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  1. MarkR

    Getting weird vibes at first meeting.

    Around here, once or twice a month is more routine.
  2. MarkR

    Ham radio?

    I was first licensed in 1962. I recently got back active after over 20 years of just occasional VHF/UHF FM operation. I have an Extra Class license and am a CW only guy on HF.
  3. MarkR

    Becoming a prince hall mason

    http://www.phgltennessee.org/index2.html
  4. MarkR

    "The Freemason" Starring Sean Austin

    I watched it tonight. It was an entertaining 90 minutes. Of course, there was "artistic license" taken with Masonic reality for the purpose of drama; I was able to set that aside. I don't want to include any spoilers for those who haven't seen it but plan to. I will say that the ending was...
  5. MarkR

    The working tool magazine

    It depends on what you're looking for. The Working Tools tends to focus more on the esoteric, with a lot of personal interpretations of things by the authors. If you're a fan of the "authentic school" of Masonic research, with a lot of citing of source documents to back up the information put...
  6. MarkR

    What would you like to see changed in the Masonic experience?

    It was a technological advancement when they stopped drawing on the floor with chalk and mopping up afterward, and started using pre-painted cloth tracing boards that they could roll out to do the lectures. Those became referred to as carpets. They were eventually put up on easels, then came...
  7. MarkR

    "The Freemason" Starring Sean Austin

    I've already bought it, haven't watched it yet.
  8. MarkR

    Shriners on WCCO's Good Question

    Jerry Oliver is the SGIG of the Orient of Minnesota. His Masonic resume includes pretty much everything you can think of.
  9. MarkR

    What would you like to see changed in the Masonic experience?

    Minnesota just prohibits alcohol in the actual Lodge room. Elsewhere in the building is okay. We bring our own beverages and have a couple in our "Rough Ashlar Lounge" downstairs after meetings. We also have a wine-tasting annually as a charity fundraiser.
  10. MarkR

    The freemason movie

    My copy showed up in the mail yesterday. I haven't had time to look at it yet.
  11. MarkR

    A brother but should he be?

    Properly guarding the west gate is not being a bad guy. It sounds like this is not a man who will contribute to the harmony of the Lodge.
  12. MarkR

    Grand Master

    Look to your Lodge by-laws. If the brethren wish to do something, and vote it to be so, I don't see what he can do about it as long as you're not violating any Grand Lodge Code. Now, if he's getting people to vote his way, that's the breaks of the game.
  13. MarkR

    License plates... yea or nay?

    No, just the general dislike for cops.
  14. MarkR

    License plates... yea or nay?

    Brother, I was a cop in Illinois for 25 years, and I can tell you that you're more likely to get your car vandalized for the Illinois Police Association plates than the Masonic ones. I have ham radio plates on my car, so I don't get MM plates, but I have a very noticeable S&C vinyl decal in my...
  15. MarkR

    Dark lodges

    We had our last "pre-dark" communication tonight. It was quite uncomfortable in the Lodge room, and it hasn't really gotten hot yet.
  16. MarkR

    What not to say...

    On the original question, the symbols mentioned are all explained in the Minnesota Masonic Manual, which is available in PDF format on the GL web site for anyone to download. So, at least in Minnesota, it's perfectly okay to discuss them with anybody.
  17. MarkR

    Dark lodges

    Yep, July and August. No air conditioning, and the lodge room gets unbelievably hot in the summer. Our June and September meetings are often pretty uncomfortable.
  18. MarkR

    Masonic Catch-E-Kism

    I apologize; thanks for straightening me out, brother.
  19. MarkR

    Masonic Catch-E-Kism

    I've found that "catch questions" seem to be a PHA thing. I don't like them, because something "clever" that is well-known among the brethren of one jurisdiction might be totally foreign to a traveling brother, and he ends up being needlessly embarrassed. I also don't like challenging people in...
  20. MarkR

    Am i wrong?

    In Minnesota, the current sitting Grand Master of AF&AM also belongs to a PHA Lodge, and the current PHA Junior Grand Warden is a District Representative in AF&AM.
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