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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/08/18 in Posts

  1. We went through a period of district dysfunction. Some SPLs got together and planned multi-troop campouts with learning events and intrapatrol competition. Soon the district events were all boy planned.
    3 points
  2. Thanks all for the quick feedback. It certainly helped. We had a meetup, only the 2nd one, scheduled for yesterday evening to discuss the project. Quite a bit of course correction was achieved. As Oldscout448 brought up, I took a closer look at the BSA safety guidelines. For the scout's age, he is able to use a 'screwdriver (electric)', so that opened up doing assembly for him. In the meeting, I told the scout, I'll wrap up the assembly model (was nearly complete already) and I'll pass on a pdf of the assembly model and an exploded view of the cart. The rest of the piece drawings
    3 points
  3. Paper applications are now being accepted. Most of the girls were able to register online but the. BSA payment system seems flaky after a couple of the parents spent hours using various browsers. One parent said they checked their CC bill and found the BSA had charged them 8 x $33 ($264) (once for each attempt to register). She said she is sure the BSA will refund the money ...🙄 There is an article online with our major paper and I’m working with them so they spell our Pack number correctly. The council is having the other Pack lead the media effort and I’m perfectly content. I think
    3 points
  4. I picked up a 1929 second printing of the Handbook for Patrol Leaders off ebay from an estate sale. I guess this is what happens when people buy lots of books from estate sales. The book is in really good condition except for missing the front page and single tear on the foreword from James West. In the back was the a small signature. Through my super sleuthing (i.e. Google) I found that book most likely belonged to a Japanese boy named Jiro. He was born in 1919 and passed away in 2016. Born and raised in Southern California and sadly was interned in a Japanese camp during WWII. I feel
    2 points
  5. Update: of 17 Tigers 10 will be awarded the rank. 4 never showed up after recruitment and 3 didn't show up but a couple of times. AND I can call em all by name too.
    2 points
  6. Parents and Volunteering: Some don't volunteer because they don't understand the program. Some don't because they want to understand the program but their unit can't/won't explain it to them. Some don't because district and council resources are focused elsewhere other than training and "on boarding" new parents. Some don't because it takes away from their "me" time. Some don't because they are simply too busy running the rest of their family. Some just can't (physical, emotional, psychological reasons). Some just won't. Some do and jump right in
    2 points
  7. When I was a cub leader I remember it was hard work prepping for many meetings. I knew we had some single parents with multiple kids and limited time. All I asked was everybody to do something...to put some skin in the game. Maybe they brought snacks for one meeting, or they made some phone calls to set up a field trip, or led one activity for a portion of one meeting, or knew somebody who knew somebody for a good show and tell at a den meeting. Some could do more than others but everyone should do something. What I think what some scouters get frustrated by are the folks who blow by the den m
    2 points
  8. That's pretty much where I am. Sort of like watching them bulldoze your familys old farmhouse to make way for some new condos. You know that it's 180 years old, in bad shape and it doesnt belong to you anymore. But it's still too painful to watch. You would rather the memories of fun,love and laughter not be mixed with shattering beams and rubble to be trucked away to the landfill.
    2 points
  9. If you want to talk about how hard it is just ask any male on campus. We are assumed guilty in everything. People snark at you because of your race or religion. These are the same people wearing T-shirt’s or pins with all sorts of inclusive messages. They just don’t apply if you’re a male or white or catholic or Jewish or a frat member. Sad irony.
    2 points
  10. There was an outstanding program on NPR about this very topic a few days ago: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/637/words-you-cant-say
    2 points
  11. The BabySitters of America phenomenon existed long before Family Scouting.
    2 points
  12. There's a reason why I omit the f- word doublespeak from my posts. It's BSA4G that's in demand. For the past two decades, I've met girl after girl who broke ranks with their friends who prefer "glamping" to proudly participate in the BSA via any door that was open to them. None of those young women have said, "Please, Mr. Q, may I bring mom and dad along?"
    2 points
  13. Yes, I agree with you about the "too much US and THEM" on this forum. Very often when reading everyone's definitive answers I can't help but think of The Dude's quote from The Big Lebowski: "Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
    2 points
  14. (and adhere to the rules) <<<<<<< This part. I would be surprised if Phimont is not teaching them, but for those who have never spent time in the back country it is questionable if it will take root. Not to mention, what they forget about and leave in their vehicles.
    2 points
  15. If you are offended by something that TV sensors deemed non offense 4 decades ago, well sorry. You calling all things District, Council and National bad/evil, is no different than people calling all teachers incompetent or all coaches and priest pedophiles. Painting with such broad stroke gets a lot of people messy that don't deserve it.
    2 points
  16. Ok, has an old Eagle Scout father of two Eagle Scouts and a professional cabinet maker the last 30 years this rather intrigues me. as I looked at the power tool guidelines if he's 14 years old he is allowed to use a drill I don't see why he can't use a drill in the Kreg Jig. If that's beyond his capabilities you could at least screw the screws in you can if he can't use a power screwdriver. The Scout or Scouts should be doing everything possible that they are allowed to do. The things they cannot do they should at least be acting as helpers for example If I were doing the cutti
    2 points
  17. "All I asked was everybody to do something...to put some skin in the game." And as a youth participant he does. I did not sign up to be part of the program, but my son's interest does endorse him as having "skin in the game." I can also assure you that on a teacher's salary, we don't have an expensive car. And in the interest of our son, we do answer all questions pertaining to his scout activity. We don't need to do things for "the den". As part of his home-schooling, he has a ready audience for any presentations he may make on the various nature and historical opportunities he ha
    1 point
  18. Yup, we've been doing that for a long while now. We invite troops and packs to camp with us, offer our OA team for crossovers and other events, put on events for packs and even host inter-troop competitions where the patrols compete en masse rather than troop v. troop. This has been very successful on a number of fronts for us. I know your council well if it is the one I am thinking of. Love BDSR. Great camp. I'd flippin' move there in a heartbeat.
    1 point
  19. I tend to agree. But at the same time, it is explicitly intended and stated that scouts are given wide latitude in what type of project is acceptable. We don't to put too many limits on the scout or the country will be buried under the weight of a million picnic tables. From what I've seen, the projects that do have trouble at their eagle board of review are as above. The scout heavily depends on one person or an external resource or essentially gives up control of their project. Perhaps that should be an evaluation criteria? Will the scout be in control of his own project?
    1 point
  20. I'm not saying fix the district. I'm saying ignore them and work around them, much like what @TAHAWK saw. I'm not talking first step, I'm talking only step. Make the world a little better. Get a couple of SPLs together to plan their own events. If your PLC is up for helping another troop have an ASPL work with an SPL from another troop that would like to see how to do it right. I'm in Northern Colorado. We're wondering when our council is going to get folded into the Denver Area Council (they have big donors). Our council is so broke they're thinking of having weddings at our scout camp.
    1 point
  21. A heartwarming story. Troop 2 from Bronxville, NY recently awarded the Eagle Scout rank to 96 Year Old Eugene Cerniglia. Eugene completed all the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout while he was a youth, but when the time came for his board of review most of his troop had enlisted in the military. He petitioned to receive his Eagle Scout in the 1960s and 1980s with no success. Recently, when he came across his Scouting materials he made one last attempt. By providing evidence corroborated by public sources and attending Scout meetings for several months, Eugene was awarded Eagle in J
    1 point
  22. Sadly my first district was like that. No knots or beads, you were ignored. Fortunately a friend with knots and beads was on the committee, and would repeat my ideas a little later and they were brilliant. We both got a laugh about that. In my neck of the woods, over the past 20 years we have declined. partially due to the "In School Scouting units." But once that mess was cleaned up, we have continued to decline. Of the traditional that were around when quit being a DE: all 4 of the units I started no longer exist, (2 packs and 2 troops) 4 additional packs folded
    1 point
  23. We can use your help. What job do you want? I promise you nobody will give you grief or tell you what to do. There are not enough people to do that. We end all of our roundtables by having an after meeting at a bar. If you like beer we have a lot of brew pubs in town. It's very laid back. Do you want to help crews? Training? Help packs recruit? Name it! We can use your help. Can you make tonight? I have heard of the woodbadger mentality you talk about. I have seen it and I appreciate your, um, how can I say this, disappointment with it. I took woodbadge and got a few things out of it but
    1 point
  24. @cocomax I will say naming a thread "the current moral panic" is a good attention grammar. You should write listicles for the internet. A dutch oven disaster on a campout could have a thread "dutch holocaust survivors tell chilling tale of starvation in the woods". I do ramble a bit, sorry.
    1 point
  25. Point of clarification. While it might be an issue of integrity to some/many, it should not be considered an issue of either safety or questionable activities inside the business. While the feds can't seem to make up their mind on this topic, the state has deemed it legal and is heavily regulating it. There is no reason to assume that the customers that visit that store are any more dangerous or have a desire to be any more questionable than the person that goes to the local grocery store (where they are likely selling GS cookies) to buy a bottle whiskey.
    1 point
  26. OK, question after the new YPT training. Older training referred to preference to having to adults for two-deep. but now it say two adults. What does that do for the transportation issue of having scouts in cars going to campouts or meetings? Does that mean you need two adults in the vehicle? Many times it has been 1 adult and 4 youth in a vehicle.
    1 point
  27. But you can't change anything at the district or council level. Why? Old Men's and Women's Club. The WB'ers run everything and if you're not a WB'er then your ideas stink. Or you volunteer, spend hours getting your good ideas put together and supported by the unit only to have some district or council leader poo-poo the idea and literally force you to do it their way. I could go on and on and on. So that's why many of us, myself included, have stopped doing anything for the district. They are like parasites. They will latch on to you and drain you of your energy without any benefit to you
    1 point
  28. Indeed puzzling. Making me wonder like @Back Pack whether this is the death knell for Venturing. I am have been hearing rumblings from national and council staff, when asked about things related to Venturing, that "That doesn't matter right now." When someone tells me recruiting (aka, making more money for national and boosting membership numbers) "doesn't matter" when related to Venturing -- but they are pushing it like crack to Cub and Boy Scout units -- is very, very telling.
    1 point
  29. My recommendation is for us volunteers to get re-engaged at the district level. If you really want to improve tbe,program in your area, this is where to do it. Get involved with district program, camping, training, or membership. Sure, skip the finance part. The BSA is supposed to be volunteer led, professionally guided. I'd worry less about what the council employees are saying and just do the right thing for the units in your area. Maybe we use this forum as a place to brainstorm how to do that?
    1 point
  30. I am finding out this process is dragging and dragging. I noticed on my BeAScout page the option of Boy or Boy/Girl and so when I approached the council about it ( I am a DC) they said they aren't activating any units yet. They are testing one and only one for now. I know in September when I go and do my recruiting for Cub Scouts I am going to have some bites from girls.
    1 point
  31. Should be registered and titled under the name of the CO.
    1 point
  32. I noticed that too. It is new with the latest software update. It is indeed cool. It is also much easier now to get parts of quotes from a post to go in different boxes in the reply so you can put your response to each part of the post under the part you are referring to.
    1 point
  33. Social media is basically a screaming match where the loudest voices win and only the most invested in a viewpoint participate.
    1 point
  34. In sort of chronological order ... No more Eagle, old guys. Bird Study? Bye Bye. It's for boys, so make it school. Bookwork MB's have them drool. Girl, Godless, Gay? Don't say! SCOTUS: "National, have your way!" Achievement? Bah! Identity! Drop the First Class Journey. Uniform the committee. Fancy knots in rows of three. YPT? That lawyer's fee! Secret files are so scary! No adult? Stay at home! Camping kids go on their own. Explorers camping. Really? Call them Venturers, set them free! NESA's Eagle promos grind. There's one on Silver! "Never Mind!".
    1 point
  35. That is always the problem girls or not. I had 20 Tigers in one den and had to operate a month before I had a ADL (who was the US Attorney where I lived so like his time was pretty precious) would step up just to help me with crowd control. In Cub Scouts you have to twist arms...hard!
    1 point
  36. Far too often people only listen enough to figure out how to respond instead of listening to understand the perspective of others. This is not limited to one side or the other.
    1 point
  37. I just think this rescue in Australia is cool. Lifeguards launched the drone, steered it towards the swimmers and dropped a “rescue pod” into the water, where it expanded so the swimmers could grab it and swim to shore. The rescue took just 70 seconds. The two swimmers were exhausted but unharmed. Drone cost $343,000. More info here. Does Philmont use drones? Other than for STEM, I wonder if any BSA camps are using drones.
    1 point
  38. So popcorn sales outside a liquor store, smoke shop, or adult book/movie store would be good in your book? Legal commercial activity? Yes. Fitting with the program? No.
    1 point
  39. While this is a very cool experience, there are still dangers at base camp. I've seen rattlers and bear in camp, and bear protocol in base camp is required as a result. I think it was 2016 they had to put down 3-4 bear that year, one of which was a repeat offender (I think it was the old 3-legged bear) that kept coming in to base camp looking for freebies. I would hope that the families get the same training (and adhere to the rules) that the visiting crews do. Otherwise I think I just heard BSA's insurance rates going up.
    1 point
  40. I would imagine that the use of a camper is similar to the use of a cabin. There'd likely have to be a clear adults area and a clear kids area, with all the requisite YPT considerations thrown in. As pointed out, it would not count toward OA or Camping MB or TFC.
    1 point
  41. I wish we could quote the upvote/reactions, lol. @ItsBrian You gave the post above a confused vote, @.40AET is referencing an old 1981 movie called Stripes. The vehicle in the photo posted by @Jameson76 is the fictitious "Urban Assault Vehicle" from that movie that John Winger (Bill Murray) commandeered to for a joy ride, and ends up Czechoslovakia to save his platoon mates, as well as Sgt Hulka, aka the Big Toe. It's a reference us old farts quickly recognize.
    1 point
  42. Is it a cool Urban Assault Vehicle ?? That would be really cool
    1 point
  43. They can use whatever they want. The question is should they? if they do should it be counted towards camping nights? (and I am sure there are a few more questions). I would say if they are going to be 3 days in a state park, they should pitch tents unless there are extenuating circumstances as to why not. I would add, that I would not count that towards camping nights. I can see some situations where I would be in favor of a camper. For example, a group traveling across country to Philmont. If they are pushing very long days driving in order to get there, I can see a camper (we
    1 point
  44. The boys interviewed in that piece look thrilled...
    1 point
  45. Yup. This mirrors what we seen locally. Our RTs are boring and the waste of paper on the announcements table would make a recyclist have a seizure. When it was suggested that all of that paper could be sent via pdf or posted easily online, the DC said, "Then what would our DE do?". Someone quipped, "Train UCs or visit units in trouble to actually help them?". That unit was given the graveyard location for popcorn sales and the "rough neighborhood" for SFF. They stopped participating in SFF, popcorn and FOS as a result.
    1 point
  46. You seems to dismiss from the calculation all the work of all the Scouters and Cubbers in their units, without which there would be no paperwork to push. Unless you drink the "hour a week" Kool Aid, that effort exceeds all paid hours, even if including hours devoted to raising funds for council, by orders of magnitude. Our new SE says only units Scouting counts. One hopes. Ending the scandal of Council merit badge mills and rationalizing paperwork requirements would reduce the "Eagle paperwork" load that you mention. Camp? In our council, and many others (each of our bordering co
    1 point
  47. There is a lot of real anger and hysteria in America. I think trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,... scouts and Scouters are part of the solution. My $0.02
    1 point
  48. We are a successful troop because we have good program and execute it week in and week out. Also we have and support the feeder packs at the CO who do a good job of providing program to the local area. We are successful because of our experience and what we do. The district and council do little to bother us.
    1 point
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