Frank, I too am somewhat concerned about this. So let me explain to you the situation. I am not him though I do know him - please read on.

I work at an Experimental School of Foreign Language. It is but one school on a large campus that accommodates other schools. The schools are located around the playing fields and running track and are therefore well separated from each other. Basically these schools are run separately but they share certain management functions such as class scheduling, accounts, wages and salary payments as examples.

My forenames are David John and I am one of 4 foreign teachers employed in the language school just mentioned.

One of the other schools is a middle school that is much larger than the language school and it also employs foreign teachers. A third school on campus does not employ any foreign teachers at all.

One of those teachers working in the middle school has the name David and he was already around when I first arrived here.

The Chinese Admin staff felt that having two foreign teachers with the same forename was confusing (forenames being the address of choice here). Therefore, it was agreed that he would continue to be known by his first name and me by my second name. Things get confused easily enough in China and when even the Chinese say something is confusing, you'd better believe it! So I had no objection to dropping my first name. For the past two years I have been known as "Mr John" and he has been known as "Mr David"

Due to our different schools and schedules we don't often see each other on the premises, though we do meet from time to time in one or another of the favourite watering holes where FT's hereabouts tend to meet.

He has been away on holiday and returned the other day. Early this morning (Sunday) he came into my own Foreign Teacher's office and after a short chat about his holiday, he asked if he could use my office computer to check up on his e-mails. The Teachers' Office in his own school was apparently locked and he could not get into it. I agreed to him using my office computer and I then went off to town to do some shopping and left him to it.

On my return I found a note on my desk asking me to give him a call and upon doing so he told me he had seen the postings between you, me and the others and had posted his own message of agreement and support.

I want to be very clear here in telling you that I think what he has said is right on the nail. I also appreciate his thought in jumping to my support even though I didn't exactly feel the need for it. However, I was disappointed that he had taken it for granted. I realise that he acted in good faith, as you did when you chose to bring my first posting into this forum, not telling me about it until afterwards. Had he have told me of his intention beforehand, I would have asked him not to do it.

I am also concerned, however, that he has not included the fact that he and I know each other. There is nothing wrong in being supported by friends and/or colleagues - Mr Duke supported his friend, Mr Hemingway and I have seen in the review board occasions where other people have supported friends and colleagues too. You support Mr Duke, who you have numbered among your friends, and he supports you. Nothing strange about it nor worthy of any big issue being made of it. After all, support is one of the things that friends and colleagues do.

I have consistently said in the forum that those complaining about schools should give the whole picture in their account. I believe this should extend to everything else connected with it. Whilst I thanked my colleague for his support, I also had other words to say to him because he concealed the fact that he and I know each other.

That is the extent of it, Frank, and if you choose not to accept it, that's your business but please get it clear that having given you this explanation I have no intention of co-operating with you in another avenue for your vitriol by arguing about it.

I recall the big fuss you kicked up when I erroneously included a sentence or two from a private exchange we had about a week ago. I apologised for that and I have made very sure since then not to repeat that mistake.

It seems, Frank, that you now intend to deliberately make our private exchanges public. I don't think it is right for you to do that but I cannot stop you acting in that way, no matter that it be unfair and typically turncoat. If you go ahead, however, please be VERY sure to make all of the exchanges public (in both directions) and that you also make every word of them public, so that people can see how you have turned in such a short space of time. They will also see how clearly I put my points across to you and they will also see what nice things you said about me. Don't just pick out the bits that suit your current frame of mind, because if you do that, I will then make them all public myself.

John