Might this be just the sort of thing to discuss at the Virginia Forum 2008, next April 11 and 12 in Fredericksburg? See http:// www.virginiaforum.org/, and perhaps consider contacting the Program Committee to see what might be possible. --Jurretta Heckscher On Sep 28, 2007, at 4:51 PM, Walter Waddell wrote: > My 180-degree panoramic northwest porch view here in Verona, > Virginia hardly compares with > the ambient pleasantness and grandeur of the sweeping vistas viewed > from Madison's > Montpelier, Jefferson's Monticello, or Monroe's Ashlawn-Highland > estates. Similarly, my > life accomplishments, successes, and failures are hardly material > for historical note. But > I believe I did once enjoy something more than these great men may > have had either the > time or opportunity to do so during their occupancy of those great > estates. > > I keep an old, but beautifully restored, milk box on my porch. My > wife has colored it in > keeping with the porch's décor and weatherproofed it for me. I > store varied reading > material in it and after yard work and on other occasions when I am > just enjoying my > porch; I can reach in to my outdoor library and have, to my mind, > some of the best of what > this world offers. > > In preparing the milk box to winter over, I was made to empty it > contents. At the bottom > of the stack were several issues of the Virginia Cavalcade. I > thumbed through them and > remembered that I had read one or two articles from each but had > not read all the articles > from all of them. All of these issues were very recent to the > announcement to the magazine's > death. I had this thought that I had at one time all the intentions > of perusing their > contents; but, upon knowing that the magazine would no longer be a > regular in my mailbox, > I "kinda" gave up -- succumbing to the sin of despair, > disappointment, and defeat -- > nothing to look forward to so why bother. > > As I write this, I remember the wonderful Virginia stories, the > colorful and beautiful > photographs and art work, and the engaging maps and drawings this > magazine brought to my > mailbox and the pleasure I had enjoying a good read on my very own > porch -- again > something I had that those fellows above may not have had. > > James Shreeve said in his "The Neanderthal Enigma: Solving the > Mystery of Modern Human > Origins: "By all appearances, the people of the Upper Paleolithic > came into an innocent, > unexamined world and galvanized it with symbol, art, metaphor, and > story. They did not > simply invent better means of surviving. They invented meaning > itself." The rationales for > the emergence of modern humans are varied and many. "No matter the > cause, 40,000 years ago > our ancestors developed an imagination. They learned to ask, What > if?.." > > What if: a pool of authoritative, talented historians could submit > digital material to an > authoritative, professionally managed editorial staff? > > What if: approved material could be published entirely and only in > "html" or "pdf" format > complete with photographs and graphics and published on a web site? > > What if: interested readers could subscribe to that web site and > enjoy complete > "downloading" rights to published material? > > What if: interested subscribers could print out that material in a > variety of quantity and > quality forms including, but not limited to, glossy 8 x 10 > photographic paper? > > What if: interested subscribers could bind or insert downloaded > pages into plastic sleeves > and create their own copy of a magazine? > > What if: I could sit on my lowly porch and relish something that > former magnificent > Virginia "thinkers, movers, and shakers" couldn't even imagine > despite the splendor from > their own vistas? > > What if: someone has a better idea? > > What if: they made it known?