McCandless grew up in well-to-do family in the affluent Washington, DC suburb of Annandale. His father, Samuel Walter McCandless, a former rocket scientist and one time bigamist, ran a lucrative consulting firm with Chris's mother, Billie McCandless (nee Johnson). Both parents came from working class backgrounds and worked long hours to provide a life of luxury for Chris and his sister Carine—a fact that Chris would one day look upon with scorn, c ...

See also:

Christopher McCandless, Christopher McCandless - Childhood & Education, Christopher McCandless - Travels, Christopher McCandless - His Legacy

Read more here: » Christopher McCandless: Encyclopedia II - Christopher McCandless - Childhood & Education

Including:

Asexuality - Debate Asexuality - Research Asexuality - Variations Asexuality - Asexuality and religion Asexuality - Famous asexuals Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia - Asexuality

The bestseller Into the Wild was published in 1996 and secured Krakauer's reputation as an outstanding adventure writer. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family who, after graduating from college, donated all of the money in his bank account to charity, changed his name to "Alexander Supertramp," and began a journey in the American West. Nearly two years later, McCandless was found dead in the Alaska wilderness. In the book, Krakauer draws parallels between his own exper ...

See also:

Jon Krakauer, Jon Krakauer - Early life, Jon Krakauer - Mountaineering, Jon Krakauer - Magazine writing, Jon Krakauer - Bestselling nonfiction, Jon Krakauer - Selected bibliography

Read more here: » Jon Krakauer: Encyclopedia II - Jon Krakauer - Bestselling nonfiction

There are differences among people that identify as asexual, chiefly among them the presence or absence of a sex drive or romantic attraction. Some experience only one of these, while others experience both, and still others neither. There is disagreement as to which of these configurations can genuinely be described as asexual. While a number of people believe all four variations qualify, many others believe that to be asexual, one must lack a ...

See also:

Asexuality, Asexuality - Debate, Asexuality - Research, Asexuality - Variations, Asexuality - Asexuality and religion, Asexuality - Famous asexuals, Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia II - Asexuality - Variations

In 1974, he was part of a group of seven friends pioneering peaks in the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks Range in Alaska and was invited by American Alpine Journal to write about those experiences. Though he neither expected nor received a fee, he was excited when the Journal published his article. One year after graduating from college, he pioneered climbing the Devil's Thumb in the Stikine Icecap region of Alaska, an experience he described in Eiger Dreams and Into the Wild. He is noted for climbing the west face of Cerro Torre in the Andes of Argentine Patagonia in 1992, then considered on ...

See also:

Jon Krakauer, Jon Krakauer - Early life, Jon Krakauer - Mountaineering, Jon Krakauer - Magazine writing, Jon Krakauer - Bestselling nonfiction, Jon Krakauer - Selected bibliography

Read more here: » Jon Krakauer: Encyclopedia II - Jon Krakauer - Mountaineering

Perhaps the earliest example of an asexual character can be found in Hippolytus, who shuns all women and devotes his life to chastity. In fiction, John Braine's novel The Jealous God (1964) is a good example of sex mainly seen as a sin. On the other hand, in his science fiction novel Distress (1995), Greg Egan imagines a 22nd century world where "asex" is one out of seven acknowledged gender settings. To quote from Distress: "Asex was really nothing but an umbrella term for a broad group of phi ...

See also:

Asexuality, Asexuality - Debate, Asexuality - Research, Asexuality - Variations, Asexuality - Asexuality and religion, Asexuality - Famous asexuals, Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia II - Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

A study done on rams found that about 2% to 3% of the individuals being studied had no apparent interest in mating with either sex. Another study was done on rats and gerbils, in which up to 12% of the males showed no interest in females. Their interactions with other males were not measured, however, so the study is of limited use when it comes to asexuality (Westphal, 2004). A UK survey of sexuality included a question on sexual attraction, and 1% of respondents replied that they had "never felt sexually attracted to anyone at all" ...

See also:

Asexuality, Asexuality - Debate, Asexuality - Research, Asexuality - Variations, Asexuality - Asexuality and religion, Asexuality - Famous asexuals, Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia II - Asexuality - Research

Several religions or religious sects believe that asexuality is a spiritually superior condition, and some asexuals believe that their lack of "base desires" allows them to feel a deeper spirituality, although other asexuals consider that an elitist attitude. For example, it is likely that in past centuries, many Catholic priests, monks, and nuns were asexuals, including many canonized saints. In other creeds, children are considered a gift from God that should not be refused, a means of spreading religion, or both; it should be noted, thoug ...

See also:

Asexuality, Asexuality - Debate, Asexuality - Research, Asexuality - Variations, Asexuality - Asexuality and religion, Asexuality - Famous asexuals, Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia II - Asexuality - Asexuality and religion

There is disagreement over whether asexuality is a legitimate sexual orientation. Some argue that it falls under the heading of hypoactive sexual disorder or sexual aversion disorder. Among those who do not believe it to be an orientation, other suggested causes include past sexual abuse, sexual repression (of homosexuality or otherwise), hormonal problems, delayed development of attraction, and not having met the right person. Many self-identified asexuals, meanwhile, deny that such diagnoses apply to them; others argue that because their a ...

See also:

Asexuality, Asexuality - Debate, Asexuality - Research, Asexuality - Variations, Asexuality - Asexuality and religion, Asexuality - Famous asexuals, Asexuality - Asexuality in fiction

Read more here: » Asexuality: Encyclopedia II - Asexuality - Debate

After graduating from college in 1990, Chris took off on a road trip around the country, determined to be a rubber tramp—a vagrant with a car. He donated the $25,000 USD in his savings account to Oxfam and hit the road. He severed contact with friends and family back home; letters to his sister indicate that he harbored a great deal of resentment to his parents in particular. His travels took him out west, to California and Arizona, where he abandoned his vehicle after it was damaged by a flash flood in a dry wash near the Grand Can ...

See also:

Christopher McCandless, Christopher McCandless - Childhood & Education, Christopher McCandless - Travels, Christopher McCandless - His Legacy

Read more here: » Christopher McCandless: Encyclopedia II - Christopher McCandless - Travels