Eamonn

I have one that I don't use very much or all that often. It's down with my training equipment, I can't remember the brand. I'll check and post it later. The cost of these has come down a lot. I bought two one for me and one I donated to the Council when I was un-happy about how the SE was mismanaging the funds. They were about $1200.00 each. I've used mine for WB and all the staff development weekends, other Scout Training's and the Trainings I do for work and work I do for Hostage Negotiations. So far I've never had to buy a new bulb. Have seen them in stores like Best Buy for a

This is truly a shame. A shame for the kid and a shame for the BSA. I seen this on line yesterday. There were over 2000 comments. While I didn't read all of them. For the most part the people commenting were in support of the Lad, not the BSA. I don't know the Lad, so maybe it's wrong of me to talk about him. I'm not sure what the litmus test is for being gay? Many young boys as they go through puberty experiment with other boys. This doesn't make them homosexual. While I'm sure that by the time I was 17 I kinda sorta knew that I was more interested in girls than boys. Still a

I always used to bring my small radio. Normally tuned into the BBC World Service. Late at night they have a bedtime story. A lot of the Scouts would hang out with me around the dying embers of the camp fire and listen to the stories. Kind of a nice way to end the day. Ea.

Thanks for some very good thoughts and ideas. Having served as a Council Training Chair, I know first hand about the problem of finding people who are good at presenting training material. Trying to bring new people on board so it doesn't become an old codgers group sometimes makes this really hard. I've experienced having people that I thought would do a good job, fail big time and leave me feeling that we have failed the participants big time. The local council could hire professional contract instructors to teach a set BSA syllabus, with the cost divided among the participants"

"Outdoor Skills training for adults that can be passed on to our youth could start the revitalization" I like this a lot! Ea.

This idea of a Brand? Is kinda new for me. Up until a couple of years back when the CSE used the term in a speech, I'd never heard it or thought about it. Some years back I was tasked with asking some very wealthy people to donate very large sums of money. One problem that I ran into was that I took it for granted that everyone knew what the BSA did and was all about. This just wasn't so. A good many of the people I met with really had no idea. They kinda sorta knew about Scouts doing good turns and that they went camping. Other than that they knew nothing. I tend to think that befor

While I admit to having not looked at the latest membership numbers. I tend to think that we are not doing as well as we once did. Trends are strange things and maybe what's happening in the area where I live? Isn't the same as what's happening in the area where you live. Here where I live the truth is that Scouting is on the way out. Units are failing and closing, Districts are being merged because there aren't enough units that merit there being a District. A council that counted members in thousands will in the not so distant future be counting members in the hundreds. Seems to me

Back in 2005 a parent of a Scout who was in the Jambo Troop I was SM of cornered me, she went on and on about how happy she was that the BSA was taking a stand and not bowing to public opinion. While I didn't know the family that well, but because the son was in the same Troop as my kid, I knew of them. They were deeply religious and when I talked with the Lad, he knew at 15 years old that he wanted to be a preacher. As a rule when I don't know someone that well and they start giving me their opinion, I just allow them to run with it and act more or less like a sounding board. The chur

I'm not on Face Book. I admit that I don't understand much about it. One of my main reasons for not being a member or whatever people who are on are called? Is that I fear that an inmate might be able to find me and send his pals around for a visit. Were that to happen? I think that it wouldn't be for tea and crumpets. Both my son and HWMBO are members. HWMBO mainly plays games, but joined because my sister in the UK said it was a good way to see photos of the grandkids. My son posts just about any and everything. About a year back, him and his then girl friend split. I didn't se

I spent a lot of time volunteering as a member of the District Committee and as a Council volunteer. The time spent as District Training Chair and later as Council Training Chair, were for me the most enjoyable. I really enjoy working with new leaders and at that time had a great group of people who worked well together and went out of their way to get the job done. I tried to ensure that we recruited and brought in new faces and used these new faces in meaningful and worthwhile positions. Training's are fun and the groups I worked with went to great lengths to ensure that everyone felt

While I have to admit that maybe if a letter arrived asking me to join a club /association and all that was needed was a couple of hundred dollars that I thought was going to benefit our end users. I would more than lightly write the check and hope that would all I have to do. I enjoy the company of other Scouter's and have spend way too much time sitting around telling war stories and teasing the guys that I have worked with. I don't enjoy meetings that drag me out of my nice warm comfortable home and waste my time. There are people involved in Scouting who because they are involved in

packsaddle Seems to me that for the longest time, I was the only Forum Member who dared to admit that he was left of center. Have to admit to finding a lot of pleasure in the pain that your feeling. (No! I take that back. You know I wish you nothing but very best.) Your man Romney reminds me of what used to be my idea of an insurance salesman then of course I hear that cute little chap who sounds a lot like me. There's a lot to be said for being cute. Maybe Romney needs to try working with the Muppet's? But after upsetting everyone in the UK, He'd better not try anything with a cute

Intel has never been a company that I've spent a lot of time thinking about. I kinda know what they do but unlike a brand of cereal or ketchup when I go to the store I have never put having Intel installed as a make or break point of me buying something or not. Some years back Sony bought a big plant in our area after VW moved out. They were lured in with the promise of reduced taxes and other promises. It seems that once all the advantages run out Sony went as well. Sony had grants available but the paper work and hoops that had to be jumped through made it that it next to imposabl

packsaddle While I really don't want your man Romney to win.(And I don't think that he will.) I think one reason your fellow Republicans didn't step up to the plate and left you hanging in the wind was /is that the Romney campaign has not done such a great job of telling people who he really is. Maybe I'm wrong but I also think most people know that he is a very wealthy man. He served as Governor. (From what I've read he was very middle of the road.) If you believe the negative ads that bash him? He made some very tough business decisions that resulted in the closing of several compani

"What about the local convicted child molester, murderer, or other convicted felon? They have kids, do we allow them because they may be a parent?" I don't care if a convicted child molester is the local child molester or not! I kinda, sorta think that you know that going this far doesn't make sense and does little to promote the side of the argument. Of course we all want the kids we serve to be safe and free from harm. I work with a fair number of convicted child molesters (Some local some not.) Nearly all but I'd be wrong to try and say all that I've had dealings with tend to be m

I'm very much with NJCubScouter. Maybe it's just a little bit too easy for me to adopt the idea that I'm OK and this doesn't effect me, attitude? While the BSA is a private organization and does have every right under the law to say who can and who can't be leaders in the organization. At the end of the day discrimination is just that discrimination. I happen to think that this just isn't right. I'm not gay and can't say what I'd do if I were. But if the BSA were to say that Roman Catholics were not allowed to serve as leaders. I'm sure that my kid would never have been a S

"Are we as adults making good on the implied promises of outdoor adventure and fun associated with Scouting?" I wish that I could say that I was sure that we are and this is happening. I'm happy that in a lot of units this is the case and the kids are receiving end of everything that Scouting has to offer. All to often as I read what has been posted here in this Forum I can't help but think that we the adults are making something that really ought not be that hard or that difficult into something that's more complicated than it need be. Some people seem to want to point the finger and

Many if not most of my co-workers are die hard Republicans. A tour of the parking lot at work results in more NRA bumper stickers than anything else. I live out in the sticks and my property has a very long frontage. I get very annoyed when the local elections come around with people who think that it's OK to place signs on my property without my permission. As a rule I take them down and pile them in a neat pile. What annoys me more is that very few bother to pick them up after the election. Yet another peeve that I can add to my ever growing pet peeve list! I don't do any so

I have been around for a little while. During this time I have crossed swords with a few Forum Members. Looking back there were times where even today I in my heart of hearts know I was right and there are times when I was way off the mark and I'm not proud of myself for that! As a moderator there have been a time or two when I've over stepped things and been a real prig. Again I'm not proud of that. Over the years in the Forum there has been some on going clashes. Two people who no matter what would never in a million years admit that the other was right. At times these were fun

Great stuff! It would be great if the BSA were to go co-ed. Eamonn.

Wood Badge can be different things for different people. Kinda like Eagle Scout rank? People attend for different reasons and get different things from the course. I have over the years been the Ticket Counselor for a fair number of people. Back in the day it used to be that the Scoutmaster approved the tickets, this changed with the 21st Century course now the Guide is there and will hopefully help the participant work on coming up with the list of worth while goals. Rightly or wrongly?? I have tried to where possible help participants come up with goals that will stretch them a lit

I was a very young Lad in the UK when the Advanced Party Report came along and changed everything! The area that seems to have seen the most changes is adult training's both in how it is delivered and content. What always strikes me as odd is our Council summer camp. It seems to have remained very much the same since I first worked there back in 1977. The big change there is that it's not opened for as many weeks and there are less Scouts enjoying the programs. Ea.

Hi and welcome. I kinda think that some of the forum members are not going to be happy with the idea that members of the PLC are appointed and not elected. I think that it's great that you are still helping with the Troop. I do have a couple of questions. What size Troop are we talking about? How old are you? Ea.

Where I lived in London I was able to be at professional Soccer game in less than 15 minutes. Back then nearly all the games were played on Saturday afternoons. Fulham and Chelsea played at home on opposite weekends. I never really bothered with Queens Park Rangers. While I was never what might be termed a die hard fan. I suppose I followed Chelsea more than Fulham. Still if I was free on a Saturday afternoon and Fulham was at home I'd go and watch a game. The nice thing about Fulham was that at half time I could turn around and watch our inter pack district soccer games. The little guys pla

I seen this thread yesterday then noticed that HWMBO's Face Book page was open. On the page was a picture of a good looking Golden Retriever. I'm a real softy when it comes to Goldie's! The caption read: I want to become as good a person as my dog thinks I already am. Many if not not most of the kids we deal with in Scouting come from families where they have some sort of a frame work. They have values and have had the example that their parents have set, followed the rules that their parents have in place. Without wishing to start any sort of a argument, maybe the most we as Scou