DugDirt

Grey Eagle, I never studied Latin,(public school education) but wish I had the chance. Everyone I met in college and career that (was forced) to study Latin said it gave them a better command of all languages in general (especially the romance languages). However, I did study Spanish for 3 years and I remember reading that foreign language students scored signifcantly higher on SAT Verbal skills - indicating better spoken and written language skills. Just like a boy who has mastered safe use of an axe can be relied upon to be more mature with other hazardous tools, have better h

Bob White.. Just so I understand, exactly why do you think skills with an axe, (hatchet, boy's axe, or camp axe) are not important to Scouts? Just so you know where I am coming from, I consider the tool and skill with it an important part of a Scout's - and my personal- field gear. I have several, but love my Wetterlings mini-hatchet and for larger work (but not too big to pack) the Snow & Neally camp axe. I always carry one of various models small saw. I suppose some laser device will make all blades obsolete someday - but that would just not be any fun now would it?

Additional neat story I heard at work some time ago and had to search the web to find it.. from http://mark-ray.com/samples/astronaut.doc It's about Astronaut Mike Fossum and "knots".. There's a multitude of angles the full story could be taken in this forum (read it all at the link), but the part below applies well here for the "knot-haters." - just a little jab. Quote "As Fossums crew prepared for STS-121, shuttle engineers became concerned about the Velcro straps that would hold down a piece of equipment in the payload bay as Endeavor returned to earth. When someone suggeste

I think a common problem in this 'classic' discussion is that many of the commentators here are falling into an "obsolescence trap". "We don't need to learn that because it's an obsolete method".. The real point of most skills to be learned anywhere (but in Scouting esp.) is that they instill much more than the ability to produce the end product. "The destination is not as important as the journey" - as the old saying goes. Solving problem A at the most fundamental level (least tech) produces the natural insight and the confidence to apply methods B and C (likely using mo

Most of the time..It's not money (or lack of it) that makes camps fall down and local programs go bad. It's lack of membership and lack of good experienced and knowledgeable leadership that causes those things. I've noticed that those things also happen when an organization tends to try to be "everything to everyone" instead of staying focused on a core set of values and practices. It's called "losing your mission". Look at our schools - or our government. Who says that the best funded is always "the best"? Not by a long shot. As far as "keeping my mouth shut", hmmmm. No I won't. Pa

In response to the "awsome one", I think it would be accurate in many cases to say that many of us are NOT in fact "Friends Of Scouting " - but WE ARE SCOUTING! It's a shame that "they" hang something like FOS $$ over the heads of Pro's - and not more meaningful factors. How much from our unit?? ~$600 and most of that from just a few parents that are LOADED and will write it off their business accounts. I am ashamed to have thsi presentation every year.

A different direction ! -- As much as I support and love Scouting, I am tired of FOS at our Pack meeting every year. We always have a good presenter and presentation and our little Pack of 25 boys in a mostly middle class area does pretty well in contributions, BUT I very much dislike that they come to the units to ask for $$$... These same people that are being guilted into pledging $$ are saying that they don't buy scout pants because they cost so much.(I don't think that's the real reason however).. Why doesn't BSA go to civic goups and do a pitch and the civic groups can pledge

Thanks to you good folks for your help. I really appreciate Beav's comments about a steady breeze of change -as opposed to a hurricane - but I am worried I will not be patient enough to change the current leaders and troop. If it was all from scratch, that would be easier (in my mind). Which leads to the new troop comment offerred by someone. Thanks for the caution about it being just like my days as a Boy Scout. Though I understand and am aware of this dynamic, I don't think it would be too bad for me to try and bring some tradition in the door, and make it at least a little closer.

I have a son who is about to go into the only local troop from WEBELOS. I am an ex-scout and loved my experiences, and I want him to have a great boy scout experience too. The problem is I am not liking what I see in the local troop (our only option).. It's kind of smallish, but that's not the problem. The parents mostly go on all the campouts, attend the scout meetings and stay. The adult leaders (scoutmaster and his asst) are really the Patrol Leaders in teh few times I have seen them - even though there are some boys appointed or elected as such. They carry everything in t