business meeting and panel discussion

[krombhol@teclink.net (Paul Krombholz)]

Great summary of the business meeting and the panel, Erik.  I might add one
thing about back issues.  The question came up about scanning all the back
issues and making them available on the web.  People were generally against
this because it would cut into sales of back issues, it might upset authors
who had not given permission to have their articles published on the web,
and perhaps for some other reasons that I didn't catch.  I, however, would
like to speak in favor of making articles in back issues available after a
year or two.  Many scientific journals are now doing this, and I like it
because it is in line with the free sharing of information that makes the
web so valuable.  If we are worried about authors getting upset, perhaps we
should have some kind of agreement up front that contributors will have
their articles made available on the web after one or two years, unless
they specifically request that this not be done.  I can't see any important
reasons why contributors would not agree to having their articles made
available on the web.


Let's say that I had one experience where the BGA got eaten up by snails
after I ran the UV sterilizer.  I would like to see this happen again
before I start believing there is a connection between the UV sterilizer
and any increase in palatability of the BGA.

I have always heard that plants don't pump water down, but pull it up from
the roots, creating a flow into the gravel.

Re the heating cable discussion, I suggested that the cables might, by
localized mixing, bring water with reduced iron nearer to roots, thus
improving growth.  When the substrate is fairly well permeated with roots,
the availability of reduced iron decreases, as the oxidized zones around
the roots expand and merge.

Paul Krombholz, in central Mississippi, where we had about .15 inch of rain
today.