ES - Re: Serving as best we can

[Vicki Marsh]

Xene here:

As far as covering up mundanities go, as individuals we can all do better by
removing from the public eyes our coolers, our cars, and our soft drink
cans. For our ears, conversations on site about such things as television
shows and computers could also be taken into a private area rather than be
discussed during feast.

I have watched many autocrats walk their feet off at events over the years
and considering the size of the Canton site, it is an expense well worth
having. Requesting that private individuals not drive their carts at a site
is the same as requesting that we all move our vehicles to the parking lot.
If it is written in the site rules and someone refuses to abide by the site
rules, after being asked nicely, we can follow the posted course of action
(that has been written in the site rules) - usually by asking them to leave
site and refunding them their monies.

I have also been a chirurgeon and attended to people at large events.  It is
not easy to always manage to get an automobile into a site to remove ill and
injured victims.  The golf carts are not noisy or smoke-producing and when
they run around to pick up people, I don't even notice them most of the
time. They have been used quite a bit to transport heat victims at Canton to
the hall.  If the victims had to walk there, or wait for a car, they might
just pass out and get that much sicker.

Really, we are making enough profit off most of our events to afford to rent
a cart or two.  At an event with over 500 people, it can make the difference
between life and death.  It can encourage volunteers to work longer without
knowing that they will have to spend Monday after the event in bed
recovering from their exertions.  Elfsea has been very fortunate in the past
to have (barely) enought volunteers, but that will not always be the case.
We must guard against the day when we can no longer get autocrats and
volunteers.  If, as an autocrat, *you* choose not to make use of a cart,
that is fine.

Some of the people riding the carts need to keep in mind where they are
going and what kind of an effect they have on the situation.  There are
times that people have ridden up close to a court and been a distraction, or
close to the list field when they could park the cart and walk a small
distance.  That is the only suggestion that I would make to lessen the
impact of the visual mundanity of the cart.  I don't think that a cover is
needed and would be a great hassle (and possible safety hazard) in the long
run.

To prevent people from stealing the carts and being stupid with them, proper
precautions can be taken - locking them up and putting the key in a good,
safe place comes to mind.  If anyone does get stupid with the cart, then the
posted course of action should then be followed (see above).  They are not
toys for playing with.

My two bezants worth,

Mistress Xene



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