Lecture TODAY on Israel/Palestine Conflict

Today at 7pm in Schneebeck concert hall of the University of Puget Sound, scholars Tzvi Adelman and Muhammad Abu Samra will examine the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Find out more info here: http://www.ups.edu/x29604.xml

Tickets are free but currently sold out. However, there will likely be seats available or room to stand in the back.

If any Melonites or UPSers are planning on attending this presentation, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

An Open Letter to President Ron Thom

I have a confession to make. Prior to achieving the legal age of twenty-one, I occasionally acquired and consumed malt beverages. I didn’t do it to “fit-in” or convince people that I was cool; I did it because I was bored and drinking is the collegiate pastime. Unlike many of my classmates I never carried a fake ID, had my stomach pumped on Halloween, nor did I ever bother to trek up to Vancouver B.C. where the drinking age is 18 because – frankly – it isn’t too hard for “minors” to get alcohol in the United States: especially in and around college campuses. As an underage minor, I never feared getting caught by a RA or CA or any other acronym, nor was I intimidated by campus security because – like the RAs and CAs – most of the people on patrol were fellow classmates who either similarly disapproved of the laws and university policies as written, or were too weary to actively enforce them on a campus as small as the University of Puget Sound where everyone ultimately knows everyone and poor reputations spring up almost as fast as tuition. Finally, I never feared about my parents finding out that I was drinking illegally because they were already fully aware and – although cautious enough to remind me to “drink responsibly” – were otherwise supportive of my decision. After all, both of them had been able to drink by 18.

Sad News

I just received word from Sarah Wright, Dino Rossi’s official scheduler, that the University of Puget Sound was not chosen to host a gubernatorial debate. Wright’s reason for why the UPS Field House was not selected for the debate was “concerns about the ability to provide sufficient television coverage” (which in my humble opinion sounds unlikely given that Hillary Clinton's speech was easily broadcast from their when she made her campaign stop in Tacoma during the recent Democratic Primary.)