Engineer61

"You know with St pat's day coming up I sure am glad the Irish don't go around whining about every one wearing green and dancing a jig." That depends on where you go...now doesn't it? Try your fake Irish accent in a pub in Dublin or Belfast while wearing a shirt with the Union Jack, and "ye might get ye arse handed to 'ya". T'wouldn't that be a sight? Native Americans vs. the Europeons was the first of many Race Wars in the New World.(This message has been edited by Engineer61)

Neither of the female adults (CC and AC) wear any form on the uniform. So it's a non-issue for our troop.

God created the universe. Evolution is part of the universe. Ergo, God created Evolution. (This message has been edited by Engineer61)

Routine Maintenance is any recurring, preventative or on-going maintenance to delay or prevent a failure of a system. Examples: Filter changes. Lubrication replacement. Sealants (Paint, Caulk, Water Sealers) Repair or replacement of minor components designed to have a limited life. (Brake pads, motor brushes, bearings, bushings.) Replacing roof rafters or decking is not routine maintenance, whereas replacing a worn-out roof is.

I figured it out .... The answer is ... NETFLIX!

"All non-LDS scoutmasters drink coffee." But so do the LDS scoutmasters, when there are no other LDS members around.

There are 11 listed here... many are not what I'd call hospitable in the summer months. Our troop uses only one.

I dunno "what you do about it." I realize that the uniform is one of the pillars of Scouting ... but does Scouting somehow completely fail if one ASM is uncomfortable with wearing the uniform for whatever reason. Supposedly the AC is to be uniformed as well. Our previous AC did it...my wife won't ... under any circumstances ... that was a condition for her taking over the position. I suppose if you really want to be hard nosed about it, you can ask the ASM to get fully uniformed or leave ... but that might be a "forest for the trees" moment, and you'd lose what sounds like a de

"Designing it into the process penalizes all scouts and teaches a multitude of poor lessons both for the scouts and the adult leaders." I don't think it's "designed into the process" at all ... you can't have a BoR at the drop of a hat...if you don't have the people there to do it. But I'll challenge the notion ... name those "multitude of poor lessons". There are barriers in everyday life in everything we do. I'd like to see those taught early, rather than have the rest of society do it for the kids.

Here is Arizona, we use Agua Fria Freddie ... if he sees is shadow, spring starts immediately, otherwise spring starts in 6 weeks. It was sunny today...

Personally, my experience is that most of these terms are expressed by management in an effort to either intimidate those inside the organization or impress those outside of it. Another of my favorites has always been "Going Forward". Like what, we're going to go back in time...did we invent the Flux Capacitor? And yes, I've heard Boil the Ocean to mean to waste time. For hopelessly large tasks, we've used "Raise the Titanic". For hopelessly long tasks, "Find Jimmy Hoffa". I composed a little memo... From: The Big Boss To: The Mindless Minions In an effort to

So, a quick glance at the Google Calendar shows that the Troop does BOR's once a month, usually the third Monday of the month. I know the board consists of the AC, but I don't know who else. Seems like a reasonable setup. "I don't think it is necessary for all the adults in a troop to drop everything and do a BOR right now just because some scout or parent demands it. " I, in fact think it imperative this not be the case... it's a bad lesson to teach that the world revolves around an individual. Most of our politicians have that view.(This message has been edited by Enginee

A tiger team is a group of experts assigned to investigate and/or solve technical or systemic problems. -Wikipedia.org

I have no doubt that instant recognition is a great motivator, most forms of "instant" anything are. Even "instant" death is preferable to a long drawn out affair...don't you agree? I'm just saying it sets unrealistic expectations for the future of the boys ... in any case, our Troop doesn't follow it ... saving much wear and tear on my minivan. From my other thread, perhaps we need a Tiger Team to do a Deep Dive to see which of these methods falls as a Best Practice and which is just Boiling the Ocean.

Ok... so it's been years since I did anything with white gas, but I know that some forms of alcohol burn invisibly. If I recall my chemistry, the less water in the mix, the less visible. How does spilled white gas burn? I assume we're talking about Coleman fuel which is actually naphtha, and not white gasoline. An invisible flame at a campsite sounds a little foolhardy. Probably just me though...

I about fell out of my chair reading this... http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-annoying--pretentious-and-useless-business-jargon.html?mod=pf-series-a-article

The term "entitlement" takes on a lot of different meanings... ... equal treatment ... regardless of achievement (Everyone's a winner.) ... unequal treatment ... based upon status or position in society. (Rich people are entitled to tax breaks, because the rules change for them.) You'll probably find that the term entitlement technically dates back to early monarchies, where those with "Titles" were allowed certain benefits under the law. Regardless, I don't agree with "instant recognition" because if for nothing else, it raises and expectation for future life....which is

Hey BuffaloSkipper, ya probably want to stop holding back on your comments...it's really not good for you to keep all that in. I've been thinking about this whole "instant recognition" thing. I don't have anything "instant" in my life...not even my coffee. Most of the time, my hard work and dedication in anything I do is *never* recognized by anyone...not work, not coaching, not parenting, not volunteering. But if you screw up...you will get that instantly, won't you? That's the real world. I kinda read "instant recognition" as "sense of entitlement". But tha

I know there are two shops in town...don't know if they are "National" or not. Momof2cubs : at the Scout level, the AC pretty much has the keys to the safe...she does it all...at least in this troop. The Scouts give her the paperwork and she verifies and enters it. SN: "When you call, don't just ask "how many". Ask if they can hold the specific number of badges that you need on the side for Mrs Engineer from Troop 1234 for the next two hours until you can get there. " That's not the problem...the inventory usually doesn't match what the computer says...how that happens...I don't

Kids leaving early (or arriving late, or last second cancellations, or no shows) ... happens to me when I'm coaching baseball all the time. Ya just get used to it. For some, the activity is a recreation of convenience, or baby sitting...nothing more.

Hmmm...I don't know if I'm getting old, or getting to far down the techie side... Personally, every time the phone rings, I do a mental "Oh, what NOW?!?" For me, the phone ringing *is* an interruption. With e-mail and text messages, I "get there when I get there". Most of the time, I don't even hear my phone chime for an incoming text message...plus, both of these are on communication on my terms...I can read it right then, but I don't have to reply to it then. Around the house, I don't even have my cell phone handy...drives my wife nuts.

While reinventing the flow might be a nice thing to do...not sure I'd try it with this crowd. We've tried the "call the Scoutshop" routine several times...they'll look up on the computer...say, "Yeah we have 10 of those ..." you get there the next hour and they are out. The wife does enter stuff as it is turned in...and produces the necessary reports....blah blah blah... The problem is that everyone seems to hold on to the blue cards and other details until the CoH is around the corner...and she ends up scrambling....that's when the EQ's show up. I've told her to drop and anchor with

I expect that while rank changes are "in the system" on the BoR dates. Actual rank "awards" for rank and MB's are given out only at the CoH's. This keeps the number of trips to the Scoutshop down to a minimum...my wife's other job. A lot of times, the local Scoutshop will only stock the fringe badges one the need is shown in the system. I actually don't know who the CC is...she's never mentioned him/her/they. If the SPL is "capable", he gives them the awards at the CoH. But is usually requires the SM to do the speaking. The flag ceremony usually infuriates me...since

I'm guessing about 65-70. Suburban pack...

So, another FoH has nearly come and gone. After tonight's CoH, I'll get my wife back for a couple of months before the next FoH and Summer Camp scheduling begins. Never ceases to amaze me the number of pushy parents and snotty emails she has to put up with during the MBR. One emailed her last night, an irate EQ, complaining the her son was not going to be able to apply to work as Summer Camp staff because some MB wasn't going to go through this round... Why? Because the boy was too busy with other stuff to go to the BoR and he scheduled three times ... wanted to know if they co