BULLETIN No. 1 (April 29, 1998)

FINAL PAYMENT--due May 31.(If you have sent it already, THANKS J) Don't calculate your amount just yet--if the pound stays high against the US dollar, we may have to increase those amounts slightly. [We did--check the web page] You can always pay in sterling and avoid the uncertainty!

SPOUSAL BENEFITS--if two spouses/partners are both registering for the conference, the registration for one of you is 50% of the full amount (we try to be an organization that cares!)

SESSIONS are planned to be 50 minutes long. Ardra Cole is drafting the program, probably with four simultaneous sessions--in some cases we hope to provide "blank" sessions for spontaneous issues that arise from early papers.

AIRPORTS--Gatwick and Heathrow are the options. Gatwick is closer to Herstmonceux. I'll be providing information about taxis shortly.[See BULLETIN No. 3, below] IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO ARRANGE TO SHARE A TAXI, you should send your arrival time (and airline and flight number) to Bev Bailey, who has volunteered to collect this information and then let people know the e-mail addresses of others with whom they might be able to meet up without long waits. Her e-mail address is bailey@brandonu.ca

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS (good ones!) are available at every meal at Herstmonceux. If there are "unique meal requests" please let me know right away so I can pass them on to the castle staff for comment and action.

THURSDAY DEPARTURES--try to make your departure on the 20th as late as possible, if you are flying out of the UK on the day the conference ends. (Staying on another night should be no problem). It's hard to have a strong finale to a special conference when people have to get away just after breakfast.

REMINDER-- your abstract for the proceedings is [was!] expected by May 15. No guarantees you'll be in this stunning collection after that date. Our colleagues in the UK have kindly offered to help us arrange to have the proceedings printed in the UK and shipped to Herstmonceux to be picked up when you arrive.

PROGRAM for ACCOMPANYING SPOUSES--is there anyone who would like to volunteer to collect suggestions for what the non-registering spouses might like to organize as a group on one or more days during the conference? The possibilities are virtually endless....

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BULLETIN 2--May 6, 1998

NUMBERS: You will be pleased to learn that we now stand at 87 registrations, with 20 accompanying but not registering. We were at 78 two years ago, so a size very comparable to last time. With four sessions at a time instead of three, we should still fit into the rooms.... We'll still need to watch for variations in group size and swap rooms on the spot if there are big mismatches.

ARRIVAL ON AUGUST 16: In case I was not clear earlier or on the web page, please plan to arrive at Herstmonceux by 5.00 p.m. on Sunday August 16. We will officially get underway with dinner. With so many people knowing their way around the castle from 1996, perhaps the spontaneous reunions can also include helping those new to Herstmonceux to find their way around as we assemble during the day.

ARRIVAL ON AUGUST 15: Remember to adjust your payment accordingly if you will arrive on the Saturday. I will report numbers to you once I have your payments, and we can explore a trip somewhere in the castle area, probably setting off about 10.30 Sunday morning.

US DOLLAR INCREASES: We have updated the website with slight increases to the US dollar prices, in keeping with the strength of the British pound. Those outside the USA are strongly encouraged to buy pounds rather than dollars, simply to avoid losing twice on conversions. Again, US $ amounts payable to S-STEP, sterling amounts payable to T. L. Russell.

REFUNDS?? L : The Planning Committee is willing to consider your deposits refundable through May 29. Once you have paid the full amount, we should be in a position to refund your room and board charges if you find you must cancel during June or July.
AFTER JULY 28, WE WILL ASSUME WE CAN COUNT ON YOUR PRESENCE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT.

WITHDRAWALS: Those of you who know Rena Upitis and Gary Rasberry will be sad to hear that they have decided to withdraw from the conference. It was a difficult decision for them, but they have a great deal on the go with the arrival of Hayden (born March 15), an addition to their home, and the relentless pace of Rena's duties as dean.

DREAMING IN TECHNOLOGY LAND: You are aware of the FAST-APPROACHING DEADLINE for sending in your abstract and 2500-word version of your paper for the proceedings. If you wish to send me a longer version of your paper, as an attached file [that seemed to work well for proposals sent to Allan]--either in RTF or converted to your own preferences in HTML, I will do my best to post your paper on the web here, so that others may actually be able to read the papers before receiving the full proceedings at Herstmonceux. AT THE CASTLE, we can discuss whether we might like to produce a CD-ROM of papers from this conference and possibly the first one. I suggest this because the (wonderful) class that just left concluded the term by producing a CD-ROM of all their resources developed through the year. It is possible, and it might make a nice "item" for the SIG.

GROUP FARES: I did come up with a fare of CAD$850 or about US$600 from Toronto to Gatwick and back--staying at least 7 days. I don't know if that fare is attractive to Americans who could then look for separate fares to Toronto. Perhaps a few people who haven't booked tickets yet could let me know. We'd need at least 16 people by late May to set that up. Send me a note if you'd like to explore that further after May 18. [May 21: There has been little response to this and it seems unlikely we will be in a position to offer group fares.]

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BULLETIN No. 3 (May 14, 1998)

Hi everyone. A few payments have come in along with a few requests for details. Next week I'll try to send out an update on where everyone stands. Being away leaves me scrambling to catch up with you all. IF you don't hear from me, and need to know, write again--I should be able to respond quickly (BUT we have a faculty retreat tomorrow and Monday is a Canadian holiday... life resumes on Tuesday!).

 

IF you want to try to arrange a rendezvous at either Heathrow or Gatwick to share a taxi with someone who is planning to arrive about the same time, E-mail to Bev Bailey your complete details--airport, time and date of arrival, airline and flight number. Bev's e-mail address is bailey@brandonu.ca PLEASE NOTEthat Bev will put you in touch with others arriving about the same time, BUT the group of you should then delegate one person to contact the taxi company and make the reservation. TIME DIFFERENCE:The UK is 5 hours ahead of New York/Toronto, 6 hours ahead of Chicago/Brandon, 7 hours ahead of Salt Lake City/Calgary, and 8 hours ahead of the west coast.

TAXI INFORMATION (Note--these phone numbers begin with 011, which is for dialing direct from Canada or the USA. New Zealand and Australia may require different numbers before the 44 country code for the UK)

The two main tax companies we use are:

Brian's Private Hire (limited number of vehicles. Knows us well and is very good) Tel: 011 44 1323 833556

to/from Gatwick £22.00
to/from Heathrow £42.00.

Direct Travel (larger company & also reliable) Tel: 011 44 1323 484444 Fax: 011 44 1323 484300

FROM Gatwick £23.00
TO Gatwick £21.00

FROM Heathrow £43.00
TO Heathrow £40.00

Mini bus (8 passengers)
FROM Gatwick £35.00
TO Gatwick £33.00

FROM Heathrow £63.00
TO Heathrow £60.00

With luggage, 3 people is the maximum number that is realistic for one taxi.

People can also catch a shuttle coach from Heathrow to Gatwick and then take a train from Gatwick to Polegate, then taxi from there to Herstmonceux--a bit of a hassle really and no cheaper if you are sharing a cab.

ON NO CIRCUMSTANCES must they take a black cab from Heathrow to the Castle. They will be hit in excess of 150.00 ! [That's US $250, folks! Plan ahead....]

N.B. All prices are pounds sterling and prices may vary slightly. In all cases I suggest people prebook cabs and confirm charges before leaving home.

Taxi drivers do expect a tip, and between 3.00 - 5.00 pounds would be fair depending on the number of people in the cab.

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BULLETIN No. 4 (May 19, 1998)

Your humble conference bookkeeper is starting to go under in a sea of money orders and incomplete writing commitments.... Please be patient and persistent!! I think I have replied to recent e-mails, but if you are still missing a reply, please send your question again.

SHARING TAXIS--Bev is starting to get requests and says all will be worked out in good time. She asked me to let you know that she is away from her e-mail until June 4, so don't expect a reply until sometime after she gets home.

SENDING PAYMENTS--IF your university is sending payment directly to me, PLEASE be sure it has your name on it somewhere. I've just had some US checks payable to me rather than to S-STEP. I think we'll survive, but life would be simpler if it is my name only on the UK pounds payments (Thanks for your trust and confidence :-).

Some people are checking with me about their amount before they send. Please feel free to do that--it's probably simplest to tell me what you think you owe and I'll confirm it. (If you have a spouse not part of the conference, remember to decide about the four lunches.) PLEASE check the webpage for the latest prices. Because the pound went up, we put the US registration to $165, so the balance owing would be 85, not 80. (We'll figure out how to refund if the pound "falls" before August--I'm not holding my breath!) Reminder--the web page is

http://educ.queensu.ca/~ar/sstep2/

If you go to the button for the list of titles of papers, you will see that the first FULL paper has been received and posted. If you like the idea, do send me yours to add to the one from Michael and Olivia.

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