Hi Folks
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING
A couple or so items for this month in addition to the usual stuff.
The first is regarding unsubscribing (and/or re-subscribing). To do
either go to:
http://www.moq.org/md/mdsubind.html
on the moq.org site where you will find full instructions. Alternatively
you can refer to the monthly(?) Charter/Rules/FAQ post (the thing
your reading at the moment!).
Next, if you send a post from an address which is not on the MD
subscription list then it bounces back to me. I get a lot of mail and
will normally wipe any posts which bounce. There is no problem with
having two subscriptions to the MD list so that you can send and
receive from home and work, or wherever. So if your post doesn't get
through check the address you sent it from.
The last item is regarding the recent fracas over the Lilasquad list
that developed during last months discussions. It should be
remembered that the LS list is there as a means of focussing on a
single subject at a time. The keyword here is FOCUS. I know
members don't like having their posts rejected but if it fails to meet
the criteria of the list rules etc. then it is likely to distract from the
main issue and gets rejected. The LS list may appear static and the
moderators tyrannical censors, or however you wish to see it, but the
LS has a purpose and it fufills that purpose to the general
satisfaction of the majority of members. To balance the LS list we
have the MD list which can be as dynamic as members wish it to be.
It also serves its intended purpose. Taken together, both the MD and
LS lists, along with the other facilities currently available, make
moq.org a well balanced site, which also happens to have the
endorsement of the person whose work we spend so much time
discussing. MOQ.ORG also happens to be (in my not even vaguely
humble opinion) the best Pirsig/MoQ site on the entire Internet, bar
none - so there!
Horse 5 Sept. 1999
********* NEWS ************
There are three new essays on forum
The Lost World (4 Sept '99)
Scott Welsh looks at the problem of raising children in today's
society. Are we losing them and what can we do to win them back?
On Quality (28 Aug '99)
A critical reading of Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance and Lila. A Complete postgraduate thesis from Ian
Hornsby which adopts a narrative style modelled on Pirsig's
contemplation of composition and Quality.
Creating an Organismic MOQ (19 Aug '99)
John Beasley surveys a number of the key strands in the thinking of
Robert M Pirsig from the perspective of the organism, a perspective
that allows bridging between the ideas of a metaphysics, the
encounter with different levels of experience, and the ability to
encounter dynamic quality within unmediated experience
You can read all of these at http://www.moq.org
There is also a new interview with Pirsig in a Canadian newspaper,
you can read the online version here:
http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Focus/19990828/FC28ZEN.html
*****************************************************
The faq, rules and charter for MOQ_DISCUSS are below.
Please have at least a cursory glance at them, if to do no more than
remind yourselves of which ones you regularly ignore.
*****************************************************
MOQ_DISCUSS CHARTER
The MOQ_DISCUSS mailing list exists to provide a general and free-
ranging forum for the discussion of Robert M. Pirsig's Metaphysics of
Quality.
The MOQ_DISCUSS mailing list is an unmoderated mailing list.
Members should observe the Rules of the list in order that
discussions can be conducted in in a civilized and reasonably
courteous manner. Members are encouraged to become involved in
dialogue and debate but are requested to refrain from flaming and
abusive behaviour of all kinds.
Members of MOQ_DISCUSS are free to initiate a new discussion or
topic by posting a message announcing the new topic or with a
Subject line identifying the new topic.
Members of MOQ_DISCUSS are not required to participate.
Members can be active, temporarily inactive or permanent lurkers.
If it becomes necessary to remove a member from the
MOQ_DISCUSS list for persistent disregard for the rules then this
will only be carried out after reminders and warnings have been
issued and reasons given. This will hopefully be an extremely rare
occurrence.
The Charter and Rules of MOQ_DISCUSS are subject to addition or
modification under the guidance of the list administrator. Any
additions or modifications will be posted to the list with reasons given.
*****************************************************
MOQ_DISCUSS RULES
1) As a minimum requirement for joining the MOQ_DISCUSS mailing
list members must have read Lila by Robert M. Pirsig.
2) All topics and discussions must be relevant to the Metaphysics of
Quality in general or some particular aspect of Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance or Lila.
3) Each member should limit the number of posts they submit to a
maximum of four per day.
4) Members should reproduce only the relevant parts of any previous
message to which they are responding.
5) Contributors should reproduce the Subject line of the
thread/discussion to which they are replying.
6) Where possible, posts should be restricted to plain text - no HTML,
Rich Text (RTF) or other formats should be used.
7) Posts may not contain attachments, gifs or other documents
except by arrangement with the list administrator. MOQ_DISCUSS
should not be used as a file transfer or document exchange service.
Use FTP or the Web (put your file/document on the Web and mail
the list its URL).
8) Members should refrain from swearing, using offensive language
and personal attacks on other members. Abuse, in any form, will not
be tolerated.
*****************************************************
MOQ_DISCUSS FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
(Copyright Diana McPartlin - modified by Horse)
How does this mailing list work?
It's an email-based discussion group. When you email the list your
mail is distributed to all the other people who have subscribed to this
group, so we can all join in the dialog together. You are welcome to
jump into any discussions that interest you or you can initiate your
own. If you've never been a member of a mailing list before we
suggest you check out this page on netiquette (ie Net-etiquette):
<http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html>
which tells you the commonly accepted standards of behaviour on
mailing lists.
How do I post to this list?
Send an email to the mailing list's email address exactly the same
way as you would send an email to a friend. You can use any email
program - Eudora, MS Outlook, Netscape mail etc. This list's email
address is:
moq_discuss@moq.org <mailto:moq_discuss@moq.org>.
Our computer will automatically add the prefix MD to your post, you
don't have to do that yourself. The prefixes are intended help you
separate your MD mail from the rest of your mail.
How do I unsubscribe from this list?
Send an email to
majordomo@moq.org <mailto:majordomo@moq.org>
with
unsubscribe moq_discuss
in the body of the mail. Don't write anything else in the email. The
subject line will be ignored so you can write anything you want or
leave it blank.
<<NEW>>
Why do you have two mailing lists on MOQ.org?
The MOQ.org mailing lists - MOQ_discuss (MD) and the Lila Squad
(LS) - serve two very different purposes. The MD is a straightforward
discussion group. It is unmoderated and you are free to raise and
discuss any topic related to the MOQ. The LS is run as a series of
workshops. Each month we take a single question and investigate it
to the exclusion of all else. The LS is moderated so if you send a
post that is not directly related to the monthly PROGRAM then it will
not be allowed into the discussion.
Think of MOQ.org as a giant online conference - in one room we have
lectures, in another we have workshops and in another we have open
dialog. By offering a variety of methods of communication we create a
richer and more productive experience for all participants: you can
send essays to the Forum, you can join the MD open area or the LS
workshops, you can enjoy private converstions with other members
or you can just sit at the back and lurk if you want. We don't ask you
to participate in everything, but we do ask that you respect the
distinctions between the different areas of MOQ.org and help us
make them all good in their own ways.
I have something to say that is relevant to both MD and LS, can I post
it to both?
Posting the same mail to two lists is known as cross-posting and is
generally considered bad netiquette because it defeats the purpose of
having two lists. If your post is relevant to the LS topic then post it
there only and pursue that topic in that forum for the rest of the
month, after that you should continue the dialog on MD.
Can I talk about this month's LS topic on the MD?
Discussing the same topic in the open forum and the focus group at
the same time can be disruptive and confusing as posts go back and
forth between the two lists. In the interests of maintaining a high
quality dialog in the LS focus group we ask that you refrain from
discussing the LS topic of the month on the MD for the duration of
that month.
<</NEW>>
I've posted to the mailing lists several times and nobody has
responded, why not and what should I do?
The lack of face-to-face interaction on the Internet means that it can
be difficult to gauge other people's reactions to your posts. There
may well be people reading and learning from your posts -- you just
can't tell. Don't take it personally and keep on posting. Keep your
posts relevant, well-informed and courteous and you'll soon win the
respect of the group.
Somebody has made a nasty, sarcastic reply to one of my posts,
what should I do?
This is a philosophy discussion group and there's really no need for
this kind of behaviour, but still, it happens. Don't waste your energy
on it. Either reply calmly asking for clarification, or ignore it and
devote your time to something more constructive instead.
How can I send an essay for the Forum on the MOQ.org website?
Send it to the webmaster, ie Diana:
diana@hongkong.com <mailto:diana@hongkong.com>
preferably in plain text in the body of an email. Please don't use any
fancy formatting unless essential because we'll just have to undo it
all to convert it to HTML for publishing on the web.
How can I send a bio for the Members page on the website?
Send it to Diana, as above.
What is the copyright situation regarding posts and essays?
MOQ.org retains the right to publish all posts submitted to our mailing
lists in our archives only and the right to publish essays submitted to
our Forum on our website only. We will not use your contributions in
any other publication or media without your written consent. All
contributors will retain copyright over their own work. That means you
are free to sell it to other publishers if you wish, and if anyone
plagiarises your work or reproduces it without your permission it will
constitute a breach of copyright.
How can I help you develop MOQ.org?
If you've only just joined we suggest you hang around for a few weeks
and get to know us. If you understand what we've done in the past
and what we're doing now you'll be able to contribute more effectively.
If, after the honeymoon period is over, you're still interested, think of
what you can do constructively to develop MOQ.org. If you can't think
of anything specific but you still want to help, email us because we
have a long list of things that we would like to do but never get round
to.
This is an abridged version of the FAQ that appears on the MOQ.org
website at: <http://www.moq.org/faq.html>.
If you have any further questions please contact the list administrator.
*****************************************************
Horse
mailto:horse@wasted.demon.nl
MOQ_DISCUSS List Administrator
MOQ Online Homepage - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Unsubscribe - http://www.moq.org/md/index.html
MD Queries - horse@wasted.demon.nl
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