I too am enjoying the polite -fray- and out of a sense of guilt over
being a lurker, induced by postings on graze-l,
wanted to comment.
I like the relatively objective hard science base
for looking at the world around us.
It's proving to be a reliable yardstick to gauge reality as we know it,
and make decisions that may help improve our chances of survival, long
and short term, as a species.
The seperation of social and cultural aspects, their -falling out-
of the equation, is true, kind of, I guess. If you look at the ecosystem
there is science; physical, social, psychological,etc;
that attempts to describe behavior of matter both inert and sentient.
The apparent falling out, I feel,
is just a function of not being able to understand how the -system-
(bio-geo-chemical temprospatial etc... ;-)
is really working, and on what scale or more likely, scales.
And when you're talking about -us- as a species, what goes on in the head
moves mountains and mole hills. But the science of it is pretty elusive,
as I guess too, you -could- argue to be true in the hard physical
sciences as well.
especially in light of the new Hubble imagery.
shew'; it just seems to keep on goin' fer ever
I think it's a continuum, where subjective definitons and boundries
can be valid in the face of apparent contridications. Such as social and
cultural sciences falling out but still being and intergral part of -our-
ecosystem.
Anyway, hi again
(to lurkers as well). I enjoy the list and thank all those participating.
I too am a graduate student, of environmental health.
I've got it completly under control for now;
and have dropped out for the time being.
But the learning process continues while
I hope to get back into school,
somewhere in New England
in the not too distant future.
I've also been known to serve as district conservationist
in Hancock County Tennessee, (for the past couple of hundred years
some say...;-), with NRCS. We've still got over a foot of snow on the
ground in downtown Sneedville and -most- folks are ready for spring.
The Hancock Co. Soil Conservation District HCSCD
should be online very shortly and become more of a participant in
sustainability discussion. We're working with some -sustainability-
type folks here (I almost flinch using the S word in public, since it
seems to have stirred up such controversy and debate...).
I'm kind of on here now sideways and can't really this for -chaindrive-
work, though a partnership that's been developed with the
HCSCD and county school system through Tennessee Education Network (TEN),
which I'm on now,
will ease the ethical burden. The HCSCD is also opening a
commercial account through a non-profit internet gateway
developed here (see Wall St. Jour. 12/95 "Rural County Rejects Global Village",
an act of journalistic prostitution by my reckoning.....;-)
and plans to open a home page and confernece site for Clinch and Powell
Rivers Watershed conservation/education and communication intersts
very soon.
I guess getting back to your original point, Nancy,
it just really puzzles the heck out of me......
bon voyage'
Colin
in Sneedville