[Foundation-l] Questions about new Fellow

Fri Jan 21 11:00:58 UTC 2011

On 21/01/2011 03:36, whothis wrote:
> Thanks for introducing yourself Achal after so many years on the Advisory
> Board. Dare I suggest, you add part of that introduction to your Advisory
> Board page on one of the wikis. About the 5 year plan, dare I suggest you
> get around to reading that one of these days, you're on the Advisory Board
> after all.
> 
> Let me clarify something, the page thats being linked to by Erik Moeller is
> a grant page, you are appointed as a fellow. I might be wrong on this but
> none of the other fellows had to apply for grants or the majority of them
> did not. Even the existence of such a process was unknown to most. The grant
> in question, I have no issue with, you are more than welcome to pursue any
> research you want, its your position as the fellow that I am concerned
> about. You can't be on an advisory board and tell a non-profit organization
> what to do as a pro-bono advisor to the board and then get paid by the said
> foundation as a fellow a few years into your tenure, serving both positions
> at the same time. This I believe, wreaks of impropriety, none of the other
> Advisory Board members ever had or will have the same privilege I assume,
> which is why I replied to this thread in the first place.
> 
> This is something that the Foundation should have checked and announced
> before your appointment. In my opinion, you can have one or the other, you
> can either be a paid staff member/researcher for as long as the foundation
> employs you or you can be on the board as an advisor.
> 
> Also, from your and Erik's admission above, the scope of your involvement
> seems to be far larger than I previously thought, encompassing the board,
> chapters and "other kinds of affiliation that might usefully exist within
> our world", this only heightens my concerns even more.
> 
> I hope others reading this realize the implication of your appointment. I
> had no idea who you were before this, and still don't, its nothing personal
> against you. Its the foundation I am bringing this up to, which I hope
> realizes, is for their own benefit.
> 
> 
> E. Forrester

Welcome Achal!

Well, it seems you were already there for longer than I was, so
"welcome" feels strange to say. But anyway, it's good to have someone
important coming out of the shadow to receive a well deserved grant.
Speaking of which, I feel merrier when I know why I'm applauding, so
don't be modest and tell us in full detail about your merits!

To the people who are "wary": come on my friends, it's only power and
money. Assume good faith from the people who are handling it and go back
to a quiet mode as usual. Keep positive vibes like edits and donations
coming, though.

Achal even tossed a solution to your *emotional* problems: "half an hour
of Pranayama every morning: it makes one feel calm and loving." That was
very considered from his part, given how busy he is. You can also try
some pills.

Cheers.