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Policy / Politique
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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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Well, yes - I am an admin here but not for moderation purposes... I admire Paul Bonham's adroitness with using wikipedia etc to provide some definitions, but my initial reaction was that it was a personal attack (for what it is worth, I did not perceive Vlad's current health to be relevant to any of this). Anyway, thanks for applying your judgement here.
I was frankly expecting it to remain since it was rather mild (although uncalled for), but I wanted to at least point out that it was an irrelevant personal comment.
While I do agree that the health of the CFC president shouldn't be of any interest in this thread, he did bring the issue forward himself. Now, as expected, somebody went out of his way to make some outrageous comments on the subject and no, it is not acceptable.
However, I still think it should go both ways. Nobody should use the CFC president's health to criticize him. Fine. But the CFC president himself shouldn't refer to his health, unless it's given as a reasonable explanation to step down or reduce his responsibilities.
Honestly, Vlad, I don't want to sound rude. I do feel for anybody who's got health issues and if I were in your situation, I would just step down instead of posting that kind of statement. Saying that you stay despite health issues just because you don't want a certain group to get the job is counter-productive, IMO. And that's not a statement in favor of Sasha Starr or whoever. That's just what you can and can't do for the CFC.
It is not a sob story it is just a recap of my last two weeks. I am quite happy with what was accomplished by my being there in Montreal to witness the biggest CYCC ever and one of the biggest Canadian Opens in decades.
Hopefully this will not make people miss the fact that there was not really a Canadian Open this summer, but only a Quebec Open that was renamed for political purposes.
In a merging process that unfortunately we may see more and more often, one tournament was sacrificed at the expense of the players.
Sure the "Canadian Open" attracted a strong 407 players but usually the Canadian and Quebec Open Opens total combined participation attract just as many if not more players (without the added CYCC held just before to boot entries).
At least Quebec players did not suffer (besides those who has ideas about playing both opens...) but overall there was not TWO but only one big open this summer in Canada.
I wonder how a CFC president can be pleased with that kind of accomplishment.
Re: Kasparov campaign on death bed? - Kevin Spraggett
Hi Jean,
First congratulations on winning a tough section..you have proved once again that you occupy a class of your own!
Second, I know you have had difficulty logging onto this site of late. We have a number of members in the same situation...can you share with us how you managed to work around the system?
Third, the fact that the event was called the Canadian Open made it easier for the organizers here to sell it to the media etc. Over 700 entries (CYCC and CO-COQ combined) and 1,800 room nights at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth is impressive for chess...no other chess event even comes close to generating those dollars in Canada...if you calculate entry fees, lodging, food etc...you are talking over half a million dollars generated.
And...because of this event and the media attention...sales at Boutique Strategie have gone up in the last two weeks... :)
So I think there is a positive side of the coin here :)
I had hoped that once the CFC AGM was over, this whole affair would settle down. Obviously both sides still want to attack each other publicly, without regard to how it affects their own image, the image of the CFC, and the image of chess in Canada in general. Completely disasterous.
Given that Vlad is still President, and Sasha is now a Governor/Class A voting member, I am wondering how either intends to work with the other or with the rest of the CFC to improve it, particularly Sasha. That said, I'm not holding much hope of anything.
Otherwise, if Sasha really intends some form of legal action, he should openly state on what grounds he intends to take action now, rather than after the fact. Otherwise there is no reason to believe that there is any legal action he can take, and hence no threat. Reminds me of the situation where someone in Kingston was threatening to sue various persons including the CFC, but it was all empty threats, without basis. Mercifully I have forgotten the person's name or the reasons now.
Garland, you deserve my answer.
Here is a story: as you know, there is a heated discussion going on with regards to CFC's vote - endorsement on the upcoming FIDE election.
The issue is very simple: should CFC vote for World-renowed Garry Kasparov or KI who's been there for the last 19 years.
President Vladimir Drkulec disregarded opinion of the majority of Canadian chessplayers, lost all public polls on the subject, and in the middle of the VM's discussion abruptly made an announcement that the Executives have voted to endorse KI. Besides the fact that democratic process was impaired, CFC will suffer that without any compensation (80 grands is a joke) it lost the opportunity to be associated with Kasparov Chess Foundation, Sid Belzberg, and other respected entities, regardless GK win or lose.
Here is my submission to my lawyer:
I'm openly stating that CFC, of which I'm a member, has suffered the following damages:
1.On or about June 16th the CFC's Executives made a highly unpopular decision to endorse Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a close associate of Mr. Putin, for the position of the FIDE's President.
2.They've calculated that they will take some heat for this unpopular decision to endorse him in exchange for the "loot of $80,000.00", as one of the Voting Members wrote.
3.It is proposed that FIDE funds the cost of this political endorsement, raising the question of misappropriation of the FIDE's funds (KI is using FIDE's funds to "buy" the CFC's endorsement), and in this case the CFC as a FIDE's member will be deemed as acting as an accomplice.
4.Executives made the CFC lose the real opportunity to be associated with the KCF, Sid Belzberg, USCF, and other honorable entities, instead choosing to endorse a man, who soon could join the sanction's list.
5.In view of the fact that almost all Western countries and the US endorsed Garry Kasparov, and only Canada has endorsed KI, the international reputation of CFC has suffered tremendously.
It could result in the derivative action of the CFC against Executives.
The only way to avoid any further embarrassment is to immediately revoke this endorsement. And start building the bridges with above mentioned entities.
Kind regards,
Sasha Starr.
Garland, as you see I have no plans to sue CFC. I'm trying to protect it from mismanagement by people who are trying to chew way more their capabilities.
Honestly, Vlad, I don't want to sound rude. I do feel for anybody who's got health issues and if I were in your situation, I would just step down instead of posting that kind of statement. Saying that you stay despite health issues just because you don't want a certain group to get the job is counter-productive, IMO. And that's not a statement in favor of Sasha Starr or whoever. That's just what you can and can't do for the CFC.
Mathieu. I can pretty well guarantee you that should Vlad step down as President, it would be one of the existing Executive to complete his term (most likely the present Vice-President). Sasha will have his chance again in 2015, if he so desires.
Ok, but I don't see what submitting such a statement achieves. Having it notarized by a lawyer accomplishes nothing against the CFC decision. You aren't asking to be recompensated for damages, you are not getting an injunction to block actions by the CFC, nothing. It seems completely frivolous to me.
Ok, but I don't see what submitting such a statement achieves. Having it notarized by a lawyer accomplishes nothing against the CFC decision. You aren't asking to be recompensated for damages, you are not getting an injunction to block actions by the CFC, nothing. It seems completely frivolous to me.
It is not the right place or time to discuss the merits of my introductory letter to my lawyer. I'm not asking for any compensation for myself. It is CFC who will ask for compensation for the actions of certain people.
In this political situation the CFC's endorsement of KI is a colossal blunder. Even if KI wins. There will be no benefits to CFC, only embarrassment.
It is still possible to reverse it. But the time is running out.
It is not the right place or time to discuss the merits of my introductory letter to my lawyer. I'm not asking for any compensation for myself. It is CFC who will ask for compensation for the actions of certain people.
In this political situation the CFC's endorsement of KI is a colossal blunder. Even if KI wins. There will be no benefits to CFC, only embarrassment.
It is still possible to reverse it. But the time is running out.
So why did you post it here, if you didn't want any discussion ? In any event I was able to widen my rather narrow legal knowledge reading about Derivative Actions.
However, I still think it should go both ways. Nobody should use the CFC president's health to criticize him. Fine. But the CFC president himself shouldn't refer to his health, unless it's given as a reasonable explanation to step down or reduce his responsibilities.
The CFC president is entitled to have a life outside of chess. It is not reasonable to expect him to take on the presidency as a full time job given that it is an unpaid volunteer position. My diabetes is under control but it could easily slip out of control if I don't take time to do the things that keep it under control. Those things require time and effort. You seem to be criticizing me for not being willing to jump into a major project immediately after spending two weeks working as a full time ambassador for chess.
Today I did an interview with Radio Free Europe on the FIDE election. It probably will not come off well.
It is not the right place or time to discuss the merits of my introductory letter to my lawyer. I'm not asking for any compensation for myself. It is CFC who will ask for compensation for the actions of certain people.
In this political situation the CFC's endorsement of KI is a colossal blunder. Even if KI wins. There will be no benefits to CFC, only embarrassment.
It is still possible to reverse it. But the time is running out.
You are seeking by vexatious litigation to achieve what you could not achieve at the ballot box. I would be surprised if you find a lawyer willing to file such a half baked case. We will certainly ask that a sizable bond be required of you in order to cover the CFC's costs in the event that your case is unsuccessful.
So why did you post it here, if you didn't want any discussion ? In any event I was able to widen my rather narrow legal knowledge reading about Derivative Actions.
Fred, I posted it here simply because there is still a chance to revoke the endorsement, do the right thing and avoid the upcoming embarrassment. That will include public disclosure about all circumstances surrounding this unfortunate endorsement. The ball is in your court.
I have mixed feelings about your post being deleted by the moderator as it reveals your true nature and why no one should worry about your opinion on anything. In particular your fantasies on the the topic of me committing seppuku (ritual suicide by cutting open the stomach) remind me of the parallels to a usenet troll who used to tell vulnerable people to slice long and deep. l am not a particularly vulnerable person but I didn't think I would get any death wishes on chesstalk. Thanks for correcting that mistaken belief. I am under Japanese influence but I never bought into the idea of ritual suicide. It offends the chessplayer in me who has learned that there is always hope while the game is still on.
My 'true nature' is to expose the truth that others try to hide, and for anyone who can't handle it, there's the advice about staying out of the kitchen if you can't take the heat. Whether anyone "worries about my opinion" matters nothing to me.
You know as well as I do I expressed no such 'fantasy' of you commiting seppuku. What I expressed in metaphorical terms, for anyone intelligent enough to understand (few and far between here), was that you want everyone to BELIEVE that you are willing to sacrifice your health, even to the point of premature death, for the sake of the CFC. Dale Carnegie had it right that people can be easily influenced, and you have professed several times to using Carnegie's techniques to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. It's amazing, isn't it? Even when you tell them exactly what you are doing to them, they still let you do it!
Kudos to you for taking such advantage of the zombies. I can think of a WWII personality who did the same, and like you thought himself a master strategist to such an extent that nothing he could do would possibly fail. He didn't account for the real world, and that will be your downfall as well.
OMG!!! Godwin's Law!!! lol
Kudos also for turning the seppuku thing into a fantasy of mine and even a 'death wish' of mine, which everyone with mush for brains will believe. You appear to do everything right to convince those with weak minds. Unfortunately for you, that is only enough to get you into a position of power and influence. Once there, you still have to wield the power and influence, and that is your core weakness.
Of COURSE you don't buy into the idea of ritual suicide. You only want people to BELIEVE you would, which is why you posted all that stuff about your diabetes. Very obvious to a person like me on whom the Carnegie techniques have no effect.
Finally, kudos on the "poor poor pitiful me" technique. The whole "not getting paid" crap and all the exhausting meetings and discussions... so much work and so little reward. All playing into the Vlad Drkulec as CFC God personna. Well played. But again... you still have to DO something with the capital you've gained. I remember George Bush talked in 2004 about the political capital he'd gained and that he would do something with it... and I don't think you have half the planning and decision skills he had... although half of zero IS zero...
Only the rushing is heard...
Onward flies the bird.
You are seeking by vexatious litigation to achieve what you could not achieve at the ballot box. I would be surprised if you find a lawyer willing to file such a half baked case. We will certainly ask that a sizable bond be required of you in order to cover the CFC's costs in the event that your case is unsuccessful.
There is no need for bond: I'm asking for the leave to have the CFC starting legal action against its executives. Besides there could be a ground for the class action suit. In any case I'm mindful about CFC's legal expenses. The losing party will cover it plus compensate CFC for the damages.
Spare yourself, the executives and CFC from the upcoming embarrassment.
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