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fgoodwin

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Everything posted by fgoodwin

  1. Hiking Around in Circles? Probably, Study Says By HENRY FOUNTAIN Published: August 20, 2009 With countless thousands of Americans hitting the hiking trails this month for one last summer adventure, it is a sure bet that some of them will get lost along the way. Those fortunate enough to make it back may be convinced that they spent hours walking in circles. Scientists in Germany reported Thursday that this often-described sense of lost-hiker dj vu, of having inadvertently backtracked while wandering in the woods, is real. People really do walk in circles, said Jan L. Sou
  2. Hal, I agree with your comments. In the past, I would've posted the entire article, but a few years ago, the author of one of the articles I posted asked me to stop doing that, so I did. I posted the excerpt and link hoping others would read the full article -- but at some point in the time the article will be taken down, and all we'll have left is the excerpt I posted and comments like yours. In any event, I hope these efforts succeed in getting more people outdoors, and maybe even into Scouting.
  3. Plugged In to Nature, Wired to World Pre-Pitched Tents, High-Tech Gear Aim to Entice Internet Generation By Lori Aratani Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 18, 2009 The idea of "roughing it" has taken on a new meaning. The Coleman outdoors company sells air mattresses with built-in alarm clocks and night lights and tents outfitted with "integrated lighting systems" and auto-roll windows. For those who can't bear to be unplugged for any length of time, DirecTV has a portable satellite, and Kampgrounds of America offers wireless Internet at most of its cam
  4. Ken Burns visits the national parks 'The National Parks: America's Best Idea,' a six-part documentary, premieres Sept. 27 on PBS. By Martin Miller, Maria Elena Fernandez and Kate Aurthur August 3, 2009 Better make those park reservations now. Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," a six-part, 12-hour documentary celebrating the virtues of the country's nearly 400 federally protected spaces, sets up camp on PBS on Sept. 27 and stays through Oct. 2. The country's most famous documentarian, who spoke Saturday during the semiannual Television Critic
  5. The last time I checked, the summertime activity pin was not rank-based, so it doesn't matter what rank the boys are (or were) when they earned it. Give it to them and don't sweat the details!
  6. Thanx Gern -- they should put you in charge of rewriting the G2SS!
  7. If bear canisters don't work and bear bags are obsolete, what to do?
  8. According to this article in the Smithsonian Magazine, Charles Atlas was an "active promoter" of Scouting: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/50727752.html But that's all it says -- does anyone know anything more about Charles Atlas and his relationship to Scouting? It would be nice if BSA could find a spokesperson today that has the appeal that Atlas had in his day . . .
  9. Tex-Mex Dad said exactly what I was gonna say: what in the world were those folks thinking? Whoever on the Council Board approved that project, before the merger was even finalized, s/b dismissed and barred from ever serving on another GS Board, period. All of the Council officers s/b dismissed and barred from ever serving GSUSA again. I know those actions won't save this council, but should serve as a lesson to other councils.
  10. Bear-Proof Can Is Pop-Top Picnic for a Crafty Thief http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25bear.html By LISA W. FODERARO Published: July 24, 2009 NORTH ELBA, N.Y. It was built to be impenetrable, from its super rugged transparent polycarbonate housing to its intricate double-tabbed lid that would keep campers food in and bears paws out. But in one corner of the Adirondacks, campers started to notice that the BearVault, a popular canister designed to keep food and other necessities safe, was being compromised. First through circumstantial evidence, then from witnes
  11. Maybe you could get a nearby troop to setup a monkey bridge? We always had one at the Montgomery County Fair and it was very popular, especially with younger kids.
  12. Gern, BSA has memoranda of understanding with several religious groups, including Islamic, Jewish & Buddhist Scouting Associations -- how does that make BSA a Christian organization?
  13. OK, I know it isn't cool to reply to your own post, but I didn't get a chance to post a reply to the comments on the article about the atheist summer camp in the UK, and I agree with OGE's decision to close that thread. But this article and that one are related, so I will comment now: I highlighted the key statement in this article: AHG was founded as an alternative to GSUSA. Rather than complain about GSUSA policies, they took a more constructive approach and built a new organization. I wish those who curse BSA and want to sue it into submission would take a lesson from AHG and Ric
  14. American Heritage Girls gain momentum http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/american-heritage-girls-gain-momentum-184027.html 9:14 AM Tuesday, June 30, 2009 By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer Hamilton Journal-News With a newly announced partnership with the Boy Scouts of America and a rapidly growing popularity in the group, the American Heritage Girls are looking to become a household name. American Heritage Girls is dedicated to its Christ-centered mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family and commitment, according to organizers. The e
  15. ghermanno, you say Cubs are "supposed" to do family camping. I would agree that Cubs are certainly encouraged to camp as a family on Pack overnighters, organized and led by a BALOO-trained adult. But if you're implying that Cubs are LIMITED to family camping, I'd have to disagree somewhat. Its been a couple of years since I saw one, but I thought the Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines were pretty clear that Wolves, Bears and Webelos may attend Council-organized resident camps.
  16. Eagle732: in my son's former troop, most advancement requirements were signed-off on a campout. At the troop meeting following a campout, any Scout that had advancement requirements signed-off presented his HB to the SM. The SM and advancement chair then updated Troop Master to record the completed advancements. So the individual advancement record was as current as we could make it. I don't know if a Scout ever lost his HB between sign-off and turn-in, but if he did, he would need to "restore" only an "incremental back-up" (his recollection), as it were.
  17. Therell be no tent for God at Camp Dawkins (UK) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6591231.ece Britains most prominent non-believer is backing its first atheist summer camp for children. June 28, 2009 Lois Rogers WHEN schoolchildren break up for their summer holidays at the end of next month, India Jago, aged 12, and her brother Peter, 11, will be taking a vacation with a twist. While their friends jet off to Spain or the Greek islands, the siblings will be hunting for imaginary unicorns in Somerset, while learning about moral philosophy. The Jagos
  18. BSA moved the FAQ that defined these terms: Rank Advancement Question: Rank advancement requires a Scout to demonstrate Scout spirit. How is Scout spirit defined and determined? Answer: Scout spirit applies to how a Scout lives and conducts his daily life. He shows Scout spirit by being a role model to his peers, living by the Scout Oath and Law. The concept of Scout spirit is not based on how many Scouting events or outings a Scout attends, but rather by how he helps bring out the best in others as a reflection of his own character and attitude in his daily life. Qu
  19. Pack212Scouter, attendance is mentioned twice on the National BSA webpage re: Boy Scout advancement, but I would think it applies equally to Cub Scouts: Rank Advancement Question: Rank advancement requires a Scout to demonstrate Scout spirit. How is Scout spirit defined and determined? Answer: Scout spirit applies to how a Scout lives and conducts his daily life. He shows Scout spirit by being a role model to his peers, living by the Scout Oath and Law. The concept of Scout spirit is not based on how many Scouting events or outings a Scout attends, but rather by how he he
  20. Lisabob writes:How can you expect people to exercise their rights or safeguard their liberties from excessive gov't intrusions, or make good electoral choices, when they don't have the slightest idea of what those rights are, why we have them, or what government is actually supposed to do and how it is supposed to work! To maintain a functional and vibrant democracy actually requires quite a lot of a country's citizens.So what do you propose?
  21. Gern, if the request is p*ssing you off so much, why don't ask your DE why its necessary? We can't read his or her mind, so why on earth are you asking us?
  22. The advancement report states that MBCs must be registered as MBCs. However, the form does not require the name of the MBC, so there is actually no way the Council will know who was the MBC and thus no way to verify the MBC's registration, unless the Council asks the Scout or the unit for that info. As for MBCs not counseling out-of-council Scouts, I wasn't aware of that limitation. It certainly makes sense but it must also be true that an exception is made for summer camp MBCs.
  23. According to a recent study of civics literacy by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute: * Fewer than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government, a minimal requirement for understanding Americas constitutional system. * Only 24% of college graduates know the First Amendment prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States. * Nearly a third of the respondents failed to name two of America's enemies in World War Two; 22% of college graduates did not answer that question successfully. * 54% of respondents (and only 44% of 18- to 34-year-ol
  24. As BSRT Commissioner, a former district training chair and former UC, I've never considered district jobs of a "higher order" or somehow superior to unit level positions. Quite the contrary, I've always viewed every district position I've held as being of service to units and unit Scouters. And it certainly is not the case that CMs and SMs somehow "report to" a district commissioner. A DC and UCs are counselors to a unit, but have no say in how a unit is actually run or how the unit selects its leaders. Just because BSA has an organizational hierarchy doesn't mean there are corresp
  25. June 13, 2009: National Get Outdoors Day http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/ National Get Outdoors Day is a new annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun. Participating partners will offer opportunities for American families to experience traditional and non-traditional types of outdoor activities. Prime goals of the day are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors. Steering Committee: http://www.getoutdoorsusa.org/ Boy Scouts of America The Coleman Company Discover Boating Good Sam Club G
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