SMDaveAZ

I personally believe that global warming is the catastrophe du jour. In the 80s, it was global cooling. In the 90s, it was the hole in the ozone layer. Some climatologists have found a slight warming trend since such things were recorded.  Recently, certain politicians and activists have claimed that this warming trend is caused by human being's use of carbon-based resources.  On the other hand, some paleoclimatologists have found a cyclical trend over many centuries, which would mean that humans have nothing to do with it. 

The thing to be wary about in this debate is that each side has an agenda and investments.

I personally believe that the "global warming" issue isn't really that important.  However, there are related issues that are important to our lifestyle.  First, we need to achieve energy independence.  By relying on certain unsavory characters for our oil, we are putting ourselves, as a country, in a very risky position economically.  Not only that, but researching and developing alternative fuels and energy sources just adds to our choices as consumers.  However, energy independence also includes keeping independence from global, even national, organizations who dictate what a country's "carbon footprint" should be.  We go from dependence on one side of the debate to dependence on the other.

Another issue is one which we Scouts should be especially involved in, environmental responsibility.  We are by far the biggest users of American backcountry.  Every year, this backcountry is damaged, even destroyed, by carelessness, development, and ignorance.  As we teach and live by the principles of LNT, we can become better stewards of the environment.

In all, we need to be wary of who we throw our support behind.  We need to be vigilant in studying out the evidence and decide for ourselves what makes sense.  Not necessarily what someone else tells us.  (For example, I read an article today about an environmental think tank suggesting that the entire world should adopt China's laws regarding offspring all in the name of global warming.)

I hemmed the bottom of the pants. With the zipper problem, I left it alone. The hem doesn't go all the way around and the zipper is folded over at the bottom, but you can't really tell unless you really look.

Also, definately try on a couple of different pairs at the Scout office. I bought a pair and didn't try them on and they were about 6 inches too long. I took them back and tried on another pair of the same "size" and they were only about 2 inches too long.(This message has been edited by SMDaveAZ)

I was just asked to be the Scoutmaster of a very small troop (Troop 61, Grand Canyon Council). Its mainly small because they haven't had much of adult leadership in the last couple of years. I was previously on the Committee and volunteered to help where I could. It wasn't long before they asked me to be the SM officially.

I was in Scouting as a boy, but am a little overwhelmed about being an "adult." I've recently taken FS, NLE, LS, and OLS and plan to take WoodBadge in 6 mos or so. I have a passion for Scouting (even though I'm still learning) and am trying to help these boys "catch the vision."

I recently re-read my Eagle application and saw that I planned to be involved in Scouting for the rest of my life. I've taken a 12 year vacation, but now I'm back at it and I look forward to it.

A couple of uniform comments. I know I was a geek in HS, which, by the way, wasn't that long ago, but I wore my uniform to school a few times. Mainly for class pictures. (I think I stopped after my freshman or sophomore years) I loved it. Even after I stopped wearing my field uniform, I still always wore camp staff or OA t-shirts. What was even better was when some of the kids in my class would come up to me and ask what some of the badges meant. Also, I always went into the store either before or after scout meetings to get something and the same thing would happen there.

Fast forward to now, we have 4 new members of our troop. These boys are from a really poor area of town and since joining have begged us to help them get a uniform. They want to wear a uniform! They get kinda bored with some of the other parts of Scouting, but they are excited to get a Scout uniform.

A couple of observations from having these for a few activities:

1) The sizing is kinda odd to me. I bought a size 30" XL and was absolutely swimming in them (I normally wear a 42 X 29, which should work). I took them back and got the exact same size and they fit much better. So, those who are saying they're too big or not big enough may want to try another pair. By the way, the length is really long still, but I plan on shortening them by cutting off an inch from the top of the leggings and reattaching the zipper.

2) The shorts are really short. I normally wear my shorts around my knee and these are 2-3 inches too short. I will probably end up not ever zipping off the legs.

3) Living here in the desert, there are a lot of cactus and other prickly plants that just go right through the supplex. I've worn these for 3 activities and already have a few snags.

4) Other than the previous 3 points, I really like them. The material is lightweight and wicks very well. They hold their shape pretty well even after sitting in a pack.