Access Queen says hello...and lets you know about current airfares...

[J. Paul Everett]

Lisa, et. al;

One idea is to find someone who flies a lot and whom you know well or a close
friend knows well and ask if they would be willing to donate an economy class
round trip toward your attendance at an event extremely important to you
(OSonOS in Melbourne).  It's a bit cheeky (chutzpah, etc.) but one never
knows until one tries.  It may be that the air miles are just weighing them
down.  As Br'er Rabbit said, paraphrasing, "My chimbly corners is jist
natcherly stuffed wif air miles, Sistah Lisa."  :)

A second idea I've had is more challenging, on several levels.  Suppose there
isn't a physical OSonOS next year but rather a cyber-event and we all donate
as much of the air fare as we can stand to our favorite charity or cause.
Then, we who are close enough, gather for a group conference which is all
linked up via video satellite or whatever means it could be done (here I am
far, far beyond my poor knowledge about what is possible) with other groups
gathered all over the world and we have a real-time cyber-OSonOS conference.
Maybe big corporations would help out with their video-conferencing
facilities---getting a nice tax write-off or something.  Wild idea, yes.  No
doubt.  Possible? Maybe.  We'd even get warm hugs from our small group.  Some
would, anyway.

The other challenge level, besides technical, is societal.  For the sake of
discussion, I will postulate that it doesn't make us very "green", and all
those associated ideas and feelings about empathic living (Chomsky, et. al.)
to be jetting around the world to meet in OS, using up precious resources
(tons of oil, fouling the atmosphere with jet wash, playing/learning while
others are starving, etc.).  And, being perfectly open, I'm purposely poking
some here who play a good verbal game that borders on being holier than thou.
 The challenge is to put your money where your mouth is.

(BTW, I do also realize that my not going there will not stop the jet that is
scheduled to go from doing so---but, it's the empathic principle which I am
challenging us to consider.  I also realize that even the Dalai Lama jets
around the world doing good, carrying the message, etc.  Mother Teresa did
that, too.  Despite the resources required for her to do so.  Perhaps it's
merely a feeling on my part (and projection, most likely) that I'm not fully
living my own total value set.  Just a messy, musing thought on a Tuesday
night).

Namaste'?  lol

Paul Everett

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