"Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man."
- Walter Bonatti - Italian climber
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Interesting
Today is graduation day at Furman where I graduated 17 years ago on 6/1/91. I believe the commencement speaker then was the vice-president of the local telecable company. The speaker today is supposed to be the president of the country.
There is some understandable opposition to his visit and an eloquent statement of objection on the website below - I have also pasted the text of the statement below the link -
http://www.furman.edu/bushvisit/petition.htm
Under ordinary circumstances it would be an honor for Furman University to be visited by the President of the United States. However, these are not ordinary circumstances. In the spirit of open and critical review that is the hallmark of both a free democracy and an institution of higher learning, we, the undersigned members of the Furman University community, object to the following actions of the Bush administration:
Claiming a linkage between Iraq and 9-11, and exaggerating the threat of weapons of mass destruction, to justify a new and morally questionable strategy of "pre-emptive warfare" against Iraq - a country that did not attack us and posed no immediate international threat;
Classifying war prisoners as "detained nonmilitary combatants" to permit their detention and interrogation in violation of our own laws and standards of human decency;
Sowing fear and using "threat levels" to side-step the Constitution and justify the erosion of individual liberties, such as challenging the Fourth Amendment (wiretapping without authorization of law) and the First Amendment (denying access to information and restricting dissent to "free speech zones");
Suppressing or ignoring empirical evidence that contradicts administration ideology, such as denying global warming and then obstructing progress on reducing greenhouse gases while favoring billions in tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies that are earning record profits;
Installing lobbyists for the coal, timber, and mining industries as the chief officials in charge of managing and protecting our public lands;
Encouraging reckless over-spending (creating the largest deficits in history), expanding the reach of national government into local affairs (No Child Left Behind), and increasing our involvement overseas at the expense of domestic concerns (reconstructing New Orleans).
We are ashamed of these actions of this administration. The war in Iraq has cost the lives of over 4000 brave and honorable U. S. military personnel, wounded more than 13,000 military personnel so severely that they are unable to return to duty, killed tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, will cost more than 2 trillion dollars, and has severely damaged our government's ethical and moral credibility at home and abroad. Because we love this country and the ideals it stands for, we accept our civic responsibility to speak out against these actions that violate American values.
There is some understandable opposition to his visit and an eloquent statement of objection on the website below - I have also pasted the text of the statement below the link -
http://www.furman.edu/bushvisit/petition.htm
Under ordinary circumstances it would be an honor for Furman University to be visited by the President of the United States. However, these are not ordinary circumstances. In the spirit of open and critical review that is the hallmark of both a free democracy and an institution of higher learning, we, the undersigned members of the Furman University community, object to the following actions of the Bush administration:
Claiming a linkage between Iraq and 9-11, and exaggerating the threat of weapons of mass destruction, to justify a new and morally questionable strategy of "pre-emptive warfare" against Iraq - a country that did not attack us and posed no immediate international threat;
Classifying war prisoners as "detained nonmilitary combatants" to permit their detention and interrogation in violation of our own laws and standards of human decency;
Sowing fear and using "threat levels" to side-step the Constitution and justify the erosion of individual liberties, such as challenging the Fourth Amendment (wiretapping without authorization of law) and the First Amendment (denying access to information and restricting dissent to "free speech zones");
Suppressing or ignoring empirical evidence that contradicts administration ideology, such as denying global warming and then obstructing progress on reducing greenhouse gases while favoring billions in tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies that are earning record profits;
Installing lobbyists for the coal, timber, and mining industries as the chief officials in charge of managing and protecting our public lands;
Encouraging reckless over-spending (creating the largest deficits in history), expanding the reach of national government into local affairs (No Child Left Behind), and increasing our involvement overseas at the expense of domestic concerns (reconstructing New Orleans).
We are ashamed of these actions of this administration. The war in Iraq has cost the lives of over 4000 brave and honorable U. S. military personnel, wounded more than 13,000 military personnel so severely that they are unable to return to duty, killed tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, will cost more than 2 trillion dollars, and has severely damaged our government's ethical and moral credibility at home and abroad. Because we love this country and the ideals it stands for, we accept our civic responsibility to speak out against these actions that violate American values.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Organ Needle
I woke up on Sunday 6 April expecting to be unable to walk because the day before I had climbed the Organ Needle - almost 9000 feet and the highest peak in the Organ Mountains. Here is a photo of me and my hiking buddies - from left to right - Kevin Melissa Greg Ed - at the end of our 10.5 hour day. We look pretty darn good!
We started at 8:30 a.m. at around 4500 feet and by around 2 p.m. had ascended to the peak - about 4 miles and 4500 feet above. We played around at the top a bit for too short a time before heading back down for the descent that - at least to me - was every bit as tough as the ascent - and arrived back at the parking lot around 7 p.m.
Here is the Google Earth image of our hike. We started climbing via a more southern route but then did a bit of off-trail bushwhacking northward when we decided that we were off trail. Luckily we found the trail again and so were able to head pretty straight east and dramatically up hill to our destination. I have more stories to tell but the passage of a week and a half has made them feel more appropriate for the heart than the blog. And it is late. And I expect to do this again.
We started at 8:30 a.m. at around 4500 feet and by around 2 p.m. had ascended to the peak - about 4 miles and 4500 feet above. We played around at the top a bit for too short a time before heading back down for the descent that - at least to me - was every bit as tough as the ascent - and arrived back at the parking lot around 7 p.m.
Here is the Google Earth image of our hike. We started climbing via a more southern route but then did a bit of off-trail bushwhacking northward when we decided that we were off trail. Luckily we found the trail again and so were able to head pretty straight east and dramatically up hill to our destination. I have more stories to tell but the passage of a week and a half has made them feel more appropriate for the heart than the blog. And it is late. And I expect to do this again.
Renewable Energy
Earlier today/Wednesday at SWEC there was an unveiling of the first commercial photovoltaic system in the city of Las Cruces which was installed on the roof of the SWEC building. A number of state and local dignitaries - including Governor Bill Richardson - were in attendance. It took me a minute or so to realize the significance of his being there in terms of his being a former Energy Secretary as well as the current governor of course. It was a nice ceremony of about 45 minutes with many brief but influential speakers. Funnily enough it was a very windy day which no doubt prompted more than one attendee to ponder whether a wind turbine or six should also be installed on the roof of the SWEC building.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Biodiversity
I also became a board member for the Southwest Environmental Center [SWEC] during my blog hiatus. This non-profit organization is "dedicated to protecting and restoring the unique natural heritage of the Southwestern borderlands" [from the website].
The website is currently under construction but please check back later ~
http://www.wildmesquite.org/
To those who know and love me who read this blog - and even to those who do not - if you ever need an idea for a gift for me - a donation to this group would be most appreciated. You might also consider becoming a member.
Now for a segue between the hike from the prior posts and the hike in the next posts ~ The hike from the prior posts [REP] was a training hike for the hike in the next posts [ON] ~
The major SWEC fundraiser is "On the River, For the River" in the fall. There is always a silent auction. Last fall I bid on and won a guided hike and gourmet lunch. We did this hike this past weekend and - to quote Greg - it was "super cool." More on this hike in the next blog entry.
The website is currently under construction but please check back later ~
http://www.wildmesquite.org/
To those who know and love me who read this blog - and even to those who do not - if you ever need an idea for a gift for me - a donation to this group would be most appreciated. You might also consider becoming a member.
Now for a segue between the hike from the prior posts and the hike in the next posts ~ The hike from the prior posts [REP] was a training hike for the hike in the next posts [ON] ~
The major SWEC fundraiser is "On the River, For the River" in the fall. There is always a silent auction. Last fall I bid on and won a guided hike and gourmet lunch. We did this hike this past weekend and - to quote Greg - it was "super cool." More on this hike in the next blog entry.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
R E P continued
You might notice in the photos that I am wearing my Garmin Forerunner. After the hike I transferred the data to my computer and then used Google Earth to create this image of our route and the terrain. You can see where we headed east up the mountains and then where we found the trail and headed more northeast. We got a late start that day and so turned around before reaching our summit - the plateau - so this hike is still on our list of things to do soon.
You can click on the image to enlarge it.
An excerpt from Day Hikes and Nature Walks
in the Las Cruces - El Paso Area
by Greg Magee
"This is a very strenuous hike of about 8 miles gaining over 3,000 feet of elevation. Though the first part of the hike follows a rough 4WD jeep trail, most of the route is off-trail, traversing rugged and steep terrain. Though not for those who suffer from fear of heights, your reward is great if you do make it to the top of Rabbit Ears Plateau. The panoramic views from the peak are spectacular. The wildflower display along the route can also be impressive, especially in the Fall."
You can click on the image to enlarge it.
An excerpt from Day Hikes and Nature Walks
in the Las Cruces - El Paso Area
by Greg Magee
"This is a very strenuous hike of about 8 miles gaining over 3,000 feet of elevation. Though the first part of the hike follows a rough 4WD jeep trail, most of the route is off-trail, traversing rugged and steep terrain. Though not for those who suffer from fear of heights, your reward is great if you do make it to the top of Rabbit Ears Plateau. The panoramic views from the peak are spectacular. The wildflower display along the route can also be impressive, especially in the Fall."
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