... and ... NOW

Sym·po·si·um (sĭm-pō'zē-əm)

1. a collection of opinions expressed or articles contributed by several persons on a given subject or topic.
2. a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, esp. a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience.
3. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation.


Today is the Nineteenth of January in the year Two-Thousand and Seven.

The organization we now know as The Johnny Utah Symposium is one year old. This is the Johnny U's first anniversary. 365 days have passed since the JUhS was created. The revolution machine we call the Earth has completed its solar circumnavigation one whole time since our humble Symposium began.

Quite a feat, but make no mistake! This is only the beginning.

First, a recap is in order. This is by no means an exhaustive list. One can only attempt to describe what wonders have gone down in the past year.

• Bad Poetry Guy wrote us several captivating (and, dare we say, good) poems
  


• A certain V. Gallo taught us many fucking things



• The partial history of Yousef the Sun God and The Radical Tad was transcribed



• Flaunt-it Flaunt-it Gary helped us appreciate some of the finer things in life



• We were treated to stunning sights, as seen through Andy's aperture



• Derek pontificated on all 360 degrees of existence



• Whipmaster Charlie began his quest to change the world, one skin lesion at a time



• Michael ranted on multiple subjects, but mostly treated us to a inside look at La-La Land. We don't hate him for it



• Andrew traveled the globe, spreading the Johnny goodness like it was appleseed



• The JUBL was founded



• Various movies, albums, books, YouTube clips and orchestral movements were reviewed



• (Inter)National Dig Day was founded



• Fidel Castro entrusted to us his last will and testament



• The Diabolical Fish Mastermind Formerly Known as Big Pooga (aka Willy) killed many humans, including the inimitable Steve Irwin - but his plot was discovered by the JUhS



• A little tiny baby's face was made very, very famous



• The blog died



• The blog was resurrected



• Salazar Scuttle and Nels St. Claire assisted in many endeavors



• Our Sister Blog was founded. True. Amazing. True and Amazing.



• Sweaty Frank Viola sweated



• Chris Penn died



• Wilbur Burris smiled, and all was right in the world

It's been an active first year. Establishing and executing an international blog of such distinction isn't easy. Much has been done, but there is much still left to do. We can say, without an ounce of hyperbole, that the second year will be even better than the first. A tall order, yes, but one that the brothers of JUhS will undertake with fervor.

A hearty "thank you" to each of our readers. Without you, our Symposium would have even less meaning than it already does. We hope you'll continue the journey with us into Year Two. Many exciting events are in store. We're confident you won't be disappointed.

With Hot Love and Admiration,
The Johnny Utah Symposium