Carl-
I think the observations are meaningful and that conference reform would be
most beneficial for the profession.
This is a topic worthy of discussion and research.
Why do you think it is spam?
Attempts to engage in meaningful discussion with the goal of progress can
not be considered spam at all.
Conrad
-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Steen
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2012 8:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: SHA Session on Traveling
Conrad, if you can't afford to go, stay home, and go to the library. Please
stop spamming this list with your meaningless complaints.
Carl Steen
-----Original Message-----
From: Conrad Bladey <[log in to unmask]>
To: HISTARCH <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sat, May 5, 2012 8:23 am
Subject: Re: SHA Session on Traveling
One of the major issues I see in jet set conferences requiring excessive
travel
and expensive admission fees is that these costs inflate the costs of doing
work-how can archeologists complain as they do constantly about lack of
funds
when most of these high costs are paid as business expenses? This also sends
a
bad message to the backbone of our work.volunteers who do not have expense
accounts. Note also the beer reference says a lot. There should be no need
to
travel in the Internet age. We are simply feeding the convention industry
beast!
CB
----------------------------
This message has been written by fingers that are too big!
On May 5, 2012, at 5:02 AM, Alasdair Brooks <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> As both an SHA officer and the Program Chair for Leicester I'm obviously
exceptionally biased, but I would reiterate what Philip Levy notes (see
below).
>
> On a purely personal 'speaking only for myself' level, I recognise that
> the
Leicester conference represents a significant expense for many North
American
colleagues.
>
> But while holding the SHA conference in Leicester may present challenges
> for
some of our North American members, it represents an excellent opportunity
for
British and continental European colleagues to participate in an SHA
conference,
and for North American and European colleagues to engage with each other in
a
manner that's usually impossible at a North America venue that usually
represents a significant - often impossible - expense for Europeans.
>
> Given that this is only the second time that SHA has left North America
> (I'm
imperfectly including Jamaica as 'North American'), I hardly think that 2
non-North American conferences in the almost 50 year history of our society
represents a wholly unfair geographical balance given the international
nature
of our discipline.
>
> And historical archaeology is genuinely international. On a personal
> level
I've just returned from the truly excellent Argentinian Historical
Archaeology
Congress in Buenos Aires, SPMA often travels outside the UK (including
conferences in North America), I'm presenting in a historical archaeology
session at the EAA meeting in Helsinki this September, and I always enjoyed
ASHA
conferences when I was living and working in Australia.
>
> We look forward to warmly welcoming as many as possible of our North
> American
colleagues in Leicester this coming January, and hope you'll enjoy the
extensive
opportunities to network with colleagues from other continents. We've
already
received several excellent symposium submissions from colleagues in both
North
America and Europe, and this promises to be an exciting conference for
everyone
who attends.
>
> If nothing else, we can promise you significantly better beer than we
> usually
get at an SHA conference ;)
>
> Alasdair Brooks
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Fri, 4 May 2012 14:56:13 -0400
> From: "Levy, Philip" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: SHA Session on Traveling
>
> And, to be fair--it is cheaper this year for our British friends and
> colleagues who normally have to pony up more than we Americans do year by
> year.
> PL
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