Every Tuesday and Thursday, we run down what’s going on in local Internet discussion groups.

DC_MD_VA_Rap_list
One man’s fatal impaling by sea creature is, of course, another man’s marketing opportunity. On the always lively DC/MD/VA Rap List, rapper Whitefolkz sends out a message with the subject line: “R.I.P Steve Irwin ‘Crocodile Hunter,’” which turns out to be more a plug for his new album than a tribute to the fallen Aussie naturalist. “THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REASON WHY YOU SHOULD 6UY THE NEW WHITEFOLKZ AL6UM, THE WAY THAT I LIVE, INSTEAD OF PLAYING WITH STINGRAYS,” the rapper writes. “THE WHITEFOLKZ CD HAS SHARP AND ON POINT LYRICS 6UT THE CD IS NOT POISONOUS. SAVE AN AUSTRALIAN, 6UY THE WHITEFOLKZ CD.”

MountPleasantDC
When Eric posts to the list wondering if there’s any chance of recovering a laptop stolen from his apartment, neighborhood resident Karen responds that she has seen Eric’s computer—thinking it was hers, a few cops tried to give it to her a few nights ago after someone tried to rob her. She adds that the thief was apprehended by her neighbors, but she decided not to press charges because “he said he was MS-13 and I don’t want a gang pissed at me.” Turns out, the laptop is indeed Eric’s—he finds it down at the 3rd District station, but Mt. P residents were less interested in Karen’s good Samaritan lost-and-found services than her complete wuss-out. Says neighbor Marty: “I represent the Harvard Street Hellraisers, an affiliation without the PR machine that makes MS so well known, but we are pretty tough in our own right. We’d like take a look around your place and see if there’s anything we’d like, hopefully you will grant us the same immunity from prosecution that you’ve extended to MS-13. After all, I’m sure you don’t want us to be mad at you either,” he writes, with this addendum: “please note there is no such group as the Harvard street hellraisers and that this is sarcasm and not a threat.”

TakomaDC
Everything in moderation—including e-list moderation. Sharon, who calls herself the “TakomaDC List Mum,” announced she’s taking a break from such draining tasks as deleting spam and reminding posters to trim their tails. She’s passing duties off to Rich for a few weeks, she says, adding “I hope for a few weeks—we’ll see how long everyone lasts!” Why the break? Heated conversation over the upcoming elections have sapped her energy—and patience. “I was short with a couple of people last week and realized that I need a break from making decisions. My anxiety was less the result of the specific messages involved than anticipation of more to come as the election nears. The upcoming primary was turning the joy of this political season into something less like a freedom and more like a bull fight,” Sharon writes. “So, have fun everyone, and listen to Rich if he has to remind people to play nice.”