From the Editor's Desk

Volker Thomas

When you read this issue of the Newsletter, you will have survived the Y2K scare. Welcome to the New Year which, according to the Christian Calendar is the year 2000. Even our computer systems have been dominated by the Eurocentrist view of the world. What scarce resources (saving two columns of space in the limited storage space of early systems) can do even to privileged cultures and their high tech ways to communicate! You have also survived the dooms-day scares of people who predicted that the world would go under because of the significance of the three zeros behind the two. Did they realize how arbitrary the "magic" number of 2000 is? Other cultures and religions go by very different calendars. Were they doomed too? The other day I heard a report on NPR that researchers have determined that Jesus was born in the year 3 BC. Thus, even if you believed in Christ coming back in the year 2000, you missed it already. Or does it really matter when the human Jesus was born? As I write these lines, I realize that I may be insensitive to our Christian colleagues as I wonder about the significance of the transition into a new millennium. I apologize for any hard feelings my thoughts may have caused. All I intended to do to was to put my fears about what is going to happen (or not going to happen) on January 1, 2000 into some perspective, knowing that when you read this, you'll know already what happened (or did not happen). Growing up in Europe, I continue to be amazed how obsessed the US is with numbers. The year 2000 seems to be another of these obsessions that spark excitement and fear. That our sophisticated technology has had so much trouble dealing with the big number, has only increased the fears that are symbolized and summarized in the abbreviation Y2K (as if we could escape the "power" of the number 2000 by abbreviating it with one less symbol: Y2K < 2000). Anyway, enough rambling about what has turned out to be another big consumption ploy of this economy that has had a tradition of making big profits of people's fears and obsessions. I hope that the New Year finds you well, rested, and full of new energy for many things in your life, including AFTA.

This issue had the goal to provide some reflections of AFTA's past and future. Based on the Board Retreat that took place October 21 - 24, 1999 in Essex, MA, you will find articles that summarize AFTA's history of the past two decades, describe AFTA's relationship with other organizations and related fields, and offer reflections on the process in which Board members engaged during the three day retreat. We worked very hard, but we also played. Some of the pieces show how even our play was reflexive in nature. The rest of this issues is devoted to 2000 Conference Column, the Policy Column, and the Ethics Column.

At the Board Retreat the AFTA Board also met for a formal business meeting and approved my recommendation to reduce the Newsletter from four issues to three issues per year. Beginning in 2000 we will have a spring issue (submission deadline: February 15) that will have a theme and highlight the upcoming Annual Meeting. The fall issue (submission deadline: July 15) will summarize the highlights of the Annual Meeting and the winter issue (submission deadline: November 15) will focus on a timely theme. The goal of the reduction is twofold: (1) It will save production costs which have gone up considerably since we lost Dick Chasin's invaluable support that he and his staff volunteered to AFTA without pay; (2) It will improve the quality of the Newsletter giving us some more time for editing and production. The reduction is not to contradict my goal of providing as much space as possible for voices of all AFTA members. I continue to encourage you to approach me with ideas you have what you would like to see in the Newsletter, write pieces yourself and/or recommend potential contributors. Additionally, please send me your reactions to this issue via any of the following ways: phone (765-494-7859); fax (765-494-0503), or e-mail (thomasv@cfs.purdue.edu).