Gold Winger

Don't want to argue but I don't think that I've ever had a dutch oven meal that you could call "fattening." Pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Roast turkey. Chili. Stew. Yum. Just hold yourself to one biscuit or chunk of cornbread. Can't say that I've ever seen cobbler with butter on top. The worst meals are the lunches at training sessions where they bring in a giant sub and huge bags of chips. That said, if you usually follow a healthy diet and do some moderate exercise, you can spluge every now and then with a second piece of cornbread AND some cobbler.

Gonna' have to face it, you're addicted to spuds. Food is not physically addicting like alcohol or heroin. Mind you, I'm not talking about the guy who gained 20, 30 or even 40 lbs after college. I'm talking about the guy whose gut gets into the room three minutes before his head. Or the fellow who has bigger boobs (can I say "boobs") than Raquel Welch. I can call the kettle black. I went from 185 when I graduated from college to 280 lbs. I was fat. When you walk into a McDs and see a pile of blubber sitting at a table consume two double quarters with cheese, two large fries, a 20 piece and wash it down with a large shake, that's not genes. Yes, I used to see said fellow on a regular basis. Being fat does no on any favors. It increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, joint problems and likely more than I can think of right now. I was at a local high school recently talking to one of the teachers when a woman came in and started a tirade because there was no parking immediately in front of the school. She was there for an evening class and was furious because the parking lot was about 200 yards away from her class and that "was just too far to walk." The administrator said, we do have handicapped parking spots in front of the building. She yelled back, "I don't need a handicapped spot. Do I look handicapped? It's just insane to expect me to walk that far to get to my class! I'm dropping it and complaining to the school board." The problem is that no matter how industrious we are, human being are lazy. That's why we've developed so much technology, to make things easier for us. Unfortunately, our advances in transportation have just promoted laziness and we've passed that on to our kids. The pool's a mile away? I'll drive you. The 7-11 is half a mile? I'll drive you. Gym teachers get angry phone calls because they ask their classes to run or walk a mile around the track. A whole mile, that's insane. How can you expect a kid to WALK A MILE? No matter what you say, genes or hormones or strange ailments, it all comes down to eating more than you burn.(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

Whether you tell them or don't, it's still a matter of priorites for most people. I have a coworker who has no internet, computer or cell phone. Why? He says that he can't afford them. However, he has cable TV with all of the add ons that runs about $100 a month and he and his wife dine out at fine restaraunts weekly before they go to the theater. It's all a matter of priorities.

Unfortunately, BSA doesn't give us the option of buying something that is "close enough" and wearing that. However, many do go the rout of buying olive drab pants and wearing those with their Scout uniform. I avoided official American made Scout pants for years because they never fit my chubby body right. Strangely, the Chinese made Switchback pants fit me well enough. When it all comes down to it, for most it is just a matter of priorities. I know parents who think nothing of buying their son a $400 cell phone but balk at $4 for a pair of uniform socks. Just as bad are the parents who'll buy their sixth grader a shirt that will fit me so that "he can grow into it."

"I'm sorry you have to go through this because some adults in your son's life are playing power trip games with your son. " How can you say that? We have no idea why Scout spirit was denied. Did he spray paint his school? Lose his license for for DUI? Simply show an unwillingness to be either friendly or helpful?

Well, if you're not carrying any weight, you could hike in Brikenstock sandles. :-)

"Bob, I think you may be a bit out of touch with Cub Scout roundups and Boy Scout recruiting among lower income families." It is all a matter of priorities. I'm not high income. In fact, i'm pretty low income. I know plenty of low income families who always have money for smokes or beer but don't have money for gas or electricity. Got the big screen TV but can't buy a new trash can. Boy Scout uniform? That would mean they might have to give up their beer for a couple weeks. Not everyone is like that but quite are few are.

"People continually condemn the overweight and blame them for their condition, despite evidence that obesity owes more to genetics than to will power. " Don't buy it. It's simple physics. If you eat more than you burn, you'll store the excess as blubber. I used to weigh 280 lbs. I now weigh 220. How? I changed my eating habits and I exercise three or four days a week. I went from a 52 suit to a 46 and 44 inch pants to 36. Just starving yourself won't do it. You need to move. Get the heart rate going. Build muscle. There's a fellow at my gym who went from 350 lbs to 200 lbs by watching what he ate and exercising. Maybe will power isn't the right term but it takes determination.

Since uniforms aren't mandatory for Scouting, I don't see how they can be mandatory for trainng.

Do you think that BSA would exchange my 10 year old sock that have grown some holes? :-)

"Nah, the rules apply only when they serve their just purpose and meet the common sense test." Who decides what is or isn't commons sense?

"As far as boots go scouts might consider a high quality trail running shoe with a stiff sole" Two problems with a trail running shoe. No ankle support and if the trail is the right type of trail, little rocks get kicked up and wind up in the shoe.

My experience with $8 shirts from Wally-world is that they'll last for one season and then they've lost their shape and start to fall apart. My original BSA shirt is still going strong after nearly 10 years which have included weekly launderings and wear five to eight times a month.

I'll reserve further comment until I have an opportunity to read the manual and evaluate what is written in its proper context.

I mentioned elsewhere that I had bought a pair of Itasca boots that proved unacceptable for hiking on rocky trails. Other than flexible soles, they were decent boots and are very comfortable and supportive for casual wear. So they became my daily footwear. All was well until I went to tie them the other day. As I tightened the laces on one boot, a speed-lace hook popped off. Dang! I looked at the boot and discovered that the rivet that held the hook on had rusted away and the other speed-lace hooks were in danger of going the same route. Steel rivits on boots that are supposed to be worn in a wet environment? It's a good thing that on our shakedown hikes I found out that the boots weren't good for rough hiking or they could have failed at Philmont and would have been left on the gate :-). I figured that I'd contact Itasca to see what they had to say. Do a google search for Itasca and all you'll turn up are retailers. No company sites. Being the determined guy that I am, I went to the Patent and Trademarks Office site (uspto.gov) and looked for who owns "Itasca." It turns out that a company called C.O. Lynch owns "Itasca" and, armed with that, I found the web site itascacol.com (Itasca CO Lynch). However, that wasn't much help. No consumer contact information. I've found that companies that don't offer an easy way to get in touch with them generally don't stand behind their products. I'll find out on Monday when I call them. On a related note, about 20 years ago, I had a pair of Nike running shoes which had the sole pull away from the shoe. I called Nike and they sent me a new pair of shoes and a shipping lable to return the old ones. Now that's customer service.

MSF class is well worth the time and trouble. Insurance. That's a big problem. I found that the best deal for motorcycle insurance was with Dairyland. You need to find an independent agent to buy Dairyland. Another thought is to buy a used bike to keep insurance costs down. If you shop around, you should be able to get your protective gear for not a lot of money (comparatively speaking). $100 for a good full face helmet and another for a decent synthetic armored jacket.

Never knew that boca also meant bay. Now that name makes sense as does Boca Chica. Thanks for the info.

Strange, CNYScouter already quoted that part of the manual and he seems to disagree with you. Unfortunately, I can't get to the Scout shop this weekend and my library's version of the "Sea Explorer Manual" is from 1961. I'll have to wait until next week to look it up. (This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

Hmmmmm . . . wait a second. Star, Life and Eagle are Boy Scout ranks, not Venturing. So doesn't it follow that the Boy Scouts would set the policies and procedures? In any case, Bob, we're still waiting for you to quote, chapter and verse to support your argument and you can't argue that the procedures for Sea Scout rank are followed for Boy Scout rank unless it explicitly states that in the book.

Bob, you still haven't provided us with a quote, including page and paragraph, which supports your claims. Remember Sea Scout advancement is not the same thing as Boy Scout advancement in a Sea Scout Ship.

I'm sticking with what we did. That warning on the application assumes that you're only registered with one unit at a time. If you're an ASM with Troop 999 and a Committee Member with Pack 222, you can simultaneously be working on The Boy Scout Leader Training Award and a the Cub Scout Leader Training Award.

The global warming crisis has passed because Hell just froze over.

Sorry Bob, you're trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole.

Hmmmm . . . so the implication here is that just because someone is a Marine that they are good people and that I should like them. If that were true there would be no Marines who were general buttholes (can I say that without being moderated), rapists, murders, wife beaters, child beaters, alcoholics, drug users, or deserters.

"I'd say "I'm sorry the Boy Scouts wasn't good enough for your son"." Why would you say that? What other orgs might an atheist not belong to? Knights of Columbus, DeMolay, Royal Rangers, Awana and probably a few more. I've known more than a few Marines and there were many that I wouldn't want in my neighborhood. I'm glad that they were Marines but still . . .