Subject: Plotki z wloskiego podworka

Przepraszam ze przesylam to na liste ale nie moglem
sie powstrzymac.
Wojtek


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 19:33:47 +0100
From: feldmann 
To: frgo@sophia.inria.fr
Subject: Re: L'affaire italienne


Ceci vient d'=EAtre post=E9 sur rec.games go (par David Pemberton). J'ai =
pas le
temps de le traduire (et c'est d=E9j=E0 une traduction, de toute fa=E7on)=
, mais
c'est trop beau pour qu'on ne le diffuse pas le plus largement possible

*************
I have been asked to post this in relation to the on-going discussion.


You may indeed wonder how the executive of the italian Go federation
sees the situation, with people being expelled and others leaving
the federation in disgust. If you read number 25 of the italian
Go journal Stone Age, which has just been published, you will find the
following statements by the Secretary (in translation). I can't help
feeling that the perception of reality may be a bit off the mark:

                         ****
> As I write this my usual column I feel happy and proud: happy because
> we arrived at number 25 and I am sure that few believed that we would
> achieve as much. Proud because the federation is growing and expanding,
> as opposed to the rest of Europe. Yes, because the news today are that
> Go in Europe is in stagnation. The reasons are not yet known, even if

( Translator's note: Italy may be the only country which does not
participate in the  program initiated by the European Go Cultural
Center to teach Go to children and beginners. The executive of
the FIGG refuses to disclose the number of members. There are 69
active players in Italy (population 57 milions) according to
tournament statistics, and 150 members in '98; they were 130 in '94)

> I have theories: I think that the problem is the mentality of many and
> I believe in the "ghetto" theory. Often, in many Go clubs you can see
> people who are studying the game but who don't dedicate any energy
> to involving new players. Another example of decline is the decreasing
> number of participants at the european congress, but noone cared,
> since "the usual friends" were there.

(translator's note: this year there were 0 italian participants at the
european congress tournament.)

> You see, I think that we have done well in spending our philosophy
> and our energies in other directions and that the growth that we are
> witnessing is the reward for these "revolutionary" theories. To have
> invested much effort to the internet site has brought us many contacts.
>
> To be able to give materials to help the new clubs which are being
> formed creates a group spirit apart from helping. As Cesare would say,
> we are following the philosophy of "giving". A slogan that was coined
> by the executive a long time ago was "2000" in the year 2000

(translator's note: the secretary is in office since 9 years)

> I think
> that we are not going to make it ( though I am sorry to say that I have
> lost a pizza), but I hope to reach the number of 300 in that fateful ye=
ar
> and that 1000 will be reached by the Congress in 2006.

( A literary passage springs to the translator's mind:
"For the moment he had shut his ears to the remoter noises
and was listening to the stuff that streamed out of the
telescreen. It appeared that there had even been demonstrations
to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to
twenty grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had
been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty
grammes a week. Was it possible that they could swallow this, after
only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it."

 George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four )

>Now for the famous Plane and Rowing boat

(translator's note: in every issue of the Italian go revue, in the first
page, the Secretary reproaches publicly some go players who didn't
behave...)

>Since it is 25 (number of Stone Age) I can't jump the tradition and,
>as with the holy years these count "twice".

>Rowing boat for a poor female saint who by doing good has
>carried away people who deserved a better fate

(translator's note: it means that all the people who are against the
executive, have been manipulated by this powerfull woman, may be even you=
,
dear reader)

>Plane for our "immigrated to Milano" who has forgotten all the
>help he has received and who often "folds" the reality according
>to his wishes.

(translator's note: the other expelled player, who just dreamed all what =
is
occurring)

*******************
Voil=E0; si personne ne s'en occupe, j'essaierai de le traduire d'ici
un jour ou deux. Ils ont visiblement p=E9t=E9 les plombs depuis d=E9j=E0 =
un bon
moment; le probl=E8me, c'est qu'=E0 part cr=E9er une f=E9d=E9ration (ital=
ienne)
concurrente, on ne voit pas bien quoi y faire...