A gentle reminder of the date

From Google.

Liam's advice on writing award recommendations

I know the deadline for recommendations for Their Highnesses' second poll is coming up soon, and someone asked me about the piece I had written last year about this.

Here it is.

The polling awards in the East are those for the the three peerages -- Chivalry, Laurel and Pelican -- and for the five High Orders of Merit -- Order of the Tygers' Combatant, Maunche, Silver Crescent, Sagittarius and Order of the Golden Rapier.

Use the recommendation form on the EK website if at all possible. If you would rather send it directly, use TRH@eastkingdom.org.  

Please read this part: You do *not* have to be a member of an order or have a specific award to recommend someone for that award.

Again: You do *not* have to be a member of an order or have a specific award to recommend someone for that award.

For all other awards, feel free to write at any time . . . but, the sooner they get them, the better the chance of the award happening. If you are thinking about Awards of Arms, Gawains, Silver Rapiers or anything else, this would be an excellent time to send them.

For all awards, please give as much background as possible. Give the local group and list any events you think the person might be at.

Now, from the Liamverse, "How to Write Someone in for an Award"

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So, there’s someone you know in the SCA, and you think they’re really spiffy. Maybe they have been playing for a couple of years, and they don’t have an Award of Arms. Perhaps you’ve seen someone run events, hold and office and constantly do things at events for four or five years, yet they don’t have a Silver Crescent. Maybe there’s someone in your group who has been at it for a long time, is always there, is a great fighter or great artisan and you wonder why they are not a peer yet.

 Some of this is my opinion, but here’s what you can do.

 First of all, quietly ask around, not so much for the AoA, but more for the other awards. Ask people in the order. If the person is proteged, squired or apprenticed, you would want to ask their peer.

 Check the East Kingdom Order of Precedence to make sure they don’t have the award. Really.

 Get lots of information on them. Yes, you need to do it quietly, but spouses and friends will often help. Get everything you can to build your case that the person deserves the award. When you write the award, be specific, be thorough and do not be flowery. Make your point as succinctly as possibly. Be sure to identify where the person is from and anywhere else they have been. Identify yourself to the Crown has best you can. Include their local group and what events they might be attending in the future.

 The Order of Precedence and the information on specific awards are on the East Kingdom Website (www.eastkingdom.org). You will also find a form to submit award recommendations on the site. You must register to use the form.

In service,

Master Liam St, Liam
Major Domo to Their Majesties East

PS: You do *not* have to be a member of an order or have a specific award to recommend someone for that award.

Edited to add: Yes, feel free to pass this along, as long as it doesn't get to the "spam" point.

I am *so* proud of this kid . . .

So one of the things facebook has done is to re-connect me with kids I taught.

Jon Bullough, despite being a football player, was one of the nicest kids I ever hgad.

His family was Mormon, out there in eastern Connecticut.

He was always a music kid.

He went to Brigham Young University, and now he's in Nashville.

Do me a great favor and go listen to some of this stuff, and pass it along if you like it.

Jon Bullough's MySpace Page

Follow-up on the additional peerage

This has been quite an eventful discussion, here, in sca_snark and in other people's LiveJournals.

I got an IM tonight from someone I respect a great deal that said, "You're wrong, you know."

I wasn't sure if it was about the peerage proposal or just an overall statement about me. A rather lengthy discussion ensued.

I have learned a lot in the reading and discussions.

No, I am not about to declare my support for the extra peerage. ;)

I want to be clear that I oppose this proposal, as it is structured.

And just because I believe that fencers have two paths to the peerage already, doesn't mean I do not think they should have a path to a peerage for skill.

I do not like the current proposal because I feel as though it makes a "Minor Sports" peerage, and I do not believe that fencing, archery, siege weaponry, thrown weapons and equestrian do not all fit nicely in the same package.

That is something I had not really thought of until I read other people's LJs.

I had also been convinced that most fencers of my acquaintance felt the same way I did about the extra peerage. I find there are some who really feel that there should be a skill-based path for fencers, but that this proposal -- and or this moment -- are not right.

During one of these conversations, I wondered aloud about this:

Have the Board of Directors make the Order of the White Scarf a Society-wide order and have it carry a patent. Heck, some knights have said for years that that's all it was anyway, a "stealth peerage."

Let's uncloak. ;)

Yes, I know that folks will say this is not the right time, but it's an idea.

So is the single peerage.

And for those who are offended or feel I am naive because I look at knights in a different way than I look at Pelicans or Laurels, I do not mean to offend you. This is simply my opinion.

Thanks for everyone who has been taking part in these discussions.

Edited to add: Right after I shut down and went to bed last night, I realized that simple making all White Scarfs peers wouldn't work because, at the time they were elevated, there was no assumption of peer-like qualities. Comportment, most likely, but not necessarily peer-like qualities.

I know some folks are not comfortable posting publicly on some of these issues. I am always interested in your opinion. Please e-mail privately if you would like.

Wednesday evening: Liam does Liam-style . . .

1. A hearty and hale Liamverse welcome to aayeshadream, damathea and kweenkmatt!!!!!

2. Interesting facebook friend request today. "I don't know you, but I have heard about you." Heh.

3. Oh, for those following the 20th District Congressional race in New York State, The Democrat is leading by 23 votes, but it's gonna be another 10 days to count absentee ballots. I think this favors the Republican. Blech.

4. hradzka writes a poem every day (APED). He's incredibly talented.

Today's offering was a Serenity filk to "Friggin' in the Rigging." Dirty, dirty words and movie spoilers.

5. Didja know I was an authenticist?

Stop laughing!

It was part of the anti-pirate diatribe.

And alethea_eastrid points out that "anal authenticist" fits perfectly into the Pirates of Penzance tune:  "I am the very model of an anal authenticist."

6. A number of people have asked if they could publish my "How to write an award recommendation" post.

Give me a day or two to tweak it, and I will make it available as a word document.

7. I love "Unshelved."