Fehler

I'm pretty sure that never happened. There are several you-tube videos of the Tomb Guards confronting the crowd, in all it seems the same procedure: sidestep off the mat, command the order (politely, with the air of command), body and weapon at attention at all times. A true disruption, which I've seen no account of, I would guess would be handled by the National Park Service guards, not the Old Guard.

Sing a few bars of AC/DC should do the trick.

If parents could teach their kids all subjects, we wouldn't need schools. Or Scouting.

I am relieved that my 4-year-old daughter will not be denied insurance in her adult life due to having a brain tumor removed when she was 1. Did this reform need to be tied to the whole Affordable Care Act? Maybe not, but it hadn't passed on its own in all the years its been proposed.

To start meetings, I've called for the "Den Cheers". I'd shout "Is Den 7 here?" and they'd do their cheer, and so on. By the time we get to the "quieter" dens, everyone is focused on the start of the meeting. After that, we keep it pretty lively so its less likely to break down.

Yes, this is the case with us. Several boys are non-sports to either disability, general uncoordination, or just uninterested, and we welcome them. We also have several athletic brothers of those non-athletic boys, along for the ride.

Don't give her a position where she has to interact with scouts or deal too much with other leaders. Or give her anything that she can turn into a power trip.

"Friends of Scouting Chair" is the perfect place for her.

Had four drop off since last spring, three moved (one due to family issues), the other family had twins born. We keep a flexible program, and I let my "sports families" know they can take a season or two off and jump right back in. Attendance is not mandatory, and I don't charge so much that families think they're "wasting" their money on an activity they don't participate in. If I had to spend $80, and I was going to miss several months, I'd reconsider, too.

This year, me. Last year I left it to my CC (who was on her way out) and I got calls in April that it wasn't done (and she was non-contactable). Finally got the charter over the summer, and I see that our COR was now listed as an MC, too (rather then the 2 new committee members I recruited for her), so I'm guessing the paper was pushed by someone at district. Didn't get JTE, probably due to this.

Rename the files a "registry". Claim that the BSA was decades ahead of current legislation in creating a sex offender registry, which is now universally accepted as a "good thing". Kudos abound!

I currently have a copy checked out from the library:

http://www.northernstarbsa.org/News.aspx?articleID=517

Nothing more than the new scout registration fee. Everything else is popcorn/wreath money.

That's not a reason, its an excuse. A handy one, but a well-run, open program can succeed despite what some lawyer in Texas spouts about "teh Gazes". Either something else isn't up to "fun standards", or you're just seeing natural drift-in/drift-out.

If new Tigers earn the Tiger Orange, then entering Webelos earn Webelos Blue, what would entering 2nd year (AOL)Webelos earn? Thankfully we didn't have any new Tigers earn it, so I don't have to worry about changing my color choice.

Trying this for our sale this year. Tell me what you think:

$10 in "Camp Bucks" are awarded to any scout who meets their goal ($300 combined popcorn/Christmas wreath sales). An additional $10 in Camp Bucks are awarded for every additional $300 in sales.

Camp Bucks can be used for camping (day camps, resident camps, or family camp). They can accumulate year-to-year. They can be transferred to another Troop or Pack, or to a sibling.

Camp Bucks cannot be "cashed out" if you leave scouting, or used for registration, supplies, uniforms, or individual activity fees (tickets, etc).

See if you can get a "grab bag" of buttons/pins from a craft store or flea market. The kind that say "Good Job!" or smiley faces. Then pin them on to your Den's content.

And if you want an inside joke to parents, call them "Pieces of Flair", and keep a running track of which Den can collect the most Pieces of Flair on their flag.

Raingutter Regatta question:

Do you have the Cubs use a straw when blowing the boat down the gutter, or do they go without? Our Pack has used the straws in the past, but I see from youtube and from my memory we didn't use straws. Is there a "right" or "wrong" way?

Maybe National can keep official actions under wraps. And the SE's, too. But I can google the Key Three for any district in the country, I can get e-mail addresses from most of the nation's Scoutmasters from troop web sites. If there's a problem, someone knows something, and would be willing to talk about it.

We at the Northern Star Council are out and proud! If the Chicago Area Council wants to stay in the closet about its policy, well, that's to them.

Maybe the "quiet shuffle" of the SE's worked in the past, but that was prior to Google, e-mail, and scouter.com. I can't imagine a reprehensible SE being foisted on an unaware council in this day of age.

What would national's "strong arm" policy towards Northern Star be? Replacing the SE? Is the SE a National employee or a Council employee? Break the council up into smaller sub-councils? We just merged the Indianhead/Viking Councils (Minneapolis and St. Paul) together, ostensibly to "save money" and to "streamline efficiency". And if you know anything about Gay Rights Activists, you know there is "No Going Quietly". A move backward will be seen, and heard.

Pairing AHG and Cub Scouts is not what I want. I _like_ the Cub Scout program: the requirements, the uniform, the badges, the Den and Pack structure, and the aims and methods. I think my daughters would like it and would benefit from it as much as my son. I don't want a whole, separate program for girls that happens to share the same building with the boys. If I wanted that, why not GSUSA?

Logistically, it would simplify things for parents (wouldn't have to remember which night is Cub Scout Night and which is Girl Scout Night). One activity for siblings would lead to better access to parent volunteers, since they wouldn't have to split their time.

But it'd be a turn off for some. Some parents, like myself, want something that is "just for boys" and "just for girls". We see in school that boys and girls are different, trying to shoehorn them into the same program isn't what a lot of parents want. All-boy is a selling point, not a liability.

If the BSA wanted to go co-ed, I would hope that they would leave it up to local units to decide whether to be co-ed, all boys, or even all-girls (with a requirement of having at least one all-boy, all-girl, and a co-ed unit at each level in every district.)

I've seen shoulder loops in checkered-flag pattern for sale next to the Pinewood Derby Cars at our Scout Shop.

Ok, my turn!

Cub Scouts are like Pawns, they go forward, and always forward.

Den Leaders are like Rooks, they go forward, sideways, and back all day as often as they need to.

Cubmasters are like Knights, they jump around everywhere. It only seems like there's two of them.

Committee Members are like Bishops, they slide in where needed, and try to stay out of the way.

The Committee Chair is the Queen, expected to move anywhere and everywhere.

The Chartered Org Rep is the King. Doesn't move much, but if you lose them, the game is over.