Eagle1982

So, if Obama is now in Europe at the G20 summit, who is running GM?

There's already precedence. John Ricardo left the Chrysler Chairman spot and Lee Iacocca, then the president of Chrysler, assumed the CEO spot. The govt just did a quieter job of getting rid of Ricardo than they did Wagoner.

We need a U.S. automobile industry, for a few reasons.

(1) If you think in a downturn Japan will layoff Japanese workers to keep American workers employed, you are kidding yourself. (although, they did do some short term layoffs in Japan)

(2) From 2006 SAE data, for every domestic direct auto job, there were 10-12 jobs that were crested by it. For the Honda and Toyota transplants that number was 4-5.

(3) The U.S. needs the potential for mass manufacturing and assembly as a function of homeland security. Last thing we need is to be making everything in China, then enter a war with China.

However, why bail out a company that has been farming more and more stuff overseas? If GM was going to make a real commitment to more manufacturing in the U.S. I'd like it better, so I guess there would be strings attached.

I guess no one in the "Issues & Politics" section wanted to discuss GM and Obama, so it's leaking into our weather paranoid helicopter dad thread

To keep it on track, for troops with trailers, are there benefits to having a small weather station installed in it? Wet Bulb, dry bulb, wind speed, barometer... That would be cool too. I saws where Bushnell was selling a GPS that allowed weather updates (with graphics) via connecting with XM radio. If you are over prepared, then you don't need to be paranoid (unless the weather is really out to get you).

If you don't need it, do a good turn with it.

Book Drive for the Library, flowers to beautify the town, tools to clear a trail, etc.

DO the good turn, include the local paper, and turn it into good PR.

Exactly. For safety at tournaments, we don't allow choking (for certain ages), or we stop the action once the choke is applied, and we drill people about tapping out early in their training. Even in the full contact MMA events, people often lose by a choke submission, but it's very uncommon they get completely "choked out" unconscious.

On the "street", striking people is easier and sometimes safer (for the defender), you can do it from farther away. However, if I am forced to strike someone, I'm going to do it such that it hurts and quite possibly inflicts serious damage. If it's possible to get some form of restraint (joint lock or choke), without myself getting hurt in the process, then it's usually better for both parties. Properly applied, a good blood choke, like a rear naked choke, only takes about 2 seconds to work. Air chokes take a bit longer.

I'd love to see the BSA allow and even encourage martial arts participation in Sports Merit badges and other things. As a country we are raising a group of sterilized, feminized boys. Heroes like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the Lone Ranger don't exist anymore (since they took Walker, Texas Ranger off the air). Boys only have Ryan Seacrest, the Biggest Loser, Dancing Celebrities, 90210 and overpaid whiney sports stars to look up to. Scouting helps, what we need is to get the boys on the mats too.

Can you be "Too prepared"? If this Scout's father wants to donate a lightning detector to the troop, more power to him. Better yet, make him happy and have fun with the Scouts by making a lightning detector, plans found here - http://www.techlib.com/electronics/lightning.html - sometimes I wouldn't mind having a little more advanced notice.

Having a 2 minute talk at each campout on where to meet for emergencies, where to take cover for tornadoes and whatnot is prudent.

In college, I worked on an experiment and had to buy several yards of nylon from a simple fabric store. Once the experiment was over, I had an idea, and bought a waterproof treatment for the nylon, and used it as a simple tarp. You may be able to do the same.

However, isn't one of the problems with a "simple" tarp idea of minimal poles and a few tie downs that they are not very functional in strong winds? This is when our Scouts want to be in a tarp shelter, especially if it's not Summer, as it can be considerably colder.

I like strike anywhere matches in a waterproof container over the waterproof matches (they are harder to light)

I like the mini torch stormproof matches.

I've used all sorts of fire starters. For bigger fires and faster coals , you can't beat the waxed, stuffed, egg crate homemade firestarters.

If you are at a Judo tournament, and you see choke holds allowed where people are actually getting choked out, then you are at a poorly run tournament. Choke holds are usually not allowed for children (usually 13 or 14 is the age break) and the ref stops the action once the choke is applied, also there is still the concept of "tapping out".

While I know fewer people get hurt doing karate tournaments, and they use pads and all, it's the concept that you are doing an activity whose sole purpose is learning to cause harm to people. If one is taking karate, and not learning to hurt people, then they are not doing karate. The purpose of football, soccer, hockey, lacrosse and other sports is to move an object (ball/puck) into a specified location (endzone/net), the purpose of running/swimming is to be faster than the others. None of them have as their main goal, the idea of learning and practicing how to cause harm to others. Whether that's the actual reason, all those years ago, the decision to exclude karate or not I can't say. However, based on their stance regarding guns and "gun fights" it's reasonable.

Honestly, I think for most situations, it really depends on which color you like, the Alps blue or the REI yellow. They are similar in function, both easy to set up, and both of high quality.

Both the REI Halfdome and the Alps Tarus use a coated polyester fly. The REI tent uses coated nylon for the floor and walls, whereas the Tarus sticks with polyester.

One feature on the Tarus I like is the zips for the windows, to close them off if it's colder. The REI half dome has more mesh, which can't be closed off.

Between the two items above, it explains why the Alps is a fair amount heavier then the Half Dome, heavier yet again when using the Fiberglass poles over aluminum. Which is why the Alps Tarus tent is listed on Alps' camping tent page, and not their backpacking tent page. I don't know if the extra weight will matter a whole lot, even if you do take them backpacking, depending on your trips.

Sounds like you have a good tent for many years to come, that the boys will enjoy. Oh, and vestibules rock! Versus Scouts throwing their gear about tent.

The problem of course is that in Karate and other traditional martial arts is that you are learning how to strike people with the intent of hurting them. Whether you are actually hurting them during practice is irrelevant, the intent is that you are learning to damage, possibly permanently, other human beings. I can only conjecture, but that is probably something the Scouting org was frowning upon.

Although there are more injuries in Soccer, Hockey, Gymnastics and many other sports, at least the goal of those sports is not to cause injury.

What perhaps is needed is some kind of differentiation between martial arts training and the sport aspect that "little 6 year old black belt Jimmy does."

"Does anyone KNOW (not guess) why martial arts is not allowed?"

I believe the change happened in 1974, from some research I have done on the subject. I doubt the people that made the change are still around to ask what and why. My best guess is political correctness starting to run amok.

"besides - who teaches Judo anymore?"

Judo is the number two widely practiced (not spectator, but actually practiced) sport in the world, it is only behind soccer. After Track & Field, it has the most countries participate in the Olympics.

So it's a safe bet there are people around that still teach it

Oh, and let's not forget one thing. At some point, Baden Powell thought quarterstaff training for Self Defense was a worthwhile endeavor.

I think it's one of things where the uninformed make policy for a whole.

Scouts are not allowed to have gun fights. Whether squirt guns, laser tag guns or whatever. Using that same logic, punching and kicking each other is out too.

Judo and Aikido are not striking arts. Since wrestling is allowed, it makes sense to allow other sports that use take downs and pins as opposed to strikes. Of course using this logic, grappling should be allowed.

Nafaking, yeah, dehydrate at home, it's way cheaper (or thriftier). If you were to do a weekend (2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 night snacks) using the store bought prepared backpacking foods from a company like Mountainhouse (http://www.mountainhouse.com/bkp_fds.cfm) you'd spend for a sample weekend:

Rice and Chicken - $6.00

Cheesecake - $3.25 (6.50 bag for 2)

Scrambled eggs - $5.00

Chowder - $3.55 (7.10 bag for 2)

Chicken Teriyaki w Rice $6.00

Granola w Blueberries $4.50

Chili Mac $3.00

Total: $31.30 if you went with all backpacking prepared stuff (which you probably would not). That's why a lot of people got he dehydrator route and prepare their own.

Good selections:

For fun I'd add in, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - it's hilarious.

Also:

Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle

Gklose,

For weekend backpacking (2 nights) I'm not worried about protein content or calorie count. Let the Scouts eat what they want and like. If I were doing a long trek, or many days, then I would start to take it more into consideration. You need enough long lasting carbs to make it through the day. Protein with dinner is good for repairing your body as you sleep.

I have in the past mixed a little protein powder with milk or egg powder. Also, slipped some in a soup or two. Increase the calorie count if it's going to be cold, or you are gaining a lot of elevation. Keep some emergency gel packs in case someone bonks.

For my own meals, I have dehydrated leftover meat (and other things) at home and taken them on the trail.

Dehydrate leftover taco meat and sweet corn kernels.

Add that to a powdered cheddar cheese soup mix with water and start cooking.

When hot, take a package of corn bread mix, add some powdered milk and water to make it a thick dough, and spoon on top of the soup like making dumplings. Season with a touch of Tabasco and yummy!!!

Cook a roast in the crock pot. Take the leftovers, shred and dehydrate, dehydrate some BBQ sauce too. Put in pot with water, rehydrate and heat, put on bread and make a sandwich. If you weigh the food prior to dehydrating and after, you will get an idea of how much water to use to rehydrate. Or put in tortilla with some rice and cheese and have a burrito.

Dehydrate leftover shredded pork. Dehydrade some coleslaw. Take a bun and make a good'ole southern pork sandwich.

Hummus keeps for a few days. Hummus on bagels or crackers is good. Cheese keeps for several days also. Take cheese to go with your sandwiches, it makes a big difference in taste.

You mean where someone holds the kids money during the week, and gives it to them when they need it? No, we do not do that. By that age, we hope they can handle basic money management.

Fans of the new Battlestar Galactica have used "Frackin'" on campouts. I've heard FUBAR, popularized in Saving Private Ryan, used to describe food before.

Teenagers can make anything sound dirty and nasty if they really want to. I suppose we could just ask them to use fewer non-descriptive adjectives in their speech.

I think it would be cool to see functional buglers at campouts and summercamp. Might even be fun for the boys too, we'd have to try it and see.

Most trumpets play the bugle notes without using the valves. Downside is some of the notes are high, and fast. You can't take a first year trumpet player and expect them to play bugle calls perfect, but that's OK, as I'd rather try and have fun, than not try.

Between Aluminum and Fiberglass poles, Aluminum poles are lighter and usually connect with a flush mount versus the fiberglass poles that have the metal connector that gets caught in the tent sleeves when scouts push them through.

It's really the cold weather suitability, fiberglass becomes more brittle in the cold, and can break under weight or they split lengthwise. I've seen the latter happen more than once. However, it may not be as big a problem as in the past, or some people never run into those problems, so it's not a big deal.

Kenk, the partial fly combination on a high end tent is, as you pointed out, to reduce weight. In cheap wallyworld tents, it's strictly to cut costs. On those tents, the fly covers the netting at the top of the tent, and when scouts lean stuff against the walls during the rain, a capillary action allows water to seep in. And invariably it's always someone's scout handbook that gets soaked. That's why I like the full fly, especially in very rainy weather.

Whistle codes and bugler? I see a thread split coming.

Does any summer camp use a bugler for "all" of the codes, other than playing for flags and playing taps on the last day at campfire?

I'd love to see a summer camp bugle for meals, assembly, games... It's a lost art.

Really, I notice a lot of boys just don't have much hustle. I wonder if a whistle code or bugle code could help that.

Raisin, are you looking for car camping tents or backpacking tents? How many boys, ideally, would you want per tent? I seem to recall you posting about your winter event, so are these to be used in snow and winter also?

Things I'd consider:

(1) Stay away from floors that are made out of that tarp material. They wear and get holes easy.

(2) No inside and outside poles. Some tents seem to have extra little poles for awnings, or windows or whatever, some are inside, some are outside, and it makes it too confusing. Keep the poles simple - two or three for the structure.

(3) Get a full rainfly, cheap tents have rainflys that only cover the netting, causing capillary action and wetness for the guys who lean against the walls.

(4) Aluminum poles over Fiberglass (especially in the cold)

(5) Vestibule if possible so boots can stay outside, yet dry.

There are a lot of tents that have those, but I'm not sure how well they meet your cost concern.

Alps Tarus 2 and 4

REI Halfdome 2 and 4, BaseCamp 4 and 6

Kelty Teton 2 and 4, Grand Mesa

Coleman Trailblazer (probably crappy poles though)