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I haven't posted here in a long time, but... Correlation does not equal causation. An example which is obviously a non-sequitur: 100% of people who contract lung cancer breathed oxygen. Therefore oxygen causes lung cancer. Now, we all know that smoking causes lung cancer right? OK, explain these: My next door neighbor is a tiny lady who has smoked since she was a teenager. She's 88 years old, has more stamina than I do , lives by herself (she's a widow) and is sharp as a tack. The wife of a very good friend died 4-5 years ago from lung cancer at age 49. She never smoked a cigarett

I resent that. I really do. You have jumped to a conclusion that isn't supported by the information I gave. At Philmont, since this thread seems to be mostly about that program, I and other adults made one decision per day: where we were setting up our tent(s). And that was after the crew leader told us, "We're setting up camp here." So we found a spot that looked OK and set up. Other than that, we adults were the "added baggage required by National BSA" as you eloquently put it. The boys made the decisions. They decided who was hiking where in the line, what route we would take the next day,

"I am their leader, therefore I will follow" My spot for every hike and backpacking trip and canoe trip was at the rear. Part of that was because I always had the First Aid kit. If something happens you want the First Aid kit to catch up with the need rather than walking or floating away from it. And you want the same from the leader in charge...

dc, you are correct of course. And perhaps I didn't express myself as well or completely as I should have. Absolutely if the 50-60 year old leader is the only option then make the compromises that must be made. Make the trip happen, do not deny the opportunity. As much as I hate to admit it, I am now one of the "old guys" in my troop There are younger (30s and early 40s) adults in decent to very good shape who would have no trouble handling anything Philmont could throw at them. I have the option of backing out because of them. Other troops and leaders may not have those options.

Although I'm 10 years younger than you Stosh, I'm in the same boat and highly agree with your choice. I did Philmont for my 9th and last time in 2008 at age 48. My troop is gonna apply for a 2015 expedition and I said I'd make sure the planning got done but that I wasn't going on another expedition. Other, younger adults should be going. I didn't have any issues in 2008, in fact I out-hiked a couple of my youth on that trip. Not bragging, just a fact. But here's another fact: the same wouldn't happen at age 55. In 2008, we were on our way up Shaefer's Pass from the north side and had stop

We do both SFF in Nov and the Post Office drive in May.

All the NPS web pages are down as well. You get redirected to Dept. of Interior main page.

Thanks for the link Peregrinator. Since I don't like to rely on just one source for my education (or reeducation in this case) I looked up a few more articles. Of the more recent and more scholarly (sources cited, etc.) articles, this one from last December bubbled to the top: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/ It kind of updates the article you link.

@qwazse: I believe I have some Scotch heritage, definitely Irish, English, and Welsh. I just might have to try your suggestion. Hmm. There's an Italian restaurant about a mile from here. Must find my armorrrrr and sworrrrrd! (bad attempt at a written brogue...) @NAE: Or set up Christmas Trees/wreaths/other greenery customs. For that matter Christmas Day is at the wrong time of year technically. My understanding is that the Roman Catholic Church decided to celebrate it around the Winter Solstice to accommodate existing "Pagan" traditions in various lands.

I guess I can update (upgrade?) my status to "heathen other"

Yup, somewhat simplistic, but that's pretty much my definition as well. Of course, a good friend who's Catholic calls me a "heathen protestant"

Sog Micro Toolclip (kinda like the Leatherman Micra). There's a funny story about getting that through Heathrow security about 15 years ago. Suffice it to say, I still have it.

And I suppose that being "an American" could mean anyone from the Western Hemisphere (North and South America along with associated islands). Not that that helps DS's Indians, Kiwis, or Brits [EDIT]On a slightly more serious note, the "A" in BSA stands for America. Another requirement states that you must recite the Pledge of Allegiance. That is many units' opening ceremony. DS, do you ask your "foreigners" to pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA? Are they required to know that? As jblake said, "When in Rome". If a Scout born in the USA were to join Scouting in Japan (whatever t

A telling story: My Scoutmaster when I was a lad was in the military. After retirement he joined the professional scouting ranks and became the DE of our district. He was in that position for 10-15 years and retired again. Several years later he approached our troop committee about donating money. It seems he got ticked off at how our council was spending money and wanted to donate whatever amount he had been giving to FOS to the troop. It was enough to fund more than a few camperships. As he stated, "At least I know the money is directly benefiting Scouts." He continued that practice until

Heh. Like you I had to earn Cooking as a "required" badge right before "the change". Unfortunately, by the time it was awarded to me they had run out of the silver border version. My sash has a green border Cooking MB sewn on it....

Aye, there's the rub. There are critters that will pass through a 2 micron pore that you absolutely do NOT want in your body. Crypto, etc. is way smaller and .3 micron, while possibly needing greater than gravity pressure to use is closer to "safe". With most filters, pre-filtering to get the logs and boulders out of the untreated water really increases the time between filter cleaning or replacing. "Pre-filtering" can be a bandanna, coffee filter, or even just letting the logs and boulders settle out in a pot for 15-20 minutes before filtering. The fastest my filter (MSR) ever got clogge

2 words: Windows Word both of which have been trademarked by Microsoft and are "in common usage". OK another word (can I type that without violating MS trademark?): "context"

1st post on this forum... Apps I have (all free) that are at least tangentially Scouting related: Any weather app you like Your vehicle insurance company's app (you never know...) A "flashlight" app KnotGuide Bugle Boy (Bugle Calls) HSW (How Stuff Works) -- think STEM CamScanner -- take a picture of a document, scan to PDF, send via e-mail, text, whatever Astronomy: * NASA app * Planets * StarGuide Maps, GPS, and Orienteering: * ArcGIS * MapQuest * GPSLite * Google Earth

Arrgh. Double post, see next..