Fw: AIS eligibility or not
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Fw: AIS eligibility or not
  • From: &* G* C* <j*@cox.net>
  • Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:31:34 -0500
Oops  --  This should have gone to iris@hort , so here it is.


----- Original Message -----
From: J. Griffin Crump
To: iris-photos@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 4:28 PM
Subject: OT: AIS eligibility or not


OT, since his arrival on the planet sometime in the 1990s, has become
something of an international bum, spending a couple of years here, a couple
there, and, occasionally, dropping in when he's in the vicinity.  Being from
another planet, he has always been intrigued by how members of our species
(the human one) interact, especially those of various ethnicities.  Now,
visiting here for the holidays, he was looking over my shoulder as I perused
the messages regarding which irises are eligible for the Dykes Medal given by
AIS.

"Ha!", he said, reading Loic's first posting, "Here's a Frenchman living in
Holland giving the Americans what-for for discriminating against the British
when awarding an iris named for an Englishman!  --  A paradox, a paradox, a
most ingenious paradox . . ."  He began hopping around, humming the Gilbert
and Sullivan tune.

"Now, wait a minute", I said, "here's a message from a Scot (at least by her
name) in the American Southwest, saying that there are different Dykes Medals
awarded to irises first introduced in different countries. And, apparently,
that's okay with the Brits."

"Okay," said OT, "but here's the Frenchman quoting the American Iris Society's
Handbook and still objecting that it restricts the award to irises first
introduced in the United States or Canada."

"Speaking of which," I replied, "here's a message from a Canadian who says
that the AIS Dykes Medal is an award from the British Iris Society on licence
to AIS, and that there are other Dykes Medal licences to other nationalities.

"Well," said OT, "the Irish would agree that the British are licentious.  But
look, here's a message from a Hungarian in northern Virginia.  He says we
should pay attention to the name of the organization, and that "American [as
in AIS] is one of those tricky words. In a very broad sense, it would apply to
both north and South American continents, a more restricted sense applies it
to North America only, and, in the strictest sense, it applies only to the
US."

"The Hungarians are very good at making fine distinctions," I answered.  "They
can also be very expansive, especially when it comes to boundaries.  But in
this case, I think he's leaving it open."

"Look at this one," said OT.  "I think it's from some kind of Viking, although
he lives in North Carolina.  It's a long message."

"Like the ships," I said.

"He says," continued OT, ignoring my witticism, "that there is 'a discrepancy
within the American awards system since all of the American Medals are open to
anyone in the world provided they introduce it first in North America (USA and
Canada).'   "He says that the "first" is ambiguous, since it could mean, on
the one hand, only that the iris had to have been introduced in the U.S. or
Canada, so that judges of these countries would have a chance to evaluate it,
or, on the other hand, it could mean that it had to be introduced in the U.S.
or Canada before it was introduced anywhere else.  He favors the first
interpretation, but says that the AIS Board adopted the second.  He says the
matter came up before the Board again this fall, but doesn't say what
happened."

At this point, I decided to call it a night.  I retired, and OT, pursuing his
study of aberrations in the human psyche, stayed up to watch Dave Letterman.

On the following day, we found that the discussion had taken a different
tack.

OT observed that "The Frenchman says he forgot that there were other Dykes
Medals besides the North American one, complimented the Americans on having
been able to work together to accomplish this award and expressed his hope
that the Europeans would do likewise."

"Let's nominate Loic for President of the Council of Europe", sez I.

"Agreed," OT responds, "except that, as non-Europeans, we might find it
difficult to get their ear."

"Here's another message," I report.  "From her first name, I'd say she's
Irish.  She says that at the last Board meeting, someone suggested that the
Dykes could only be awarded to an iris of North American origin, and they
discussed what constituted American origin, like, for instance, a seed pod set
in Australia and grown in the US versus a seed pod set in North America and
grown in Australia . . .

"Oh, rats!" exclaimed OT, surprisingly, since he doesn't usually get upset
about things.

"Rats!", he said again.

"What's up?", I asked.

"Look here," he said.  "It's a message from the Welshman in California."

"You mean, Numero Uno?  Our listmeister?"

"Yes, and he says they not only discussed it, but they adopted it, and that he
made the motion!  He quotes it.  Here's what it says: "The American Dykes
Medal . . . is restricted to irises first originated and introduced in the
United States or Canada.  Irises originated elsewhere, although not eligible
for the American Dykes Medal, are eligible for other AIS awards . . " etc.

"Well", I said, "that settles it.  So?"

"So," said OT, actually appearing agitated, "you remember the seedling that
bloomed for me in Hawaii?"

"Oh, sure," I replied, "the one you said you're going to introduce as 'POTUS'
in honor of ---

"That's the one."

"Well, what about it?

"Well," he said, dejectedly, "it first bloomed in Hawaii, all right, but the
cross wasn't made there.  It was made in  ---

"Wait! Stop!" I said.  "Don't tell me!"

"And the seed . . " he continued.

"I don't want to hear it!" I cried.

I turned back to the computer.  "Here's a message from Holland . . ."

"I saw it," said OT.  "The Frenchman burned his judges handbook."  He
shrugged.  "I was just thinking . . . about that seedling . . . actually, only
you and I know . . ."

"OT," I said, "You're beginning to think like an earthling."


--  Griff

Griffin's Den
www.pilmore.com/griffinsden
Zone 7 along the tidal Potomac near Mount Vernon, in Virginia

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