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SequoiaWDL

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Posts posted by SequoiaWDL

  1. Sequoia Council (Fresno Area) ran $3500. Included the bus from Fresno to SFO, flight to Philly, 2 Days touring Philadelphia area including Valley Forge, a trip through Gettysburg on the way to DC. Three days in our nation's capitol and environs (included the amazing Marine Corps barracks Evening Parade) plus a side trip to Mt Vernon. Then there was the trip through Charlottesville and a tour of Monticello on the way to Jambo. They stayed in decent hotels and all meals were paid for.

    After the Jamboree they'll return to DC for another night, plus a visit to our Congressmen, before flying from DC to SF and returning to Fresno via bus.

     

    For gear we got the big duffel bag, a really nice daypack, the standard set of contingent patches, a hat, a jacket and probably some other little odds and ends. Included in the master fee were also the 3 "training " campouts.

     

  2. Yes. Actually I believe that our troop and pack are beyond the danger threshold . Without any discussion with the church/ CO, we were sent a certified letter (via the council, I understand) that our 36-year relationship was ending.
    My post seemed clear to me (in my own head) when I wrote it. My sincerest apologies. Yes, the Chartering Organization sent a letter to the CO rep or Committee Chair (heck, maybe to both, that wasn't disclosed) terminating the 36-year relationship with the troop. The letter was e-forwarded to committee members this afternoon, and was filled with vague non-sequitous explanations. Will we be better off with a new CO? When we find a place for an active, vibrant and well-equipped troop to meet regularly and stow our gear, I'll let you know. Is it the end of the world? No. The leaders and parents who want the program to continue will find a way to make it happen.

     

    BadenP : Since you assumed correctly that my perspective was from that of a leader, then the phrase "we were sent a certified letter' should clearly indicate who was the sender and who was the receiver. Basic English. On top of that comprehension blunder, your response was unscout-like.

  3. After dropping my son off at school, my commute to work takes a left turn, due east for 12 straight miles as the sun exposes itself over the Sierras...right on the horizon, right over the middle of the road. That, combined with farm vehicles and big rigs, makes for a rather hazardous morning drive. It'll be a month before the sun will be high enough for the visor to be of any use, and lining up a few degrees north of the road.

  4. Just throwin' this out there for the sharks.....

     

     

    A gay softball association in the US can limit the number of heterosexual players on its teams, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

     

    The decision to allow the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAAA) to enforce a rule of two "straight" players came in a lawsuit filed by three bisexual men who claim they were kicked out of the Gay Softball World Series because they "weren't gay enough," the Courthouse News Service reported.

     

    US District Judge John Coughenour wrote in his ruling, "Plaintiffs have failed to argue that there is a compelling state interest in allowing heterosexuals to play gay softball."

     

    "NAGAAA might very well believe that given the history of gay exclusion for sports, the only way to promote competition for all persons, and ensure that gay athletes have the same opportunities as straight athletes, is to create an exclusively gay community with exceptions for a small number of straight players," the ruling states. "It is not the role of the courts to scrutinize the content of an organization's chosen expression."

     

    However, Coughenour said the lawsuit could proceed to trial because questions remained about the way the softball association applied its rule.

     

    The suit was sparked when three men playing for a San Francisco-based team in the Gay Softball World Series in Washington state in 2008 were challenged about their sexuality by a rival team.

     

    According to their complaint, the trio were summoned to a hearing room and quizzed about their sexual interests or attractions in front of around 25 people.

     

    The men said organizers told them, "This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series."

     

    A trial is set for Aug. 1.

    http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Gay-team-can-limit-straight-players-060211

  5. '72 Chevy El Camino with the 350, and a fitted camper shell. It was green. My little sister was aghast that such an ugly vehicle could sit in front of our house. She called it the Green Banana.

     

    The first car I ever drove (at age 8) was a Water Truck on a runway out at Travis Air Force Base. It was a manual trans so we bucked like a bronco and my dad bounced and flailed around in the passenger seat,exaggerated for effect, of course.

  6. I don't think CA forgot, or didn't know the words to the national anthem, as many have assumed. I think she was so caught up in her vocal acrobatics, that she simply lost her place.

     

    What bugs me is we have an entire generation of young vocalists who actually believe that senseless un-melodic warbling constitutes SOUL. Seriously. Although I don't have all her recordings, I can't ever recall Aretha Franklin ever doing that crap. She sings with power, an intangible fire. THAT is soul.

  7. It's a nice bit of "gotcha" journalism. The public will assume that having these "perv" files is tantamount to a mass coverup. I'm betting that these files pre-date public access databases such as Megans Law files, and were used to weed out bad guys. Now a lawyer is trying to build a case based on the afforementioned assumptions.

    Remember, lawyers are deemed successful by winning cases (especially high profile ones) not by how honest or forthright they are.

    Journalists are deemed successful by how much increase in readership/viewership is garnered, not by how honest or forthright they are.

  8. This is the one requirement standing between my son and first class. He has invited some classmates from Jr High....with some responses ranging from a polite "no, I'm too busy' to replies of ridicule.

    The troop guides have the expectation that he bring a potential scout to a meeting. How hard could it be? So does the scoutmaster. My son broached the subject on a backpacking with the CC, and he seemed to have a different view (I wasn't a witness, as I tend to lag behind). This is a sore spot for the boy, especially since he's been sitting on this for six months....

  9. Yeah Gern, recruiting would work best with a 3 pronged attack (like a pitchfork?)

    Boys: The adventure, using knives and axes, seeing bears, hearing coyotes howl, shooting shotguns & .22s etc.

     

    Moms: All that citizenship jazz...

     

    Dads: We give sons a chance to have a semblance of the childhood their dad had, maybe.

  10. Last February was my first winter camp experience. For undergarments I had two brands: Under-Armor type poly (but off name brand found at Walmart). Those were about $6 per piece. Then I had $18 per unit PolarMax brand undies. Both were adequate, comfort/warmth never being an issue. My tent was an tall 9x9 that I shared with another adult, which was actually a little too "airy". Nighttime temp was about 20f, daytime 40f. The jacket came off on the 2 mile uphill hike out as the snow turned into rain

  11. Learning to ski on the bunny slope to beat all bunny slopes (the 2 1/4 Lift at Boreal Ridge) I almost got skulled on several occasions, so headgear seems like a good idea no matter how tame the hill. Look into rentals. And if that's not an option, I doubt the ski patrol or anyone else will care if your wearing rock climbing or bike helmets. And the G2SS doesn't specify sport-specific helmets...yet...

     

    By the way....if you're having a coronary over the cost of helmets, how in the hell can you afford a lift ticket...Out here it ain't much less.

  12. "Polling figures show that as many as 85% of americans with health insurance are happy with what they have"

     

    How the pollster frames the question has a lot to do with the response. How it is framed depends on who is paying for the poll.

     

    Am I happy with my insurance? Better than not having any.

     

    BUT

    Here are some stats for you to chew on?

    In 1995 I first started receiving health benefits from my employer. They pay 80%, I pay 20%.

    Every other Friday, I had $25 deducted from my cheque to cover my share. Copays were $5 as were Rx.

     

    Last year, same company, same share: I had $120 deducted from each payday.

    Dr visits $20, specialist $35, Rx $25-40.

    You do the math. But the CEO of my insurer took a pay cut too. From 24M in 07 to 12M in 08.

     

    Medical malpractice, by the way, is a state issue. Google California MICRA details.

    (This message has been edited by SequoiaWDL)

  13. Sure, its only $5, (10 for my son and I) BUT.... It ain't going to the troop, nor the district, nor the council. Its going to National. Irving. How does that come back to me? Is national going to increase service back to me by 50%? BTW our troop increased our yearly fees by $5 per year, and nary a complaint was heard....but we get a detailed monthly report from troop treasurer, so we know where it went. So what do we get in return?

  14. Sorry, my link was bad, so I'll just reprint.

     

    With credit to wingnut:

     

    Tate Compass Co.

    There was once a couple named Nancy & Mike Tate, and it was their life' s dream to have a compass company. They finally saved enough money and started the Tate's Compass Company. Luck was with them, for the first contract they acquired was to manufacture 750,000 compasses for the Boy Scouts. Nancy and Mike worked feverishly day and night to meet their deadline, & finished just before the Boy Scout Jamboree was to begin.

    On the day of the Scout Wilderness hike, each boy scout was given a Tate's Compass to help them find their way. Unfortunately, it was discovered too late that every single compass was made with the colored point of the needle facing the wrong way,so when one was facing North, the needle pointed to the South. Needless to say, all of the boy scouts got lost & it was the biggest fiasco known in Boy Scout history. The Tate's compass company went out of business, but from this experience came the familiar adage...

    "He who has a Tate's is lost." (Say it out loud).

  15. We paid 280 for a camp in Northern California last year, and most in our troop thought it was a bargain. We're shelling out 340 for camp in the Southern Sierras this year. Emerald Bay (Catalina Island) is in our future, I'm told....which runs into the high 400's. 225 for a weeklong camp is just a dream for us.

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