Eamonn

One of the joys about cooking on-board a boat is that as a rule there isn't to many people. While the stove isn't very big, it normally works without too much effort!! Back home when I was a Scout, only the adults had gas stoves and they tended to use them only at night to make the coca for everyone after the night activity. When I became Scoutmaster, I needed the caffeine jolt in the AM before I could face the day and the little darlings. (Back then I was a big tea drinker -But the tea on this side of the pond isn't worth drinking!!) While I can eat and do enjoy some hot and spicy food. I don't enjoy the addition of hot sauce just to prove that I can take it. Some of our male Sea Scouts think that there is something very mucho about being able to eat food that is covered in hot sauce. When I do the cooking I try to introduce our Scouts to foods that some of them have never tried before. Black bean soup seems to be a hit. Curry didn't go over that well. Soft shelled crab wasn't very popular. They thought I was nuts when I added Balsamic vinegar to strawberries!! Frog legs went over fairly well. I haven't tried it yet but they seem really interested in trying Spotted Dick. I think we will have it after a good Toad In The Hole. Eamonn.

OJ and the members of Wagion Lodge 6 returned late on Saturday. Many clutching over-sized stuffed animals that they had won at Ceder Park (I now have a stuffed green monkey in the passenger seat of the Explorer -We'll see what Rory makes of that!) They all said that they had a good time. Many Thanks to everyone who helped make it so. One year I'm going to try and make it, I just don't know when. (I have never attended a NOAC) Eamonn.

Beavah I don't see anyone in this thread suggesting that Merri "go back and kick up a fuss with your unit's hardworking' volunteers" The question was "Can a Boy Scout troop set its own uniform policy?" It seems to me that they have gone ahead and done so. The $64,000 question is should they do so? The correct answer is . No they should not. Under the rules of the BSA this is not permitted. IMHO, what this Troop is doing is worse than a Troop that doesn't have all the Scouts in full and correct uniform. Hopefully the Troop that doesn't have full uniform still has uniforming as a goal. This unit has opted to go with Cafeteria Style Scouting. They think they can pick and choose what they like from the program. Supporting the "unit's hardworking' volunteers" is fine and dandy but when they are not playing by the rules how do we know when to say? "Hey this isn't right!" When the unit decides that the Advancement program is wrong and they add a few more requirements? How about when they disagree with the youth protection guide lines? When I was a little fellow I attended one meeting of the local Boy's Club. Most of what they seemed to do had something to do with boxing. I really don't like people hitting me, so I never went back. I discovered that the Boy's Club wasn't my cup of tea. Could it be that these hard working volunteers need to take a long hard look and see if belonging to the BSA is really their cup of tea? Eamonn.

I don't seem to remember ever reading or seeing anything in any BSA publications about a Troop Activity Uniform ? While many units do go ahead and do their own thing. The wording that the BSA uses doesn't seem to allow much wiggle room: "No alteration of or addition to the official uniform, badges, or insigniaor the rules and regulations concerning the wearing of the uniformis permitted. Uniform parts should not be worn with other clothing. Badges and other insignia should be worn only on the uniform (with the exception of a red patch vest that may be used to display temporary insignia) and only as directed by the Insignia Guide, BSA Supply No. 33066 Many happy hours have been spent by forum members discussing the pros and cons of the uniform that we have, the cost of the uniform, what the uniform method really is all about. Even if there is enough wiggle room in the pants!! Some one just e-mailed me a lot of photos taken over the last seven weeks at our Council Summer Camp. It would seem that the sale of official BSA pants and shorts are down in our area. Still the Scouts seem to look happy and be having a good time. The photos of the Sea Scouts who served on staff and wore their Sea Scout uniforms, show these Lads looking really sharp. But I might just be a tiny bit biased. - I wonder why? Eamonn. (Welcome back Kudu)

Can they do this ? It seems that they have!! It isn't supposed to happen. We have the official BSA Uniforms. Lots of units have tweaked this. Lots of units will continue to make whatever changes they seem to like. But.. Yes there is a but. If your son and members of the Troop were to attend a National event, like a National Jamboree they would be expected to wear the full and correct BSA uniform. I feel that we might think about that before we do the tweaking. The idea of a uniformed organization is that we have a uniform that is uniform!! Of course the $25.00 pants are a lot cheaper than what the BSA is selling -So maybe the BSA needs to take a long hard look at the Campmor catalog? Welcome to the forum. Eamonn.

Many Thanks. The Doctors have said that the chemo isn't going to cure the cancer, it will hold it back. Her Who Must Be Obeyed, hasn't lost her sense of humor. My cousin in Toronto is a good friend of the Bishop up there. She was saying how she was going to have him say a mass and would be lighting a candle. She did the same thing a couple of years back. Jamie (Her Who Must Be Obeyed) didn't miss a beat she informed my cousin that they needed to change the brand of candles. Again Many Thanks. Eamonn.

There are times when I question what the BSA is about? and wonder where it is heading? I wonder if we are in the business of selling stuff. While selling stuff is OK and might be needed to help offset the cost of something, we don't seem as an organization to care if people buy it or not. Sure we push Boy's Life, but it would be nice if National (Not the local Council) made it available at no cost to Scoutreach Units. Maybe something could be done to help those who can't afford uniforms? I as a rule don't sit around thinking about how my $10.00 membership fee is spent. Still even in these days of falling membership it seems that a lot of $10.00 membership fees get sent off and I'm not all together sure what or where my ten bucks is spent on? I haven't visited the National Office since it moved from New Jersey, so maybe all the membership fees are needed to ensure that whatever is being done does get done? I find it a little annoying that just about anything you might need to run a LFL program is available for free on the web, but when we need something we have to buy the book. But I know that's just one of my pet peeves. At times I think the best thing to do is just pay no attention to what is going on at the next level. The sad thing is that very often when we do this we are accused of not supporting those who serve at the next level. The problem when we stop playing an active role in what is going on is that we don't know what is going on.Which very often is something that we might not like and could impact what we are trying to do. We do seem to getting away from the idea of volunteers dealing with and working with volunteers, which is really hurting us. The more power or authority we allow the professionals to have the more they will take. At the District level volunteers will turn to a DE before going through the volunteer staff. At the Council level volunteers will go to the SE, instead of calling the volunteers who are supposed to be in charge. All of this is making it seem that we work for them and not the other way round. I'm far happier having the members of the Executive Board ask the hard questions to the SE at a board meeting and get back to me with what the board said than phoning the SE and getting his opinion. After all he works for the board. Eamonn.

A couple of years back we were hit with the sad news that Her Who Must Be Obeyed had cancer. For a while we seemed to be in a state of shock. We did everything the Doctors said. She had the surgery and the radiation treatment. 25 months past. The Doctors had said that the chances of the cancer coming back were very slim and she had a 95% chance of living until she was a ripe old age. Sadly they were wrong. The cancer has returned. It has spread to her lympnodes. The out look isn't that good. She started chemotherapy yesterday. We are hoping that the chemo will help make her a little (A Lot!!) more comfortable. If you could please say a prayer for her, I'd be very grateful, while your at it I'll take any blessing that is going. I'm not sure if we can beat the cancer, but I know what ever time we have will spent trying to make the best of it. Many Thanks. Eamonn.

red feather You and yours have my deepest sympathy and I'll have a word with the Big Fellow for you and yours. I really like the idea that when we pass on, we get to spent eternity doing the things that we enjoyed most when we were on earth, we get to do this away from all the pain and any torments that we faced while working our ticket down here. I have to admit to being a little jealous of those who had Dads who spent time with them. My Dad was always either very busy or very tired, he worked very hard and didn't have much time for us kids. We never ever went without anything, he paid for just about anything and everything we ever needed. I really never got to know him until I was in my 20's. I got involved in an Irish club and the two of us would sneak out for a pint or two. He was a very proud Irishman. So proud that he named me after the first president of the Irish Republic. I was with him when he died in London, I cried nearly all the way home on the plane. Every now and then I catch myself doing something the way he would have done it. Even as I sit here I have both dogs by mt feet. I can still see him sitting in his easy chair with dogs at his feet. I was deeply upset with him for going and leaving me, but in time I started to see that while it's good to mourn, it's also OK to thank God for having allowed us to share in the life of people who are special to us. Eamonn.

I don't remember when I first seen or heard about Scouts voting with their feet! I do remember thinking it really seemed to hit the nail on the head. In our area we have grade schools (I have a hard time with American education and still seem to think in English?? -So forgive me if I get the grades mixed up. Back home after you leave primary school you start out as as First former.) The little people start off at about age 6 going to kindergarten. Not long after they graduate from kindergarten, we (Packs with the help of the District and some help from the Council) go to great lengths to sign these little fellows up as Tiger Cubs. While there are of course exceptions to every rule; for the most part the Lad doesn't seem to have a lot of say or choice. His parents decide if they want him to be a Cub Scout (Tiger Cub) or not. Sure I've heard about little fellows who can't wait to join, but I was talking with a Mom who said she bribed her son with a goldfish to ensure that he didn't. About the same time in our area kids (Boys and girls) start signing up for soccer. We used to have Boys teams and girls teams now it seems we have coed teams that play something that looks like soccer, but they play without a goalie?? And don't keep score. For the most part the skill level is almost nonexistent. Over the next few years the boys seem to also try different activities. As the boys age they are are asked what they want to do? Some parents are happy to taxi their children to just about anything and everything, some parents inform the Lad that he can participate in a set number and he can choose two or three activities. Soccer is big in our area and we have the regular teams that play in the spring and the fall on Saturdays with a practice one night a week. The better players are invited to play on traveling teams and they also play on Sundays going to away games as far away as 300 miles. Sometime around the time the Lad is a Bear in Cub Scouts, we start to see a good number of Lads quit Cub Scouting. When I was District Commissioner, I made sure that we contacted each Lad who had been taken off a charter. We invited him back, either to his old Pack or offered him the opportunity to join a different pack. We also tried to find out why he quit? All sorts of reasons were given. The two that seemed the most popular were "He didn't like it" And Sports. As a District we seemed (I didn't track the numbers this year.) to do a fair job of retaining Webelos Scouts. The numbers show that most years we seen about 70% of the second year Webelos Scouts cross over and join a Boy Scout Troop. Our School District has the students who are in Junior High is a separate building. At this age there isn't a lot of after school activities offered by the school (No band, school play, or football) The teams that are not part of the school seem only to be for the Lad's who are good at something and show promise. Homework doesn't seem to be very heavy and for these two years, the Lads who are in Boy Scouts seem to be happy that they are and are very active. Then they move to the High School and are hit with everything the School has to offer. OJ, participated in Volley Ball, Soccer, Track,Choir,School plays,the School Newspaper, the Computer Club, the Video Club and some other club that has something to do with Students for Ethical Choices. Soccer "Camp" started in July and they were expected to be there every day for about four hours till school restarted, then there was a couple of games a week and practices every day when there wasn't a game. Track seemed to be never ending with practices and meetings. The plays while very time consuming didn't really seem to take that long about six weeks from start to finish. This is when we as a District really noticed that we were losing Scouts. Football and Band seem to really take up a heck of a lot of time. Band more so than Football. We as adults in Scouting can sit back and cry in our adult beverages making all sorts of excuses, trying to find reasons, blaming the school districts, video games or competition. But in our area we have a two year time period when we can really do things that will inspire them and provide the enthusiasms that will keep them in Scouting. We know from the get go that we are dealing with a lively bunch of kids who want to be doing stuff, they are the kids who want it all. They are going to be active in lots of other activities as well as Scouts. I have had Scouts who have made their own travel arrangements to come to a camp out after a school activity. I've Scouts who have come to Troop meetings straight from play practices or other events. They do this not because of some attendance rule but because they don't want to miss anything. Maybe it's a little like watching your favorite TV show? No one is forcing you to stay home and watch it or record it, you do so because you want to. However if the show becomes boring or you miss too many episodes, the show starts to lose its importance. Or maybe they change the time that it's on and that time isn't good for you? Where you were once a loyal and devoted watcher, you start to not really care one way or the other. We can't force our Scouts to do anything. They need to participate because they want to. If they start to fall off or stop participating, we need to look for the reason. I have visited a lot of Troop meetings, that really accomplish very little and are just a waste of time. I couldn't wait to get out. I don't see why any normal person would want to go back. Talk to a group of Lads who have quit and ask why? Boring meetings is up there at the top of their list. Eamonn.

Please use this thread to post any and all details about Wood Badge Courses that are being held in your area. Information that you might want to include: What. Where. When. Cost. Contact information. Along with any other pertinent information. Eamonn.

I can't see why someone just doesn't start a thread in the Wood Badge and Leader Training area, inviting anyone involved with a course to post details in the thread. Of course only the people involved in the course would know the details. Heck!! Come to think of it. -Why don't I just do it know! Eamonn.

"Not sure that gets us anywhere about teaching' character" I'm sorry I don't see it that way! We don't teach character, or better yet we don't help young people make ethical choices, but imposing strict rules. These other organizations where you "don't get to play, or you don't earn your Red Belt, or... " don't have the same mission as we have. It seems all to easy to lay blame at things that are not working as they should on the very people we are trying to serve. If our Scouts and their parents don't see Scouts and Scouting as being important. We have to look at the reasons why. I don't see cost being a factor. In fact quoting one of our Sea Scouts from what he posted on the Ship's Group page: "Canoeing on the 17th:$20 Camp Blue Heron:$300 (for those going) Quarterdeck Training: $10 (or more) Sailing Date:$45 (or more) Add Philadelphia to this $45 Add Whitewater to this $45 Add Rock Climbing to this (if we go) $30 THAT'S NEARLY $500!!!!!" So Scouting isn't cheap by any means! Some one in another thread stated that we can only serve those who want to be served. I can go along with that to some extent, but I'm left asking myself "If they didn't want what they thought we had to offer, why did they join in the first place? Which brings me back to asking are we delivering what we promise? I have to admit at times I think the BSA has gone a little over the top with all this talk about Leadership and I'd like to see more skill training for the adults, but that's another topic. We as adult leaders need to be thinking about what real leadership is. I don't see long lists of rules and policies as leading. Our real role should be influencing the group to accomplish a mutually agreed-upon task while advancing the group's integrity and morale.("getting the job done and keeping the group together.")The group remains in existence only as long as these two needs are being fulfilled. The leader is not the same as the boss. The following poem says it well: The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them. The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says "I"; the leader says "we." The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace. The boss says, "Get there on time"; the leader gets there ahead of time. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how. The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes it a game. The boss says, "Go"; the leader says, "Let's go." --Author unknown The leader helps the group meet the needs of the individuals. No two members join for exactly the same reason. The leader helps knit the individuals into a cooperating group. The leader helps them all to see a common reason, a common goal that is mutually desired, and he delegates responsibilities among the individuals so they can see how their efforts will lead toward reaching the goal. The leader helps the group realize the purpose for which it was created. The leader helps the group: Define the purposes for which it exists. Keep its activity within the defined purposes and goals. Find alternative ways of attaining their goal. Grow to a more progressive organization in its own eyes. Clarify the responsibilities of its officers and members to carry out the program. Evaluate itself--why it exists, where it is headed, how much progress it is making. Once we can grasp a real understanding of what leadership is we go a long way to fixing the real problem and stop trying to lay the blame on others. Eamonn. (This message has been edited by Eamonn)

It seems to me that we spent a lot of time and effort not fixing real problems. Scouts don't attend Troop meetings so we come up with some sort of a policy or rule. The Patrol system at weekend camping events doesn't work, because not enough Scouts turn up. So we don't use the Patrol method. I just don't see this. If Scouts don't want to turn up for the weekly Troop meeting, having a rule or a policy isn't going to improve the Troop meeting. If anything the policy is going to lead to the Scout leaving and when that happens all the good that we might be able to do is lost. The Patrol method is the backbone of what Scouting is about, camping events are the class room where Scouts find out about how it really works. When we see something isn't working, we need to start asking questions not re-writing rules. The big questions normally start with "Why?" If we don't start asking why and making changes we are going to keep on getting what we got! Eamonn.

scoutldr I'm sorry I just have to disagree with you. Scout Camp relies on a Staff of Scouts. I'm unsure if there is anything in writing, but we have as far back as I can remember always allowed staff members time off to either spend a week with their Troop, attend National events like NOAC and the Jamboree. I agree that it hurts the camp. But it isn't like it's something new or that they sprung it on the camp at the last minute. A number of the Scouts going to NOAC are also Sea Scouts, while a couple who weren't attending NOAC, did attend the Ship's Summer Adventure. The guys attending NOAC didn't, they thought it wouldn't be fair to the camp to take an extra week off. I have hired people who have said that they have make vacation arrangements, when they are interviewed. I have always done my best to work around their dates and accommodate them. Sure the camp should or could have said that they weren't hiring anyone who wasn't able to commit to the entire summer, but they didn't. As for the other parents question. The Scouts stayed till after Campfire, the reason they slept over at our house was that they live a fair distance away from where the NOAC departure was. We live only 2 miles away. These parents thought that these Scouts would have their checks and would be able to deposit them on Saturday. BrentAllen Yes the checks are passed out on Saturday. Maybe -Just maybe there was/is a reason why the checks weren't handed out? But a simple word of explanation would have covered that. OJ gave up his job at our local supermarket in order to work at camp. Sure he is bringing home the big bucks $165.00 a week !! The supermarket has direct deposit -Maybe we need to let the Council know how this works? Sadly the Scouts now see the R/D as a bad guy, I can't post what OJ called him and yes I told him not to use that word -But part of me agreed with him he was being a .... Eamonn.

We did have everyone attend the Annual Planning Meeting. This meeting was the one that broke my 90 minute rule. (I believe that no meeting should last more than 90 minutes.) We decided what themes the pack would follow, the dates of the big events and who would take care of doing what. We also tried to set the budget for the year. Most of the Dens didn't meet year round. Den meetings seemed to follow the school year. Our summer program followed what was going on in the District, Council and Community: Day Camp, Resident Camp, District Cub Scout Olympics, marching in parades, fishing derby the big pack picnic. This of course meant that we only had a nine month program. We did hold a monthly Leaders meeting mainly to plan the Pack Meetings and look at soft spots. My feeling was that the Den Leaders were in the delivery business and the Committee was in the management business. It's hard to look after a Den at any event if you are the organizer. The Den Leaders knew their Scouts, so who better? As for : " they often end up asking den leaders to do various things" That to my mind seems a good enough reason for them not to be there. The reason people don't do things a lot of times is because we don't ask them. It takes a little more effort to select the right person for the job, than it does to dump it on some poor person who has too much on their plate already. The people we got to take care of the Pine-Wood derby, were not leaders. Sadly the Pack is now just about dead, but these people are still running Pine-Wood Derbies for Districts and packs that ask. Their son is now 19 and a Eagle Scout. The more people we bring in to do real jobs, the more we really give meaning to being home and community based. Eamonn.

But FB There was no wrong. Everyone knew when NOAC was/is. The R/D had been informed before camp started who was going. I'm not at camp, I don't know if things are going good or not? Much as I hate to own up to it, part of me is hoping that things are not going well!! At least this might offer some explanation to why the R/D is acting this way. Just to make things worse the R/V is one of my oldest friends on this side of the pond, we go back almost 30 years. I know that he is under a lot of pressure. The camp budget was tight and then the change of Food Service Companies, which came in at a higher cost. Our SE left for a new job 2 weeks back, so no one is really in charge of the day to day running of the Council. So I can see that maybe he thinks that the sky is falling. As I have posted before. I tell our Scouts about STAR. STOP THINK ACT REFLECT. I feel that he failed the S and the T. Eamonn.

OJ is working as a staff member at camp. Before he took the job, he explained that he needed time off to attend NOAC. The Reservation Director is also the Staff Advisor to the Lodge. The Staff get paid bi-weekly. The checks are handed out on Saturday morning. The guys attending NOAC were meeting at 0545. OJ and a few other Staffers arrived at our house last night. The washer and dryer went into over-drive. About midnight I asked OJ if he wanted me to deposit his check, so he could use his ATM card. He said that he didn't have his check and that they wouldn't give it to him or to any of the guys going to NOAC. The checks are cut by the bookkeeper who doesn't work on Saturday. So I can't see any good reason why these guys couldn't have got the checks last night. When I asked OJ why they wouldn't give him his check he said that the Director was being a real pain. I can't help thinking that this is such a terrible example to show these Scouts. It just doesn't seem to fit with "Help other people at all times" These Scouts are for the most part the Scouts in the Council who are very active, they don't earn very much. I heard the Scouts who slept over talking, saying that they will not be going back next year. These kids have paid their dues, many started several years back as CIT's working all summer for nothing, they are the "Old-timers". We have in the past had a hard time recruiting a quality staff for camp. It's a shame that someone who should be going out of his way to set a good example has let the side down and his actions will impact the 1,500 campers who attend camp next year. Sure I'm upset I had to make two trips to the ATM(My card has a daily limit of $500.00) and withdraw money for four Scouts)I'm not happy that $800.00 that should be in my account isn't! I know I'm venting. But just because someone was on a power trip -Come on!! I have to wonder where his honor is, it seems that the Scout Oath are just words. Eamonn.

I think just a note or a card saying thanks would fit the bill. Eamonn.

We never invited the De Leaders to Pack Management Committee Meetings. As Cubmaster I was invited to attend and gave reports on how things were going and what the needs of the pack were. Most of our Den Leaders were Moms and adding yet another meeting was something that they didn't need. Eamonn.

The program is supposed to be coming from the Scouts. We have so much to offer, accommodating the needs of each and every Scout isn't easy, but it's what we try to do. By listening to him and finding out what his likes and dislikes are we can find out where he fits into what is going on. A pal of mine had a Scout who really didn't like hiking, but the Lad loved photography. It wasn't rocket science to invite the Lad to take pictures on the next hike. Our job has to be finding a way to light the fire which is in each and every Scout. Of course this doesn't mean changing everything. After all if the Troop is really youth led he has representation on the PLC. Catering to the needs and interests of individual Scouts is the real reason we have so many merit badges. However, if he finds that the Boy Scout Troop set up is a little to structured for him, maybe the less formal setting of a Crew might be better for him. Of course if he really wants to get out on the water he might want to give Sea Scouting a try? But I think every Lassie and Lad should give Sea Scouting a try! Eamonn.

Of course one might ask: "What are we doing or not doing to hold the interests of this Scout? "Are our regular Troop meetings really the best show in town?" At the end of the day we are here to serve the youth are we really going out of our way to meet the needs of this young Lad? Maybe he might be better off in another program? Maybe he really just isn't interested? Maybe it's time to sit down and listen to him? And have a word with Dad!! Eamonn.

Beav, While I have never participated in the program. I did visit a unit in Pittsburgh. I wasn't impressed. They seem to have a hard time retaining the youth and the constant change leads to chaos. There was a unit at the Safety At Sea weekend in Curtis Yard Maryland, last September. The Leader seemed to have an ego as great as the great outdoors. The youth were well turned out and very good at drill, but to my mind there seemed to be a lot of yelling and intimidation at work. I think the week that they get to spend away training seems like fun -It's just the rest of the year that seems lacking. Still I suppose it's all down to leadership. - A little like that other youth organization we all know and love. Eamonn.

No I have never heard of such a thing. I suppose anything is possible! But I really have little or no knowledge about this. For a long time I have watched smaller councils really struggle. I sit on the Area Committee. To be very honest the meetings are about as interesting as watching paint dry. The bulk of the time is spent looking at how the 13 Councils in our Area are doing. The focus is on Membership and Finance. The big Metro Councils are not discussed by the Committee. Last year it seemed that everything was set for a merger of two Councils, one small, one medium, but at the last minute the deal fell apart, the Executive Board of the small Council voted against it. It looks very much like soon we will only have 11 Councils that we will be talking about. One Council is just not holding it's own in Membership. The shame is that they seem on paper to be doing a good job in Venturing. The Council President has attended the meeting and said that they just can't recruit Cub Scouts. He is a very nice like-able fellow, but as was pointed out at the meeting they only serve 10% of the TAY in the area. They have seen attendance at their Summer camp go down to such a level that they just can't afford to open it or maintain it. A very dear and close friend of mine served on a Wood Badge course they just hosted. He came home saying how great it was that the SE was at camp mowing grass!! (He thought that all SE's should get involved that way.) I didn't want to upset him and didn't say that I thought the time would be better spent trying to fix the membership problems. When I read in the forum of Councils with 12 -15 Districts, I'm taken back a little. Of the councils in our Area, we are the biggest and we only have four Districts. We claim to serve 10,400 youth?? (I'm not going there!!) But over half the youth we serve are in LFL programs. 5,000 Traditional members and a budget of almost one and a half million dollars. We are just not bring home the bacon,the money isn't coming in. While creative book-keeping in membership is wrong, it just can't work with money. At the end of the day you either have it or you don't, the bills do need to be paid with real money. As to the Un-merging, as I say I don't really know what I'm talking about!! However thinking about it -I'm not sure who could do it? When two Councils merge it is voted on by both Executive Boards, after the merge these two become one, so unless there was a big split at the board level I don't know what could or might happen? Even if there was by the time the Region and the National guys got involved and everything was worked out, if it could be worked out -Anything that was on the cards to happen would have happened and be in the history books. Two things seem to be the biggies when it comes to mergers and emotions. One is camps and the other OA Lodges. A lot of the volunteers have put a lot of time, effort and sweat into making the camps what they are. Sadly time, effort and sweat don't pay for the materials. We have over the years build lots of buildings, and pavilions at our camp. Volunteers have worked their tails off. They get a little upset with me when I remind them that we now have 27 roofs that one day will need replaced. That's a lot of nails and shingles! We like to think we have the best Lodge. Any word of a merger upsets the people in the Lodge. While I don't know anything about Un-merging, I do think a lot can be done to try and prevent merging in the first place. 1/ We need to hold long term strategic planning meeting and come up with real and realistic goals. Not something that looks good on paper or what someone might like to see. This plan needs to be taken out, looked at and reviewed every quarter to see how things are really going. Again, this review needs to be done in good faith and as honestly as possible. 2/ We need to hold people accountable for doing what they are supposed to be doing. Starting at the very top. Scout Executives should be out and about in the community doing what he/she can to bring in as much money as he or she can. We seem to do a very poor job of raising foundation money and obtaining money from grants. 3/ Before we take on new projects that are going to cost more than a few thousand dollars, we need to take a long hard look at what we are spending the money on and why we are spending it. 3/ While the delivery of the program is in the hands of the units. Councils need to be ready and willing to step up to the plate and help units out. For a while it seemed that our Council was big on rewards for reaching goals: Meet the membership goal get a sweat-shirt, meet some other goal receive a camp chair or a cooler. I think the money we spent might have been better spent sending unit leaders to training, or buying a set of BSA books for a new pack. 4/ When tough decisions need to be made, we have to make them. Sadly I know at times I have allowed emotions, likes and dislikes to influence the way I voted when I sat on our Executive Board. 5/ We have to be honest. Fake anything will in time come back and bite us in the tail. Pretend members will never go to camp, sell popcorn, participate in family FOS, have fun. For a very short time anything fake will make someone look good -Until they get caught. 6/ We have to get involved. Not to be a pain in the rear or moan and groan, but making sure we are represented on the Board, ensuring that people know how we feel. This doesn't mean giving the SE a hard time!! He or she will do what the Board tells him to do!! Writing a letter to the Vice-Council Presidents, the Council President, the Council Commissioner, will at the end of the day work better than calling the SE names. A lot of Board members don't really know what is happening at the grass roots level. If they are given the facts it might?? change the way they vote. The SE doesn't have a vote!! Wow!! For someone who doesn't know what he is talking about I seem to have gone on a bit!! Eamonn.

SemperParatus they still have openings!! Anyway they did when I talked to them last week. It seems that there will be a full page color ad in the next Scouting Magazine. Now that the food is better Camp Conestoga is a nice camp. Cozy and friendly. It is also the reason I'm here!! It's where I met Her Who Must Be Obeyed. I was on staff back in 1977 and OJ is following in my footsteps -Boy I'd better check and see if there are any females up there!! While he is a good looking kid, he doesn't have my sexy knees!! Or the accent! The program for older Scouts is mainly activities off site in the Laurel Hill Mountains. Seven Springs does a good Sunday brunch and the Laurel Mountain Inn serves a very good prime rib. There was at one time a video that the camp made to send out for promotions. It might be a little dated now as it was five or six years back. By the way SemperParatus, the price tag was a little more than we wanted to pay for the week long sailing. We can use the Sea Scout Training Vessel (SSTV) "der PeLiKan", a 46 ft. Morgan Ketch for a donation of $100.00 a day!! Eamonn.