Editorial: beginnings.(Editorial)

As I write these lines in late February, the first hints of spring on the Alberta prairie are manifest. Alternatively, perhaps it's just that the longer and warmer days are causing me to "think spring." There are no signs yet of early bulbs--at least, none that I can detect with around a foot of snow in most places--but the sun is now rising at 7:30 a.m. and not setting until 6 p.m., a dramatic change from the barely seven hours of daylight typical of December and January. And while none but the hardiest souls are yet outside in shorts and shirt-sleeves, somehow, daytime highs that hover around freezing seem downright pleasant in comparison with the minus thirties (not counting the wind chill) we were experiencing even a couple of weeks ago. Yes, spring is in the air, even if the calendar says it is still nearly a month away....

So what, you may fairly ask, does the weather in Edmonton have to do with ITAL? This is my first issue of ITAL as editor, and it may not surprise you to hear that I've been thinking quite a bit about what might be the right theme and tone for my first column. While I've been associated with the journal for quite awhile--first as a board member, and more recently as managing editor--my role has always been comfortably limited to background tasks such as refereeing papers …