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| May 09, 2008 |
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Welcome to the Open Spaces web site. We have launched this quarterly magazine to provide a forum for voices that speak with knowledge and insight to issues affecting people in every region of the United States and around the world. As the name suggests, Open Spaces is dedicated to an openness of attitude, intellect and approach. In this spirit, we present thoughtful, well-researched articles on a variety of subjects from a number of different viewpoints. Twenty seven years ago, a child standing on the shore of Spirit Lake in southern Washington scooped up a handful of grayish white pebbles and held it out to her mother with a question. "Pumice," her mother answered. "A very long time ago…." A few months later Mt. St. Helens, the volcano that stands above Spirit Lake, exploded. Rivers flooded, homes and cabins were destroyed, people too close to run or drive away were lost. Spirit Lake was filled with debris. Northwesterners watched in awe and with concern as huge clouds of ash billowed forth, dusting the ground below from the rhododendrons of the Willamette Valley to the aspens of Billings, Montana before continuing on around the world. People expressed concern about the effect on the soil. Some put on surgical masks to protect themselves and their children from pollution. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the mountain quieted, the sky cleared and the residue of volcanic ash was found to enrich the soil. We who make our homes in the Pacific Northwest feel our susceptibility to the forces of nature just as we are stirred by the beauty of the region that is their direct result. We only half-smile at Will Durant's observation that "Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice." Those of us who have created Open Spaces hope to bring you a sense of this continuum of which we are all a part. For this reason, we are committed to providing context and perspective for current issues commonly offered only in piecemeal or polarized form. Toward this end, we have published writers whose work is of the highest quality, and we are committed to providing them with sufficient space to develop their ideas in depth and in context. Open Spaces is a blend of the serious and the light. We hope you enjoy the publication and that you will take part in the conversation through letters to the editor, email or fax. Mostly, we hope that Open Spaces will provide you with an excuse to go to your favorite chair and read. |
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