try and pick a fight with me at a bar in a Chili’s because I was wearing my Red Sox hat.  Didn’t say a thing to him, didn’t look at him but he just had to try and start crap with me by calling me a bandwagoner and claiming I wasn’t from Massachusetts (I love it when people try and tell you about your life…it’s great).  I just walked away but a a big part of me just wanted to clock the son of a bitch and put him in his place.

And, last but not least, there was this guy at a Dodger game I went to last year.  Had some good seats that I paid a semi-decent amount for from my mom’s co-worker.  When I got there, there was a guy sitting in the row in front of me absolutely hammered (the game hadn’t even started…poor Dodger fans).  He proceeds to tell of his love for LA and his love for LA traffic.  Yup.  The guy loves the 7th circle of Hell known as traffic in Los Angeles.  Only in LA…

That sort of thing happens all the time.  People on the road deciding they need to do something and without thinking about the problems they might cause, they slam on their brakes so they can turn or change lanes or whatever else.  Retarded.  Plain and simple.

The Women:  Yes, this should be covered under “People” but the women out here are “special” to say the least.  I’ve never seen so many conceited, self-centered, plastic Barbie doll sluts in my life.  It’s quite sickening, actually.  Hey, I’m a guy and I’m all for slutty women, the male population needs a rebound girl or a one night stand here and there.  But, any smart guy wants a good girl they can be with for a long time.  That’s hard to find in these parts.  In general, they’re just too superficial and that’s a huge turn-off to guys…unless they’re looking for a trophy wife.  Guys, to be happy whether they know it or not, need a woman who is smart, sophisticated and keeps them on their toes.  Trophy wives tend to be dumber than dirt.  I see them all the time and they’re about as bright as a burned out light bulb.

I started drinking about 2 sentences into this because I started getting depressed, again, about living out here in California.  It’s great if you’re a dumb blond looking for a guy to give you a free ride (no pun intended…I think).  But what else is there to like?  There’s smog, traffic, dumb rich people and about as much personality in the state in general as the silicone stuffer in some high school cheerleader.  Factor in the high cost of living, a lack of a state budget and huge state debts, it’s not a great place to be right now.  Which means I’ll be forced to do a part two since I’m already at about 1500 words.

I Wish I Owned a Tank

I currently have a 55 mile, one-way, commute to work: Moorpark to Santa Barbara.  And I’ll be driving that commute through September (I believe).  I’ve only been doing the drive for about 2 months and I’m already sick and tired of it.  I can’t stand it anymore.  It’s absolutely guaranteed that I get stuck in traffic on the way home if I get out of work before 7-7:30 PM and that ends up being most of the time.  Heading south on the 101 freeway out of Santa Barbara is about as fun as having your balls run over by a dump truck.  It’s maddeningly infuriating.  The problem with people out here in California is that they can’t seem to handle freeway speeds when the freeway ceases to be flat and straight.  The moment there’s any sort of curve or incline, all hell breaks lose and people slow down.  Significantly during rush hour.

That’s why I wish I owned a tank.  Oh, and wished there were no consequences for anything I ever did while I’m in that tank (I’m trying not to be too greedy here).  My favorite part of any video game was spawning a Rhino (tank for those of you who never played the game) and rolling through the streets running over anything that got in my way in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.  I was basically playing out a fantasy of mine: making traffic bow to my every whim.

Traffic out here in California is just beyond ridiculous.  I’ve seen things that cannot be described to anyone who hasn’t driven through southern California.  Some of you people know me…I’m a powder keg just ready to blow and I have to say the traffic nonsense I deal with at least 5 days a week has got me so close to blowing up it’s not even funny.  Suffice to say, I don’t do well stuck in traffic.

If you saw a tank barreling down the freeway and coming up behind you pretty fast, wouldn’t you move out of the way?  That’s the idea, to get people to move.  I’m not looking to run over cars (would be fun, though).  I’m not looking to fire shots into the crowd of cars ahead of me (that would definitely be fun…maybe just some warning shots now and then?).  I’m just looking for a clear path so I can get home where I can kick back, relax, drink some beers and watch/listen to a ballgame.  Is that too much to ask?