General Discussion is supposed to be about Checkers/Draughts

[Alan Millhone]

Hello ACF Forum Users:

Actually " General Discussion" is supposed to pertain to the game of Checkers/Draughts.

I have asked our Web Master, Mr. Solon to possibly re-name " Folded Boards" to perhaps "Broken or Busted Boards" !

I really do not like the use of vulgar words on the forum. I honestly don't like all the mean spirted postings either. I will not be goaded into taking sides................. But................... Some of you could set a much better example for our younger players. If you read something you don't like,simply ignore it. My late Father used to remark that " two wrongs don't make a right".

I had hoped that all nasty and mean postings would find their way back to the BBS..................... I was dreaming I guess. If you look you will find a letter to the editor of mine today posted on an important financial web site (http://www.dailyspeculations.com). From my letter Mr. Niederhoffer gives a direct link to our ACF Web Site and our site opens the door to our forum. I feel it looks badly for us Checker/Draughts players to let the entire World see our petty arguments thru the ACF Forum.

My goal is to promote the ACF while its president and to do my best to attract young minds into our folds.

Sincerely:
Alan Millhone, President
American Checker Federation
District 6 Champion

[kiwinurse]

Alan, I understand what you are saying,but the fact remains that your champeon is allowed to make rude,ignorant and inflammatory statements,which would goad a saint into action.He represents Acf and the checker world, and until you take sides in this, he will continue to upset, and ignoring it will not make it go away, but allow him to continue unbridled

[kiwinurse]

Alan also, why should nasty postings be sent to bbs?. In fact it was respected as the best checker site world wide.And i could be wrong, but there has been a steady campaign to reduce it to nothing. That is sad, and i would want to see it resurrected to how it was ,but it takes all of us to support it again, with games and checker news, and to get it back to what it was.I would want readers to know that BBS is a site worth supporting.

[matthewkooshad]

I'm glad the ACF president has a good head on his shoulders.

Some of you could set a much better example for our younger players. If you read something you don't like,simply ignore it.
...
I feel it looks badly for us Checker/Draughts players to let the entire World see our petty arguments thru the ACF Forum.

My goal is to promote the ACF while its president and to do my best to attract young minds into our folds.

This = childish, IMO. Maybe I only see it this way, because I am a young player.

Alan, I understand what you are saying,but the fact remains that your champeon is allowed to make rude,ignorant and inflammatory statements

Are you the only saint?

...,which would goad a saint into action.

Why not send this to Alan or someone in private message?

, and until you take sides in this, he will continue to upset, and ignoring it will not make it go away, but allow him to continue unbridled

Anyone with common sense in this situation would not even think to take sides. It is obvious who the grownups in checkers are who are continually posting things that are an attack to one another (not anyone else).

saint
n. model of excellence or perfection of a kind.

Best of luck Alan on straightening this out.

[liam stephens]

Hi Jan, I have just seen your postings above.

When matters of legitimate concern are raised by respected and responsible members of the Draughts/Checkers community, sitting on the fence is not an option. It becomes a matter of moral obligation and personal responsibility to address them fully.

To cite just a few incidences:

Persecution of a fellow member to the point of provoking retaliation of a threat of violence from said member.

Levelling of smutty remarks and sexual innuendo at a member of the opposite sex.

An unsubstantiated accusation of antisemitism on the flimsiest of pretexts.

Such allegations cannot simply be swept under the carpet and expected to go away. Others such as:

The lambasting of another

[Michael S. Sanders]

Re: as ACF President, he has a clear duty to address such matters with vigour and impartiality.

He did, Alan offers soild advice: 'Some of you could set a much better example for our younger players. If you read something you don't like, simply ignore it.'

Re: I do not think that the response already given adequately addresses the matter.

Well, if we earnestly consider his response, it really is a very good position to espouse liam. In today's world the paradigm for communication has changed, rather than escalating the rhetoric, (which accomplishes nothing but producing more rhetoric), if we simply ignore posts we do not agree with, then the problem is solved by default. This takes a bit of self restraint on our parts. =)

One must keep such things in perspective, these are words - not physical attacks. No need to become shook up friend. I'm sure you would agree, we simply need to remain steadfast and develop a thicker skin. Hope to see you on the checker board soon!

[liam stephens]

Thank you Michael, though I might not agree with your arguments, I will take your advice and try and grow a thick skin, although I doubt if it will be as thick as the hide of a Russian Bear. I will, however, now endeavour to avoid political issues or discussions.

In conclusion I would like to re-quote from a posting I made recently on the BBS, which, perhaps, Alan and others may not have seen. It was, alas, ignored and thrown back in my face.

In my book, Jan Mortimer has already taken a courageous stand in her posting under the title of 'lets play checkers' below, where she appealed for a stop to the destructive postings and a return to normal newsworthy material. .....I wish to join with Jan in asking all to stop the destructive postings and move on. ..... I am not, here, proposing a return to the futile deletion of postings,("sins cannot be undone, only forgiven") but, rather, a change of heart. That is what is needed here.

PS Perhaps this forum should be renamed "Heartbreak Hotel"

[Alex_Moiseyev]

I will take your advice and try and grow a thick skin ... I will ... now endeavour to avoid political issues or discussions.

Ok, I was waiting for some post llike this several days ! Sounds good to me now and I join with this "moratorium" which I proposed to take several weeks ago. All we need to do - do not escalate things for the next few weeks and temperature will drop eventually ! Time is best judge.

PS Perhaps this forum should be renamed "Heartbreak Hotel"

In Russian it is called "Pandora Box" !

[matthewkooshad]

Is there a checkers position/opening called pandora's box? this sounds familiar.

[liam stephens]

Matthew, you seem to have a very childish view of events.
Try looking at Elvis' record hits!

[Gene Lindsay]

Liam right before your last post you promised to stop with the mean remarks, Yet a few hours later you make an unprovoked insulting remark to Matthew.

[Michael S. Sanders]

Re: I will take your advice and try and grow a thick skin

Well you're most welcome liam =) I glad you didn't feel I was trying lecture anyone, just hoping that we as a group could celebrate our differences rather than disparage them =)

Re: Russian Bear

=) This is because Alex is such a strong player! But as is said in Blighty, 'the proof is in the pudding'. So let's start over here... Will you help me liam?

Really, when we think about this, we all simply have different views on life because we were raised in different cultures. Me? Well, my father was a Irishman and my mother was a Swede. Yet I'm an American, so, that makes me a mutt - chuckle!

But let us as brothers on the checkerboard put forth our best efforts. I'll go first and introduce myself to Alex. Now bear in mind I do not know Alex, but he is a human like the rest of us here and will respond in a nice way if given a chance. I just know he will.

So if you're reading this post Alex, здравствулте! Nice to meet you comrade. I hope we can be friends =)

I see your motherland is the mighty Russia, yes? This is funny because for Christmas I gave my wife Robyn a set of Matryoshka's (she loves them and shows them to all her freinds). Also, I wanted to say thanks because I'm using <Alex Moiseyev's Advice on Studying Checkers> as my study guide to help me learn checkers and Matt's website too, as I'm still very, very new to the game (new like baby, shhh don't tell anyone lol). I've just begun to read 'How To Play Winning Checkers' by Millard Hopper. Is this book a good choice for me to start with? Thanks for reading!

[matthewkooshad]

Matthew, you seem to have a very childish view of events.
Try looking at Elvis' record hits!

Liam, I didn't mean anything bad, mate. I looked on Hans' site, but I didn't see the position. I was thinking there was a line of play or position in checkers labeled as Pandora.

Mike, check out Basic Checkers and the other electronic books that you can view online for free via http://draughts.info/books.php I am going to try to organize that books page better! hehe

[liam stephens]

Hi Matthew, neither did I. I never imagined that a reference to two of Elvis Presley's hits - 'Im All Shook Up' and 'Heartbreak Hotel' would be capable of causing offence. If so, I offer you my apologies.

[Michael S. Sanders]

Matt writes inpart: Mike, check out Basic Checkers and the other electronic books that you can view online for free via http://draughts.info/books.php I am going to try to organize that books page better! hehe

Hey hey Matt!

Will do, thanks for the tip. I'll start reading this, well now! =) It really is very exciting learning something new and meeting knowledgeable folks.

So, just how did you become involved in checkers?