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Mtguide

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  1. Most contractors I've known do actually take a certain pride in their work and want to do a good job. And lots of these same very good builders frequent Lowe's and Home Depot for materials. The big box stores have been getting very competitive on quality of materials as well as prices for the last 3 or 4 years now. So it's nothing against a builder in my book if he buys from one of the chain stores. It's all in the quality of the finished job. With the amazing advances in power tools, laser levels, all sorts of refinements in materials, there's pretty much no excuse for poor workmanship anymore. I started in the mid 60's when the main power hand tools were the Skilsaw and corded electric drill. To witness the creation and development of nailguns and cordless tools, mitre saws, etc has been pretty amazing. But I've worked on old homes and buildings in Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, built by hand tools, foundations done in the days before plywood or manufactured forms, moldings actually shaped by hand with the old molding planes, and found structures that in spite of age and settling, were still remarkably level, plumb, square and true. An 1889 house across the street from the Kenton firehouse in N. Portland has a full basement 10 feet high, 25' x 35', with almost perfectly plumb walls, original concrete floor troweled by hand, perfectly level, and such a smooth finish it looks machine troweled. The whole thing less than 1/8" out of square. Plank and timber forms, no air pockets or voids in the pour. Better than many foundations you'll see today. Just shows what you can do if willing to spend the time and get it right. I've also seen houses from the same period that show evidence of haste, laziness, and cheap skate shyster workmanship. There were just as many jackleg, half-assed builders then as there are now. At least back then they had somewhat of an excuse,in that the physical labor involved was much more demanding, so cutting corners actually made sense sometimes, and of course building codes were either minimal or non-existent. So you have to cut 'em a little slack. It's still hard work even today.
  2. Heartily concur with Montypiton's comments and advice; and yes, practice, of the right kind, is essential.
  3. A crevasse of almost any size or depth is a legitimate hazard if you step off into it unaware, whether in a whiteout or into a well-covered one in broad daylight. Just because it's not 100 feet deep doesn't much matter. You can fall 10 feet and be seriously injured or die if you hit right. The same goes for avalanche hazard; it doesn't take a whole mountainside to bury you, just enough to cover you up and suffocate you. A small hillside that covers you 2 feet deep is just as effective as slide that buries you 30 feet under. I think the hiker/climber in this case did the right thing by stopping where he was. I think we've all heard the principle that an experienced climber on an extreme route is safer than a novice climber on an easy route, and I think it applies in this case. Any mountain can kill in the right conditions, it doesn't have to be Rainier, Waddington or Denali; Little Si or Pinnacle Peak will do just fine, let alone Hood. He was at least smart enough to know when he was over his head. I can't exactly support his lack of humility afterward, but in the crunch he made a good decision.
  4. Right you are, Matt; guess I was just taking it for granted that Lworth and E. Cascades are so close to Spokaloo.
  5. Hey Newb; I believe there is a chapter of the Seattle-based Mountaineers in Spokane, also possibly a chapter of the Crag Rats, who originate in The Dalles. As far as climbing areas near you, there are areas for cragging/rock climbing right in downtown Spokane, (which you probably already know about) and crags in Mt.Spokane State Park. I think there are guidebooks to both of these areas, which your local climbing gear stores might have. The closest fairly sizeable range I can think of is the Cabinet Mts. along Hwy.56 between Troy and Noxon, Montana, about 2 or 3 hours drive NE of you. There's a fairly recent post about a trip there on this website. You're also not that far from Glacier, and the Canadian Rockies in Banff and Jasper. There are a ton of resources about these areas on this site. Other places not too far away from you are the Idaho Bighorns in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness near Challis and Salmon, Idaho. Go to , and also for info on how to get there and some of the great climbs there. A little further south are the beautiful Sawtooths outside of Stanley, Idaho, fantastic place, excellent rock. Read the latest edition of "Mountaineering:Freedom of the Hills", pub. by The Mountaineers, excellent to help you get started with solid basics. Best of luck and have fun!!
  6. First rule of climbing: HANG ON TO THE AXE. Second rule of climbing: HANG ON TO THE AXE. Third rule of climbing: HANG ON TO THE AXE.
  7. I love this last post, reminds me of the great Gary Larson cartoon of an "Imbeciles of America" parade where they're carrying their sign upside down. And it seems we always hear from these Ron Paul- type guys who want us to go back to the Constitution of the original 13 colonies, when the national population was hardly a million. I bet we could find a few highways or schools for them that need rebuilding by hand, pick-and shovel, no machinery or power tools, etc. Take away their cars, gas and electricity,all modern conveniences. Home school the kids writing on a split board with charcoal by candlelight, grow all their own food. Yep, rugged individualism, bear grease 'n grits fer supper, thar, Jed..... And of course we're still waiting for Rush Limbaugh to buy that one-way ticket to Puerto Rico or Canada or where ever it was. Such political genius we have in this country; for the last several days we've been treated to the spectacle of failed Presidential candidate John McCain shooting off his mouth, jumping all over Obama's supposed disregard for national security concerning the murder of our Ambassador and staff and torching of the embassy in Benghazi. Of course, this is the same guy who thought that Sarah Palin was qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. A smart mouth does NOT correspond to equivalent governing ability and intelligence.
  8. My grandmother Cora, on my Mother's side, died in the great flu pandemic of 1918-1919, at the age of 24; at the time Cora's mother, aunt and grandmother were living with the family. Her mother and aunt, both in their 50's, were only mildly affected, and the grandmother, in her late 70's,and my mother, who was just 2, didn't get sick at all. My grandfather Harry, 32 at the time, a hale and hearty Irishman, fell ill with that flu and did survive, but only just barely. It did kill Harry's brother and sister. The pandemic came in two great waves, planet-wide, and the first wave affected populations more according to conventional wisdom, in that the young and healthy were more lightly affected. However, many of the elderly,up to 80%, and especially among northern and eastern European populations,were also only mildly affected, due to prior exposure and developed immune resistance to the Russian flu of the 1880s and 60s. The particular characteristic of the second great wave was that most infants and children, and the elderly, were only lightly affected if at all. The overwhelming number of those who were killed, worldwide, were the young, strong and healthy between the ages of 18 and 60. This was because the virus caused a severe and powerful overreaction in the bodies of those with a normally strong and resistant immune system, known as a "cytokine storm", in which the immune response to an unknown agent will send so many immune cells to the site of infection that it can cause serious damage to body tissues. Highly predominant with flu is infection of the lungs, resulting in damage to the alveoli and bronchi, eventual blockage of airways, and death. This great pandemic is still regarded as the most devastating epidemic in known human history. There were at least 20 million confirmed fatalities around the globe, and the total may have been as high as 50 million. Figures from countries such as Africa, China and Russia were, and are still, incomplete. In Spain and Portugal, entire towns and villages were virtually wiped out, all adult inhabitants lost, with only infants, children and the elderly surviving. India alone lost 12 million, again with entire towns and villages utterly decimated, ceasing to exist. In the U.S. , the total was between 500,00 and 675,000. So youth and health are not only no guarantee of resistance or safety, they may be the greatest liability when it comes to the flu. Viruses in general are extremely adaptable and opportunistic; the amazing work of the medical and scientific communities, worldwide, in keeping abreast of the constantly mutating strains of the flu and dozens of other viruses is nothing short of miraculous. I grew up in the 50's, when polio was striking one in every 4 or 5 children every summer, and then was literally stopped dead in its tracks, in a matter of months, by the Salk vaccine and a concerted and nationwide vaccination program. Likewise with smallpox,rubella(measles), pertussis(whooping cough),mumps, diptheria,typhus, tetanus, etc. Believe me, these are horrible diseases, I have seen many of them, except, thank god, smallpox. I know from personal experience that vaccines not only work, but that they are absolutely safe. We are now seeing a resurgence of measles and whooping cough, and even, of all things, the bubonic plague, due to the ignorance, superstition, and just plain damned stubbornness, stupidity, and yes, selfishness of people who refuse vaccines, or think it doesn't matter what they do themselves as individuals. Tuberculosis has mounted a powerful and highly resistant series of mutations, due to defunding of public health education (beginning in the Reagan administration) and resultant ignorance about the necessity of taking the full course of prescribed antibiotics. Just unbelievable. Folks, quit screwing around. If you REALLY care about your own and family's health, the future of your children, and indeed the health of your entire community, GO GET YOUR DAMNED FLU SHOT. NOW. Get your kids vaccinated, the full course, booster shots, everything. There were 5 kids in my family, we all got the full range of vaccinations, and we were all perfectly healthy and continue to be. GET YOUR SHOTS, people. If you think that just because you're young,strong and healthy,there's nothing to worry about, then you haven't seen what these diseases can do and how cruelly and brutally they cripple and kill. Don't wait to find out, and don't bring it down on the rest of us as well.
  9. Really sorry for your loss---I know exactly how you feel from my own experience. But, I have to ask one question: (Assuming the car was locked--?)Was the pack in full view, from outside the car? If so, you just have to hide things or cover them in some way. What can be seen is absolutely vulnerable. The Portland Police auto theft bureau has admonished drivers for many years to leave absolutely nothing visible from outside the car. Also, from the description, it doesn't sound as if this was so large a pack load that it couldn't have been brought inside and stashed in a locker, closet, etc. Also think about anyone who may have known of your climbing activities, or who would have observed your coming and going from this area over a span of several days or weeks, any kind of regular basis. Thieves familiarize themselves with, and follow people with the kinds of things they're looking to steal. Often times the person who stole your gear is, or has been, much closer to you than you may realize.
  10. An important but usually overlooked principle of training is that YOU GROW WHEN YOU REST, NOT WHEN YOU TRAIN. This can be really hard to get across to people, especially younger climbers. You have to allow adequate recovery time between workouts to avoid overuse syndrome. Also, since white tissue--tendon and ligament-- are not as well supplied with oxygenated blood, to lift or train heavy for strength(usually low reps and heavy weights) will not sufficiently perfuse the white tissue with blood. So, it tends to lag behind in development to muscle tissue. Therefore it's necessary to alternate heavy weight, low rep days for muscle strength, with lighter weight (about 40 to 50% of heavy day weight), high rep days to bring along the white tissue. If this kind of regime is not used, then it can become easy for muscle strength to get ahead of tendon and ligament strength, and cause injury or inflammation at the attachments to the bone. There's also some evidence in recent research that in some cases the combined strength of muscle and tendon had caused microscopic lifting, or separation, of the peritoneum, the tissue covering the bone, from the bone itself. In this case the body tries to compensate, trying to heal the separation, by the process of inflammation, flooding the area with white blood cells. If the area isn't allowed to recover, under continued overuse the body will also tend to concentrate calcium at the point of injury, trying to reinforce the damaged attachment, causing osteophytes, or bony roughness or projections at the point of irritation. At this point, inflammation can become chronic. Not the situation you ever want to get into; if it goes far enough, surgery is often the only solution. Finally, as per your self-description of the 205 lbs. of adipose tissue, that can be a major factor in holding you back. If it's excess, it has to go if you want to improve and up your ability for harder climbing. So a combination of resistance training and cardio, with the right nutrition and supplementation, is in order. And, the great thing about some added cardio is that it helps increase overall circulatory efficiency throughout the body. So that will add greatly, over time, to the health and strength of tendon and ligament. Training has to have overall, total body, balance.
  11. Oink, Oink, squeeee!!!! It's a big fat scam,folks; current projected US corn supplies are over 135 billion bushels above last year, in part due to carryover from 2011; corn futures are actually declining on the world markets due to regional oversupply; South America and the US are continuing record exports of corn, etc. About 2400 years ago, the Greek historian Herodotus stated; " It appears that the main purpose for the existence of merchants is to create artificial shortages of commodities, thereby to raise prices...". What else is new? Is that bacon I smell burning?? There likely won't be any actual scarcity of bacon; if there is, it will be temporary. Once shortages are over, prices will not come down again, or ever, unless demand drops off so much that pork producers and marketers began to feel a serious pinch. Very serious, as in "Sales of bacon fall to record lows"; and "Pork producers leaving business in record numbers; markets on the ropes." Then you might see a smidgen of give on prices. Until the next time a semi-load of hogs jacknifes on I-80, or a big fire in a hog barn somewhere in Kansas. And don't forget that British brokers were responsible for the Lloyd's and Barclay's scams. They have a very long history of this, centuries. This one stinks like pig shit. One thing there is no shortage of, nor will there ever be: GREED.
  12. This ( Mt. Cowan) must be the highest peak in the part of the Absaroka Range that's in Montana. The actual highest peak in the entire Absaroka Range is Frank's Peak, SW of Cody, Wyoming. It's 13,140 ft. It really stands out from a distance, towering far above everything else around it. Quite a beautiful mountain, and well worth climbing.
  13. Cattle die. Kindred die. Everyone dies. But the good name Will never die, Of One who has done well. -Viking Blessing for the Dead
  14. Winner of the Grand Trip Report Prize for the year!! -Endearing yet effective(and well-deserved) sarcasm -extra points for metaphoric cornholing of GWB,rednecks,etc. -cutest rugrat pics -overall literary rating: 5.13d -demonstrates exemplary ability to persevere and triumph despite extreme adversity (dullness, bad beer, relatives, forbidding trailside memorials)
  15. One of the best things about the passage of Obabmacare is that now Rush Limbaugh will have to move to Costa Rica, as he promised he would if it went through. And if he doesn't, I suggest that this case would be an excellent opportunity for one of the most appropriate uses of "extraordinary rendition" ever. Bye-bye,fatass!
  16. YeeeeeeHOOOwahh! Man, that was one long term crux pitch.... Many Congratulations!!
  17. I've used the shower rod or the overhead water pipes in the basement to put slings or a rope over.(You don't, of course want to hang your body weight on anything like that--I just did it for practicing the knots). Now I have a great tree in my backyard with branches that provide several different anchor points. And it's high enough and strong enough to hang on in harness and slings while rigging an anchor or equalizing, etc. Minus any of that, a pegboard sounds like a great idea, maybe you could make it fairly substantial, like a gym-type climbing pegboard (using fairly large dowels, say, like closet rod, about 1-1/4" diam.) and even mount it on a wall if you've got someplace suitable. You'll probably have to use a double thickness of 3/4" plywood, or else use pieces of 2x6 mounted to a plywood backing, to provide holes deep enough for the pegs to hold securely, otherwise I think they might want to slip out. And you'll want to angle the holes down and in, so the pegs are angled up slightly, to help hold under your body weight. I'd put the whole thing together using substantial screws like outdoor decking screws with a larger aggressive thread. #9 x 1-1/4" GuardDog screws for holding a double layer of ply together, or use #9 x 2" for mounting 2x6 to a single layer of ply, driving the screws from the back of the ply. Use plenty of screws, spacing no less than 6" or 8' apart. I'd probably size it to fit over a doorway, about 3' wide or so, and at least 10" to 12" high at minimum, about the size of a hangboard; but you can make it any size to fit what space you have available. Sand off any sharp edges left after your cuts to avoid splinters. If you're mounting it over a door, you can be assured that there's a big header over the door and a doubled stud on each side of the door to screw into. If you're going to mount it somewhere in the middle of a wall, you'll have to get a stud-finder to locate the studs in the wall so you've got something solid to mount to. And for mounting the board you'll want to use those same decking screws in # 9 x 3" or 3-1/2" size. A good cordless drill/driver or impact driver, Makita, Ridgid, Dewalt, whatever, will make the whole job easier, really pretty much indispensable. I'd hate to drive all those screws by hand, it'd take you forever. Use sawhorses to cut your ply on, or you can just lay some 2-bys on the ground or floor to hold the ply up off the surface while you cut. And you only need to set the saw blade about a 16th or an 8th" deeper than the thickness of the ply, same with cutting your 2-by material. Much safer than cutting it across your legs...sheesh! Unbelievable; don't wanta climb with that guy... And, if you have access to one, it's much safer and easier to cut your dowels with a chopsaw or miter saw, than using a Skilsaw. If not, just use a handsaw. You need your fingers to tie knots and climb.
  18. Mtguide

    fightin'

    I think you did just exactly the right thing, and that your self-awareness and self-control is admirable. I trained in various disciplines in martial arts from my early teens, almost 17 years in all, and all of my teachers constantly admonished us to avoid fighting if at all possible. One teacher used to say "...if you have to run 15 blocks to avoid a fight, do it. If there is life and limb at risk, please call the police; stepping in yourself will almost always result in your own arrest and can even lead to your being blamed and even prison time, if someone you fight with suffers permanent injury or death. DO NOT FIGHT. The ONLY excuse for engaging, is in the case of unavoidable confrontation, such as being trapped by an outnumbering force in a dead-end alley. And even then, a true martial artist will find a way to escape." Another teacher used to say, at the end of every class, "Remember always that we train to gain self-discipline and confidence, to calm the heart and mind, and not to promote or enable violence of any kind. Greet all with compassion, generosity, and kindness. Peace, I say; peace, peace, and yet again, PEACE." Mahatma Ghandi, the founder/creator of non-violence, recognized that in certain cases, there ARE limits to non-violence. Ghandi used to tell his followers, "You should pursue non-violent means as far as they will take you, in all circumstances. However, IF, and only if, you have completely exhausted all attempts at non-violence, and are still confronted with imminent violence and the threat of death, then, the man who hesitates to defend his home and family by the use of violence is a coward." Now, that really does mean that there must be NO other choice. You definitely continued to have other choices available to you, and you wisely took them. Furthermore, who do you really think ended up looking like an idiot, a witless fool, a total jerk nutcase and an asshole, in front of this attractive woman? Who was the truly the weakest, the one most lacking in self-understanding and inner confidence, the one of least skill? Surely you realize the answer to this question, and my guess is that not only have you not lost one bit of respect in the eyes of this woman, but that you'll have another chance, in better circumstances, later on, if there's anything of substance to her. And, if she doesn't have that kind of quality, then you might be better off in the long run, as well. If this woman likes to hang out around nasty characters and trouble, she's nothing but big trouble herself, no matter how good-looking she might be. Choose your friends and acquaintances carefully, stay out of dangerous situations, and constantly hone and develop your intuition and ability to sense and recognize even the hint of trouble. There are always other alternatives, many possibilities, to one whose heart and mind, as well as eyes and hand, are open. I'm very grateful and fortunate to have had the teachers I did. In later years, I worked all over the west in logging camps, on heavy construction projects, on the waterfront, and spent thirteen years as a working open range cowboy in nine western states, BC, Alberta, and northern Mexico. And while most of the people I met in those years were fine folks, there were a lot of rough ones, too. Yet I've never had a single fight, never thrown any kind of punch or kick, or had to fire a shot in anger. And most of the time wound up having a friendly beer or whiskey, and even made a number of really good friends. Humor, good will, friendliness are your best weapons. Ivan has the right idea, and said it in so few words, the mark of a truly wise man. Just one more thing; if you are faced with no choice but to fight, then DO NOT wait for the opponent(s) to strike the first blow. Immediately take the fight right to him, or them, as swiftly and forcefully as possible, make every action count, and do not stop until you can walk away safely. NEVER allow anyone to take the first action in a real fight. In sparring or practice, it's certainly OK, but not in the real thing. There are almost never second chances in real life.
  19. Clear to partly cloudy with a 60% chance of scattered grizzly bears....
  20. My personal preference is for the U.S. Geological Survey maps, specifically the 7.5 minute quads (1 to 24,000--or, 1" on the map = 24,000" on the ground ) for being the most accurate and showing the greatest detail. Green trails maps, (15 min., or 1/62,500) are beautiful, but at twice the size,that is, covering twice as much geographic area, usually cover such a larger area that it's difficult to read contours and get a close-up idea of the terrain. The Geographics and National Geographic maps are terrific, printed on waterproof paper, also extremely accurate and regulary updated, but they also generally cover very large areas at a variety of scales from 1/55000,1/85000 all the way up to 1/375000, which is huge. These are maps useful for long-range navigation over large distances, such as flying into remote areas like the Wrangell-St.Elias or Brooks Range. They also include really useful features like GPS Waypoints and time/distance estimates. But for on-the ground routefinding you need the 7.5 min. scale to do you any good. Compare, for instance, the beautiful National Geographic map of Mt. Rainier Nat. Park at a scale of 1/55000, with the area of just the mountain itself which is covered in 4 different USGS 7.5 min quads at the 1/24000 scale. See which you find more useful for providing up-close detail for navigating right there on the mountain. My guess is you'll leave the beautiful plastic waterproof Nat. Geo. map in the car( those big maps are also heavy!) and take the one or two USGS 7.5 min quads covering the route of your climb, or even cut weight and size further by getting a color photocopy of just the area on the USGS quad you need. And of course, on the copier, you can even enlarge sections on the map for even greater detail, to a point. Just remember to use percentages that correspond to a scale that will make it easy to convert distances, such as enlarging by 50%, 75%, 100%, 200%,etc. So, on a 7.5 min quad,if you enlarge it by 200%, it will take 2" on your map to equal the corresponding distance on the un-enlarged map. The big maps are great for pre-trip study and planning, but on the climb the USGS 7.5 min quads are indispensable.
  21. Mtguide

    fraternities

    Wow. Great article. I could not agree more with you on your doubts and opposition to the social college frats, AT LEAST as it regards this kind of sick and destructive behavior. I think it's harder to say if this kind of thing is endemic or common to all frats, or the entire Greek system. As for the reason why anyone would subject themselves to this kind of mutual abuse, I think the article itself explains it pretty clearly; Lohse recounts how he himself was almost desperate to "belong" to this perverse frat culture because it was the stepping stone to corporate success, wealth, prestige, power, etc. And he DOES say that he did things while drunk, like wallowing in the pool of filth, eating "vomlets", etc., that he, or anyone else, would NEVER have done if they were sober. The Buddhists list 5 Precepts for life behavior, such as not to kill, steal, misuse sex, or lie, AND, to refrain from using intoxicants. And WHY refrain from intoxicants? Because it makes all the others just that much easier to do. That little bit of advice is only about 2600 years old...but all you have to do is read the paper or watch the news any given day to see that it's pretty much the truth. Doesn't matter who you are or how educated, refined or smart you are, either. It's not hard to make the connection between the frat hazing practice of vomiting and shitting on other people, date-raping coeds, and the way current corporate CEOs, Wall Street hacks, bankers, conservative politicians and flacks are pissing and shitting on, and raping the ordinary working people of this country every day. If that's the culture they learn and identify with in college, no wonder they think it's their perfect right to treat people that way in real life. Sure, why not make predatory loans and profit from millions of foreclosures, why not feed off the tragedy and cruel suffering of hard-working families turned out into the street, they're all just grubs and schlubs, just a bunch of fucking low-life losers any way, right? From reading this article, you could almost say that the Greek frat system, and SAE and Dartmouth in particular, is the origin and reason for a lot of the mess this country is in today. These are vile, immoral assholes who think they are entitled to fuck, and fuck with anyone or anything they want, and god help anyone who gets in their way. Pretty well describes to a "T" the attitude of most conservative Republicans in Congress, Tea Partiers, etc. These are the people who think that if you get sick and can't afford health care, then you should just fucking die. (Tea Party demonstators at a recent rally actually were chanting,in public,and on camera, " Whatcha gonna do with the uninsured and sick? LET 'EM DIE! LET 'EM DIE!!".) Great folks, aren't they... I remember that SAE was among the worst frats when I was in college. I went to a party at the SAE house at the UW once, and then again 20 years later, my first year of grad school at Utah St. Both times, what started out as seeming like it might be a fun evening, turned pretty quickly into a revolting, frightening, violent and disorienting scene which I left at the first opportunity. I've never been to another(social-please note the distinction)frat party since, for any reason. Later that year at Utah St. a student at another frat party died of alchohol poisoning. I DO have to say that not all of the frats at UW or Utah State, were like that. I knew guys from other frats who were fine people, and went to a few other events at different houses where I had a great time, no abuse or hazing was allowed to take place. But there were definitely houses that had a bad rep. That being said said, I still defend the place, purpose, and value of the purely academic fraternities and sororities such as Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Theta Kappa, Sigma alpha Iota, and others, none of which maintain residential houses on any university campus, each having only a single office for the national organization, and a periodic newsletter or bulletin. In none of these organizations is there anything to even begin to approach the kinds of activity Lohse has documented. They have yearly conferences, and sometimes local meetings. My Mother, a nationally recognized concert pianist, pipe organist and music professor, used to attend SAI conferences and seminars on things like church music, piano and organ recitals, many at which she performed herself, and our parents often took me and my sisters to these events. There were receptions, dinners and banquets, and the adults could of course drink alchohol, but these were really very proper, adult events, perfectly suitable and safe for children as well. The people attending these events were among the top level of professional American classical musicians, composers, and publishers, and the seminars, talks, and conference presentations were all about music, performing, arranging, etc. I was introduced to many nationally and internationally famous musicians such as Isaac Stern the violinist, Conductor Leonard Bernstein of the New York Philharmonic, and Metropolitan Opera star Eileen Farrell, to name just a few. And that's just one profession. there are similar organizations for all kinds of others. So, again, don't confuse the difference between the social, and the academic, professional Greek organizations. There's a huge, huge difference between the spoiled rotten, entitled, drunken brats and witless thugs in college social frats, who drag each other through the filth to keep everybody in line, much as they hope to get rich doing later on, and the consummate professionals in the arts, humanities and sciences who gather to discuss,inform, enlighten and challenge each other to reach ever higher and further in the effort to raise the level of achievement in their field, and hopefully make the world a better place. And once again, I have to say, I think there are frats and sororities that are on the up-and-up. I just never had the time,or money, especially in grad school, to spend much time hanging out in that social arena. You tend to take your schoolwork a little more seriously the second time around. BTW, have you sent this article to your friends at Dartmouth? I'd be worried for them, too, at least if they were pledging to SAE. Maybe this is really the only way to put an end to this kind of thing; to get the full story out so that, maybe, eventually, the numbers of people entering these frats starts to decline, drying up the pool of prospective new members. Forewarned is forarmed; of course you have to have some kind of moral compass to begin with; sounds like Lohse's was poorly developed at best. But that's not uncommon for lots of college freshmen, things like that take some time and living, especially if you've been raised in wealth and privilege without the right kind of discipline. Something else that needs to happen, not just in frats, is to end this whole culture and attitude that says it's OK to do whatever you want, even the worst kinds of criminal behavior, just so long as you don't get caught. A good place to start, anyway. Many, many thanks for sharing this link. A very valuable piece.
  22. Mtguide

    End of an era?

    As well as much of the Deep South along the Gulf Coast, and pretty much the entire eastern seaboard---talk about redistricting.
  23. Thank you all for the clarification, I stand corrected. I was hasty and just put down what my faulty memory popped out. Next time I'll be more careful. And I'm glad to know the actual facts, and that the incident was, arguably, a very questionable reason for going to war. Sobo, I think I may have been confused by what I heard some years back, about the Aug. 4 incident, which the NSA said never happened. Again, thanks for the full info.
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