I'm Finally Sick Of It

For the longest time now, if you place the term Natalee Holloway into Google - the first link up has been to a Kuroshin article entitled "F@ck Natalee Holloway".

If someone is paying their own way on the Internet and not breaking the law, I don't support censorship and Kuroshin is free to write or host whatever they want. I have no complaint with their site and have been seeing the link forever.

But given that Google has a reasonable amount of control over their search mechanisms and subsequent results - there's simply no excuse for the same old tired, insulting and, frankly vulgar link to be sitting at the top for every school kid who might do a search on Natalee Holloway without safe search on.

I don't care how someone feels about the issue - whether it is over-covered, or not - that's a fair point. But there is absolutely no reason for what is now a Major Public American corporation to continue a situation potentially so insulting to many Americans for so long.

Here are two email addresses - one for their PR Department and one for investors. I would strongly encourage everyone to take a minute and let them know what you think - whatever that might be.

Comments

[mattereth not]

Like many of you, I found this site early in the NH drama and have stayed enjoying Dan's reporting. So I followed on over to this supposedly henious site to see for myself.

Have any other of you? OK, the title is vulgar, but did you read the rest of the story? To me, Dan, you should be supporting his thesis,not damning it. Saying that one, the MSM is feeding the US population garbage for ratings; two, that pretty WASPs still sell news in this country, and; three, there are a lot more things going on in the world that are more important than NH all seem to be within your philosophies.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
N. B.: This quote is commonly attributed to Voltaire, but it is not found in his writing.
-S. G. Tallentyre, The Friends of Voltaire

If as a people, we must rely on laws - either God-made or man-made - to provide the moral compass that should have been developed within, we deserve the moral degeneration we now have. We - parents, educators, voters - have allowed this to happen to this country - no one else. But the answer lay not in vituperation against those who see things differently, or in forcing your religion on others.

Live it (your religion) yourself, hour by hour. Use in practice. Methinks that if so, you would be forgiving that site, not bashing it. Turn the other cheek, indeed. As Gandi said, "if the world's Christians acted their religion, we would all be Christians."

[Sly2SmoothieNJS]

what a guy, what a guy.........you've got class, common sense and a brain. Do you own a Red cape? Thanks Dan :)

[little C]

I just type in "natalee aruba" to get new results

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

DONE!

[Jane]

I agree, Dan. Email sent.

[WW]

FYI Dan,

If you do the search with SafeSearch on the F Natalee Holloway doesn't show up at all.

[chip]

thanks dan!!!

[patrick]

Dan,

This was the response at the bottom of the letter from the host of the site....another jag off..

Update [2005-7-29 9:8:37 by rusty]: Hello, AOL visitors and others who found this article through Google! Many of you probably find yourselves in an absolute lather of dudgeon and froth right now, and are just itching to send off an email to the vile proprietors of this site expressing your shock and outrage at the title of this article (having not read beyond that). May I take this opportunity to gently recommend that you do not do so, since quite a few others already have, and with even more misspellings, grammatical mistakes, and capitalized sentences than you were going to use. Chances are that whatever you were going to say, whether it was a promise to report us to government authorities, threats against our persons and/or families, or just a stream of profanity, has already been said even less coherently by someone else.

While we do find your emails very entertaining, I feel bad that so many of you are wasting your valuable time on them. I felt it was only fair to warn you in advance that your emailed expressions of outrage will be at best ignored, and at worst posted elsewhere on this site for further mockery by the community at large.

[hoovamom1]

sent my 2...thanks, Dan

[Plepo]

I didn't know that site,thanks for the lead! I think it's good that there are also people who express a different opinion. I will not mail google because I think this ohter sound needs to be heard/seen.

[NewYawkGirl]

It seems that website has gotten its share of their protests letters:

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/7/8/141115/2706

[RealPotential]

I wrote my emails.

Thanks Dan...I completely agree.

It's discusting.

[TheAlamo]

Every once in awhile I get a glimmer of hope that people are wising up, that things can go back to a country that once was. Then I read crap like that. Unfortunately I am an advocate of free speech, but this person is a sick individual. Our founders stated that we would remain a free nation as long as we remained a moral nation. This same freedom of speech was around 30 yers ago, but internet or not, you would not have seen that type of display. Because it was against the law? No. Because people had class and a few morals about them. Unfortunately for us, this boy has a following. It seems that the site got the attention they were seeking, but look at the caliber of that attention. They have the right to be whacked out. Unfortunately they even have the right to display their own stupidity and ignorance as they have. I cannot "vote" to have them censored because I know that if we begin that, then it is just a matter of time until we all are censored. A better way is to possibly straighten out our own lives and morality and try to help others do the same. They WILL get paid, one way or another anyway. Life is like that.

[NewYawkGirl]

What is wrong with people? What makes them so sick, full of hatred, and what gives them satisfaction for beating on the beaten.. victimizing the victims?

I say boycott Google as much as possible...Its disgusting

BTW Dan, protest letter sent..it was a pleasure

[Kipster]

Dan:
"But given that Google has a reasonable amount of control over their search mechanisms and subsequent results - there's simply no excuse for the same old tired, insulting and, frankly vulgar link to be sitting at the top..."

Given that Google very rarely hand-tweaks results, and given that their algo is mainly based upon PageRank and anchor text, there's good reason for this result to be at the top:
http://www.google.com/search?q=allinanchor:Natalee+Holloway
Additionally, kuro5hin.org's homepage is a PageRank 8.

Here's an example of the influence of anchor text in Google that's been around since the Bush first term (though you'll notice the Jimmy Carter anchor bombers are catching up):
http://www.google.com/search?q=miserable+failure

Google might hand-remove the first result because of the expletive (though I doubt it), but a more effective campaign would be to get high PageRank sites to link to you with the anchor text 'Natalee Holloway'.

[MrsJimiHendrix]

Dan

there was a time when you were first!!

this is an outrage!!

some are sicker than others!!

[Anna2]

Hi Dan,
Been visiting here for a while but this is my first post. Just wanted to say thanks for not only pointing out the problem here but also suggesting a course of action. I'd observed the same thing on Google but just shook my head in disbelief and went on my way. Shame on me! Thanks for reminding us to do something.

[sleuth]

Dan, I love sending off protesting letters. Anytime, anytime...glad to oblige.

There is more than enough tragedy with the simple fact that this girl is missing. Anything else is mean and in very bad taste. I abhor what has become of the moral values that I was fortunate enough to grow up with, and for which so many of our brave citizens have died for.

This blog just keeps getting better and better. Thanks Dan. You're the man.

[LG]

I have been reading this blog since the first week Natalie went missing. I just happened upon it and am hooked. I also have been extremely upset by the website referred to in Dan's post here. I searched "Natalie Holloway" on AOL search and that was also the first website result. I had lost my favorites page and was looking for Riehl World View. I was putting an "s" at the end of View and wasn't coming here! I was trying to figure out what I was doing wrong by looking for this site on AOL search. I was very upset at how far down on my list that this blog was. I have looked at several of them, mainly when Dan has linked one, and do not feel that any of them have the quality that Dan has put in to this one. I have only posted here one other time, but I read the posts several times a day. I just had to state my feelings on this one.

You are doing a great job Dan! Thank you!

[bhm mom too]

You are absolutely correct. It is disgusting.

[Ian]

Hey you know what is worse, this person is actually considered a Google "news source":

http://news.google.com/news?q=natalee%20holloway&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N&tab=wn

[Anna]

I realize that in her disappearance she has become a public figure but she is still legally a minor and I find it appalling that her image can be linked to some of those photos. This is some lame attempt at humor I suppose but is also a very sad commentary on the times in which we live. Not making the world a better place at all.

This site is an assault of its own, to the senses, and as you do point out, certainly not something for children to access yet I see no warning. More of the coarsening of society at large but we all have to live with the consequences.

[markmywords]

******BRAVO, DAN!******

[MoonShadow]

Sent to both. Thanks, Dan

[missy]

You are absolutely right dan and most people couldnt agree with you more! It only takes a few seconds to email a disaproval note.

I appreciate all your help into this corrupt investigation.

[KarlosFandango]

Ever vigilant again Dan. Good job. Email is on its way.