-- from "New York in Pictures" (Septemer 2011), by Anja Mutić
Dear readers:
You may have noticed that comments have been put "on moderation" recently.
I hated to do this. I am very open to comments, even very negative ones, even deleterious ones. Why should I cavil at invective, since there's so much of that in my longterm case of dyspepsia?
So the moderation function was not imposed because of any of you.
The sole reason why I did so is because various web-bots were crawling up from the dark net and breaking through the various login and capcha barriers I had put up. Sometimes, I would come home after a few days on the road and find my posts amended by embarassing commercials -- most of them prefixed with inane phrases "Wow, I never thought of that! I really like how you write, and btw you can sign up for a free sample" of some interesting chemical that aids in the fruition of sundry passions.
Some of these anonymous compliments were juxtaposed comically with posts that were complaining about the very product advertised in the comment.
I get more than a little irritated at commercials squirreled in by robotic comments. I have never permitted commercial displays here at Second Terrace, because I will not shill for the very structures that I blame the end of civilization on.
And I won't let comments short circuit my embargo of the oligarchic Borg.
So reader, please comment away, and don't mind going through the hoop of moderation. I'll pass everything, couched in human (if not humane) language, through.