My time in Boy Scouts was really a fantastic learning experience but I do understand that in many ways it was the exception to the rule. My particular scout troop was run by the boys involved almost exclusively and our treatment of any BSA regulation was subject to troop approval. i.e the bullshit on the back of the official BSA outing permits was usually ignored (though we were very careful to ensure safety and low environmental impact).
But the difficulties of being an Atheist in scouting extend beyond the troop level. The review panel is made up of leaders from all the troops in your local district, which in my town was several, very large Mormon affiliated troops. So despite my troop's very open position on spirituality in scouting I was still forced to sit in front of these people and answer questions like, "and how do you think your time in scouting has improved or changed your relationship with God?"
My point here is that I answered those questions completely honestly. I told them that my spirituality has been enhanced by every moment I spend in the woods and that the lessons I've learned from my peers have brought me to a new understanding of the world around us. Boy Scouts as a whole may claim to exclude people like me, but my whole point here is that your troop very strongly defines your experience and if you find yourself or your son in a bad troop, get together with friends and form a venture troop. There are so many great experiences that scouting opens the door to and it's a shame to let the opportunities go to waste.
I know this was more or less off topic of the OSS conversation but I felt I had to share my experience in rebuttal to most comments here that I've read thusfar.
Most likeley this is even more rampant than they state. I worked at a nationwide consumer electronics store before the in-store pc services were an official part of the job and this kind of stuff was more than common. I would be happy to expose it all with names or and dates; this is just so so wrong in my opinion.
If I buy a cd with a cool album cover I'll often end up buying a poster or other parafanalia along the same lines. This often means buying the vinyl version just for the nostalgia. If I can get both (and don't mind taking 5 min to download and 5 min to burn a cd) then why not? It's what I did with The Shins most recent album http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wincing-Night-Away-VINYL-S hins/dp/B000MMMUL8
I think it's fantastic considering some of my favorite bands produce beautiful artwork that makes for cool record sleves. I often end up buying the album on cd only to buy the vynal for looks.
What exactly would this change between Canada/US relations? Is it just a matter of sales across the border? Why should Canada give a damn?
I've always maintained that my enemies' insults really can't harm me, it's my friends that matter.
Now I could be completely wrong here, I've taken a whopping one physics courses in my career, but the speed of electricity is not immeasurable, especially using AC current. AC current, as I recall, is just a bunch of electrons bumping into each other moving in one direction and If i remember correctly the net speed in the direction of current is quite slow. This is not true of DC, don't even ask me about that euro trash.
And as a side note, do we not know the speed an electron travels in "orbit" about the nucleus? Is that not the "speed of electricity?
Also, is any of this true or does UC Santa Cruz just have some crazy-ass drugs?
WTF happened to/. when shit like this hits the front page?!
Can someone PLEASE submit some more halloween costumes so we can get some real news circulating?
Slashdot Mirror
My time in Boy Scouts was really a fantastic learning experience but I do understand that in many ways it was the exception to the rule. My particular scout troop was run by the boys involved almost exclusively and our treatment of any BSA regulation was subject to troop approval. i.e the bullshit on the back of the official BSA outing permits was usually ignored (though we were very careful to ensure safety and low environmental impact). But the difficulties of being an Atheist in scouting extend beyond the troop level. The review panel is made up of leaders from all the troops in your local district, which in my town was several, very large Mormon affiliated troops. So despite my troop's very open position on spirituality in scouting I was still forced to sit in front of these people and answer questions like, "and how do you think your time in scouting has improved or changed your relationship with God?" My point here is that I answered those questions completely honestly. I told them that my spirituality has been enhanced by every moment I spend in the woods and that the lessons I've learned from my peers have brought me to a new understanding of the world around us. Boy Scouts as a whole may claim to exclude people like me, but my whole point here is that your troop very strongly defines your experience and if you find yourself or your son in a bad troop, get together with friends and form a venture troop. There are so many great experiences that scouting opens the door to and it's a shame to let the opportunities go to waste. I know this was more or less off topic of the OSS conversation but I felt I had to share my experience in rebuttal to most comments here that I've read thusfar.
Most likeley this is even more rampant than they state. I worked at a nationwide consumer electronics store before the in-store pc services were an official part of the job and this kind of stuff was more than common. I would be happy to expose it all with names or and dates; this is just so so wrong in my opinion.
Who moderated this [+4 Insightful] and how can I find out where they live?!
If I buy a cd with a cool album cover I'll often end up buying a poster or other parafanalia along the same lines. This often means buying the vinyl version just for the nostalgia. If I can get both (and don't mind taking 5 min to download and 5 min to burn a cd) then why not? It's what I did with The Shins most recent album http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wincing-Night-Away-VINYL-S hins/dp/B000MMMUL8
Other independant labels are doing this as well. http://www.subpop.com/
I think it's fantastic considering some of my favorite bands produce beautiful artwork that makes for cool record sleves. I often end up buying the album on cd only to buy the vynal for looks.
Link is Slashdotted. Mirror?
What exactly would this change between Canada/US relations? Is it just a matter of sales across the border? Why should Canada give a damn? I've always maintained that my enemies' insults really can't harm me, it's my friends that matter.
Mod +2 Funny?
It's not a question of how he grips it! It's simple aerodynamics! A bird of that si- oops.
Now I could be completely wrong here, I've taken a whopping one physics courses in my career, but the speed of electricity is not immeasurable, especially using AC current. AC current, as I recall, is just a bunch of electrons bumping into each other moving in one direction and If i remember correctly the net speed in the direction of current is quite slow. This is not true of DC, don't even ask me about that euro trash. And as a side note, do we not know the speed an electron travels in "orbit" about the nucleus? Is that not the "speed of electricity? Also, is any of this true or does UC Santa Cruz just have some crazy-ass drugs?
WTF happened to /. when shit like this hits the front page?!
Can someone PLEASE submit some more halloween costumes so we can get some real news circulating?