epalmer84

GIF and JPG images scale rather badly. Can you use .SVG format? I should be able to convert most any logo. Ed

I appreciate the effort, but I find the single page PDF approach to be rather tedious. Ed

There are some interesting knots in the current issue of Scouting. I told the SM last night that I would like to teach an advanced knot classhe and the TCC were both interested in learning. Now I gotta go learn some knots. Wonder where my blue and red practice ropes went to? Ed

>in our gang, we dig a trench along the edges of the tent so in case of heavy rains, water will be directed away from the tent and if possible downhill. We call it "ditching". I last did this in Cub Scouts in 1969. As part of our Leave No Trace program, the BSA does not ditch tents. Even before LNT, the BSA discouraged this practice. Ed

>That bit of information explains a lot about what''''s happening in this new troop, given that almost everyone (leaders, adults, boys) moved up from a Den they''''ve been in together for 3+ years. Apparently, old habits die slowly, even when the SM has a Wood Badge! I''m afraid that those types of troops are often referred to as "Webelos III" troops. You do seem to have gained a lot of information from what seems like a tortuous session. Ed

Spoof is a term for non-official patches. Patrols can create their own emblems, so spoof doesn''t really apply here. Most spoofs are just for fun. For example, some vendors make sppofs of the Trained emblem: Overtrained, Potty Trained, Untrainable, Agitator and the like. There are some sources for square knot insignia that changes the khaki background to green, black or white to match the Venturing and Sea Scouting uniforms. Ed

I have the COPE manual at home- I will try to find it and see what it says. When I was a youth in the mid-80s, we built a tower for Pioneering merit badge during summer camp. The Scouts were climbing all over it and someone started kicking off chunks of bark. Some of this ended up in one Scout''s eye and did some damage. Ed

Kandersteg is a grand place. When I was in Transatlantic Council we went there for Klondike derbies and OA fellowships. I did my Ordeal there (about 12 years after my first tap out). There is a big difference between January and April- the streets are about 12 inches lower. Ed

According to http://www.girlscoutstotem.org/news/News_pdfs/HistoryofGS.pdf Edith Wilson was the first honorary president of the Girl Scouts in 1917. Lou Henry Hoover was probably the first lady who supported the Girl Scouts the most. She was the president of the Girl Scouts from 1922 to 1925, chairman of the National Board of Directors from 1925 to 1928, honorary president from 1929 to 1933 and president again from 1935 to 1937. Ed

A bit of history here... In 1989 the Leadership Corps was dropped; Venture crew and Varsity team programs within the troop were introduced for older boys. Varsity Scouting was moved to its own membership group within the Boy Scouting division in 1996. Venture crews were renamed to Venture patrols in 1998 with the introduction of Venturing. More info at: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/8826/venture.html The Varsity Scout program is not officially used within the troop; Boy Scouts in a troop cannot earn Varsity Scout awards such as the Varsity letter or the Denali Awar

I think part of this comes from the media. We see so many things that seem to go against commons sense that we start to question our own innate common sense. Ed

I though this was going to be something like the turducken... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken

The wife an I are both voracious readers. This weekend we watched the classic Twilight zone episode "Time Enough at Last"- she had never seen it before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Enough_at_Last Ed

That is a good point. Our previous Scoutmaster used to do the Arrow of Light- he was on the OA dance team and had all the costumes for himself and the Scouts. I don't think we have done that since he retired. Ed

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred. Love them anyway. If you do good they'll accuse you of having a hidden agenda. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. What you have spent years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. Give the world your best and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world your best anyway. -- Abel Muzorewa

While you were gone . . . * 1988- The Scoutmaster position was opened to women * 1989- The OA was opened to women * 1998- The OA adopted the new arrowhead logo and redefined itself as Scoutings National Honor Society The OA is part of the Boy scouting program; elections are open only to troops and teams; girls are not in the OA http://www.main.oa-bsa.org/qanda/qa-33.htm'>http://www.main.oa-bsa.org/qanda/qa-33.htm These are just a handful of changes over the last two decades. You might want to check out the OA website: http://www.main.oa-bsa.org/ Ed

As a Scout, I was skinny as a rail (how different now). I could not float until until a YMCA instructor taught me. I learned to float on my back and my front (drownproofing). As noted, a big part of the problem is the fear of going under while floating. LongHaul is exactly correct. Teach them in shallow water. The trick is to use the chest as a fulcrum, counterbalancing with the feet and the arms. Simply extend the arms full back and arch the back, pushing the chest up. I have had many new Scouts who could swim well but could not float. I have had every one pass properly after thi

Probably over a hundred, mostly F&SF. I re-read Asimov's Greater Foundation series (15 novels) during summer camp, in the revised order. I've also picked up quite a bit of Scouting history this year- West, Boyce, Seton, Beard, etc. I picked up all but the second edition Scout Handbooks and have skimmed through all of them. Ed

Do you still use the big black tents (I think there were called "kohte")? I remember camping with the Sankt Georg troop. Everyone slept in one big tent- boys, girls and leaders. I think they even cooked in that tent. Ed

Hah... I just got the title of this topic....

Forgot: * Cole slaw- with a proper mayo style dressing (not the vinegar mess) and celery seed (and NO carrots) >Ed, Do you normally eat this all at one sitting or could you consume this meal over the course of a month or two? Ken I follow the rule of not eating anything larger then my head. Anymore. Ed

Gruss Gott! I lived in Neu-Ulm for six years. I was the Scoutmaster of a BSA troop and we did a number of activities with the local St George troop. Ed

Here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia: * Virginia country-cured ham (different from sugar-cured) * Virginia peanuts, esp. Virginia Diner brand * Biscuits and sausage gravy with chow-chow * Tenderloin and gravy * Red-eye gravy and grits * Country fried steak with white gravy * Turkey with dressing (we don't stuff) * Deep-fried turkey * Fried chicken * Green beans with chopped onion * Black eyed peas * Oyster stew with crackers (the oyster shell is the state shell) * Brunswick stew, made in a cast-iron kettle by churches in the fall and sold by the jar; from Brun

We have several Scouts with P&P. The Moose Lodge in Covington, VA has an annual merit badge weekend in the spring, and they offer some unusual ones like Railroading and Pulp and Paper- they are located near a railroad center and near Westvaco, Ed

G'day, mate! I spent some time with a bunch of Aussie soldiers in Germany many years ago. I think they caused me to loose a few grey cells. >Venture Scouts - Venturer; but this is a separate part of BSA. It has girls and the age range is the same as ours. But a Venture Crew (not unit I think) is not linked to a Scout Troop. Venture Scouts do adventurous activities. So do ordinary Troops but - no girls. >Scouts can be aged 11-18. Venture Scouts 14-18. So when aged 14-18 they have to choose between the two. We don't have Venture Scouts. We have two programs with similar