Rather than post this as an administrative note, I have decided to make it an article of its own. Please note, though, that I did place a "real" column in this space only yesterday.
I have been writing this editorial column regularly for over six years, and just as I found in July of 1997, I am finding that the schedule makes it difficult to prepare enough quality material. This year, I have often felt as though I am forcing myself to find something new to say. To some extent, this is because of the past six+ years: I have written just about everything I wanted to say about this topic. When I began, I was full of ideas which I wanted to express, and that is simply not the case now.
This is the time of year when I had been taking a long vacation in any case, and I will be taking one again. However, when I return, I will not resume a regular schedule for this column. Items will appear haphazardly, without a schedule, and presumably much less often.
I will continue my other activities for this non-profit charity, and this web site, and hope to use this time to develop some other content areas and work on research. Thank you for your time, especially those of you who have followed this column almost religiously for years.