On Thu, 12 May 2005 18:41:42 -0400, "StanB"
wrote:


"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...

That is not goot enough. Simply suggesting that "the editor should
exercise greater editorial care" is insufficient. Whomever the editor
was, he should be fired immediately. If Beatriz, who was in charge of
the office at the time, approved or knew about the article, she must
resign.

Right. Billy G. always read and approved every article. The only thing he
didn't read and approve were letters by staff making unauthorized cash
promises.

Since this issue has not been debated here, I will tell you what this
is about.

Apparently Diane Reese promised the Olympiad Teams that if they won
the silver medal, they would get paid $28,000.

The woman's team won the silver medal and now they want their money.

Bill Goichberg refused to pay, saying that he did not know about the
promise and the promise was unauthorized.

Sam Sloan

BLUENOSES

The article was likely commissioned well in advance, or so it
appears. The editor could have paid a 50 percent kill fee, which is
standard. I have not read the piece, but if it were a really ambitious
bit of writing, then paying a kill fee and not using it would have been
cruel. Yes, it simply could have been edited to delete a few things
here and there.

Too, there are ways to suggest a way of life and to mention a number
of things without actually saying them. Sometimes, you can create the
atmosphere just as racily, yet also satisfy the bluenoses, by
indirection. I did that a bit with a couple of Chess Life articles on
Arthur Dake's memories of that ultimate sin city, Shanghai, in 1926 or
1927. Phew! Some stuff.

BLUENOSES

The article was likely commissioned well in advance, or so it
appears. The editor could have paid a 50 percent kill fee, which is
standard. I have not read the piece, but if it were a really ambitious
bit of writing, then paying a kill fee and not using it would have been
cruel. Yes, it simply could have been edited to delete a few things
here and there.

Too, there are ways to suggest a way of life and to mention a number
of things without actually saying them. Sometimes, you can create the
atmosphere just as racily, yet also satisfy the bluenoses, by
indirection. I did that a bit with a couple of Chess Life articles on
Arthur Dake's memories of that ultimate sin city, Shanghai, in 1926 or
1927. Phew! Some stuff.

So who WAS the editor in charge of this issue? Seems that this is the main
point, not whether Beatriz's bloomers are green or purple.


"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
At 11:22 AM 5/12/2005 EDT, wrote:
In a message dated 5/12/2005 11:11:06 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
writes: Randy Bauer

That is not goot enough. Simply suggesting that "the editor should
exercise greater editorial care" is insufficient. Whomever the editor
was, he should be fired immediately.
Randy was the FIRST board member to respond after Susan's e-mail. He is
very much against this article. George John also spoke out very strongly
against this article. So were MANY other people. I believe Mr. Pehme is
gone. Unfortunately, the damage was done and we are still paying for his
incompetence.

I realize that the writer above has long disliked Kalev Pehme.

However, Kalev Pehme had absolutely nothing to do with the publication
of this article. Kalev Pehme was fired by Beatriz Marinello with a
vote of 5-2 by the board on January 22, 2005. Since then, two issues
of Chess Life were published, neither of which were edited by Kalev
Pehme.

Even assuming it is true that Kalev Pehme commissioned the article
while he was still editor, the article did not come in to be read
until after he had left.

Every administration of the USCF has blamed all of the problems of the
USCF on the administration that preceeded it. This is no longer
acceptable. It is simply unacceptable that Beatriz Marinello would
blame this article on Kalev Pehme, rather than on herself.

Sam Sloan

In article .com,
says...

BLUENOSES

The article was likely commissioned well in advance, or so it
appears. The editor could have paid a 50 percent kill fee, which is
standard. I have not read the piece, but if it were a really ambitious
bit of writing, then paying a kill fee and not using it would have been
cruel. Yes, it simply could have been edited to delete a few things
here and there.

Too, there are ways to suggest a way of life and to mention a number
of things without actually saying them. Sometimes, you can create the
atmosphere just as racily, yet also satisfy the bluenoses, by
indirection. I did that a bit with a couple of Chess Life articles on
Arthur Dake's memories of that ultimate sin city, Shanghai, in 1926 or
1927. Phew! Some stuff.

That would have been my preferred method (wow, it's probably been awhile since
Larry and I agreed on something). That's an editorial balancing act that
creates something of a win-win.

When I was 13 years old (a long time ago), I read Chess Life cover to cover.
Call me a bluenose if you wish, but I'd rather not have the typical 13 year old
reading this article in its entirety.

I know, I know -- they're already getting it on TV, the Internet, etc. That
doesn't mean that Chess Life should accept the standard of the lowest common
denominator.

Randy Bauer

In article , Angelo DePalma says...

So who WAS the editor in charge of this issue? Seems that this is the main
point, not whether Beatriz's bloomers are green or purple.

It was/is Gerry Dullea, but cut the guy some slack. He had to step in on short
notice for Glenn given Glenn's health problems, and this article had been in the
works for awhile. I think that Glenn also had some input or may have made the
decision to publish it. We'll no doubt determine the exact set of facts and
circumstances at the Board meeting next week.

Randy Bauer

Well, somebody had to pass off on it. Will we ever know who that was? Wasn't
there a copy editor who got a little excited when the Hungarian asked Taylor
if he'd like to be in the middle of those two lesbians?

I don't think the editor should be fired over this. Making him perform
deviant acts with syphillitic Hungarian lesbian sex workers or having him
read the archives of this newsgroup might be punishment enough.


"Randy Bauer" wrote in message
...
In article , Angelo DePalma says...

So who WAS the editor in charge of this issue? Seems that this is the main
point, not whether Beatriz's bloomers are green or purple.

It was/is Gerry Dullea, but cut the guy some slack. He had to step in on
short
notice for Glenn given Glenn's health problems, and this article had been
in the
works for awhile. I think that Glenn also had some input or may have made
the
decision to publish it. We'll no doubt determine the exact set of facts
and
circumstances at the Board meeting next week.

Randy Bauer

TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT

Maybe Randy Bauer and Beatriz Marinello will try to blame one
Kalev Pehme, who commissioned the article, though he could not know
what would be written. Beatriz Marinello as COO (or highest ranking
office employee) and President
is the publisher. She has ultimate responsibility.

The other side of the coin is that the responsibility is small.
You had an editor who was very, very ill. You had a temporary editor
who would be swamped, totally unable to familiarize himself with every
file in that office; and you have a fine author who will fight for his
copy, which is natural enough.

The apology, if one is really needed, should come from Beatriz
Marinello. The buck stops there.

But we are talking about responsibility for a few paragraphs of
.... what? I haven't read the piece.

I figure it is responsibility for creating chaos in the office,
not for an article that offends some people.

THE REIGN OF VIRTUE

The piece could have been edited and perhaps even improved at the
salacious points (indirection can be effective, too) but Glenn Petersen
is out with a heart attack and Gerry Dullea is also suffering from a
heart condition. They had rooms near to each other in the same
hospital.

Blaming Beatriz Marinello and Randy Bauer in any substantive way, as
Sam tried to do, is a big stretch. So, then, blame circumstances.
Glenn's bad valves and Gerry's stuffed arteries. I mean to say, you
could go after Glenn for eating too many Italian sausage parmesan
sandwiches from ABC Pizza over the last two decades; and it is true,
that a ferociously dedicated employee, who sacrifices even his
intestines to the Federation, would have been prepared for this moment
by having ingested leafy excrescences and assorted roots rather thant
the innards of pigs, slathered with cheese and oily sauces.

Where were the dietary police when we needed them?

By the way, if you read the journals, you will know they're coming.
The land of the repressed and the home of the poltroons will likely
have mandatory health-parameter exams within the next 10 to 15 years
where all citizens are required to remain within certain indices of
health (weight, cholesterol count, etc.) if they wish to have driver's
licenses or the coming national identity card or even the ability to
get on a plane..

Such is the next step in creating a national jail cell or what
Robespierre called the "reign of virtue."

wrote in message
ups.com...
BLUENOSES

The article was likely commissioned well in advance, or so it
appears. The editor could have paid a 50 percent kill fee, which is
standard. I have not read the piece, but if it were a really ambitious
bit of writing, then paying a kill fee and not using it would have been
cruel. Yes, it simply could have been edited to delete a few things
here and there.

Too, there are ways to suggest a way of life and to mention a number
of things without actually saying them. Sometimes, you can create the
atmosphere just as racily, yet also satisfy the bluenoses, by
indirection. I did that a bit with a couple of Chess Life articles on
Arthur Dake's memories of that ultimate sin city, Shanghai, in 1926 or
1927. Phew! Some stuff.

Larry Parr has now written rather more words than are contained in the
original article, soft-soaping Tim Taylor's article and Pehme who
commissioned it.

The questions are not whether adults will find this material shocking, but
that children will do so. The questions are not whether the insulted group
of persons will find the material offensive, but that other people will
ignore their responses if they do, as if they are of no consequence. The
questions are not if we choose to allocate blame for the article, but rather
to ask "who is claiming responsibility" for the article.

When Pehme wrote an article offensive to women a female organiser from
Chicago wrote into a public newsgroup saying that she would no longer have
any part in USCF events. This previous article was also 'exlained' as of 'no
consequence' - as if 1 vocal woman organiser was just that.

Rather than attribute blame and look for scapegoats to sacrifice, or make
maudlin comments about public morality or 'bluenoses' I am looking for
anyone who can claim responsibility for their own sphere' of either writing
to a mixed audience of all ages, or to performing the function of actually
editing contributions, or management functions which
ensure levels of quality control over products and services.

To date no one at all has taken any responsibility, which, as in the
previous Pehme example, tomorrow or the next day we will see the same thing
happen again. This is amateur-ville in its worst sense and continues to do
whatever is the opposite of chess development in this country.

Phil Innes

Have you noticed how the do-gooders will tax, criminalize, and litigate
against lower-class vices (smoking, drinking, drugs, over-eating) but
subsidize leisure activities of the upper classes (ballet, NPR)?

If I believed in conspiracies (which I don't) I'd think something was going
on here.

I read recently that one jurisdiction has proposed taxing fast food. The
combination of fat, stupid, and broke may be more than this country can
bear.


wrote

Where were the dietary police when we needed them?

By the way, if you read the journals, you will know they're coming.
The land of the repressed and the home of the poltroons will likely
have mandatory health-parameter exams within the next 10 to 15 years
where all citizens are required to remain within certain indices of
health (weight, cholesterol count, etc.) if they wish to have driver's
licenses or the coming national identity card or even the ability to
get on a plane..

Such is the next step in creating a national jail cell or what
Robespierre called the "reign of virtue."