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.