Today the Times runs a profile of Richard
Weise, the youngest president of the Explorers Club here in New
York (which also has some 30 chapters worldwide). Wiess, a former TV journalist, is trying to remake the venerable
institution’s image to make it more, well, hip (nevermind my disdain for that term), or at least more appealing to
younger folk (given that the average member’s age is currently 62). To be a member, however, applicants “must show
they have advanced the knowledge of the natural sciences, exploration or conservation.” So that leaves out most of us.