Hi all!
As a former fairly active contributor to some of the discussions
on here, I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of incoming
mail from ecofemers. The discussions were, imho, becoming rather
unproductive and unconducive to constructive communication and idea
sharing, so I tuned out for awhile. I suspect that's what many of us
have done, however, I'd like to reinforce the following that appeared
today.
> Is this conference mostly for complaining, or are there any people out
> there into creative problem solving?
Several of us have suggested more constructive subject areas for
discussion in the past and have been met for the most part with
silence. It appears that many people get more charged up by
politically contentious subjects that really get their blood boiling.
Attempts to stimulate productive discussion and real community
building on this group just don't seem to strike a chord. Perhaps
it's because we are all so diverse in our views and the group is
relatively new. Like many people who have joined ecofem thinking that
it might offer a discussion at a more mature level than those
littering many of the newsgroups, I have, at times, been
disappointed. But I haven't given up, despite being tempted to
unsubscribe several times. So in answer to the above question, yes,
here is one person who is into creative problem solving and I have
lots of ideas but not lots of time to spend on the 'net. And I know
there are others because I'm not the only one to suggest more
productive discussions.
Shall we try again?
Roxanne
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wed Nov 9 12:33:25 MST 1994
From: "LALONDE ROXANNE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Organization: Dept. of Geography, Univ. of Alta.
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 12:35:39 MDT
Subject: Re: Post election distress
Hi again,
I really don't have time for this but Paige sounds so distressed
as I'm sure many progressive thinking Americans are today. As a
Canadian with long and strong North American roots (my great great ll
generations back grandfather arrived on this soil on the ship right
after the Mayflower, so I feel pretty much a North American citizen),
I always pay interest to what goes on in the US and have been
interested in the efforts of the latest administration to try to
implement constructive change.
> I know its difficult to request discussion, but I am seriously
> struggling with the issue of how to move forward with a
> progressive agenda
I think the timing of what I discussed in my last message and the
challenging results of the elections is rather fortuitous for ecofem.
It is obvious that the power-brokers of the US are in for some real
gridlock over the next few years. Essentially, nothing constructive
will occur at the national level. This is a prime opportunity for
local communities and nongovernmental organizations to mobilize. To
be perfectly honest, I am not distressed by this latest event. It is
merely another nail in the coffin of partisan political systems that
perpetuate a system that is inherently counterproductive to its
desired aims. The sooner these systems self-destruct, the sooner we
can get on with the job of building the kinds of communities that
truly enable everyone to share their gifts and talents and that
effectively fulfill the needs of each person. I know that sounds
idealistic and utopian but isn't that part of what life is all about?
Even if we don't see positive results in our own lifetime, the
constructive efforts of millions of people all over the world to
really serve humanity and build better communities are changing
things for the better in tangible ways.
I think that we need to detach ourselves from systems that don't
work despite the fact that we are so familiar with them and focus our
attention on movements and organizations that really are making
effective contributions to society. Last night on CBC, the "Ideas"
program reran an interview with John McKnight, who has made some
fantastic contributions to community development efforts all over
North America. And there are hundreds of other examples of
individuals and organizations that are really making effective
changes to their communities all over the world. Don't give up hope!
We can do it; we just have to shift our focus away from the
prevailing ways and connect our hearts to each other again like we
were meant to do.
Enough for today, I'm off to the library.
Take care all,
Roxanne
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wed Nov 9 14:04:53 MST 1994
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 14:07:47 -0700 (MST)
From: H-West Comoderator Catherine Lavender <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: New List: H-WEST, History of the American West
H-WEST is an e-mail discussion list for Western history. The primary
purpose of H-WEST is to encourage lively and professional discussion of
the history of the North American West and the frontier as both place and
process. H-WEST is designed for scholars, researchers and teachers, and
is open to all methodological and theoretical approaches.
H-WEST is a part of H-Net, an international initiative to assist
humanities scholars to go on-line, using their personal computers. It is
operated on a voluntary basis by scholars in the U.S., Canada, Australia,
Japan and Italy. H-Net is directed by Richard Jensen and an elected
committee; it has financial support primarily from the National Endowment
for the Humanities. H-Net sponsors an ever growing list of electronic
discussion groups or "lists" developed by and for scholars in the
humanities. In total, they reach over 15,000 subscribers in 54 countries.
Each list is moderated by one or more scholars and has a board of editors.
H-Net also sponsors training workshops for humanities faculties.
H-WEST Discussions may include current research and research interests;
methods and tools of analysis; reviews of primary and secondary sources;
calls for papers; information on conferences, grants, fellowships, and
Internet resources. H-West expects to commission reviews of new scholarly
works.
H-WEST is also a forum for exploring the approaches, methods, and tools
used in teaching western history to graduate and undergraduate students.
Syllabi, reading lists, and examinations are all valuable subjects for
discussion. We hope to establish a regular syllabus exchange.
H-Net regularly prepares a list of job opportunities for historians, and
H-WEST will carry announcements of its availability.
To subscribe to H-WEST, send a message with subject line empty to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] and include as your text the following (be sure
that text is no more than one line long):
subscribe h-west yourfirstname yourlastname, college/org.
H-WEST is moderated to filter out messages and items that, in the judgment
of the moderators, do not further the purpose of H-WEST. The moderators
will not alter the meaning of any message but will, if necessary, add name
and e-address, modify the subject line, and correct typographical errors.
The moderators of H-WEST are approved by H-Net. They are:
Catherine Lavender, University of Colorado, Boulder
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
G. L. Seligman, University of North Texas
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, and
Elliott West, University of Arkansas
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
H-WEST is advised by a selective group of representative scholars.
The H-WEST editorial board is approved by H-NET. The initial editorial
board includes:
W. David Baird, Pepperdine University
Allan G. Bogue, University of Wisconsin, Madison emeritus
Robert W. Cherny, San Francisco State University
William J. Cronon, University of Wisconsin, Madison
John Mack Faragher, Yale University
Ross Frank, University of San Diego
James N. Gregory, University of Washington, Seattle
A. Yvette Huginnie, University of California, Berkeley
Albert L. Hurtado, Arizona State University
Patricia N. Limerick, University of Colorado
George Miles, Beineke Library, Yale University
Darlis A. Miller, New Mexico State University
Clyde A. Milner, Utah State University, and _Western
History Quarterly_
Maria E. Montoya, Michigan State University
Kathy Morrissey, University of Arizona
J.C. Mutchler, Yale University
William G. Robbins, Oregon State University
Virginia Scharff, University of New Mexico
Bruce Stadfeld, University of Manitoba
Richard White, University of Washington
