Validity of sources - "am I who I say I am"

[george and joyce allen <cavebat@SPECTRA.NET>]

All sources, written, video, e-mail, WWW should be questioned to a
certain degree.  The fact that material has been published in ANY
form does not mean or guarantee that the information is correct.

All of us have a tendency to believe material printed in reference
books, newspapers, magazines, and the like.  Many or perhaps all of
us tend to look at e-mail and internet resources in the same manner -
we believe it when we see it.

Many e-mail packages put the "heading" information in the body of the
message at the top of the first page.  This information can be
accidently or deliberately changed.  Thus, when I send you a message,
"am I who I say I am...".

When we refer a student to a home page or a WWW resource, or we
encourage a student to engage in an e-mail dialog with an "authority"
in some field, we must keep "validity of resource" in mind.

Students should be taught to get research information from many
different sources and the make intelligent decisions on what is/is
not applicable and/or valid.

I am unable to write more on this matter as we have several house
guests this week.  We have staying with us, the Pope, Pocohontas
(herself - she has aged a bit and reports of her death have been
grossly exagerated), John Rolphe, Mark Twain, and the infamous Larson
E. Rapp.  Anyone of these "guests" could have written this message
from his/her  own "internet" address.  If anyone of them had done so,
the "from to" would have shown to lm_net members their home address.

Along the same lines, each one could be working on his/her own home
page and could send  lm_net'ers the home page address with a
paragraph telling "how valuable a resource it is...".

I do hope that before we "react" to information, especially
information that suggests that we take some sort of action such as
"send a letter to your congressman telling him that....", that we
validate the information received rather than accept it at face
value.

George Allen, former coach, Washington Redskins
Binghamton, NY. - home of Dr. Kilmers Miracle Swamp Root Elixer
(cures everything. Alas! We have run out of it!)

ps - my friend Poco says in regard to the Pocohontas discusion: "give
it a rest - put it to bed"