towards a list, etc.

[Valerie J Roebuck]

I don't think it's helpful to bring "race" into this discussion.  The
proposed criteria would exclude a large number of serious scholars, both
East and West.
They would also make the resultant list dull and rather pointless.  (Why
not just sit in the library and read one another's articles?)

I prefer Brian Akers' suggestion:

>a) Make the automatic curbs a little more stringent
>b) Toss rude cranks off the list much more promptly

But we can't just leave it to the moderator to maintain proper standards on
the list. I think when posting we should ask ourselves, "Would I say that
to him/her if we were sitting in a conference room?"  (And remember that a
cruel message is still cruel if we put a "smiley face" after it.)

Dr Valerie J Roebuck,
Manchester, UK