Leaderboard

Last year I spent a ridiculous amount of time making an orienteering map, then spent about $130 on a starter pack of control flags, race cards, and card punches. It was a HUGE success. The scouts loved being sent off into the woods alone. The race/contest aspect was secondary. I did have parents stationed at a few of the controls, we had water/Gatorade at one, and I was in roughly the center of the course with a full first-aid kit. The scouts have asked to do it again, so I'm working on a second map. The best part is that it takes a LOT of mapping in the field, so I have an excuse

@Momleader it's not within your charter to partner with other units for a day camp. That is a function of the council. Suggest you partner with your council to facilitate the experience.

I'm at the District Court. Not wanting to trigger a libel suit I'll leave out the who said what and whether they stumbled. This morning was all about the "Good Faith" argument. This is a weak part of the insurer's objection, and it showed. The judge asked many questions and most seemed to be doubtful of the insurer's points. So basically, insurers spoke for 30 minutes, including questions from the judge, White and Case for the BSA did the same, and then they both took questions for 45 minutes. Recess until 2.

As volunteers, we can't do much to control registration costs but we can impact program costs. In the Longhouse Council we have some unique things which frankly any council can have. We have a 'museum' committee and they started a 'hole in the wall' museum years ago. It attracted some good scouter followers and they ended up raising funds to build the modern 2,500 sf William Hillcourt Museum. Recently that group of volunteers agreed to create a new local Erie Canal Historic Award program that is low cost and we are having a free event in May to encourage youths to earn the award and other reco

It's a system that has just made a "good ole' boy" network the only game in town. Truly, BSA should take a solid look at itself and ask how inclusive it really is, and its dedication to that, at the number of females it has in the SE ranks. Don't see a whole lot on the horizon that is going to increase those numbers in the short term either. What we have is a bunch of folks who have four year degrees (but, in just about any major) with little to no work experience outside of BSA, who have managed to stick it out for 10-15 years and find themselves in positions to be "CEO". Yes, we have some go

For Tidewater Council, my guess is, Parnell was named in 2019, but did not start until sometime later in 2020. Expect salary to be above $192K, which is what the previous guy got. You really want to find out? Call your council office and ask to see their IRS Form 990 for 2021, and 2022 (if filed). They are required, by law, to allow you access to this information. They do not have to provide you a copy, but they must allow you to see this in their office during normal business hours. If they refuse, please report them to your local Congressional Representative, and the IRS. P

You, my friend, are a kindred soul!

We call it "Sniffing Spiders!!" Kids love this trick. Put a strong flashlight up next to your eye, pointing out to the ground. Scan slowly until you see a very small green, red, or purple light. Hold the light next to your eye steadily, and slowly move towards where the reflected colored light, keeping the flashlight shining on it so you can see the colored light coming back at you. Follow it all the way to the ground, and you will find a spider! Don't let on anything about the light at first... play it up that you have a special talent... you can smell spiders! Show them the fi

District Court this morning..... This was the main event. Focus was on subject matter jurisdiction and third-party releases. Luria, Anker, and Mason on one side, Lujan and Dumas on the other. For every point made by one side there was a counter-point. Like yesterday the Judge seemed to have a very good grasp on the issues and a lot of focus was not on whether this was the best plan (that was for Judge Silverstein to be more concerned with) but whether it conformed to the law. The proponents were well prepared and while the objectors less so they did a good job making their points whe

Just a little stage-setting. What it looks like in the District Court: Actually looks like a TV courtroom. Lots of wood and portraits of judges. Half-dozen attorneys sit up front from each side. Each side's attorneys get a prescribed amount of time and the judge interrupts a lot. Then both sides stand and there's a bit of a lightning round. Afternoon was 150 minutes. Audience looks like a middle-aged white men in dark suits convention. Probably 100 attorneys and there's an overflow room somewhere in the building watching it on TV. You get to use your phone and laptop in the audie

District court this afternoon... The issues addressed were Assignment of Insurance contract rights and obligations, as well as Indirect abuse claims and judgement reduction. This was VERY specific insurance arguments with lots of case law cited. Several attorneys for both sides presented and fielded questions. This Judge has done his homework and his demeanor was one of slight befuddlement masking a VERY sharp mind on the issues. The popular opinion was that the certain insurers again did not sway the judge. It seemed like repeatedly he asked the plan supporters to help him make argument

We have a lot of open spaces for jambo in our council. Wonder why Scouts aren't going? (No, I'm not wondering, really...)

After a few billion dollar mistakes it starts adding up to a lot of money.

If only all that money BSA poured into the cash sink that is Summit (north of $750 million) was available and had NOT been dumped by the truckload in West Virginia

Maybe we can ask Elon Musk to buy BSA!

I started off doing that but did things a bit differently later on, especially for tenderfoot. That rank can be done in a day, so I told the scout that we could probably get it done in a couple of hours spread throughout the day on a campout we were on. The scout saw a solution not too far off, we both worked hard, he succeeded where he thought it was a failure and I helped him out. Rather than a record keeping issue it's about finding opportunities to help a scout deal with a problem. There are plenty of opportunities to reinforce the skills so a couple of corners were cut but the tradeo

An administrator to manage the claims process has been designated. It is Ms. Randi Ilyse Roth. A full description is in Docket 10948 https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/e6b860d5-ea87-4d08-9283-894100d71c06_10948.pdf. She'll be responsible for managing the process to include hiring staff and sexual abuse experts, setting up the claim intake process, etc. Interestingly, she was the claims facilitator in US V. Fata. That case gives Survivors a bit of an indication of how the process will look, forms required and website if a Survivor's Trust is funded. The legacy we

Ahem. We are here, kind sir. Silence is not absence, avoidance or disinterest. (NAM and membership numbers and charging into the fall of 2023 just aren’t conversations we care to engage.)

As this long saga plays out my attorney let me know that my case has been filed in California State Court. Yes, I know that there will be a stay on it because of the bankruptcy but still I feel better having it filed.

I was talking to our commissioner and he said it was a good thing the bankruptcy was over. I said no, it wasn't. He was surprised and that someone told him it was over. I told him the BSA was still paying lawyers and the judge hadn't finalized it yet. So, basically this is the new normal. We're more on our own than before. It's more important than before that we put on a good program.

Omni created a new docket for the appeals here: Consolidated Appeals of Confirmation Order Lengthy scheduling order is here: https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/e4a87bc5-4d56-40e5-bff6-4bcc044476c2_22.pdf TL;DR on scheduling order - look for briefs from plan opponents by Monday Nov. 7. Response brief of Debtors (and maybe other plan supporters) on Dec. 7. Replies on Dec. 21. Oral argument date TBD.

I am curious how many councils have moved to the subscription model and how much they charge each month. Ours just announced they will be moving to that next year and it's not going over well (~300% increase). They claim there are others that do this.

The District court decision could be stayed by the court if the insurers fight for the stay, and they probably would get it based upon precedence, so it could go to Circuit court review. A wait for Circuit Court could be....a year if that's what it wants or it knows an issue will come up in the Supreme Court in the meantime. The Trust could be funded but only for "startup" costs so that key personnel can start work on procedures in anticipation of real funding. Expect that to occur so that the Trust can say to the Court "Look, we're all ready to go and the Trust is working as designed." I'

Look at this cost structure. $340 per year in Crossroads of America. Seems a bit steep..

If I had my way, instead of summer camp, we would be doing our own HA trip. Unfortunately not only is my CC pushing MBs and advancement, but that is what the Scouts want as well. Heck the camp we are going to, which is charging $330, suggests having the last period open to take advantage of free shooting, swimming, and boating, and the comment made "you are paying for classes, need to take advantage of them." When we were looking at camps, most were over $400. Few, if any, of my Scouts could afford them. I suggested a weeklong backpacking trip on the AT, and was told it would be a wasted