Eamonn

We have in the past looked at our favorite: Candy Bars, Singers and Peanut Butter. Which knot do you think is the most useful? Which Knot do you use the most? Where do you go to look up stuff on knots? Eamonn

I'm a little unsure if the world today is a better or a worse place then it was when I was growing up.While we certainly have a lot more toys and labor saving devises,we seem to have to work a lot harder and longer to get them. Institutions that at one time were beyond reproach are no longer that way. Still the news isn't all bad there are still lots of good people who in their own way, in their own little corner of the world are really trying too, if not make things better at least stop things from getting worse. While I know that I can't put everything that is wrong right. I do know that the now not so little Lad that sleeps in my house most nights has been given a lot of the tools that will make him a nice person and hopefully a good adult. While our church teaches love and there is nothing wrong with love, at home we seem to lean more on respect. Respect and good manners, still count for a lot. Not just the "Please and Thank You" but the idea of thinking before you do or say something. When I look at OJ, I in a very smug way think that while my work here is not done and it will always be a work in progress. Still things don't look too bad. He does have many of the values that his mother and I have along with some that we have over the years let slip. Maybe it's just his age, but he has a much stronger sense of justice and fair play then I now have.When I was his age I thought that politics and my very strong left wing ideals would save the world. He has no interest in politics and is very much a victim of the 30 second sound bite. Still he forges ahead doing what he thinks is right. It is sad that the black music producers have seen fit to not respect the black and white kids who listen to the music that they put out. It is sadder that I along with my Scouting pals haven't found a way of reaching out to these black kids.But worse still is that so many of my Scouting pals just don't want to. Maybe in time if people like OJ keep their sense of justice and fair play they will take on the job? Sure I agree with all those who have said that we are the role model and that our actions will speak louder then our words ever will. Still it doesn't hurt for us old folks to stop every now and then and take stock of where we are and what we believe in. If we aren't sure of our values it will be impossible for us to pass them on. Eamonn.

Question for FOG: A little Lad who lost his hat, finds out that you have it. You say that to get it back he must sing for it, in front of the entire troop. Little Lad gets up in front of the entire troop and bursts into tears. How do you feel? Eamonn

As I have posted in the past I consider myself to sewing impaired. Her That Must Be Obeyed is not that good and hates to sew. If I need anything hemmed I have to talk nice to my dear Mother-in-law. When it comes time to sew on a patch Her That Must Be Obeyed glues it with some sort of iron on tape and then sews it. This is one reason why I have so many Scout Shirts. Every time I changed position I had to buy more shirts!! Eamonn.

Over the past few weeks a couple of things have happened that have set the "Little Gray Cells" working. One was the speech that Bill Cosby made on July 2,2004.I found myself agreeing with him, while at the same time wondering what I can do to help. I think a lot of black kids are being put down by black entertainers and some are being misled by the stuff that they are picking up from the media. OJ has some of this stuff on his computer, how do I tell him that using the "N" word is not acceptable, when he hears black musicians singing it and black kids listening to it and thinking that it is OK? The other thing that has been getting to me is Slot Machines. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has just passed a law saying that slot machines are to become legal. I am not a gambler, I don't have any strong feelings about gambling. Her That Must Be Obeyed, likes to visit casinos and play. What is getting to me is all the hype and media coverage that these slot machines are getting. The big message is that they will bring down property taxes and the money will help educate our kids. Again I wonder what sort of message we are sending to our kids? I can't imagine me ever telling OJ "OK Son, you need a car heres $100.00 go gamble it and see if you can win the money." I think that somehow we are not sending the right message and the lines are becoming very blurred. Many of the values that I was raised with are now being questioned and I don't like the answers that are coming up. Eamonn.

I paid a visit to the National Site earlier today and everything seems to have changed. I had a hard enough time finding stuff before. While I was there I took the Boy Scout Leader Assessment tool. There wasn't one for District Chairman, so I took the Commissioner one. I have to admit to being very proud of myself. My results were really good. I didn't know when I started that there were as many questions as there are. It does take a little time. Eamonn Eamonn

And here we hang with baited breath waiting for the message. Not that I know very much about Girl Scouts. Still as I am here why are there Girl Scouts and Girl Guides? Were they always Girl Scouts? Most of the Girl Guide leaders I met were tough old birds that I sure as heck didn't want to get on the wrong side of. Eamonn

I answered an ad in the UK Scouting Magazine. "..... And what recruiting lesson can be learned from it?" Beware of what you ask for. You can't trust them darn Limeys. Some people never know when it's time to go home. Eamonn.

I really don't care what uniform a Crew decides to go with. I think that it is great that they are there and that we have a program that they want. This game is bigger then the uniform. In fact uniform is not listed as a method of Venturing. I do think just as it would be wrong for a Crew to decide that the Boy Scout uniform shirt with green tabs the same goes for the campaign hat.I feel sure that hidden away some where there is a ruling on this, I just don't know where to look. If I find it I will post it. Still at the end of the day I feel sure even if this Crew isn't allowed to officially allowed to wear this hat, the worst that is going to happen is a few raised eyebrows. I have two of these hats and find them to be a right royal pain. They need to be covered when it's raining and I lose the rain cover. They take up way too much room in the hat press.I can't wear it in the car, so it needs a seat to sit on or it goes in the boot, and silly as I look without a hat, I look even sillier in it. Not to mention the cost. Eamonn.

All the records for Wood Badge Training are kept by the local council. The $10.00 card does not put you into a national data base. Records of the old Cub Scout Wood Badge course are kept by the Region, because it was a regional course. Attendance at the Course Directors Conference are kept by the Region, again this is presented by the Region. It is a good idea to check with your District Training Chairman to make sure that your training records are up to date. Eamonn.

Just got word that the UK has a new Chief Scout.He is Peter Duncan. Peter will take office on September 5, 2004 for a five year appointment. He was a Cub Scout, but is best known as a TV personality and TV action man, famous for his round the world expeditions and on the TV program Blue Peter, a magazine show on the BBC for children. He also played "Young Treeman" a character who met a grisly death in the movie Flash Gordon. During his time with Blue Peter there were a lot of complaints about his scruffy image. I can't help thinking about Peter Appleblum(sp) and how near the end of his book "Scout's Honor" he says that the BSA needs a highly visible person to take the helm of the BSA. In the past the UK Chief Scouts have all been Gentlemen with titles who may have been very well connected but the Scouts didn't know much about them. Here we have a guy that everyone in the UK knows and the Scouts know. I think this is a wonderful appointment. Eamonn.

I hate to be disagreeable but adopting or adapting a hat that is part of the Boy Scout uniform or looks like the Boy Scout uniform is not to allowed. Eamonn.

You and your family have spent a great week at the Conference Center and you wonder "Why can't more of our Scout camps offer programs for the entire family?" Eamonn.

Traditional Scouting has 3 programs. Cub Scouting. Boy Scouting. Venturing. While a Chartering Organization can charter all 3. A Pack, A Troop and a Crew and all 3 share the same COR. Each program is on its own. The wants and needs of each program are different and the management committee has a different role to play as it works with each program. Try thinking of the Pack, the Troop and the Crew as the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Sure they are all part of the armed services but they have their own way of doing things and have different needs. The Troop and the Crew are no more linked then the Pack and the Troop. Sure there are times when they will get together, but you wouldn't have a den meeting during a troop meeting. Trying to mix the Troop and the Crew is not a good idea. Eamonn.

No. The BSA campaign hat is part of the Boy Scout uniform, because it is part of the Boy Scout uniform it can not be used as part of a Venturing uniform. Sure you can opt to wear blue campaign hats or pink campaign hats as part of a Venturing uniform but the BSA campaign hat belongs to the Boy Scout program. Eamonn.

Sorry Unc While I try not to judge people and have almost accepted guys with the odd ear ring. I don't like tattoos and body art. Nose rings, make me want to pass the person with this thing hanging out of their nose a Kleenex and that stupid eyebrow ring looks really dumb. OJ can't wait till he gets a tattoo and his ear pierced. I have said that he can tattoo and pierce what he likes when he moves away. I wouldn't hire people with this junk when I was hiring people. I don't put Scouts down for having this stuff. I do have a hard time believing that parents would allow it. Eamonn

OK, I know that a Crew can choose if they want to have a uniform or not. I know that they can design their own uniform. I thought that wearing parts of any BSA uniform wasn't allowed unless you wore the complete uniform. That means no green Venturing shirt and blue jeans or shorts from Wal-mart. I also thought that taking uniform parts from other programs wasn't allowed. A crew wouldn't be allowed to wear a Cub Scout hat as part of their uniform, the same would apply to the Campaign hat, which is part of the Boy Scout uniform. Am I wrong. Eamonn

There are books out there that describe different Scout camps. However it is very much a case of "Different courses for different horses" Depending on the program that your PLC wants to follow, how much time you want to spend traveling how much the Scouts can afford. There are just too many variables. I love Philmont. However there are troops that don't like to hike. I love Kandersteg, but travel to Switzerland is not cheap. Summer camp should to my way of thinking be more about fun then location. Welcome to the forums Eamonn.

There are a laundry facilities a Fort AP Hill if you look really hard and are willing to either wait or do the laundry in the wee small hours. We tried the bucket and plunger method. We used way too much soap. There were suds everywhere. Made for a great sud fight!! Have to admit that I didn't check with the G2SS to see if soap suds at 50 feet are an approved activity. When we finished playing we gave all the laundry to a loving parent who took it back to the hotel she gave the maid $10.00 - It works for me. If there is a new uniform that is yellow will it go with my gray hair or should I be thinking of a dye job?? Eamonn.

While I'm not 100% sure I think that because the staff at Council ran camps have been "Camp School Trained" They fall under a different set of standards then pack camping. Many of the ratios are set by the council. In my day it was one on four but it was changed to one on five. I never asked why. Eamonn

Kind of gives new meaning to the Scoutmaster telling the Scout to "Go away and quit bugging me". Eamonn

Our council used to offer a: Wolf Camp, Bear Camp Webelos Scout 1 and Webelos Scout 2 camp. A couple of year back they put all the Webelos Scouts together and all the Cub Scouts together. Webelos Scout Camp is a day longer. I think this was done because of poor attendance at the Wolf camp which was a parent and son deal. Sad to report we still have to crack the Cub Resident Camp nut. Boy Scout camp will see over 1,500 Boy Scouts and Cub Camps will only see about 200 at resident camp. The Parent son weekends for cub scouts do well, with about 800 attending over the summer. Some people feel that the parent son weekends are taking Cub Scouts away from the Cub Scout resident camps. Each district supplies he staff for the parent son weekends. The cost is $45.00 for the weekend. The parents and sons arrive at 10:00 on Saturday have a round robin of activities are served lunch and dinner, then there is a camp fire after breakfast the next day they go home.The gross income is about $36,000. With only the cost of food, a few program supplies and overhead costs to come out. So I think that they will be around for a while. Eamonn

I think that I'm very fortunate that I have an absolutely great team of community FOS captains. We have never not reached our community goal, thanks to the hard work that these guys and girls do. Going out and asking people for money is not an activity that I like doing. Still these people are out there many of them year after year bringing in tens of thousands of much needed dollars. We do kick off the campaign with a lunch time meeting at the country club. The council pays that tab. When we reach goal, we have a celebration meeting with pizza and adult beverages. Our DE I pick up that tab and for the past couple of years I have invited them to dinner at Summer Camp to eat in the dining hall and then tour the camp, where they can see the money that they have raised at work. At this camp meeting we give them a Camp T-shirt. I am looking for a more meaningful way of recognizing these individuals. A few years back one of them was awarded the District Award of Merit.Even though the man who received it had many years ago been active in Exploring and had organized district Camporees, no one knew who he was and I was given a hard time by a lot of the volunteers. They see the award as being for the program people. I don't agree and the committee that selected him must have thought that he was a worthy candidate. In England there is a Thanks Badge. It can't be awarded to active leaders but would be ideal for this group. It is a silver pin with the Scout sign and the word Thanks. It comes with a certificate.Any group can buy this award for anyone who they feel they need to thank. Do we have anything like it or are there any ideas what would be a suitable recognition for these people? Eamonn

Wow does this mean that I can be multiple, simultaneous user and not be a real person? Maybe I'm just a figment of my inner child's imagination? Time to dig out the old Doors Cd's. Or Lucy in the sky with diamonds. (Just kidding.) Signed Someone who is or isn't Eamonn, or could not really be lots of non-existent Eamonn's who are simultaneously not really me or anyone else but are using me to not be anyone else. I think - Well maybe?

I'm not sure how it works in other Councils? But we can ask for a computer print out showing the merit badge that each Scout has earned. If the badge is on the list everything is honky dory, even if the blue card has taken a spin in Moms washing machine. If not you have a problem and might have to find the MB Counselor who signed the card for a replacement. Eamonn.