July 27, 2013
Melissa,
Toritto is a beloved member of Open Salon. I trust you read toritto's own explanation for the "plagiarism" occurrence as I quoted it in my last email to you.
A good number of us would like to see him able to continue on here.
We recognize that literary plagiarism is a profound crime. Many of us believe toritto's explanation that the plagarism was inadvertent since toritto has never exhibited any tendency to that as we can see and he has shared an enormous amount with us all, profound talent in his blogs and moral and decent communications in comments to us.
And we all have wrestled technologically with our blog production at times.
The plagiarism situation he has explained. It was stunning that his entire blog, comments were suddenly "disappeared" without any exploration and explanation (except for the opaque Plagiarism blog in which apparently we were supposed to speculate and connect the dots).
There is an opportunity here, Melissa. I hope you and those of the Open Salon management can recognize it.
Reinstating toritto with Jake's warning to the rest of us will show serious and uplifting good faith and good will from your management to the population of Open Salon with your warnings about plagiarism having consciousness raised all of us, hundreds and hundreds of us.
We are a multi-dimensional crew of all classes, genders, ethnicities, politics, arts, and psychological and philosophical statuses. Some of us including myself have serious and ready authority figure oppositionalism (if that is a word) but there is REAL passion here, real community here with all its potentialities for the good, bad and ugly. Let's stoke the good!!!
Open Salon really is a remarkable opportunity for us to find an audience and to bond with those who have sympatico issues with us and for us to learn from and to learn how to communicate with those whose sensibilities are not sympatico with us.
And among the many wonderful spirits on Open Salon, there are those who stand out, those who possess such intelligence and grace and role model so much. Toritto is one of that rare and precious group as I see it and I know I am not alone.
I have been on an exciting human roller coaster since I joined Open Salon. It gets into your blood and is a kind of both positive and negative addiction I am thinking.
I am asking that you reinstate toritto as are many of us. It would be a tremendous demonstration of empathy and good will and community from upstairs Salon to those of us still participating in Open Salon.
Thanks for your consideration and I trust you will share this communication with Jake and other relevant "deciders."
Best,
libbyliberalnyc
end of email
Fellow Open Saloners:
I thank those who have emailed mnoble@salon.com about reinstating toritto and I encourage any who haven't to do so. It is not a difficult or time-consuming effort! Three little words, compose an email and type "Please reinstate toritto."
libbyliberalnyc
end of email
Fellow Open Saloners:
I thank those who have emailed mnoble@salon.com about reinstating toritto and I encourage any who haven't to do so. It is not a difficult or time-consuming effort! Three little words, compose an email and type "Please reinstate toritto."
This is a grass roots opportunity for us. A higher self, community-spirited action.
Shrugging and saying it won't help is premature surrender and adding to the dead weight of the problem here with lousy communication with each other at times (myself included) and with the management above imho. (I see us at Open Salon as a microcosm of a larger society that is not proactive enough, so tragically not, in what is happening with the growing corruption of governments exploiting us).
Louise Hay has written, "The point of power is always in the present moment." Let's take this moment and do something powerful. As one maybe not so powerful outwardly, but definitely within us. As many, potentially quite powerful!!!!
Again, the effort is worth it for our own spirits no matter what the result, I am thinking and feeling.
I have no idea what will happen re toritto and Open Salon. That fine human being will go on living splendidly and humanely with or without us, but it will be our loss and his, too, for losing us as a community. In these troubled times support systems are more than precious. I am grateful, very, to those who give me support here.
Melissa Noble is the only person at upstairs Salon who has gotten back to me on an issue and that brought me hope of being heard and heeded as a citizen here. And us as collective citizens here. I am one voice. If other voices join mine in communicating to her or others it can't hurt a very sorry situation, now can it?
Thanks for YOUR consideration!
best, libby
Shrugging and saying it won't help is premature surrender and adding to the dead weight of the problem here with lousy communication with each other at times (myself included) and with the management above imho. (I see us at Open Salon as a microcosm of a larger society that is not proactive enough, so tragically not, in what is happening with the growing corruption of governments exploiting us).
Louise Hay has written, "The point of power is always in the present moment." Let's take this moment and do something powerful. As one maybe not so powerful outwardly, but definitely within us. As many, potentially quite powerful!!!!
Again, the effort is worth it for our own spirits no matter what the result, I am thinking and feeling.
I have no idea what will happen re toritto and Open Salon. That fine human being will go on living splendidly and humanely with or without us, but it will be our loss and his, too, for losing us as a community. In these troubled times support systems are more than precious. I am grateful, very, to those who give me support here.
Melissa Noble is the only person at upstairs Salon who has gotten back to me on an issue and that brought me hope of being heard and heeded as a citizen here. And us as collective citizens here. I am one voice. If other voices join mine in communicating to her or others it can't hurt a very sorry situation, now can it?
Thanks for YOUR consideration!
best, libby
-------------
Wonderful letter. I sent Ms. Noble and email with hope that our request will be considered. Thank you for this post.
I like your email very much. It's reasonable and rational, and I hope it does some good.
Nicely done.
There has been sufficient discussion on this problem through several lively blogs to reveal that the original infraction of regulations was undoubtedly the result of a technological error and not through intent. It would seem that the management of this site either never reads what is published here or in random selection of observation slams down unjustifiably hard on an innocent victim to demonstrate its absolute arrogant authority that must be accepted without question or possibility of appeal. If they cared they could not at present be unaware of the overwhelming consensus that a bad mistake has been made and it should be rectified if they cared. Do you think they care?
Done. I thought about organizing to get a lot of posts on the cover but this really makes more sense.
Let's see what happens.
Great letter, by the way.
I coincidentally was in the middle of a PM conversation with him when he disappeared
so I PM'd a bunch of my friends to ask if they knew what was up.
Let's see what happens.
Great letter, by the way.
I coincidentally was in the middle of a PM conversation with him when he disappeared
so I PM'd a bunch of my friends to ask if they knew what was up.
Great letter. Portia said it best in the Merchant of Venice:
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest—
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest—it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest—
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest—it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
It is not the quality of mercy that requires consideration but that of basic intellect and decency.
Thank you for this. I have sent my email.
Personally I think that toritto became a victim of several problems with this site.
It seems that toritto's own contribution was the result of a bad technology. I hope that they'll rectify this.
Personally I think that toritto became a victim of several problems with this site.
It seems that toritto's own contribution was the result of a bad technology. I hope that they'll rectify this.
OS management (oxymoron) are just flexing what little muscle they have left. The real writers are leaving in droves and this place will be OpenCobwebs.soon. Tortitto is a talent you can't afford to lose. He can find another site to write, but you can't find another person of his talent to come here. Dummies~
Melissa Noble is being sent to guantanamo for letting that post slip through. After a spell of waterboarding, she'll come back and make this place THRIVE. In other news, Libby, fine letter. God bless you and your genuinely do gooding self!
Scanner,
Forget replacing Toritto. Membership here is closed because they can't handle vetting new members to keep spammers out like Lorianne does. They can't replace anyone.
Forget replacing Toritto. Membership here is closed because they can't handle vetting new members to keep spammers out like Lorianne does. They can't replace anyone.
Good letter. I'm going to send her an email too because their reaction was so out of line. I felt the bottom drop out of this place with the elimination of an entire blog. I can see communication about the post but this nazi action has turned me off.
Hopefully, they will reconsider their act. Which, by the way, was an act of violence rather than of discovery and intelligent judgement. I seriously doubt Frank had a willful intent of harm or plagiarism. But, this is indicative of the violent society we live in.
I have to agree with Libby and Stuart.... where is the mercy in our society? From a journalistic website that supposedly is progressive and, thus, we would expect to embrace values of mercy, nonviolence and second chances............
It's easy to be a hypocrite. To be human is to be a hypocrite that excoriates others at the end of our wagging finger. Certainly, that is the tact that Salon has taken in this case. But when we step back and become mindful of our hypocrisy, either through our own inner journey or through the education of others, the real measure of a person's character is if they have an ability to admit they were wrong and to show mercy, compassion and forgiveness. That, in my mind, is the question Salon has to ask itself. Are they bigger than their own hypocrisy? Who amongst them has not made a mistake, either willfully or without intent?
I have to agree with Libby and Stuart.... where is the mercy in our society? From a journalistic website that supposedly is progressive and, thus, we would expect to embrace values of mercy, nonviolence and second chances............
It's easy to be a hypocrite. To be human is to be a hypocrite that excoriates others at the end of our wagging finger. Certainly, that is the tact that Salon has taken in this case. But when we step back and become mindful of our hypocrisy, either through our own inner journey or through the education of others, the real measure of a person's character is if they have an ability to admit they were wrong and to show mercy, compassion and forgiveness. That, in my mind, is the question Salon has to ask itself. Are they bigger than their own hypocrisy? Who amongst them has not made a mistake, either willfully or without intent?
You are much nicer about this than I feel like being, Libby.
In my mind, after cold bloodedly murdering Toritto's blog, Jake qualifies as the next Neighborhood Watch Coordinator in a certain gated neighborhood in Sanford, FL.
In my mind, after cold bloodedly murdering Toritto's blog, Jake qualifies as the next Neighborhood Watch Coordinator in a certain gated neighborhood in Sanford, FL.
The thing is Libby, as much as I like Torrito, he by his own admission (I know it was an accident)plagiarized Joan Walsh on her own web site. Does anyone on here really believe there can be any other results from that than what we already have?
For me, the removal without communication put a bad taste on this whole site...and there have been too many here.
Good of you to post this, and yes, toritto was treated very unfairly by not being given any communication up front or given any attempt to understand the situation.
Bad form.
Good of you to post this, and yes, toritto was treated very unfairly by not being given any communication up front or given any attempt to understand the situation.
Bad form.
http://open.salon.com/blog/lorianne/2013/07/28/plagiarism_open_salon_lies_and_my_apologies_to_jake
Have a look at this.
This doesn't mean that OS handled this right; we don't know. However, at best, this really got a whole lot more ambiguous than it looked.
Have a look at this.
This doesn't mean that OS handled this right; we don't know. However, at best, this really got a whole lot more ambiguous than it looked.
Thanks for all your comments and support!
I just read lorianne's blog linked by kosh and I replied:
"lorianne, I am sorry to hear this evidence about my friend, Frank. I still have enormous affection for him and gratitude for his talent and his support of me at open salon.
"His loss impacts me powerfully and will continue to.
"I was championing Frank because I believed he was innocent and I questioned the "quality of justice" of upstairs Salon.
"I guess now I am wondering about the "quality of mercy" at both upstairs Salon and open salon.
"May I ask if Frank is still entitled to blog at our Salon if he chooses?
"There is the message as of this past week that there is "zero tolerance" for plagiarism by upstairs Salon management, and maybe a sensibility by many it would seem on open salon at this point who seem to support that "zero tolerance" and "eviction" for the discovery of plagiarism if I am interpreting the tone of many comments correctly.
"The mystery-solving emotional roller coaster ride is ending but let's not let the dizziness from it induce us to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak (and with alarming mixed metaphors).
"All incidences of plagiarism will result in ejection from the open salon website? Anyone who is cached by whomever in the past and in the future -- OUT???? I suppose I need to address the elusive upstairs Salon management for confirmation of that since they have the plug-pulling power. But I can't help asking or wondering if that is the will of downstairs open salon.
"I am not sorry I stood up for and by a friend. I am grateful for those who supported me in that stand of good faith and concern.
"I also stand by the idea of mercy at this point as well as being someone who would like to know the roster of rules/warnings for open salon open trap-door evictions.
best, libby"
I just read lorianne's blog linked by kosh and I replied:
"lorianne, I am sorry to hear this evidence about my friend, Frank. I still have enormous affection for him and gratitude for his talent and his support of me at open salon.
"His loss impacts me powerfully and will continue to.
"I was championing Frank because I believed he was innocent and I questioned the "quality of justice" of upstairs Salon.
"I guess now I am wondering about the "quality of mercy" at both upstairs Salon and open salon.
"May I ask if Frank is still entitled to blog at our Salon if he chooses?
"There is the message as of this past week that there is "zero tolerance" for plagiarism by upstairs Salon management, and maybe a sensibility by many it would seem on open salon at this point who seem to support that "zero tolerance" and "eviction" for the discovery of plagiarism if I am interpreting the tone of many comments correctly.
"The mystery-solving emotional roller coaster ride is ending but let's not let the dizziness from it induce us to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak (and with alarming mixed metaphors).
"All incidences of plagiarism will result in ejection from the open salon website? Anyone who is cached by whomever in the past and in the future -- OUT???? I suppose I need to address the elusive upstairs Salon management for confirmation of that since they have the plug-pulling power. But I can't help asking or wondering if that is the will of downstairs open salon.
"I am not sorry I stood up for and by a friend. I am grateful for those who supported me in that stand of good faith and concern.
"I also stand by the idea of mercy at this point as well as being someone who would like to know the roster of rules/warnings for open salon open trap-door evictions.
best, libby"
Hi libby. I've been away for a few days and am just catching up to the recent OS issues. First let me say that yours was a finely crafted appeal. That it seems to have been superseded by more recent disclosures doesn't alter that.
I just posted on Jon Wolfman's blog that this affair reminded me of that Shattered Glass movie. If you haven't seen it I recommend it highly. It's the story of Stephen Glass, the New Republic writer who was caught forging a story. He was well-liked by his colleagues, many of whom suspected nefarious motives on the part of the new editor who caught him. At one point it looked like there might be mass resignations in support of him. But the staff eventually realized that journalistic integrity trumped friendship.
I just posted on Jon Wolfman's blog that this affair reminded me of that Shattered Glass movie. If you haven't seen it I recommend it highly. It's the story of Stephen Glass, the New Republic writer who was caught forging a story. He was well-liked by his colleagues, many of whom suspected nefarious motives on the part of the new editor who caught him. At one point it looked like there might be mass resignations in support of him. But the staff eventually realized that journalistic integrity trumped friendship.
I agree with Abra
You acted well based on what you knew
You acted well based on what you knew
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