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View Full Version : One Great Hidden Story of the 2008 Olympics


Lindsey
April 18th, 2009, 01:49 AM
When I first saw the headline and the accompanying photograph for this story (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/arts/dance/19barb.html?hp), my first thought was, "How did I manage to miss hearing about this last summer?" And then a little farther into it, I found out why: the Beijing Olympic Committee kept it very quiet. And what a terrible shame. This young woman deserved the sympathy and support of the rest of the world at a time of what had to have been very deep personal and physical pain.

Judy G. Russell
April 18th, 2009, 03:48 PM
It is just too sad that the news was kept quiet. She might have felt better if she'd gotten the attention she deserved... and deserves.

Lindsey
April 19th, 2009, 12:44 AM
She might have felt better if she'd gotten the attention she deserved... and deserves.

I think so, too, I really do. It had to have been just that much more painful to be shunted aside and forgotten while the rest of the world partied. And I know that had the American television networks known the whole story, they'd have thought the human interest angle was pure gold. It would have made a nice alternative to the constant speculation about the ages of the girls on the Chinese gymnastics team, which wasn't exactly a positive thing for China. But telling that story would have meant questions about just what happened that caused her to fall, and I guess the Chinese officials very much did not want to go there.

Judy G. Russell
April 19th, 2009, 06:50 AM
I guess the Chinese officials very much did not want to go there.That whole business of "face" is something I don't think I understand.

Lindsey
April 19th, 2009, 10:39 PM
That whole business of "face" is something I don't think I understand.

It's largely an Asian thing, I think. But with China, I think it goes a bit beyond that -- finding fault with anyone in authority threatens to undermine the entire premise of a highly authoritarian system.

Judy G. Russell
April 26th, 2009, 09:48 PM
It's largely an Asian thing, I think. But with China, I think it goes a bit beyond that -- finding fault with anyone in authority threatens to undermine the entire premise of a highly authoritarian system.I understand it in theory... but only in theory.

Mike
April 28th, 2009, 03:02 AM
...finding fault with anyone in authority threatens to undermine the entire premise of a highly authoritarian system.
I think all of us experienced that just a few years ago!

Lindsey
April 29th, 2009, 06:45 PM
I understand it in theory... but only in theory.

Same here.

Lindsey
April 29th, 2009, 06:47 PM
I think all of us experienced that just a few years ago!

Hah! Yeah, and those of us who were cheeky enough to be skeptical of the official line were branded as traitors. Interesting that those same people who were so insistent that you had to fall in line behind the Dear Leader or risk losing the country are now all about trying to obstruct what the executive wants to do...

Mike
April 30th, 2009, 02:22 AM
Yeah, and those of us who were cheeky enough to be skeptical of the official line were branded as traitors.
And the part I included in the quotation affected a good number of us in our online activities.

Judy G. Russell
April 30th, 2009, 08:22 AM
And the part I included in the quotation affected a good number of us in our online activities.Ain't that the truth... ("Don't tell me what to do with MY forum!")

Mike
May 1st, 2009, 02:00 AM
"Don't tell me what to do with MY forum!"
Exactly.

Judy G. Russell
May 1st, 2009, 08:36 AM
Exactly.As catty as it may be, I keep thinking that his idiocies cost him his job...

Mike
May 2nd, 2009, 12:48 AM
As catty as it may be, I keep thinking that his idiocies cost him his job...
Agreed. One's bosses usually expect one to deliver as promised.

Judy G. Russell
May 2nd, 2009, 10:43 AM
Agreed. One's bosses usually expect one to deliver as promised.What a remarkable notion...

Mike
May 3rd, 2009, 01:14 AM
What a remarkable notion...
Indeed.

Right now, I'm fighting with our HOA's bookkeeper.

Y'all may not be aware, but I'm the CFO/Treasurer for the HOA where our house is located.

We have a bookkeeper who is responsible for handling the day-to-day accounting issues, including writing checks and depositing the receipts.

She was hired by the previous CFO, before he moved to another state. Apparently, they agreed via handshake. (We cannot find any sort of contract or even a list of duties and timelines.)

I cannot do my job, because she never is available. Checks are delivered the day before they are due (but I have to get one other officer's signature before I can mail them), and homeowner dues invoices often are delivered to me after the due date.

Thus, I created an "expectations of the bookkeeper" document, which the rest of the Board approved. We sent it to the bookkeeper, enclosed in a letter explaining we (the Board members) need her to meet the expectations to allow us to do our jobs properly.

She emailed that she had some questions and would like to discuss it. I told her that I would make myself available at any time, and we agreed on a date. She never answered the phone on that day. Since then, she has avoided me.

I suspect she's thinking that as long as we never have the conversation, then her job is safe. She needs to think again. If we don't have the discussion before next weekend, she's gone.

Per my "never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence" principle, I want to believe that her issue is that she's too busy, and her other clients get higher priority, but I'm not going to let that be my problem.

Gee, you'd think someone without a job wouldn't have personnel issues, huh?

Dan in Saint Louis
May 3rd, 2009, 09:10 AM
Y'all may not be aware, but I'm the CFO/Treasurer for the HOA where our house is located.

We have a bookkeeper who is responsible for handling the day-to-day accounting issues, including writing checks and depositing the receipts.

She was hired
Whoa, let's stop right there. Hired? Not to be too nosy, but does the HOA pay you?

Perhaps your HOA is more financially complicated than ours. I am the (volunteer) treasurer of an association of 151 recreational properties with common grounds that include 12 miles of gravel roads and four lakes. We grade the roads and replace rock after heavy rains, treat the lakes for algae and grass, stock them with fish, maintain a beach and a boat storage area, etc. Our budget this year is $66,000.

I am expected to maintain the books, collect and deposit the assessments and dun the late payers, pay the vendors, etc. I write about a dozen checks a month. Another (volunteer) Board member with bookkeeping experience audits our checkbook and bank account two or three times a year.

Where do I sign up for a hired assistant;)?

Judy G. Russell
May 3rd, 2009, 10:06 AM
Gee, you'd think someone without a job wouldn't have personnel issues, huh?I can assure you that one thing I would never do, never ever ever, is accept a volunteer position like yours.

sidney
May 3rd, 2009, 06:02 PM
Not to be too nosy, but does the HOA pay you?

If they don't, I think he should complain to the CFO and get the position funded.

Mike
May 4th, 2009, 04:00 AM
...does the HOA pay you?
I get a small honorarium. But (a) I didn't learn about that until after I'd been elected, and (b) I'd continue to do it without. It's a job that needs to be done.

It would be a helluva lot easier to do the job without the bookkeeper. Our annual budget is bit less than yours, but with similar challenges.

As mentioned, the bookkeeper was hired by the previous CFO, as he was leaving, and no one on the board at that time felt confident enough to handle the duties; i.e., I inherited her. I understand that I may have more accounting/bookkeeping education than the average person (heh, I handle our accounting that includes three rental properties and Brent's business), but I simply don't see it as a difficult job.

Some of the Board members like the idea of having the books managed by a "professional," disinterested third-party. (Perhaps it's because none of them understand bookkeeping? <shrug>) Personally, I think the CFO should handle the books, and have them reviewed annually by the CPA who also does the HOA's taxes.

Another part of the problem is that some of the other Board members don't understand we have to run the HOA like a business. They want to do things as "buddies," and certainly are more concerned about their own interests than the interests of the community as a whole.

We have a Board meeting next week. Already I can predict what agenda item will take a majority of the time. <g>

Mike
May 4th, 2009, 04:00 AM
/WHAP!

Mike
May 4th, 2009, 04:02 AM
I can assure you that one thing I would never do, never ever ever, is accept a volunteer position like yours.
It's for a very simple reason--I have to protect my investment.

Dan in Saint Louis
May 4th, 2009, 08:28 AM
Personally, I think the CFO should handle the books, and have them reviewed annually by the CPA who also does the HOA's taxes.
We aren't quite as fancy. The CFO in both my "residential" HOA and my "recreational" HOA is called "treasurer." Our books are reviewed, but not necessarily by by the tax man. The reviewer is also a volunteer approved by the entire nine-member Board.

Tell your Board that's how it's done. Mention the cost of paying a separate check-writer.

Another part of the problem is that some of the other Board members don't understand we have to run the HOA like a business. They want to do things as "buddies," and certainly are more concerned about their own interests than the interests of the community as a whole.Time for a Google Group for the owners so they can start discussions about decisions that affect them. Sunshine is a powerful disinfectant.

Judy G. Russell
May 4th, 2009, 09:24 AM
It's for a very simple reason--I have to protect my investment.I understand that, intellectually. But I still wouldn't ever do it.

Mike
May 5th, 2009, 03:05 AM
The CFO in both my "residential" HOA and my "recreational" HOA is called "treasurer." Our books are reviewed, but not necessarily by by the tax man. The reviewer is also a volunteer approved by the entire nine-member Board.
According to the bylaws, my role is "CFO/Treasurer." Our Board is only five members, and as mentioned before, none of them understand accounting. I think they'd be more comfortable having a professional review the books (and in CA, CPAs do more than taxes--many companies have a CPA do the year-end close).

Tell your Board that's how it's done. Mention the cost of paying a separate check-writer.
That's my plan for the meeting next Monday.

Time for a Google Group for the owners so they can start discussions about decisions that affect them. Sunshine is a powerful disinfectant.
Weirdest thing, but the owners don't seem to care, either. I feel like Brent and I are the only ones who want to watch out for our investment! We do have a new neighbor, who has indicated her interest in attending the meetings, so we're hoping that she'll help us do what's right for the community.

Mike
May 5th, 2009, 03:08 AM
I understand that, intellectually. But I still wouldn't ever do it.
I don't think I have a choice right now.

Our retirement home is in another HOA, but that's much better managed. I could see one of us being on the Board as a watchdog, but finances are handled by a hired management company.

Judy G. Russell
May 5th, 2009, 08:14 AM
I don't think I have a choice right now.I hear you and better you than me, Gunga Din.

Dan in Saint Louis
May 5th, 2009, 08:18 AM
Our Board is only five members, and as mentioned before, none of them understand accounting. I think they'd be more comfortable having a professional review the books
We got lucky. One of our Trustees was a accountant before being downsized. She reviews my books.

Mike
May 5th, 2009, 11:46 PM
We got lucky. One of our Trustees was a accountant before being downsized. She reviews my books.
Lucky, indeed! If only we could be so lucky.

Mike
May 5th, 2009, 11:47 PM
I'm a tree. I can bend. I will survive.