Shame on the Society for Neuroscience!
I was reading an article about Jazzfest in New Orleans when I got all riled up again about SFN's decision to move the annual meeting from NOLA to Atlanta in 2006 (perhaps understandable) AND to Chicago in 2009 (a cheap and tawdry decision).
AND THE SHOW GOES ON
Festgoers put the city's pain and loss on the back burner to enjoy the sweet sounds of Jazzfest
Saturday, April 29, 2006
By Gwen Filosa
At the first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since Hurricane Katrina blanketed the city with sorrow and pain, colorful flags flew. They flew beneath a sweet late-spring breezes and sunshine. They flew in spite of the recent memories of loss and the continuing difficulties.
Opening-day attendance was huge, uniting the tattooed, the shirtless, the braless and all those who adore New Orleans.
"We knew we had to be here opening day," said Rod Frable, 54, who came from Tucson, Ariz., with Barry Jacoby, 63, to mark yet another Jazzfest. "This is the time to be here. The music is going to be greater than ever. These people are coming down here to revitalize the city."
Unfortunately, 25,000 neuroscientists will not be revitalizing the city any time in the foreseeable future. SFN seems to have removed any trace of their decision (and the ensuing debate) from their web site. I've been a member of the society since, oh, 19xx (i.e., for a long time), but my voice (and those of many many pro-NOLA members) did not matter.
Shame on you, SFN!!
posted by The Neurocritic @ 8:49 PM
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3 Comments:
I have nothing constructive to say, save, "I agree."
Aren't scientific types supposed to be at least moderately enlightened?
Sheesh.
Reminds me of the AARP getting behind the new Medicare fiasco.
I heard that one problem is that SFN has outgrown NO, and that the city's hotels, etc wouldn't be able to accomodate such a large conference for a while....but that could perhaps just be excuses.
what is the largest convention to have taken place since the disaster? I think our standards for judging should be rational. For example, if you were deciding on whether to commit 15,000 people to going there, you might want to see that N.O. was able to handle 12,000 people or something. Not that SFN thought like that or anything. I guess we'll see how other, smaller societies handle the decision over time.
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