Eamonn

Oh Man Of Steele What the heck does Durned mean? Do I need a Websters or an Oxford? As to your topic. While we both know and love each other, and do engage in playful leg pulling. I do happen to know that your love of Scouting shines through not only your postings here, but through what you do for a living. However, just because you are good at what you do, does not mean everyone is like you. There are those who work for the BSA, that are not so hot. They would be not so hot, no matter what they did. We have both played this game for a long time and have over the years came across entire councils who are so off base it is not even funny. There are Scout Execs. That have an "L" and a "R" On their socks, and they have yet to work out that it doesn't matter which foot, they stick in which sock. Sad to say these poor misguided souls are the people training the new DE's. Yes I know that it is us volunteers who gave them the job in the first place. I also am painfully aware that we have a lot of volunteers that only see "The Council" and the "Professionals." as some money grabbing, popcorn selling entity. There may at times be the odd Nitwit that comes into the Forum. I have opted to take plenty of no notice. In fact when I get a notification and see that it about a posting from whoever I deem to be a nitwit, I just delete it. But Dave Dear Lad, I know that we both know, at the end of it all. These nits, get bored and move on. Sad thing is that sometimes it takes a while. Just like I have unit leaders in my district, that at times I feel God only put them on earth to test me. I can wait them out. When you get back, we need to talk. Eamonn

Thank you for the update. Well Done. I'm really happy that both boys are still in the Troop. Great job.

I would first like to say how much I enjoy the forum and thank you for the service that you provide. I know that I have learnt a lot of stuff, and at times it has given me food for thought. I do think that it is sad that we have to be reminded on how to act. With this in mind, I would like to start fresh and offer my apologies to anyone that I may have upset. My old school motto was "Manners Maketh Man." I also had a great friend who would, when she seen me getting upset tell me to "Take plenty of no notice." Hard as it may be there are some postings that are so off the wall. That the best thing to do is just that - Take plenty of no notice. Again Thanks for all you are doing.

I think whoever trains the staff at PTC. Does an outstanding job. While the food is not as good as mum makes, I didn't go without. Both Son and wife ate well. Salad Bar was real nice.

Many thanks for all your ideas. Man Of Steele, I will be calling!! Bob White,I like the idea of the Activity. What I was looking for was, was the best time of year. We are trying Sept. When might be a better time for the District to get involved. Yes the one on one is the best way. - No Question. But as a district we just want to help and support the Troops. They can of course tell us to stick it in our ear!! While recruiting ought to be year round, we as a district are not that active in it. Yes sure we can send in the Membership Committee if there is a problem and we are asked. But this is a one time deal. (Don't Know how this came in twice.)(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Many thanks for all your ideas. Man Of Steele, I will be calling!! Bob White,I like the idea of the Activity. What I was looking for was, was the best time of year. We are trying Sept. When might be a better time for the District to get involved. Yes the one on one is the best way. - No Question. But as a district we just want to help and support the Troops. They can of course tell us to stick it in our ear!! While recruiting ought to be year round, we as a district are not that active in it. Yes sure we can send in the Membership Committee if there is a problem and we are asked. But this is a one time deal.

While Mr Bob White and I do not at times see eye to eye. I have said that He WOULD be a welcome addition to the District Committee, on which I serve. Sad to say Bob, that I think that you are not right about this one. If you stop posting. Not only will I lose out on your opinions which I do value. It also means that I miss out on disagreeing with you. While I don't wish to be rude about Mr Fat Old Guy. I would think that most of the people who read and post in this forum can see what is right and what is wrong. As everyone knows, there have been times when I have been wrong. Not so long ago I got on my high horse about something and was in the wrong. Then I remember that our Man Of Steele, got upset when I called DE's "Nitwits" !!! When I stick my foot in my mouth. I do try to put it right. We have a lot of really outstanding people in this forum. I really do think that 99.9% are it this for the good of our youth. Please count yourself in this number. We have both been in this organization to know that there will always be a few who just don't get "It." I would also hope that I'm not the only one who can see that at times you do have your tongue in your cheek. You will of course do as you see fit. But I for one would hope that you reconsiser. Please don't let the 0.01% hold the winning hand. Eamonn

I have a bunch of fellows that were Scouts for the last Jambo. Some are going to be over 18, while others have moved on to the Venture Crew. I have suggested going on staff, and some are thinking it over. One slight problem is transportaion. We also have an Area President who is in charge of one of the Action Areas. So he is bagging anyone who is even thinking of going.

While not wanting to come off as a smart alec. Mr Fat Old Guy: Check your history. Seaton was not the one lost in the fog. It was Boyce.(William D. Boyce)

Things seem to be all set and we as a district are about ready to go with our School Sign Up For Scouting Night. As in the past we will have an ice cream social to go over all everything that needs to be gone over. Then in September we will go out to the Elementary Schools, and sign up a few hundred Cub Scouts. This works well. The Cub Scouters are behind this 100%. This year we are going to try and do the same thing with the Troops and recruiting Boy Scouts. This has been agreed and past by the District Committee. The hope is that we will be able to use the media coverage and dumb as it may sound we are doing it anyway, so why not do both, at the same time. National has some new neat stuff, which our Field Director was unable to get. But who needs him. While, I admit this was my idea. I do think that it has some draw backs. Mainly the time frame. It does seem that boys of Scout age are very busy at this time. What with sports and band and just a lot of stuff, going on. We do have a lot of material, in the way of handouts. The Schools are open to help us as much as they can. The Council has planned a media blitz, with billboards, newspaper ads. and TV ad. When do you thihk is the best month to do a full scale Boy Scouting recruiting campaign? Or is the such a time?(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Do we have the appropriate Headgear?

When no "Real Flag" was to be found, I have used the moon. Telling the Scouts, that there is still a Flag up there, left by an Eagle Scout. Neil Armstrong.

Have to admit that I have never had to deal with anything like this. However a friend of mine who was working at summer camp as a commissioner, was surprised to find that a boy from the Troop in which he serves as an ASM,had done much the same thing. Only in their case the boy with the knife was upset. The Troop committee met and suspended the boy. They asked the parent to send the boy for professional counseling and would not allow him to return till the counselor send them a letter, giving the Lad a green light. This seemed to keep everyone happy. The boy with the knife, is still in the program and I last seen him working on Staff at summer camp. The other Lad is also in the program and still in the same troop.

If we go by the book: Female Leaders: Headgear is an option. Leaders wear the same visored cap as the youth they serve. The campaign hat may be worn at troop option by Boy Scout leaders. Male Leaders: Boy Scout leaders wear the olive and red visor cap, or the campaign hat.... Just as the blue Webelos cap, is not uniform for a Boy Scout Leader. The campaign hat is not uniform for a Cub Scouter. When you wear your gray? (Silver) Loops. I would think that you might wear the cap that fits, the program area that you serve. If you are a unit commissioner for a pack, wear a Cub Scout cap. Boy Scout cap or the campaign hat if you are working with Boy Scouts. If you are not doing anything with just one program area (Member of the key 3, or in a Council position, that is not area specific) wear the headgear that you think best suits the job that you are doing at the time. What the heck, most of us are wearing too many hats anyway. I try not to wear any,- I dislike hats, caps and hoods. Could have something to do with my silver (gray?)locks.

Hey FOG You might want to take another look.

Your best bet would be to contact your Council Person in charge of Day Camp. They could contact the Region. Please don't quote me, but if things are as they were. There is one course at Camp Alpine.N.J. I think in the winter, I'm not sure if it is in November or in February. Then there is one at Heritage Reservation,PA. in the spring. I will try and get the date- If they have one.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

As a Scout and a leader in the UK,I never saw a dining hall,till I came over here. In fact I got in a lot of hot water over it. As I say back in the UK,our summer camps were planned by the PLC. The Patrol Leaders would if possible visit the camp site over the Easter vacation. Then come the time we would load up the vans and camp as patrols for two weeks. The Patrols did all the cooking. Leaders also cooked for themselves. So you can imagine what I thought when I came over here, to a camp where the Scouts arrived to tents that were already up and ate in a dining hall. I suppose if I hadn't been so young (I was 21 at the time.) I could have worked out that the fact that I was there, might have been an indication that things were not the same. After working for ten weeks and at that time I didn't receive any pay, instead the BSA laid on a tour of the east coast. It was really good, a bus full of young Scouters from all over the world. Everything was fine till we got to Philadelpia. There the then Mayor. I think it was Mayor Zissa had a big ceremony, presenting us all with a splinter of wood from one of the beams from Independence Hall.(I still have mine.) A member of the press asked me what I thought about American Scouting? Being young, and even more of an idiot then I am now, I said that I thought that they were a bunch of sissies!!! This hit the news wires, and I received letters from all over the U.S.A. The International Department of the English Scouts, were not amused. When I came over here to live and got involved in Scouting (Yes they let me!!) I, for a long time, thought that maybe this is the way it ought to be. After all this organized camp full of activities and professionals does offer so much more. As for the lack of Patrol Cooking, I thought it was really good as it gave the Scouts more time to work on Merit Badges. How wrong I was. Summer camp should be the time, when Patrols really get to come together,a time when they really gel. (Think back to the old Boy Scout Wood Badge course.) Patrol Cooking played a big part in this. What we have now is a group of individuals, all rushing from Merit Badge class, to Merit Badge Class. Worse, we have a lot of Leaders who gauge the success of the camp, by the number of Merit Badges earned. Camps are bending over backwards to offer Merit Badges, that if we were to be very honest have nothing to do with being outdoors and being at camp. Sad to say, the Council in which I serve does nothing to promote the Patrol Method. Even the way the tents are put up, does nothing to help. I can't remember the last troop that came in and was "Self Catering". Hopefully with the advancement of years, I have become a little wiser. I know that there are a lot of well run troops, and the Scouts in the U.S.A. are second to none. I would never use the word sissy again. I think the Scouts that go to camp and make use of the pools and the Lakes, along with the "Outdoor Stuff" are playing the game. But sitting under a tarp, doing Family Life Merit Badge? Maybe I have not visited enough Council Camps, but I would love to see patrols building pioneering projects, just for the heck of it.How many of our camps have the equipment? Please don't tell me that it is offered as a Merit Badge - I said Patrols. (This message has been edited by Eamonn)

I have read most of what has been said,and have a few observations. First we have to get the powers that be to do something about this name thing, - It drives me nuts. I love what Bob White has to say about the patrol method. Been there, done that, - It Works! However, keeping the interest of the older Scouts, is an age old problem, or maybe it is an old age problem? Being as a Scout can also be a member of the Crew as well as a member of the Troop, why do we need to have a Venture Patrol, within the Troop? I'm not sold on the Gas,Gals and stinky stuff hypothesis. I do firmly believe that if we allow the Scouts to follow a challenging program, with them at the wheel and us old folks in the back seat. They will stay in the program. Be this a crew or Venture Patrol In order to make this work, they must learn the skills that they need when they start out. While I would never do anything to hold a Scout back. I do get a little upset when I have to teach an Eagle Scout how to tie a square knot. How can these Scouts move onto, the bigger, better and more challenging activities, when they have not grasped the basics. While I'm on my high horse. We have one Troop in my District, that has an Eagle Patrol - Yes all the members are Eagle Scouts. I have visited the Troop meeting, and there they are. Not doing anything just standing around talking to each other. I am aware that a Crew can opt to follow their own area of interest. I would think that most crews that "Come Out" of a troop would follow the High Adventure area. Then there is the Leadership. While there are a few leaders out there that have the skills to provide the necessary leadership for a high adventure program, there are a lot of leaders who don't have these skills. Their skill level is taking the troop to summer camp.They couldn't cross the lake at camp in a canoe,I sure as heck don't want them taking my son down the Orinoco with a long pole!! Many are great leaders, who the boys admire and turn to.- This just isn't their thing.

Some time back, I spend a week end with a Greek Orthodox priest, who is also a Scout Leader. A real nice fellow. He told me the following joke. The Pope was in the Vatican, when the gold phone rang. The Gold phone is the direct line to the Big Boss. The Pope answered the phone,after the normal small talk. God, said to the Pope, "I have some good news and some bad news for you." The Pope, asked for the good news first. "Well JP, I have been looking down at you all and I think that there are just too many religions.I think that the time has come for us juat to have one." The Pope was overjoyed, and said "Thank you Lord, you don't know how happy this has made me, it is something that I have wanted to see all my life. But Lord, what is the bad news? " There was a slight pause and God answered "I'm calling from Salt Lake City"(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Went to visit my son at camp this week. He is up there with his troop. They have 38 Scouts and I have no idea how many leaders. All the boys seemed happy, and well fed. It was parents night. In his troop this has become a giant covered dish picnic, with parents, grand parents, all the kin coming up for the fun. The camp has an Anything That Floats Race, at the lake. I'm not up on all the rules, but they have lots of people from staff on and around the lake. Everything looked good to me. The Scouts all had fun. Even if some of the "Boats" failed to float. There were six troops from my district up at camp, so looked in with them, just to day Hi, and share whatever was going. ( Yes I just love cake and cookies) Also met a lot of boys and leaders from all over the council. We spent some time talking about nothing. I did get two invites to graduation parties. Had a very quick meeting with the Q.M for Wood Badge, to go over menus. Went to the parade ground for colors and then watched the O.A. Call out. Real neat, with flaming arrows across the lake, Indians crossing the lake in canoes. Spent some time with the area president and tried to put all the wrongs in the Veuture program right, but it will take more the ten minutes!! Presented one of the ASM's from my son's troop with his Wood Badge. Think I have two more participants for the course. And went home. While I know that I ate more then I ought to have. I went home feeling really happy, Here in one night I had seen Scouting at its best. All the meetings, and all the money were being put to good use. The Cub Scout program had worked, a lot in fact most of the Scouts at camp were wearing the Arrow Of Light. The Adults were doing what they needed to do, maybe the training that they had taken was helping them do their job. I had spent time with a bunch of people who I really care about. But most of all the Scouts were having fun. This has to be Scouting at its best.

Hope you have a great week. (No Sneeking off to Nemocolin Woodlands - Even if the food is a little better there, Ok, maybe more then a little !!! Try the Elk it is outstanding.)

Please don't get stressed out about your Ticket. You will have lots of help. Take a look at your precourse assignment (The 20 questions) While some people who attend have very fixed ideas about what there Ticket will be, before they get to the course. They find that once there it has a way of changing. I have never heard of anyone who left a course without a Ticket. If when you get back to the real world, having left the Happy Land, you find you have a Ticket item that isn't going to pan out. You can have it changed. Bottom line is that it is your Ticket, your contract with you. You write it, you work it. All the staff are there to help you and your Troop Guide, has had a lot of training in order to be there for you. While a little hard to explain, everything kind of falls into place. Don't try and write your Ticket before you get there. My hope would be as you work your way through the course, that you will use the tools that you get from the course, to make your Ticket an enjoyable extension of putting these tools to work in the area in which you serve.

IMOHO. We are here to serve the youth. (The Youth in a crew, are crew members, till the age of 21.) While a Chartered Organization,does have the "Last word" In most cases. And I respect that your chartered organization has made it clear what their view is, and what they want done. However,just as we would welcome back to any unit a youth who had made a mistake or fallen in with the wrong crowd. As long as they were willing to stop making the mistake, or stop doing whatever it is that is wrong. I would think, that we would welcome this young person back. Scouting is not just for good kids, and just joining the program does not automatically make that person better. As adults we are there to help fulfill the mission of the BSA. Looking over some of the things that BP,wrote I think that he was aware of this.

Happy Birthday to all my American Friends. While still happy to be what I am? This is the best place in the world to raise a son. Even if he does talk funny. While you broke away from us Brits, we have over the years done a real good job of working together as a team. I will be saying more then a few prayers for the safe return home of all "Our" Troops. And on the 4th will even eat what you pass for cheese on my burger. Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.

A Hundred Dollars, had gone amiss. The Scout Exec. Said "Steele you deal with this" Our Man Of Seele was drinking java. It would take more then this to make him lather. Oh yes, the Exec did pass the buck. But Steele would crack the case with luck. He went to work with upmost haste, working hard to break the case. "It's FOS" He was heard to say, we need the cash I want it back. "I don't wanted wasted at some track" He tossed and turned and didn't sleep. Our man of Steele, would catch the creep. He called the Police and the FBI. And gave his boss the evil eye. Our man of Steele would break this case. Our man of Steele he'd give chase. The Police reported no sign of sinning. Our man Of Steele,just wasn't winning. However thing's were not so bad. In fact no reason to be sad Our victim, was not forlorn, He was busy munching - Popcorn. (Sorry Dave- It was too easy!!) Eamonn(This message has been edited by Eamonn)