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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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The Handbook has not been updated to reflect decisions taken at the October 2013 Governors' Meeting.
Do you really need to be within half an hour of Mississauga to help with Handbook updates?
As you know, we don't have a physical CFC Office - only virtual one.
If you have credentials to update CFC website - you could help.
But again, how many people should have such credentials? Won't many chefs create bigger mess?
Do you really need to be within half an hour of Mississauga to help with Handbook updates?
As you know, we don't have a physical CFC Office - only virtual one.
If you have credentials to update CFC website - you could help.
But again, how many people should have such credentials? Won't many chefs create bigger mess?
Bob just sent out an email that he has updated the handbook.
Well Fred you wallpapered propaganda all over this board to sell the process and decision that had a selection committee full of non-arm’s length individuals and even one personal friend of the candidate. Additionally to help qualify the contractor you immediately exempted all the quarterly fiscal reporting requirements. How can I compete with someone who has a whole different set of less stringent rules, two years of insider information, and ignored my problems at regular quarterly meetings while dumping unimaginable new problems on me in an attempt to force failures in any way possible?
Fred McKim as Treasurer of the CFC your detachment from reality is simply unbelievable. I mean once the new contract kicked off you spent the whole year behaving like a political ostrich pretending none of it was happening. Remember, you told us just one year ago that the CFC administration fundamentally has no problems because the contractor has a math degree... I mean it’s just deluded.
You went on to propagate that the change in contractor would be a success story for the CFC. Well it’s a very odd sort of success isn’t it, and frankly saying that beggars belief and hardly makes you credible.
I think it’s about time that you and others on this board woke up to the fact that we are inflicting misery onto dozens of stakeholders. Misery through lack of service, through process nepotism, through a lack of responsibility for anyone having made these decisions.
And then we have Hal Bond on ChessTalk August 2013 before last year’s WYCC saying, ‘We don’t need any bait and switch contracts from the U.A.E.’…, said the bait and switch contract supporting member of the office selection committee! Hal went on to say ‘it seems we are stuck with their decision while other organizers got blocked their fair chance to bid’?!
You’ve made yourselves a national laughing stock. You don’t, have any credibility.
But one piece of helpful advice from me…- Don’t this summer allow your admin staff any extended exotic trips to east Asia, because market conditions guarantee there will be plenty of needed admin work to be performed for CFC stakeholders.
Well Fred you wallpapered propaganda all over this board to sell the process and decision that had a selection committee full of non-arm’s length individuals and even one personal friend of the candidate. Additionally to help qualify the contractor you immediately exempted all the quarterly fiscal reporting requirements. How can I compete with someone who has a whole different set of less stringent rules, two years of insider information, and ignored my problems at regular quarterly meetings while dumping unimaginable new problems on me in an attempt to force failures in any way possible? ...
Regrettably, acceptance of conflict of interest seems to be a fact of life at the CFC. They use the argument that the CFC is a small community and that therefore they have no choice. I don't believe it and your comments, Gerry, are evidence of the damage C of I can cause.
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." - Aesop
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination." - Thomas De Quincey
A former CFC member has communicated with me regarding CFC member services. It is best if I outline the sequence of events in bullet form;
1. He was originally on the CFC auto-renewal program with his membership originally expiring August 1st 2013. (Auto-renewal means the CFC is authorized to keep his credit card info on file and charge it to renew his membership BEFORE it expires for continuous membership.)
Did you as a former Director informed a new director of such contract?
All other kind of info you share is more or less looking for a revenge, isn't?
Maybe you can share why the CFC pays so much for administration of ~2000 members? When I hear about the CFC is overloaded with work and without explanation what kind of work, I assume they are busy consuming pizzas and cokes.
Did you as a former Director informed a new director of such contract?
All other kind of info you share is more or less looking for a revenge, isn't?
Maybe you can share why the CFC pays so much for administration of ~2000 members? When I hear about the CFC is overloaded with work and without explanation what kind of work, I assume they are busy consuming pizzas and cokes.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the day to day operations of the CFC office, but I do understand that there is a LOT of communication with FIDE and international organizers and the parents of kids going to CYCC and WYCC (the latter being much more time-consuming). When you add in all the miscellaneous emails and phone calls about:
- my credit card changed and you didn't process my renewal
- my credit card was charged twice
- when will the ratings be done
- the ratings were done but there were errors in Round 3 of the crosstable that was submitted
- I am sure I paid for my renewal at the XXXX Open but I don't know who I gave the money to
- what is my rating and why?
- what clubs are in my area
yada yada.
You can see how a day can get blown away. When you add in all the crap that is the CFC's inherited hodge-podge
of computer programs and lists and 'databases' and toss in maintaining a mailing list I think they would be glad
to just be wolfing down pizza and cokes.
Seriously, the CFC office gets involved in a lot of communication that falls on the office by default because
everyone else is just a volunteer. Some volunteers do a lot of work and some do nothing. The one who do
nothing cause more work for the others (and then the office) because they have an additional task of finding
new volunteers that actually do something.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the day to day operations of the CFC office, but I do understand that there is a LOT of communication with FIDE and international organizers and the parents of kids going to CYCC and WYCC (the latter being much more time-consuming). When you add in all the miscellaneous emails and phone calls about:
- my credit card changed and you didn't process my renewal
- my credit card was charged twice
- when will the ratings be done
- the ratings were done but there were errors in Round 3 of the crosstable that was submitted
- I am sure I paid for my renewal at the XXXX Open but I don't know who I gave the money to
- what is my rating and why?
- what clubs are in my area
yada yada.
You can see how a day can get blown away. When you add in all the crap that is the CFC's inherited hodge-podge
of computer programs and lists and 'databases' and toss in maintaining a mailing list I think they would be glad
to just be wolfing down pizza and cokes.
Seriously, the CFC office gets involved in a lot of communication that falls on the office by default because
everyone else is just a volunteer. Some volunteers do a lot of work and some do nothing. The one who do
nothing cause more work for the others (and then the office) because they have an additional task of finding
new volunteers that actually do something.
Several of the above questions (3, 6 and 7 I would say)
can be easily answered by checking on line, at the CFC site, or others. Too many people don't seem to (or refuse to) understand this.
Several of the above questions (3, 6 and 7 I would say)
can be easily answered by checking on line, at the CFC site, or others. Too many people don't seem to (or refuse to) understand this.
Yes. That was part of my point. It seems the office is often contacted for information that is available elsewhere... It may be that the
information could be better organized on the very expensive CFC website (cough). Personally, I find the CFC website to be ok and most
of the time I can find what I need to know (usually along with a lot of stuff I didn't need to know about...) Maintaining a complex web
site is yet another time sink. I don't know whether much of that maintenance falls on the CFC office or is performed by some other set
of volunteers (I know Fred McKim worked very hard at getting the original website up and running and functional - no idea who is
working on it these days).
During some busy times of the year (CYCC, WYCC etc) the CFC Office can easily fall behind (this may also be the case after a transition
from one set of people to the next). Once you fall behind it is quite a lengthy process to catch up before the next onslaught - especially
for a one person effort.
Gerrry, I am uncomfortable with your comments regarding Fred McKim. I admire Fred and appreciate the work he has done for the CFC.
I was on the selection committee that chose the winning bid for the CFC office contract and there were 5 good proposals, including the one from your organization "Outpost". It doesn't sound to me like you got any feedback on your bid so I'll tell you my own impressions and perhaps you can benefit or perhaps you will vent on me but I think you deserve to know my thoughts. I rated Outpost highly in several important areas (familiarity with the CFC, provincial organizations and FIDE, financial accounting, rating system knowledge, office structure) and poorly some other areas (high proposed cost, customer service, taking responsibility, communications). I was not influenced at all by Fred. The members of the selection committee made independent judgements and arrived at a unanimous decision. The process was as fair as anyone could make it.
Fred McKim as Treasurer of the CFC your detachment from reality is simply unbelievable. I mean once the new contract kicked off you spent the whole year behaving like a political ostrich pretending none of it was happening. Remember, you told us just one year ago that the CFC administration fundamentally has no problems because the contractor has a math degree... I mean it’s just deluded.
You went on to propagate that the change in contractor would be a success story for the CFC. Well it’s a very odd sort of success isn’t it, and frankly saying that beggars belief and hardly makes you credible.
I think it’s about time that you and others on this board woke up to the fact that we are inflicting misery onto dozens of stakeholders. Misery through lack of service, through process nepotism, through a lack of responsibility for anyone having made these decisions.
I still think that the system used was effective and fair. I attempted to obtain members for all three committees who would approach their job and the contract proposals with an open mind. If I wanted to try and sway the Committee I would have thrown my support at one of the Candidates who has been a personal friend of mine for 40 years, after all I did hand pick the committees.
For various reasons, that will probably never be fully understood, the performance of the new Executive Director ran into trouble from almost day one. Vlad has already said as much. I'm not sure there was any way that could have been predicted. Things already seem to be significantly improved under new Executive Director (effective June 1), who has taken on the remainder of the contract.
I think my reputation speaks for itself, although I guess politics makes for enemies along the way. I doubt you're doing yourself any favours continuing with your rant.
I think that anyone on the 2013/2014 or 2014/2015 CFC Executives will be ineligible for the next Executive Director contract, which I think comes due June 1, 2015 as per the motion passed by the Governors last fall.
For various reasons, that will probably never be fully understood, the performance of the new Executive Director ran into trouble from almost day one. Vlad has already said as much. I'm not sure there was any way that could have been predicted. Things already seem to be significantly improved under new Executive Director (effective June 1), who has taken on the remainder of the contract.
All that says to me is the process is flawed. Changing that position, for no good reason, isn't likely the best move.
Continuity is something a organization like the CFC needs. I think all chess organizations need continuity. It goes without saying that sooner or later an ED will want to leave. However, if a person is filling the position satisfactorily he should likely not be replaced.
The same goes for the president position.
Memberships is the name of the game. Getting the renewals and selling new memberships. Continuity gives an organization some stability and helps to retain members.
By the way, on an unrelated topic, I tried to find something on the Senior championship in the handbook at Chess.CA this evening and I couldn't find a mention on it. Am I missing something as it's the qualifier for the world senior from what I understand.
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