Dates and indexes.

WE RECENTLY LEARNED of the death of Bernard Chalip, a noted voice instructor, teacher and author in the field of general semantics. Chalip died April 1, 2008 in Alameda, CA, at the age of 90. His singing students included noted performers of opera and other classical forms. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Chalip attended seminars with Alfred Korzybski in 1941, in Chicago, and in 1948, in Lakeville, CT. These seminars formed the basis for several general semantics courses that Chalip taught at Eastern Oregon State College, the College of Alameda (CA) and other schools. His widow, Alice Grace Chalip also taught numerous general semantics courses. A memorial was held Sunday, April 20, 2008 at Friends Meeting House in Berkeley, CA. You can read two articles by Chalip in this issue's Retrospect feature.

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In March, Marisa Sleeter, our IGS office manager, staffed an IGS booth at the National Science Teachers Association Conference, which was held in Boston. She reports that she signed up many new IGS members there and distributed a good deal of IGS materials to the conference attendees. We are also planning to be represented at the National Council of Teachers of English conference, which will be held in November.

Recently appointed Executive Director, Lance Strate, visited Read House in early April where he interviewed and hired Jennifer Clarke, who is replacing Marisa Sleeter as our office manager in Texas. Marisa, who did an excellent job in her tenure at Read House, is moving on with her career and we all wish her the best.

IGS board president Martin Levinson recently spoke by phone with Arielle Stevenson, a student in Jay Black's journalism class at the University of Southern Florida, on a general semantics book report that she was doing. Arielle said that her class enjoys learning about GS and that she may write a GS-related article for ETC.

Jill Moore, the head of the communications department at Alverno College, is interested in having her students submit articles for ETC and states that GS is "alive and well" at Alverno. In the past, the Institute held several summer seminars there.

The IGS board has named a committee to develop new ideas to make productive use of Read House in the coming year. The Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture board committee is working on setting up this year's AKML lecture and symposium. More news to follow soon.

On May 22, at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City, Read Mercer Schuchardt will present a talk on "Iconomy and the Impossibility of Transcendence: From the Medieval Catholic Symbol System to Contemporary Corporate Iconography." A former advertising and marketing professional, Read Mercer Schuchardt earned his Ph. D. under Neil Postman at New York University and has taught media, communication and film through the media ecology lens to students in New York, Washington, Switzerland, and Chicago.

On June 5, ISG Trustee Allen Flagg will give a lecture with the title "Reality is not What You Think it is." Interactive exercises and demonstrations will test the ability of the audience to give appropriate meaning to their involvement with the "reality" of their paradoxical world. On June 19, Alan Steinfeld, host of New Realities, will speak on "Symbols: the Key to Understanding Reality."

On May 9, the San Francisco chapter enjoyed a presentation on mindfulness and successful techniques for stress reduction, given by Rick Center, SEP, LAMT, MBSR, a popular mind-body therapist and teacher. Center's weekly classes on mindfulness reflect his work with Peter Levine's trauma clients. In June, the group will view and discuss the PBS series on Brain Fitness Program and Neuroplasticity, hosted by Peter Coyote.

From Baroda, India comes the news of a General Semantics Certificate Course offered in May by the Center for Contemporary Theory and General Semantics, as a direct result of the overwhelming response to the Twelfth National Workshop conducted there by Steve Stockdale and Andrea Johnson last fall. The course is sponsored by the generous support of Shri Balvantbhai K. Parekh, Chairman of Pidilite Industries and will be held May 5-10 at the University of Mumbai. Balvantbhai is dedicated to spreading the awareness of general semantics throughout the country of India, because he feels that such awareness will foster better understanding between human beings and reduce discord and conflict in society.

On February 26, 2008, a meeting was held at Shri B. K. Parekh's office in Mumbai to discuss the possibilities of promoting the study and teaching of GS in India, including short term courses in general semantics.

The Forum will start with two certificate courses, one in May at Mumbai and another in July at H M Patel Institute of English, Gujarat. Some of the participants of the Baroda work shop will be invited as the resource persons for the forthcoming workshop. Prof. Rambhau Badode will be the coordinator for the course in Mumbai and Prof. Deepa Mishra will be the co-coordinator. A study pack for the participants and the resource persons will be prepared by the forum. The May course had sixty participants signed up by the opening date.

The director of the center, Professor Kar, informed the meeting about the possibility of the Government providing land through the collector of Baroda's office at a token lease amount. Shri Parekh agreed that once the land is acquired, the construction could start after suggestions from a suitable architect hired through his office. The meeting agreed to expedite this acquisition and construction so that the inauguration of the center can coincide with the celebration of the 50th year of the formation of the state of Gujarat in 2010.

With regret, ETC. editor Nora Miller announced that after this issue, she will step down from her involvement in the publication, and from the Institute itself. She acknowledged the great honor and special opportunity that working on ETC. represented for her, but finds that other aspects of her life make it impossible to devote the time and effort involved in producing four issues a year. For now, she will continue to edit the Retrospect section and to offer production advice as needed.