Eamonn

As you can see we all have different ideas when it comes to camping and what equipment you might want to buy. I'm not going to say one is better than the other. I in fact think that a mix of the two is the way to go. But that's just me. In the past we normally set up camp as a Troop with the patrols camping and cooking as Patrols and then had Scouts go off hiking, biking or whatever from there. The Patrols cooked on the Coleman type double burner stove,along with a wood fire,they used their own Patrol Cook Box and bigger tents. The guys going hiking took light-weight camping gear. But we used to have a two week Troop summer camp. If you go to the Coleman web site you can sign up as a youth organization and get some stuff at a good price. While I know we might disagree on a lot of things I think almost everyone would tell you to buy the best quality equipment that you can afford. Eamonn.

Beavers?? Maybe now I know why I love the Jungle Book!! Baloo, is my hero!! Not the Disney King of the Swingers!! But Kipling's Baloo,who teaches the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack the Law of the Jungle. Somehow I thought that was part of my role as a Scouter. I haven't seen the movie yet but as a kid the Lion,the witch and the wardrobe. Strange thing is up until this minute I had forgot that as a little fellow I landed in hot water for reading the books in bed by flashlight. I think I read all of the books in the series, but for some reason I didn't read them in order. Eamonn.

I live in a small town population 4,678. We have 11 Churches. 8 Pizza Shops. 5 Boy Scout Troops. 6 Cub Scout Packs 1 Venturing Crew. 1 Sea Scout Ship. We used to have 10 pizza stores but two didn't make it. The Chinese Restaurant didn't last very long. Pack 155 used to have 70 Cub Scouts, it now has 11. Pack 151 used to have 10 Cub Scouts, now it has 40. The Crew is tied to a Troop and never does anything except help out at District Camporees. The Roman Catholic church used to have two priests, it still has a very large congregation, but now there is only one priest and there are less services. Troop 150 has been dieing for a very long time, it will one of these days. Troop 155 is only six years old, it has the most Scouts and the best program. I think we can learn a lot from the Pizza shops and the Chinese Restaurant. Eamonn.

Congratulations on starting a new unit. Some years back when I was serving as CM we talked about starting a Troop. In fact it would have been a re-start, as there had at one time been a Troop. It had gone about ten years before. In the end it didn't happen on my watch, but did start a couple of years later. Needless to say funding and money played a big part in what equipment was selected and bought. Most units tend to buy the stuff they need as they need it and can afford it. Different Troops have different ideas about what equipment a Scout needs. Some Troops in our area don't own any tents, they rely on Scouts bringing their own. While I do see how this saves a lot of money. I'm not very keen on the idea. A lot of Scouts buy real junk which just doesn't work that well. Different Scouter's have different ideas about brands and makes of equipment. Anyway here's the start of a list. I'll add more as more comes to me. Troop List: American Flag: -Talk to the elected officials in your area our guys love to hand out flags to Scout groups. Try and go for the photo op. It lets the community know that you have started. Flag Set: Troop Flag and American Flag with poles and toppers, along with stands. I don't know why? But for some reason people like the idea of donating the Troop Flag.You can do without one and they are not cheap. Our new flag for the Ship cost over $130.00 A member of our CO paid for it. The CO paid for the American Flag and the poles. As yet we haven't bought the brass toppers and we made the stands. Rope: You can never have enough good quality rope. Make sure that you fuse or whip or splice the ends before you use it or let the Scouts use it. We got a lot donated from the local power company and have a promise of a donation from our local caverns where they also teach rappelling. E-bay is a great place to buy rope, but shipping costs are high. Books: Starting a Troop library with books for the adults and the Scouts is a good idea. Most adults will want to buy their own copies the handbooks that they use. Administration Materials: Our council gave us a copy of Troopmaster 2005. I really like it. But I have kept the records and that sort of thing in a three ring binder. Game Bag: This took on a life of its own!! It just kept growing. In the bag we had different balls, bean bags, boxing gloves,old neckerchiefs. all sorts of odds and ends. We could use the stuff for games at the troop meetings and if it seemed that the Troop meeting wasn't going to plan the SPL could dive in and come up with something at little or no notice. There were a lot of times when this bag and the stuff saved the day. First Aid Kit. I use a fishing tackle box. Patrol Equipment. We had two boxes per patrol one was the Patrol Camp Box and the other was the Patrol Box. The Patrol Box was the box the Patrol used at meetings. It lived on the Patrol Table during meetings. Inside it had a copy of the handbook. You know that someone is going to forget his. Paper and pencils. Maps and compasses, rope!! The idea was that when the patrol went to their Patrol corner to work on something they had what they needed and didn't spent half the time looking for it. We did periodic inspections of the Patrol Boxes, things seemed to have a habit of getting stuffed in there at the end of the night. So depending on what you have been working on it ends up in their box. It was normal to find extra compasses or triangular bandages in the Patrol Boxes. Eamonn.

John While I agree with you. It is also worth remembering that a Lad working for his Eagle Scout rank in a Crew or Ship will need BOR's. If you are very lucky you will find the Committee members who will want to work hand and hand with the Crew or Ship members, who will want to play a far more active role in the running of the unit than in the other program areas. Where as in a Troop the treasurer can get by just reporting to the Troop Committee, our older youth really want to know what is going on. They want to be more hands on when it comes to the management of their unit. So while in packs and Troops having people who can just do the job is fine, but in Venturing they need to be able to explain a lot more to the youth members. Owl62 All adults new to Scouting should take the New Leader Essentials course and there are courses for adults interested in Venturing and Sea Scouting available on line. You might want to talk with your District Training Team. If your Committee is really wanting to be trained the Troop Committee Training presented with a few changes will work. Eamonn.

The Ship spent the weekend at a Sea Scout Winter Training Weekend in Maryland. I know we have a few Forum Members from that area and you guys are lucky to have such a wonderful facility as Camp Round Meadow in Catoctin Mountain Park. I had a friend of mine with me and we both decided we would take the adult training's that were being offered. We took the NLE course,Adult Basic Venture Leader Training and the Sea Scouting Leaders Specialized Training. It was a little strange for me. Other than the specialized training I had presented all the other courses but I had never sat through them!! My take on how they were presented is good for another thread. As many of you know we are new to Sea Scouting and the Ship (Sea Scout units are called Ships) has only been around for a few months. We are finding our feet and things are starting to shape up. We do have elected youth leaders. The program which at first was coming from yours truly is now coming from the youth members. We are holding monthly Quarterdeck meetings (A lot like a PLC,but the portions are bigger and they never stop eating.) We, at the request of the Scouts are fully uniformed. All in all I'm happy with the way things are going and the direction in which we are heading. One thing we don't have is set of rules or bylaws or call them what you will. In some of the Venturing material it does say that this is a good idea. We do have a document that we all (The Ship Committee and the Quarterdeck members) put together or maybe I should say are working on, that we need to get the Ship recognized by the IRS as a charity 501©(3). It in very broad strokes outlines has a set of bylaws, but mainly deals with who does what and who doesn't. Other things that have come up we have dealt with at the Quarterdeck meetings. To be very honest there hasn't been a lot. We have the term of office for Officers, what the dues will be and how money raised from fund raising events will be distributed. All of this in minuted and recorded in the Ships Quarterdeck Minute Book and was shared with the Scouts at a Ship meeting. I was a very good little fellow at the training, even when some of the stuff wasn't exactly right I didn't say anything (I didn't want to become a pain.) Someone mentioned PDA's? I wasn't thinking that well and thought that they had said or had intended to say PFD (Personal Floatation Device)But they really did mean PDA. I had no idea what they were talking about. It turned out PDA stands for Public Displays of Affection. We have two Sea Scouts that are going out together. I think dating might be a little more that what they are doing. She is 17 and he is 16. They are both in the HS marching band. The guy presenting the course seemed to have a thing about all this PDA stuff. He made it seem that two kids holding hands would bring about the end of scouting and cause a big black hole to gobble us all up. He was resolute that each and every Ship have rules and bylaws on the books that would deal with any PDA. I admit that having females in a Scouting unit is new to me. I agree that there is a point where certain behaviour is not acceptable. I fail to see where two teenagers holding hands when their hands are not supposed to be doing something else is the end of the world as we know it. I have known the Lad since he was a little fellow. I know both sets of parents. This PDA thing was new to me and I was unsure what to do or if I should do anything. In the end I decided that I should do something. I had a chat with them both. I used the Scout Law to let them both know that I trusted them and how certain things done in public would be seen as not being Courteous.We talked for a little while about what Obedient meant. I don't know if they sensed my uneasiness and were feeling a little sorry for me, but they were both very open and very understanding. When their parents came to pick them up from my house after the weekend I had a chat with both sets of parents. It was really strange they thanked me. It seems that both sets of parents were harboring some concerns about their kid going over the line or a little too far, but they hadn't known how to address their fears. I'm going to bring up the subject of PDA's at the Quarterdeck meeting this Sunday. My feeling is that we don't need a rule or a bylaw. We do need for us old people to be alert and willing to talk with our coed youth. Of course I'm really very jealous. When I was 16, I attended an all boys school, there were no girls in any of the Scout units I was in, so I didn't have anyone to hold hands with, let alone sneak a quick kiss. My problem is that I was born 35 years to soon!! Eamonn.

Hi Falterturm, welcome to the forum. I have to admit to being a little puzzled about: " We recently had the Eagle patrol age-out/Eagle"? But we can talk about that later. As to the Vikings. You don't say what age group these guys are in? I'm thinking 14 -15? If this is the case? What they are showing is fairly normal behaviour for this age group. Venividi,makes a good point about SM conferences. The SM and the other adults need to stop looking at "The Vikings" and start looking at each Scout as an individual. Maybe next time the adults gather around the camp fire or wherever it is you gather around, you all might want to try and identify the groups natural leader. Chances are that he may not be the PL , more like and I hate to use the word Gang, but the gang leader or ring-leader. Sadly many of us when we do this spend way too much time talking about what a little toad he really is. What we need to do is to stop dwelling in a negative past and start planning for a positive future. The Vikings are not last years Eagle Patrol. They more than lightly are fed up hearing about how great the Eagles were and how rotten they are. So stop telling them. Look for the things that each Scout does right. Go out of your way to catch them doing things right and find reasons to heap lots of praise on him or them when they do something well. Different Scouts respond differently to different adults, try and see if you or the SM can having a Scout work with the adult that he gets along with the best. If I get on to my son about something he thinks I'm giving him a hard time, but if my best friend Mike tells him exactly the same thing it's fine. Maybe you can find a way to put the interests of the Scouts to good use? In another thread someone is trying to match music to a power point presentation, your Scouts have the MP3 files on their i-Pods. How about talking to local Cub Scout pack and seeing if one or two of the Vikings could attend a Den meeting and show the Cub Scouts how to use a cell phone to make a 9-11 call or maybe take a photo. This might or could lead up to them covering First Aid or Communications with the little fellows, who will really think that these guys are super cool. When you and the adults do get together ask them to talk about what they did when they were the same age as the Viking Patrol members. Ask them what was cool to them? Sure the toys have changed, but we all went through the stage of wanting to be accepted by our peers. Work on bringing the ring-leader around. Sure you may want to hang him up by the ear-phones of his i-Pod, but that's not how we play the game.We offer Offer young people responsible fun and adventure. Of course it just might be that they really don't want to play and the Troop is not what they want or need. In that case talk with the local Crew. Eamonn.

Adding music to a power point presentation is a great idea. Be careful that the music doesn't take away from the presentation. How about using some TV themes? The Addams Family? The Greatest American Hero? Dallas? Miami Vice? Hawaii Five O? Taxi? Mission Impossible? You can find them all on TV Guide: 50 All-Time Favorite TV Themes ($13.99 from Amazon.com) I also like a lot of Rod Stewart's stuff. Amazon also has has some nice free down-loadable stuff. Eamonn.

Good for you. Eamonn.

We attended a Sea Scout Training weekend. I was privileged to watch a Bridge of Honor, where two young Ladies were presented with the Quartermaster Award, the Sliver Venturing Award and one also received a heroism award. These young Ladies must have worked their tails off!! Our Ship had 11 of the 12 Ship members at the weekend. Four females. All the males in the Ship both youth and adult are in the OA. We have last years Lodge Chief, this years Lodge Chief, the Vice Chief Admin and the Section Secretary. None of the females are in Girl Scouts, if they were and there was a Girl Scout equivalent of OA, I would be happy to add them and their involvement to the brag sheet. The Scouts choose to wear Sea Scout Uniforms and while there has been a few moans and groans from the Boys that they can't wear Lodge Flaps. I'm OK with them not being on the Sea Scout Uniform. A Sea Scout who hasn't been a Boy Scout can't be elected into the Lodge from the Ship, so in that respect they are all in the same boat. I really like the OA.I know that OA involvement a lot of the time is what keeps older Scouts in Scouting.Which is a good thing.But I don't see any connection between what we do as a Ship and what the Lodge does. I'm proud of a lot of the things that the Ship members do. Some are in HS marching bands, one is a very talented dancer, a couple play soccer, I see the OA the same as these other activities. While I'm OK with our Sea Scouts having the OA as an outside interest, I really don't think that it is right that males can work on and complete Eagle Scout rank, in Venturing. That to my way of thinking is not fair to the females in the program. Maybe one day the Girl Scouts will have a change of heart and allow girls in Venturing to work on the Gold Award, but it's their award and their rules. And no I'm not ready to go and become a Trained Girl Scout Leader!! I'm too old and far too lazy. Eamonn.

In Cub Scouts it really needs to be in the hands of the parents. Webelos Scouts follow a different path and having the Webelos Scout Den Leader sign off is a step toward them becoming Boy Scouts. Merit Badges it is up to the Counselor. A well rounded balanced Troop program should cover just about everything else. Eamonn.

I'm sorry Sniffles, I was unable to follow it all!! Even after SemperParatus explained it I was still confused. I don't see that you owe the pack anything. They were aware that you were going to move. So what happens after you move is in their hands. Of course you will want to make sure that you give them all the tools and records that they will need to continue after you have gone and not leave any loose ends. Once you have done that you don't owe them anything and you move on. When I was Cubmaster, Her That Must Be Obeyed was the pack Treasurer. In fact she only gave up the position about a year ago. Boy was she tough!! We had 3 people who were allowed to sign checks and each check needed two signatures. She was on the card at the Bank, I wasn't. She would as a rule only write checks at the Pack Committee Meeting. As CM I would collect any receipts from the other Leaders and turn them in at this meeting. Normally this expenditure had been given the green light ahead of time. The only time I was ever given a signed blank check was the night of Sign up night. But I always came back with a lot more money than the check (Parents paid the full membership amount, but the Council only took the prorated amount. We paid the entire charter fee the next year.) At the Pack Committee meeting she was able to give a full and proper account of the packs finances. We all used to tease her a little about how tight she was, but it worked. Eamonn.

When I asked Her Who Must Be Obeyed to buy me a boat for Christmas she told me to get real!! The only Scout like thing OJ asked for was a new pair of hiking boots. I like Timberland boots and shoes so he got a nice pair. I also bought him a sleeping bag. He didn't ask for it or really need it, but it was a good one at a great price. I was not happy with my digital camera, so I had Her Who Must Be Obeyed upgrade me.The new one has 12.0x Zoom and I can buy lenses and filters for it. The guide book is over 100 pages so I'll have to make time to read it. Eamonn.

Please know that Derrick and his family are in my prayers. Eamonn Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.

Of course the Training Chair would be developing new team members. The idea that one person does all the Training is not a good one. But why have a Cub Scout Trainer, a Boy Scout Trainer, what we need are presenters. R/T Meetings come under the Commissioner Staff, not the District Training Team. Hopefully the Commissioner Staff will identify areas that need looked at and this will end up on the R/T Commissioners desk? Eamonn.

Some years back we had a female District Commissioner. While she was was a good District Commissioner, she was an outstanding Leader Trainer. Her day job was a music teacher in an elementary school and it seemed that she had the knack of bringing the enthusiasm that she used with her classes to the training's. While her first and true love was Cub Scouting, we both served on the old Boy Scout and Cub Scout Leader Trainer Wood Badge courses. In many ways she was my mentor. I like to think that I knew more of the hands on stuff, but she was so much better than me at presenting. In the thread I spun off from, it seems that the idea of changing 50% of the Training Team is being met with approval? I don't see it. I think the role of the District and Council Training Chair is to gather a team of the best presenters that are available. When it comes to BSA training's; be it NLE or Wood Badge the role of the presenter is to present the course material. I really think that people with presentation skills are the best people for the job. I seen my District Commissioner friend present Venturing Training, when the program was new. She didn't know very much about the program, but she did a wonderful job of presenting the material. While I'm on this high horse I really think, given the importance we put on training it is time that we (National) made District/ Council Training Team member a position. I didn't need the entire Training Team to attend each and every District Committee meeting, so only the Training Committee wore District Committee patches. When the Chairperson can put together a real team and work with them on their presentation skills, I think we will see a marked improvement in our training's. There is of course a danger that if we take this route that Trainers will be like many of our Commissioners, people who have maybe outlived their usefulness at the unit level. I really don't mean to offend any Commissioners who are doing a good job and yes I served as a Commissioner!! The material in the BSA courses fill the time that is set for that course. There just isn't time to add the extras and I don't think that adding them at that time is the way to go. Isn't that the reason we have R/T meetings? Eamonn.

I have to admit to being a little surprised at the answers. I happen to like the idea that we do have a uniform and do think if we didn't it would hurt Scouting. I also can never see the powers that be ever making uniform a thing of the past. Like many have said I would continue in Scouting with or without the uniform. The rumor of a uniform "Make-over" maybe by 2010 has been flying around for a little while. I don't know if there is anything to it? I wish I could say that I was old enough to say "When I was a Lad clothes didn't matter" but that's not true. Back home in London when I was a Lad I had to have Levi Jeans, they were the cool pants. In fact most of the cool stuff came from this side of the pond. Strange now I'm buying stuff from over there!! I will spend too much on something that I like. But I find the price of uniforms to be out of line. I don't know if we will ever come up with an affordable, practical uniform. I don't know if parents would pay the extra money for state of the art fabrics? (OJ has things that look like a t-shirt but cost about $35.00 each!!) I have bought high-tech underwear and haven't been impressed and think that I wasted my $60.00!! If we lived in a perfect world Scout uniforms would be both affordable and very practical. Sadly it seems that many think what we have at present doesn't fit either; they aren't affordable or practical!! I'm not sure if I have ever thought of myself as being a free thinker? But the Buckskin idea seems like something worth looking into. Eamonn.

I think I really ought to spin off? But what the heck. Trying to keep the Guys motivated all the time, is not going to happen. (Sad but true). All sorts of things come into play as to why some activities are better received than others and why some Scouts go wild about something while others think it's like watching their finger nails grow. I found that it helped if at times I stopped and took a long hard look at what wasn't working. Really looked at the things that just didn't work. Some of the things that were on top of the list were: Nagging, Complaining, long announcements. Doing things because we always do that thing. Poor equipment. I have to admit that right now I'm a little upset at myself!! Our Boatswain hasn't called a quarterdeck meeting for over a month. I was a little upset. I'd tried giving the other youth members a little "Nudge" to get him to call the meeting. In the end I sent him an e-mail. I laid a big guilt trip on him. I hit the send and really wish that I hadn't. When we finally got to talk on the phone last night. He was very apologetic and I could sense that he knew I was upset when I sent him the e-mail. We are meeting later today to plan the agenda. I'm mad at myself because I know this isn't the way I should go about getting things done. I'm mad because I would be upset if he tried this on the other youth members. I have set a really bad example. Sure we have got to where we need to go, but this wasn't motivating. It was really bad leadership on my part. The bright side is that I know it and I really hope that I will learn from it. I owe him an explanation and I need to let him know what I did was wrong. Eamonn.

The "Deer caught in the headlights"PLC!! I think most of us have been there. If you start with the idea that most of the time kids are told what they are going to do and rarely asked what they want to do. You are making progress. One of the most important meetings of the year is the Annual Planning meeting. I found that taking the PLC away for the weekend away from all the distractions makes this meeting work best. At our house Her That Must Be Obeyed and myself have this on going stupid conversation. She asks me what I want for dinner? I answer what have you got? She tells me I know what we have. I say if I knew I wouldn't ask. (Then we have chicken.) In some ways this can be like the planning meeting. Depending on the experience of the PLC. If you (Or the SPL) Ask what do you want to do? They don't know what they want. Some ways around this are to have a Brain Storming meeting. Where everything no matter how off the wall is written down on a flip-chart or blackboard, without any comment or judgment. Sure you are going to get some ideas that may seem down right silly but if you allow a set time for these ideas. It shouldn't get that far out of hand. Then go over all the ideas with the Scouts. Discuss the pros and cons. "Sure we can go to Disney World, they have merit badges, but we would need to raise $??? per Scout. Do you guys really think you can raise that much? Do you want to spent that much time raising money? If you and the SPL have met before hand and have a couple of ideas and lots of information you can steer them in the direction, but be prepared for them to say that your ideas are lame! Sort the ideas into themes. One theme per month. Get some idea of who can do what. Ask for volunteers to take charge of each month. Explain that they are responsible for that activity and that they are accountable. The SPL will check to see how the plans are coming along. You will check with the SPL and help and support him. This might mean talking with a lazy little toad and offering a few words of encouragement or advise. It might mean going back to the PLC and asking "What is going on?" It might mean going to plan B or making plan B. After each activity or even after each Troop meeting making time for a quick reflection with the PLC will really pay off. But make sure it's a real reflection and not you telling them off!! Eamonn.

We have debated the pros and cons of uniforms. We have said what's right and whats wrong with them. I do know that Uniform is a method. But if the powers that be turned around and said that uniforms were a thing of the past. Would you support the decision? Yes or No? Eamonn.

I agree with ScoutNut. If they feel that they own the whatever it is they are doing, they will take more pride in it and want to do it. Someone a lot wiser than I once said "Plan your work and work your plan." While responding to things is fine, having everyone knowing what is coming up in the future will bring better results. If the Scouts know that in March or whenever the PLC has planned to hold the great Troop 123 Emergency Preparedness theme and have contacted the Red Cross to come and do their presentation (The guy who did ours for the Jamboree was outstanding). If while at camp the PL's run an emergency practice . Or some event that captures the imagination of the age groups that you are working with. It has to be better than asking, pleading, begging, nagging them to bring something from home. Eamonn.

NO!! Please NO!! I thought the -A- Thons were dead!! For a while it seemed everyone was on the -A-Thon-Wagon Walk-A-Thon, Spell-a-Thon, Swim-A-Thon. Sometime back a local kindergarten had a Hop-A-Thon!! I think scoutldr makes a valid point. I agree that these things are not a good Scout like fund raising event. I got really stung once. A Lad informed me that he wasn't a very good swimmer. I sponsored him at a fairly high rate per length and he did something like 50 lengths of the pool!! After that I went to a straight donation. Our Council doesn't have any of these type of events. Our District used too when we had a District Chairman who is a real bowling fanatic. But that was about 10 or 12 years back. He is a very good friend of mine and did suggest to me that we resurrect the event! Needless to say we didn't. Please let the thons RIP. Eamonn. Just as an after thought you could make things and sell them and tie that into a MB. Baskets, Pots, Photos come to mind. (This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Boy am I getting an education. I have found that some of the problem isn't the size it's where they wear their pants/slacks!! I have always been very lucky and have been able to buy clothes off the rack. OJ isn't difficult only he has big feet!! Is it possible that feet are getting bigger? If we were paying for these uniforms I could send a list of the sizes to the seller, but the Skipper who is giving them to us is as much in the dark as I am when it comes to converting male to female clothing. The most useful site that I found on the web was one for cross-dressers!! I can just imagine if the FBI ever took my hard drive they would all sorts of questions. Eamonn.

Looking back at the old year. I suppose when the time comes to look back at 2005 the thing that will be remembered most is the weather. Mother Nature let us know for all our cleverness, she can test us and remind us that we are not as smart as we think we are. Hurricanes not only proved how unprepared we really are, but also proved how when push comes to shove we can band together and help others. I haven't talked with anyone who attended the National Jamboree that has expressed an interest in buying a sauna. Just like everyone else I mourn the passing of our fellow Scout's who died in the tragic accident. However when I seen Scouts filling box after box with patches to be send to the Scouts from the Troop that had gone home, I was so very proud of "Our Kids". I visited a Cub Scout pack and a little Tiger Cub went to great lengths to explain to me why he was sending baby wipes to the troops serving in Iraq. The Pack was busy collecting and sending care packages to the Troops. This little Lad didn't know or care what the war was about or how it started, he only knew that one of his soldiers was having a hard time because of the sand and that he was doing something to help. Sadly the year wasn't scandal free. I don't remember hearing about any little blue dresses, but we had the membership thing in Atlanta and Mr. Smith in Texas. Add them to the prices that National were charging for things at the Jamboree Trading posts and I know that I started to question the character of our leaders. Still even with this I never once lost faith in how great Scouting really is. How wonderful it is that we have thousands of people who volunteer countless hours to work with the kids in their communities. I never lost faith in "Our Kids". They never let me down, they really know how to make the best of things and rise above any obstacle that is placed in their way and make me smile as they do it. Happy New Year to all Eamonn.

Kudu You are about the most argumentative fellow I have ever met. Sea Scouter's don't wear Wood Badge beads because they might get tangled up and cause an injury. I don't know if any Scout has ever been hurt because of a cord around his neck, but it does seem like an accident waiting to happen. Happy New Year. Eamonn.