Institute of General Semantics

After scanning the tentative program for the upcoming international conference (published August 16 at www.generalsemantics.org/misc/2009akmlsymposium/2009_conference_tentative_schedule.pdf ), this person wishes to commend the planners and organizers for their achievement.

Regards,

Phil Ardery

Thank you kindly, sir!

The conference starts today!

I thought the Conference was very interesting, and was very impressed bu some of the visual training aids. I wasn't impressed by the sound system, as to me it had a strong echo effect, because the speakers they were using, were basically designed for music and plays, also they were located very high in the back. Sound travels up not down. I feel they need different speakers for speakers, located further towards the audience, on the side walls. It was nice they had plenty refreshments, for each day, which I enjoyed.

I didn't arrive till about 2:30 on Friday and only caught the last half of the sessions.

The A.K. Memorial Lecture was, and I am glad Mary Bateson has many Grandchildren.

Saturday, Lance had a nice Breakfast setup, loved the fruit and cheese plates.

I thought that Laura Bertone did a great job on her Paper EVOLUCION, and her training aids, were fantastic, to me she was the Highlight of the Conference.

I felt the Conference, was rushed a little, and it would of been nice if the speakers had more time to READ their papers and had more time to answer questions.

I brought some new Pictures of A.K. to the Conference and gave them to Ben, they were done by Life Magazine.

images.google.com/hosted/life/f?q=Alfred+Korzybski&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAlfred%2BKorzybski%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&imgurl=235f20524d9e1ba2

If you can Download it, otherwise go to the Google Browser and put in Alfred Korzybski, google, Image, and the pictures should come up, I always Google by Image, than by Web, "What can be shown. Can't be said."

These are great pictures, and can be blown up to 11X17". It really makes A.K. come alive. I wanted to display the pictures at the Conference, but couldn't find a place to set them up.

I was glad there was plenty literature and books there to buy, a great selection, however I feel one of the most important A.K. publications, is TIME-BINDING, The General Theory, which should be published again, as that was a foundation publication, and really written to the general public about what Science and Sanity would be about.

Stuart Chase, Who wrote "The Tyranny of Words in 1937, stated, "Korzybski was addressing himself more to Scientists, and Mathematicians, than to laymen . His book is really what got General Semantics to the attention of the General public. Amazon, has the book for sale.

If you put into your browser, TIME-BINDING
The General Theory, you can read it for free at the Athenaeum Reading Room.

Another Book I would of liked to see there , is "How to Develop Your Thinking Ability" by Kenneth S. Keyes, Jr. This book is out of print, but Amazon has about 15 used copies left. I just bought 2 more copies from them, as it is a easy way to introduce G.S. to your friends, and the book is full of funny cartoons, putting G.S. across.
Enjoy!

Regarding Life magazine and why they did the pictures.

Life was going to do an article on AK and his work in 1944 and sent Fred Rodell, a journalist and lawyer from the Yale Law School, to the Institute, then in Chicago, to interview him. For whatever reason, Life decided not to carry the article and sold it to Liberty Magazine. Korzybski did some kind of editing to what Rodell mainly seemed to have written and the thing ultimately came out as 'A Word to the Wise' in the Liberty November 4, 1944 issue with the two men listed as co-authors. The Institute reprinted the article a few years back in the General Semantics Bulletin with an introduction by my good friend, the late Homer Moore, Jr. I can't find the volume number at the moment.