[Taxacom] FW: Do rogue taxonomists need rogue publishers?

[Richard Zander]

This exchange is rebarbative.

re·bar·ba·tive (ri bär′bə tiv)
adjective
repellent, unattractive, forbidding, grim, etc.
Etymology: Fr rébarbatif < MFr < (se) rebarber, to resist, earlier to face (the enemy), lit., to face beard-to-beard < barbe, beard < L barba

I imagine two bearded savants arguing unprettily.

*****************************
Richard H. Zander 
Voice: 314-577-0276
Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
richard.zander at mobot.org
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/
and http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Modern Evolutionary Systematics Web site:
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/21EvSy.htm
*****************************


-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Wolfgang Wuster
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 4:57 PM
To: Stephen Thorpe
Cc: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] FW: Do rogue taxonomists need rogue publishers?

Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> No, I have no accusation to make against you. I don't know you. I was just stating the fact that someone (who almost certainly would not want to be named) wrote to me this morning with "criticisms" relating specifically to obstruction by you and your group on other people who are trying to publish in your area. Perhaps they are maliciously making up false accusations - I don't know, but it does rather caste a shadow of doubt over what you are saying, so I thought it relevant to mention. If it isn't true, then you have got nothing to worry about ...
>   

The problem with mud is that it sticks. Particularly when the accusation 
cannot be refuted due to lack of specifics or without the identity of 
the accuser being known.

The only "obstruction... on other people trying to publish in my area" 
that I will happily plead guilty to is pointing out to the editors of 
certain hobbyist magazines that publishing one particular author's 
personally libellous statements against me might have legal consequences.

> PS: I don't hide behind smokescreens - I simply report the facts, and as for Taxacom "supposed to be a professional list", I don't see any restrictions on membership, but perhaps you would like to impose some ... :)
>   

The term "professional" relates to the standard of conduct one would 
expect to see here. I have no problem with strong and vocal 
disagreement. However, spreading unspecific and nebulous (and therefore 
virtually unanswerable) accusations from anonymous sources falls short 
of  a professional standard, IMHO.

Cheers,

--
Dr. Wolfgang Wüster  -  Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences
Bangor University
Environment Centre Wales
Bangor LL57  2UW
Wales, UK

Tel: +44 1248 382301
Fax: +44 1248 371644
E-mail: w.wuster at bangor.ac.uk
http://biology.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/