 About Us The Editors and Website Designer of the Axis of Logic E-Zine reside in Massachusetts and Ontario. Our columnists live in 7 different countries and 5 states in the United States. Everyone working on Axis of Logic volunteers their time, skills and energy with no financial compensation for their work. Axis of Logic Staff come from a rich variety of professional backgrounds and life-experiences. All are published authors. All are social and political activists in one form or another. We represent a cross-section of disciplines including homemakers, economists, writers, psychologists, IT professionals, military veterans, former clergy, health care professionals, educators, lawyers and labor leaders. Several of us are entrepreneurs, owning or having owned our own businesses, employing others. We have been asked how we select original writing for publication in Axis of Logic. Writers submit original work to us every day for publication. As editors, we have been asked how we select original writing for publication in our E-Zine. We have found that many excellent analysts and writers have difficulty getting their work published in a public media. We invite new, unpublished writers to submit their work and we make our decisions based upon 3 primary criteria: (1) New information. (2) Fresh insight into existing information. (3) Quality of writing and literary style. We are committed to publishing and disseminating news and information that contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of current events and history on the part of our readers. Our purpose is to promote peace, equality and human rights throughout the world. Les Blough is founding editor of Axis of Logic, a website launched on May 18, 2003. He grew up spending his time in nature and working on a Mennonite dairy farm in Pennsylvania from 8 years of age. He graduated from The Institute of Christian Service at Bob Jones University in 1965 and was ordained as an Independent Baptist minister the same year. He served as pastor of The Park Hill Chapel in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for over 6 years. During that time he began reading the Form Criticism writings of German theologians (prohibited reading at BJU). He also began to consider the grievances of his peers who were protesting the war in Viet Nam. He buried a young member of his church, killed in Vietnam, remembering the words the young man's father spoke to him at the graveside: "Isn't this some way to get your boy back". These incidents and a photograph were the catalysts for his change from a Fundamentalist Christian background. After leaving Christianity as an organized, civil-religion, his world-view became greatly influenced by the teachings of Tao and Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). He meets with friends on a regular basis who support one another in their cultivation of Tao. He lives with his family in Boston, MA. His favorite times for renewal, reflection, writing poetry and spending time with his family are at a small, secluded cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. You can reach Les Blough via e-mail at: Paul Harris Paul Harris' skilled writing and powerful analyses of international affairs are widely read around the world. He is self-employed as a consultant, providing businesses with the tools and expertise to reintegrate their sick or injured employees into the workplace. He has traveled extensively in what is usually known as "the Third World" and has an abiding interest in history, social justice, morality and, well, just about everything. Paul covers central African current events for News From The Front (nftf.org) where his articles are frequently republished on the United Nations website (monuc.org). His work can also be found at YellowTimes.org and vivelecanada.ca, where he is a member of the Advisory Board on Canadian Sovereignty. Paul lives in rural Canada surrounded by corn, cows, and turnips. He can be reached via e-mail at: paul@escritoire.ca Michael C Feltham FCEA, ACPA, FSPA Michael C Feltham resides in Shoeburyness, England. He is highly respected for his analyses and writing on national and world economic matters which can be found in the Axis of Logic section: Feltham on the Economy (right column). He is by professional discipline, an accountant, who specialised in international finance and economic analysis in the 1970s. Until December 2001, he was an External Examiner and Moderator to Ashcroft International Business School at their Cambridge and Chelmsford faculties at MBA level. He writes widely on technical finance and economic matters. Michael is Founder and CEO of a software company and has been working as a consultant for 27 years as a consultant, specializing in Business Strategy Development. You can reach Mr. Feltham at: Michaeleff@onetel.com. Siv O'Neall Siv O'Neall was born and raised in Sweden where she graduated from Lund University. She has lived in Paris, France and New Rochelle, N.Y and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Siv retired after many years of teaching French in Westchester, N.Y. and English in the Grandes Ecoles (Institutes of Technology) in France. In addition to her own writing, Siv has also provided Axis of Logic with translation services. She has been living in France, first Paris, then Lyon for 30 years. In addition to her political activism and writing, her life is filled with family, music, animals, reading, traveling and "anything that pleases the eye or the palate". Lee Salisbury Lee Salisbury had a dual career path, 14 years in the Christian ministry and 25 years in commercial real estate finance/brokerage who lives in Minnesota with his wife, Anne. He is now retired and he writes, "the past decade has been a time of building on lessons learned in life". Lee has been involved in Amicus, a MN based organization which works with inmates at local penitentiaries, founded The Critical Thinking Club of MN. www.criticalthinkingclub.org, enjoys the bourgeois sport of golf, travels, and does freelance writing and public speaking. His wife Anne holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology, U. of MN. They have two wonderful sons. Lee can be reached at leesal@comcast.net. Britta Slopianka is a native of Germany where she had her own business and also worked as an activist for the abolition of the death penalty and for those on the death rows of the U.S. and in other countries. Since then, she moved to the United States where she continues her work for abolition. She visits people condemned to death on death row, researches news and commentary, tracks the legal status of those condemned and tirelessly works on their behalf. She started our section on the Death Penalty and posts reports on a daily basis. She is Florida Coordinator for The Innocent in Prison Project and former Chairwoman of The German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Britta can be reached via e-mail at: brittaigel@yahoo.com Robert Thompson is also a columnist on Axis of Logic. His writings can be found in the Axis section, "Letters from France". He is a French citizen and a retired Avocat (Trial Lawyer) at the Boulogne-sur-Mer Bar, living with his wife in a small village in Northern France. He was born at Leek (North Staffordshire, England) in 1931, and, after reading Jurisprudence at Oxford University, he became an English Solicitor. He later went to work at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. There he was Director in charge of the Legal Department and also Secretary General of the Court of Arbitration, the most important international commercial arbitration centre on the world. While there, he became the I.C.C. Director in charge of relations with the Arab states, where he travelled for professional reasons, and he worked towards legal cooperation with the countries then within the Comecon. Zdzislaw Zmijewski Zdzislaw Zmijewski has been an entrepreneur since 1972 and has developed several successful businesses. As a writer, he is known for his piercing insight, engaging political essays and poetic writing style. He was most recently employed as Design Coordinator and Buyer for Dragon's Pearl of Hawaii, Haiku, Maui, Hawaii. He now resides in Bangkok, Thailand. Mr. Zmijewski can be reached at: dragonpearl@runbox.com. W. Vic Ratsma was a lifelong political activist from Nova Scotia, CA who wrote poetry and essays as a columnist for Axis of Logic until his death in Nova Scotia on November 17, 2004. See our tribute to him published on the day of his death and our "Celebration of Life" in his memory, published on December 3, 2004. ADDITIONAL STAFF In addition to the columnists working on Axis of Logic, we have a developing group of wonderful new volunteers who are beginning to work at Axis of Logic, researching the news and building our international news section. Information will be added about them as they grow in their relationship with Axis of Logic to help develop a news service as a bulwark against the political agenda of the corporate news industry. Thank you for visiting this section, About Us and for reading and supporting Axis of Logic. We invite you to help us grow by telling your friends about us and through your financial contributions ... and please consider volunteering your time to help us! - Editors |