No subject

[Robert I. Soare]

TO:     fom subscribers
FROM:	Robert Soare
DATE:	August, 5, 1999
RE:	Msg just sent by Simpson to both lists Aug. 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simpson has just sent all of you a msg with some claims.  Please
note.

ITEM 1.  Simpson's claim (in a related memo)about the
	Muytilinaos-Slaman work on
	a priority argument is CONTRADICTED BY SLAMAN.  See
	Slaman's email msg at:

	www.cs.uchicago.edu/~soare/lectures/slaman.text

ITEM 2. Simpson's account of the process with John Steel is
 	NOT IN ACCORDANCE with STEEL'S PUBLIC FOM ACCOUNT.  
	See Steel's msg on:

	www.cs.uchicago.edu/~soare/lectures/steel.text

ITEM 3. The topologists Nabutovsky (Toronto) and Weinberger (Chicago)
	have two
	papers in which theorems are stated which ar not
	in accordance with the statement by Simpson of their
	results.

QUESTION.  Is it possible that Steel's account, Slaman's account,
and the Nabutovsky-Weinberger account are ALL wrong and Simpson
is right?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the SAME msg today Simpson wrote:

>    Also on the FOM list, there is currently a lot of INTERESTING
>    DISCUSSION among many participants on topics such as ...


	---------------------------------------------------

About TEN SUBSCRIBERS have written to me privately about conditions on
fom for discussion.  EVERY ONE has said that:

-the moderator, Stephen Simpson, is "TOO HARSH" or "MUCH TOO HARSH," 
	in his criticism, even of MINOR items.

-the DISCUSSION is INHIBITED because all but the "THICK-SKINNED" ones
	are afraid to say anything for fear of being ridiculed by
	Simpson "with Friedman waiting in the background" for
	further attacks.

-there is a strong tendency to guide the discussion toward the edifice
	of fom and especially reverse math.  (See the quote in following
	memo). 

Personally, I am have the skin of a SHERMAN TANK and a 75mm gun turret
to match.  Simpson has always been VERY polite to me on fom as you
have seen, and I have done my BEST to reciprocate.


Please send me more email privately with your impressions, positive or
negative or neutral, of the way fom is run. It will remain
confidential.


*************************************************************************
Robert I. Soare
Paul Snowden Russell 
Distinguished Service Professor
    of Mathematics and Computer Science			
Department of Mathematics 	     PHONE: (773) 702-6029, Secty: 702-7100 
The University of Chicago            FAX:   (773) 702-9787
5734 University Avenue		     E-MAIL:	soare at cs.uchicago.edu
Chicago, IL 60637-1546	USA  	     WEB: http://www.cs.uchicago.edu/~soare
**************************************************************************