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Valid reasons for absence of course, but actually underlines the need for delegation.

I work in IT. I know how much it sucks (for everyone) when only one guy/gal has the capability to do a task.

Edited by dmk0210
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Valid reasons for absence of course, but actually underlines the need for delegation.

I work in IT. I know how much it sucks (for everyone) when only one guy/gal has the capability to do a task.

This is kind of what I was thinking. Many forums I frequent have a team of folks that can take care of everyday tasks and police the forum populace to keep the peace. If Alvis 3.1 can eradicate any and all threads he deems offensive or in violation of ARC policy, why can he not set up a GB sub-forum?

As noted by others, everybody understands that life happens and ARC cannot be in the forefront of Steve's life, but why no supporting staff to handle such issues as this? Why not assign a couple of GB mods to setup new and archive old GB sub-fora and threads?

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Sorry about your kid, but why don't you let others help you and you wont have to micromanage things and fall behind.

Edited to remove crassness others assumed was implied. :rolleyes:

Edited by RKic
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This is kind of what I was thinking. Many forums I frequent have a team of folks that can take care of everyday tasks and police the forum populace to keep the peace. If Alvis 3.1 can eradicate any and all threads he deems offensive or in violation of ARC policy, why can he not set up a GB sub-forum?

As noted by others, everybody understands that life happens and ARC cannot be in the forefront of Steve's life, but why no supporting staff to handle such issues as this? Why not assign a couple of GB mods to setup new and archive old GB sub-fora and threads?

You want me to have more power? Yikes!

ARC is an ever evolving work-in-progress, and things like this pop up from time to time to illustrate that it will always need tweaking. Thanks for the heads up, hopefully we'll get this worked out to eveyone's satisfaction. Unless, of course, I wind up setting up too many "Silly Theme" GBs. That would not be good.

Alvis 3.1

ARC Moderation Team

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Sorry about your kid, but why don't you let others help you and you wont have to micromanage things and fall behind.

Setting up forums requires being an Admin with full control of the forums....which also includes banning members and deleting the whole forums. That is not the type of power I'm interested in sharing just so forums can be set up.

I was planning on keeping this private but I'll give you some more background on why I've been distracted the past 2 weeks.

I was in the Philippines for the first week in August to met a 2 1/2 year old girl that has been suffering with a birth defect. She was born with a hole in her stomach wall and part of her intestine has been outside her stomach. This birth defect affecta about 1/5000 births in the US each year, so it is surprisingly common in the US. She has a sheet of medical plastic covering her tummy to keep her exposed intestine sterile and moist and this sheet needs to be changed regularly. This is the sort of birth defect that is corrected at birth in a first world country. Her Mom and Dad are dirt poor farmers with no abiliy to pay for her life saving medical treatment, so I have agreed to cover all her medical costs out of my own pocket. Part of this little girl's intestine has already died, so this situation is not something that I am willing to "just let it run it's course". I know this will eventually kill her if she does not get treatment. She is at a hospital in a provincial capital at the moment and we get the results of the Cat Scans next week when the Doctors are able to look them over and give us their opinion. There is a childrens hospital in Manila, but that is a very long ferry ride and there is a Typhoon (hurricane) each week on average for the next 2 months until the 6 month typhoon season is over. I don't want to risk all their lives on a ferry ride (they are terrified to take a ferry this time of year) and flying them is not an option as none of them have ever flown and they would be scared to death. My recent trip involved flying onto Manila during a typhoon and the pilot had to make two attempts at a landing before he managed to get it on the ground. The plane was violently pitching up and down and from side to side and I was giving my daughter crash instructions during the 2 landing attempts while the guy on the isle beside me was praying with a disturbing level of seriousness. We all figured we were going to crash and broke into a big applause when the plane landed and came to a stop. The pilot door remained closed as we exited the plane.....as I'm sure the pilots were exhausted from the flight. I'm glad it was a Filipino pilot at the controls as I'm sure they were ex-military and experienced at flying in Typhoon weather. I really don't want to fly anyone into Manila this time of year.

Sorry for the delay in setting up these GB, but I left for the Philippines on July 31 and I was there for the first week in August......then upon my return I've been frantically trying to get caught up on content for daily updates while also working a full time job. I should have done it before my trip but I was overloaded getting ready for my trip and getting content done in advance.....although a poor internet connection made updates rather difficult once I was there.

The good news is the Doctors are confident this little girl has a chance for a normal life, but since they haven't looked at the cat scans........I figure this was more of a confidenece building gesture for the Mom. For her part.....the Mom looks older than her age and has contemptated suicide....she cries everyday....she is the mother of 3 young kids and I'm keen to help her and her husband get their daughter sorted so they can begin to live a normal life.

The little girl's name is Angel. Angel is too young to fully understand who I am....but her Mom and Dad know I'm a very special person in Angel's life and Angel has begun to pick up on that. I can't change the world, but I can change Angel's world. I plan to work extra shifts at my evening job to cover Angels medical expenses.....a small price to pay to give her a lifetime. I look forward to seeing her tummy with nothing more than a scar. Seeing that scar will make me very happy.

Angel is in the middle of the photo below with her cousins playing with a bunch of Teddy Bears I brouhgt down for 8 kids on my recent trip. She's a good kid.

00245.jpg

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Well, that is a pretty good excuse for just about everything. What you did for that little girl and her family is more than many of us will ever do in our lifes.

This puts some of us on our place, too. There is more in life than building some plastic kits and post about them on some silly forum.

Well done, sir.

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That's a very big thing you're doing for that family, Steve. As has been said already, a bigger thing than a lot of people accomplish in their whole lives.

My build speed is glacially slow compared to what it used to be, so take all the time you need.

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Well, that is a pretty good excuse for just about everything. What you did for that little girl and her family is more than many of us will ever do in our lifes.

This puts some of us on our place, too. There is more in life than building some plastic kits and post about them on some silly forum.

Well done, sir.

Thanks....I think this is something anyone would do if put into the same situation.

Do you need help in any way?

No...I've got it covered. I plan to work extra shifts at my job for the next year to come up wiht the money. I'll borrow the money I need now and then pay it back.

That's a very big thing you're doing for that family, Steve. As has been said already, a bigger thing than a lot of people accomplish in their whole lives.

My build speed is glacially slow compared to what it used to be, so take all the time you need.

Thanks for your understanding guys. This is something that is very close to my heart and I thought you would enjoy hearing about it.

Here is a little story that guides me through life.

-----------------------------

The Starfish Story

A man was walking along a beach after a big storm. There was storm debris of all types along the endless sandy beach. As he was walked.......further ahead he saw what appeared to be a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference for that one."

----------------------------------------

Be well everybody.

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Wow, that is a big thing you are doing Steve and a very noble gesture. But just remember that there are others here who are also willing to help out to ease that burden you are taking on (and it is always good to have a backup incase something else unforseen pops up). You don't have to do it all on your own. You can of course, but you do not have to.

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Can we help them in any way?

I think any positive thoughts you can give for Angel would be much appreciated.

She has a tough road ahead. She is terrified of hospitals, but I am arranging for her to get a few new small toys each day she is in the hospital. That will help to overcome her fear of hospitals. I am nervous about what the outcome of all this will be. Sure I can provide the money....but there are so many medical variables beyond my control. I just hope she doesn't lose too much of her intestine and that she makes a full recovery.

She was originally calling me Lolo on webcam, which is Grandfather....apparently she thought I was her Filipino Grandfather. :rofl: Now she calls me "ee ee ee"....which is the closest she can come to saying "Steve" 3 times.

I've got 2 daughters of my own and I would go insane if this was my daughter and I couldn't get her the medical treatment needed.

Angel is always on my mind.

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May God bless and keep you & Angel as well as both families. Talk about the epitome of the "Good Samaritan" parable. A HUGE hand salute to you for your efforts. -----

:salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:

Darwin

Edited by yardbird78
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May God bless and keep you & Angel as well as both families. Talk about the epitome of the "Good Samaritan" parable. A HUGE hand salute to you for your efforts. -----

:salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:

Darwin

Thanks Darwin....but I like to think anyone in the same position would do the same thing.

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