Brewmeister

Why does everybody in pictures from that era look old...those scouts look mid 20s. Maybe they are.

JoeBob, we heard today that "Most" people will keep their plans. I'm guessing the road from "Most" to "Some" to "A Few" to "None" is not all that long. Helloooooooo single payer!

I would take it again only because I met several great resources I would not have. Otherwise, I consider it mainly a rite of passage.

That's an interesting perspective I have not heard given on the "old" course. Usually the prior curriculum is just looked back on wistfully...

People just can't seem to decide if the government is brilliantly devious or completely incompetent. I kinda lean toward the latter.

I think you'll find that if you use the "Ignore user" functionality, the IQ rating on this thread (and many other posts) will go up by 30 or so points.

Apparently gravity fed filters just ain't real popular!

They just need to raise their debt limit and they can afford it.

Except that this is not a case of some leader saying that being in a cabin counts as "camping under the stars" because the building is under the stars, etc. Here you have the BSA issuing its own guidance on how the award may be earned. Saying that the supervision manual "has no authority" to supersede it is a stretch. I stand by my original comments that swimming in the open is much more challenging than a pool, and I would encourage any boy to do so because of it. But BSA-authored guidance clearly says that it is not required. Hopefully they don't issue similar "guidance" for hiking merit badge counselors, etc....

Well if ya listened to da Preezy today, the website is a resounding success because it shows how many people are interested in the program. Of course, the fact that we are all now required to buy insurance means that by definition about 313.9 million people should be interested. The fact that the central access to this program was not designed to handle the traffic anyone with half a brain should have expected, and was apparently built on arcane technology, is not only a major embarrassment but also an example of why government does little, if anything, better than a private sector driven by (gasp) profit and the things that drive it (efficiency, accuracy, etc...).

I'm trying to find a gravity fed water filter/purifier for a base camp setting--something you can hang and let fill a container rather than having to pump. 1. As I mentioned in the other thread, I had bought the Katadyn model base on various recommendations, However, that lacks a prefilter and the filter cannot be backwashed and we found it slowed to a trickle after only a few fills. However if we put the filter element in a Katadyn pump model it would work fine, so it was partially a case of gravity-flow not being strong enough to overcome the resistance of the filter media versus a pump that produces pressure. 2. I then bought the Seychelle model based on a recommendation here. Using that with tap water, I get nothing but a slow trickle out of the bag--probably 4-5 hours to filter 2 gallons. Not optimal. 3. A chat with the folks at Cabellas gave me the recommendation of the Platypus gravity-fed model. It's smaller than the others but the filter can be backflushed, I am told, but I didn't see that in the specs. 4,. A recommendation was made to retrofit the Katadyn model with a Sawyer in-line system but I haven't tried that. Anyone have any experience to share here? I'm wondering if gravity-fed has inherent limitations of flow versus a pump system.

Ironically, while getting riled up over my choice of rhetoric, you demonstrate my point perfectly: You want to speak from a position of authority assumed by interpreting them as strictly as possible, yet you do so from a position of ignorance. That is exactly why the Guide to Advancement specifically addresses the "no more, no less" issue. For your enlightenment, the requirement regarding the actual swimming reads "Swim one mile over a measured course that has been approved by the trained instructor who will supervise the swim." Not one mention of what type or size of the body of water. And as pcola pointed out, for those who read more that what's actually written on the page, the literature references swimming pools 3 times, but silence from you on the issue. Like I said, tin gods. It's admirable and desirable to push our boys to reach their full potential, and I know that's your goal, but in the course of doing so we do not help them by making up requirements that don't exist. I didn't catch pcola's note and admit I didn't have the expansive Aquatics Supervision guide. I was going solely based on what the wording of the award specified. However, reading the Guide, it does indeed specify that a pool is fine, so I am wrong on this point completely. My apologies. However, I do draw the line at shark-infested waters ​

Moose must be an Egyptian because she lives in the state of de-nile. Thank you, I'll be here all week...

The rock-toppler appears to be wearing official uniform shorts. Not sure about the hat. I don't think we're going to be able to wish this one away.

Y'all need to quit making irrelevant statements just to discount something you don't personally like about the requirement. The requirements do NOT specify "rip tide" or "shark infested water." They do specify "open water" and the ability to swim a "course." You might as well argue your "open water" means that you swim without the pool cover, or that you only go when the pool is "open." But as always, it's up to whoever is administering the award to sign off on whatever he or she feels qualifies.

Amazon was running a sale on these so I bought one. It does flow but it is really SLOOOOOW. Did you notice that?

Good grief what a couple of fat yahoos.

What's funny is that a few scouts in the troop and a Webelos scout in the pack have dads who were in the program "back in the day" and still had their green, collar-less shirts. The boys wear them now and the rest of the boys think they are retro cool. Go figure.

I would have preferred an honest proposal: a government insurance program for those who WANTED to buy insurance but could not in the private market. If they could not afford to do so there would be a tax-supported subsidy, like other programs. Instead, we have a program where we are forced to buy something whether we want it or not. And no this is not like auto insurance. I do not want to go down this well-argued road any more. What we have is a program that 1) will increase demand for a service 2) does nothing to increase the supply of a service, and 3) disincentives employers to provide full time employment. Anyone with a modicum of economic insight knows this is a recipe for disaster if he is honest with himself. All you need to see about how well obummercare will work is in how well the enrollment process has been working thus far. If you think it's hard to sign up for a plan--a simple process that thousands of insurance companies have mastered--wait until you try to actually get a claim paid or see your doctor. Government does little, if anything, better than the private sector. So, welcome to the future of your health care.

If you like waiting at the DMV you'll love Obummercare....

I was around then...The conditions are much different now than 17 years ago.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, it would seem.

What do you want to do? What is memorable and meaningful to you from your scouting experience thus far? What kind of pictures can you put together? With a small group, do you want to do something less formal? Do you have interests outside scouting (sports, hobbies, etc.) in common with the other Eagle candidate that could make for an outing/COH? I think the place I would start is asking myself and the other Eagle what we think would be cool to do. Then, do a little Googling to find a ceremony text that fits and pick your favorite parts from it to read & do sometime during the event. You have a unique opportunity to do something tailored to you and your Scouting colleague without worrying about a lot of details, if you don't want to, and have some fun.

I also found the "It's all about YOU" slide I referenced earlier:

The part about "planning large events" and "developing an annual program" must have been left out of my Wood Badge course... Was that after the Game of Life? Lemme look through all the PowerPoint printouts they gave me.... EDIT: Holy cow I actually found a printout on "project planning." Right after "Managing conflict." Well I'll be!