Electronic privacy is a major issue. There is no doubt that every keystroke and connection on the Web can be tracked by someone, somewhere -- a reality which flies against the general notion that we are each entitled to some measure of personal space. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, the right to be left alone is "the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men."

The basic privacy policies for this site reflect a reasoned effort to balance user interests with the realities of operating an online area, and include the following considerations:

• You are welcome to use public areas of this site with "cookies" turned off.

• This site offers a large number of links. The privacy policies of linked sites may differ from the privacy policies used on this site. Online users should ask about privacy policies for each site visited.

• Cookies are required to access private areas.

• This site includes pages used for research, demonstration, or have been placed online prior to public posting. These private pages are not generally linked to any public pages, and may be coded to automatically record user information.

• This site may use a counter or counters supplied by a third-party. Generally such services use cookies and collect generic information which is used in the aggregate but not individually.

• If we receive e-mail from you, such e-mail becomes our property upon receipt.

• Users should review our general terms of use for important information concerning the use of this site.

• As always, we reserve the right to change these policies at any time and without notice.