I NEED A RIDE TO MARDI GRAS DESPERATLY. ANYONE LEAVING AUSTIN THURSDAY OR FRI THAT CAN FIT AND ADDITIONAL 1 OR 2 PEOPLE IN THEIR CAR, PLEASE CALL 482-9971. ILL PAY FOR GAS AND SUCH. I NEED TO GET TO NEW ORLEANS AS I HAVE MADE OBLIGATIONS AND JUST NOW MY RIDE IS FLAKING OUT. ASK FOR JAVED. THANKS SO MUCH

My post keeps disappearing. It was really relevent and fairly well spoken. I posted it 3 times. Obviously I am just to be seen as some dumb blonde, bite me.

Thank you. It makes sense now.

Makes me wonder how I've gone through so many years not knowing how Easter's date was determined.

ummmmm, no.

Assuming you're not Eastern Orthodox and still use the Julian calander, western Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox on March 21. If the full moon occurs on a Sunday, Easter is the following Sunday. Lent starts 46 days before. The Tuesday before Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.

mardi gras is late this year because of the church calander. certain years, there are three or four i believe, are longer than others, it doesn't follow the year we have. It all has to do with those Bible readings.... if you read so much a day you have the whole thing read in those 3-4 years

Props to Marc for being on the news...

bowen just needs to grow some sack and admit that the administration won't allow another bonfire because they refuse to let a school-related activity put students in the way of possible harm (or perceived harm, which is what most people outside a&m think bringing bonfire back would do). i do not agree with this, but i do understand that the safety of students has to come before anything else a university does. after bonfire fell, i never thought it would burn again...it was evident by the way the administration casually let logistical problems with a "new" bonfire go unattended to the point where it was impossible to meet the new standards it had set. what really angers me now is the fact that they're hiding behind misleading facts and phantom monetary issues, when in reality it was just something the administration felt it had to avoid anyone getting hurt again. ending bonfire is a decision that saddens me...it's the lies that piss me off.

Hello All,
I haven't posted in awhile but with news of Bonfire I thought it appropriate.

Correct me if I'm wrong but way back when the T-sips also had a bonfire of their own, and if I'm not mistaken the 'tradition' was stopped beacuse A.) the city of austin banned that big of a fire B.) Afraid someone would get hurt and thankfully nobody did, and C.) Years since then it's hardly remembered
I know the Aggie bonfire has been around alot longer than any other burning pile of wood I've ever seen and I have been to one bonfire, but it is for the safety of the students and all involved. Bluto is also right the negative press showing A&M as a backwoods redneck school would far extend past the hardly watched sidelines show. One of my friends in Florida watched an episode of sidelines and asked me if Texas was more like Arkansas then he was led to believe to which I replied "no just certain parts of the state still believe in if you can't keep it in your pants keep it in the family" Anyways. Yes it's a tradition that is missed for another year, but I don't think it's gone for good. As soon as some sort of safety guidelines and a certified engineer plans the actual construction it will be back.

Boomer Sooner!

I just get the sinking feeling that all this good-intentioned protesting and rallying in front of "national media" is just going to stir up the media frenzy that occurred back in '99, when the entire USA looked at A&M and Bonfire and wondered what kind of backwoods, redneck school we must be to be protesting about a pile of logs. People outside of A&M have no clue what Bonfire means, they just wonder why students are expending energy protesting the end of a burning woodpile. While I disagree with that view, I also think that A&M doesn't need (1) more negative publicity, (2) more national media portraying Aggies as redneck farmers, and (3) a painful reminder of the Bonfire tragedy. Sad to say, but no amount of protesting is going to overturn Bowen's decision. Although it is good to see that Aggies still have some shred of pride left in their school and traditions.

here's the batt front page

this was sent to me, just passin it on...

Howdy Ags!

Despite objections from alumni and current students, Ray Bowen has said that Aggie Bonfire is never to burn again. We are not going out like that. Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4pm at Rudder Fountain we will be having a Save-the-Bonfire rally in front of statewide media for all the alumni to see. Maybe all together, we can change things. Bowen said there would be a 2 year halt on bonfire, but he has lied, and now it is time for us to stand up to him.

We need EVERY Aggie there. This goes beyond any classes, so skip them. Without swift action now, the Aggie Bonfire will NEVER EVER BURN AGAIN!

That was intelligent...

I just don't see the point in wasting time protesting something that has no chance of being changed. Do you honestly think Bowen would ever change his mind because people held a Yell Practice on his lawn? Sure, people brought about changes in the 1960s through protest, but we're not exactly talking about civil rights or Vietnam here, we're talking about a decision that was made that probably was not influenced at all by student input. This decision was made Nov. 19, 1999. There was never going to be another Bonfire, not after what happened. The "new and improved" Bonfire was just sugar-coating to keep the donations rolling in from Former Students, and as a way for Bowen to save face until he conveniently retired right as the shit hits the fan. Those of us living in reality have known all this for over 2 years, and that's why we're not crying about it or staging meaningless protests. We've seen it coming from a mile away for the past 2 years.

That's just reality...Bowen could give a shit what the students want. To him, students are just dollar signs and tuition bills. Bowen and the rest of the world already know that Aggies support Bonfire. You don't need picket signs and marches to prove that. Believe me, I wish Bonfire was still a tradition, but if it wasn't gonna be built the way it used to be, than there was no point in having it. It's like if they replaced the collie with a monkey and called the monkey Reveille. Same, but different. And pointless. Might as well scrap the whole thing than do it in a half-assed politically-correct manner. At least in 10 years people will respect Bonfire for what is WAS, rather than for how pathetic it has become.

jon, you're just another t-sip...

Sorry, but I am not crying in my beer over the end of Bonfire. I got to work on the *real* Bonfire for 4 years. Having a pathetic wannabe Bonfire with hardly any student involvement would have been pointless for the current and future students. You'd just be staring at another pile of wood burning that had no meaning because you didn't put your blood, sweat, and tears into every phase of construction from start to finish.

Besides, all the students at A&M are claiming to be so upset about the end of Bonfire, but when surveyed earlier only 30% of students said they'd be willing to spend $40 a year if it meant providing the funds to continue Bonfire. People would not spend 40 LOUSY DOLLARS to continue the tradition they are now crying about. Sorry, but that's hypocritical. 40 bucks is a small price to pay if you truly loved the tradition and wanted to keep it going. Apparently Bonfire wasn't all THAT important to the 70% of students who couldn't part with $40.

Eagle Article

Another Bonfire Rally at Rudder Fountain at 4pm Tuesday

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http://www.whatisplanb.com/dailyread/
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Aggies unite in response to bonfire decision
By Melissa Sullivan

Hundreds of Aggies united on Monday night to show their Aggie spirit by marching across campus to President Bowen's home to hold a yell practice on his front lawn in response to his decision to not let bonfire burn this fall.

The march started in front of Walton Hall and continued through campus with the large crowd singing the War Hymn and The Spirit of Aggieland as more Aggies joined in along the way.

The yell concluded with a few words from President Bowen, who said he knows what it's like because he worked on a bonfire and wears his Aggie ring proudly. Bowen, however, compared the rally to a similar one held in the past when students rallied when women were allowed to attend the university.

He concluded by thanking the crowd for showing unity in a non-violent way and said he hopes one day we can understand why he made the choice he did.

8:30pm - Bolt of lighting strikes bluto in the ass because God too is an Aggie!

8:24pm - Bowen hurls empty whiskey bottles at people singing "Spirit of Aggieland", and then bans the song.

BONFIRE UNITY RALLY... TONIGHT 8:00, near Walton on northside... yell practice followed by march to Bowen's house to sing SPIRIT OF AGGIELAND!

Here's a private school tip. Give school lots of money, bonfire magically appears on budget.

weather is pretty bad... and not enough people... but some came and grabbed a sign to walk around with... that's pretty much my plan... just to walk around with a sign to class, from class, whatever... BUT, a real protest should be organized with time and date... any suggestions people?

Yeah, go march around campus with signs...and make sure you come up with a catchy slogan to chant. I'm sure Bowen will give in immediately.

Bowen: "Well, I would like to announce that, contrary to what I stated yesterday, there WILL in fact be a Bonfire 2002. Why did I suddenly change my mind? Well, 5 students marched past my office shouting 'Give us Bonfire, or give us death!' and I folded like a deck of cards. After all, I always do what my students want!"

Bwahahahahaha...