Raltar:
When did Tejretrics get appointed to a moderator position and what justification was offered for his appointment?
Tej was appointed shortly after Virt and I were appointed, and, if memory serves, he was announced in the thread I linked earlier. He was an obvious choice for such a position--he is widely regarded as a competent voter and he is intelligent and of high integrity.
What justification was given for selecting Castin as a moderator? Did it go any further than "people like her?"
She was, of course, widely respected. She was also engaged with site issues, was impartial and not overly deferential, and could likely muster a consensus of support for her modship.
What countries do all of the above named people live in (bsh1, Virtuoso, Tejretrics, Castin and the site owner)?
I live in the US, as, I think, do Virt and Castin. Tej lives in India. I have lived abroad before, but most of my life has been spent on the US East Coast.
Is "Mike" the real name of the site owner, or was that just a conveniently selected pseudonym?
I assumed it to be an Americanized nickname for Mikhail, but only Mike can answer that.
What connection, if any, does this site have with Russia? If none, then why is the domain name registered through a Russian service?
Why is the history of this site so vague? Why doesn't anyone seem to know the exact dates on which significant events took place, such as certain moderators being appointed or when the site first went online?
All moderation appointments were publicly announced within a few days or less of the appointments being agreed upon. The notion that no one knows when these appointments took place is false. As for the rest, Mike is going to have to answer those questions.
Is it purely a coincidence that none of the moderators are Christians, politically conservative or located in the U.S.?
Castin's profile says she is atheist (which I did not know until now), and, of course, a moderator position was offered to LM. I am agnostic, Virt is Jewish, and Castin is Atheist. We have then someone in the Theist and Atheist camps, as well as someone (me) who is in neither, which seems reasonably diverse to me. I am located in the US, as are (I believe) Castin and Virt--meaning that the majority of moderators are in the US. As for conservatism, again, LM was offered the position. But, honestly, diversity of political and religious views is not something I select for in looking for assistant moderators; I want someone who will fairly enforce site policy, irrespective of their political and religious perspectives.
Is it a coincidence that the site owner and all but one of the moderators are atheists?
I am neither an atheist nor a theist. I believe that it is irrational to believe in God AND that it is irrational to not believe in God. The only rational response to the question of God's existence, IMO, is to suspend belief, i.e. to say "I don't know and I can't know."
What justification is offered for bsh1's refusal to step down from his position?
That I see no compelling reason to step down.
