walk in the woods

It's also my understanding that kids are on the hook for special dietary needs. We were told the pods our equipment come out of will double as food storage for non-perishables.

Had some of my Aunt Jane's signature peach pie with top crust in the shape of stars this weekend .

I learned it as a scout in the 70s. Today we use it with a stage at the beginning to clean plates either by licking or with a rubber spatula into the trash. I normally let my dishes air dry hanging in a mesh bag in the kitchen area.

Was wondering who'd call me out on that one .

Well, wrong, to say "no" teenager is an absolute. All absolutes are false by definition. Next, this particular page is poor at best. First, there are no labels on the grids for the data other than teen pregnancy rates. What does a rate of 165 mean? Is that 165 pregnancies in 100,000 teens or 1000 teens? Second, there a really big assumption written into the first graph estimating the numbers of pregnancies that end in stillbirth or mis-carriage. Anytime there are estimates there are biases. Third, the graphics do little to explain states like WI, ND and NE which have low rates and no mandated programs. The article also doesn't address why CA is in the third highest rate category even though it does have mandated, medically accurate, no mention of religion sex ed. The cited article does nothing to deal with other possible cause/effect relationships such as the general state of education in those states, poverty rates, etc. Political web sites on both extremes are laughable.

Yeah, I'd go with 7 or 8 years for advancement records. The youngest scouts would have aged out by that point. When I did a short history of our troop I tried to captured the Chartering Organizations, CC, SMs, and Eagles for each year. Beyond that, not so much.

So true. I work in a university setting and tire quickly of hearing young people complain about the menial tasks they are expected to complete.

Many lessons to be learned, primarily, that the common good is more important than the individual good. And that the individual good is derived from the common good. Then again, if we believed this as a society we wouldn't have to beg people to be scout leaders or church volunteers or help put together a community picnic on the 4th of July. I fear we are 50 years down the path and far beyond the point of no return.

The polygamy cases are already starting their journey through the courts. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Utah-polygamist-family-celebrating-DOMA-ruling-4623579.php

Take heart. My son has Asperger's as well and was in the same place a number of years ago. It took us several years to get him through the process of learning to swim. His Eagle Board of Review is next week, right before we leave for Jamboree. It's my wish that you will have the same success. Thank you for being engaged and being your son's advocate. You are going to find plenty of blowhard idiot leaders in scouting who will refuse to make accommodations because they are super-scouters who know everything. Ignore them. If this leader is as big a jerk as you describe, find a different pack. As has been mentioned Aquanaut isn't required for squat. The Cub Scout Motto is Do Your Best. Keep working at it and finding the parts that work for your son. Scouting has been good for my son even if it hasn't been a great experience for him or us. It's worth the effort but it's far from the only youth program out there that our kids can benefit from attending.

Not sure about collapse, but the pace will continue to increase until there is a major shock to the system. And there are a bunch of them out there from political to societal and across the spectrum.

The argument between science and religion is driven by zealots on either side. Science seeks to explain HOW something comes about/works. Religion teaches and explains to me WHY I should act and live a certain way. Two different questions all together. As for creation vs evolution, etc. You call it science, I call it the hand of God. It's all good.

Why should an employer be forced to accept an employee's political/religious views? Let the market rule. If an employer doesn't offer the benefits you are looking for, work elsewhere. If enough people feel that way then that employer will be forced to shutdown on its own. Having the government force their version of morality on everybody is the problem, not the solution. Separately, as a resident of Illinois, our bankrupt corrupt state government has enough issues already. Morality is certainly not their strong suit.

Dude, put the hate card away. It's tiresome, cowardly and a really poor ad hominem attack. If you want to debate the issues then debate, stop the personal attacks. Just because somebody disagrees with you it doesn't make them a hater. Are you a hater of children when you tell them no? Or is that coming from a place of concern and love? Just asking.

I'm just going back and reading, or re-reading this thread. You brought up several varied points in your post, but some really make me think.... I would so much rather see a boy leaning against a tree reading, than playing with technology..... but what I see more of is a boy or boys huddled up in a tent with a video game, with other cubs that didn't bring their games or tablet computers huddled around watching and wanting a turn. Our CM's sons are the ones with all of the latest gadgets, and it's usually around their tent where you find this huddle. On a campout, I view this tech as a sort of cancer. On a camp out last year, I had my son leave his tech at home. Unfortunately, other boys had theirs. I asked my son to go climb a tree or something, but it's hard when he wants to be right in the huddle! I wish I could drive a removal of that cancer from our pack, but as mentioned, our CM, as well as other leaders, are the tech crowd and I think view the tech as a way of getting the boys out of their hair so they can burry themselves in their own smartphones. Your point about TV on the home front is interesting. I was raised without much limit on TV. I have always contented that a kid can learn from TV, even stupid fiction. I feel that I was able to put myself in the situations of the story line and learn from it...... Situations that I may not otherwise find myself in..... shows like Andy Griffith, Brady Bunch, Munsters, Beaver, Lucy, etc.... usually had some sort of moral or social lesson I think even the newer ones that my kids watch now that aren't nearly as "wholesome", can be educational to a degree. Still, I do agree with your point that generally speaking kids with stricter limits tend to be more polite and socially well adjusted. My wife and I limit our kids with TV & tech, but MAYBE not nearly enough.... I'll have to give this some thought for sure. Given that facebook has T&Cs that limit accounts to those over 13 years of age, how do you use it for troop communications? Just with the parents and older scouts?

My guess is Mr. Rowe would be more impressed with MBs like Automotive Maintenance, Farm Mechanics, Welding, Plumbing, Electricity, Woodwork and Metalwork. Maybe Truck Transportation, Drafting, Painting and Animal Science. I suspect 4H and FFA are better positioned to deal with the skills gap that Mr. Rowe discusses.

I supposed if all the females were over 18 and at least one of the males (but less than 4) was over 18 you could all register as a Boy Scout Troop and be ok .

Wiled away a fair amount of my youth in a wall tent with the sides and doors rolled up. Even spent a Jamboree in one in PA in 77, but that's another story.

See you there (B426). I'm taking three changes of clothes, plus something actually clean for the bus home . We lost one scout to the membership debate but had another come off the waiting list. Now, that 3rd ASst. SM is another thing altogether.....

I also have and like the Lynx 2 tent. I'm not a super scouter so I've only taken it backpacking once. I'd split the load between two scouts; 3 pounds each roughly. They'll be perfectly comfortable inside for sleeping since their gear will be in the vestibules or under a tarp outside. More importantly they'll be tired from a long day on the trail It will catch some condensation with two people inside so definitely keep the vents open. If it's not going to rain and they get stuffy inside, leave the doors open for ventilation. For other trips it's more than comfortable for one person with their gear inside if they must. I've also used it for winter camping in northern Illinois with a dew cloth. Definitely warmer with two scouts then .

The problem with the argument that modern conveniences keep boys at home, is that we know from membership numbers that at the same time that TV, air conditioning, suburban life and all its comforts were exploding, so was BSA membership. A/C, shag carpet, arcade halls, and TV didn't keep boys at home in 1965, we can't assume that's what keeps them home today. In fact, as Rush fans know all too well, it may be the case that suburban life actually pushes boys right into our arms (nerd time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9Ycq64Gy4) because it denies their nature. But, perhaps the growth in membership had nothing to do with BSA's intrinsic qualities: historians of the US also know the 50s as a "culture of joining"--civic groups of all types, not just the BSA, saw their membership soar. So, we have a few reasons why there was so much growth: adventure, getting out of the home, getting out of the "mass production zone" suburbs, joining for joining's sake. Your point about patriotism doesn't much play, for me. Patriotism has never played a major role in my scouting experience as either a youth or adult. The fashion at this forum is to timestamp our modern problems 1972, tag them "Improved Scouting Program," and lay them all at the feet of national. And to be sure, drastically changing the program drastically changed what boys were getting, and they clearly didn't want the new menu. However, the program was corrected in 1979, but it hasn't stopped the bleeding. That's where we get to your best argument: Cultural change. There's no culture of joining, anymore, it's all about individualism. Mistrust of institutions is rampant. Mommy thinks Johnny will die if he's out of her sight. In the past, mom and dad wanted junior in the woods, out of the house, and to become a man as soon as possible, preferably before his first armpit hair; now they're scared to death to even consider that he will leave home by 30. There is also the proliferation of extra-curriculars. I didn't live it, so I will try not to overstate, but the after-school landscape was not as crowded in the past as it is today. Now, Johnny has a lot more options. Last, in terms of culture still, the baby boom is over. The decline coincided not just with Improved Scouting, but also with the aging-out of the boomers, and birth rates have continued to decline among BSA's core demographic (whitey). The answer, of course, is continued differentiation. The only traditional program that has seen membership growth between 1999 and 2012 is Venturing. Wow, BSA, what a surprise! The most freewheeling program is the only one that's growing. Yet BSA continues to dial back adventure and independence in Boy Scouting. The second thing is to keep reaching out to Spanish-speaking families; they have more kids than whitey, and they don't have the same access to other civic institutions. Your "culture of joining" reference is the key word and tricky phrase here. I think most of the issues precipitate out from the shift of our culture from one of concern for the common good to one of concern for the individual good. It probably started with those same 50s kids rebelling against everything their parents valued and continues today. No, I don't have any scientific studies to prove it and I'm not going to bother to look any up. Those are my opinions. FWIW, patriotism played a huge role in my youth scouting experience. Then again, my Scoutmaster went ashore at Normandy. He understood the common good.

I think where it fails is the structure of the crew itself not in the facilities. If there are male and female youth on the trek there need to be male and female adults over 21. I think Richard below linked the chapter and verse from the GTSS.

Where are you backpacking and for how long?

Yeah, I'd interpret that as a violation of YP.