Many medical professionals believe that ‘telehealth’, the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technology, will become an important, perhaps predominant, part of home and health care’s tomorrow.

Encompassing preventive, promotive and curative components, telehealth is generally used as an umbrella term to describe all the possible variations of healthcare services using telecommunications, from E-mail exchanges to health services offered on the Internet.

With the recent addition of more than a dozen Genesis Monitors, Marcus Daly Home Care is providing a specific look into telehealth’s future. This new service, available to Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s Home Health patients, places state-of-the-art telemetry Honeywell equipment into patients’ homes.

“This equipment gives us the ability to monitor our patients’ vital signs daily, giving the patient and family the security that health care assistance is close to home if a problem should arise. With the Genesis, the patient receives hospital grade equipment that our nurses oversee,” says Jill Deppel, Clinical Care Coordinator at Marcus Daly Home Care.

When combined with medical device peripherals, the Genesis Monitor allows the creation of a thoughtful and alert solution for individual needs regardless of disease state. At a set time, the compact and lightweight box automatically engages, up to four times per day, notifying the user that it is time to take their vital signs. If the user fails to respond, or if any of their information falls outside pre-set parameters, the system tips off Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital (MDMH) staff.

“This technology allows us to watch our clients more closely than what was possible before,” says Deppel.

The Genesis Monitor supports pre-emptive care management seven days a week and allows prompt identification of any trends or changes in a patient’s condition, thus enabling early intervention and prevention of emergency room visits or hospitalizations.

“This type of telehealth technology should reduce hospitalizations and emergency care by discovering problems sooner and by giving greater home access to care,” says Jane Hron, Director of Home Health at Marcus Daly Health Care & Hospice.

These new Genesis Monitors are provided free of charge to at-risk home care clients, and allow the patient to self-monitor their own blood pressure, weight, oxygen level, temperature, and pulse, all while prompted by the machine’s clear and courteous instructions.

In addition, other units are available that can cue clients to take their medications and can monitor signs of their disease process.

The clinical data collected in the home is transmitted via household phone lines and takes approximately 3 minutes for the clients to perform. Once completed, the information is sent to MDMH where it is assessed daily by a nurse.

Calls are made immediately if a problem is flagged; appropriate responses range from a phone call to the client, to a home visit, or a call to a physician. If the client does experience a change in vitals, MDMH medical staff will immediately give opinions and suggestions to the patient as to what actions to take.

This technology, says Hron, affords clients and clients’ family members a greater sense of security knowing that their vital signs are being monitored closely by a nurse.

Additionally, the monitors provide education and promote client self-management and self-compliance with their doctors’ plan of care. This will allow the hospital’s home health clients to remain comfortably in their home, which, according to both Deppel and Hron, is the ultimate goal of home care. (MDMH is presently launching this project with 15 monitors and looks to develop this service into something much larger in the future.) 

“There’s no better place to be than at home, and that’s where we want to see our patients – safely at home.” says Deppel.

Hron and Deppel believe that this new home health technology brings a great value to the Bitterroot Valley, and say that such technological advancements increase the overall quality of care while decreasing health care costs. Telehealth saves patients money, they say. In the United States, healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and if you are a senior citizen and need daily monitoring, paying for healthcare can be financially crippling.

“It makes me feel safer knowing that somebody can come when I need them,” Joan McNitch says.

Joan McNitch has health issues that require daily monitoring. Instead of frequent trips to the doctor’s office, she stays home and uses a telecommunications device.

This Stevensville woman is 77 and suffers from certain cardiac conditions and has a pacemaker. She uses the Genesis Monitor, which she keeps on a table next to her bed, to inspect her blood pressure, oxygen levels, pulse rate and weight, and to answer a series of questions.

For some, using a computer can take practice.

“You need to be able to cognitively follow directions,” says Deppel, before calling McNitch, who has been using the system for a little over a week, a “star pupil.”

Really, there’s nothing overwhelming about this new technology, says McNitch.

“It’s easy. If I can do it, anybody can do it,” she laughs.

Consistent monitoring, says McNitch, means better care, better health, and fewer trips to the emergency room.

“It helps me enormously. It’s nice to know that someone is out there keeping an eye on me,” McNitch says.

Ultimately, Home Health Director Hron believes that providing these monitoring units free of charge to qualifying patients is strategically similar to other past gestures that Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital has afforded residents of Ravalli County.

“We continually strive to do what’s best for our patients and the community,” she says.

In 1998, recent UM graduate, Brian Morgan, visited Ecuador in search of sublime beaches; it was supposed to be one short, final untamed excursion before he settled down and plugged into the working world. When he departed for South America, he couldn’t even speak a word of Spanish.

Morgan, a Havre native, stayed for an entire year, living and working in Ecuador and Peru, before deciding to return to Missoula. Using a list of contacts from his time abroad, he decided to attempt to fill the void he saw in the Latin American tourism market. He bought a laptop and posted itineraries in local shops advertising tours of certain areas he was familiar with. In February, 1999, with a little bit of money, Morgan launched a crude website and convinced a friend to place him at the very top of Google’s adventure travel category, which resulted in immediate traffic.

Six years later and Morgan, 33, is running his own company: Adventure Life Journeys. With its strong devotion to low-impact and nature-based tourism, Adventure Life continues to bring a fresh, unconventional, environmentally-sensitive approach to traveling. There’s a colossal difference between seeing the Americas and experiencing the Americas, says Morgan.

“I want people to appreciate and understand the flavor of their host country. Adventure Travel wants people to learn about the culture they’re visiting, and to learn about the country’s history and current events.”

Since its inception, Adventure Life’s philosophy has centered on small groups, carefully chosen native guides, and locally owned accommodations. Today, Adventure Life has a big staff of resident guides, in-country coordinators, and home office people (working out of an unremarkable building on South 3rd Street in Missoula), possessing years of experience living, working and studying in places like Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and Patagonia.

“We know the locals quite well,” says Morgan, who spends about 6-8 weeks each year researching lodges, hotels and guides. “We visit with them and we eat with them.”

Morgan’s organization is committed to supplying quality small group tours that have a constructive impact on the local culture and environment. Rarely are groups larger than twelve and each tour has been designed by Morgan (and his adventure coordinators) with the goal of providing a lively and exciting journey. (Most travelers return from their trips with fond memories of their hosts; some people even believe that the home stay was the highlight of their experience.)

See, at Adventure Life it’s all about living the experience: all the trips have been planned with the intention of educating, enthralling and inspiring. Single tours, multi-sport adventures and ecological discovery tours are available. Their Antarctica cruise, which uncovers the sensational extremes of the frozen continent, is the company’s most popular, says Morgan. Antarctica tours range from 10 to 23 days in duration and experts give lectures about the continent’s natural history, weather and intriguing wildlife.

“Ships carry anywhere from 50 to 200 passengers and, relative to the destination, are considered small and friendly.”

There are two sides to conservation – ecological and cultural – with little attention being paid to the latter, says Morgan. Which is why he finds it extremely important that local people be made involved partners when it comes to the development of their tourism industry. Most of the money generated from tourism should stay in the community, he says.

“This means hiring local guides, staying in locally owned hotels, and using the local transportation infrastructure, which have been issues at the heart of our travel philosophy from the beginning.”

Adventure Life is a member of the International Ecotourism Society, which promotes responsible travel that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. Plus, the company belongs to the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association, whose mission is to preserve the Galapagos Islands and its unique physical beauty and heritage.

Peru’s Inca Trail is another enormously popular tourist destination. The Inca Trail tour offers an exciting high mountain experience that involves climbing 4,200 meters, across glacier covered peaks and lush green forests. The trekking is difficult because of the high-altitude, but the trip is fully supported by mules or llamas which carry all of the client’s possessions.

Clients want to feel like a welcome guest, not simply another tourist, Morgan feels. These clients are looking for an intimate travel experience that allows and encourages cultural immersion. Initial trip offerings focused on such cultural immersion, and, even today, many of the company’s most popular tours have a heavy cultural emphasis. Adventure Life programs are custom-made for people wanting to get far away from the mainstream travel industry – so don’t expect luxurious golf vacations and routine American-style food.

According to Morgan, tourism from the United States to Latin America has grown incredibly over the last few years, because North American culture has become and is becoming more and more aligned with Latin American culture: Latino artists often dominate the pop charts; Latin dances like the tango are undeniably popular; food in the United States is also becoming increasingly Latin-based. “In Missoula, Mexican food is as common as eating pizza,” says Morgan. “North America is absorbing and wanting more Latin culture. Salsa even outsells ketchup in the United States now.”

So what began as one man with a love of Latin culture, a laptop and a simple brochure, has evolved into a staff of seven full-time employees and a glossy 48-page tour catalog. Morgan, who holds a master’s degree in economics from UM, finds great advantages to working in Missoula, including some cost-savings benefits. Additionally, he feels that the Garden City’s excellent quality of life attracts some pretty fantastic folks. “There are lots of talented people here looking for challenging and interesting work.”

Furthermore, the thoughtful and proactive Morgan started a non-profit Earth Family Fund in 2003, as a caring and sympathetic way of giving something beneficial back to the most impoverished of Latin American communities. “I saw a great need to offer assistance,” he says.

Earth Family Fund uses proceeds from certain Adventure Life trips to bring holistic, long-term support to rural and urban communities in Latin America, by providing the money necessary to purchase material goods and medical services. “We are in these countries to help,” he says.

Two projects are currently being developed in Peru: a rural community health program in the village of Cachiccata and a shelter for young abandoned mothers and their children in Cusco.

“All tourism has an impact and our goal is to leave a positive impact behind rather than a negative one.”

What began “as a challenge” has been transformed into one very pretty and challenging golf course, the King Ranch, just outside of Frenchtown.

It is said that one day, in 1991, while dining out, King Ranch’s founder, Bud King, was bellyaching about how long it was taking a certain golf course to be built - in the company of the foreman of that project no less. The fellow, somewhat put out, challenged Bud to try to do better. Bud King, a burly cattle rancher, and a man with the land and means to do it, accepted that dare, and right away commenced the construction of the King Ranch Golf Course. That site was King’s cattle ranch.

Bud “had the last laugh” as he completed the nine-hole golf course in only one year. Unfortunately, he died just before its opening.

His daughter and grandson took the reins and opened the lush course to the public. They operated it from 1992 through 1995. The King Ranch lay dormant for two years until August of 1997 when the Ockler family purchased it.

The Ocklers’ rolled up their sleeves and spent tireless hours getting the course back into shape. They quickly realized an underground sprinkling system was needed. Until that was fulfilled, a couple of teens was hired to spend the entirety of summer nights manually rotating industrial sprinklers.

The Ocklers’ later put in the back nine holes. With that completion, the course grew to a 270-acre 18-hole golf course.

King Ranch is by all definitions a family business, with four principals, Harland, Nora, Lon and Shad sharing ownership. Each member of the family has important rolls in making it a success. The patriarchs, Harland and Nora, keep busy running other family interests, which include a farm by Dillon, marketing buffalo meat products, real estate investments and their H-Bar-N Trucking Company (named after their branding iron). They leave King Ranch in the very capable hands of their children, Lon, the course’s superintendent, Shad, the golf course manager, and their daughter, Sam Bolles, who keeps the restaurant’s books. Shad’s wife (and high school sweetheart) also plays an important roll. She is a CPA and does the accounting for the trucking company and golf course.

“People just don’t understand how our family can work together, like we do.” Shad comments. “We all had to work our way in to buy a portion of it. Everyone worked hard and sacrificed. It works because we work. We hold each other up to high standards.”

The relatively young King Ranch’s success is a testament to the good business recipe. In a season, the course will see approximately 25,000 rounds played. Maybe, it’s due in part to the more relaxed gap between tee times. A typical course schedules tee times seven minutes apart; the King Ranch gives golfers ten. Perhaps it’s due to the easiness on the pocketbook. A golfer can catch a round for the nominal fee of $13 for 9 holes, $24 for 18 and cart rental is $22. Punch cards are available for $135 for 12 nine hole rounds and a season pass for $440 (senior discount is at $375). From Monday through Thursday, golfers can grab the great deal of 18 holes with a cart for $30.

The course’s most renowned hole is #4. It’s a real teaser with a sizable water hazard to battle with. This is where many golfers part with their balls. In fact, once a month a diver retrieves 3,000 - 4,000 balls from the pond! (Shad’s personal favorite hole is #12, which runs parallel with the river. But, all of the holes are unique, fun and challenging.)

A golfer might desire to seek help to battle #4 and other holes. That’s when they should look up King Ranch’s Marv Clover, their lead pro, who has been with them since 2003. “Marv Clover is a premier teaching pro. He is able to teach golfers on different levels. Whatever level you are at, he can find ways to improve your game,” Shad says. “He is probably the best instructor in Montana.”

Golfers can also seek out Guy Ask, the new assistant pro, who is just getting into the PGA program. He’s definitely someone with a pro golf future to monitor.

The restaurant at King Ranch is mighty fine. The public can partake in a nifty lunch deal with an all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar, and recently breakfast has been introduced. However, what they are better known for is their fine dinning, dinner experience, which is complete with enormous picture windows that offer fantastic views.

Shad Ockler is heavily involved in the Frenchtown community. When he’s not working hard at the course, or tending to fatherhood tasks, he’s busy fulfilling his duties as president of the Bronco’s booster club. He is proud to mention that the booster club, formed in 1992, has raised $850,000 to date. That has helped pay for Frenchtown’s football field, softball fields, fund the stadium, etc.

At King Ranch there’s always an experience to behold golfers. Whether you hook, slice or even make a perfect drive right down the fairway, King Ranch is a guarantee to a great golfing experience. Just bring an extra ball or two for #4!

Steven Matthew Read’s life is all fun and games. And challenging jigsaw puzzles. And amusing gamer tournaments. And friendly competitions and board game demos.

That’s because, for Read, or “Smat,” as he’s known in gaming circles and by customers, engaging in activities that provide entertainment and merriment, is all in a day’s work.

See, Smat (the nickname Read acquired while in the Peace Corps a few years ago) manages World Games of Montana, the state’s largest game and puzzle store in the state, now in its fourth year of operation.

Indeed, Smat knows games like a sassy surgeon understands complex anatomy. From the particular style or manner of playing a game, to the way a game functions or flounders, he’s well-acquainted with every product in the store.

Believe me; I tried slipping a few scrutinizing shots past this game-loving goalie the Monday morning we’d met.

“What’s this Industrial Waste game?”

“It’s a game based on economics in which players try to produce as profitably as possible, but they also need to keep an eye on their waste output.”

“How about Louie XIV?”

“This is my favorite game right now, involving the bribery of French officials. It’s about power and influence in the French court at the end of the 17th Century. It’s an excellent time, and a high level of tension is guaranteed.”

Hmmm..the fellow knows the inventory, doesn’t he? In fact, Smat started coming to World Games of Montana last year to participate in various game nights, and he was asked a month ago by store owner Jeri Fisher, to, well, hop on board.

And the store still offers plenty of extracurricular activities for a variety of different skill levels and interests: Tuesday is cribbage night; Thursday is strategy board game night; Friday Mahjong and Goa are played; Scrabble contests, gamer tournaments and chess matches are frequently held.

What’s most interesting about browsing the wide selection of options at World Games of Montana: it seems that today there’s more to game life than the unstimulating and wimpy offerings of decades past, like Chutes and Ladders or Candyland. Things have gotten intricate and complicated to deal with in toy land – in a fun sort of way of course. “Our focus is to bring people together, something not so easy in an electronic age. We try bringing people together in new, exciting and creative ways.”

There are many exciting games available on the market with themes which include excavating artifacts, discovering wind energy, running a new colony, and earning money with electrical power. One such thrill-producing game is Deflexion.

Deflexion combines lasers with classic strategy for an experience enjoyed by players of all ages. Players alternate turns moving Egyptian themed mirrored pieces around the playing field, and fire their low-powered laser diode with the goal of illuminating their opponent’s pieces to eliminate them from the game.

“This game involves armies and strategic configurations and capturing the pharaoh. It’s a modern day chess game. It’s a lot of fun,” says Smat.

In the game Puerto Rico all the players are plantation owners in that country during the days when ships set sail for the New World and Columbus was curious. Players grow five different kinds of crops: corn, indigo, coffee, sugar and tobacco; they must attempt to run their fledgling businesses more efficiently than their close competitors.

“With Puerto Rico you make your own economy. Everybody is doing the same exact thing and the person that does it the most competently wins.”

Another ‘economy based game’, Settlers of Canaan takes place in the territory of Canaan, off the coast of the Great Sea. Each player represents a tribe of Israel as they seek to settle the land of Canaan. The game uses pieces and events similar to their historical scenarios. For example, players build the wall of Jerusalem by contributing bricks.

“Settlers of Canaan is bulldozing its way across the world. It’s like the new Monopoly,” says Smat.

If you like being presented with difficulties needing solutions by your own ingenuity or patient effort, you’ll be mighty impressed with the store’s inventory of puzzles. Many of them are based on the artistic works of European masters. One puzzle has over 13,000 pieces.

If your brain has the necessary concentration components, you may be able to assemble a true masterpiece in the form of a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in art history.

Clementoni puzzles are sold at World Games of Montana, too. Using quality materials, beautiful pictures, elegant packaging, and a richness in printing, these exclusive collector’s items come from the most avant-garde puzzle company in the world.

M.C. Escher was a Dutch graphic artist, most recognized for spatial illusions, impossible buildings, reoccurring geometric patterns, and his incredible techniques in woodcutting and lithography. The puzzles based on his work have intricate repeating patterns, mathematically complex structures, and spatial perspectives requiring a “second look.” In Escher’s work what you see the first time is most certainly not all there is to see.

Indeed, there’s a seemingly infinite array of silly and perplexing products to be discovered lining the shelves at World Games of Montana, from abstract strategy games, to classic games, to zany card games for kids.

And consequently, for Smat, there’s always a newfangled and funky game waiting to be opened and then experimented with. And then demoed and discussed.

“There are so many good games being invented all the time and I’m excited to learn about all of them. I’m looking forward to sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm with others.”

On August 24th, the Bitterroot Valley had to say goodbye to John Buker, a man who was perhaps “the last homegrown Bitterrooter who lived on his grandfather’s homestead.” John Buker passed away August 24th at the age of 93, leaving behind his beloved three children, Patty, Jack and Kay. This amazing man lived a full and eventful life.

His children claim you cannot tell John’s story without including his wife, Dorothy. There was never one without the other, and they were essentially joined at the hip. Perhaps, that is why John parted from this world. Dorothy passed on last December, and he simply wanted to be reunited with her.

Their love story began around 1930 when Dorothy’s family moved from Hamilton to Victor. Not surprisingly, they met at one of the weekly dances held in the Odd Fellows Hall in Victor. It marked the beginning of decades of music and dance they would share. Their whirlwind romance would span over 70 years.

Prior to meeting Dorothy, John played the guitar and mandolin in a band comprised of two friends, his dad, uncle and two brothers, called the “String Bean Band.” The band was then richly enhanced when Dorothy came aboard. She was an amazing pianist, so good in fact that she played for the silent movies at the Victor Opera House. The Buker family band would entertain folks at various dance halls throughout the Bitterroot and as far away as Moise and Dixon during the 30s and 40s.

They lived many years on the Buker 160-acre homestead on Indian Prairie Loop, at the mouth of Big Creek Canyon, established by his grandfather in 1879. With them residing there, it marked six generations of Bukers that lived at the homestead.

To support his bride and family, John worked in various occupations throughout his lifetime, including mining at the Curlew Mine, driving a milk truck, raising hay, cattle, milk cows, and the trade that he was most notorious for, outfitting.

John and Dorothy purchased horses and saddles from Clayson Payne, and started their professional guide service in 1946. They named it “The Lazy Y 5 Ranch,” from the symbols of their brand. The purchase was a fairly bold move since the concept was somewhat new. That wise decision would bring over 25 years of backwoods and wilderness adventures, and lifelong memories for their clients - many from places like Illinois, New York, and Florida.

The first phase of the outfitting business catered to hunters. John first guided his clients into the Big Creek area, which is northwest of Victor, and later into the Blodgett and Bear Canyons, and into the Lochsa area in Idaho.

The business was a success; I’m sure in part because their clients had success. One year, in 1948, on the opening day in Idaho, nearly all of the 49 hunters on the trip bagged their elk.

The Lazy Y 5 Ranch evolved into taking clients on private summer fishing excursions and horseback riding trips up Big Creek, Bear Creek and Blodgett Canyons for the Wilderness Society.

Many trips were scheduled for 7 - 14 days, and planning was no small undertaking. As many as 35 people would be booked for a single trip, and up to 50 horses and pack stock were needed to haul the vast amount of food pack boxes, ropes, tents and other supplies. In time, other outfitting businesses sprung up and that caused a drain on natural food supplies for the horses. John’s outfitting business also had to haul food for his animals.

As the trip durations grew, so did John and Dorothy’s cleverness. It wasn’t feasible to have fresh food for a trip lasting 14 days, so they prearranged food drops with a friend at a midpoint where John would meet up with him.

One of Dorothy’s many roles was the camp chef. It would be unfair to call her a cook, since she prepared incredible gourmet meals for the guests. It is said her cooking was so good that sometimes clients didn’t want to leave camp. They just wanted to stay and eat. Her toughest job, though, was probably purchasing all the food required and packing it. Packing was an art. Weight had to be evenly distributed.

The outfitting business was a big part of their children’s lives, especially in the summer. All had active roles in helping out. John had a fun sense of humor, and often displayed it both at work and at home. Their son, Jack, recalls being very cold during the winter at the homestead and when he’d complain, his dad would tell him to jump up and down and flap his arms.

“I must have jumped 20 miles!” Jack said with a big grin.

One of the things John was proud of was that through all those years of outfitting, no client ever got seriously hurt. He’d have an occasional client get bucked off a horse, but that was about it.

“Dad would do anything for anybody. He’s just that way.” Kay said. “He had good values, was honest and loving.”

John Buker, known throughout the Bitterroot, was beloved by many. For example, he was Grand Marshall in the Chief Victor Day’s parade a couple of years ago. And, many of his clients became life-long friends.

A memorial service/celebration of John’s life will be held October 8th at 1:00 o’clock at the Victor Senior Center. The public is welcome.

A Paris kitchen in 1931. A brilliant young woman engaged in battle with an icon of revolutionary thought, Lev Trotsky. The weapons: ideas. No dry, academic arguments this night.

Passionate, even angry, their words reverberated off the walls of the flat. One thing, however, is unimaginable–that Simone Weil would resort to trite prevarications in an attempt to stymie her adversary. Despite her years, she understood that those who are educated owe a special debt to society; one must use language with the utmost care. “The ideas of limit, measure, degree, proportion, relation, comparison, contingency, interdependence and interrelation of means and ends...all the elementary principles of rational thought were missing from the social sphere...[one] peopled by myths and monsters.” Propagandists, through distortion and obfuscation perpetrate heinous crimes against the social order.

In a society such as ours which relies increasingly on these propagandists for our “news” and “information”, the citadel of intellectual freedom and integrity should be academia. The recent melee over the visit to the University of Montana of Harvard scholar Stephen Walt illuminates the cracks in this “proud tower.”

In March, Walt along with John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago authored an article in The London Review of Books on the Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and its detrimental effect on U.S. foreign policy. It raised serious questions too long ignored in mainstream discourse for fear of being tarred with the tag of “anti-Semitism.” This weapon instantly marginalizes anyone critical of Israel or its policies. Tragically, one of its consequences is to render the term and its deadly history meaningless.

The lobby, recognized as the second most powerful one in Washington behind the NRA, acts in a manner perfectly legal under U.S. law. As Michael Massing has shown in a New York Review of Books piece on the Mearsheimer-Walt article and its fallout, however, AIPAC’s actions, controlled by four powerful individuals are often at odds with the views of the majority of U.S. Jews, and also with certain Israeli governments.

Walt was invited by Professor Richard Drake to launch the 2006-2007 President’s Lecture Series. His visit guaranteed that the University of Montana would be at the forefront of an intellectual debate that is both international in scope and vital for U.S. objectives on the world stage. The attacks began almost immediately, but what was shocking about them was that they were launched by three faculty members at the University itself. Professors Stewart Justman, Linda Frey and Michael Mayer chose to battle not with ideas, but rather lobbed incendiary, unfounded charges--the most banal form of “argument”. In an Open Letter to University President George Dennison, the three labeled Walt an anti-Semite–a convenient tactic with a sordid history to avoid engaging in substantive arguments for which they are apparently ill-prepared.

They shamefully sought to equate Walt’s views with the vile Protocols of the Elders of Zion. They selectively borrowed from Massing’s analysis to confuse the issue while tellingly ignoring Massing’s main point; the power of the lobby and its impact on U.S. foreign policy cannot be denied. Finally, they demanded that a speaker be invited to counter Walt’s claims. Would Weil have abdicated in favor of a proxy in her quarrel with Trotsky? She would have thought the idea absurd.

Walt delivered his talk on AIPAC to a packed room. He systematically dismantled the arguments of his most vociferous critics in a professional, scholarly manner. He answered all questions posed of him without deferment. He did note with some irony that many of his most virulent critics as well as his staunchest supporters were Jewish.

It was stimulating, and should be held up as a model for the type of intellectual exchange of which there is a shrinking pool. It must be noted that not one of the triumvirs was in attendance to dispute him. Richard Drake should be commended along with the University for the courage to defend academic and intellectual integrity and freedom.

One final note: The last week in September each year is Banned Books Week. In communities across the country, Independent book shops and libraries highlight the reality that in many of those same communities books have been banned or challenged as “filthy,” “corrupting”, “violent”, etc. From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Zola, the Bible and Koran to Dr. Seuss and Mother Goose, no written work is safe from people who want to dictate what you can and cannot read. A few years ago, Hamilton successfully fought to keep I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in the high school curriculum; Laurel High School succumbed to censors and banned James Welch’s Fools Crow.

As demonstrated by events at the University, no forum is invulnerable. Read banned books. Aux armes citoyens! Celebrate your freedom to read.

As a single parent I am always asking myself the question, “Is the way that I am raising my son, the right way”? There is nothing more a parent wants, than to have his child turn out to be a good, kind successful person with all of the benefits life in America has to offer. After a recent bump in the road I took my son aside and we talked about the importance of goals. For a young person, direction can be so important in how they look at the world. I wanted my son to have direction in the hopes that he would not wander aimlessly through life falling into dark recesses before he found some form of direction. After a lengthy lecture on goal setting we sat down at the computer and wrote out his different goals and how he planned to get them accomplished. I am not sure how much of the lecture got through the mind of my 14-year-old son, only time will tell, but it made me think of many of my own goals, past and present.

For years now I have kept a book of goals, accomplishments, ideas and inspiration. The book came about one January, 15 years ago. I was trying to think of all that I had accomplished the previous year. In horror I sat, not able to think of one thing I had accomplished. In disbelieve I thought I had wasted the whole year. The next day I poured over my business check book as well as my personal checkbook hoping that the money trail would lead me to the accomplishments I couldn’t bring to mind. I was amazed at all I had done, and that by itself put my mind at ease. From that point on I made a point of setting some goals and keeping track of all my accomplishments. I also realized that it was important to know where you wanted to go, instead of getting wrapped up in the humdrum of everyday life.

My first task at setting goals was to differentiate between the types of goals I wanted. The word “Success” kept coming up in this thought process. I wanted to succeed at my goals, so I had to figure out what success meant in the term of goals. Success means different things to different people. My definition would be considerably different than what success meant to someone else. As I sifted through the thought process I categorized success into a variety of forms that I prioritized. My foremost priority was to be a healthy individual in body and mind. I then wrote down the steps I needed to accomplish the goal. My next priority was my family. I figured that if I didn’t have a healthy body and mind I would not be able to give my family all the attention they needed. The list of goals kept going and involved my business, recreation, material goods, spirituality and many more.

The next chapter in my personal book was labeled accomplishments. I began writing down all of my accomplishments throughout the year, so when January came along I had a report card to judge my success. One of the pleasures I have now, after 15 years of doing this is, I can see how setting goals, having directions to follow; can accomplish almost the impossible. Some of my goals in the past where monumental at the time the goal was set. Now, years later I look back and find that some of those goals, as large as they were, were accomplished and in some cases exceeded. There was one goal in particular that had a very dramatic effect on my life. To many people this goal would sound ludicrous, but to the few that would understand; I’ll try and explain.

I was browsing through the book “High Alaska” by Jonathan Waterman in 1990 when I came upon a picture of a beautiful unclimbed face on the east side of Denali (Mt. McKinley). My well-trained eye saw several very promising routes up the mountain that I felt I could climb. I immediately set my goal and decided to be the first person up that face. Part of my drive, was the knowing that I had the technical skill and drive to get the job done. Talk is cheap however, so I began making preparations for my first expedition to the mountain. The first trip entailed traveling from the Ruth Glacier, which ended up being the wrong direction to start from. We came close to the base of the mountain, but realizing our mistake we climbed a peak called “Dan Beard”. There were many failures to the unsuccessful trip, but the most important part of the trip was to strengthen my resolve to climb that unclimbed face. As I looked back on Denali, at its 20,000 feet, I was humbled by its shear magnitude. I began to question my own abilities as the wind swept spendthrift over its upper slopes. As time passed and memories faded I became obsessed with the goal of going back and climbing the face. I had learned much from the last trip and with that knowledge planned the next expedition with another friend. This time we made it to the face, almost being killed by an avalanche, a river crossing, and while on the climb a huge rock-fall. Needless to say my partner was not interested in dying to achieve my goals, so after climbing a thousand feet of hard technical climbing we called it quits and headed home.

Over the next few years my obsession with this goal became so great that I was bound and determined to do it again. In 1997 I found someone else that would be wrapped up in my goal enough to give it a shot. By now, I had been there twice and had a good knowledge on how to travel, pack and prepare for the enormous endeavor of climbing that 5000’ unclimbed face. We set our goal of climbing the face, then heading from the face to the summit and then traversing the entire peak from east to west. We prepared 200 lbs of gear to be dogsledded into the mountain a month in advance. Most of the 200 lbs consisted of food and climbing hardware, but it made the long journey to the base of the climb a little more manageable.

The expedition was successful, but it was a life changing experience. We climbed the face and headed to the summit, but along the way we were caught in a fierce storm that lasted for 10 days. We had brought 25 days of food and the trip took us 43 days over 150 miles traveled. In total I had lost 50 lbs weighing a mere 135 lbs upon my return. I had lost so much muscle mass it took almost a year before I was able to feel strong again. My family took a terrible toll in the respect that they had thought that both of us had died on the mountain.

In the final analysis many of you would wonder the purpose behind the goal. It was dangerous, monumental and expensive. What meaning in life, is there behind doing such a climb? Well, there really is no meaning or practical explanation behind this ridiculous endeavor, but it changed me in more ways than I can explain. Somewhere along the way I had to prove something to myself about myself. I needed to define who I was as a climber and as an individual. Sometimes the goal is not as important as what the goal will do for the person making the goal. Many of our goals have little or no meaning to anyone else, but hopefully they will educate us into a better understanding of who we are and what our life means to the rest of the world.

This time of year I begin to really get antsy about the month of October. So much is going on. We have the opening of big game rifle season, the last of the huckleberries are to be hunted down and eaten, antelope season, deer and elk, WOW. Heaven is just around the corner for outdoor hunters and fishermen. Yes, that’s correct, I said fishermen. A lot of folks do not realize that fish are getting ready for winter and are putting on the feed bag. So much to do and not enough time.

 

All I have to say is pick the pursuit, whether it is last minute berry picking, hunting, fishing, or just a hike in the woods, enjoy Montana. I do like to remind the out of doors folks that the weather can change in a minute, so be prepared for all that Mother Nature may throw at you. I always have cold weather gear ready in the truck, just in case there may be a vehicle break down, and don’t forget a bit of freeze dried food and high energy snacks should be easily available. Always be as prepared as you can be because nature can sure throw you a few curves.

 

I am especially careful when on a sojourn in the woods because I get very easily turned around, as some like to call getting lost. I mean I can get lost in a one bedroom house. The main thing is I readily admit it and bring plenty of cotton twine and bread crumbs to find my way back home. Just kidding, I never have enough room for the twine.

 

The following is a true story that has been a bit embellished, to make the reading of my ineptness and lack of outdoor knowledge at my young age, a bit easier to read. It happened many years ago in Oregon and I was given explicit instructions about where to meet a few hunting pals at the end of a day’s hunt. Now, you must realize that these good old boys were born and raised in this country and knew it well. I had never seen or hunted in such terrain and, of course, was too proud to say anything about my lack of knowledge.

 

Well, off I go in pursuit of game and my meeting later in the day with my guides. I obviously was in for a surprise. I had only a T- shirt on, (the weather was a balmy 65 degrees), covered by an orange hunting vest, a sandwich in my pants pocket and plenty of ammo, matches and knife.

 

As I hiked I failed to notice that the trees got thicker, the clouds had gotten lower and darker and all land marks I was to follow soon disappeared. I was completely lost, er, turned. I did not panic. I sat down, assessed my situation and began to weep, scream and completely fall apart. When I got myself under control I did notice that the weather had changed from nice to cold and wet and I saw ice forming on my arms. I believe they call it sleet.

 

I decided to back track my steps and soon was hungry enough and thought it was time to eat my sandwich. I should have been a bit more observant because I sat on a downed log that was directly under a Yellow Jacket nest that hadn’t quite gone into hibernation. They really enjoyed attacking my sandwich and me.

I must have been a sight to see, running, tumbling, doing back flips and rapidly regaining my body heat while leaving the ham from the sandwich to the Yellow Jackets and retaining the bread for myself. I probably scored a 10-10-10-10-10 on the judges’ score card for originality for my acrobatic antics. I forgot to mention that when I sat down on the log that there was a hole in my pants and a colony of big carpenter ants took refuge and commenced to attack certain parts of my anatomy. This will give you a good picture of a guy doing flips through the air in his shorts while swatting at ants and Yellow Jackets, and at the same time holding on to his ham sandwich. Now you know why the judges would have awarded such high scores.

 

This brings me to another thing I learned. Did you know that bears can smell a ham sandwich from miles away? They get very hungry before hibernation. I could swear that the bear said, as I sped out of sight,” No mayo next time and, ‘Where’s the ham?’”

 

So, in retrospect, all I can advise is “Bring a compass or GPS when in the field, watch where you sit and bring the bear spray along !!!!!!! “

 

When I met my friends later on, they asked me about the bites and bruises and I simply said “I got a bit turned around.”

 

Being that we are relating about a good sandwich, let us parlay into Montana Mountain Man Sandwich.

 

What you need:

One pound tenderized venison steak cut into quarter pound pieces

One pound smoked game sausage-quarter pound links cut lengthwise (Polish or German will work well)

One large tomato - sliced

Four slices Cheddar or Swiss cheese

Leaf lettuce

One large sweet onion sliced

Four kaiser rolls

Sweet relish

Flour

 

What you do:

Coat each steak and fry until brown on each side and cook till medium done.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper while cooking. Next fry the split sausage and remove from skillet. Fry the onions in the same pan so they absorb all the great flavors. Put sweet relish on the rolls with the lettuce, add the steak, cheese, sausage, grilled onions and tomato slice. Grab a cold beverage and enjoy.

 

Until next month:

Remember just to keep what you need and leave the rest for seed. Conserve when harvesting from our great outdoors.

 

If you would like to contact Wildlife Chef Vince for any Q’s and A’s, he can be reached at his website at www.Wildlifechefvince.com