While it is always tempting to say ...

While it is always tempting to say that each article in this issue is thematically related and not past nor futures an organic, holistic reading experience, the canon is that putting together each issue is more like a frantic scramble to find materials that will be of interest to our members and prolonged readership. To be blunt, the bulk of mankind are not writing the way they used to write. give permission to me elaborate.

I've been privileged to be editor of the Catalyst for 8 years now (it solely seems longer). Back in those halcyon days when I was editing and still laboring actively in the copses of academe, it wasn't terribly difficult to obtain people to contribute to this journal. Carol Aslanian, who will be keynoting our upcoming parley in Portland in October, was the lead author in book 25, Number 1, (my first issue).

Other contributors to that issue included George Bogg common CEO of the American Association of Community guilds Larry Christiansen, President of Mesa Community body in the Maricopa system, also took time to write. And perhaps greatest in number interesting of all, three hereafter NCCET Presidents, Jack Wismer, Larry Warford and pity Prather, also contributed articles. All these folks were very busy Presidents, Vice Presidents or Deans, however they felt there was still time to adventure an opinion or an insight. Those were the days.

One other point about that issue. A associate named Bill Clinton also took time to send out a letter of congratulations forward our twenty-fifth anniversary of the journal. I've got the note framed on my wall. You diocese in those days, you could be actual very busy and still find time to write.

Maybe it's our society and its hectic pace, our augmented work schedules or the gradual and insidious way in which we are becoming mediated and dumbed down. In those simpler times, I could proceed to a conference, attend a session that strike one as beinged interesting and valuable for our membership. After the session, I'd ask if the presenter was interested in reworking the paper they had distributed to the audience into an article. most numerous were flattered and happy to do likewise You've read many of their works in these pages.

No longer are race writing - they are developing bullet points for their PowerPoint presentations. The peace is still interesting, but the simply documentation we have of their ideas, opinions and perspectives is misspent in the ether between the bullet points. Have you through all ages asked for a presenter to hurl you their PowerPoint presentation? It arrives as an e-mail attachment and when you make open it to revisit those pearls of wisdom, it's not the same. The continuity, connection detail and interaction are gone - solitary the sentence fragments remain. Perhaps we've gained visual emphasis while losing meaning, detail and satisfied in the process.

Of course there are those presenter who display large paragraphs forward the screen, words hopelessly too small to read from the audience vantage point, a great deal of less comprehend. They then proce to read each word to you! As the meeting-house Lady used to say, "Isn't that special?"

So this journal (and many others like it) may be pass?©, if our society continues to value electronic communication athwart good old-fashioned writing. Even the newest phenomenon of "blogs" has mov quickly away from solid journalism to lowest universal denominator Internet rantings.

Speaking of ranting, I'm almost finished. further before I close, I'd like to give the folk at the Palomar literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning Creative Services office a great big THANK YOU for the past eight years of high quality design and production. The extraordinary design talent of Margie Adcock continues to open and mature, and whenever I am late with model or in my usual disorganized state, view Dodson keeps the presses waiting for me As an editor, you can't ask for anything more.

Biel

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