wwp@yahoogroups.com:
the next theme
G. Donald Bain 2004-Aug-12 18:56:00
As you may have noticed I have been in and out of contact a lot in
recent weeks, participating in discussions some days, then
disappearing. Landis is on the road continuously for a while now, so we
hear from him also only intermittently.
But it is time to move on - the Equinox is only six weeks away. A
theme needs to be determined so we can organize our lives around this
event!
There have been many good suggestions, and we have at least a couple of
years of excellent themes to work on.
My concern right now is to be as inclusive as possible - we need to
keep building the base of participants. We don't want a theme that will
be a problem for anyone, or too difficult. This is certainly a
challenge, considering the range of cultures, climates, and
personalities we have to work with.
Here's my proposal:
BRIDGES -- A World Wide Panorama -- September 18-22, 2004
Every place on earth has bridges, from heroic suspension spans to
graceful arches over the canals of Venice. There are scary swinging
bridges, busy bridges over urban rivers, high arched bridges in
Japanese gardens, picturesque covered bridges in the countryside,
bridges that open for shipping, floating bridges, Roman bridges still
in use, ancient bridges in China.
Bridges are interesting, in their engineering, their materials, their
setting, their history. They are important, providing vital access
across rivers and to islands. Some carry huge volumes of traffic,
others cross international boundaries. Bridges can be short but
complicated, the soaring loops of a freeway interchange, or immensely
long like the causeway connecting the Florida Keys. Some cross deep
narrow gorges in the mountains, others span turbulent tidal channels.
They can be symbolic, like a Chinese nine-turn bridge, or strictly
utilitarian, like the ubiquitous Bailey bridges.
Bridges can be beautiful, in and of themselves. From the classic spans
of ancient times, to the bravado of the industrial revolution, to
dramatic new shapes by Santiago Calatrava. Bridges sometimes provide
the grace-note to a dramatic scene, the focal point of a landscape.
Bridges over lakes and streams in gardens and parks are often works of
art, carefully designed for visual effect as well as utility.
Many bridges are famous: the Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge,
London Bridge (in Arizona) and Tower Bridge (still in London), the
Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Eads Bridge over
the Mississippi, the new bridges over the Inland Sea in Japan, the
Tagus River Bridge in Lisbon, the Firth of Forth bridges in Scotland.
Taken metaphorically, bridges can be anything that helps us to progress
from one place to another, spanning barriers and obstacles. There are
social and cultural bridges, economic and business bridges, emotional
and psychological bridges.
So, I think we can all find something exciting to contribute on the
theme of BRIDGES.
More information later.
Don
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G. Donald Bain
Director, Geography Computing Facility
University of California, Berkeley