Another internship! Oh, boy!

The economy sucks, and young college grads can hardly get work at Burger King. They're desperate to find work and will do just about anything that improves their chances. So if you have a need (or want) for free labor, why not take advantage of their desperation by repackaging any task, from data entry to feeding your cat, as an internship?

Here's an recent egregious example from Craigslist (edited for brevity and to protect the guilty):

We are “XX team,” the unofficial athletic & social club of the [Unnamed Gov't Agency] . Our mission is to help [Gov't Agency] employees and contractors make friends throughout The Agency - and you can help! This is a great opportunity for you to learn about the [Gov't Agency], make valuable contacts – and play softball and/or kickball!

YOUR DUTIES: Your Main Responsibility - We play our games on The National Mall, in the shadow of The Washington Monument. Most fields are on a first-come, first serve basis. Your primary duty will be to arrive at The Mall around 3pm on game days, and “camp-out” on a field until the team arrives at 4:30pm. Feel free to bring a book and a camping chair and work on your tan! Additional Duties - The XX Team also has a need for creative writers, journalists, photographers, web-site & graphic designers. If you have any of these skills (or would like a chance to develop them) let us know! Other Opportunities - After you've joined our organization, you may see opportunities to add value that we hadn't thought of. Let us know your ideas - we may let you run with it!

BENEFITS TO YOU: Your internship will take place outside! You'll get to play softball & kickball on The National Mall! You’ll get to make new friends! You’ll learn about the [Gov't Agency] and make valuable networking contacts! And while we can’t promise you that one of your contacts will turn into a job opportunity, there is always that possibility!
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PLEASE NOTE: (!) This is not an [Gov't Agency] internship. We are not officially affiliated with the [Gov't Agency] . We are merely a large club composed of Agency employees & contractors. You will be interning for an extracurricular sports club - not a government agency.

I especially love how they dangle the vague possibility of making contacts that might in some obscure way eventually lead to a job when it's clear that this "internship" holds no more networking potential than hanging out at your local Starbucks or crashing cocktail parties on the Hill.