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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

A dark peek into the once mighty SL Blarney Stone Irish Pub.- Mony Markova Reporting..




Last night I uttered a “BRB mosquito”. The conversation we were having in-world had me so plugged to the keyboard that I thought that the insect trying to land on my knee had to be only one, so I allowed it briefly.

I had sandals and shorts even as it was a cold night and it had been raining, my door had been open earlier because Max the dog is so indecisive.
Couldn’t resist and scratched, but instead of scaring the flying annoyance it got smashed as it was drinking me. I saw ball like remains in my hand and turned to look around, but there wasn’t one mosquito, there was a band of sister’s mosquitoes, maybe eight at quick count.
“BRB mosquitoes” would have sounded strange and “BRB mosquito attack” exaggerated.  
For some minutes I went off, using the technique my Mom taught me many years ago, you see she is a total sweet, but one scary woman hitting you with a rolled cloth, I don’t want to go into how I earned that lesson, but I will tell you the basics, you roll a cloth -a towel works fine- and use it in a way that ricochets to your target.  With a tight rolled cloth and a swooshing sound I turned mosquito serial.

By then my BRB polite allowance had for sure ran over, there must be a maximum time for BRB’s don’t you agree? So I went back into the conversation, it was a call, a call to action, one of those calls that life throws at you and if you answer you turn into a hero, and since nothing like had happened to me and it was Second Life… sounded like an adventure, but...
Actually I did not answer many it many times before, since this situation has been happening for months. But why would I do anything? It is not my problem, it is not my pub, and I just left there, now visiting rarely. But more than that, I was worried because there can be consequences, will be plenty of bad blood, with people hurt and angry and frankly SL is for fun, no?  

I didn’t answer that before –But it’s getting worse and worse- a friend said.

The Dying Green Giant.
Maybe the questions should be about something big, maybe about how power is shifting in our world, from top to bottom, to everywhere from anywhere and especially about how virtual communities will evolve? But if you ever felt abused at a chat place, don’t you want to do something? That someone should tell the owners, the managers and to those pesky door bouncers, that some things are just not okay and that you will not be bullied anywhere.
Imagine if one of the most famous SL places, was in reality and behind curtains an abusive bully pool, which has actually become an unwelcoming place?  This is the story of how The Blarney Stone Irish Pub, one of the Second Life’s darling icons has been taken hostage by a few bully staffers, with lots of people abused, and no one caring to do anything. Managers allowing it, or turning their eyes away, meanwhile scores of long standing regulars have left either voluntarily or ejected.

Yes Ham Rambler as many real life successful sim owners, is very busy and he must have too much trouble already. Most of us can only imagine the frequent drama that rains over owners. Like another club owner named Coco, told me –I was constantly being contacted for stuff that I had no clue about, now I keep my club for the staff only.

But what when bullets come from the staff against the public? An overzealous staff that thinks their duty besides house rules includes, proper grammar, not doing wise-comments, of course no religion or politics. With poor manners and in a bossy way. Staff that thinks they have a sacred duty to protect a TOS which frankly they don’t understand to start with.
One person said “This police attitude we could fix quick and easy… Residents are not LL employees, there is a system in place to send reports, so they should better stop pretending to give themselves that importance… And this is actually in TOS, not pretending to act like a LL employee”.



The Blarney Stone Irish Pub at (SL) Dublin, has been running steady over nine years. “We were here before you were born” a sign reads inside.  While an ex-regular says: “Now I get angry every time I go there, they seem to have more staff members than clients”- She also told me that- “The Blarney Stone self implodes every now and then and it’s due by now.
Drama can kills sims and empties even the most patient owners.  And everyone hopes that SL Dublin is sturdier than say Mill Pond, yes the same Mill Pond that was owned by Micala Lumiere. You see, Micala was a professor interested in virtual communities and she formed one of the most vibrant, fun and fascinating communities in world, The Open Latte at Mill Pond.  But with SL success, drama arrives.



Like other owners, Micala resembled the Giant of that old story, the one when the giant had a precious garden. Close to that garden lived many children, who wanted to come to play. Of course those kids would ruin the grass and they would spoil the fountains, steal the flowers and do the mess that kids do. So the Giant built a wall around his garden. Eventually the kids found a way to sneak in, when the Giant slept.

Micala had envisioned a utopic place open for thoughts and a free community but one April Fool’s morning, she decided to raise rules over the bratty “pondies”, because she was fed up sick with complaints and stuff.

In the storybook the Giant becomes the Gentle Giant as he takes down the walls, he learns to live and play with kids, with their laughter and energy.  But Second Life is strange, it’s all twisted. There the Micala’s start with open gardens and they invite all to come. And many happy people arrive, but also the not so funny elements arrive, the trolls walk in and the griefers grief, and by the time when the drama queens cry, a wall of rules looks very appealing to desperate owners who gladly pass the pub keys to those “volunteers that devote their personal time to run the place”. Convenient answer by Ham Rambler, SL Dublin’s sim owner, and smarter than Micala’s wall or rules, me thinks.

But Micala had no tip jars, no music shows or staff, so she understandably and rightfully, took down her Mill Pond and the Open Latte coffee place down. The avatars acted like the place belonged to them, an angry mob rejected the rules and that was that. By that April fool’s afternoon Micala was one angry giant, she groaned and with a single slap of her bony fingers she pressed the buttons! Sending avatars flying, ejected and banned, the land was closed.

Today you can find 12 different groups of “ex-pondies” with names that can only tell you how hurt folks were. But SL should be fun, right? Are these communities open public places? While that’s should be easy to answer, the matter if the visitors have rights, should also be easy to answer, another easy mosquito to kill.

-If you really want to nail it, you also have to address the fact that most patrons are freeloaders and if they really want some respect they should cooperate with the costs or just go along- a pub manager told me. She, a redheaded avatar added- the freeloaders are the worst complainers.

-At least the Staffers give their time and commitment to the places, you know. – A not so good looking owner said, and I thought he had said it all, when he added – The real deep thing is that land is too expensive in Second Life -he continued- I have no clue how well is LL doing, but keeping a sim alive in Second Life just for pleasure it’s extremely expensive, we are forced into a tip-jar economy to support it.  

-If the staff keeps the tips to buy hairs and clothes, I don’t care –he seemed to shrug when he said - I just wanted to have a sim that reflects my city and country. They are happy, they keep shows running and for tips really.

Another person replied that –Rightfully it has to be said that Premium Account holders, pay their share to keep SL running, and shopping indirectly chips in as well, so if the Staff thinks they need to be tipped for their bully hosting, they have to think again.
So the situation includes that these places lack sustainable revenues or funding. Owners are often happy to let the staff keep most of tips, since good Staff brings life to the place. Owners, being busy people, trust their place in their hands. Sadly this situation allows power hungry and control freaks to creep into authority positions.

I have been told that the former Dublin Manager reined over a book of rules the size of yellow pages. But apparently at today’s Dublin, staff is in, and patrons are tolerated.
Just look what happened to landmarks like the Junkyard Blues, where in order to enter the club, you have to go to an improvised looking area and there you need to request a staff member to invite you into the group. “Our response to rampant venue griefing” a sign explains.  

Around the metaverse owners are under siege.

But in contrast, at Frank’s surely the most popular elegant venue, they answer with flowers. A properly trained staff treats visitors extremely formally, with salute formats for things from welcoming to addressing situations. At Franks when it is needed, they first say hello and then they go to the matter. At Dublin, bossy staffers are extremely rude and pretend to force behavior over you.

Many of us who have worked at the services industry, know that for example in restaurants the waiter needs to perform a number of actions, from the moment a patron walks-in to the first coffee offering.  

So, how far do we go in trying to control virtual communities? How do we create real value trade-offs between patrons and clubs, so clubs become sustainable? Where are we heading into the future? How do we grow into these questions? Do we need to be treated like children? A client I had in real life, a renowned maker of one Internet success story, once told me, “Virtual communities tend to balance their own” –he said. To what my little voice replied, “Yes, but we need to provide them with the means to do so”.

In Second Life this happens in places where there are no forms to balance the power between staff and patrons, which creates pressure and anger.  Especially when the staff is not service staff, but the VIPs of the place. One answer may be to provide a simple Comments and Suggestion page or object, and to hire people who understand the meaning of “Service” in “Service Industry”. Understanding that true leaders are servants more than police, would be nice too.

At the moment in Blarney Stone it’s normal to see people being advised, “Do this”, “don’t do that”, “we don’t do this here”, “we have rules”, “respect them.” Of course in SL there is no physical violence.  There are only ejections. So I saw many people getting them, most under house-rules, but some not really, they were borderline, subject to unprepared intolerant staffers using the house rules at their own bending interest. It is incredible that you have to defend your self from Staff by explaining them the rules or if TOS is not their place to enforce.

But one things that honestly baffles me is how normally smart people allows these wannabees to hold any power over them, questioning this is not disrespect, it is resistance.
This goes further at Blarney Stone, they do bully-like tactics like this: a manager will instruct regulars and their more moldable staffers not to talk to a trouble-maker, not to encourage him to stay, to ignore her. They can also ask a friend of theirs to run you over and push you, “sorry if I am pushing, I haven’t rezzed” and they also allow their friends to break the rules in front of you, only to show-off their muscle. Blarney Stone is not an enjoyable place to go right now, no wonder it is struggling financially.

This is the same Staff that does not allow a Mafia Night Event, or decides what a proper event is and what is not. It goes on and on, the stories of people banned and ejected are incredible, it’s like the current top dog -a particularly bitter person- is bully attacking regulars systematically, allowing only those that bend into her ways. Educated, polite, professional teachers, educators, house moms, lots of people has been ejected and banned out of pure abuse and reaching to simple mood. Why I am not saying any names, well actually I am its, Harm Rambler and Jane1 Bookmite who are responsible for allowing this situation to creep. The sim owner and a long standing manager they are smart, they know this and still allow it to continue.

At Dublin in SL, you may witness how the bouncer game plays out, just as an example and not to be biased, let’s call this person… say:  “UglyWitch”, this once security staffer or bouncer, actually has bullied herself into becoming a “manager”, UglyWitch loves good behavior and safe keeping of peace by rules.
When she is around, this could happen to you at the Blarney Stone Irish Pub.
Another avatar lets call her Super Girl, using a Glamshack joke pastes a chat that resembles a real IM conversation:

[19:45] SuperGirl:  [27:78] Cap Carver: “so this morning I woke wearing pink undies...”
This is followed by a club warning by UglyWitch.
[19:45] UglyWitch: “That is not allowed, you are breaching TOS”
[19:45] SuperGirl: “No UglyWitch... because there is not such a time as [27:78] it is also called parody, and it is okay…”
[19:46] UglyWitch: “Ah.”

What is painful to see, is that during the following weeks, that joke becomes UglyWitch’s favorite and she wears it down until it’s a dead horse, and not even using fake time stamps to be proper.  So blatant, but who will tell them anything? They make the rules. They bend them as they wish.

So one night, yours truly, earned an ejection. See? I said it -I earned it- I was self-centered and not careful of others feelings while pretty slammed with some Mezcal (…it was tequila, but mezcal was just a literally license for appearing more dangerous…) I discovered you cannot mention “Oh Sherry” during a Ramstein dark-metal-trash DJ event, because apparently Steve Perry hurts the DJ’s feelings at the pub...  Okay, I did more than that... but I spare you of the details of that incident, because this should not be about a single incident happening to a given person, but we could use it to think about other bigger issues of course.

One person puts it like this -“Imagine it’s a sport, say boxing, and the referee interrupts the fight after each blow, how fun would that be? Or like it was USA Football or NFL thing and they throw yellows flags after each play, or Soccer and the referee becomes the center of the action“. That breaks the experience of anyone –he said- But if you complaint, you are a trouble maker and you are out.

This past week-end, I was appalled to discover that things got worse. I learned that there had been repercussions after some –otherwise- tiny incidents, and I cannot even mention the avatar names because they fear actions against them, how sick is that? I will just say that my IMs got capped with nonsense that may make you vomit a little. So sick that I really had to write this and find a brave publisher that is not afraid of becoming permanent banned from that place, like most likely I will.

For some of the commenters on this article, wiser people, it’s better just to leave.  One person simply said

–Kill the dog, the rabies is gone – Get rid of trouble staff, problem solved, is not that hard.
Doing my research, I was desperately looking for help, and I luckily found it. I found an answer and a guide that even made me lower the tone of this report. I went to TED.com, that many of you know, and right there on the front page I learned from, Scilla Elworthy, how to confront a bully without becoming a thug yourself. A must see if you like social changes, Mrs. Scilla helps advice countries in conflict, on topics such as nuclear weapons policy. I think we can import some of her knowledge into our Second Life petite dramas.
You have to see the video. I find amazing the way she approaches the subject of peace, basically she says that in order to confront conflicts, first you have to start by thinking deeply on self-knowledge, your strengths, your weaknesses, in order to raise your inner power. She sounds like a sage, more than a peace advisor.

Mrs. Scilla tells that true change has to come from inside, from your heart, and you have to be open to listen to the others.  Second you have to recognize what scares you, because fears –on both sides of a conflict or argument- feed off the attention that we give them, then she says its okay to be angry –she adds- “Use your anger to fuel your progress” - very Yoda like indeed.

After that, she advises to cooperate with the other side of the conflict and and most important is to make a commitment with non-violence. In Second Life we would say a commitment not to drama.

A few years back I asked Ham Rambler, why people could not dance on top of the table bar? His answer was remarkable, he just said -“I just want it to be as close to a real pub as possible”.  Something in his answer was heartfelt, a little sad, after that I shut up for years, and even played for the home team many times, especially when Jane –Dublin’s manager- asked me to. I know she tries hard and she is honest, even as she has gone overboard and she does not know it. Her “Hi kids” can only be relied with “Hi mom” and I know she just don’t roll clothes like mine does.

I can’t answer those questions I think my calling to kill mosquitoes is only to let people know, how far this has gone and how many “regulars” have left the Blarney Stone after these thugs have become VIPS. In recent Dubln’s management has cleared their “banned” list, maybe in a desperate effort to recover some of it’s lost revenue.

Ham Rambler, lose the UglyWitch-like staffers and get real service culture into the place and it will be great again, not that hard!



If now, I don’t acknowledge the good persons that devote their personal time to the Blarney Stone, this article would be incomplete. I know for a fact that the three sims that make  up Dublin, also employ hard working devoted people and they are trying their best.
It is not causality that it was one of the top places. It´s a great place when Colly is rocking her folk Irish tunes, when K LongLegs is hosting (Sadly “LongLegs” is one person that seems to obey the “don’t talk to her” tactics). Blarney is okay when Gwen mentions the detailed action in SL Radio or Sunday nights at Clarissa’s famous themed events and even when Lucy explains in her sweet and well educated manner that you are doing something wrong, during those moments you know, you are in a special place, those old and ugly textures almost make you feel you are in a casual Franks or say a real Irish pub.

If you are a visitor, a club owner, manager or staff. In order to know what people has to say. Maybe, like many of us and especially the Micalas of the world, you also believe that virtual communities can evolve and we do it by facing the challenges, not by shying away from them or pretending they are not here.


Remember, “Questioning the rules is not disrespect, its resistance”.

160 comments:

  1. This is total disrespect to a reputable and fun place, your article wont bring the Blarney down. Just find another place to go to. They pay the bills so they can decide what and who they want there.

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    1. It sounds to me like the the staff are acting disrespectful to the patrons. I've only visited a few times but clearly there were bad vibes going on. This pub has a bad rep on the grid these days for well documented reasons, not simply idle gossip.

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    2. I don't believe Mony is trying to 'bring the Blarney down' as the first person commented. It's obvious she cares in order to take the time to research and write this article. This has more passion than anything I've read about SL in a long time. Sure, Ham pays the bills but as he stateed the goal was to create a virtual pub reflective of his home and country. He cares or he wouldn't foot the bill each month. The staff don't pay the bills, they invest their time and receive tips as compensation. I believe this pub is worth saving. If others merely stop going, it sends the wrong message to an already ego-inflated staff. If nothing comes of this article and discussion but a pause before an unkind comment said, or an extra 'hello, how are you' to another SL resident, her efforts weren't all in vain.
      ------------------------------------------------
      "Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right."
      --J. Goodall

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    3. Great point of view. This article is thought provoking and engaging. It points out something not just about the Blarney Stone Irish Pub but other venues across the grid that conduct business or overstep their management roles in a similar fashion. I agree that Mony touched on a topic that was needed to be approached. I hope it encourages more people to share their opinions both good and bad. I particularly liked the quote used at the end of this comment. Thank you for sharing

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    4. Greetings, I am Synthetic Mode. I work as staff at the Blarney Stone. This article is NOT thought provoking. Its an attack. Quote "Remember, “Questioning the rules is not disrespect, its resistance”."
      The Rules are laid down by Ham Rambler himself. We as staff do not make them. We HAVE to answer for any mistakes we make. The rules are the rules. Questioning them is fine, but ultimately you MUST follow them. Resisting them is the same as BREAKING them. Arguing isn't allowed. You IM the offender ask them to correct the problem. If they persist then you MUST take action otherwise this behavior will start to spread like a virus and you have lost control of the situation. Arguing on the internet is stupid. The rules are simple. The rules are VERY easy to follow. Fighting them makes you a PROBLEM that has to be FIXED. I don't get how this is hard for people to understand.
      Another thing I'd like to point out is if this change in names. If you are trying to keep to your point, why use NASTY fill in names? "UGLYWITCH"? Really? This tells me you got personal. You are probably editing the entire conversation to suit your article. I'd have believed it more had it been "Staff Person".
      This is nothing more than a petty attack because the author's feelings got hurt because they set OUT to cause a problem, got what they were looking for then trumped up the entire thing.
      The Blarney IS the most friendly place in SL. We welcome EVERYONE. We do our best to answer questions for new people. I LOVE my patrons who join in and help.
      Sorry, but this entire article is a sham. Shame on you for writing it.

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    5. Well all I can say is that your point of view is very biased considering you are "besties" with the named member of staff, and probably laugh your bum off at every cruel remark she thinks up. As an ex regular and an ex member of staff, I can honestly say that Mony got it spot on. Read the article again, it is not about the rules, but about the bully culture that is allowed to continue. I have seen so many good people come and go, both staff and customers. I wholeheartedly disagree that the blarney is the friendliest place in second life. I have seen the staff chat and the derogatory way people are spoken about. I have seen my friends and colleagues targeted by certain members of staff and I just don't see how treating people this way can ever be "ok". I think that Mony has done a very brave thing as she has just said what the majority of people are thinking.
      As a adult I chose not to spend time with people who take pleasure in other people's misery, so I left and do not frequent the place any more. I took my concerns to "management" and was ignored, which I should have expected really and this behaviour continues. I will admit that this situation can not wholly be put onto Tay's shoulders. Without her groupies backing her up she would be nothing, so in fact you and all of the rest of the "clique" are just as responsible fort the situation as she is. And as for management enforcing rules, fair enough if they are there, they should be followed. My question to Jane and Ham is, how can you expect your customers to behave in a polite and respectful fashion, when the example set by your staff is so poor? You have been approached numerous times by different people and still nothing is done and that is weak. People play up in the blarney because rules are not enforced consistently, some staff are not respectful which in turn inspires the customers to behave the same way.
      I dont think that this article will change anything, in fact I am sure the author earned herself a perma ban for this and nothing will be addressed. This in it's self backs up the validity of the contents, and over time the regulars and good staff will become less and less until all you have is "bad staffers" and griefers, who you can eject until your heart is content

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    6. Besties? Sorry, but when a conflict arises its usually brought up among staff members as to what the problem is and how it will be handled by whom and how before action is taken. So...if one sees it we've all seen it. This isn't a "I'll just go off half cocked" kind of place. The rules are very simple. SUPER simple.
      I'm never afraid to voice my opinion if I do not agree with someone's actions against rule breakers. 'Bestie's" included.
      Rule one is to be nice...and we are nice.
      I have found in the year I've been working there is that MANY of the rule breakers fall in to two catagories:
      Trolls and disgruntled patrons who got a 'privileged' attitude.
      Trolls are easy.
      Disgruntled patrons with the 'privileged' attitude are the worst.
      They think the rules don't apply to them any more. So, when they're asked to stop doing the behavior that breaks the rule....they make up articles like this. ;)

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    7. But that is the whole problem, some members of staff are not nice, in fact nice would be the last word I would use to describe them! I never broke any rules. I dressed appropriately, I didn't swear, I always turned up for work on time and prepared. I didn't dance on the bar, I didn't discuss inappropriate subjects. I helped out when I could, You are so focused on "the rules" you are missing the point I am trying to make completely. You will always get trolls and griefers, it's just a part of sl and they should be dealt with quickly. But I know countless people who are not trolls, who feel the same way as myself and the author of this post and to label so many as "disgruntled patrons with privileged attitudes" is delusional. Many have chosen not to spend time with bullies rather than being banned for "rule breaking" or if they have broken rules, it has usually been a reaction to a situation.
      I believe you would voice your opinion if you disagreed, so clearly you think the behaviour of some members of staff is perfectly acceptable, which make you part of the problem doesn't it?

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    8. I have to agree with the article and some of the comments here. As someone who's been going off and on to the blarney stone for almost 3 years now, there's been times that my friends and I have come close to avoiding it altogether. There's sets I like to go to and sets that I regret being at, depending on the staff present. There's been too many times that the patrons and working staff have good conversations going on in local and as soon as certain staff members come in and start their sarcastic chatting with each other and gestures, and even go so far as to mention body parts, the good conversations cease and people either leave or they avoid the local chat because of it. There are certain staff members that act like they own the place and can make and break any rules that they see fit. There's always the trolls and the griefers that people expect and they do get dealt with but the disrespect and attitudes of those certain staffers is ridiculous. Thankfully there are those staff members that do respect the patrons and are nice to everyone and deal with things in a professional manner. They're also the ones that show respect and support for each other. The blarney stone really needs to rethink who they put in higher positions before they lose all their good staff and patrons..

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    9. @Synthetic Mode. It's not that people don't understand this. It is that they disagree with this assessment of how people should be treated. The quote displays deeply problematic thinking. It is inhumane and unnecessary. And if this is the wording that is going around at staff meetings it is no wonder that things play out as they do.

      I'm not saying that all bans are inappropriate. Surely there are trolls who deserve them. But if you are banning because people who were regulars are suddenly seeming uppity about rules, you've crossed a terrible line. If resisting rules is "the same as breaking them", you're running counter to the principles that underpin the best and fairest legal systems in the world. If you are scared of losing "control of the situation" because people are arguing, well, I'd say that depends on what they are arguing about: if it is racist hate speech, for instance, I would go ahead and ban, but I wouldn't worry so much about contagion. If people are no longer people, but are "problems" to be fixed, then something is wrong. If this is standard operating procedure, you're really far gone.
      Ivy Norsk

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    10. When I first attended the Blarney, it was vibrant, fun and people were always in conversation and everyone seemed to be having a great time and getting along, like any social platform.. people will have their differences but that is to be expected. Jane Bookmite I believe has had a major negative impact as manager. She may work hard but is she working hard in the right areas? Anyone feel free to challenge what I'm saying but if you asked the majority of people who attend or "used to" attend the Blarney, I can assure you the majority all think Jane is a major problem and that her behavior is disgusting. I truly wish Ham had enough time to see how much of an effect her behavior has had because I'm sure if he was aware, he certainly wouldn't let it continue. This place will never ever recover while Jane has the authority she has been given, she has inflicted a terrible culture that many of the staff will continue to follow. I hope for Hams sake and the rest of the patrons something is done before it's too late.

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  2. As a long time patron (not freeloader) of the Blarneystone Pub, I have seen waves of bad people come and go over time. I would like to send kudos to John Seattle, who has always been gracious host and fine DJ.. Yuki, Boris and KCEE have been wonderful admins and hosts over the years and very fair as well. While I have never been called down by Jane with one of her infamous "See My IM" requests, I will say that she has become increasingly unfriendly and the only time she has greeted me in the past year or so is when Ham was behind the bar in the pub. It doesn't make one feel 'at home' in a place where I've always loved to land at the end of a night of grid hopping. The last comment I want to make is that I once asked someone why she kept Jane and Taykyn on her list of friends only to be told "so they will stay off my case". What does that tell you? This avatar obviously felt cyber bullied in order to keep the peace. I could go on and on, but like the sign in the bar that Ms. Markova posted in this artlcle says "I was here before you were even born". Here's hoping to ride out a very bad storm that started just over two years ago. Cheers! --Just A 2007 Resident.

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    1. True, "bad people come and go" and many of the bad people stay to be "bad staff".

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    2. I HIGHLY doubt ANY of this is true. I work at the blarney. Our motto is to "be nice". I strive to meet this goal any time I enter the Blarney, on duty or not. If any action was taken against someone violating HAM RAMBLER's rules I am pretty sure it was justified. He owns the sim, he makes the rules and if there is a violation on staff's part, they will have to answer for it.
      I really do believe this is just a trumped up EDITED version of the truth.

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    3. @ Synthetic Mode... "Arguing is not allowed." How scary you staffers are, holding all the keys, no? Here is a real example. One of the targeted patrons says something like: "Hey John just IM and asked me to tell y'all goodnight"... This is followed by a warning "Breaking TOS, no IM..."... That's stupid and incorrect, for starters "John" has asked to say something AND second the person wasn't copy pasting was repeating something in her own and different words... Not only the cold water of a staffer interrupting your night with idiocy, but you cannot educate them, because that would be "arguing!" -- Hey Dublin. why don't you better fill the place with bots? Just stop pretending to enforce TOS, you are not prepared to so that. And guess what patrons can report abuse as well.

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  3. “I just want it to be as close to a real pub as possible” - Ham Rambler

    This is at the crux of the problem. I spend most of my time at Irish pubs in RL and none of them are as restrictive and absurdly Makevelian. I was banned because I used a gesture with the work "feck" in it. You can't go into any real Irish pub and not hear that word ad nauseam. The Irish are not keen on having rules placed upon them for obvious reasons I shouldn't need to explain here. I found out Mr. Rambler isn't actually Irish... he's a Brit, and I've never met any staff in there that are truly irish... and I don't mean Irish diaspora... I mean Irish living in Ireland. Mr. Rambler claims he is representing a famous Irish pub located in Dublin Ireland, but it's completely superficial and is just a rip-off in my opinion. He would need to understand what this pub actually is and perhaps have his staff trained by people that actually know what a RL Irish pub is if he really wants to represent authentically.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To Random: The use of the word feck is now considered an acceptable word in the Blarneystone. I know this to be true because not only have I seen a clique regular and friend of Staff wear a black tshirt with this word emblazoned on the front, but also have seen the original version spouted in local chat by bully staff and other words not printable for this article. When I once complained to a senior staff person I was told that I should send a notecard to the manager because foul language was not tolerated, I obliged after the next occurance and also copied Ham Rambler. That was months ago. Still awaiting a reply by either. The bottom line is if you are in the clique, You are IN. The rest of us are fecking OUT.

      Delete
    2. Interesting, Definately, the crux of the problem. You hit that nail on the big ol' irish head! I never doubted he isn't irish, perhaps he isn't! Lot of school of thoughts on who is who and who is whose alt. He should have to produce a birth certificate to prove he is irish! HAHA! If I owned an Irish sim... I sure as heck would hire true irish staff to give it that "real" appeal.

      Furthermore, "Tay is the ugly witch, always has been, always will be", Jane needs to go too.

      Its a shame Ham is so dependent upon passive-aggressive bipolar women. Maybe the pub could be saved.

      You really should clean your house Ham Rambler.

      Delete
    3. So should 95% of the "women" on here be required to prove they are women. I think if that happened there would be a sudden increase in males. While we are at we should require Anonymous people post with their real names......even better everyone should be required to prove they don't live at home in their parent's basements also.

      Delete
    4. So Ham Rambler might not even be a Dub or even Irish eh? That would explain why the BS is about as Irish as a McDonalds. Ironically Gogarty's in Temple Bar Dublin, the pub/hostel the BS outer facade is based on is actually a tourist trap which caters to the international travel looking for a bit of real Dublin. It itself is plastic and shallow but infinitely more authentic than its SL counterpart which blows my mind. If Ham is indeed not Irish it would explain why the BS was/is run as a complete opposite.

      Delete
    5. Ban Report from Dublin in SL Archives:

      RANDOM MEFUSULA, DUBLIN, BLARNEY, PARCEL BAN
      by Kennef Riggles on Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:08 pm

      Subject was repeatedly observed using chat spam gestures of

      more than 3 lines at a rate that was clearly unreasonable.

      Subject was asked by Hostess on Duty, Jane1 Bookmite to

      refrain from the gestures with excessive lines as to keep the

      chat clear for others to enjoy their enthusiasm. the Subject

      argued with Jane, and then with myself in IM.

      the subject was parcel banned by this wirter on Tuesday, July

      5, 2011 at 12:46am SLT

      below is my IM, Jane will reply with hers.

      -- Instant message logging enabled --
      [12:44] You: Hey Random, I am the Assistant Operations Manager

      here in Dublin. I would ask you to please comply with the very

      reasonable request by our staff to limit your chat gestures to

      ones with 3 lines. if you will not work with us on this issue,

      i will ask you to leave. this is not negotiable
      [12:46] Random Mefusula: back off... your nanny crap is

      ridiculous... I'm not going to customize my reasonable gesture

      applause and such to conform to your absurd nanny

      restrictions... If they were ridiculous gestures I would

      understand, but what you're asking goes too far
      [12:46] You: this is an established Dublin guidleline, clearly

      posted in the pub for all to see, and communicated to you

      several times, have a nice day
      [12:47] Random Mefusula: you're an asshole
      [12:47] Random Mefusula: I'll talk to Ham directly about this

      nonsense
      [12:47] You: you may contact our Security manager to review

      your ban Ham will be notified as well, and i am sure he will

      tell you the same that i have.
      [12:53] Random Mefusula: well I'm not surprised at all to

      learn of the recent boycott of BS... you guys are overreaching

      your authority and ruining what used to be a good SL

      experience... I will never recommend this place to anyone and

      I will advise performers to avoid this venue. Have a nice day
      [12:53] You: the recent boycott? lol
      [12:53] You: yeah that was something
      [12:53] Random Mefusula: Clar told me of it
      [12:54] Random Mefusula: she is BS's most loyal fan and she

      was dissappointed
      [12:54] You: in the end... Ham owns the sim, he makes the

      rules
      [12:55] You: and we arent suffering
      [12:55] Random Mefusula: I'm wondering how much of it is Ham

      and how much is his control freak staff... either way it's

      ruining BS
      [12:55] You: well... you can ask Ham and he will tell you
      [12:55] You: in fact... i'll ask him to contact you personally
      [12:56] Random Mefusula: don't worry... I will ask Ham, and if

      he supports this nonsense as you claim... I will be very

      disappointed and won't be seen to be subjected to your nanny

      crap anymore
      [12:57] You: Ham will be insensed that way that you ignored

      reasonable and polite requests from his staff
      [12:57] You: its ong a flippin sign thats been posted for over

      2 years
      [12:57] Random Mefusula: I've never had my gestures challenged

      so absurdly in the last 2 years
      [12:58] Random Mefusula: I use these at every show I attend

      and have never had one complaint
      [12:58] Random Mefusula: you guys are clearly over the top
      [12:58] You: Our Security Manager Smitty Boyau will receive a

      report, and you may review your case with him, until then,

      havve a good day,, i'll be muting you now
      [12:59] You: have a great day
      [12:59] Random Mefusula: hahahahah
      [12:59] Random Mefusula: geesh

      Delete
    6. Ban report continued:

      My interaction with the subject.
      by jane1 bookmite on Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:15 pm

      Random was asked to not misrepresent our rules.

      Later he spammed an event and I asked him to refrain.

      logs follow.

      Jane

      IM's with Random

      [2011/07/05 11:55] You: Hi randon,,
      [2011/07/05 11:55] You: you do NOT get kicked out,,,,
      [2011/07/05 11:55] Random Mefusula: hey Jane
      [2011/07/05 11:55] You: you get reminded that the owner does not allow it
      [2011/07/05 11:56] Random Mefusula: I was nearly banned when I used a funny gesture that contained that word lol
      [2011/07/05 11:56] You: I was here,,,
      [2011/07/05 11:56] You: I am aware of the situation,,,
      [2011/07/05 11:57] Random Mefusula: it was very petty and uncalled for in my opinion... especially since this is supposed to be an Irish pub
      [2011/07/05 11:57] You: It is owned by Ham
      [2011/07/05 11:57] You: we abide by his rules,,
      [2011/07/05 11:57] You: we do nto like lots of gestures as it inhibts chat
      [2011/07/05 11:57] You: very reasonable
      [2011/07/05 11:58] Random Mefusula: well I used the same gesture in front of Ham and he just laughed
      -- Instant message logging enabled --
      [12:37] You: We have a well published 3 line gesture maximum, thanks
      [12:38] You: Three line maximum for gestures
      [12:41] Random Mefusula: listen... I'm sick of your nanny crap... back off

      local chat

      [11:54] You: Hi Ed !
      [11:55] Roisin Ballyhoo: http://www.gogartys.ie/
      [11:55] FrankLee's Tip Guitar Case 01: Configuring the abTipJar script v1.3
      [11:55] FrankLee's Tip Guitar Case 01: Please be patient this will take a few seconds.
      [11:55] Random Mefusula: one of the main differences between this bar and the RL one is that if you say the F-word here you get kicked out... if you try to kick anyone out of the RL pub you get kicked in the head ...::: hahahaha :::...
      [11:55] Felisha Firelight: lol
      [11:55] EvaAnn Afterthought: food
      [11:55] Felisha Firelight: i'm not one to say the big F word
      [11:55] Felisha Firelight: whew

      **** snip ***

      Delete
    7. Ban Report continued:

      **** snip ***

      [12:37] Shannyn Fall: (¸.•´ (¸.•`♥️ A P P L A U S E ♪♫♪
      [12:37] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ...::: Yaay :::...
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ╔♪═╗╔╗ ♥️
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ╚╗╔╝║║♪═╦╦╦╔╗
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ╔╝╚╗♪╚╣║║║║╔╣
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ╚═♪╝╚═╩═╩♪╩═╝
      [12:37] Random Mefusula: ♥️ THIS SONG♫♬♪
      [12:38] Jbird (jbird.melodie): PLEASE SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION TO OUR GREAT ARTIST FRANKLEE FOR THE AWESOME MUSIC HE IS PLAYING FOR US TODAY!!
      [12:38] Kel Triellis: hoo! Frank
      [12:38] Random Mefusula: du du du du duuu duu dooo dooo du
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: *•.¸('*•.¸ ♥️ ¸.•*´)¸.•*
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: .•*♥️¨`• LOVELY •´¨` ♥️*•.
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ¸.•*(¸.•*´ ♥️ `*•.¸)`*•.¸
      [12:39] Otawan Fouquet: good choice random
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: 【ツ】
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: my fave
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: du du du du duuu duu dooo dooo du
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ☀️☆㋡(`'·.¸ ✪ ¸.·'´)㋡☆☀️
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ╔═╦═╦═╦══╦═╦═╦══╦╦═╗
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ║═╣║║║╠╗╔╣║║╚╬╗╔╣║╔╝
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ║╔╣╦║║║║║║╦╠╗║║║║║╚╗
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ╚╝╚╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩═╩╩╩╩╩═╝
      [12:39] Random Mefusula: ¸.•*(¸.•*´ ♥️ `*•.¸)`*•.¸
      [12:40] You: RANDOM PLEAS SEE MY IM !!!!!
      [12:40] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
      [12:40] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
      [12:40] Random Mefusula: +*✰*+*'*•.¸(*•.¸♫♪¸.•*´)¸.•*'+*✰*+
      [12:40] Random Mefusula: ★♫♪«´¨`°• CHEERS & APPLAUDS •´¨`»♪♫★
      [12:40] Random Mefusula: +*✰*.¸.•*(¸.•*´♪♫`*•.¸)`*•.¸.+*✰*
      [12:40] Wind (whoflieswiththewind.writer): Applause!!!
      [12:40] Wind (whoflieswiththewind.writer): Applause!!
      [12:40] Shannyn Fall: .-'`'-. ♪ APPLAUSE ♪.-'`'-.
      [12:40] Kel Triellis: love it love it
      [12:40] EvaAnn Afterthought: more than 3 lines Jane ?
      [12:40] Kel Triellis: (`'· Applause! ·'´)
      [12:40] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Luap Spyker (13m)
      [12:40] Otawan Fouquet: Hooooo!
      [12:40] Otawan Fouquet: HoOoOoOoOoOoOoO.....!!!!!!!

      Delete
    8. Ban Report continued:

      [12:41] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:41] Otawan Fouquet: love this song
      [12:41] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): ♫♥️♫HoO♫♥️♫ HoO♫♥️♫HoOo♫♥️♫
      [12:41] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): I SMELL BANANA
      [12:41] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): PANCAKES!!!
      [12:41] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): ♫♥️♫HoO♫♥️♫ HoO♫♥️♫HoOo♫♥️♫
      [12:41] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Miakey Resident (5m)
      [12:41] Kel Triellis: .•☆ Oh Yeah! ☆•.
      [12:41] Jbird (jbird.melodie): Franklee is singing his heart out just for us!!!!
      [12:41] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .‧•‧.‿.‧•‧.‿☮️.‧•‧.‿.‧•‧.‿☯️.‧•‧.‿.‧•‧.‿❀.‧•‧.‿.‧•‧.‿
      [12:41] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:42] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:42] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:42] Otawan Fouquet: beautiful FrankLee
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: *•.¸('*•.¸ ♥️ ¸.•*´)¸.•*
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: .•*♥️¨`• LOVELY •´¨` ♥️*•.
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: ¸.•*(¸.•*´ ♥️ `*•.¸)`*•.¸
      [12:43] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:43] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: FrankLee Anatra (7m)
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: ˜*•. ˜*•.•*˜ .•*˜
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: ˜*•. ˜”*°•.˜”*°•.•°*”˜.•°*”˜ .•*˜
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: .•*♥️¨`• EARGASMS •¨`♥️*•.
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: .•*˜ .•°*”˜.•°*”˜”*°•.˜”*°•. ˜*•.
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: .•*˜ .•*˜*•. ˜*•.
      [12:43] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
      [12:43] Jbird (jbird.melodie): .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
      [12:43] Shannyn Fall: .-'`'-. ♪ APPLAUSE ♪.-'`'-.
      [12:43] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆ APPLAUSE ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆
      [12:43] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆ APPLAUSE ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆
      [12:43] ΆƱɓƧ (aubreya.joszpe): ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆ APPLAUSE ☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆
      [12:43] Otawan Fouquet: Yes, ty, ty
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: +*✰*+*'*•.¸(*•.¸♫♪¸.•*´)¸.•*'+*✰*+
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: ★♫♪«´¨`°• CHEERS & APPLAUDS •´¨`»♪♫★
      [12:43] Random Mefusula: +*✰*.¸.•*(¸.•*´♪♫`*•.¸)`*•.¸.+*✰*
      [12:43] Wind (whoflieswiththewind.writer): Applause!!!
      [12:43] Wind (whoflieswiththewind.writer): Applause!!
      [12:43] Otawan Fouquet: (enthusiastic applause)
      [12:43] You: yay Frank !!!!!
      [12:43] Otawan Fouquet: (enthusiastic applause)
      [12:43] Kel Triellis: (`'· Applause! ·'´)
      [12:43] You: what a great show!!!!
      [12:44] You: nobody !!!!
      [12:44] Otawan Fouquet: your very good
      [12:44] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Aubreya Joszpe (6m)
      [12:44] Kel Triellis: awesome Frank Smile
      [12:44] You: Gusy plase be generous tippin Frank !!!! thsi has been a special show !!!
      [12:44] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Random Mefusula (7m)
      [12:44] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Luap Spyker (13m)
      [12:45] Roisin Ballyhoo paid you L$100.
      [12:45] Border Collie Tip Jar: Roisin Ballyhoo payed $100L
      [12:45] You: Roisi !! hugs thanks !!!!
      [12:46] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: Kennef Riggles (7m)
      [12:46] MystiTool HUD 1.3.1: Entering chat range: TJ Kalil (12m)
      [12:46] Jbird (jbird.melodie): PLEASE SHOW YOUR LINDEN LOVE TO FRANKLEE... HE IS SINGING HIS HEART OUT FOR US TODAY!! Thank you!!
      [12:47] Kel Triellis: hoo!
      [12:47] Kel Triellis: hiya Tom Smile
      [12:47] LaD Loves Chuckie (ladonna.ohanlon): hi lib
      [12:47] TortugaTom Macbain: Hey Kel
      [12:47] Jbird (jbird.melodie): *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*WELCOME BACK DREAMERS!!! GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN!!!!*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*
      [12:47] You: Hi Tort !!!!
      [12:47] TortugaTom Macbain: I everyone..Wink
      [12:47] Lib (librarygirl.theas): hello LaD Smile
      [12:47] Winter Thorn: Hi Tom
      [12:47] Felisha Firelight: thanks for the wonderful time


      RANDOM MEFUSULA, DUBLIN, BLARNEY, ESTATE BAN
      by Smitty Boyau on Tue Jul 12, 2011 12:59 pm

      Outstanding job and great teamwork here. Thank Jane and Ken for an outstanding job well done.

      After review this was changed to an estate ban from all of Dublin.

      Delete
  4. Real life Dubliners' run not walk from this pub after spending a short time there. If you are even lucky enough to find a Dub. The Dubs, I know are appalled at its management and policies. The former management were bullies and sexual predators. The latter group.. are seriously sleep deprived, alienate and exasperate their patrons, and make very poor decisions. I have seen one staff person sell another down the river by posting logs of the "staff" discussions regarding targeted patrons, to their own "desires". So, yes its true. All the stuff you read here is basically everyone/s story after they have spent any time in the Blarney Stone. It's basically, junior high school on steroids.

    Mony dear, well done and kudos for having the BALLS to speak your mind. I know your heart is in the right place, but you seriously didn't need to sugar-coat it.

    The current staff lacks tact and have a true sense of false superiority. I would not recommend the Blarney Stone to anyone, it always ends badly for most. So much more to say, so little time. I vote Ham hires professionals to run this pub who will nurture the creativity and diversity of each avatar that enters.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is all true, they are selecting who they allow to be there. It used to be a calm and a nice place, but it changed pretty quickly. They ban people without good reasons, just if one of the staff members don't like a person, they are banned. I do not recommend that place to anyone, it is not what it used to be.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Downfall of the Blarney Stone >>> Tayken

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good feature it remarks how important is to face and denounce incidents in places such this. I am pleasantly surprised it was published. Not all of us have the enough courage to unmask these painful incidents. In this case it was examined deeply. Hat off to you MOny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, there was another blog few years ago. If I find it I will post the link. This isn't anything new.

      Delete
    2. Or courage to use your real name when posting comments about someone......I think this is called cowardice....yes that is the word

      Delete
    3. names arent necessary, you arent using yours

      Delete
  8. There is a strong attachment to this pub for many folks. Sure, it would be easy to stop going or look the other way but people love it or they would not bother to reply. Jane is burnt out and it shows. If anyone needs to be banned it's Taykyn and all her flunkies. Not only does she proudly wear a self-made staff tag that says "Dublin Bully" but relishes in being rude to many patrons. Who trained her as staff anyway? Sometimes people are in the wrong job and not a right 'fit'. This is a prime example. Strife, negativity and indifference have been going on over two years now and mostly instigated by this one staff member. In a virtual world that time frame is an eternity. Ham Rambler should clean house and restore order to preserve the integrity of his pub.

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOL....all these brave Anonymous post. I am sure some of you call Ham a friend, you should be ashamed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not on Ham's friend or contact list (whichever you prefer). However, if he was it might be easier to get ahold of him instead of sending a notecard that goes unanswered. :-/

      Delete
    2. Pot Kettle...the LOL is on you, Your posting is signed Anonymous too!

      Delete
    3. I am sure some of you ARE Ham! haha

      Delete
  10. I see so the article is about breaking rules, etc....but to even post a comment here it must also pass approval....perhaps a posting "Bully" if they don't like what you say it may not get posted? kind of a double standard?....hmmmmm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FYI--Everything that I have ever commented on in the SL Enquirer has been posted. This includes not only this article but prior ones as well. At times my comments may not have always been popular but they were posted and all mine, verbatim. For the record, none of my friends or associates are affiliated with this publication or the Dublin sim.

      Delete
  11. Apparently this is a bash the Blarney and Tayken article, because i have made two separate post to point out things about the post, but neither of them have been approved....however "Tayken single handedly obliterated the place." was approved well after my post.......so this is the kind of one sided and unfair paper you want to run. This can be posted around as well....all is fair.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rules.....oh no not rules, we would hate to live by rules. What happens if you speed and get caught, you broke the rules and get a ticket. What happens if you mouth off in a "RL" pub as many of you are fond of saying, in my experience you may get your mouth mashed in. So if you cannot obey the rules or mouth off in an SL pub, well you get removed or banned. It's both cheaper and less painful. I propose an experiment, try going down to your local and acting like some of you act in the or wear some of the clothing you wear in the Blarney. The thing is that Dublin is owned by Ham and it is his, there are other sims that have rules because the owners want things a certain way. So to rage and ramble on about the rules is not fair, why not complain about the nude beach that requires you to be nude to be there. LL will gladly sell anyone a sim so pony up and buy a sim and make it your way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Experiment 2. Enter RL pub. Bully regulars.

      Delete
  13. It's easy to post under the title Anonymous, so very brave to rage and throw a temper tantrum. Ah the joys of the internet when people who were asked to follow a set of rules chose not to, repeatedly and then encountered a consequence of that behavior. Oh the staff is mean! How dare they tell me what do! Agenda much? Interesting how when YOU want something from the staff or need something it's fine to ask and complain, but when they ask something of you, it's temper tantrum time. Ah well, the joys of the internet, if only there was a way to go elsewhere... oh wait there is, so don't login, find another sim, enjoy something else, read a book, or just sit there and stew on how awful people are to you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. She wears the bully tag because its so pathetic. Tay is about as scary as a fly taking a turd. The fact you are all so scared of her is entirely laughable.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am manually publishing every comment submitted to The SL Enquirer after review. When they get posted is when I am able to break away from real life and hit the publish button. So pardon me if a comment you wrote was not posted in real time. Due to some commenters using words that would get their mouth washed with soap. This is how I choose to handle things.

    Here is a comment from "Anonymous" that I needed to censor a bit. I didn't want to leave this commenter out and be accused of holding back comments so here it goes....

    :Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A dark peek into the once mighty SL Blarney Stone ...":

    All of you are crying p*****s who got their p*pe slapped... rules are rules, stop being a c***. "

    Sent to SLE Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 3:22:00 PM PDT

    (SMH)- Lanai

    ReplyDelete
  16. Even knowing something of the feud that led to this obvious poison pen piece, I found it biased and self serving. I will however say it was entertaining, after all its not journalism right?.
    I have no objection to bloggers venting spleen, as long as its not too malicious or taken too seriously.
    I do however object to the use of the word "reporting" in the title, only marginally more than I object to the use of the word "news" in SLE's banner.

    Bellvue Resident

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh my ! it appears commenters are turning their attention towards SLE.

    Here are some definitions of the word news n(y)o͞oz

    noun
    newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events.
    "I've got some good news for you"

    a broadcast or published report of news.

    plural noun: the news
    "he was back in the news again"

    synonyms: report, announcement, story, account; More
    informal
    information not previously known to someone.
    "this was hardly news to her"



    Whatever SLE is can be defined in many different ways but the bottom line is, it provided information to the masses that readers can choose to read or not. What might not be news to you, might be to others. Just saying.

    Ty for your comment Bellvue. Have a wonderful day.


    * definition retrieved from Google.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the definition game, I haven't played it since I was a lad!.

      information
      ɪnfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/Submit
      noun
      1.
      facts provided or learned about something or someone.
      "a vital piece of information"
      synonyms: details, particulars, facts, figures, statistics, data;

      Here is another great definition I came across whilst searching,

      scandalmonger
      ˈskand(ə)lmʌŋgə/Submit
      noun
      a person who stirs up public outrage towards someone or their actions by spreading rumours or malicious gossip.
      synonyms: gossip, muckraker, tattler;

      You have a lovely day too Rebecca.

      keep up the work!

      *definitions retrieved from Google

      Bellvue Resident

      Delete
    2. This is from RL Law (Wikipedia). “Libel is defined as defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.

      It is not Libel when, it’s a comment on a matter of public interest, or when arguments are made with an honest belief in their soundness on a matter of public interest. Also it’s not Libel, (even if such arguments are logically unsound); if a reasonable person could honestly entertain such an opinion, then the statement is protected and it is not defamatory or libel.”

      That’s for Real Life… In SL the question then is…. Are these claims false, incorrect, lies, made with the intention to hurt, a reasonable person cannot entertain these opinions?

      Judging from commentators, that Pub has a serious rat problem.

      Delete
    3. I at no time mentioned libel, thanks for the definition though.
      When you quote something, even Wikipedia, its generally frowned upon to alter the information between the inverted commas to suit your argument. Taking pieces from different places in the same document and adding your own words to change the meaning is called deliberate misquotation.
      My original comment is that the above piece could in no sane way be defined as news, because it lacks facts. It meets the definition of both opinion and gossip very well, and if viewed from that perspective the word reporting would also be acceptable.

      At this time I cant think of a definition for one who makes judgement based on anonymous comments, I will be sure to let you know if I come up with one.

      Bellvue Resident

      Delete
    4. Dear Mrs. Bellvue Resident, you mentioned "scandalmonger", is that what you are suggesting is happening here? I have to confess I have read this article several times, it seems to answer all the remarks in advance- I wonder why are you so hurt? Thanks for answering. I wrote the liebel comment and the parts I took out I thought were unnecessary... but you can always check the original. Hey just chill a tad missy....

      Delete
    5. Mrs. Resident, just to add that I wasn't commenting at YOU. I was offering my own read on the situation.

      Delete
    6. Dear Anonymous
      To be honest I don't even know where to start.
      I am not suggesting anything at all, I am making a statement that the above blog meets the definitions of opinion & gossip, and posting it meets the definition of scandalmongering, feel free to check the definitions (hopefully not on Wikipedia, you seem to have some issues understanding the articles).
      One cannot answer a remark, as it is not a question, one could however respond to a remark, although how you would do this in advance remains a mystery to me.
      I am not hurt at all, I am rather sad. If you don’t understand that you changed the meaning of the Wikipedia article by changing the wording, that makes me sad. I think I preferred it when I thought it was a deliberate misquotation, at least that would have shown some comprehension of what you were attempting to quote. For future reference an example of a possible defense is not “RL Law” as you call it.
      When you hit the reply button it indicates you are commenting on the post that the reply button was attached to, I would have thought this required no explanation. If you wish to offer your own read on the situation, you should probably click add a comment.
      Regards
      Bellvue Resident, not a Mrs. or a miss

      Delete
    7. Mr. Resident. Gotcha, im also feud adverse. Pls dont pretend to educate me we are talkin SL things. Because if you now, tell me that its important, well then the comments on this threads and this article itself speak of actual things, that are pretty worrisome for a glorified chat room that SL really is. I found that you are no missy, but that you are also biased. Like me I am biased here too. Say cheers and peace have a pint... If this got you sad, just consider the number if peeps under your friends crosshairs. Damn good reporting I say! -Ki M

      Delete
    8. @ Bv... hush... you are not helping your band! You are good for stats! ~ signs a friend of a friend of a friend who does not hate you.

      Delete
    9. I have made no comment on the authors opinion, in fact I believe I went some way towards defending the piece and describing it as entertaining even though I personally believe it to be motivated by revenge.

      My objections were to it being called news, apparently this is something I am not allowed to do without being corrected.In my opinion good reporting does not contain things like personal attacks and opinion presented as fact. I don't believe this is bias.

      My opinion has changed however, I am now more concerned by the anonymous attacks delivered from under the dubious umbrella of protecting the posters and their friends,
      and yes I would say the same if it were Moni being attacked as viciously.

      I don't have a band, Yes I like Tay, yes she is my friend, she bought me shoes when I was new, when some of the so called bullied were rude and mocked my noobish ways or excluded me from conversation. (I got over it and I even tease the odd noob myself on occasion)

      I have been ejected from the Blar more than most, I brush myself off and apologise for my stupidity and get on with the fun.

      Warms my heart to know there is someone out there who does not hate me and thinks I am good for stats? though.

      "Cyber bullies can hide behind a mask of anonymity online, and do not need direct physical access to their victims to do unimaginable harm."
      Anna Maria Chavez

      Bellvue Resident

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    10. @Bellvue...You have certainly become Taykyn's biggest cheerleader! What devotion! It's time to put down your pom-poms and realize you are rooting for the wrong team. Rah Rah! Team Mony wins by a landslide! The people have spoken.

      Delete
    11. @Bv... not too hard if you think about it... it was the friend, of the friend of the friend... that's the THIRD person! The first two... well you loosing them... - At least no one has poked an eye out over this just yet, we know your friend Tay will not even be hand slapped... she really won and this may have even made her stronger, "Tay the Unsinkable Kiwi" was a better name... When in doubt... ask Ellen.~ M

      Delete
    12. Your point is well made Anonymous, the smart money was always on the faceless mob out for blood, over the individual anyway.
      I shall indeed pack up my pom-poms. I just hope I can find a box big enough for them and whatever is left of my self respect for having read or commented on this in the first place.

      Enjoy your win, I hope its everything you hoped for, you truly deserve it.

      Bellvue Resident

      Delete
    13. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    14. Article tags include: opinion, management, crisis and culture. Reminds me of why restaurant reviews exist.

      Delete
  18. A close friend of mine on Staff at the Blarneystone confided in me several things over time...

    1. The Staff really do target certain patrons they feel go against the grain and encourage other staff members to be aloof and ignore to those not in the inner circle in hopes they will leave. They chat in the SL Managers Group to discuss and gossip about various visiting patrons. If this is the common feeling among management, why be a public pub? just make it a private sim by invitation only. No one wants to feel unwelcome. This is not the spirit in which the BlarneyStone was built! But the reality is, the pub cannot run without the patronage of customers!!!

    2. There is a set of rules that are published in which to be adhered by while at the Pub. Many customers have not been banned nor called down about any rule. I have never been instructed as to how to conduct my behavior in this pub nor given anyone reason to ban or eject me or otherwise discuss my behavior or conversation.

    3. Tayken is a problem and not all Staffers believe she is a proper representative of Dublin, however they won't go against her in fear of retribution. Jane, the manager will not correct this employee's behavior, which ultimately falls back on Jane and finally, Ham. Hopefully after this article is read by them, they will look into all of the issues.

    4. Lastly, all of this is written anonymous;y, not to protect myself but rather to protect my friend. I will not confirm or deny if this person is or is not currently on Staff. I will attest that I have known about these issues stated above for quite some time, long before this article was posted.

    In closing, I would like to say that I love frequenting the Dublin sim and am hoping that management will correct some issues in order to make it a more positive experience for all concerned: patrons, staff and management.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I cannot believe SLE would allow this "article" to even be published under the guise of journalism. No professional paper would ever allow someone to use their paper for a personal attack which is obvious in this article by the name calling “UglyWitch”. This is an editorial fail. So beware readers if you make a member of SLE angry you may be the subject of the next article. I have been a subscriber for a awhile, but no more after this. I have also sent messages to my friends about this, who have articles and advertise with SLE to read this article and make of it what they will. No professial "news" paper would ever have allowed this to be published this way. I do not object to the story only the name calling and overly bias opinion that the writer thought she has been wronged. I do not know anyone named in the article nor do I care, before everyone starts raging...I will only comment on the article itself. Kim Kimbro

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is "UglyWitch" the person that wears "Dublin's Bully" self made tag? .. I seen weirder names in SL.

      Delete
  20. This article sounds like it was wrote by a child. Such a coward way of attacking someone without even saying their name. Grow up and get some integrity. - Tariah Valeeva

    ReplyDelete
  21. In SL, bullying by venue staff is a widespread happening. Granted, managing any venue is not an enviable job. There are, however, many other places where open minds and peaceful intentions are encouraged by staff. The last time I was at TBS the staff and regulars were abusing my noob friend, and it felt like death-eaters dangling a muggle in the air. My Lindens will stay in my pocket if I ever pass through again. . Furthermore, as with any service oriented establishment, if the problems aren't brought to the attention of the owner, then the problems can't be addressed. My name is withheld to protect innocent bystanders.

    "...wrote by a child..." sigh..

    ReplyDelete
  22. I too am a long time resident. Sadly, this was a very accurate article on what is happening at The Blarney Stone. I didn't find this article disrespectful at all. In fact, I think it's much gentler than it should be. I've seen a lot of transitions at The Blarney Stone in the seven years I've patronized the pub. Through these years, I've met some wonderful people and some not-so-wonderful people there. I've seen many staff members come and go, but I've never seen a staff so blatantly immature and mean spirited as the current staff. They actually boast about being bullies! What kind of a person thinks that's acceptable? Aren't we all adults in the 30-60 years of age group? What's going on here? I don't come to the Blarney to be treated like a child. And I'm too old to tolerate being bullied. I have no problem with rules. But the rules must be fair. My goal in Second Life is to make friends and have fun and to escape the troubles of real life for a little while. Unfortunately, Second Life can be a place that attracts the mean-spirited.

    Ham, if your reading this, I can imagine how upset you are right now - not just at Mony, but at all of us who are commenting. Let me just say that I consider you a decent guy and I want to thank you for creating a place for all of us to go in Second Life where so many fond memories are born. Did you know this was the VERY FIRST place I ever went to? The Blarney Stone is what made me keep coming back! Ham, try to understand. We don't mind the rules. Rules are good. If I do something disrespectful, I expect to be banned! I would deserve it! It's not about rules. It's about the staff making us feel unwelcome. That's not what you wanted when you built this place, was it? I'm sure many good respectful people would jump at the chance to give the gift of their time to staff your creation properly. I know how hard you worked on this Sim. It's a testament to you and your awesome imagination. But we want to feel welcome when we visit - that's all.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Seriously? This is SL not RL. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other places. Ffs Tay will be the first person to say she is a bitch. Who cares?! I have known her for years in both rl and social networks. She's a good person. Maybe it's just idiots like you that made her and Jane bitter. Go build your own pub.~ Blu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BENCH THEM!

      If you don't want to fire your key Manager, because she has been loyal, but has gone burst, vacations or retirement.

      If your bouncer has gone rogue, replace her or re-train her, if not jail.

      Personally I would fire an employee like that, "kill the dog the rabies is gone".

      By the way what does the owner say of this?

      Delete
  24. In SL I’m known as Lakhi and for years the Blarney Stone was my home and those there my friends. I know what it is like to be in the “in crowd” to skate the rules and to have staff back you up. I know there was drama that went on and things happening behind the scenes but to be honest; I just didn't care. I was there to have fun and that is what I did. To me hanging at the pub was sitting around; usually on the bar with a bunch of smart asses like myself trading friendly barbs and having a good time. I remember playing guess whose alt that is and loving that game; it was fun. Later when I realized how seriously that game was taken towards the end of my time there it makes me feel sick. The place was always very “high school” I think that speaks to not just the staff but the regular crowd as well; I include myself in this group as I was a part of it. But it is easy for everyone to overlook what goes on when it isn't aimed in your direction. I have witnessed staff bias and plots to ban un-liked people from both sides of the fence, and it is a lot easier to swallow when it is in your favor. I won’t go into it because I think everyone gets the point; plus anyone who knows me already had to put up with me bitching long and loud.

    Mony, I applaud you for writing an article; believe me I know how you feel. I was banned for harassing a “Newbie” Though in truth I was making a statement and being a bitch to Tay. See, I walked in and a bunch of people were sitting around the back of the bar. There was a newbie who didn't speak any English at all trying to talk to them but they just ignored her. I have no idea what she was saying. But I said something like, “They are going to ignore you so don’t bother and that is if you are lucky. If you aren't lucky they will befriend you and then stab you in the back.” I was ejected and informed I was harassing the newbie. I replied I wasn't harassing I was helping. I walked back into the pub and asked in local if speaking the truth was not allowed as well and then I was banned. Clearly, I was being a bitch; but I wasn't being untruthful. Amusingly while I was banned for harassment a certain well known regular (whom I have no personal problems with and rather like) was actually sitting there and harassing someone in local about being an alt, which I do believe is actually against some LL TOS rule if I’m not mistaken. Also if I recall correctly, at the same time I had something in my picks about The Blarney Stone being high school for adults. So that might have had something to do with my booting as well; that is speculation of course but we all know how well they take criticism.

    Injustice and unfairness are my big pet peeves, if I think about it I will always get a little riled up. Over the years I cultivated friendships that I cherished there. But because of how I was treated, I don’t want anything to do with anyone associated with the whole mess. Dublin is a loss for anyone who doesn't bare a stamp of approval.

    The loss is sad and the frustration of dealing with situations like this can really sour a person. On the bright side, you no longer have to deal with the situation and that in itself is freeing. There are other groups of people out there, and new friends to be made. I choose to put it in the ‘lessons learned’ pile and move on. That is the best revenge when dealing with bullies; shine on and don’t let them keep you down.

    Lakhi the Elf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This post gave me cancer and I'm pretty sure I'm gay as well now for reading it.

      Delete
  25. The author of this "article" (and I use that term very loosely) seems to think it her right to visit anywhere she wishes and behave however she wishes in SL. Sims and parcels as a rule are privately owned and as such the owner has the right to have whomever they wish on their land. They have the right to put in place any rules they wish and to have those rules enforced. This "article" is an embarrassment to slenquirer and they should be ashamed of what is obviously an excuse to bash a person and club management they dislike.

    Fortunately you are also not forced to go anywhere nor be in the company of anyone you don't wish to, if you don't like it...simple really. Don't go.

    Quite frankly since the author clearly feels it appropriate to throw names at people I have a few for her, petty, bitter, childish, vindictive, juvenile and possibly based on her tone, jealous. Regardless the behavor shown in this "article" shows that Mony Markona could just as easily be called Moany and really has displayed some very unattractive qualities with this rubbish.

    As for my reaction to the piece, its neither interesting nor funny, what a shame pathetic wasn't an option

    ReplyDelete
  26. Amazing! All these posts are done in the true fashion of the Blarney!

    Mony speaks her mind and everyone starts taking sides. Typical! The only thing missing is the "STAFF" eject/ban button. Those under the protection of "staff" use their name freely, while those that fear retribution must remain anonymous.

    Does anything change, really? LOL

    I will sign this post, NOT because I am under the protection of staff,I am NOT, but because I don't give a damn and because I don't go there anymore!

    Who knows, this article may bring them some business! LOL Have fun!

    ~Terror aka Elodie, Gristas, or Mitzi (mumbles...few others)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Having been a regular patron of the Blarney Stone for almost nine years, I am amazed by this 'article', and not in a good way.

    The rules set in place by Ham, are in turn, enforced by the staff. The rules themselves are there to ensure that everyone, as far as possible, has somewhere safe and enjoyable to spend their SL time. Over the years staff have come and gone, good and bad alike. Jane and Tay, among others are good staff doing a difficult job in a Virtual World full of anonymous Keyboard Warriors. As for the bad ones (that are thankfully gone), let's just say their attitudes and antics would have made your toes curl and make Jane, Tay, et al, look like happy little fairies at a tea party.

    People log into SL as a means of escape from the day to day drudgery of RL, connect and communicate with likeminded others, enjoy activities they may not have the means to do in RL, they are able to do so by the fact that people like Ham own SL sims and have opened them for the public. Is it really SO difficult to adhere to a few rules? If you don't want to comply, you can expect to be called out on it, asked to leave, or forcibly removed, your choice.

    The author freely admits she behaved inappropriately, she was ejected. Instead of chalking it down to experience and moving on, decided to gather up the grievances of others, added them to her own and launched an all out attack on a wonderful sim, it's owner, it's manager and in particular a senior member of it's staff who is accused of being a 'bully', well if being a bully means not allowing idiocy to run rife in the sim at the expense of others enjoyment, so be it and I'm sure Tay wears the title proudly. But isn't that exactly what the author is doing? Bullying someone, targeting them, setting them up for persecution by others?

    Well, swings and roundabouts, the whole situation smacks of he said/she said, they're picking on me, I'll get my dad to beat your dad up, etc, etc. It's like a playground for adults to behave like petulant children.

    Yes, Tay is my very good friend and NO, I do not expect to be under ANY kind of protection from her, or Jane, or anyone else for that matter, if I EVER behave like an idiot, or flagrantly disobey the 'rules' while in the Blarney Stone, I FULLY expect to be shown the door, or the corner of the sim, take your pick.

    And I would have the EXACT same view of this lunacy, even if I didn't know the people concerned.

    -Raspberry Lemondrop

    ReplyDelete
  28. I read with interest Mony's article about the Blarney Stone and its "fall from grace" . I was a Blarney regular from 2007 to 2012, I still pop in to see whats going on, and was there this morning.
    I dont call myself a regular any more because the vast majority of people I knew and loved in there were bullied, victimised, harrassed, banned or eventually left of there own accord. So many complaints to Ham and LL and no action taken. I was sent chat logs of various incidents, warnings etc and most are laughable in the sense of it was obvious that power had gone to the managers head.

    There were other more sinister incidents where examination of a chat thread would lead a child to deduce this was bullying at is worst. The worst I was made aware of was a quite sickining and discusting campaign by the then security manager against a good frient of mine.

    Some comments above and maybe some comments after me will either be supporters or detractors of the Blarney. I am neither. I am simply testifing that bullying has happened and does happen in the Blarney.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Not Everyone thinks the way you think, knows the things you know, believes the things you believe, nor acts the way you act. If everyone remembered this it would go along way towards everyone getting along (someone quote, idr who)...

    I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird. Paul McCartney...
    I'm just saying... Toks

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hats off to Mony Markova and the SLE for printing it. It's damn near gone viral! This is all been such a long time in coming. Everyone who took the time to vent just can't be all wrong. The kudos by Staff are a lame attempt to save a bad reputation that too many people know is for REAL. A good name is something that when once tarnished is difficult to fix. Mr. Rambler surely knows he has a problem even if he is not willing to admit it to himself or to his Staff. Instead of addressing the problem, it's easier to point the finger at Mony for daring to write about a subject that so many have experienced while patronizing this pub. As expected, Mony will receive a lifetime ban by Ham on all three of his sims, joining a long list of former patrons and even self-ejectees such as myself. The rest that have posted negatively who signed their names will also receive the same lifetime ban award as Mony or suffer indifference at the very least. It would be fun to look at the ban list in the coming days. When this article ceases to be active and we all go back to our daily grid routines, we'll forget some of it but in the end people will REMEMBER how they were treated at this virtual pub that some of us call "The Blah".

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh please! Listen, if you want to want your sl experience to be tranquil and peaceful, go to Tempura or Celestial...I promise you'll never get your feelings hurt there. But if you want your sl experience to be a little more fun, edgy and full of hilarious chat and great music...go to The Blarney Stone. Sure, there's a group of regulars and staff that hang together there and yes, we're a little bit inbred and stupid but what rl bar doesn't have that? The rules are simple...act as you would in a rl pub. That encompasses many things...bring some wit, some intelligence, some manners and hey how about some clothes too! And ffs don't ask to play Oh Sherry when alt rock or heavy rock is on the schedule. In fact, don't request it ever...that song sucks. Posted by Brad.

    ReplyDelete
  32. If you don't post my last post, you're anti gay and I'm going to protest.

    ReplyDelete
  33. "Victimized" all of you are cowards, It's a GD video game. Grow up and stop being a bunch of crying children. If there were actually people in this world with a backbone this wouldn't even be a problem. I hope all of you get bullied until you MTFU and do something about it. ---Salem Thorr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @Salem, if indeed it is a GD video game then why must one act like we would in a RL pub? You hope people are bullied? That makes sense too since you are buddies with the Dublin Bully herself.

      Delete
    2. @ Salem. Let me hold the eject button for a while. If you like it, we can play all day long.

      Delete
  34. My name is erp Maven and I don't enjoy any of this.

    I number both Jane and Mony amongst my dearest friends. Jane. Yuki and I did all sorts of things together long before Jane became the manager of Dublin. I am positive that Jane wants the best for Dublin. She puts in endless hours, and loves to "Put on a Good Show." I respect her for that, even if I prefer Blarney had less entertainment and more chat. It is not my job, and I doubt my dream of a more chatty place would work.

    Mony has been a pecial friend and confidant since my first year in SL. We are just close. Mony is so smart and has beed such a loyal friend. Do take into account that her article was written by someone for whom English is a second language. However, Mony, like many of the people who have posted here, enjoyed Dublin and feel hurt for banned for often inexplicable reasons. It is not my place to judge, but I do know several of my favorite people in SL are not allowed in Dublin, or feel like they are no longer welcome.

    I still frequent Dublin and enjoy it when the music suits me and the chat is lively.

    I want Dublin to be my favorite hang out in SL. It feels like my SL birthplace, and I want to always be "Home Sweet Home " to me.

    ReplyDelete
  35. First I would like to say that I am an shy n quiet person when it come to "near by chat" people knew me by how beautiful my avatar look. I love no drama and I am also friendly lady.

    The Blarney Stone Irish Pub is the first place in SL i found good friends and feel like home. I was a nob and host was kind to me at the time. Time pass.. I use my rl money to do up my avatar + i am an artist + I good at dress up + my rl photo is also cute looking woman. People start to hate me from be good looking or some hot guy everyone want to go out with me n was flirt with me at the time. Oneday I got up and found everyone not talk to me anymore or call me a slut dress like when I found their clothes even more than slut can be. Really I wish I can like go back in time and dress like NOB forever (haha)

    I am hardly visit The Blarney Stone Irish Pub that I do miss. I just get busy and start use my art skills in difference way like make clothes n do photography in sl. I am happy but yes I feel sorry for this great place I used to visit for hours in a day..I hope Ham start to get what the fuck is going on here for me or for all my friends who has difference kind of dramas. Plz plz plz just kick a few of "You Know Who" from your pub. Ban them if u much because ur pub start to smell like rotten fish. I always TP off when I smell it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was actually banned for objecting to their ban policy in local chat. Apparently you cant question however politely the authority. Seems to be a permanent ban..

      Delete
    2. I was banned over 6 months ago to a reason unknown..

      Delete
  36. I know the feeling it seems to fit in there you have to be as rotten as them.. and to be honest not many stoop to that level.. hence why the group is so small and pushing all the good people away... Also I love Different things on my av and get pushed away just like you.. because I decide to wear a pie as a hat or dress like a space chicken.. this kind of thing has happened to me for a long time on the grid.. but in a place with as much prestige as the blarney you think this stigma would not exist, c'mon this is SL and as much as I respect the rules of the pub the pub should respect us too...
    And yes Ham you have a rep to maintain these bullies should be "talked too"... if you wanted this to be like a "real pub" discipline your staff like a real pub owner...

    ReplyDelete
  37. I am reminded of the current trend to install cameras on stop lights. 90% of the people who are ticketed for falling afoul of red lights are found to have made completely legal turns. And study after study has shown that public safety is increased not by ticketing but by increasing the duration of the yellow light. But the ticketing rewards the police force with money. One might suggest that banning powers reward the staff with a sense of power.

    If rules can't be enforced across the board it often means that the rule shouldn't exist. It is tempting to blame staff members past and present for unpleasant incidents, but the rule-happy culture of the Dublin sims has always been present because it comes from the top.
    Ivy Norsk

    ReplyDelete
  38. I just read 75+ comments and counting! It would be interesting to see what Dublin's Owner, Ham Rambler has to say. Instead of ignoring this article and banning Mony for writing it, why not refute the claims? Offer a rebuttal, tell your side of the story. To remain silent and to instruct your staff not to respond makes the average reader believe the allegations are true. You are disengaged with the pub, your staff and sadly, your patrons. When all is said and done it is not your Staff that are responsible, rather the burden of proof falls on you Mr. Rambler.

    From Dictionary.com:
    disengage
    [dis-en-geyj] Examples Word Origin
    verb (used with object), disengaged, disengaging.
    1. to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten:
    2. to free (oneself) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc.:
    -----------------------------------
    From The Free Dictionary online::
    Burden of Proof
    Burden of proof can define the duty placed upon a party to prove or disprove a disputed fact, or it can define which party bears this burden...
    -A Typical Former Patron

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    Replies
    1. Update: Ham Rambler was offered a rebuttal interview to be done by myself or other writer. He refused. He was also made aware of this story with several months of anticipation. From his answers this past week, he appears to reject all this information and does not look like he will act upon calling them "outrageous".
      MM

      Delete
  39. I find it a bit absurb that Mony is presenting herself not only as an unbiased reporter, but also as a bit of an innocent bystander at the Blarney when she and her friends are in fact, known borderline griefers of the club. I admit to having a bit of an inside track at the Blarney being friends with many of the staff, but I have been around long enough to see Mony and her cadre wait until the last of the ‘supervisors’ leave, then proceed to openly flaunt the rules they have been warned about. With regards to the Blarney crew, I'm surprised she was never banned outright before.
    I'm going to add at this point, I'm no saint and have been known to grief places in the past (not the Blarney). I've been warned at the Blarney a few times over the years, and have had of course been angry, mostly I just leave in a huff, then feel a bit silly the next day. That being said, when in the past I have gone to grief some other poor venue with friends, if we are booted out, we have a good laugh about it, because being booted and banned is really the point of any good trolling. I've never had the thought to go to a news organization and present myself as an unbiased 'reporter' and then 'report' that the venue is on the decline because me and my friends were threatened and then tossed. The fact that Mony has decided to name Tay in the article as "Ugly Witch" negates almost every argument she presents thereafter. It violates every rule of legitimate ‘reporting.’
    Reading some of the other comments that people have made about the hosts of Dublin being a bit blunt about the rules, I'll say this. I've hosted a few times at various venues, for those of you who don't know, the job includes the following : saying hello to everybody that enters into the venue from any direction, keeping the chat going, pleasing the talent, answering all the IMs from the patrons, keeping the talent happy, managing the stream, thanking people for tipping, thanking people for tipping the venue, reminding people to tip the dj, reminding people to tip the venue, writing venues notes which will hopefully entice people to join the show, managing the stream, helping new people with questions, answering questions from people who don't speak english, explaining to your friends (who are ineveibly insulted) that you can't talk to them in IMs because you're hosting, giving out group tags to those who want them, and all this while trying to keep an eye on the entire room to see if anybody is violating the rules. Add to this, the patrons like Mony who want to debate for an hour whether she's wearing really small pants made of string or a thong, and I think you can get the picture. Hosting is not a fun job. Personally I prefer to remain a patron.
    I'd also like to mention, the centerpiece of Mony's arugment is that she said she was thrown out for requesting a Steve Perry song. She notes early on about the ban, '-I earned it- I was self-centered and not careful of others feelings while pretty slammed with some Mezcal (…it was tequila, but mezcal was just a literally license for appearing more dangerous…)' She later adds, ‘Okay, I did more than that [requesting the Steve Perry song] ... but I spare you of the details of that incident.’ What a convenient bit to leave out of her story, one can only imagine the details she failed to put down in writing.
    All the above being said on a personal note I have to say as a presumably former friend, shame on you for taking your personal grudge against a place and a person you have hatred to a public forum and presenting yourself as an unbiased reporter. Your article title should never include the words, 'Mony Markova Reporting...' rather it should be 'Mony Markova whining.'

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    1. From your post: "Add to this, the patrons like Mony who want to debate for an hour whether she's wearing really small pants made of string or a thong, and I think you can get the picture." -
      Anonymous you may want to be more precise since I'm sure you are confusing me for another person... Also fyi I did not singled-out Tay as "Ugly Witch", people identified her... Wasn't that hard I guess, but some people -not in the know- thought it was another person. And I left Blarney almost a year ago. I visited it on counted occasions by invitations mostly. Yes I also had three unsavory encounters that avatar, but what led me to write this, almost a year ago, was the -bullying. I did not know it had grown to full fledged gang-like behavior, that, is even beyond what I could see. For example... incidents of the abuse of rules keep arriving at my IM and go like this one... Tay and her 'clique' forced a Blarney DJ to end her set 20 minutes earlier, guess how? Attacking and mocking her songs... Or this one Taykrin having her gang members into dancing at the bar... (a silly nonsense personally) but she was doing it to show off... It's amazing of what that says of her respect for the place, for its rules and for the Ham himself that they claim to worship, its also amazing how, the gang members who did these things, now pretend to defend the house rules. I don't have a single regret of having brought this out. I guess the clique and her members may feel less secure now, without your eject button. Yes this came out of personally having felt the impotence of dealing with a bully and beyond that knowing its not only versus me. This 'clique' holds hostage a place many of us considered our SL home. Let's stop pretending these guys are mean and ill-spirited, maybe I also failed at "stopping a bully without becoming a thug myself". Sorry for that one Tay, I'm sure you are not as much an ugly witch as you are Dublin's Bully.

      Delete
  40. My challenge to Ham is this- go in there for 2 weeks as an alt that nobody knows, be around when the so called bully is on duty and act a little differently then we will see if the stuff being said here is true or false. At the very least stand up and be counted. have a say on what is being said. Stand up for Jane and Tay if you believe what has been said is false or kick them out if you think its true. Either way you have to have your say!

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    1. It is obvious Ham will support his staff, especially Jane. He will never kick them out since he relies on them to run his sims/pubs. Who else would he get to give up their real-lives to work in the pub for next to nothing? She must be exhausted after all these years of teaching "regulars" how to behave.

      Delete
    2. Did you mean "teaching" regulars?

      Delete
  41. Not if you are open to the public.

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  42. Today reading the NFL crisis with the Ravens mess that is somewhat similar. This came to my attention, Mike Freeman NFL National Lead Writer Sep 22, 2014 wrote: "When you're wrong, you attack the writers. It's PR 101. Deflect, distract, deny." --- Ham why don't you start your OWN independent investigation over this?

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    1. as a former staff member i couldnt agree more... but Ham is under Janes control not the other way round. and while Jane is there that place will rot because she is Tays bff and would rather lose ten quality staff rather than one bully! They are two of a kind them two

      Delete
    2. Truer words were never spoken. Former staff here also, I echo the above remarks. Even though I am not certain of the posters identity, I can attest the same feeling is mine. Let me also go on record to say that I am former staff by choice, as I could no longer stand to be a part of their team.

      Delete
    3. I am also no longer staff by choice :P
      and as for what i said about Ham being under Janes thumb it is 100% accurate.

      Delete
    4. True! Once again, he has to do as she says or find someone else to give up their RL 24/7. He doesn't have to investigate, he knows all this goes on. He chooses to ignore it and hand it back to Jane, she is the boss.

      Delete
  43. If you know Mony at all, you know that she tells it like it is. I have been to the pub with her and have met these people. She is right...not a welcoming place. I have gone several times alone and no staff engage in conversation no matter what happens in local.

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  44. This piece reads more as if it was the last straw for the author, not just the Steve Perry song request incident and subsequent ejection. A vast majority of remarks appear to be from a diverse cross section of patrons and ex-patrons.

    The bulk of said remarks corroborate points that Mony attempted to convey. She affirms that she took her concerns to Ham Rambler by sharing a lighter version with him months ago only to be ignored with no resolution, hence the article's purpose.

    The discussion herein the last few days makes this reader conclude that comments, both pro and con have solid validity. All of the declarations are wreaked with passion and the finger-pointing is never ending. Mony should have left petty name calling out of the assessment. In doing so, it would have given her argument more credence. I do not always agree with Mony. At times she can be blunt and abrupt, which comes off as unfeeling, if you will – just my personal assessment.
    In summary, whether or not Mony's article is journalism vs. poison pen or that the staff and patrons have broken the rules and not played "nice" is being debated with great fervor. The basis of the reporting/whining was a cry for change – social awareness. If nothing else she accomplished that. The entire SL Grid is now aware! There is no shame in writing a commentary – an opinion, we all have one. Clearly the shame is blatant disrespect to one another, regardless of one’s standpoint. In this particular instance, it is disheartening to learn that management turns a blind eye to repeated concerns by its customers over time. The sad irony is the customer is vital to the success of any establishment.

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  45. No matter what time of day you went to the Blarney in the past it was busy,vibrant and always full of fun. Nowadays its empty pretty much 24/7 bar 2 or 3 ppl. The traffic has fallen drastically and it continues to do so daily. I do feel sorry for Ham as i believe hes a good person but hes been blinded by 2 ppl who need to be kicked with immediate effect. The place we all loved and cared for is no longer our home. Being honest with the number of comments here about how bad they are from so many different ppl if Ham doesnt step up and do something then he deserves to watch the Blarney and Dublin die a slow death. how many positive comments has Tay and Jane gotten? one or two from the 'in' crowd and rest is negative...

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  46. I've known Jane since she started coming to Dublin SL. I truly believe that if she hadn't spoke up about the last manager and her 'in crowd' of thugs & bullies there would not be a Dublin or Blarney Stone now. Do I agree with everything that goes on there all the time? No. Do I always agree with Jane. No. But I respect her and I know her job is not an easy one. So instead of heading over to Dublin to challenge the rules and cause trouble, why not come over and start a conversation, laugh & have fun. If your a former regular why not come back over and do what you used to do there. Make it stronger & better by your numbers.
    Now to the writer of the rambling commentary. You don't like it buy your own sim make your own rules and have idiots & griefers come and tell you what to do & how wrong you are. We'll see how long you last:)

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    1. I'm not a bully. I'm not a griefer (or even considered borderline). i've never been ejected. I've never been called down about my behavior. I've never ever in over 5 years had a cross word with anyone there. The problem is not the troublemakers, it's how the average person is treated. You keep missing the point. Jane is not that friendly. Taykyn has way too much power and uses her muscle way too often. Who can have a fun time and laugh about all that? Tell me and I might reconsider. But there needs to be house cleaning. Too many people have posted this very thing. At this point, I'd love to have Emmie and Kennef back. LOL

      Delete
    2. Why not go back? Haven't you been paying attention? Matey ~ you are missing the point. Get it, is not about the damn rules, it is about the rat problem that you have. Wake up man!

      Delete
    3. bots can make you 'stronger & better by the numbers' too... You mean Emmie the former manager?

      Delete
    4. Yes I ment Emmie the former manager. Who, in my opinion, was minipulated and used by her associates to her detriment and the detriment of Dublin. I know Jane to be a good person. She is a computer geek in the most respectful sense of the term. Knowing computers is not the same as knowing or reading people. She does have blind spots about some people like most of us do. Unlike Emmie, she does the best with what she has. Dublin used to have well paid staff and paid DJs and entainers. Now it's a tip only venue and good staffers are hard to come by. I'm not saying that to excuse poor staff conduct, just adding some perspective. Dublin with The Blarney Stone pub is a great place to come and play. You can find some of the finest people in any world there. KCEE, Gwen, Diva, becca, Syn, Clarrisa & Coly just to mention a few of them who are currently working there. As for any so called bullies, I have never kowtowed to staff or guest there. Sooner or later those kind of peope fade off. So I'm not letting a few bad apples run me off.
      One more thing: Resorting to calling someone Ugly Witch calls into question the validity of the writers hypothesis and makes one wonder about the writers real motive. In using the blog as a bully pulpit she becomes no better than the percieved bullies that she's writting about.

      Delete
    5. OHHH NOOOOO!.not emmie and kennef...what a nightmare those two! kennef is a major jackass...oh hell no!

      Delete
    6. Agree, rock on KCEE, Gwen, Clarissa, Colly add Boris and super Yuki and in truth the majority!

      Delete
    7. Ham? (well it sounds like da'Hamster!) First off kudos for doing this amazing place sl Dublin! All I am saying is that you cannot hate sl Dublin, without first having loved it... Brother it is not an attack, don't be an arse. (I have owned land too and I know how this bs goes) I wish I ever had 1/100 of the success you have and will have moving on!!!!! The ones mocking you are those gangsters in your house... Who do THEY think they are? Me personally I can suffer Jane (I know her for several years)... sweetie Jane just chill down two levels I'm probably older than you are.... I don't suffer someone trying to school me easily. But these bullies... Tell me I am wrong Hamster? Let's talk in-world. Open chat... trusted people, not these bitches. Hey... for all I rarely speak but brother don't be an arse!)

      Delete
  47. I am unsure what makes me the most sad. The fact that many people have been treated unfairly over a long period of time and this article and the posts are officially in print. Or is it the fact that Ham only directs his anger at Mony and refuses to take charge to fix internal issues with his Staff. I'm thinking the latter. Either way, everyone is left with bad feelings and memories of a pub we used to call 'home'.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Ham is a busy person, with only has peripheral knowledge of what transpires in his club. His eyes and ears are Jane and the staff she has recruited. In her defense, Jane has the pub up her butt 24/7, so given unpleasant situations, she’ll usually choose the path of least resistance. She has, however, placed her trust in some dubious staffers.

    I won’t bore you with the details of the staff-concocted nonsense that resulted in my voluntary self-banishment, but I will say this: the Blarney had grown dangerously cliquish, which what kills most SL clubs. I was a proud, gentle misfit and a perceived troublemaker at the Blarney and knew my days were numbered; my frame-up was executed in a laughably childish and vindictive manner by a manipulative staffer who perceived me a threat to her shallow cronyism (P.S. : I’d have left had you simply asked me nicely). I’m happy for all the fun I had at the Blarney Stone, but I wouldn’t go back if they threw me a parade and showered me with Lindens. It appears I’m not alone in feeling this way.

    - Terri Wardell

    ReplyDelete
  49. I had no idea bullying was an issue in SL Dublin. I used to spend a lot of time there. Now I drop in and move on within a few minutes. It used to be a place of fun, with lots of conversation going on. I made some good friends there. Now, sadly, it has become boring.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Since this has gone near nuclear, I end my part on this with the following, it explains it all:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgWyolwBGgE

    Over and out.
    Mónica

    ReplyDelete
  51. This article is 100% accurate.

    Tay is a bully. I was singled out, and had good friends who were staff members at the time confirm this.

    Ham needs to realise is how much of a negative impact she has had on the place.

    Its hilarious that people actually consider her to be a nice person, she is rotten and deserves to be singled out just like she has done to so many people over the years.





    ReplyDelete
  52. Mony's article has given me much to think about. I no longer frequent Dublin as much as I once did (for many reasons other than a few rude staff). It saddens me to witness the rock bottom atmosphere when I do visit. No matter what side of the issue you may find yourself on, everyone loses. There is no way to solve any problem in which both sides refuse to change. We are at an impasse. That being said, I hope that each person who took any part will pause and think of how YOU wanted your pub to be. Do your part to make it happen. If you can't, then you should stop going altogether and/or resign a held position.

    This commentary brought several ongoing issues to the surface and placed it out in public view. It is embarrassing and it hurts. Most everyone I have come in contact with on the grid since this piece was published already held a negative view of Dublin. This article, the comments and childish antics by staff and their fans have only further cemented that view. Instead of rising above it all, they merely validated those accusations in recent days.
    Second Life is on a steep decline and unfortunately, Dublin will implode along with it. The only thing left at this point is to visit other sims and make new friends. We must stop beating a dead horse, myself included.

    Faith Falconvale

    ReplyDelete
  53. Beagle, it isn't just Tay that doesn't like you. Everyone hates you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Speak for yourself. Beagle is quirky and interesting, as is Chezza. But we get ironed out. With Sophie gone, the Dublin hierarchy is very, very vanilla.

      There are people who pretend to be quirky and interesting, but the pretence is tenuous and doesn't bear scrutiny.

      I had been a regular of Blarney long before most of you were twinkles in your computer's hard-drives, and I know Mony. I also know Jane, Toks, Ham, Beagle, Emmie, Smitty... I was staff, twice.

      Dublin is poisoned and the testimony of all of Tay's inner circle must be stricken from the record as purely unreliable. (Especially that of the puerile Salem.)

      Yet, this is futile. As noble a gesture as the article was, it will make no difference. Nothing will change. The inner circle will be incensed and shoe even more faux-unity and bravado.

      Who am I? I'm one of the worst. One of the worst, most despicable human beings to ever be allowed near a computer. I'm not a griefer, and never was, contrary to the witch-hunters stories that ran me out of town. I am a liar, a cheat, an insidious wart, a vile and reprehensible little bastard and when I finally screwed up my time at Dublin with the delicate aplomb of a small nuclear weapon, I got everything I deserved and so, so much more.

      Y'see, I know full well what I am. I'm a shit. It may have taken me years to realise and even longer to admit, but I know.

      Anyone who has posted here that has any ties whatsoever to Tay and defends her actions has a lot of growing up to do.

      - TAFKAR

      Delete
    2. Such a bold statement to make anonymous! Shall we explore it a bit further? Everyone hates Beagle.....Lets start off with where this statement comes from. I do not see a post under the name of Beagle. Could it be that someone with a guilty conscience recognised a situation from another users post and responded the only way they know how...with venom? In my opinion that is as good as an admission of guilt and what you have just said validates every thing this article says and every comment supporting it. Lets look at who "everyone" is. The woman called out by him for bullying? That didnt go down very well and probably started the hate campaign against him. Maybe the woman rejected, that got to have hurt sooo bad. Maybe the guy with the alpha male complex? Did he steal some of your attention? *tears of sadness*
      Maybe in your little world that is "everyone"? Maybe we should pat you on the head and let you get on with it? You are all laughable and rotten to the core and now every single person reading this blog has confirmation of it. The whole group of you are and always have been out to hurt others, which makes me think that there must be so little joy in your lives you have to go online and inflict misery on others to actually feel something. Well your secret is well and truly out now!

      Delete
    3. Everyone hates you too Rose

      Delete
    4. wtf you talking about, i love Beagle!

      Delete
  54. TAFKAR = The Avatar/Asshole Formerly Known As Roselach

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  55. 6 months down the line its still hard to shake the stench of a select few.

    Hate is a strong word to use, can't say it is in my vocabulary when used to describe anyone in SL. I am just glad I am not like those people, yes everyone is a douche now and again but having the ability to take responsibility for your actions rather than blame those around you or seek revenge is something I awlays try to do.

    That type of comment also reafirms the type of people associated with the blarney. It's a real shame, the majority are dragged down by the minority.

    People move on, find new friends and other places to hang out. Some great times and memories were had but what goes up must come down. It was an educational experience to say the least.

    Good luck






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    Replies
    1. My name is Emmelina Shelford and the Blarney is run by a clique ..if they don't approve of you, you're history. Ban me if you like or ignore me when I walk through the door I honestly do not care.

      Blarney was my first major experience in Second Life and I've met the most wonderful people there, from all over the world. This is the reason I continue to return. The cliques will self destroy and hopefully the Blarney will remain. Ham has not given up and we shouldn't either.

      My advice it clear the damn ban list and start over.

      Enough said.

      Delete
  56. Interesting to note that Taykyn has chosen to place a Bitstrip comic of herself as the "Dublin Bully" on the back wall of the Blarney for all to see. Ham instructed his staff to not comment publicly in regard to this article, yet Ms. Bully did so anyway. Jane, the manager obviously ha seen it, yet she did not remove it. I would have had much more respect for Jane had she done so. I lost respect for the Bully a long time ago when I realized she had none for herself. It goes on...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please engage your brain before posting misinformation.

      Put the prim in edit, it was made and is owned by Jane.

      Ask Tay if she made the Bitstrip, she didn't.

      Furthermore, Ham did not instruct anyone to not comment publicly to this article. But it's not a public comment to this article is it? Otherwise it would be posted here as a response.

      And what of the Blarney Stone regular who actually made the Bitstrip comic for the purposes of injecting a little bit of humour into an already outrageous and hilarious situation, eh?

      It's a joke, not a cock, don't take it so hard.

      Delete
    2. Elegantly put. Engage yourself? Everyones opinion is allowed here, this is not you control sick joint... On the bitrsip is she pictured banning a friend, that would be a joke? Its more like another celebration of her ways. Pouty mouth.

      Delete
    3. Wow this is a full fledged rebellion of the people! The incumbents are holding to power by all means. That bitstrip is extremely offensive. Only a criminal or a tyrant would post that and then defend it as "just a joke"... Time to ask who really are these people running SL Dublin? ... WOW.... all we can do is put distance between our second lifes and that over exposed rat hole.

      Delete
  57. This part of the story.
    Just look what happened to landmarks like the Junkyard Blues, where in order to enter the club, you have to go to an improvised looking area and there you need to request a staff member to invite you into the group. “Our response to rampant venue griefing” a sign explains.

    Seems the reporter didn't even bother to get both sides of the story. The Junkyard had endless griefing for over two months. This wasn't harmless stuff. It was sim crashes and video card exploits. Sometimes up to 6 times per day. Now as a dj who worked there and even donned tools to help eject them before they had a chance to do anything was also not worth it. We at first had a manned gate with volunteers who would look at each profile before admitting them.
    After a while it was just too exhausting so the owner set it up this way.
    Now before anyone thinks that LL is going to help guess again? They won't lift a finger despite that it almost cost them 13 sims worth of profit as the owners seriously thought of closing down vs having to make it members only.

    The tools used to grief the Yard are available on SL Marketplace. You would think they would remove them. Nope. You would think they would at least ban IP's Nope.

    The writer of this article seem to be upset that things have changed in places but it would only have taking her 3 minutes to ask Kiff or Dina how come it's members only.

    sheesh. lazy reporting

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    Replies
    1. @Bard. I don't see how obtaining a JY group tag would help or hinder any griefer that really wants to cause a stir. So, instead of handing out group tags, you guys should have restricted the ability to rez to a select few staff. As you said, LL won't do anything anyway nor will an IP be banned. When Red Zone was available (and legal I might add), my cohorts and I rezzed it on the sim just to see the names of everyone's alt(s). What a learning experience that was!

      @Mony. FABULOUS exposé! The majority of comments are spot on!

      --A Junkyard and Blarneystone Patron since 2008

      Delete
  58. Dear Bard, Thanks for your comment.

    On the mentioned welcoming area to the Junkyard there is note card signed by Kiff Clutterbuck & Richardina (Dina) Petty, that explains why they became membership only. Like you say: "Because of serious, relentless griefing, both here and at other popular music venues across the Second Life grid, we finally made the decision to become a "members only" club. "...

    Personally I don't find it contradictory to the information on the article. But just wanted to let you know that things are checked and rumors are confirmed as far as it is possible in this platform. About the topic of this article there were things left out, not only because they go too far, but because they were out of scope and room!

    I was worried for your last comment so I visited today the Junkyard welcoming area, and yes the information is still there.

    Thanks anyway!
    MM

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  59. Dublin is an institution in SL and home to many who discover SL. No one is perfect by any means but being in SL through a few eras in Dublin I will say Jane's has been the fairest thus far. People are given a fair chance, if a ban occurs I know for fact numerous chances are given to that avie so they can enjoy Dublin. I know for two reasons; one I was one of those avie's and two an avie was given four chances to return to Dublin and continued to purposely cause problems laughing the whole time. Of course you have a choice few that aren't happy anywhere they go and will stir trouble to make themselves look good. Staff is friendly and greets visitors by first name as often as possible and tries to help noobs navigate successfully so they stay in the game. Because noobs must continues to be successful in order for Dublin to stay alive. Everyone has their right but this was a full fledged attack in an effort to hurt a few people. Instead it's made them stronger so in this case I would say if anything Dublin and Tay won this one.

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    Replies
    1. And Dublin the SL Institution is in good hands...

      Look bud, the famous bitstrip picturing the pointed avatar -banning a rival- reminds me of those criminals they hanged at crossroads during the medieval times as a warning -This CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.

      That is THEIR idea of a joke... Now you keep sipping your kool-aid. Major shame very minion like.

      Shameful reality.

      Delete
  60. All true, all the time. Cliques, groups of "employees" gathered together at the bar in IMs being silent, banning people for weapons (or whatever) then wearing weapons themselves, on and on and on and ON - every person who has spent any time in Dublin in sl has a "staff story." If you feel a chill when the staff shows up, that's not good. If people are telling you it's better at a certain time of day, because no staff are there, also not good. But, just like in real life, if I don't like it, I don't go there. Let the constant stream of newbies fill the Blarney, and find somewhere else to hang out. As a person who was banned for saying, "Let's go to so-and-so" AS THE WARNINGS WERE SHOWING THAT THE SIM WAS RESTARTING, I can attest to the silliness of the rules and regs at Blarney. ; )

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  61. To Anonymous 2. "Dublin is an institution". This is from Mons article: "Imagine if one of the most famous SL places, was in reality and behind curtains an abusive bully pool, which has actually become an unwelcoming place? This is the story of how The Blarney Stone Irish Pub, one of the Second Life’s darling icons has been taken hostage by a few bully staffers..." a FEW bully staffers get it a FEW... .... Now I have a question for you.... Has any staffer especially taykryn ever ejected anyone for the very same things that she does? - Yes she has, and that alone is shameful. Yes many of us loved that place until this became -not just hilarious- more like tragic comic. If sims needed a license to operate, Ham would lose his. But you are right the bullies won- in front of an empty owner... Shame. And yes it is his sim to do whatever he wants to, that is pretty clear as well. Ham & Jane you guys keep it! - By the way Cup of Godness is back and awesome as ever see you there! - VL

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    Replies
    1. The bullies didn't win, unless you are talking about a virtual pub that got 15 minutes of grid fame. Unfortunately, bad PR is better than no PR. Just remember this...anyone who would spend most ALL of their RL waking hours being ugly to others in SL (and enjoying it) has a tragic. empty life. PERIOD. It can't be more. Feel sorrow for them, not anger.

      Delete
  62. Thanks for reading.

    You would remember that what got me ejected wasn't mocking that music set, it was the poor way I acted in IM versus your friend. For the record I would have ejected me as well.

    I'm not angry and I don't hate her, I just don't like abuses, her attitudes need to be "managed" the least.

    This is about abuse -not to me certainly-and the lack of leadership, again on a place many of us called home until this became unbearable.

    Guys the "Ugly Witch" lines are 2 paragraphs in a multiple pages article!

    To end this comment, tell you this, If I had known Ham would't do anything, I would not have taken this out.

    I honestly have no clue what is next to this! But for me I did my part on the request I had of people asking me to do this, that's all I could do. They don't care and don't listen its their sim and their ways.

    You can face it, deny it, throw tomatoes at me... all is quite perfectly alright.

    Moving forward I will not be answering all comments -don't think this is a lack of lack of caring. But will also thank you for your IM in-world and note cards both the good and the bad ones.

    Cheers and explore SL!
    It is still wonderful and amazing

    Mon

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  63. @fail...First let me say that I, too, adore Steve Perry!! Few singers today have the gift of pipes that have been bestowed on him.

    I will acknowledge that you made a good commentary from your perspective. I was pleasantly surprised at your ability to express yourself in print. It would have been outstanding had you left out the foul language—those gave your remarks less credence.

    As you pointed out, Mony had a beef against someone she really didn’t know. The fact is, you really don’t know me very well either except by sight. Had I never been witness to your disparaging remarks on occasion in the pub, I would be more apt to believe your words. I've watched you condescend to others, even a couple of times it was aimed at me, someone you are not well acquainted with, yet someone you apparently judged. Ironically, this is the same complaint you had of Mony. But of course any of your remarks were all deemed OK, because you are exempt from the rules---you belong to the inner circle of Dublin. They think you are cool for being aloof so you have carte blanche to behave in this manner. You will never receive a demanding “See My IM" from Jane1. How do most people expect to be treated you asked? With respect and consideration! For every noob or troll I’ve seen get benched or mocked, there are even more undeserving people who did also. I’ve heard Taykyn say on occasion that she had a ‘trigger happy finger’ just itching to eject/ban someone for the least thing. I’ve watched it happen while you and others reveled in being unkind to those outside your clique.

    The social pyramiding that you referenced @Mony is more descriptive of the daily cliquish behavioral patterns of pub staff and their allies such as yourself, fail. The clique is exclusive, never inclusive. Likewise, it is difficult to take your response at face value because you are part of an inner circle that continually flocks to defend the accused Bully. Most any pub regular would eventually cry “mutiny” in the totalitarian atmosphere in which the Dublin sims have now become. Why wouldn’t Mony fight back in the press? She tried in earnest to dialogue with Ham and Jane months ago about the issues with no feedback nor hope of resolution. “Ham is RL busy and Jane has been on a power trip for over five years now”. Excuses! The postings of the former friends and ex-allies speak volumes and validate what we all have come to know. Dublin’s reputation is not a grid myth! For all intents and purposed—ruined!

    In closing, after reading all comments, it seems that the most logical course of action for all concerned would be to privatize Dublin as a members only club, make it officially exclusive. Then no one is ever made to feel left out or unwelcome and the clique can carry on with their daily antics. But wait, that won't work because Dublin NEEDS traffic which has slowed down to a crawl even prior to (and especially since) this article was published last month.

    The alleged bully’s actions have been almost exact in nature as you stated about Mony: “There's no way you can have so much anger and hate for a stranger. It comes from somewhere else. It comes from self-hatred or some disjointed place. It's not logical. You are proxying your own issues onto another and hoping for someone else to solve it. Same model approach to life over and over. Not willing and/or capable of solving a problem but constantly creating problems. Imbalance”.

    There you have it!

    Dublin SL is an 'epic fail'. (No pun intended)

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  64. First things first, kudos to Mony for writing what needed to be said. The sad part for me in this whole thing is Ham allowing mediocre people with poor sense of humors and uptight morals (when it suited them) ruin the place. I imagine most of the people who have visited the BS have not visited its RL equivalent or even Dublin/Ireland in RL especially the staffers none of which I think are Irish in real life. Why is being Irish important you may ask? well because it gives the place an air of authenticity and someone who actually knows how an Irish pub runs. You have staff populated mostly by americans, which is fine and indeed some of them are fine people, but they have an american attitude to what they think a bar and an irish pub should be like and the result is a pale plastic imitation and in no way resembles a real life Irish public house.

    I myself was a regular, embarrassed to admit but like with most people it became a bad habit, someone who was usually at the centre of fun and sometimes fractious conversations and arguments. I admit to stirring the pot on many occasions but many will tell you it was rarely dull with me around. There were others like me too, you could enjoy a fiercely contested and often humorous conversation among virtual peers. Occasionally, well okay quite often, drama would spill into the place, as is the nature of the beast that is SL. Still though it was a fun place to be in. Then it changed, it was changing before my avatar was finally pushed over the ban cliff (it was probably in the works for ages) incidentally I was banned for sticking up for a regular blarney stoner who was being abused by a creep many would be familiar with. It seemed like beige was the colour and no fun was to be had in this place anymore. Many abandoned it for less uptight and fun places where you werent on constant guard against a sexually ambigious overlord and her/his kiwi bulldog and pet pork product. It became like some sort of sychophantic sit com only nobody was laughing. I despaired that someone as bright as Ham could leave a virtual icon like BS in the hands of someone as clueless as he did. Its been almost 3 years now since I was banned and it was kind of like a wake up call, firstly because I found out how much fun second life and be without going to a beige vanilla bland black hole of charisma and secondly and most importantly it allowed me to reduce my time on SL to where it is now almost non existant. It actually turns my stomach now to think of the time wasted with a collection of self serving virtual clowns who almost dragged me into their pit of sad emptyness where nothing can be funny and were kiwi bulldogs are actually given responsibilities.

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  65. That place went to the dogs when that tramp Tay and her autistic man child boyfriend showed up. A high school mix of bitchy unfunny female staff who tortured genuinely good staff members and regulars. A rigid manager who made all the wrong god damn choices in Jane and a stroppy asperbergers riddled attention seeking buffoon in Sausage Calamity.

    But the absolute worst was Tay, an odorless, colorless tasteless bunny boiling tramp who was indulged by an inept mother figure and had two pairs of clown shoes for sidekicks. I really wish I had Ham Ramblers kind of $$ to waste on this collection of absolute garbage. Raze it to the ground and start again please

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  66. There are serious problems at the Blarney Stone that happen to many real life organizations when the people running an organization have burned out.

    I've seen this behavior in real life car, boat and even social clubs. It's not something unique to Second Life. It happens in real life when people stop caring. And since the people running the venue can't be removed nothing is going to change.

    Ham no longer has the time nor the interest in running the Blarney Stone. Without his participation, ethical guidance, and human touch, the staff are just "following orders" and "enforcing the rules".

    That's not to say that rules aren't necessary. It's HOW those rules are enforced that is causing the problem.

    Abusing new avatars and regulars over minor infractions and the language used in interactions with users is where the problem lies. This may be Second Life, but real people with real feelings are behind these avatars. Sadly many of the admins lack the social skills needed to humanely interact with people. They are simply rude and condescending instead. They're control freaks.

    The staff is burnt out and without Ham to get them to lighten up or just simply remove them, they're actively driving people away from the sim.

    But that would mean Ham would have to find NEW volunteers to do those jobs and where is going to find new people? Ham doesn't spend any real time in Second Life these days. So, again, nothing is going to change.

    Ham wants the illusion of a functioning Second Life Irish pub. And that's what he's got. It's an illusion. Once a year he can come an DJ and think everything is fine and dandy. It's his money and if he's happy with the result then more power to him.

    What was once a fun organization that welcomed new people and returning members has become a cliquish abusive atmosphere where any type of constructive criticism is seen as an "attack". I believe one of the managers of The Blarney Stone used that very word in response to this article.

    Any organization that is not open to constructive criticism is going to suffer the same fate. Nobody is going to want to participate for very long. When they realize that they can't effect any positive change save for leaving, that's what they'll do. They'll move on.

    And that's what I have chosen to do. The Blarney Stone isn't going to change and there are so many OTHER fun places in Second Life to visit.

    Second Life might not be around for much longer. I don't want to waste what little time there might be for it on a group of nasty, angry, anal retentive people.

    I can't fix what's wrong at the Blarney Stone. That has to come from the top.

    I can only say "So long and thanks for all the fish!"

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  67. It seems like the BS is now under new ownership, really old ownership as Jane ran the place for years anyway. An interesting culture has sprung up slowly in recent times that kind of runs alongside the cliquey incestuous group that already chokes the life out of the place.

    It has become an unofficial home for men masquerading as women. SL as most of you know if a haven for all walks of life, including those who are trans gendered or gender free or even transvestite. Whatever your choice of lifestyle SL has it catered for. However there are those who like to be secretive and deceitful when it comes to who they are behind the screen and often times they hurt peoples feelings with their deceit. The Blarney Stone seems to have become an unofficial HQ for traps in Second Life.

    Regulars and staff alike in the pub are notorious in this respect and I will name names so others who read this can avoid or embrace if they see fit. The owner Jane Bookmite, Dr Hikiera who was outed recently, regulars such as Casey Brouwer are considered to be traps as well. Sausage Calamity seems to be androgynous or asexual at best and there are still being tests done to see what sex Tay and Mason are. Its really become such a colorful bunch of lying misfits.

    MM

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  68. as of 4/19/2016, i'm staff at the pub. at this point i really don't care if they find out who i am, though i'm not going to sign anything. Ham is no longer the owner of the one solitary sim remaining. Jane is, with tay as 2nd. I didn't know jane before but she's always been quiet in general. tay, it's a love/hate thing. i've seen the brutal bullying side of her mentioned here and the people she surrounds herself with. so much trash talking, it makes me sick. anyway, i'm just throwing in my take. this article is true and the pub is still rotting. most the regulars are now gone, the ones there are treated poorly. several people including this bellvue are gone and sick of the bullshit. Blu is long gone. it goes on and it's sad.

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  69. Jane is driving people away from Dublin at an alarming rate. Traffic in the sim is down. She's shooting herself in the foot since she's the one footing the bill for the sim. By driving people out of Dublin she's reducing the donations and has to make that revenue up herself.

    Why anyone would want to volunteer there as staff is a mystery to me.

    Second Life should be fun. Dublin is just sad.

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  70. Holy wall of text, Batman.

    Might want to edit for length, for punctuation, for spelling, for... everything.

    And here's my thing. If it aint your sim? It aint your call. If the Blarney is not run the way you want? Leave. Make a sim of your own. Make it your sort of "fun", and leave others to theirs. Your opinion on the place, however, is not "fact". It's just yours.

    This sort of complaining about how someone else runs their sim IS the whiny component to SL, however.

    Congratulations on making the point for places like the Blarney.

    And no, I do not work there. Never have. I just go occasionally.

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  71. Hello everyone,

    I just want to make a couple of comments. First off a disappointment to some. When I wrote this, I thought, and I was mistaken, that this would help.

    I thought that this could in some way bring modifications and improvements and light on the things that it's clear -the people wanted. But is it possible in SL? Are we not just avatars running amok in sims that are owned and paid by who knows who? If I had known this would fall to deaf ears, I would not have written it. Or asked to be published. It was never my intention to damage the BS, I still beleive they did it to themselves.

    Now, they did change the building... after two tries. Ham sold it, and many of us knew he was trying to. I'm sorry this was apparently, the tipping thing. I wanted improvement and good things for that loved place, but its true... with the people running it, it became a thief's cave, and while failing to see that public places are expected to be decent places, they treated and bullied many people.

    Now finally it was called to my attention that another post here, signed "MM" could be confused as mine, it clearly isn't. Neither my style, my english mistakes or my beliefs reflect that. For once I adore Casey Brouwer as one of my closest friends in Second Life.

    And I don't give half rats tail what the fuck you are in rl and what your sort of fun is in SL. I hope people who knows me better do not play to the notions that I would deny my words!

    In these times we need more love, more appreciation and a better world , Im sorry if I hurt or damaged anyone, I wrote what I knew was the truth and I will always oppose bullies as much as I can. But I will never claim to hold absolute truths!

    I also confess that I had somewhat of a personal feud with Tay, over a couple of runs we had. Im sorry, I guess my big ego is much more powerful than my humbleness. Im very embarrassed by the weaknesses of my spirit and I hope you can forgive me, all of you, even you Tay. Im sorry I downgraded my spirit by being a bitch to you.

    This is me yes also "MM" Mony Marova. Mónica T. not the same MM that signed Anonymous here previously.

    I can stand for my words. Especially in this cartoon world.

    Hugs everyone. Those who know me I hope they do know me a little!

    Mónica.

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  72. I read this entire article again and reviewed the comments from a cross section of former staff, patrons and the casual visitor that were posted over time. The overwhelming majority spoke loud and clear. To coin an old phrase, "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong".

    Even more interesting, are the comments from those who spoke out and posted in support of Dublin when this article was originally published. Ironically, most of them have since joined the ranks of the detractors! As recently as this year, a long time very popular staffer/DJ was fired and banned, while other staff walked away after YEARS of supporting this venue on a VERY regular basis. These events drove even more long time regulars away. Lucky Chairs are more fun than this stuff, right?

    As for the poster who commented above on July 2, 2016. The answer is absolutely Yes! A sim can be run however an owner wishes. These sim owners run it like an exclusive, unwelcoming, back-stabbing clique. The end result is a continual toxic atmosphere for everyone.

    Any business is only as good as the integrity of the people behind it. There you have it!

    Sign me,
    Just An Observer

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  73. Where's Gwen? Where's John? When popular long time DJs leave there's something wrong.

    If this make Jane happy, more power to her.

    People didn't come to the Blarney to see row after row of drab empty mesh buildings. They came to hear John and Gwen. They'll follow them wherever they go.

    Congratulations on having "A Dedicated Staff, Friendly People, Great Events" and "Fine shops are available featuring some of the finest designers in SL", as you boast in the covenant.

    If only any part of that was true.

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  74. When I think of Dublin, I think of empty mesh buildings and "Burger King". Yep. Authentic Dublin.

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  75. The Blarney Stone used to be the coolest bar in all of SL. I had really great times there. When I first came to second life I was not only a newbie in SL but also the computer in general. Most people were way cool Lin helping me learn with the exception of a few bad apples. Then somewhere around the time Tay came on the picture things for me started to change. I would not get greeted. People would ignore any comments I made in local to engage a conversation. It has turned into the rudest you can't sit at my table bunch of just plain assholes! I had googled the BS to find a picture of it to compare to a real photo of a friend who is on holiday in the real Dublin. Second life is not fun anymore.

    I will always remember when MCA died and a couple of really cool kids played Beastie boys songs and had a great time before the others who apparently hate fun and decent music killed the Stone. Your article was written a few years ago. I hate to say it's only been worse since. Cheers.

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  76. I spent many a wonderful afternoon in the BS, sitting on the bar and taking part in the eclectic conversations. When newbies came in we joshed them a bit but then offered to help them. when new visitors came in they were made to feel welcome by all. You could often find a Linden sitting on the bar with you and I met a lot of very interesting people. The place is completely different now. I feel out of place and ignored. I get snubbed by people and some of them are downright rude. Why would I want to spend any time there at all? Well the answer is I don't. Its cliquey and unwelcoming

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