ps... thanks dvenetian for starting this. I hope this adds to your thread in a most positive way.

I notice modal discussions spawn and die frequently in other forums. People love talking about them and taking turns trying to explain them. I found there is a group of music theory purists who try to dispell any way of learning modes except by memorizing the intervals. To me this is just crazy.
Learning theory should be about finding the easiest, most practical way to apply concepts.