Dear AIRhearts, I am sure these won't be my LAST last words, but I just wanted to say how honoured and proud I am to have been your host here in Vancouver. It is like having a party at your home and seeing the guests enjoying themselves and going away with the fun that they have created between themselves. The magic of co-presence, perhaps. I have a glow on. LUNCH The conference has gone very well - with the exception of the weather, I'm afraid - and in almost every case where something wasn't quite right it was a simple thing that I had forgotten or not thought about (e.g., titles for the keynote speakers!). Your staying power (almost all of the Saturday afternoon sessions are either full or half full) is a credit to your dedication to the field and each other, even if it is stressing my catering predictive powers (I am sorry if you didn't get a sandwich at lunch). While your kind words have been much appreciated, I am also quite happy to hear about things that HAVEN'T gone well and will try to fix anything I can. RECYCLING I hope you will all recycle your badge holders and bags. I don't imagine that everyone will do so, but everyone who does reduces our planetary impact a little bit. I have chosen "year neutral" text on the bags, so you can do even better than recycling by reusing it at next year's conference. We will be bundling the ones we collect up and sending them to Copenhagen, and I hope that a "last year's badge/ bag" becomes a badge of honour (ahem) in future conferences. Perhaps we can "create a tradition" in this way. TRAVEL Have a safe trip home. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you in your departure/travel plans. I shall be here in the building until at least 6pm. ...r -- Richard Smith, Professor, School of Communication Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, CANADA V6B 5K3 New phone number: +1 778 782 5116 Web: http://www.sfu.ca/~smith/ Skype - callto://richard_k_smith New book: http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca/smith/mawc