Yelp update

Yelp is now displaying my reviews. My previous post was obviously making waves down at Yelp headquarters. It was the talk of the company. The CEO has resigned in shame. A gift basket, with a sincere note of apology, is on its way to me now.

Yelp gets one star

I wrote three reviews on Yelp, and for some reason they disappeared from public view. I did some research, and was surprised to find the following explanation as to why my reviews were yanked, as posted on the Yelp website:

The review may have been suppressed by Yelp's automated software system. This system decides how established a particular reviewer is and whether a review will be shown based on the reviewer's involvement on Yelp. While this may seem unfair to you, this system is designed to protect both consumers and businesses alike from fake reviews (ie, a malicious review from a competitor or a planted review from an employee). The process is entirely automated to avoid human bias, and it affects both positive and negative reviews. It's important to note that these reviews are not deleted (they are always shown on the reviewer's public profile) and may reappear on your business page in the future.

Based on my own experience, then, the Yelp automated software system is deeply flawed. For the record: I gave Fishermen's Grotto No. 9 two stars, Pazzia Restaurant two stars (later updated to four stars), and The Italian Athletic Club five stars. I give Yelp ONE STAR, and a flip of the bird.

Don't you know it's gonna be... all right

Our federal government's efforts at health care reform have brought into glaring light the great problem that plagues our country: that the people we elect to government do not represent our, the voter's, interests, but instead represent the interests of those who give them large sums of money; namely, large corporations, and other moneyed special interest groups (including even from foreign countries). Votes are for sale up on Capitol Hill. Corruption abounds. These folks need money to pay for their election campaigns, and if they didn't take it from the large donors in exchange for their vote, they wouldn't be re-elected. I suppose that is their rationale. Maybe this is nothing new, but it has become painfully apparent in the past few weeks. Every sane person knows that our health care in this country is outrageously overpriced, and continuing to escalate out of control, and yet Congress is putting the brakes on any meaningful reform. It's a sad state of affairs. It seems we need campaign finance reform before any other meaningful change can take place. Unfortunately, the electorate is largely ignorant, and easily manipulated via the corporate-controlled mainstream media. There is little chance any important change will be happening soon, despite the "Yes We Can!" rallying cry of not so long ago. There will be no new birth of freedom. The rich will continue to get richer, and the poor will get poorer, and government of the people, by the people, for the people, will continue to die a slow death, til it perish from the earth.