fgoodwin

dan, thanx for your comments. Setting aside for a moment the issue of the transgendered, what I (as an uneducated layman) take away from the Reimer case is that boys are boys and girls are girls -- those who think males and females are essentially the same and attribute any differences between "girlness" and "boyness" as the result of upbringing, culture and socialization need to consider the Reimer case. He too was in the "wrong" body, and no amount of socialization to the contrary could turn him into something he wasn''t. Again, to a mere uneducated layman, that tells me gender, like sex, is biological, not social.

eamonn writes: "Spending time worrying and focusing on Boys not being boys is a waste of time." I guess that kinda depends on what it means for a boy to "be a boy", doesn''t it? You sortof have to establish what it means to be a boy first, before we can know (or worry) about what it means to *not* be a boy, right?

dan, as a professional in the field, I wonder what you think about the David Reimer / John Money case?

Most think founders wanted Christian USA http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-11-amendment_N.htm http://tinyurl.com/2bcz9a By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY Most Americans believe the nation''s founders wrote Christianity into the Constitution, and people are less likely to say freedom to worship covers religious groups they consider extreme, a poll out today finds. The survey measuring attitudes toward freedom of religion, speech and the press found that 55% believe erroneously that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation. In the survey, which is conducted annually by the First Amendment Center, a non-partisan educational group, three out of four people who identify themselves as evangelical or Republican believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation. About half of Democrats and independents do. Most respondents, 58%, say teachers in public schools should be allowed to lead prayers. That is an increase from 2005, when 52% supported teacher-led prayer in public schools. More people, 43%, say public schools should be allowed to put on Nativity re-enactments with Christian music than in 2005, when 36% did. Half say teachers should be allowed to use the Bible as a factual text in history class. That''s down from 56% in 2000. Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, says the findings are particularly troubling during a week when the top diplomat in Iraq gave a report to Congress on progress toward achieving democracy there. "Americans are dying to create a secular democracy in Iraq, and simultaneously a growing number of people want to see a Christian state" here, he says. Haynes says the Constitution "clearly established a secular nation where people of all faiths or no faith are protected to practice their religion or no religion without governmental interference." Rick Green of WallBuilders, an advocacy group that believes the nation was built on Christian principles, says the poll doesn''t mean a majority favors a "theocracy" but that the Constitution reflects Christian values, including religious freedom. "I would call it a Christian document, just like the Declaration of Independence," he says. The "scariest" number, in Haynes'' opinion, is that only 56% agree that freedom of religion applies to all groups "regardless of how extreme their beliefs are." That''s down from 72% in 2000. More than one in four say constitutional protection of religion does not apply to "extreme" groups. Haynes says many Americans consider Islam extreme, especially since the Sept. 11 attacks. But he says Roman Catholics were viewed that way in the 19th century, and some people still consider Mormons "on the fringe." "We are seeing the product of years of not teaching the First Amendment at a young age," says Gene Policinski, the center''s executive director. "People are applying their own values rather than educated knowledge" of the Constitution. Still, he says, support for constitutional freedoms has rebounded from a low the year after 9/11, when 49% said the First Amendment "goes too far in the rights it guarantees." Now, 25% agree. Other findings: Seventy-four percent say public school students should not be allowed to wear a T-shirt with a message or picture that others might find offensive, more than at any time since the survey began in 1997. About a third, 34%, believe the press "has too much freedom" the lowest percentage in 10 years but most distrust the news media. Sixty percent disagree with the statement that the news media try "to report the news without bias." Not all questions in the poll were asked every year. The survey of 1,003 adults Aug. 16-26 has a margin of error of +/3.2 percentage points. --sidebar-- AMERICANS'' VIEWS ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT Beliefs reflected in an Aug. 16-26 survey: The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees: 25% Public schools should be allowed to put on Nativity reenactments with Christian music: 43% Teachers and public school officials should be allowed to lead prayers in schools: 58% Public school teachers should be able to use the Bible as literature in English class: 80% Public school students should be allowed to wear T-shirts with messages or pictures that might offend others: 22% The Constitution establishes a Christian nation Agree: 55% Disagree: 41% Other: 4% Falsifying stories is a big problem in the news media Agree: 52% Disagree: 34% Other: 4% The media try to report the news without bias Agree: 37% Disagree: 60% Other: 3% The press has too much freedom 1999: 53% 2007: 34%

gonzo, I''m not sure what packsaddle "succeeded" in doing. You said his interest is tweaking noses; from what I can tell, that appears to be his sole reason for commenting in this thread -- to be provocative merely for the sake of provocation. With respect to the issue of how boys should be brought up: his comments indicate his mind is already made up. That doesn''t leave much room for discussion, does it?

From a post on Cub-Scout-Talk: http://www.comics.com/comics/buckets/archive/buckets-20070910.html The link is valid for 30 days.

Maybe packsaddle is into self-loathing -- if he thinks men are such losers, maybe he should look into gender-reassignment options.

President Bush Calls for Americans to Honor Those Lost on 9/11 by Engaging in Community Service and Good Deeds http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-06-2007/0004657789 http://tinyurl.com/2rnrr4 Presidential Proclamation Provides Key Support to myGoodDeed, the Nonprofit Initiative to Establish 9/11 as a National Day of Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since the 2001 terrorist attacks, President George Bush''s Patriot Day 2007 Proclamation, released this week, is calling upon Americans to observe the anniversary of the upcoming 9/11 terrorist attacks not only as a day of personal reflection and remembrance, but also as a day of voluntary and charitable service. In his annual 9/11 Proclamation, the President stated that, "The spirit of our people is the source of America''s strength, and six years ago, Americans came to the aid of neighbors in need. On Patriot Day, we pray for those who died and for their families. We volunteer to help others and demonstrate the continuing compassion of our citizens. On this solemn occasion, we rededicate ourselves to laying the foundation of peace with confidence in our mission and our free way of life." "The President''s message of volunteerism, delivered for the first time in a 9/11 Proclamation, is truly important," said David Paine, president and co-founder of myGoodDeed (http://www.myGoodDeed.org'>http://www.myGoodDeed.org), the influential nonprofit that has worked successfully behind the scenes since 2003 to win political support for transforming 9/11 into an annually recognized national day of service, charity and good deeds. "The President''s call to service helps provide the nation with a much needed answer to the question of how 9/11 should be remembered for generations to come. "Since 2001, the President has made service a central part of his policy, and we are delighted that he is formally acknowledging through this Proclamation the historic role that 9/11 played in inspiring literally millions of people to dedicate far more time each year to helping others, and in reshaping the nation''s attitudes toward volunteerism," Paine said. Interest From All 50 States and More Than 100 Countries myGoodDeed is the national initiative encouraging individuals and organizations to perform good deeds and other forms of charitable service as a long-term way to honor the victims, survivors, volunteers and rescue and recovery workers of 9/11. myGoodDeed was founded by Paine and his close friend Jay S. Winuk, following the death of Jay''s brother, attorney and volunteer firefighter Glenn J. Winuk, who died in the line of duty in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Last year the myGoodDeed web site attracted more than 2.2 million hits, and more than 150,000 individuals and businesses posted good deeds in observance of 9/11. This year, organizers expect to far surpass those figures, having already received pledges for more than 50,000 good deeds from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 different countries and international territories, including China, Russia, Kenya, Iran, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. "For all the 9/11 survivors and family members, the President''s 9/11 message of service, as well as remembrance, is a giant step toward creating a permanent, living legacy of compassionate service in the names of the victims, families, volunteers and countless heroes of 9/11, a powerful and unprecedented national tribute that should continue to grow as the years go by," said Monica Iken, a 9/11 Board member of the National 9/11 Memorial and president and founder of September''s Mission. Issuance of the new 9/11 Presidential Proclamation follows an equally successful effort by myGoodDeed to win support for its mission in the U.S. Congress. In 2004, the myGoodDeed organization worked closely with Congressional leaders to secure unanimous passage of H. Con. Res. 473, introduced by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-Long Island, NY), urging the designation of 9/11 as a national day of service, charity and compassion. This year, letters of support urging Congressional colleagues to pledge to perform good deeds on 9/11 were circulated last week in both houses of Congress. The Senate letter was signed by Senator Schumer as well as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), both original co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 473, along with U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Arlen Specter (R-PA). The House letter was signed by U.S. Representatives King, Michael Ferguson (R- NJ), Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) and Joe Crowley (D-Queens). "Observing 9/11 as a national day of volunteerism, charity and good deeds is a wonderful way to pay tribute to the victims, survivors, rescue and recovery workers and volunteers of 9/11," said Alice Hoagland, myGoodDeed board member and mother of Mark Bingham, one of the passengers on United Flight #93 who bravely stormed the cockpit in an attempt to wrestle control from the terrorists. "I''m delighted to learn of the President''s support for this heartfelt vision." "We greatly appreciate and thank the President for his leadership in urging Americans to honor through volunteerism the victims, heroes and all those who rose in service in the aftermath of the attacks," said Winuk, vice president and co-founder of myGoodDeed. "We are also grateful to the thousands of 9/11 family members, government officials, corporate supporters, non-profits and other leaders who have worked tirelessly by our side in helping to bring this observance to life over the past six years. To honor those lost by helping people in need is an exceptional, meaningful form of tribute." myGoodDeed.org, a 501c3 nonprofit, is supported by more than 20 9/11 family member and support organizations. The organization receives financial and in-kind support from AOL, Yahoo, American Express Company, Ambac, Keefe Bruyette & Woods and KPMG. For more information, visit http://www.myGoodDeed.org, or send an email to info@myGoodDeed.org SOURCE http://www.myGoodDeed.org

The NCAC Scout Shop is kinda small, but well stocked. Beware, though, that it''s a long way to the nearest Metro station (Medical Center), especially when walking back with a load of purchases!

So gonzo, am I to understand that posting a couple of smilies makes it OK to slander an entire gender?

Well since you brought it up (and since the thought occurred to me), let me ask: why DO you volunteer in an organization whose purpose is to raise boys to become the men you hate so much?

Here are a few choice quotes from packsaddle's post:those lazy, tube-watching, bloated pustules of junk food are expressing precisely their nature I for one am glad to see more women as school principals because it usually accompanies greater ambition, drive, and competence. I am also reminded that the Y-chromosome only has about 27 of its original 1000 or so genes left and it is slowly shrinking. The clock may be ticking on maleness. Tough luck guys. You're on the edge of superfluity, maybe even over it already, and deservedly so. Bye, bye.Now dictionary.com defines misandry as the hatred of males or men, and a misandrist as one who hates men Does the shoe fit?

I get an error 404 at that URL; try: http://www.trails-end.com/TEPublic/docs/NoDiacetyl.pdf

onehour, I get the feeling that people are tossing around "diversity" as a code word for "tolerance". I suggest you take a look at a book by Josh McDowell called "The New Tolerance". I hadn't thought it about until I read his book, but the over-riding commandment now is "thou shalt tolerate everything" and its corollary: "intolerance is bad, therefore there can be no absolutes". Moral relativism has given way to its more politically-correct cousin, "tolerance". Anything that promotes tolerance is deemed "good" and anything which doesn't is deemed "bad", especially those holding to traditional Judeo-Christian values of right and wrong. Its quite an eye-opening read. Oddly enough, under the new paradigm of "tolerance", groups with some type of exclusivity like AHG and BSA are *not* to be tolerated! Now I ask you: how hypocritical is that?

That buttery aroma might be toxic, too: Common chemical in popcorn at center of concern [scout popcorn OK] http://tinyurl.com/22bhnn Thursday, August 30, 2007 Last updated 12:52 a.m. PT By ANDREW SCHNEIDER P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Pop Weaver, one of the largest producers of microwave popcorn, is removing a controversial chemical flavoring agent from its products. The chemical -- diacetyl -- adds buttery taste. Government worker safety investigators have linked exposure to the synthetic butter to the sometimes fatal destruction of the lungs of hundreds of workers in food production and flavoring factories. And while Pop Weaver has dropped diacetyl from its product, it remains in widespread use in thousands of other consumer products, including the microwave popcorn brands Orville Redenbacher and Act II. Despite the worker safety findings -- and despite scores of jury decisions and settlements awarding millions of dollars to workers who sued after having their lungs destroyed by exposure to diacetyl -- neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission have investigated. The FDA years ago declared the chemical safe for consumption. Labels on almost all products containing it call it a flavoring and only rarely do the labels mention diacetyl. The only government investigators to examine whether consumers are at risk -- whether diacetyl is released when consumers pop corn in their home microwaves, and if so, how much -- is the Environmental Protection Agency. But to the frustration of many public health workers, the findings of the EPA's study -- which began in 2003 and was completed last year -- have been released only to the popcorn industry. In part, it was the EPA's study that led Pop Weaver to reformulate its flavoring without diacetyl, said Mike Weaver, chief executive officer of the 80-yearold family-owned company. "We have to have good flavors, but at the same time we have to have ingredients that consumers feel good about and we were hearing too many concerns raised about diacetyl," he said. "With these growing concerns and with EPA's actions, we felt it was the prudent to stop using diacetyl and we have." In addition to Pop Weaver and six other private brands, the Indiana-based company also sells "Trail's End" popcorn for the Boy Scouts of America. Five million boxes were sold last year, the Scouts said. "Maybe the big food conglomerates don't take diacetyl seriously, but we take it very, very seriously," Weaver said. "We sell popcorn only. Without it, we're out of business." ConAgra Foods, which says it is the largest supplier of the 3 billion bags of microwave popcorn sold worldwide each year, declined to comment on Pop Weaver's action. However, in interviews earlier this month, corporate spokeswoman Stephanie Childs told the Seattle P-I that ConAgra has been "looking at the diacetyl issue very seriously over the years." Scientists and consultants for ConAgra, whose brands include Orville Redenbacher and Act II, found in 2004 that diacetyl was released when freshly popped bags of corn were opened. However, Childs said that the company saw no need to change its flavorings. "Based on all the information we have available to us, we are confident the everyday, normal use of butter-flavored microwave popcorn in the home is safe," she said. But in a November 2004 letter to the EPA, Patricia Verduin, ConAgra's senior vice president for product quality, wrote: "We believe it is imperative that the health and safety of this product be assured to the extent possible within the very near future." In the letter to the then-head of the EPA's Office of Research and Development, she said that ConAgra had developed a "Consumer Exposure Risk Index" to address potential health concerns from material released when the bag of popped corn is opened. ConAgra declined to discuss what level of risk it documented to consumers from vapors from diacetyl, other flavoring ingredients or the bag itself. "We shared that information with EPA on a confidential basis and we look to them for the next step," Childs said. "We, as well as the rest of the world, are awaiting the release of EPA's study." But the industry already knows what the EPA found, according to George Gray, the current head of the EPA's office of Research and Development. He told the P-I that the popcorn industry was given the opportunity to review the final results before the study was submitted for publication. Gray said there was nothing improper in allowing the industry to review the findings, saying it was necessary to convince industry that none of their confidential business information, such as what the flavoring agents are and the construction of the popping bag, was released to the public. Further, Gray said the information could not be released to other public health professionals because it would prevent his scientists from getting their work published in peer-reviewed journals. However, most prominent medical and scientific journals said that exceptions are always made. "We're not going to punish researchers for disclosing information that is of vital interest to the public health," said Karen Pedersen, manager of media relations for The New England Journal of Medicine. "EPA cannot be permitted to play these games with matters that are important to public health. This is just questionable science at its worst," said David Michaels, director of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at George Washington University's School of Public Health. "Diacetyl is a dangerous chemical, declared safe, for the most part, by the flavoring industry." The importance of the EPA's findings is increased because no one outside the industry is examining what consumers and workers who pop corn in theaters, discount stores, school gyms and fairgrounds are being exposed to. Through 2003 and 2004 there was heavy news coverage of federal occupational health specialists investigating the cases of hundreds of workers sickened at six Midwest popcorn plants. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates worker health issues, had determined that it was exposure to the vapors from heated butter flavoring that was debilitating the workers. The most likely culprit, the health detectives concluded, was the diacetyl in the flavoring. All of the workers who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans or other serious lung injuries worked with the flavoring. In the midst of this, Jacky Rosati, an investigator from the EPA's National Risk Management Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said she would try to determine how much diacetyl consumers might be exposed to when they popped corn at home. Rosati and her team, all scientists with the EPA's Indoor Environmental Management Branch, collected multiple bags of 50 of the most popular brands of microwave popcorn. The corn was popped in a specially constructed box containing an old microwave and air collection filters. Measurements were taken of the type and concentrations of the chemicals detected in the vapor or steam released when the bags are opened. "We said let's look at what goes into the bag, popcorn, chemical ingredients, materials that coat the bag, and then let's determine what gets released into the indoor air when you pop it," said Bill Farland, then the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for science, research and development. The final corn was popped and the data collected in the fall of 2005 and Rosati's report was sent to EPA scientists for review. Meanwhile, more cases of the lung disease were being reported to the NIOSH. More workers are fighting to get onto lung transplant lists, which is their only hope for survival. The manager and the owner of a Detroit company that manufactures popcorn carts were diagnosed. The death of a man who was Montana's largest popcorn supplier was attributed to the popcorn flavoring he used. The NIOSH found that his daughter and son-in-law who took over the family business were also sickened, this time from the butter-flavored oil they used. Back at the EPA, Rosati was waiting for industry -- three popcorn companies and the flavoring trade association -- to complete its review. "This is not the way that our government agencies should be protecting the public's interest," said George Washington's Michaels. "With this arm-in-arm relationship between government scientists and the industry using diacetyl, how can the public feel that they are learning the truth about this chemical which is in thousands of products?" It had to be done with industry's help, said Farland, who has since retired. He said he doubted that the EPA would have authorized the study if Rosati had proposed to do it without industry involvement. "The only thing that industry got to look for is confidential business information," said Jennifer Wood, the EPA's press secretary. "They could make no changes to the findings." Meanwhile, as the study was being offered to various journals, the tally of injured workers increased and became more varied. They came from a candy factory in Chicago, from a Tennessee potato chip company, and one, then three, and now more than 20 from six different California companies that made and sold flavorings with diacetyl. Their physicians say a couple will die because they won't survive the wait for a transplant. Back in Washington, the EPA says that a journal, which it declined to identify, will publish Rosati's study "this fall." Ultimately, all Rosati can report is the amount of diacetyl and other chemicals released when the bag is opened. The study wasn't designed to provide any health-related answers, Gray acknowledged. Without more knowledge about the toxicity of diacetyl no one can extrapolate the hazard of what is released when the popcorn is opened, or from any of the other diacetyl-containing products used in the home. This is because no one knows specifically what amount of diacetyl will harm humans. That's likely to remain the case unless the industry decides to share its knowledge or the FDA reverses course and decides testing is needed after all. SECRET INGREDIENTS: A CONTINUING EXAMINATION OF THE SAFETY OF OUR FOOD WHAT IS DIACETYL? A naturally occurring substance found in many dairy products and some wine. It was first produced synthetically in Europe and is added to thousands of foods throughout the world to increase or enrich butter flavoring. WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN DIACETYL? Microwave popcorn, potato chips, baked goods and candies, frozen food, artificial butter, cooking oils and sprays, beer, dog food and others. HOW DIACETYL HARMS PEOPLE Worker hazards: In manufacturing plants, it's been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans -- irreversible obstructive lung diseases -- for which lung transplants are often the only way to survive. Lawsuits against diacetyl manufacturers by hundreds of workers in popcorn, flavoring and other food plants claiming injury from breathing diacetyl have led to jury awards and settlements of more than $20 million. Consumer hazards: The Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have declined to study the impact on consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency has looked at the vapors from heated diacetyl as an air pollutant but has not released the results to the public or to public health professionals. Pending action: Congress ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop and enforce standards for worker exposure to diacetyl. In California, legislation has been drafted that would ban the use of diacetyl by 2010. Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-Conn., has asked the FDA to ban diacetyl until it can be thoroughly studied. -- P-I senior correspondent Andrew Schneider can be reached at 206-448-8218 or andrewschneider@seattlepi.com

No More Privies, So Hikers Add a Carry-Along September 5, 2007 By FELICITY BARRINGER SUMMIT OF MOUNT WHITNEY, Calif., Aug. 29 The highest outhouse in the continental United States is no more. High-altitude sanitation is too hazardous a business. Helicopters must make regular journeys up the steep-walled canyons in tricky winds while rangers in hazmat suits wait below to tie 250-pound bags or barrels of waste onto a long line dangling below the aircraft. So from the granite immensity of Mount Whitney in California to Mount Rainier in Washington to Zion National Park in Utah, a new wilderness ethic is beginning to take hold: You can take it with you. In fact, you must. The privy, which sat about 14,494 feet above sea level, and two other outhouses here in the Inyo National Forest the last on the trail have been removed within the last year. The 19,000 or so hikers who pick up Forest Service permits each year to hike the Whitney Trail are given double-sealed sanitation kits and told how to use them just as they are told how to keep their food from the bears along the way, and how to find shelter when lightning storms rake the ridges. The kits the most popular model is known as a Wagbag are becoming a fixture of camping gear. On high western trails, Wagbag is now as familiar a term as gorp (a high-energy mix of nuts, seeds, dry fruit and chocolate) or switchback (a hairpin turn in the trail). Its one thing to take a risk to fly up there to pick up a sick or injured person, said Brian Spitek, a forest ranger who works in the Inyo National Forest. To do it to fly out a bag of poop is another. Other options, like burying waste, are ineffective where there is too little soil, too many people or both. The pack-it-out ethic has long been practiced by Grand Canyon river rafters, who used old ammunition cans. The Wagbags (WAG stands for Waste Alleviation and Gelling) are manufactured by Phillips Environmental Products in Montana and have been adopted by agencies including the Pentagon and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the companys president, Bill Phillips. Their appearance in places like the John Muir Wilderness or the Grand Canyon is one more indication that park stewards want visitors to take responsibility for themselves. For several years, the National Park Service has required visitors who need helicopter rescues to help pay for the cost of sending in the copter. Hikers on the Mount Whitney trail, in most cases, willingly shoulder the burden of the new sanitation regimen. If Ive got to do it, Ive got to do it, said Scott Whitten of Danville, Calif., about halfway up the trail. Im not a big fan of it. So far this year, more than 4,500 pounds of waste in Wagbags has been deposited in receptacles at the Whitney Portal trail head, all of it headed for landfills, where the bags are designed to biodegrade over six to nine months. I dont mind it, said Marilyn Nelson, 64, who had just finished her first hike to Trail Camp, at 12,000 feet the highest camp below the summit of Mount Whitney on the eastern approach. There are so many indignities on the trail anyway. And people do that all the time with their dogs in the city. But while her son, Brendan Nelson, 43, who works in television promotion in Los Angeles, accepted the need for the change, he was still nostalgic for the Trail Camp outhouse that was dismantled this year. I do miss it, Mr. Nelson said. It was a great place to get out of the wind. It was really a luxury to have it up here. For years hikers have boasted about their moment on the seat at the Whitney summit. Behind the single rock wall that hid it from hikers, the seat was open on three sides to the swirling clouds and the immense granite ridges that rise from delicate alpine valleys. It was a photo point for a lot of people, said Rob Pilewski, a Sequoia National Park ranger whose district includes the western approaches to the mountain and the summit itself. Backpackers have accepted the new pack-it-out policy, said rangers who have distributed Wagbags in Sequoia National Park to the west and the Inyo National Forest to the east. (The Wagbag is actually two separate plastic bags. The inner one is a funnel-like bag with powder at the bottom. Water causes the powder to gel, encapsulating anything in the bag.) In the past, keeping the privies on the eastern side of the Inyo National Forest clean between helicopter flights was a huge headache. If you didnt clean the outhouse regularly, it was a cascading nightmare, said Garry Oye, the Inyo National Forest district ranger who put the new Whitney regimen into place. But with 300 or more people on the trail each day, it was hard to do. Can you keep your bathroom clean if 400 of your closest friends go through there each day? Mr. Oye asked. Joanne Rife, who went to the Whitney summit to celebrate her 75th birthday with her daughter, Susan Rife, 51, and granddaughter Alexis Rife, 21, said the new policy worked. Most people are using it, Alexis Rife said. The few who dont are ruining it for everyone else. So among the visual images of the 103-year-old Whitney trail myriad tiny holes that hikers poles make in the trailside or the winking headlamps of predawn hikers heading up 99 rocky switchbacks add one more: olive drab bags netted outside hikers backpacks. Nobody likes it, said Erika Jostad, a Sequoia Park ranger. But people understand. Erik Olsen contributed reporting.

Most of the B&Gs I've attended as a UC did not provide for professional entertainment. Some did (magicians seem to go over well). Two of the more unusual acts: a karate demo by the local karate school (some of the Cubs were also members of the dojo, so the "connection" was there); and a talk by "Dinosaur George" (a local paleontologist). The dino talk, complete with fossils, slide show, etc. was a huge hit. It helped that Dino George was an accomplished public speaker, and since he does school presentations on a regular basis, he knows his audience well. Ask yourself what the kids like (or better yet, ask them!), then see if you can find a speaker that fits the bill. One caveat, whether magician, OA dance team, whatever: be sure your "talent" knows your time limits. The show can be wonderfully entertaining, but if he gets into the spirit and forgets the time limit, that can really set your program back, if you plan to include other things during your B&G. Resist the temptation to put too many things on the agenda, but definitely set a time limit and be sure your act knows it and agrees to hold to it. Finally, if your act provides some cheap "gimmes" (the dino guy gave away free dino miniatures), that's always a big plus. Finally, if you plan a theme for your B&G, let your talent know -- they might be able to craft their act around your theme. Be sure to let them know how much room they will have on-stage, the lighting, sound, etc. Most the packs I know offered to feed the guy; some accepted, most didn't (probably because they had another gig they needed to get to). Good luck.

Someone mentioned the National Aquarium -- that's actually in Baltimore, not DC. I don't know if anyone mentioned the "Newseum" -- a museum of journalism and the media. It was awesome when it was in Arlington, but I understand its been relocated and I don't know where it is now. The National Geographic Society had some neat exhibits in the lobby when I lived in DC (2000-2002); I don't know what's there now, but it might be worth a look. Finally, I don't know if this would hold as much appeal for the Scouts as for the adults, but I thought the National Academy of Sciences was awesome -- it has a statue of Einstein on the grounds that is unusual, to say the least.

Nick and Gern: Maybe "freedom of choice" is a better term than "diversity" when considering AHG vs. GSUSA. Some families weren't happy with certain aspects of GSUSA -- but rather than whine and moan (and sue them) about it, they actually did something constructive and came up with an alternative. I wish those who whine and moan (and sue) about BSA membership policies would learn from the example of AHG and start their own organization -- choice is a "good thing", right?

Backyard to Backwoods: Camp Out! The Ultimate Kid's Guide by Lynn Brunelle http://tinyurl.com/2r4br7 Wednesday, September 05, 2007 Lynn Brunelle, author of Soda Pop Science, field guide to all things fizzy, should know her way around in the natural sciences, having worked as a writer for Bill Nye, the Science Guy. In her new book Camp Out: The Ultimate Kids' Guide she's created a guide to everything you need to know to be a happy camper. Billed as covering the subject "from the backyard to the backwoods," Brunelle includes camping techniques for all climes and regions, from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans....well, to the beaches anyway. The book is a how-to manual for picking a campsite, pitching tents, constructing a safe fire pit, preparing your impromptu porta-potty, making s'mores and so much more, including pizza, chili, and even ice cream. Brunelle's real strength is in her directions for nature study and craft projects to undertake while whiling away your time in the wild. She has directions for a "pond peeper," (coffee can with both ends out, plastic wrap, rubber bands) for viewing underwater pond life without getting your hair wet, a "fast food sundial," from a drink cup and straw, and a leaf print T-shirt which requires no paint and lots of kid-satisfying pounding. There is a section on clouds and weather watching and a fun project called "Sock Sprouting," in which you cover your shoes with roomy socks and tromp around through the fields and woods collecting assorted seeds in said socks. When the socks are spritzed with water and left in the sun, they are supposed to start sprouting flora. (Here's an idea for a, er, seminal science project: pair the camp-out socks with old socks from locker room and see which ones sprout first!) Camp Out! sounds like a great book for families who like to sleep under the stars (and recognize them, too) and for teachers heading off for those autumnal environmental camping experiences ahead. In fact, most of the how-to sections, in the best spirit of The Dangerous Book for Boys, don't actually require that you pitch any tents to enjoy them. Just don't forget the marshmallows! Labels: Camping, Nature Science (Grades 2-7)

Old-school skills boys can learn http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzMTMmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxODg3MDcmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3 http://tinyurl.com/2b5oqa Sunday, September 2, 2007 By JIM BECKERMAN STAFF WRITER Do you know how to ... Skim stones? Build a go-cart? Hunt fossils? Make a periscope? Recognize cloud formations? Fish? Fold a paper airplane? Tie a knot? Use a slingshot? Erect a treehouse? If you're male, age 45 or older, chances are the answer is yes. Or was, once. And if you're under 45 ...? Well, maybe you know how to build a Web page. "The Dangerous Book for Boys," by British brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, created a minor sensation in England last year by suggesting that kids were in danger of losing all the traditional, Tom Sawyerish skills of boyhood in an age of Nintendo. The Americanised -- er, Americanized -- version of their bestseller arrived on these shores this summer, which coincidentally marks the 100th world anniversary of the Boy Scouts. (The book sat at No. 3 recently on The New York Times' non-fiction bestsellers list. The book, aimed at kids and purporting to teach "what every boy needs to know," gives detailed instructions on how to make a bow and arrow, how to play stickball, how to make a spy code, and other arcane sciences of youth -- along with statistics on baseball's "most valuable players," stories of famous explorers, and other things that kids ought to have filed away, somewhere in their craniums. The cultural conversation begun by "Dangerous Book" has raised questions about whether 21st-century kids, computer-savvy though they may be, should be able to change a bicycle tire or recognize poison ivy. It's also shed a new light on groups like the Scouts -- lately tarred as retrograde by progressive parents for some of their social views. Now, to many, the Scouts look more like the flame-keepers for a whole set of childhood skills that could go the way of penny candy and Saturday serials. "I really believe [kids] don't know what they're missing," says Chuck Shotmeyer, assistant scoutmaster with Troop 77 of the Boy Scouts of America in Wyckoff. "And quite frankly, they probably feel they aren't missing anything, because they're into video games with their friends." Do kids today have less real-world know-how than their parents and grandparents? Certainly, alarming statistics about childhood obesity (15 percent of children, according to recent studies) suggest they don't get out as much. But not everybody is blaming the kids, glued to their Gameboys, for the problem. Blaming parents The very title "The Dangerous Book For Boys" points an accusing finger, not at kids, but at their safety-conscious parents -- obsessing over every skinned knee and sprained ankle. "I think parents should let kids be kids," says Mike Hosier, program director at the Boys & Girls Club of Lodi, a branch of the national organization founded in 1906 as The Boys Club of America. "Kids are going to fall, they're going to get dirty, they're going to get into trouble," Hosier says. In an age of bicycle helmets and childproof houses, it's bracing to remember the kind of pastimes that were considered routine for kids, once upon a time. The "Dangerous Book" waxes nostalgic for a day when kids had adventures in the real, rather than the virtual, world. George Boothby, for one, remembers those days. "I enjoyed all the skills I learned," says Boothby, 55, a former scoutmaster for Troop 334 in Montvale, who is still active in the Boy Scouts. Even before he joined the scouts as a kid in Brooklyn, Boothby recalls the kind of projects he and his friends would dream up -- two parts Popular Mechanics and one part "Little Rascals." Building a soapbox racer, for instance. "You had wheels and a board and a box," he says. "You took the wheels from old roller skates, or you attached roller skates to the back of a board. At the time, fruits and vegetables came in wooden boxes. You picked them up at the grocery store." He was about 14 or 15, he recalls, when he and his friends boarded their go-carts and went whizzing down First Street in Brooklyn, from Prospect Park West to Eighth Avenue. All this in traffic-filled streets. More threats to kids today "You had to stop at Eighth Avenue and not cross it, because it was the main thoroughfare," Boothby says. "You had to put on the brakes. Basically, that was using your Keds or PF Flyers and dragging your foot down to stop it." It's a different world now, of course. Very different. Girls are now encouraged to have the same can-do spirit as boys, for one thing ("Dangerous Book" has sparked debate about its possible "gender bias"). And there are more threats, real and imagined -- not just from oncoming traffic, but also child predators, illegal substances, foreign terrorists and lead paint. But worried parents should remember to cut their kids just a little common-sense slack, Hosier says. "A parent should set boundaries," he says. "If you live on a busy street, [they] can only be on this side of the street. Or go to the end of the block. But don't keep the kids inside all day." E-mail: beckerman@northjersey.com --sidebar-- What every boy should know Here are some of the essentials, according to Conn and Hal Iggulden, authors of "The Dangerous Book for Boys." Boys should be able to: Skim a stone Make a tripwire Create a secret code Make a go-cart Know about Gettysburg and the Alamo Build a treehouse Know the states of the United States Fold a paper airplane Fish Palm a coin Wrap a package

Don't hold back, packsaddle -- tell us what you REALLY think!

No way to raise a boy http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/no_way_to_raise_a_boy/ http://tinyurl.com/32y9he Kevin Ryan | Friday, 3 August 2007 Do boys have to be bored, fat and dumber than their sisters? The first in a series about educating boys today. A ten year old boy, whom I watch with an eagles eye, is reading The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden. The book is teaching him how to play poker, build a go-cart from scratch, how to fold a paper glider so that it really flies, to makes a paper water bomb and much, much more. He has found his Holy Grail. Wedged in between the books black arts are spirited short essays on heroic battles, good manners and, yes, girls. Be forewarned, gentle reader, this book is definitely not politically correct, and worse, it could turn around a boys life. The 10-year-old I have in my sights is a busy home-schooler whose days and heart are torn between pitching in the town baseball league and his beloved violin. While a leader on the ball field and popular with his mates, I have to admit, he is sort of "out-of-it." When the talk moves from the ballgame to video games, the kid is a wash-out. When the conversations moves on to television, as it does regularly(television and movies being the lingua franca of boys from six to that ever-moving outer boundary of adolescence), the boy is a dunce. He thinks "24" is the definition of a day. He wouldnt recognise Paris Hilton if she tried to run him over. Hes focused on learning how to step into a pitch and to do something with his violin that I dont comprehend. He is clearly out of step with modern boydom. But how and when things changed for boys is hard for me to pin down. Somewhere not too long ago, boys went indoors. When they dont have their eyes glued to some screen, whether computer, TV, movie or even, yes, cell phone, they are shuffling along alone or in sullen groups at the mall. Building tree huts and shooting at squirrels with beebee guns lost out big time to the latest version of Xbox and the newest action-adventure fantasy at the Cinaplex. And they look so bored! How can a 12-year-old boy be that bored unless he has been made so passive with canned pleasure that he doesnt know what else to do. He has never learned to do anything other than turn on his toys. He doesnt have the reading habit because DVDs are easier. He doesnt play outside in the neighbourhood. First, the other guys arent there. They are indoors and are stuck to their own screens. Second, he and his peers parents are convinced that if he is outside, hell be kidnapped, beaten up by bullies or meet a recruiter from the North American Man Boy Love Association. Our modern boy doesnt get much exercise which you can tell from his rounded shoulders and the baby fat which he should have been shed years earlier. But how could he. He is driven or bussed to school for safety reasons. When he gets exercise it is part of an adult-saturated, over-organised sports world where physical contact between boys is only allowed when they are covered head-to-toe with enough protective gear to make movement barely possible. Arguments about whether a referee [yes, of course, they have to have referees] made the correct call is strictly verboten. A scuffle with another player could get him banned from the league and his anxious parents in the grandstands would be forced to live in infamy. Other than manipulate the "on" and "off" switches, the volume controls and a few other knobs, modern boy doesnt know how to do much. He has never had to do much and the men in his life have conveniently disappeared or are too busy with their work or their own pleasures that they have never taught him to do anything. He doesnt know how to wash a car, saw wood, hammer a nail, trim a hedge, weed a garden [let alone raise a vegetable garden], bait a rat trap, or repair a punctured bike tire. Maybe with sufficient nagging, he can make his bed [sort of], take the dishes out of the dishwasher and put out the garbage, chores that in another day would have been the province of his sister. Then there is school. In recent decades, no part of society has become more feminised, more boy-unfriendly. First of all, for young boys to sit quietly in desk seats for six or seven hours a day has long been contrary to the laws of nature. However, in the past, children walked to school in the morning, walked or run home for lunch and did the same at 3:00, only to get their ball and glove and work off the pent-up energy from the school day. Second, there are fewer and fewer male teachers. The principalship, once the province of men, is now more and more the province of the fairer sex. Those male teachers that are left live in fear of intimacy or even putting a hand on a boys shoulder, lest they become a tort lawyers meal ticket. Third, the academic ante has been raised in our schools. The stakes are higher and there is more and more pressure to get the children ready to compete in the global economy. That can be translated into students becoming more and more skilled at the manipulation of symbols, tasks at which our boys are not genetically endowed and, thus, are falling behind. Most educators are scratching their heads at what is now called the "crisis of boys." On the other hand, girls are doing well. They outshine boys in all aspects of the symbol-driven world we live in. They get better grades and have higher aspirations. Girls outnumber boys in Advance Placement programs, in most math and science courses and in all extracurricular activities except sports. In 2006, girls represented 58 per cent of the student bodies at US colleges and universities. It is little wonder that junior is in a funk. He is not living according to his nature, and while he may not know it, he can feel it. Somehow we have changed the way we live and while there appear to be many benefits, the way we are living is having disastrous effects on our boys. Given all the other crises facing the world, getting excited and making serous changes in how we raise our boys may not vault to the top of our collective priority list. But think about it. A nation without men, with only pleasure-saturated, spineless screen-watchers is a truly frightening prospect. Kevin Ryan founded the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University, where he is professor emeritus. He has written and edited 20 books. He has appeared recently on CBS's "This Morning", ABC's "Good Morning America", "The OReilly Factor", CNN and the Public Broadcasting System speaking on character education. He can be reached at kryan@bu.edu

'It's my fault': Rock thrower voices remorse for climber's death http://tinyurl.com/34zjv3 By JOSHUA WOLFSON Star-Tribune staff writer Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Luke Rodolph stood on the rim of Upper Silas Canyon, enjoying the magnificent view that stretches all the way to Lander. About 300 feet below him, Peter Absolon was climbing a new route up the cliff face of Leg Lake Cirque. The two would never meet, but in a matter of moments, they would be forever linked. One would be dead, the other torn by regret. It was late afternoon, and Rodolph and three others had been on the rim of the canyon for about an hour. They hadn't see anyone else around. Now looking over the edge, Rodolph didn't see anyone below him, either. "I picked up a rock and threw it off," he said. "Looked over just a little further to watch it fall, see where it was going to hit, you know, kinda leaned out further than what I was comfortable with normally, and watched it hit Pete Absolon." There was no time for a warning. Rodolph said he didn't see Absolon until the rock struck the 47-year-old Lander resident and renowned climber in the head, killing him instantly. About 800 feet above the Leg Lake Basin, Molly Absolon lost a husband. Her daughter, Avery, lost a father, and the National Outdoor Leadership School lost its Rocky Mountain director. Rodolph, a 23-year-old Iraq war veteran from Casper, won't face criminal charges for the incident. But he's wracked with guilt and remorse over Absolon's death. "I never wanted to cause a loss like that, so big for Molly and Avery," Rodolph said Tuesday, in his first public comments since the incident. "It's unbearable for them to have to go through this. It's my fault. "I hope someday she'll know that's how I feel," he said with tears in his eyes. "I'd do anything to change it." On Aug. 9, Rodolph and about eight friends and family members went camping in Upper Silas Canyon, in the Wind River Mountains near Lander. They spent the next two days fishing and hiking in the area. Late in the afternoon of Aug. 11, Rodolph, his brother Aaron, their cousin and a friend hiked to the rim of Upper Silas Canyon. They spent an hour walking the rim, enjoying the view. About a quarter mile away from where Absolon was hit, the group pushed four or five rocks off the edge. "We had sat up there and looked off, and there wasn't a soul anywhere," Aaron Rodolph said. They hiked a little farther, and Luke Rodolph looked over the edge again. Believing there was no one below, he picked up a 15- to 20-pound rock and threw it over the edge. "As I traced it down, I happened to lean out further and further. Right when I saw Pete, it hit him," he said. The group called 911 on a cell phone and explained what happened, then ran four miles to the Leg Lake Basin to see what could be done to help Steve Hirlihy, a NOLS instructor who was climbing with Absolon at the time he was killed. When they found him, Hirlihy asked what had happened and whether the group had seen the rock that hit Absolon. "Luke looked him dead in the eye and said, 'I threw it,' " Aaron Rodolph said. "And I'll never forget, as long as I live, that Steve looked Luke dead back in the eyes and said, 'I forgive you for that.' " Luke Rodolph stayed with Hirlihy in the basin overnight while the rest of the group went back to their campsite. "Steve and I just talked for a while, sat around the campfire," Rodolph said. "I told him I'd go into town with him and talk with the sheriff and give him a statement, and whatever happens, happens." Hirlihy did not respond to a message left for him Tuesday at the National Outdoor Leadership School. The morning after Absolon's death, Rodolph and Hirlihy hiked out of the area and went to Lander. Later that day, Rodolph spoke with Fremont County Attorney Ed Newell and an investigator before returning to Casper. That same day, Absolon's body was recovered. Eleven days later, Newell announced that Rodolph would not be charged in connection with Absolon's death. Newell cited several factors in his decision, including the fact that Rodolph immediately took responsibility for his actions, was extremely remorseful, didn't intend to cause harm, had no criminal history and served in Iraq. Rodolph, a Casper native, served two tours in Iraq as an infantry soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division. In an e-mail to the Star-Tribune, Absolon's widow, Molly, said she didn't have a comment on Newell's decision not to charge Rodolph. But in a message board posting on the climbing Web site Supertopo.com, she indicated that the young man's remorsefulness and military service don't absolve him from throwing the rock. "I appreciate that he did the right thing, but I think he should be held accountable for his actions nonetheless," she wrote. Rodolph said he was willing to accept whatever decision Newell made. "Whatever is done to me is fine," he said. "I don't want Molly and Avery to feel any more pain." Gary Wilmot is an instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School and knew Absolon since 1990. While he feels compassion for Rodolph, he also said throwing a rock from a cliff is irresponsible. "We recognize that he is hurting, but we are also working on filling a big void in our community and a family here in Lander," Wilmot said. Two weeks after the incident, the climbing community is still coming to grips with Absolon's death. "We lost a very close friend, somebody who is a community builder among climbers and everyone in the Lander community," Wilmot said. "We are all still grappling with losing Pete, and at the same time, being there to support Molly." In the wake of her husband's death, Molly Absolon and her daughter went to her sister's home in Finland. She did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment following the release of Rodolph's name. She did describe her emotions on the Supertopo.com message board. "I have these moments where I feel like I've been punched in the stomach and I cannot breath when I realize Pete is gone forever," she wrote. Back in Wyoming, Rodolph is struggling to deal with Absolon's death and his responsibility for it. He wanted to go to Absolon's funeral and tell Molly how sorry he was, but was told through an intermediary not to attend. Rodolph said he has spent a lot of time praying and reading the Bible. He accepts responsibility for what happened and won't try to justify his actions. "There's no way to repay Pete's family or Molly or Avery for their loss," he said. That sense of helplessness is especially painful for both of the Rodolph brothers. "You just wish there was something you could do to help them," said Aaron Rodolph, his eyes red and his voice cracking. "And you know in your heart there is nothing you can do." Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@casperstartribune.net

Scout Funeral Services On occasion, a troop may experience the loss of a Scout or leader. It is a difficult time for everyone. At the request of the family or with the permission of the family and religious leader, Scouts may participate in the funeral and memorial service to celebrate the life of the Scout or leader. Some things that may be appropriate include: Attending in uniform Sitting together as a unit Serving as honorary pallbearers or ushers. Serving during the service by doing such things as reciting the Scout Oath or Law. The primary concern is for the family and its preferences. The involvement of the troop or Scouts in the troop is at the discretion of the family and its religious leaders. Funeral Service for Scout or Scouter This outline is merely a guide. The wishes of the Family and spiritual advisor take precedent. 1. Processional o Color Guard brings in US flag and Troop flag o Pallbearers follow o Scouts and Scouters in Uniform follow 2. Opening Prayer Almighty Father, as we grieve the loss of (Name of Deceased), help us to remember his involvement with Scouting. Show us how he lived the Scout oath and law. We ask that you comfort us as we will miss his friendship and fellowship. 3. Pastoral Comments (Highlights of the Deceased's life and Scouting accomplishments) 4. Song: "On My Honor" 5. Readings: (Listed below are some suggestions.) o Psalms 23:1-6 o Psalms 37:5 o Jeremiah 29:11 o I Corinthians 15:54-57 6. Comments from friends 7. "Scout Vespers" 8. Closing Benediction "May the Great Scoutmaster of all Scouts be with us until we meet again, and may our footsteps lead unto Him." 9. Taps 10. Recessional Ref: http://www.scouting.org/relationships/chaplains/index.html