Post
by BB+ » Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:27 am
Briefly, I agree the "lifetime ban" is a bit of salesmanship, as the Rajlich-ICGA feelings are likely mutual. And presumably Rajlich could ask for reconsideration in any event [which as likely as ...]. The main aspect of it might be to make other organising bodies somewhat less likely to accept a Rajlich entry.
Regarding the mainstream media, having been involved in various attempts to popularise maths research, I can say it is almost impossible to guess what direction they will go, once a ball starts rolling [in whatever direction]. I have no idea if the ICGA was a major instigator or not (beyond ChessVibes, which seems decent to me). If so, I agree that it has mushroomed beyond what I think to be the due proportion.
Concerning Chris Whittington, I exchanged a few long emails with him, and also intervened with the Secretariat on his behalf at one point. I can discuss the issue more if desired, but the main points are: he was overly rude regarding a request for identity check [his email was not the one the ICGA on record, he doesn't have a fixed landline (IIRC), and most notably he used the phrase "little Hitlers" regarding the identity verification process], and it was unclear whether he would be civil in the discussions (there was also some issue that Bob replied erroneously to him regarding an internal UAB email [with a "groan" type comment], and CW felt the "groan" was actually directed at him, and Bob was making a cover-up excuse).
Secondly, I received some assurance from Levy and the Secretariat that if Rajlich was going to join in the discussions of the Investigation Panel, then everyone (in particular CW) who was "known" to be favouring his side of things would be admitted. OTOH, if the Panel was going to proceed without input from VR [and so, he would speak directly Board, if at all], then I had to agree that there didn't seem any specific reason to admit CW under the immediate circumstances. Finally, the "ban" by the Secretariat on CW was only for a fixed amount of time (either 2 weeks or a month), at which point he could apply again. I communicated this temporal aspect to him at the start, but by the time it rolled around he seems to have lost interest (he was more concerned about whether some sort of deal could be worked out with FL and VR, so as to avoid tearing the already-broken CC community apart).
As I say, the process was imperfect in many regards, but I can't say that it was particularly unfair.