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Scouts, ACLU back in court over Jamboree http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060405jamboree,1,6778916.story http://tinyurl.com/ebxxj Tribune staff reports Published April 5, 2006, 3:44 PM CDT A lawsuit seeking to end government funding of the National Boy Scout Jamboree is scheduled to return to court Thursday, as the two sides in the dispute argue the case before federal appellate justices in Chicago. Last July, a federal judge in Chicago held for the American Civil Liberties Union, ruling the military's historic support of the Jamboree was unconstitutional and issuing an injunction against the Pentagon's future participation in the event. The military, represented by attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice, has appealed the decision. Oral arguments are to be made Thursday in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The military has said the event, which attracts tens of thousands of people, gives Army reservists an opportunity to fulfill training requirements. In a legal brief, government attorneys downplayed the scout's religious requirements. But ACLU lawyers have argued the government's participation was unconstitutional because Scouts must take an oath pledging "duty to God." U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning sided with the ACLU when she ruled on its 1999 lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs had "shown irreparable injury that ... their constitutional rights as taxpayers are being violated." Manning concluded that the Pentagon's participation in the Jamboree violated the 1st Amendment because the Boy Scouts of America "excludes atheists and agnostics" and calls for members to believe in God. At a news conference today in Chicago, Boy Scouts officials said no one at the Jamboree is required to pray or attend church, and that many of the resources provided by the military were promoting the armed forces, not religion. The Jamboree is held every five years in Virginia near Washington, D.C. The last gathering was in July 2005. If Manning's ruling is upheld, it would affect the next Jamboree scheduled for 2010.

Theme Park-Like Camp for Cub Scouts Built on Old Disney Site http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401958.html http://tinyurl.com/f9e6x By Nikita Stewart Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 5, 2006; B01 The Boy Scouts of America is planning to open a $17 million camp catering to Cub Scouts next month on the site near Haymarket where the Walt Disney Co. tried to build a theme park 12 years ago. The camp will be built and operated by the National Capital Council, which represents more than 85,000 Scouts and 23,000 volunteers in the District and 16 counties in Maryland and Virginia. It is one of the most expensive scouting construction projects in the nation, officials said, and unusual because of its focus on Cub Scouts as well as Boy Scouts. "We've never had a facility that's been able to connect with the Cub Scouts," said Alan F. Lambert, the council's Scout executive. Officials said the Scouts wanted a camp closer to Washington so that Cub Scouts, the organization's youngest members, could enjoy an overnight camping experience. The council's closest camp is in Goshen, Va., which is an inconvenient three-hour ride from Washington for 7- to 10-year-olds, who require more supervision and tend to get more homesick than older Scouts, Lambert said. The scheduled opening of Camp William B. Snyder is May 6. Snyder, a former Geico chairman, is a longtime member of the area Scout council board and was instrumental in securing the land for the project. The camp sprawls over 350 acres once designated for "Disney's America," a U.S. history theme park Disney scrapped in 1994 after protests from residents and preservationists about its proximity to the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Disney sold the site to the Boy Scouts for $1.5 million in 1997. Camp Snyder will have touches of a theme park, from a 67-foot climbing wall to an aquatics center with water slides. Scout officials said, however, that they tried to preserve much of the site's natural state. The council created more than 100 acres of wetlands that are attracting birds and wildlife that the Scouts will explore. "It's a positive part of the program to protect wildlife and eco-systems," Lambert said. "It's part of the camping experience." The camp has themed areas such as the Big Dig, where Scouts can dig up replicas of dinosaur bones and assemble their own skeletons, and the Space Port, where they can explore a simulation of Mars, said Maj. Gen. Raymond Johns, chairman of program development at the camp. "What a neat experience," he said. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the camp will serve about 1,000 Cub Scouts a week, said Johns. Boy Scouts can camp there on weekends throughout the year. Johns and Lambert showed photos and drawings of the camp to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors yesterday. Other themed areas include a Native American village with tepees, a fort with a BB gun range and a ship surrounded by blue vulcanized rubber to suggest the ocean. The adventures will not be the traditional rustic experience the public associates with scouting and camping, Lambert said. He showed a photo of the 600-seat dining hall, still under construction, that looked more like a McMansion. The modern facilities, including upgraded bathrooms and showers, were responses to parents, especially mothers, concerned about how younger children and adult volunteers would fare in the wild, Lambert said. The Scouts will still sleep in tents, although they are much roomier, fitting six to eight Cub Scouts or four volunteers in each one, he said. The camp's attractions and its $17 million price tag -- raised through private and corporate donations and general financing -- make it one of the biggest in the country compared with facilities used by the more than 300 councils, said Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America in Irving, Tex. "I have not found another of a larger size in terms of investment," he said. When Disney dropped its plans for a theme park, Snyder and Ron L. Carroll, who was Scout executive at the time, led the negotiations to buy the land, Lambert said. Carroll died last year. Snyder, 76, who now lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., said he missed out on the Scout experience as a child because his local troop disbanded after its leader was drafted to serve in World War II. "My son was in the Scouts when he was growing up and I was a civilian leader," he said. "I think highly of the Scouts as a character-building organization."

LH: I apologize if my remarks were out of line; I didn't mean any of it personally. Its just that as a trainer myself, I hear more than my share of "gospel" that turns out to be either false or simply outdated information. We all want what's best for the boys, and having properly trained, knowledgeable leaders goes a long way in that direction. Check page 20 of the current Webelos HB for the reference that the shirt decision is up to the boy and his parents.

LH, I was a WDL in 2003 when the current Webelos HB came out. I don't recall any special "instructions" from National that said anything about ending production of the diamond Webelos patch. In fact, the cover of the current Webelos HB shows both patches on the cover and spine. On p20, it mentions that the choice of shirt is up to the boy & his parents. It says nothing about phasing out the blue shirt or diamond patch. Pages 10 and 11 of the 2005 edition of the Insignia Guide show both the oval and diamond, with no mention that the blue patch will be phased out by a date certain. Note that p10 says the blue diamond may also be worn, by itself, on the tan shirt, contrary to another popular misconception that says it cannot be so worn. Finally, page 12-5 of the 2005 edition of the Cub Scout Leader Book (33221C) says both rank badges are available and the one that is awarded is a personal preference (but limited to those boys who did not earn the Tiger Cub rank, which would include boys who entered Cubs as second graders, as LDS boys do). I would be very interested to read the exact wording of anything you have in writing that says otherwise. If what you heard was instead spoken by someone, then I would very skeptical indeed, unless they can produce a written source.

Longhaul, do you have an official source for your pronouncement that the diamond Webelos badge is no longer in production? LDS units don't use the Tiger program, so it was my understanding (I am not LDS) that they would continue to use the diamond Webelos badge. If that's correct, then it is premature to say that Webelos cannot wear the blue shirt. The decision as to which shirt to wear is a family decision, according to the Webelos handbook. Do you have a cite to an official BSA source that indicates the uniform decision is up to the den? I would be very careful citing absolutes unless you have the sources to back them up. YiS, Fred Goodwin, UC Alamo Area Council

"Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids" It's my personal belief, based on observations of my own and those in my neighborhood, that kids don't get outside to play enough, and certainly not as much as when I was a kid back in the late 50s and early 60s. This week (Apr 3-9) happens to be National Public Health Week: "Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids": http://www.apha.org/nphw/2006/ One of the recommendations of NPHW is that communities consider adding more bike paths and playgrounds as they design their outdoor spaces: http://www.apha.org/nphw/2006/Nat%20FS%203.pdf This sounds like an initiative that is worthy of support from both Scouters and parents (even tho BSA is not listed as a partner).

What's Happening to Boys? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001341.html http://tinyurl.com/pnrx9 Young Women These Days Are Driven -- but Guys Lack Direction By Leonard Sax Friday, March 31, 2006; A19 The romantic comedy "Failure to Launch," which opened as the No. 1 movie in the nation this month, has substantially exceeded pre-launch predictions, taking in more than $64 million in its first three weeks. Matthew McConaughey plays a young man who is affable, intelligent, good-looking -- and completely unmotivated. He's still living at home and seems to have no ambitions beyond playing video games, hanging out with his buddies (two young men who are also still living with their parents) and having sex. In desperation, his parents hire a professional motivation consultant, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who pretends to fall in love with McConaughey's character in the hope that a romantic relationship will motivate him to move out of his parents' home and get a life. The movie has received mixed reviews, though The Post's Stephen Hunter praised it as "the best comedy since I don't know when." But putting aside the movie's artistic merits or lack thereof, I was struck by how well its central idea resonates with what I'm seeing in my office with greater and greater frequency. Justin goes off to college for a year or two, wastes thousands of dollars of his parents' money, then gets bored and comes home to take up residence in his old room, the same bedroom where he lived when he was in high school. Now he's working 16 hours a week at Kinko's or part time at Starbucks. His parents are pulling their hair out. "For God's sake, Justin, you're 26 years old. You're not in school. You don't have a career. You don't even have a girlfriend. What's the plan? When are you going to get a life?" "What's the problem?" Justin asks. "I haven't gotten arrested for anything, I haven't asked you guys for money. Why can't you just chill?" This phenomenon cuts across all demographics. You'll find it in families both rich and poor; black, white, Asian and Hispanic; urban, suburban and rural. According to the Census Bureau, fully one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents -- a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years. No such change has occurred with regard to young women. Why? My friend and colleague Judy Kleinfeld, a professor at the University of Alaska, has spent many years studying this growing phenomenon. She points out that many young women are living at home nowadays as well. But those young women usually have a definite plan. They're working toward a college degree, or they're saving money to open their own business. And when you come back three or four years later, you'll find that in most cases those young women have achieved their goal, or something like it. They've earned that degree. They've opened their business. But not the boys. "The girls are driven; the boys have no direction," is the way Kleinfeld summarizes her findings. Kleinfeld is organizing a national Boys Project, with a board composed of leading researchers and writers such as Sandra Stotsky, Michael Thompson and Richard Whitmire, to figure out what's going wrong with boys. The project is only a few weeks old, it has called no news conferences and its Web site ( http://www.boysproject.net ) has just been launched. So far we've just been asking one another the question: What's happening to boys? We've batted around lots of ideas. Maybe the problem has to do with the way the school curriculum has changed. Maybe it has to do with environmental toxins that affect boys differently than girls (not as crazy an idea as it sounds). Maybe it has to do with changes in the workforce, with fewer blue-collar jobs and more emphasis on the service industry. Maybe it's some combination of all of the above, or other factors we haven't yet identified. In Ayn Rand's humorless apocalyptic novel "Atlas Shrugged," the central characters ask: What would happen if someone turned off the motor that drives the world? We may be living in such a time, a time when the motor that drives the world is running down or stuck in neutral -- but only for boys. Leonard Sax, a family physician and psychologist in Montgomery County, is the author of "Boys Adrift: What's Really Behind the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys," to be published next year.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee: The Story Behind the Song http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/MyCountryTis.asp By Kenneth W. Osbeck Guest Writer CBN.com -- "Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants." -- William Penn Moved deeply by the desire to create a national hymn that would allow the American people to offer praise to God for our wonderful land, a twenty-four-year-old theological student, Samuel Francis Smith, penned these lines on a scrap of paper in less than thirty minutes in 1832. Yet even today many consider "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" their favorite patriotic hymn and call it our "unofficial national anthem." The easily singable words of the song are matched with a popular international melody used by many nations, including England, where it accompanies "God Save the King/Queen." The emotionally powerful ideas that Smith expressed had an immediate response. The hymn soon became a national favorite. The stirring tributes to our fatherland in the first three stanzas lead to a worshipful climax of gratefulness to God and a prayer for His continued guidance. Following his graduation from Harvard and the Andover Theological Seminary, Samuel Smith became an outstanding minister in several Baptist churches in the East. He composed one hundred fifty hymns during his eighty-seven years and helped compile the leading Baptist hymnal of his day. He was also editor of a missionary magazine through which he exerted a strong influence in promoting the cause of missions. Later he became the secretary of the Baptist Missionary Union and spent considerable time visiting various foreign fields. Samuel Smith was truly a distinctive representative of both his country and his God. My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing: Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, From ev'ry mountain side let freedom ring! My native country, thee, land of the noble free, thy name I love: I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills; My heart with rapture thrills like that above. Let music swell the breeze, and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song: Let mortal tongues awake, let all that breathe partake; Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong. Our fathers' God, to Thee, author of liberty, to Thee we sing: Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; Protect us by Thy might, great God, our King!

CPSC resource: helmet safety for kids As spring weather improves and our kids start to spend more time outdoors, it is worth going over some safety practices with them, like helmet safety! If your Pack is planning a bike rodeo, please take a look at the helmet safety brochure printed by the Consumer Safety Product Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/349.pdf

Philmont Grace http://www.gatewaybsa.org/files/camp.pdf One of the most simple and memorable verses to me is the Philmont Grace. Do you know it? Do you live it? FOR FOOD For the food of combined thought from all over our great country, to help us grow wiser in Scouting. FOR RAIMENT For our Scouting uniform, which we have not only the blessing to wear- but the duty to honor. FOR LIFE For a life of freedom in these great United States, a nation unsurpassed anywhere on this fragile planet, where we are truly free to live the aims of Scouting. FOR OPPORTUNITY For the opportunity of Philmont and this scouting event itself- to be here with you- some of the finest in the scouting movement. FOR FRIENDSHIP For those we have met at Philmont- and grown to respect through that common interest- our devotion to the development of the youth. AND FELLOWSHIP To share a laugh- To help a friend in some small way- To share a sunrise- A sunset- This scouting event. And to return, if only for a moment, to our youth again and together climb a mountain- and reach the stars. WE THANK THEE, OH LORD Our thanks goes to the one who we individually believe allows us to share the scouting experience with all. J. W. Zeszutek Gateway District Commissioner Southeast Wisconsin Council

I suspect that somewhere along a way, a good-intentioned person thought it would be nice to change the quote from "boy" to "child", to make it more "inclusive", and since that time, the forces of PC-ness aim to keep it that way. Now that the author and the complete piece are known, its a shame folks prefer the PC-edited miniquote to the real thing.

Within my power I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority. Yet I may someday mould destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history. A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different. A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation. These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived. All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community. A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy. -- Written by Forest E. Witcraft (1894 - 1967), a scholar, teacher, and Boy Scout administrator and first published in the October 1950 issue of Scouting magazine. http://www.scoutingaround.com/boy_scouts/power/

A Scoutmaster's Prayer http://web.archive.org/web/19990424100953/www.ruralnet.net/~koshare/buck.html http://tinyurl.com/obn7j This poem was written years ago during World War II on a night preceding a Koshare Christmas party. Buck Burshears, while trying to figure out something to say at the banquet the following night had just learned that another of his boys, one of his Koshares was missing in action. The result was the poem, "A Scoutmasters Prayer", which Buck spent most of the night writing. =============== A Scoutmaster's Prayer A little boy came knocking at my Scout room door. An awfully little fellow, just twelve and no more. His eyes danced as he watched my gang at rowdy play. "I would like to be a Scout," he said, "Im twelve just yesterday. In the weeks to come he found his place, a trim young Scout he made. The tests he passed with eagerness, a thorough job sure paid. The oath, the laws, the knots and flag, were taken to his heart. A better man he was sure to be tho hed just begun to start. By the candle lighted darkness I watched his round face beam As the oath and law he pledged to keep - just like a prayer it seemed. The years to come were happy ones as we followed the trail - That greater men had laid for us far up where eagles sail. I watched him grow from boy to man, the days were far too few, To try to teach the important things that Scouting said were true. I didnt know so long ago our nation he would defend, I only saw a job to do, a helping hand to lend. Now hes flying higher still with silver wings up there. I pray to God the job I did was better than just fair. He thanked me once for what I did so many years ago. It was not his thanks that paid me because he did not know That greater thanks hed given me a thousand times before By his dancing eyes and smiling face - could one ask for more? There are other boys a-knocking, I must invite them in. Please, God, give me strength to make them better men.

I've just finished my first year as an ASM, after being an asst WDL and WDL for my son's Webelos den. I think I can safely say your "job" as an ASM can be as much (or as little) as you and the SM want to make it. One thing you said, however, got my attention:I would like to help the SM out at meetings.I see that you've been to SM/ASM training -- but did you watch the SM Fast Start video or DVD? Because if you didn't you should.One of the first points made in the SM Fast Start is that the SM doesn't "run" things, and certainly not the Troop Meetings. If you're under that impression, or if youyr SM does in fact run the Troop Meetings, you might suggest to her that she review the Fast Start training.

I never taught JLT, so I didn't feel a need to integrate any portions of it into the new course. The next time we run the course, it will be led by the SPL. He's been through JLT and TLT, so at that time, it will be his decision as to whether or not we incorporate any of the elements of JLT into TLT. Personally, I don't care for the idea of mixing elements of old and new syllabi. BSA saw fit to rewrite the course (whatever those reasons were). Mixing old with the new kinda defeats the purpose of rolling out a new course. I can see how those who taught JLT may be more comfortable with it; the old is by definition more familar than the new. But since I was new to both, it was easy for me to forego the old course. But I suspect we'll hear comparisons between old and new for a long time to come. How long has WB21C been out -- five years? And we stil can't get past those comparisons!

I'm a first-year ASM (my son crossed in March a year ago). Each of the "new-Scout" dads is expected to find an area where he can help contribute to the Troop, and I volunteered to help with youth training. Basically, my predecessor handed me a box of JLT binders and some Powerpoint files (the JLT video is missing but we think we know where it is). Anyway, I had heard about TLT replacing JLT, so I used some Troop funds to buy a copy, and was amazed at how "light" it is, compared to the old JLT. Now, I've never taught either one, so I have no pre-conceived notions as to which is better. There's a new syllabus, I'm assigned the training duties, so I decided to go with the new course -- a clean break from both the old instructor and the old course. Well, I must say, I'm not exactly sure what I've gotten myself into. As I read the TLT syllabus, there is theoretically much interaction, coaching, visioning and joint-goal-setting between the SPL and SM, with the intent that the SPL would train his PLs by conducting the three modules of TLT himself. I guess I'm not sure where an ASM-trainer fits into this picture. Since I'm training the new PLC tomorrow morning (we had troop elections last Monday), I've had to make a few adjustments to the syllabus, which I know is a "no-no" per BSA training policy. But since I'm obviously not the SM, I can hardly sit down and do joint visioning & goal-setting with the SPL (for example). But since the SM will be in attendance, I intend to ask them to do separate vision statements, then compare and reconcile them. Next, since the SM did not train the new SPL in advance of TLT, I will be training the SPL and PLs all at the same time (as well as all other appointed positions). I know this isn't optimal, but this is the assignment I was given. Do any other Troops do their TLT training this way? I.e., led by an ASM and done in one big session, rather than SM training the SPL first, then SPL training the other boys, etc.?

The Digital Boy and Girl Scouts http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=14427_0_14_0_C What does it mean to "be prepared" in today's age of pervasive technology? Pip Coburn wonders if today's kids will be playing Ender's Game tomorrow. Pip Coburn [Coburn Ventures] | POSTED: 03.23.06 @08:00 Last Friday morning I was a guest at the hip and Zen-like Clay gym near Union Square in Manhattan for an 8:30 am yoga class with my instructor Kristin. I came close to doing something really stupid, or at least, something with a potentially traumatic result. Let's see if I can explain it. I wanted to put my street clothes in a locker, but the locker was this new-age combo lock thingamajiggy I had no idea how to activatewasn't intuitive, at least to me. So I returned to the receptionist and thought I heard her say... "Pick any locker, type in a combo and hit the 'key' symbol to open it up, and when you close it use the same combo with the same 'key' symbol." In fact, that might be what she said.... What happened is I picked a locker, typed in a combo plus the "key" symbol and nothing happened. Wouldn't open. So I tried another locker. Nothing. So I tried another locker. Nothing. And.... I guess Einstein said that doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity, but I just figured I was picking locked lockers and needed to keep picking a new oneuntil eventually someone said "Hey, I think you are locking all the lockers...." Seems I was supposed to find an open locker, put my stuff in, and then close it. There was no need to type in a code prior to trying to open it.... What would have happened if the guy hadn't stopped me? Other than my being proven insane somewhere along the line, they might have had all their lockers set to my code with me back in midtown and gone for the weekend. Well.... Way back whenever, my oldest brother Ted12 years older than mewas a Boy Scout of America, and my father Red was a troop leader, and my sister Diane was a Girl Scout of America, and my mother Birdie was a troop leader. All of these folks were seriously into this stuff. Practicing making fires by rubbing sticks together and all.... By the time my older brother Drewsix years my seniorcame along, he narrowly escaped the Boy Scouts. And I never came closeperhaps to the dismay, disillusionment and quiet suffering of my dad. With three eight-year-olds of my own todayBailey, Tucker, and EamonI might just now be able to imagine my parents' desire for their kids to "be prepared," and how the Scouts fit into the Cold War period of the 1960s as much as Sean Connery did as 007. I can see how starting firescontrolled firesin the woods might be great fun for kids and provide a "feel-good" sense for parents. Today, "being prepared" and starting fires with sticks in the woods don't seem to really go together. May still be fun and may still be lots of learning to be had and lots of cookies to sell, but "being prepared"? "Prepared" for what? We might just need a new scout program: The Digital Scouts of the Planet. So last week I had the following problems: I nearly demolished the entire lock system at the Clay gym I nearly accidentally erased this entire piece before sending it to my editor Nina My XM satellite radio went on the fritz prior to our family journey to Niagara Falls My iPod quit wanting to demonstrate its ability to play videos My BlackBerry went on the fritzit was unwilling to transfer at "EDGE" speed, which was my entire reason to upgrade to the new 8700.... So Julian Underwood at our IT provider Lighthouse said, "Take the battery out of the BlackBerry for 60 seconds and then pop it back in. Seems to help." This is one little IT tip that seemingly every BlackBerry user knows, is annoyed by for its kludginess, and yet thankful when it workswhich in this case it didn't. There are a gazillion of these little tips that allow one person to sail thru modern life while another sits listening to Barry Manilow's Can't Smile Without You with a pile of dis-used electronics strewn about the various corners of their life. I got to thinking about how ill-prepared I really am for existing in society today. I thought that I am not prepared for modern Digital Life. Nor is my Eagle Scout brother Tedthe one who may or may not still remember how to successfully start a fire. I suspect not. "Be prepared" is still important, even if the "be prepared" offered by the Boy Scouts isn't as immediately relevant as it once was. Maybe we could use a new modern-age Digital Scouts of the Planet so that I can use all the digital stuff I have crammed into my life without help desks or manuals or yet another taunting remote control. There might not be a Cold War anymore to prepare for, but there is plenty to be prepared for in this Digital Age and most of useven the most techie among usare confused. I thought today of Ender's Game, the Sci-Fi classic by Orson Scott Card that my friend John Granholm turned me on to. In Ender's Game, a young boy age eight or nine or somethingnamed Enderquickly comes into command of the entire planet's armed forces. The elders recognize all the advantages that young children have in their thinking to make them the most effective generals. The Digital Scouts will be 3585 years old, while the teachers will be the eight- or nine- or something-year-olds.... This is the Digital World and I am not a Native. I am in little position to "prepare" my eight-year-olds, but rather they will soon teach meI hope. I'm not sure yet how to effectively organize the Digital Scouts of the Planet, and I am probably too old even for that task, but I do know that if we want to be prepared, we gotta stop rubbing sticks together and start thinking about fixing our BlackBerrys on the fly. --- Pip Coburn studies change for a living. June 2006 will see Penguin's publication of The Change Functionread the book to learn more about why certain technologies are adopted while others crash and burn. His company, Coburn Ventures, provides advisory services and puts its knowledge about "change" to work in the realm of technology, telecom, and media investing. At www.coburnventures.com, you may subscribe to Pip's Waypoints thought piece, the successor to The Weekly Global Tech Journey that Pip's group generated at UBS.

This was posted to SCOUTS-L as a new Fundraising Idea: http://www.ucomics.com/closetohome/2006/03/22/

Local Boy Scouts get hands-on training with local emergency team http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/NEWS01/603230600 http://makeashorterlink.com/?S6B7549DC BY CHRISTOPHER TOMLIN | COMMUNITY RECORDER Thursday, March 23, 2006; Posted: 11:15 a.m. EDT FLORENCE -- A large part of learning to be a Boy Scout involves being ready to perform emergency help at a moment's notice, as St. Mary's Alexandria Troop 96 recently learned firsthand while assisting St. Luke Hospital's Disaster Medical Assistance Team. The Disaster Medical Assistance Team of Kentucky, or DMAT KY-1, is a trained group consisting of nurse practitioners, administrators and volunteers prepared to respond to emergency alert calls both locally and nationally. It has deployed assistance to several hurricane sites, helped with the New York ice storm of 1998 and aided victims of 1997's Ohio Valley floods. The DMAT KY-1 team holds disaster simulation exercises to test preparedness, something which DMAT member and Troop 96 Committee leader Steve Hoffman saw as a valuable opportunity for the Scouts' training. By assisting the DMAT team in its exercises on March 17-18, the Scouts of Troop 96 were able to learn valuable rescue techniques while fulfilling essential requirements for the Eagle Scouts' emergency preparedness merit badge. "A disaster response team and a Boy Scout troop are similar in many ways," said Hoffman. "It's a good chance for these Scouts to see what happens, so they'll know what's expected of them if they were to help in an disaster situation." "This simulated emergency is staged," said Anthony Kuhl, a sophomore at Bishop Brossart and Senior Patrol Leader for the troop, "but the skills the Scouts are learning are ones that could come into play later, skills they can use throughout their lives." The Scouts aided the DMAT KY-1 team by assisting in the assembly of tents to create a base of operations and prepared meals for the team throughout the simulation. Some Scouts even played the roles of disaster victims while others learned communication signals used when working with rescue professionals and aircraft operators. The Scouts also learned rescue techniques for victims suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and other ailments. Assistant Scout leader Bruce Bezold felt that the involvement of Troop 96 was not only beneficial for emergency preparedness but community involvement as well. "They're learning what it means to be responsible to your community," Bezold said. "And community service is key to being a Scout." Dave McClure, unit commander for DMAT KY-1, said Troop 96's help was invaluable to the team's exercises. "They're a joy to work with," McClure said. "These guys are the future of teams like this one."

ronvo, it is unfortunate that you never saw your UC. I hope the explanation is that your unit had no UC assigned (due perhaps to a shortage of UCs), rather than having a UC who did not actively visit his or her units. My experience as a TDL, CC and WDL in two different Packs pretty much echoes yours: I never saw our UC (except perhaps at FOS time). I am now a UC myself and I try the best I can to visit my units once a month. With five packs and a troop, that's not always easy to do, as I am also an ASM in my son's troop (in a different district, so I am not UC for his troop). In any event, here's a link to Commissioner Fast Start that may answer some of your questions about what Commissioners do, and the relationship between the UC, DC and DE: http://www.alohacouncilbsa.org/CommissionerFastStart/ It doesn't discuss the history of the position, but my understanding is, the Commissioner Corps and unit service has been around from the beginnings of the Scouting Movement. Finally, if you never see your UC, contact your District Commissioner and ask them which UC is assigned to your unit. Then invite that person to attend your next Pack Meeting or Committee Meeting.

Whatever happened to this service award / patch? I never heard of it before stumbling across it while browsing the web. Did this program end in 2000? ===================================================================== "Service to America" patch BSA has created the "Service to America" patch featuring the Little Red Wagon to recognize Scouts' individual service achievements. The Order of the Arrow, Scouting's youth service organization, will provide leadership and direction to the national effort. Scout units representing 4.5 million Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorers in 50 states are involved in the effort. Locally, 1.5 million volunteer Scout leaders in 16,000 communities will provide leadership. Packs, troops and varsity Scout teams can also qualify for unit recognition for achievement in meeting the overall BSA youth service goals. http://www.americaspromise.org/media/newsdetail.cfm?artID=365 Through the end of 2000 each Scout who completes a minimum of 12 hours of community service per year will qualify to receive a Service to America patch. If 75 percent of Scouts in a unit earn the patch recognition, then all unit leaders will be eligible to purchase a patch. The participation patch, No. 339, retails for $1.99 and is available for purchase from Scout shops or BSA distributors. http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/00-ap.html

Texas Parks & Wildlife: Fifty Reasons to Get Outside For those of you who live in Texas or will be visiting our fine state, check out: 50 Reasons to Get Outside: http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2006/mar/ed_1/ The Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine and website are great resources for Scouts and families.

Flying Scouts earn wings in Hondo http://tinyurl.com/flhye Web Posted: 03/20/2006 12:00 AM CST Elizabeth Allen Express-News Staff Writer The low gray sky began misting early Sunday on Boy Scouts at the second annual Hondo Aviation Day, shutting down the last few flights of a plane-packed weekend. But for the organizers and volunteers who spent 10 nonstop hours Saturday rotating about 500 kids through flights in four small airplanes at Hondo Municipal Airport, it was a success. Its organizers said the weekend gathering of Scouts in aviation is the largest of its kind in the nation. Mitch Roddy, 11, and Travis Johnson, 10, of Houston-area Troop 901, grinned and shuffled their feet when asked if they itched to touch the controls of the Piper PA-32 and Cessna 182 they rode in to earn aviation merit badges. They noted how rough the small planes felt compared with big commercial airliners. "When I grow up, I'd really like to have a plane, if I can afford it," Mitch said. Despite the parade of sunny weeks that preceded this gloomy weekend, Houston-area organizer Debbie Cherry wasn't about to curse the weather. "I know y'all need this rain," said Cherry, an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 901. The drizzle replaced thunderstorm watches for the Hill Country, and it managed to turn San Antonio roads slick and to dampen pastures throughout South Central Texas. Inclement weather prevented some of the volunteer pilots in the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles Program from reaching Hondo, said John Killian, a San Antonio lawyer, association member and father-in-law to Cherry, as well as owner of a Hondo airport hangar. That cut the available planes and pilots from about 14 to four. As the last of the troops broke camp and headed out Sunday, Killian sat on a couch with several other volunteers. They all had the look of people who had been going full speed all day for several days before finally coming to a stop. Nobody moved unless he or she had to, except Cherry, whose air was perpetually brisk. Killian is a flight enthusiast, but his interest in Boy Scouts has more to do with his daughter-in-law's relentless organizing. "I basically shamed him into becoming a merit badge counselor," Cherry said. It began last year when she persuaded him to get the Experimental Aircraft Association to host a fly-in for her two boys and their troop. Killian told her to extend the invitation to all Houston scouts. "I said, 'John, there's 100,000 Boy Scouts in Houston,' and he said, 'I don't care. Put the word out.'" Killian then felt he should invite San Antonio scouts, too, and Cherry said 266 Scouts converged on Hondo last year. This year there were 605, she said, and those who didn't get to go up will likely get another chance in the Houston area. The organizers were proud of the guest lecturers and pilots, such as retired Army Brig. Gen. Julius Braun and astronaut Charlie Duke, an Apollo 16 veteran who walked on the moon. But it took a much bigger effort from a lot more people just to manage the basics of such a large gathering. "I bet you there was 100 volunteers easy," Killian said. "You have to have people around the airplanes to make sure the kids don't run into the propellers. (And) we probably cooked 1,000 hamburgers in an hour." A camped-out crowd of hundreds of people can also produce a lot of trash in short order, as Collin Cherry, 14, and Leo Caesar, 13, discovered. Collin and Leo got to fly last year, so this year they came as volunteers. They most enjoyed escorting scouts on and off planes, Leo said, mainly because when they were doing that, "we didn't have to pick up things that smelled bad."

I'm not expert on the history of the various Cub Scout awards, but it is my understanding that the sports BLs were designed to get those boys already active in sports to take an interest in Cub Scouts, by giving them "credit" for what they are already doing. I don't think it was originally the intent to get boys already in Cub Scouting to take an interest in sports (although I agree that's a noble goal). If its true about why sports BLs were developed, that would explain why there is no hiking BL. But I agree that BSA should consider adding one.

Brownies still appeal http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03172006/emily/93077.htm http://tinyurl.com/zrme7 By Emily Bailey ebailey@seacoastonline.com Public Emily Archive I was a bad Brownie. I forgot my dues. I didnt care how many cookies I sold, only that I could have a cellophane sleeve of Thin Mints for myself. I hated the Girl Scout-issued brown jumper and would only wear the sash (which usually wound up crumpled at the bottom of my knapsack before I got to school). Ive never been much of a joiner. But the other little girls, they were good Brownies. At 7, they already had their roles. There were the pretty girls and the prissy girls, the tomboy girl, the messy girl, the kiss-up girl, and the girl who tries really hard but always gets left out. We met at the Catholic church. The troop leaders fed us snacks, we sang the Brownie song, went on field trips, and of course, sold cookies to our neighbors and the same girl always sold the most boxes because her mother sold them for her. People say times and children have changed. But Brownies are still very much the same. Right here in Portsmouth, Troop 2148 met last week in the art room at Little Harbour Elementary School. They had oranges and graham crackers for snack and reported on their good deeds: "I made my bed." "I pulled my tooth out." "I wrote a letter to my friend Delilah." The same characters were present, brown sashes and badges intact. The Jennifers and Tiffanys have become Julias and Biancas, but they are just as earnest and eager to please as "my" Brownies were. After snack, the girls sat in a circle on the floor in front of the art room chalkboard to have a talk. They were just about to learn where their next meeting would take them. First, it was time to recite the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law. The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try:To serve God and my country,To help people at all times,And to live by the Girl Scout Law. The Girl Scout Law I will do my best to behonest and fair,friendly and helpful,considerate and caring,courageous and strong, andresponsible for what I say and do, and torespect myself and others,respect authority,use resources wisely,make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. Keeping true to their promises, the troop then made plans to spend some of their cookie proceeds on supplies for homeless kittens and cats at the N.H. Society for the Protection of Animals. Afterward they played a game of animal charades, and even the grown-ups took part. I was reminded just how loud 7- and 8 -year-olds can be when they squeal in unison. I had thought so little about my own Brownie experience, but last week, in the elementary school art room, I was right back there again. I remembered the excitement, how important the girls in my own troop felt by wearing the uniform and having tasks like selling cookies and doing good deeds like helping animals. The hand signs, recitation and ritual are like practice for adulthood and we all know how much little girls like to impersonate adults. The next time someone tells you that children have changed, point to the Brownie Girl Scouts. While the Scout Web site now tells you that you can substitute Allah (or your deity of choice) for God in the Promise, the mission and appeal for girls remains. Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low (an iconic woman with a history that included overcoming deafness, a miserable marriage and subsequent friendship - some sources say more - with the founder of the Boy Scouts, and keeping cancer a secret), the Girl Scouts now number 3.6 million. To find your local troop, visit the Web site of the Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council at www.swgirlscouts.org. Emily Bailey is the community editor of the Portsmouth Herald. She can be reached at ebailey@seacoastonline.com. For a complete archive of Public Emily columns, visit www.seacoastonline.com/news/wiggin.htm