eisely

NJCubScouter, You are taking this far too seriously. Did you check the link? The sidebar stuff is hilarious. If somebody really did put the handbook on such a list, then they are a satire of themselves.

Congratulations to all involved for 50 years of success in the finest youth movement in the USA.

I forgot to source the original post. This comes from the highly reliable news source, the "News of the World." Go to the link, there is more there than I can paste. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/story_pages/news/news5.shtml

For you paranoids out there, who fear the feds and patriot act, listen up....you could be living in the UK. ___________________ Scout's bible in Osama terror ban It's Laden Powell By Keith Gladdis, Deputy Political Editor THE Boy Scouts' official handbook has been blacklisted by the governmentbecause it could be used as a training manual by Osama bin Laden. For almost 100 years the scout and cub movement has sworn by Scouting For Boys, written by founder and Boer war hero Lord Baden-Powell. It teaches youngsters survival in the wild. But forget Akela, it's al-Qaeda Whitehall fears. Anti-terror chiefs are convinced fanatics will use the book. Under the Terrorism Act 2000 merely owning a copy puts you in the frame. Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews confirmed: "I've seen it on a list of books in an indictment. It's undoubtedly an offence just to possess it." The book's vital gen includes advice to take care when felling timber "lest you miss the tree and chop your own leg". The legislation was designed to hit bomb-making guides such as The Terrorists' Handbook. But while it is unlikely scout troops will be hauled off to Guantanamo Bay, MP Bob insists the law is so broad it could snare the innocent. A Scout Association boss said their book is based on high moral principles, such as loving all fellow humans, and added: "Our movement condemns all acts of terrorism." But, if you spot anyone suspicious with a beard, a woggle and a talent for lighting fires by rubbing sticks together, call the cops. Be prepared!

Interesting article from the National Review Online _______________________ No Boy Scouts The ACLU defends NAMBLA. An old friend of mine once said this about the American Civil Liberties Union: "They're a bunch of whale-saving, criminal-loving pinkos and thank God for them." This remark nicely summarizes the ambivalence with which many people regard the ACLU. Few organizations dance closer to the very edge of the loony-Left precipice than it does. There seems to be no thug too hardened nor any cause too exotic for the ACLU to champion. At the same time, if America ever were unlucky enough to face a president who decided to remain in the Oval Office past her expiration date, the ACLU would battle her and her junta with every sharp courtroom argument, pointed legal filing, and well-aimed briefcase it could muster. That said, the ACLU lately has stained the dark side of its reputation through its actions in two cases involving the treatment of vulnerable, young Americans. The ACLU is defending those who abuse children while attacking those who give them moral guidance. This contrast reveals the priorities of today's ACLU. The Manhattan-based public-interest law firm is defending the North American Man-Boy Love Association in a $200 million civil lawsuit filed by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Curley. The Curleys claim that Charles Jaynes was driven by the literature and website of NAMBLA, an outfit that advocates sex between grown men and little boys, reportedly as young as age 8. Jaynes did not simply read NAMBLA's materials and ponder its message. He and Salvatore Sicari actively sought a boy with whom to copulate. They picked 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley of Cambridge, Massachusetts. They lured him into their car as he played outside his home in October 1997. When Curley resisted their sexual advances, they choked him to death with a gasoline-soaked rag. Then they took the boy's body across state lines to Jayne's apartment in Manchester, New Hampshire. They molested the cadaver and stuffed it into a cement-filled Rubbermaid container. Finally, they crossed state lines again into Maine, whereupon they tossed Jeffrey Curley's remains into the Great Works River, from which it was recovered within days. Jaynes and Sicari were convicted of these crimes in 1998, for which they are serving life sentences. So why blame NAMBLA? Is it any more responsible for this atrocity than is Vintage Books, the publisher of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita? Imagine that Jaynes and Sicari had read that 1955 novel about a middle-aged intellectual's affair with a 12-year-old girl. What if these two men found an equally young female who they abused and killed, just as they murdered Jeffrey Curley in real life? Putting aside the fact that Lolita is a work of fiction, would Vintage Books face civil justice? Probably not, nor would NAMBLA if it limited its output to fictional depictions of "man-boy love." It is difficult to pin imaginary crimes on actual criminals who turn make-believe into mayhem. Within the realm of nonfiction, as revolting as its ideas are, NAMBLA certainly has a First Amendment right to argue that America's laws should be changed to permit sexual relations between adult men and third-grade school boys. Most Americans would disagree vehemently, as well they should. That's called debate. It's the American way. As ACLU of Massachusetts Legal Director John Reinstein sees it: "Regardless of whether people agree with or abhor NAMBLA's views, holding the organization responsible for crimes committed by others who read their materials would gravely endanger important First Amendment freedoms." However, as Fox News' Bill O'Reilly noted, there is more at play here than pamphleteering. "According to lawyers familiar with [NAMBLA's] website," O'Reilly explained, "it actually posted techniques designed to lure boys into having sex with men and also supplied information on what an adult should do if caught." NAMBLA is "not just publishing material that says it's OK to have sex with children and advocating changing the law," says Larry Frisoli, a Cambridge attorney who is arguing the Curleys case in federal court. NAMBLA, he says, "is actively training their members how to rape children and get away with it. They distribute child pornography and trade live children among NAMBLA members with the purpose of having sex with them." Frisoli cites a NAMBLA publication he calls "The Rape and Escape Manual." Its actual title is "The Survival Manual: The Man's Guide to Staying Alive in Man-Boy Sexual Relationships." "Its chapters explain how to build relationships with children," Frisoli tells me. "How to gain the confidence of children's parents. Where to go to have sex with children so as not to get caught...There is advice, if one gets caught, on when to leave America and how to rip off credit card companies to get cash to finance your flight. It's pretty detailed." "In his diary, Jaynes said he had reservations about having sex with children until he discovered NAMBLA," Frisoli continues. "It's in his diary in 1996, around the time he joined NAMBLA, one year before the death of Jeffrey Curley." The practical, step-by-step advice Jaynes followed goes far beyond appeals to sway public opinion in favor of pedophilia. Such language aids and abets felonious conduct. If such conspiracy results in homicide, it is reasonable for NAMBLA to face civil liability if not criminal prosecution. Ohio's Court of Appeals found NAMBLA complicit in an earlier child-rape case. NAMBLA's literature, discovered in a defendant's possession, reflected "preparation and purpose," according to the Buckeye State's top bench. The ACLU has offered material support to those who openly preach pedophilia and arguably encourage kidnapping, rape, and murder. Yet this legal group is energetically hostile to an organization that tries to turn boys into men, with sex alien to the process. Since 1915, the Boy Scouts have managed land within San Diego's Balboa Park. It has built a swimming pool, a 600-seat amphitheater, and a camping facility that accommodates 300. Camp Balboa serves some 12,000 Boy Scouts annually through daylong events and weekend sleepovers. The Scouts' tie to this land is a 50-year lease offered by the San Diego City Council and signed in 1957. In exchange for their stewardship including private investment for maintenance and development the Scouts hand the city an annual lease payment of $1.00. This arrangement is too much for the ACLU to swallow. It sued the City of San Diego to expel the Boy Scouts from Balboa Park. The ACLU contends that the Scouts are a religious organization and thus should be dislodged from the facility. Never mind that the Scouts did not bar other groups from using the park. In fact, according to Hans Zeiger, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout who has written about this controversy, Balboa Park hosted last summer's San Diego Gay Pride Festival. Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge Napoleon Jones deemed the Boy Scouts a religious organization last July and declared that their involvement with Balboa Park violated the separation of church and state. The ACLU used this ruling to secure a settlement wherein the City of San Diego cancelled the Scouts' lease on the park, even though it did not expire until 2007 and, in fact, was extended in 2001 for 25 years. The ACLU also scored $950,000 in attorneys fees and court costs, thus fleecing taxpayers and deepening its pockets. San Diego's Boy Scouts are appealing Judge Jones' ruling. A federal judge someday may decide whether or not the Scouts' good deeds will go unpunished. The ACLU's supporters should contemplate where this organization has placed itself vis--vis NAMBLA and the Boy Scouts. The ACLU seemingly believes that everyone deserves a lawyer, no matter how odious his case. Perhaps, although it would be nice to see NAMBLA siphon its own bank account rather than the ACLU's to justify its evil ways. The ACLU decides for itself where to devote its finite resources. Hence, its leaders freely chose to stand with cheerleaders for pederasty while torpedoing those who mentor rather than rape little boys. Today's ACLU makes one wish it would find some whales to save.

Normally I don't indulge people with personal details outside my immediate family, and like a lot of guys, I probably don't tell my immediate family things that I should tell them. After debating with myself I decided to post this information in the hope and expectation that I may prod some fellow scouters to do the smart thing for themselves if they are not already doing so. In December I was diagnosed with a very early stage Prostate cancer. Caught early enough, as in my case, this is a highly treatable disease, and I can expect to live a normal life expectancy beyond this. The key is making sure your doctor is adding the PSA blood screen to his lab orders when he does his annual bloodwork. All you scouters out there over age 42 are suppposed to be supplying an annual Class III form. If it weren't for this requirement I probably would not have been getting an annual physical all these past several years. My doctor automatically included the PSA screen in his lab orders without even consulting me. As a result, I have several years of measurement history, and an early diagnosis. This cancer can strike any male at any age. It is slow to develop and most of us think of it as an old man's disease. But it can strike well before you are 60. About 25% of American males will be diagnosed with this during their lifetimes. So all you 42+ males out there, make sure your doctor is including the PSA blood test in your annual lab work. Cheap, easy, and potential life saver. Get smart.

I heard a news radio report about this late this evening. In his later apology, Paige, did call the NEA obstructionist, which is being very charitable. Of all the unions, the NEA is probably the most blatant in unlawfully diverting its members dues (often mandatory under labor agreements) to political purposes. It is too bad the Bush administration has been too chicken to pursue a criminal case against the NEA on this.

Doh!!

Another quote attributed to Mark Twain. "The fewer lies I tell, the less I have to remember."

There is a commercial product called "goof off" that I have found useful for removing various substances from places where they don't belong or I don't want them. This would probably work for most glue residues as well and is probably much less hazardous to work with. I never tried it on a scout shirt before.

In light of my previous post and Proud Eagle's post, it is necessary to further clarify adult requirements. It is my understanding that adults nominated by units for OA have to meet the nights camping requirement the same as youth. Adult volunteers functioning at the district or council level who are considered for nomination to OA do NOT have to meet the nights camping requirement. Perhaps Proud Eagle may have some additional information on that narrow question.

Regarding adult selection: I don't recall seeing the specific paragraph that scoutldr focuses on, but I had always understood that adults were to be "selected" not so much on the basis of past service, but on the basis of the expectation of future service to scouting in general, not just the OA. Adults must still meet the nights camping requirement the same as youth.

ScouterPaul's post makes the point that much is left to the unit in determining eligibility within the rules. In our unit, more than summer camp is at issue. We offer significant outings (plural) during the summer besides resident summer camp, that typically involve 5 to 6 nights of camping. Are we not to count even a portion of these? You may consider my approach to be exploiting a loophole, or a reasonable treatment of other long term events. I don't think we are violating either the intent or the spirit. You are free to disagree.

As it has been explained to me, the intent of the OA "nights camping" requirement is to encourage frequent camping. While there is a requirement for one "long term" camp during the 24 months preceding the election, you can't simply add two long term camps of six nights each to get to twelve nights. The requirement is for one long term camp, with the balance made up in a series of events or outings of short term camps. Short term is not defined. Having said that, it does not seem reasonable to deny credit for part of a long term camp to meet the short term camp requirement. Suppose for example that a First Class Scout went to two summer camps of six nights each during the preceding 24 months. Suppose further that the scout attended a variety of short term (mostly weekend) events during the 24 months that added up to only seven nights. Since we get to count only one of the long term camps for long term camping purposes, we add six plus seven to get to thirteen, not enough nights. Does it make sense to ignore the other long term camp altogether? I concluded that it did not, and discussed this with my lodge advisor. What I have been doing for any otherwise eligible scout who had met the long term requirement, is counting part of other long term events, be it another six night session at summer camp or an extended trek. However, I count only three of those nights per event. In my example I would add one long term camp (six nights), seven nights of short term camps, and three nights of the other long term camp to allow credit for sixteen nights. Mind you, this approach has no official standing with OA national that I know of. But equity seemed to demand that some consideration be given to at least some of those nights that would otherwise be disregarded completely. Another question that needs to be considered is what is camping? The summer camp that our troop attends does not use tents, but has a variety of cabins and open structures for sleeping. I count those nights. If I did not count those nights, we would never elect anybody. With that exception, I consider a "night camping" to be a night under the stars or under canvas. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can spend a night as an organized group on the aircraft carrier "Hornet" which is permanently berthed in San Leandro. A night spent in a dormitory, motel, or on the Hornet does not count. Here again, I am not aware of any official guidance, but that is what I do. I strongly suggest you seek the advice of your local OA hierarchy as to how these things should be considered. Hope this helps.

It is very common in the far West here for councils to offer various "high adventure" awards. The regional office used to compile these in a publication one could purchase. I don't know if they still do that. The link below is to our council's web site description of a new award of this nature. I don't know anybody who has done any of this yet for this particular award. http://www.bsa-mdsc.org/highlander.shtml

Our esteemed associate, packsaddle, seems not to understand. Teaching songs to scouts that glorify violence?? Shooting free range chickens? Methinks he needs more training...where is Bob White when you need him?

Not very well.

Pasted from a publication called "The American Thinker". Remember that PETA wants BSA to abolish Fishing Merit Badge. Be forewarned...Every time I think things can't possibly get any goofier here in the Golden State, I find out that I am mistaken... _____________________________ First They Came for the Foie Gras February 16th, 2004 The Food Police are coming. You and I are going to be presumed no longer capable of deciding on our own which foods we are to consume. Powerful elements within Californias state government, the all-knowing, supremely wise guardian of all creatures great and small, are dancing to the tune to a well-organized group of ruthless extremists. You see, they want to tell us that we cant have certain foods, because they feel so strongly that it is morally wrong for us to sup on certain traditional dishes. In their view, eating animals is the equivalent of the Holocaust. Animals deserve the same rights as people. The chosen stalking horse for establishing the principle that humans must not be allowed to eat meat is one of the most delicious (and expensive) substances on the planet: foie gras. One of the most powerful politicians in California, John Burton, is planning to introduce a bill which would virtually prohibit foie gras by essentially putting the Western United States' sole producer out of business while denying chefs ready access to the hyper-fattened duck liver, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. John Burton is no ordinary pol. He is the President Pro Tem of the California State Senate. More importantly, he is the heir to the legendary San Francisco political machine founded by his late brother, Phil, longtime Congressman from San Francisco. Nancy Pelosi, the current Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives is the most prominent product of the Burton Machine nationally, but the real power running the machine is John Burton. If you think Kennedy and transfer the location from Boston to San Francisco, you get a rough understanding of the Burton Machine. Foie gras is an ideal target for injecting the moral equivalence of animals and people into the dietary strictures of law. It is very expensive, and relatively few people in the United States have ever eaten it, much less know how to prepare it. It is French, and hard to pronounce, if youve never heard it trip from the lips of a waiter or friend. And, it is very fatty. Even people like me, who love the stuff, acknowledge that it is at best an occasional pleasure, not a staple of the dinner table. The alleged sin of foie gras producers is the use of the traditional speed feeding method, in which grain is forced down the throat of a duck, rapidly enlarging the precious liver in a matter of weeks, right before the duck is ready to be harvested. Opponents liberally throw around the words cruelty and suffering to describe the process. However, anyone who has watched the annual Nathans Famous hot dog eating contest, or other events in the rapidly growing sport of competitive eating might note some conspicuous similarities, at least in the pre-harvest phases. John Burton invokes a cartoon character to gin up sympathy for the animals: You don't need to be cramming food down Donald Duck's throat to have foie gras [its] an inhumane way to be dealing with our fine feathered friends." Cruelty aside, Burton is willing to refuse others the pleasures of this particular food because he doesnt particularly enjoy it, personally. "I've eaten foie gras," he added. "It ain't my cup of tea." Burtons casual attitude toward banning something he doesnt like is not shared by the activists, though. In August, 2003, vandals did extensive damage to a shop, Sonoma Saveurs, which sells foie gras supplied by Californias only producer, Sonoma Foie Gras, the same farm which would be shut down by Burtons bill. A month earlier, vandals defaced the homes of co-owners of the shop, one of whom happens to be chef Laurent Manrique, executive chef of Aqua, one the most famous, elegant, delicious, and expensive restaurants in the Western United States. In addition to damaging his house, the vandals left chef Manrique a chilling videotape, showing that members of his family had been under surveillance by the violent activists, for whom cruelty to humans is of no particular concern. Burton is certain that his bill will pass the California Senate. The House is less certain, and Governor Schwarzenegger has not yet commented on the matter. So, it may not become law anytime soon. Nevertheless, the senior legislative body of the largest state, the national capital of the foodie-nation, will have put itself on the record. The extremists will be one step closer to their ultimate goal of banning all meat, all leather, and all use of animals for human purposes. Once you buy into the notion that somebody elses definition of cruelty is reason for the state to prevent you from eating what you want, it is only a matter of time before the slaughter of animals becomes defined as inhumane and cruel. The vegetarian jihad marches forward. Thomas Lifson

Like all the other posters, I would say that axes are no more dangerous than any other tool we use, as long as standard safety precautions are taken. I agree with the observation in the previous post about the self confidence of the adults. In our OLS training, we are fortunate that we can offer a great deal of hands on experience including the use of axes. We don't expect to make trainees expert in anything, but at least they get to try. Like any other skill, the safe use of an axes needs to be learned and practiced. I also advise trainees to leave axes at home on backpacking treks. Given the mandates of LNT camping, an axe is generally just extra weight. There is little that you can't do with an ordinary knife that will meet your needs.

IMHO John McCain is an admirable person and a mediocre senator. The only piece of legislation of which I am aware that has his name on it is the McCain Feingold act that restricts free speech and enhances incumbency. Apparently this was, in his mind, his penance for his involvement in the Lincoln Savings scandal back in the 80's. In some respects it is fair to characterize John McCain as the Republicans' Howard Dean: emotional, highly opinionated, outspoken, and ineffective. John McCain was absolutely correct on one issue though when he referred to then President Clinton's foreign policy as "feckless". I read McCain's book four years ago. I highly commend it to anyone who wants to learn about quaint old fashioned ideas such as sacrifice and patriotism.

If the advice in my post that was lost were to be followed, we would have peace and harmony throughout the galaxy.

Here are some additional suggestions. Try cooking over a wood fire instead of a stove. Get some bisquick and make bread on a stick over your fire. Be sure to know what kind of stick you are using. Some plants are toxic. If you know it is not toxic, taste area under the bark with your tongue to make sure it will not impart any unpleasant flavors to your bread. Use two pans of different sizes to make a dutch oven to use in your wood fire. Put your food in the smaller pan, cover it with the larger pan upside down and bury it in your coals. Try tracking. I was never any good at this, but it is an old skill. Mark your route with stone markers so you can find your way back. Make your own safe fire starters with parafin and cardboard.

I agree with BW that there probably should not be a problem here. A little paddling on a lake during the day is not an extreme canoeing experience. In fact it provides an excellent opportunity to start teaching your scouts these skills. If your adults are comfortable with their experience level, then you should go for it. This is not the same thing as taking novice canoeists into a whitewater situation.

No comment really necessary. __________________ As he drove his snowmobile around in the swirling snow north of Radville early Tuesday evening, Paul Carles fought off the fear and remembered what he'd learned on a winter survival course he'd taken as a Boy Scout leader. Get into shelter. Get warm. And keep calm. With a grain bin and some matches "and a few prayers too!", he emerged safely from the sudden blizzard that hit Saskatchewan Tuesday -- one of many amazing stories that are now being told. Radville Mayor Terry Calibaba said this little drama started around 3 p.m. Tuesday when word came that an RCMP cruiser carrying one member and two civilians -- themselves rescued from a marooned car -- was stalled on Highway 28, eight kilometres north of the town. A rescue party was quickly assembled: two front-end loaders, four snowmobiles and a tow truck. The plan was to find the cruiser, then either return to town or seek shelter at Carles' nearby farm. It took three hours, but the party arrived safely at the farm -- only to find Carles himself was missing. He had gone on his snowmobile to show the rescuers where to turn, and had been working his way toward the cruiser when a powerful gust of wind hurled him and his machine right across the icy road. "I don't know how, but I got turned around," he said in an interview late Wednesday afternoon. The whiteout obscured all landmarks, but Carles -- in heavy snowmobile suit, helmet and boots -- kept moving, driving in straight lines in an attempt to locate the north-south highway and even checking the type of crop beneath him to find a field he recognized. No luck -- until he found a grain bin, near which was parked an old truck and tractor. In them, he found a half-book of matches, some oil, an old Western Producer and a coat. The bin gave him shelter and his Boy Scout training reminded him of the importance of staying awake. The oil, mixed with a little barley from the bin, went into a paint-brush pan and was set alight with the newspaper and matches. "I thought, 'if I'm going to be here, I might as well be comfortable.'" Carles was by no means forgotten. As the evening went on, the volunteer fire department concluded a search would be too dangerous. "It was a long night," said Calibaba. When the wind tapered off around 3:30 a.m., Carles restarted his machine, concluded travel still was dangerous and went back to the bin. "I figured I'd made one bad mistake already -- I wasn't going to make two." He stayed there till first light Wednesday, reaching his home just as a rescue party arrived there. With 12 hours of soot on his face, he's not sure some of the members recognized him at first. But his happy yelling convinced them, and what came next was "a lot of hugs and 'thank yous.' " ------ That was by no means the only human drama Tuesday night. Calibaba said a man spent the night in his truck on a highway near Radville and two SaskTel workers hunkered down in a small building beneath a tower. "We got those three into town about 8 a.m.," he said. RCMP Cpl. Brian Jones said there were "a number of people who were in their vehicles for an extended period of time" -- some of them on the edges of Regina. All along the international border, "we had quite a few of our inspectors 'storm-stayed last night," said Debbie Johnson, communications officer in Regina with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. "We had some travellers stranded at our ports as well." At the CCRA offices near Regway and Estevan, "our inspectors made supper for everybody. At Regway, they even made popcorn. We always have supplies of food at the ports just in case." A multi-vehicle pileup on Highway 39 between Estevan and Bienfait saw firefighters evacuate 25 people in a school bus. Five people went to hospital in Estevan and were treated for minor injuries. Firefighters and RCMP also rescued people stranded in vehicles on Highway 18 near Torquay, and on Highway 39 near Hitchcock. Several oil workers spent the night in a utility trailer at a drilling site near Estevan. A report that a woman might be missing somewhere between Regina and Moose Jaw caused the call-out of a civilian search-and-rescue unit with snowmobiles from the latter city. When they failed to check in for several hours, RCMP began worrying about their own safety -- until word arrived that they had stopped for coffee in Belle Plaine before returning home, Jones said. Meanwhile, the woman was safe in Regina, having turned around in the face of the storm. So poor was visibility that CKCK-TV, on the eastern side of Regina, did not air its 11:30 p.m. newscast. "It's happened before, but I'm not sure when," said reporter-anchor Jason Matity. "People couldn't get to work." Global TV reporter Skye Ryan had a close call driving to Regina from Prince Albert on Highway 6. She even left early Tuesday morning in an attempt to beat the storm. But as it closed in, she looked in vain through the blowing snow for farmhouses or even an approach. At one point, uncertain as to which side of the highway she was on, she stopped, got out, determined she was on the wrong side and moved her car. Mere seconds later, an out-of-control car -- one of only three vehicles she'd seen on that leg of the trip -- sped over the spot where she'd been standing. Fighting her way through snow, she reached Southey, which she recognized not by its buildings -- invisible in the storm -- but by a flashing yellow pedestrian light over the roadway. "No hotel has ever looked as good as the Southey Hotel and Steak Pit," she said Wednesday. Another hotel, Caronport's Pilgrim Inn, filled up quickly as the weather worsened Tuesday afternoon -- what assistant manager Diane Timmons called "walk-in and slide-in" business. Several people from Caronport's Briercrest Bible schools set off for nearby Moose Jaw. Several quickly turned back; one man needed over an hour to cover only 20 kilometres. "Once he got there, he called back and said: 'Don't let anybody else try it!' " she said. At the Regina International Airport, poor visibility cancelled 34 of 65 scheduled arrivals and departures Tuesday -- a ratio of weather-related cancellations operations manager Wayne Pidskalny has never seen in his 10 years at the airport. Night found 13 travellers prepared to sleep on benches in the chilly terminal, using blankets and pillows loaned by SkyService. But just after 10 p.m., WestJet was able to land a Boeing 737, taking 10 of the travellers. Normal airport operations resumed Wednesday.

I would probably be inclined to adopt number 1 followed by number 2. If you mix ages and abilities it will be important to emphasize that everybody is going to have a great time regardless of how the crews are organized.