Hello again Maysara
On Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 10:45 PM, Maysara Omar <maysara.omar(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote:
Of course i am aware that the decision has already
been made. [...]
whatever jury took that decision has fallen into a manifest error
I'm not sure what a "manifest error" is. However, the Jury is made up of
smart people, and I've assisted on a few bids for Wikimania. They
ask tough questions. Competitive cities and ordinary Wikimedians are also
invited to ask questions while the bidding is going on. This is
an open and honest process, and it was during that time that questions
should have been brought up. Did you ask these questions at
that time?
2) If even presidential elections can be repeated because their results were
doubtful, i cannot see why everyone here so far is
talking about the
"impossibility" of reconsidering the validity of the decision made by the
jury, as though it is a sanctified or infallible one!
Some presidential elections are repeated/questioned because of
irregularities in the voting process. Unless you are questioning the
integrity of the jury's selection process, (which I don't believe you are),
then your analogy doesn't hold. The Jury made a decision, and you don't
agree with it. That doesn't mean
it should be subject to review.
Finally, Wikimania conferences must be accessible to
everyone, without
having to speak of making "exceptions" and taking extra measures to smoothen
the passage of those who participate together everyday in creating and
making the new free knowledge and culture of our age and the future. This is
the position that I have chosen for myself, rather than the one that you ask
me to adopt, that is, to suggest solutions to numberless problems and to an
erroneous and unfair condition and situation. And now I ask you, what is
YOUR position?
My position is that while life should be fair, it is often not. While world
peace and human harmony are laudable goals that I fully support, we have to
live with the realities of today. Any place that the Jury picks will make it
difficult or preclude some from attending Wikimania. Sometimes these
considerations are geographical, sometimes they will be political, and no
matter what they are, they aren't going to be fair for some.
So, in the framework of this imperfect world, we should realize that we
can't accommodate everyone. And we shouldn't second guess the Wikimania Jury
who spent time going through all of the various bids and questioning many
organizing teams and coming to a difficult decision.
Now, you can spend a bunch of effort trying to revisit the Jury's decision,
or you can expend that same effort trying to assist the current organizing
team in helping to accommodate as many people as they can. Or you can even
try to revise the selection criteria for future years. I'd think that the
best use of effort would be in assisting others, but it is both your time
and prerogative to do with as you see fit.
Gerald