fgoodwin

22 Feb 2007: 150th birthday of Scouting founder, Robert Baden-Powell http://www.newsahead.com/PREVIEW07/Baden_Powell_birthday_Feb_07.htm http://tinyurl.com/3du26z Centenary year of the Scouting movement UNITED KINGDOM/KENYA. 22 Feb 2007. The 150th anniversary of the birth of the "Chief Scout of the World," Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, could see a mass of retrospectives about him and Scouts and Girl Guides making pilgrimages to his birth place in London and grave in Kenya. The World Organization of the Scout Movement he founded estimates more than 500 million women and men from most countries and cultures in the world will have promised to live by the Scout Promise and Law by 2007, the official centenary year. The body describes World Scouting as the largest youth organisation in the world, with more than 28 million scouts in 216 countries and territories. The centenary dates from Baden-Powell's experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Dorset, England, for 20 young boys from different social backgrounds. Baden-Powell was the sixth son and eighth of 10 children of an Oxford University professor, who died when he was three. He grew up in straitened circumstances, but found his way to a distinguished career in the Army. He served in India, Afghanistan and South Africa with the 13th Hussars. Promoted at 40 to the 5th Dragoon Guards, he found opportunity to polish the scouting and stalking skills of his soldiers. In 1903 he returned to England as Inspector General of Cavalry and found that a book he wrote for his soldiers, 'Aids to Scouting,' was being used by youth leaders and teachers all over the country. Rewritten for boys, the book became the backbone of the Brownsea Island experiment, the official start of the movement. It was the first of his 32 books. The first international Scout Jamboree took place at Olympia, London in 1920.

Ozark: I have a copy of "Father and Scout". I know you didn't comment on its quality, but I frankly think its an awful movie. The message is a good one, but I just think the production was terrible. If there's a "B-flick" category for family movies, I'm not sure this one even rises to that level. I note the uniforms are not official BSA, but given the result, I'm not suprised BSA wasn't associated with this turkey!

LH: I never taught the old JLT, but I have taught the new TLT. And the older boys in the troop who've been through both say they far prefer TLT over JLT. Maybe its because its different, or because its shorter.

As a former Tiger DL, Committee Chair, Webelos DL and district training chairman, it pains me greatly to hear that not a single adult leader in your entire pack knows what a denner is. As a trainer, I made sure to mention den chiefs and denners whenever I taught the Tiger, Cub or Webelos den leader sessions. Its right there in the training syllabus. So either your leaders haven't been trained, or they went to training and the trainer failed to mention it, or it was mentioned but your leaders didn't hear it. Either way, its unfortunate. Still, the idea of a denner is mentioned in the Cub Scout Leader Book, so maybe your pack should invest in a copy and read it.

The PLC of our allegedly "boy-led" troop has no idea how to plan monthly campout activities. I suspect two causes for this: (1) The adults have done (and continue to do) all the planning; and (2) The boys have never been shown how to plan camping activities At the PLC last nite, the boys flopped around for almost an hour trying to come up with things to do on next month's campout. They spent far too much time talking about menus and far too little talking about activities. I know what the adults want them to do; I think the only reason the adults didn't take over was because I was sitting there watching both them and the boys to see what would happen (I've been a critic of too much adult involvement in running our so-called "boy-led" troop). I'm responsible for conducting Troop Leadership Training (TLT), but for those of you who've done it, you know TLT says next to nothing about practical skills like how to plan a campout, how to run a PLC meeting, or how to do annual program planning. I've proposed to our SM that the troop invest in a copy of the Troop Program Features books; then some of the adults will sit down with the PLC and show them how to plan a campout. We'll worry about planning the PLC next, and finally we'll train them on how to plan the annual program. The adults deny it, but I see the firm imprint of adult planning all over our annual calendar and our monthly campouts. The signs are that the boys complain about the activities, and the timing and location of our monthly campouts. When we ask them for alternatives, they have no idea what to offer. Now, I wasn't present at the last program planning meeting, so its not fair of me to blame all of our shortcomings on the adults. But I think to blame the boys then begs the question: who trained them (or not)? So how do your units handle monthly campout planning and annual program planning? How involved are the adults, really? Is there anyone out there willing to admit that the adults actually run their "boy-led" troop? No one in my troop is willing to say what is patently obvious to me.

I saw it only very briefly, but apparently, Good Morning America showed some Scouts on their show this morning (Feb 8). I got the impression that GMA was aware that today is the birthday of Scouting in the US. Did anyone else see it?

Scouting leaves positive glow http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/2007/feb/02/scouting-leaves-positive-glow/ http://tinyurl.com/yraqhv By Dave Churchill, The Daily Journal Published Friday, February 2, 2007 For reasons unknown, the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts mailed me a copy of its newsletter last week. I dont have a connection with the council, havent had much involvement with the Scouts for several decades, but the newsletters arrival was the second reminder this month of my Scouting past. Earlier in January, I was having lunch in a cafeteria-type place and, as I walked to a table with my tray, another diner called out, Hey, were you at Philmont? He proudly showed me his Philmont Scout Ranch belt and buckle, twins of the one I was wearing. I had found the belt in a box a few years ago and have been wearing it ever since with jeans not because of the Scouting connection, mostly just because it fit. Talking with this fellow, I had to admit that I dont remember much about my trip to the Scouts wilderness backpacking camp in New Mexico. Thirty years is a long time. But I do remember the endless hours riding on a school bus from Madison, Wis. I remember not showering for about three weeks. And I remember joining other boys from my group in killing and cooking a rattlesnake, one afternoon right after we had made camp. I do not believe this was an approved activity. (No, I dont remember what it tasted like. In any case, the little chunks of meat that we had skewered on sticks and roasted were too charred to have much flavor.) My troop was an active one. We went camping every month, 12 months a year, did an annual week at Camp Castle Rock along the Wisconsin River, and logged many a mile on special trips from New Mexico to Washington, D.C. If I were to list the things I saw and did and learned in Scouting, this column would never end. And over it all lies a positive glow of good experiences. Yet over the years, when I have told my kids about boyhood experiences with Scouts, the things I most often choose to recount are slightly unpleasant or worse: endless bus rides, camping in the rain, ticks, burned food, burned fingers, a broken bone, frostbitten toes in frigid winter camps, boyish tricks played and received, dirt, sunburn .... Those are the stories that get told, because those things make the best stories. The times when everything went well, which was most often, are just not as entertaining. Theres more to it than that, more than just the good tales that come from minor crises. Adventure, which is a big part of Scouting, is about putting yourself in places where things are not necessarily going to go well all the time. And it is those times when we learn the things that will help us along later in life. Three days of rain on a backpacking trip? Well, you wont melt and if you use your head, you dont even need to be too uncomfortable. Burned supper? Cowboy-up, it wont hurt you. Nothing teaches like experience, and without the experience we do not learn as fast or as well. We learned to take the Scout motto, Be Prepared, to heart. It is a lesson I still apply daily, just as the Scouts taught me. Likewise, Scouting taught us about leadership, about service and about being a good friend. I do not know that I learned those lessons particularly well. But much of whatever I did manage to learn, I credit to our Scout leaders example, to trips in the wilderness and to field trips to dozens of places I would not otherwise have visited. At the time, I did not realize I was learning anything. It is only looking back that the sum of the experiences becomes evident. I am glad to see, in looking through the Northern Lights newsletter, that Boy Scouts remains an active and vigorous organization. The organizations 97th birthday is Feb. 8. I hope it has at least 97 more.

The Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines (13-631C) refers to "family camping" as a Council-sponsored event. Since the Council provides the staff and program, it isn't necessary for the pack to provide a BALOO-trained leader. In fact, its not even a pack activity -- its a family activity, sponsored by the local Council. Our Council offers these once a month, and they are very popular.

Boy Scout memories bring a smile to my face http://www.kystandard.com/articles/2007/01/25/news/columns/editorial05.txt http://tinyurl.com/2mjle2 Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:03 AM EST BRIAN WALKER THE KENTUCKY STANDARD - 1/17/07 I was just thinking the past few weeks about my years in the Boy Scouts of America. Unlike some places, my hometown of Heavener, Okla., wasnt particularly a scouting Mecca. There had been wonderful scouts in years past, but it had died out a bit. We pretty much began from scratch when the fellows in my age group decided to join. Several false starts at getting a troop going with different combinations of leaders finally found us meeting on a semi-regular basis at the local Methodist church. We were a ragtag group from the get-go and were being led by a local guy named Jim who worked at the nearby minimum security state prison as a guard. His assistant was also named Jim and he worked at the small-town weekly paper that his father owned, The Heavener Ledger. A third guy helped out a lot too and if Im lying Im dying, his name was Jim. This trio of Jims ran the troop, if memory serves me correctly, about two years. We camped a bit, earned a few merit badges and generally made a lot of noise in the woods. We were likely too young and strong-headed to appreciate the chances we were being given and the troop sort of collapsed. A short time later with Jim No. 1 and Jim No. 3 out of the picture, a revived version of our mighty troop reared its ugly head. This time a local insurance agent named Mel took on the task of keeping the troop going with newspaper Jim as second in charge. Mel had his own office in a building downtown and we had meetings in the back, likely running off customers with the noise and amount of silliness we had at his literal expense. Mel and Jim were chain smokers, setting a fine example for a bunch of kids. They also were known to bring beer on camping trips, which we promptly stole and drank. Although time and tide have removed my ability to remember every young man who ever took a swig off a canteen during my tenure with the troop, I will try and list as many guys, their nicknames and the reasons for said nom de plum as I can. We had Randal Quarters Kidd, who got his nickname for his ability to shove at least $2 worth of change up his nose at one time; Andy Grapevine Roop, who got a nasty burn on his lips smoking wild grapevine on a camping trip; Johnny Five Eyes Luce, who was legally blind and wore special glasses; Jeremy Flash Scott, who burned off his eyelashes, eyebrows and a lot of his hair lighting a gas stove with flint and steel under a large plastic tarp in the rain; and Kenneth Politics Corn. I guess the proper term to call him is really Oklahoma State Senator Kenneth Corn. He was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2002 at age 25, making him the second youngest in the states history. Corn previously had served two terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, having been elected at age 22. There were more guys, but those stick in my mind for the various reasons mentioned. I shouldnt leave out Bradley Addison, who never got a nickname that I can remember, but did earn a place in local scout history for something that embarrassed his sister greatly. Brads mom packed a pair of jogging pants for his trip one cold weekend and I guess a pair of his sister Gingers panties must have been stuck in one of the legs from when they went through the laundry. When Addison pulled the pants on, her drawers fell out and we died laughing. I took the unmentionables to school with me that Monday and returned them to her in front of her friends and simply said, Hey, you left these the other day. I thought youd want them back. The troop wasnt comprised of bad kids, just a bunch of boys who were too nuts for their own good. We were known to illegally cut down trees in a state park, set fire to the personal belongings of fellow scouts and put non-poisonous snakes in the sleeping bags of the new kids. Somehow during all that insanity, Corn got his Eagle Scout and several of us reached the next-highest rank of Life. We were hardcore and camped on an almost monthly basis in two-man tents. We never went to a place with running water or bathrooms of any kind. I remember rough weekends of waking up with snow in my tent, trying to dig a latrine with a hand shovel when the ground was frozen, being sunburned to the point of looking like a lobster and losing my shoes in the Black Fork River. We even spent most of a weekend in the Bear Den Caves on the side of a mountain in eastern Oklahoma once. There were bats. We were loud and disturbed them. It got really weird very fast. This wasnt some wide open-mouthed cave; this was a vertical shaft about 40 feet down. You havent laughed to the point of blacking out until youre trapped in a hole in the ground with kids a few years younger than you crying and trying to escape angry flying critters. The sight of Grapevine screaming while a bat was on his head screeching and flapping away was side-splittingly funny. I tried to hit the bat with a big walking stick I was using, but succeeded in smacking the poor kid instead. I truly miss scouting.

Boy Scouts plan uncommon hike to celebrate scouting's 97th birthday http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17747008 01/25/2007 Midland Reporter-Telegram Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to church they'll go. On Feb. 3, Boy Scout Pack 84 and Troop 84 will set off on an unlikely hike to celebrate scouting's 97th birthday. That's when they'll set off on a nearly two-mile hike with stops at six Midland churches. And at each, clergy will teach the boys about one or two of the Ten Commandments. "They are going to spend five minutes or less on each commandment," Brad Connel, field director of Boy Scouts of America, Buffalo Trail Council, said. For instance, he said, at the troop's first stop --First Presbyterian Church, they'll discuss No. 1: "I am the Lord thy God and you shall have no other gods before me," while at the second stop, North A Street Church of Christ, they'll go over Nos. 2 and 3: "Don't worship idols," "Don't take the Lord's name in vain." "Discussions go in order of where the hike is going to be going," he said. Other stops include First Christian Church, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Ann's Catholic Church and First Baptist Church. Of course, "Thou Shall Hike" is not nestled among moral imperatives like "Don't covet," and "Thou shall not kill," but Boy Scout mom Liz Thornton thinks it's a good idea, anyway. "This gives us an opportunity to also be physically fit and also talk about the commandments," Thornton said. Thornton is a den mother whose sons Mitchell Thornton, 16, Jason Thornton, 14 and Lance Thornton, 8 , are among those in the pack and troop. "It reinforces what we're teaching kids in church," she said. However, Connel said organizers planned destinations at many different types of churches so that Scouts can focus more on serving a higher power than on just one particular creed. "I just think that it brings awareness to the public and community and Scouts that there are different churches and different denominations and we all have the one common goal of reverence to God ... and reverence to a higher power," he said. "As Boy Scouts, we believe that everybody should believe in a higher power." Jason Thornton, however, is looking forward to a different aspect of the hike. ""I think it would be fun because you can meet all of your friends and see what churches are out there," he said. And the patch he'll get afterward, he said, "is really good, too." -- On the Net: http://www.buffalotrailbsa.org

In our council, RTs involve a "common session" involving Cub Scouters, Boy Scouters, Venturing Scouters and Varsity Scouters. We then break into the different program levels. The purpose of the "common" session is to make announcements that are common to all levels (e.g., training, recharter), but what really happens is that ALL announcements are made during this time, even if specific to a single level (the Boy Scout-only announcements are the worst "offenders"). Because there are so many announcements that are of no interest to Cub Scouters (e.g., OA elections, MBUs, etc.) many Pack leaders decide to skip teh RT altogether. I've mentioned this many times to the RT staff and my DE, to no avail. For a month or two, the announcements will be properly limited, then things slip back into the old way. If I could offer one suggestion: please ensure your announcement time is limited (don't let people drone on forever) and appropriate to the program level.

Local Boy Scouts see increase in members http://tinyurl.com/y4n66c By Bonnie Edwards Published in News on January 11, 2007 02:04 PM Forging a strong relationship with the public school system has helped the Tuscarora Boy Scout Council reach out to more boys than ever before, Scout officials say. When Scout Executive Harold Keller came to work for the council a year ago, he made development of a relationship with the school system a priority. The result has been increased recruitment into the Scouting ranks. Keller said the positive reaction from school officials has been the key to the surge in numbers. School officials in Wayne, Duplin, Sampson and Johnston counties welcomed the council's overtures, Keller said, and invited Scout leaders to talk to boys interested in joining Scouting. Keller said his experience in other councils showed him how important the support of the schools is to sustaining a strong Scouting program. He said he found school officials in Wayne and nearby counties extremely receptive. "We were welcomed by all of our Wayne County schools, which was fabulous," Keller said. Developing a relationship with schools is not an emphasis with national Scout leaders, Keller said, but he noted that to him, it's "just good business." Just before the school year started, the council's staff met with school administrators to brief them on the council and what Scouting has to offer. Soon after, the council held a dinner to recognize school administrators and the job they do. "They are truly the unsung heroes in our community," Keller said. Once classes began, the council began holding "roundup" meetings at elementary schools in the four counties that make up its Torhunta, Neusiok and Coharie Districts. The first, at Northwest Elementary School, helped recruit more than 60 boys into the Cub Scouts. That was indicative of how well similar recruitment efforts went in the other schools, Keller said. "All of our numbers were very similar," he said. "We did extremely well." At Spring Creek Elementary, principal Charles Ivey, who has a large number of Hispanic students, asked for an interpreter and Spanish translations of Scouting materials to help get more boys interested in Scouting. Nearly half of the boys who joined the Scouts from Spring Creek were Hispanic, Keller noted. "I thought that was especially relevant, because Scouting is for all of our children, and we need to make it available for them," he said. In all, more than 400 Wayne County boys joined the Cub Scouts in 2006, Keller said. Overall, the number of boys involved in Scouting in the council increased to about 5,700. Keller said the increase reflects a trend across the nine Boy Scout councils in North Carolina and part of Virginia. These councils make up Area 7 of the national organization. The Tuscarora Council led the 13-state Southeast region in recruiting new Scouts for a council of its size, Keller noted. Keller said that not every school district is so open to Scouting. The council's three recruitment chairmen are school superintendents Steven Taylor in Wayne County for the Torhunta District, Wiley Dobey in Duplin for the Coharie District, which also includes Sampson County, and Fred Bartholomew in Johnston County's Neusiok District. "Having these gentlemen on the board made a huge impact. We've got to maintain that relationship," Keller said, adding that Taylor has joined the council's board and its executive board. The council will recognize 94 new Eagle Scouts at the Jan. 25 annual banquet, which will be held at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church at 202 S. Fourth St. in Smithfield. The Neusiok District will be the host for the event, which features the recognition of new Eagle Scouts and the presentation of Silver Beaver awards, the highest award in Scouting. This year, the council will honor two Wayne County volunteers, one from Johnston and another from Sampson.

WDL Mom, I understand the unfortunate politics of your situation. But I don't need to remind you that, if no one tells this gentleman about his style, you're in for more of the same. So which is more important: possible hurt feelings on the part of one or more adults, or boring an entire room full of people, especially the boys? It won't be easy to bring it to his attention, but if you don't, then good luck getting any contributions at all . . .

WDL Mom: Yes, Councils get a percentage of popcorn sales. But that's not enough to totally fund Council operations. Councils depend on FOS and other sources (e.g., UW in some Councils) for the balance of operating revenue. I don't have a copy handy, but I believe the FOS pledge folder includes a breakdown of sources and uses of funds in each Council. FOS is a major source. By the way, you can request a different presenter (at least you can in my district) and you can stipulate how long they have to talk. You should strongly request that the presenter & presentation not unduly delay the B&G. As a presenter, I would certainly honor such a request.(This message has been edited by fgoodwin)

Nick, as an FOS presenter myself, welcome aboard. Experience tells me, keep the presentation short and upbeat. Especially at a B&G, you won't hold your audience for much more than 3-5 minutes. To avoid eating into your limited time, distribute the pledge cards before the event starts (and leave some behind in case a family or two misses the event, but would still contribute if given a chance). I don't read the council handout verbatim, as so many presenters do -- I prefer to engage the audience, asking them what Scouting has done for them and their kids. The clincher for me: I ask them how much of their annual Pack dues goes to Council; guesses range from 10-25%. Invariably, no one (other than those in attendance who've gone through my NLE class, where I make the same point) guesses the correct answer: ZERO! Once they know that, I remind them that it takes money to sponsor council & district activities, training, operate campsites, etc. By that time, most families are willing to make a contribution. Remind them to SIGN the form if they choose to donate by credit card -- it never fails that a few pledge cards are returned without the required signature. My council gives special CSPs if you donate at particular levels. If your council provides a similar sort of premium, be sure you understand your council guidelines on how many premiums you can give a donor for a given level of donation. For example, I get this question every year: if I donate at level X, which is good for a certain CSP, can I get two copies of the CSP (because I have two shirts, e.g.)? In my case, the answer is yes; YMMV. Finally, leverage the kids in the room by offering a prize (I used a toy car last year). Anyone donating THAT NIGHT is entered into a drawing, then I ask one Cub to draw the winning pledge and I announce the winner before the nite is over. Once, when I first started doing this, we got to the end of the evening without my drawing a name, and believe me, those boys let me know it! Never underestimate the persuasiveness of a kid who wants to win that toy car! Good luck, Fred

Priest says Scouting helps youths discern vocations http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=22596 1/5/2007 Catholic News Service IRVING, Texas (CNS) - Participating in Boy Scouts is a great way for youths to meet people in all walks of life and help them discern their own vocations, says Msgr. John B. Brady, a 65-year veteran of Scouting. In an interview with Scouting, a family magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America, Msgr. Brady said jamborees - nine-day national or international gatherings of Scouts and their leaders - provide opportunities for vocational discernment "not equaled in any other environment." "At each of the seven jamborees on which I have been privileged to serve on staff, I have had the opportunity to help about 1,000 Scouts discern their life's calling," he said. "Other jamboree staffers, such as doctors, surgeons, optometrists, engineers, pilots, military personnel and the like, have shared their professions and experiences with Scouts who consult them." He said the "excitement, enlightenment, reverence and camaraderie" of a jamboree combine to increase youths' openness to thinking about what direction their life should take. Scouting interviewed Msgr. Brady after he received the National Catholic Committee on Scouting's 2006 Silver St. George award, given to Catholic Scouting leaders for "especially significant" accomplishments and service at the national level. A priest of the Washington Archdiocese, Msgr. Brady, 77, was archdiocesan chaplain for Boy Scouting, Girl Scouting and Camp Fire Boys and Girls from 1960 to 1984. He is a longtime member of the national committee's advisory board and is currently acting Scouting chaplain for the committee's Region 4, covering dioceses in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. He founded the committee's national Scouter Development program. According to the magazine, there are currently some 9,500 Boy Scout units chartered by Catholic institutions in the United States, serving more than 305,000 Scouts. Msgr. Brady said he experienced the first U.S. national jamboree in 1937, when he was 8 years old and he visited the encampment on the National Mall in Washington. He joined the Boys Scouts in the seventh grade and went on to become an Eagle Scout. Speaking of jamborees as occasions for vocational discernment, he said, "This happened in my own life. Msgr. Robert Brown, the chaplain of the international section of the second jamboree, held at Valley Forge, Pa., in 1950, helped me to discern that God was calling me to be a Catholic priest rather than a Signal Corps Army officer, a patent attorney or a professional Scouter." He said that Scouts have to meet personally with one of the camp chaplains sometime during the jamboree in order to qualify for the "Duty to God" segment of the jamboree patch. He cited Scouting as a "powerful program" to help meet the goals that the U.S. bishops set out in their 1997 document on Catholic youth ministry, "Renewing the Vision." "The goals," he said, "are these: to empower the young to live as Christ in our world; to draw them to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the faith community; and to foster the personal and spiritual growth of each young person." He added that Scouting is especially effective in fostering all-around personal and spiritual growth. "Taken together, the Scout oath and (Scout) law - beginning with 'duty to God' and ending with 'a Scout is reverent,' two bookends for the entire Scouting program - comprises one of the world's best tools to challenge young people to live by the highest standards that God expects of the human beings he places on this earth," Msgr. Brady said. He also had special praise for Scouting's high adventure programs, such as the one at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, where he has also served as chaplain. "I think that a 12-day high-adventure trek can accomplish more for a young person than two years in a troop or crew program back at home - because the challenge is greater, the difficulty is greater," he said. "It's just a wonderful opportunity for a young person to change from a very scared, unsure person to someone who goes home more mature and filled with confidence about what he or she can actually do," he said.

National Episcopal Scouters Association: new website The National Episcopal Scouters Association has a new website at: http://www.nationalepiscopalscouting.com/ Membership in the Association is open to Episcopalians and to "continuing" or "orthodox" Anglicans who support Scouting in the Church. There is also a related discussion group on Yahoo at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/episcopal_scouters/ Fred Goodwin Alamo Area Council, BSA Diocese of West Texas, ECUSA

http://www.etekgadget.com/

The article is no longer accessible via the FOX homepage, and a search turned up nothing useful. Does anyone have a direct link to the FOX article? Or the full text of the article? Thanx

Software For Cub Scouts http://www.twice.com/blog/170000217/post/1760006176.html January 3, 2007 I get inundated on a regular basis by companies pushing new software titles, but yesterday I ran across something new. While helping assemble the Pinewood Derby race track for my sons pack, I found myself helping to install a very high-tech scoring and race management software system from a company called eTekgadget that is designed specifically for these type of races. Who would have thought the old tried-and-true method of watching the finish line and shouting out the winners needed to be replaced? Even though I tend to be a traditionalist when it comes to such things, I have to admit the system is neat. It uses light sensors to track who finishes when, then the software populates a spreadsheet with the time and car speed and it keeps tabs on each kids cumulative time over the course of six races. And it was easy to install. Of course being modern, one other dad helping was trying to figure out how to attach his LCD projector to the device so the scores could be flashed onto a movie screen and I wondered if the next version would use Wi-Fi so we would not have to tape down so many wires. Im sure in a few years the kids will simply use a CAD system to design their cars and the entire race will take place on a computer. Im all for this considering the Olenicks entry last year looked as if it were built by an enraged, incompetent carpenter. Oh wait, that was me. Doug Olenick

I was aware of the fact that Ford was the only Eagle Scout to be President, but I had no idea he had never let his BSA membership lapse. What a great spokesman for Scouting -- and what a sad loss.

High-profile role for Scouts at Ford funeral http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=5864166 Updated: Dec 27, 2006 07:36 PM CST By ANNE SCHIEBER WALKER -- One group that will be paying special tribute to former President Gerald R. Ford is the Boy Scouts. Ford was a tireless promoter of the Boy Scouts because he was one; and a top one. He has been the only President to earn the Scouts' highest honor of Eagle Scout. Ford's family has asked that West Michigan Boy Scouts have a prominent role in the funeral in Grand Rapids. Thousands are expected to line the streets of the motorcade along Fulton Street. Eagle Scouts will be saluting the motorcade along Pearl Street, right before the Ford Museum where Ford will be laid to rest. President Ford has left an indelible mark on Scouts in West Michigan and around the country. "People knew he had a lot of honor and that Eagle Scout just added to that piece of honor," says Blair Laackman, author of Gerald R. Ford's Scouting Years. President Ford never forgot his roots as a Boy Scout. It was one of the first things he mentioned at a Grand Rapids celebration of his 90th birthday. "I was sitting there waiting to make a comment or two and I wondered what I was doing 78 years ago. I'll tell you what I was doing. I was a young Boy Scout in Grand Rapids," said the former President. Ford became an Eagle Scout at age 16. Few Boy Scouts make the rank. It requires self-initiative and commitment to earning merits and ranks. "If you can't make it by 18, and you're too busy doing sports or something, that's it, you'll never get the chance again," says Laackman. Ford made the rank and later became a championship football player at the University of Michigan. Laackman wrote a short book about Ford's scouting years. The Ford family was so enthusiastic about the project that Ford's brother loaned Laackman the family scrapbook before it became public. The book came out in 1982 when the Ford Museum opened. It is now distributed at fundraisers and often as gifts from West Michigan family members to loved ones here and elsewhere. Ford was such an honored member among the Boy Scouts that he was the only living member to have an entire council named after him. Council 266 in West Michigan is now the Gerald R. Ford Council. The West Michigan Headquarters on Walker Avenue was rededicated with Ford's name in 1997. Scout Program Director Matt Adams was there because Ford sent him a letter when he became an Eagle Scout. "The letter said, 'P.S. Be good to scouting as an adult because it's been good to you as a youth.' And when he came here, I showed that letter to him. I'm now working for the Scouts and I told him I tried to follow what he said," says Adams.

Sadly, your CO sounds all too typical. But someone had to sign the adult applications -- and they should be signed by the COR. So perhaps the COR isn't seen much, but at a minimum, you should see your COR once a year to sign the applications of new adult leaders. Finally, UoS is great, but it doesn't replace pack committee training. Good luck.

I'm gonna make a wild guess here and assume you haven't been trained yet for your new job? If not, take a look at the Pack Committee Fast Start, then take New Leader Essentials and Pack Committee Leader Specific Training. Those three courses will answer your questions about the relationship between your unit and the district & council. You will also learn much about your role on the Committee and your relationship to the COR and CM. Welcome to Scouting and to the Forums! Fred Goodwin (former CC after one year as a Tiger DL!)

The Boy Scouts in Iraq http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20061225-091900-7407r.htm By Robert Charles Published December 26, 2006 Good news is worth hearing, even if it does not sell papers. I recall once completing a long run with a twisted ankle. By the time I got home, it was swollen into a pomegranate. My face must have given me away, because my then-young son asked what was up. I explained I had wrenched an ankle, making my run harder than expected. He studied the situation closely. He then announced happily, "Well, Dad, the good news is, the other one is fine." And so it was. Good news is worth hearing. So, as the media counts America's casualties in Iraq, here is some good news. Character is built in many ways. In hundreds of nations, including Iraq, one way is through the Boy Scouts. You may think the Boy Scout contribution to civic order necessarily small, insignificant, even quaint. You may say, with all that violence, how can any youth organization hold a candle? But hold a candle they do. At 96 years old, the world's Boy Scouts are a genuine wonder. In America, they have trained more than 100 million young men to be courageous, caring citizens, lifesavers and life examples. Among America's Eagle Scouts, you will find the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong; the calm commander who nursed a crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft back to Earth, Jim Lovell; the oldest living former president of the United States, Gerald Ford; U.S. lawmakers like Republican Sen. Richard Lugar and former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn; former FBI Director William Sessions and former Drug Czar William Bennett. As you watch television or movies at the holiday season, you may pause to note that America's Eagle Scouts included the man who stars in "Its a Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," Jimmy Stewart; the renowned journalist, Walter Cronkite; and celebrated movie producer, Steven Spielberg, as well as Pulitzer Prize winners, corporate board chairmen and ordinary solid citizens. For what it is worth, two Eagles -- both of relevance to Iraq -- are outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Whatever one thinks of them, they learned young the importance of setting and achieving goals, demonstrating leadership under pressure, and struggle without complaint. But there is more. Against all odds, the Iraqi Boy Scouts are at work. They are a force for Good in a world of fear. Against a downdraft of pessimism, their raw faith in goodness lifts your heart. It is a marvel. As I corresponded this week with a friend in Iraq, he told me a secret. "The Iraqi Scouts continue to march and are quietly successful." Hundreds of thousands of young Iraqis have ties to World Scouting. They practice the timeless virtue of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent -- the Scout Law. Their context is different from that of American Scouts -- or Scouts in Great Britain, France, Spain, Thailand, Japan, South Africa, Colombia, Belize, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Australia or any other international outpost -- but the principles are the same. Iraqi adult volunteers are part of a burgeoning Scout program. Religious leaders seem to accept its innate value. While mortars fall and car bombs interrupt childhood, these young people shelter the candle of decency against the winds of misfortune. To date, tens of thousands of dollars have poured into Iraq to help train Iraqi Scout leaders, many of them Arab dollars. The aim is to lift the organization back to prominence in small towns and nervous cities. As a result, scouting is alive and well, even in Baghdad. Arab neighbors have helped, but the Iraqis drive this train. Trained Iraqi Scout leaders are active "in all 18 provinces and Baghdad," and their ranks are growing. A leading Iraqi Scout commissioner estimates that, as of December 2006, some "250,000 boys and girls are registered in the Scout program around the country." So, while adults take aim at each other, young people show the kind of commitment that brought millions of Iraqis to the polls in 2005. They are not giving up. Perhaps most remarkably, according to Iraqi sources, the goodwill engendered by the Boy Scouts cross-cuts differences of tribe, geography, social status and religion, allowing the movement to gain approval among "religious leaders of Shia, Sunni, Christian, and Kurdish groups." So, even amid chaos, work of the heart goes on. Is that not a miracle? Will the Boy Scouts and larger Scouting movement somehow miraculously strain order from chaos, banish Iraq's manifold tensions, and cause peace to break out? That is unlikely. But someday, because all wars do end, Iraq will awake from its nightmare. And when it does, against all odds, a Boy Scout will be standing there. Candle in hand, he will be ready to lead. In such young men and women there is hope. In such courage there is timeless honor. In a twisted, painful world, the Iraqi Boy Scouts are -- good news. Robert Charles, former assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement, 2003-2005, is president of the Charles Group in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.