This website *must* hire or make use of more administrators- period.

An expanding business that won't accomodate the need for increased infrastructure will, inevitably fail- or descend into a feeble, grotesque lassitude.

I fear they will not heed <Howard's> warning.

However, it's their website eh?

At any minute they might get so annoyed that they just shut the whole thing down without warning.

I really wouldn't blame them if they did- I doubt they are "striking it rich" with this project, and they have to put up with that guy you are talking about- and worse- dozens and dozens more like him over the years.

I agree with <Annie> that he and his ilk produce simply "so much wind"- it's of little or no actual import. But it gets really tiresome when you are singled out as <Dom> has been. I almost had a heart attack a few times at this site in similar scenarios.

Hello <Annie>! Hello <Dom>!

More to the point- in terms of a very recent post on the admin page- we can't let this person speak unopposed.

Where is the support for <domdaniel>?

Who will speak up publicly for <dom>?

<Annie> I meant the last two questions for all, they are not addressed to you specifically.

Also, I recognize "time to fight" is my opinion only.

Possibly I am incorrect?

I don't feel incorrect at the moment.

I know! Before you know, I will be unseated from my seemingly exceeding seal-seamed seasonal seat. I ran out of words right there.

Yes, I agree that the site has been getting insufficient administrative attention for too long now, and they really need to shape up and catch up with the growing needs here.

As for t'other thing - "time to fight" etc. - nothing wrong with that, at this point, to be sure.

However, ever since the first time both parties had posted to the admin forum with complaints, basically everything necessary to insure that the admins would <eventually> have to look into this matter, has been done. It's a great pity that they are taking their time way too much, and of course I agree this situation, and many others lately, should have been addressed with far greater urgency, but I just don't think that piling on the bandwagon, and adding more "reading load" for them, will really accomplish anything that hasn't already been set in motion.

Well, all that and also, I just personally have less time to post right now, through an entirely coincidental and unrelated issue - my workplace has just had one of those pesky "let's limit the internet access of our employees and p*** them off" fits they have every now and then. :\

I left a kind of cryptic and possibly inaccurate post at Dom's, in which I mention you, and my notion that when I talk with dom on a variety of topics, your frequent contact at Frogspawn diminishes. I may very well be wrong in attributing a role in that to me, but realizing we butted heads almost a year back (actually I don't remember the approximate date) - whatever transpired is a long time ago, and considering that two of my best friends, Jess and Dom, are also "intimately" involved with you, plus the fact that I'm still a fan of your well thought out and written posts, has me here to request that at least we feel comfortable to talk again, either here, at dom's, Jess' ... Take a bit of tension - to the extent it's there - out of the air.

My proposal is to try and step over our differences and leave the past the past, forgiven but not forgotten, (I very much realize my part in it, for which I apologize), and breath and talk more freely on subjects that our friends address, eg the recent mammoth efforts by Jess on foreaign names pronunciation, etc., and the help you and I have provided, all of which I hold in high regard.

Differences divide, but also define us, and my feeling is that the time has come to move on and reconcile, and maintain a way of interaction that in my opinion will be of benefit to all of us.

Please let me know your thoughts when time allows, either here or via my gmail account if you prefer and still have it.

I will put this plainly. I don't have any problem "sharing space" with you chez <Dom>'s, or elsewhere, any time our paths cross. Nor do I, after what happened, intend to ever allow you too close to me again. This is my decision, because I have concluded that your personality *as a friend* is incompatible with mine, which would only lead to repeated fights, and not up for negotiation.

As for Frogspawn - it's not "you", it's the subject. And this is not a problem in any way. I am neither knowledgeable about, nor interested in, movies or most sorts of music - however, <Dom> is, and that's fine. So, whenever that's the ongoing subject at Frogspawn, I simply stay out of the way. Why should I want to interrupt? I don't "need" to be involved in *everything* at Frogspawn - and <Dom> drops by my forum too, for one thing, so it's not like staying out of an occasional conversation is much of a limitation to me.

In-compatibility as "friend" is the same here, but I thought worth addressing and repairing, hence my post, considering the stakes.

Your standpoint is crystal clear though, and I accept that. I'm similar in that sense.

I just remembered that regarding the question of whether something was done, the recommendation was to 'stick a fork in and see'.

Anyhoo, this guy -- Saint Lawrence? -- there was also a Saint Phocas (try it aloud) who was 'very kind to sailors' -- is being burned to death by a heathen. And when said heathen - think Bond villain in a dirty toga - sneers "Are you done yet?", Larry calmly replies "I'm done on one side, but you need to turn me over".

Next thing, Larry's in heaven. And the Lord is saying "You *were* brave, Lawrence, it must have hurt dreadfully".

A tad redundant, true, but it helps to know they do phatic in the afterlife.

Anyhoo, my kneejerk rejoinder came from the barbecue metaphor, turn it over, done on one side. I quickly saw that no such line would be understood, possibly by anyone. So I took a simpler path.

There's already a contingent of onlookers who think this is a 'duel'. Which of course it isn't. But trying to rebut every cretinous point makes it look like one, so I try not to.

There I go again, using sophisticated CG features like the option to review and edit posts before sending. Amazes me how many people don't, but just spew. No style, no sense of composition.

The malaise chez CG - and the haphazard way that things like Gib and Aeroflat get started too late, and that *very* offensive posts are deleted but borderline cases get parked, along with the whole issue -- seems to imply the absence of a key individual. We know who that is.

An alternative company crisis model is also possible, but seems a little less likely.

I had some good news, btw. Will inform via some other channel, uh, in due course.

There are straightforward uncomplicated types who aim to make their posts reflect what they think of as their 'real' selves, even though most people know less about themselves than they imagine.

And their are those who approach it as a metafictional exercise, smeared in time.

PS2. I *never* boast. Do I? I only mention this as the verb is a frequent one in the lemming vocabulary. But, rilly, do I go on about the movie stars and grandmasters and moguls and hitmen and such that I've known over the years? Never. Well, hardly ever.

Hey, not fair! Now I'm so curious I'm even typing from the IPhone. C'mon, tell! ;)

T'other channel, of course, but tell already. Don't just sit on it! :s

PS - the Air... thing - NOT going there. Nope.

I might not have even noticed these things, if not for you... hey, that's almost a Dylan song, innit?

<Dom> just sent you some bubbles wrapped in a ping. :)

<A tad redundant, true, but it helps to know they do phatic in the afterlife.>

Heh...!

<Anyhoo, my kneejerk rejoinder came from the barbecue metaphor, turn it over, done on one side. I quickly saw that no such line would be understood, possibly by anyone. So I took a simpler path.>

I think it's pretty understandable, even without the background, but yeah, the admins have headaches enough already, so to all dear readers here - I may take the liberty to misbehave a bit now and then, but, um, do as I say, not as I do? ;p

<But trying to rebut every cretinous point makes it look like one, so I try not to.>

Yep. And as I already said, when somebody goes this far out of all that's sane and decent to attack, it's completely unnecessary to defend - they have done all the work for you already.

Not only that, but actually, you couldn't do anything <worse>. Defending only enables further attacks via creating a dialogue, and that just makes you a part of the problem - hey, this is exactly the mistake <frogbert> has been making for years, and, uh, nuff said. :s

Point to always, ALWAYS keep in mind - this is very clear and obvious when looked at <from the outside>. From the <inside>, it feels differently - I know. But always remember what you know about how it looks from the outside, and you'll do much better - and get worked up much less. :)

<During the time-frame when lemming thinks I was in jail [...]>

The old dangerously feline urge to *play* is always there, though. I mean, like, can we help it if our ancestors were predators? And some folk display their prey genes so needily.

Ok I am sure you are correct about the

"Nyezh" sound- his name is even spelled <Nyezmetdinov> on a few sites.

<Annie> I am currently writing the script for the <Nezh> video, so I was hoping you could send me some more names when you have time/inclination?

This is a complete list of the people and places in his life

<Players:>

Rashid Nezhmetdinov

Iskander

Tamara Ivanovna

Viktor Kortschnoi

Samsonov

Peter Dubinin

Georgy Bastrikov

Leonid Kubbel

Viktor Baturinsky

Georgy Lisitsin

Isaac Lipnitsky

Lev Aronin

Tigran Petrosyan

Georgy Ilivitsky

Alexey Suetin

Yakov Estrin

Vitaly Tarasov

Mikhail Tal

Vladimir Saigin

Vladimir Simagin

Semyon Furman

Vladas Mikenas

Ratmir Kholmov

Nikolay Novotelnov

Kavi Nadzhmi

Igor Bondarevsky

Isaac Boleslavsky

Efim Geller

Paul Keres

Mikhail Botvinnik

Ilia Kan

Anatoly Ufimtsev

Nikolai Krogius

Lev Polugayevsky

Boris Spassky

Joseph Stalin

Nikita Kruschev

Marc Taimanov

<Place names:>

Bucharest

Novogorad

Kazan

Tatarstan

Sverdlovsk

Kuibyshev

Yaroslavl

Saratov

Tblisi

Sochi

Vilnius

Aktubinsk

Nizhegorodskaia

Gorki

Amur

Baikal

Ok that's a ridiculously long list- but any help you can provide would be a gigantic help to the verisimilitude of the project.

Also, as always, there's no rush on any of this- it took me five months to finish the last video.

<Blitz Iz Fun, Chapter... I dunno, I lost track>

[Event "FICS rated blitz game"]
[Date "2011.02.11"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "AnnieK"]
[WhiteElo "1349"]
[BlackElo "1460"]
[TimeControl "600+0"]
[Mode "ICS"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O d6 5. h3 a6 6. Ba4 Ba7 7. c3 Bd7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Nge7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Be3 Ng6 12. Kh2 Bb8 13. Ng1 Qh4 14. f4 Nge7 15. f5 Nc8 16. Nf3 Qe7 17. Bg5 f6 18. Bb3+ Kh8 19. Nd5 Qxe4 20. Bh4 Na5 21. Nc3 Qxf5 22. Ne5 Qxf1 23. Qxf1 dxe5 24. dxe5 Nxb3 25. axb3 c5 26. Re1 Ne7 27. Kh1 Bxe5 28. Qd3 Bc6 29. Ne4 Rad8 30. Qe2 Nf5 31. Bf2 h6 32. Rd1 Rxd1+ 33. Qxd1 Bxe4 34. Bxc5 Rc8 35. b4 Kh7 36. Qd7 Nd6 37. Kg1 Rc6 38. Bxd6 Rxd6 39. Qe7 Bg3 (White resigns) 0-1

Ok- <these people are Tatars>:

Rashid Nezhmetdinov

Iskander Nezhmetdinov (son)

Kavi Nadzhmi (brother)

<and these place names are from Tatarstan>:

Tatarstan (heh)

Kazan

Aktubinsk

Nizhegorodskaia

All the other place names, except Bucharest, are in Russia. I'm inclined to use the proper Rumanian pronunciation of Bucharest you gave- it's close enough to the "normal" English version to be easily recognizable? Especially since punters will see the name written out on the screen when it's spoken.

As for all the other names/places- I realize that some of these folk are not "Russian" per se-

But in <Nezh's> time, everyone in Russia- including him- would have been pronouncing all of these names with a standard Russian pronunciation.

I think I want all these names to be pronounced in a Russian accent- preferably from one person-source: you, in this case.

I'm most concerned about avoiding big errors, such as mixing up short and long vowel sounds, getting them the wrong way. Names like "Saigin" "Polugayevsky" "Suetin" where the vowel sounds are not obvious to me.

The most important names of all-

<Rashid Nezhmetdinov>- and <Kazan>

Those two should be as correct as possible, since they will be repeated- repeatedly!!

heh

Thing is, I have a good idea now of your accent. I'd like you to give your best approximation of Russian pronunciations for the names- with your usual accent (voice?).

I'm particularly keen to at least hear the "real" Russian pronunciations of "well known" names such as <Boris Spassky, Paul Keres> and such-

I know that the "r" will be a tongue-rolled "r" and that's what I want to hear from someone who can do that without sounding like Natascha from "Rocky and Bullwinkle."