fling1

Thanks, all.

The topic of our roundtable was Webelos --> Scout transition, and the notion of a Webelos "patrol" was held up as part of the solution -- acclimating the Webs to the notions of Boy Scouting. It's really an extension of the concepts involved in having tan shirts and den emblems, etc. The extension went so far as to include the designation of a "patrol leader" rather than a "denner". This just didn't sound right to me, but I was somewhat alone in my objection. As I said, my perception is that this may do more harm than good in the overall Webelos --> Scout transition over the f

At our district roundtable last night, I saw a presentation that talked about the entire spectrum of scouting from Tigers to Eagle. In this presentation, I was very surprised to see Webelos described as a Webelos "patrol." I know that the look is achieved by using a "den emblem" (patrol emblem) on a tan shirt. But my perspective has been that leading Webelos to believe that they are a functioning patrol may do more harm than good when it comes to re-learning what a patrol is at the Boy Scout level. I was assured that this is the current language of the Webelos program. My Webelo

Hello, experieced Girl Scouters, I have a newbie question about the Gold project that I'm sure one of you can answer definitively for me. The Gold project is supposed to benefit the "community". But I have read at least one opinion that this can include the "Girl Scout community." I know that, for example, work done at BSA camps is specifically marked out-of-bounds for Eagle projects, and my understanding is that in the BSA context, "for the community" is defined as the "non-BSA community." Do the Girl Scouts make this same distinction? Can you point me to an official d

ES316 asked a specific question, and is still waiting for an answer: "If anyone knows of any exact ruling about working in bars while being an Assistant Scoutmaster, please get back to me on this." Here's mine: It is up your Chartering Organization (CO) to decide who is fit to hold a leadership position in the unit. BSA has some high-level filters on the subjects of religious principles and homosexuality, but you've already cleared those hurdles since you are already installed as an ASM (and we'll take an Eagle scout at his word for your compliance with these requirements). Howeve

I want to make two short points: 1) TheFourGuardians jumped into this fray as a Life scout and wrote a long, logical post the equal of any on three pages. I am stunned that only Rooster managed to notice what he posted enough to respond directly to him. Thanks for your insights, TFG. I particularly liked this one: "Do not for a minute doubt the power of theories in science. They guide chemestry in atoms, periodic tables, etc. Physics depends on theories such as Quantam, Superstring, and Relatvity. And in turn, Biology is reduced severely without evolution." which leads me to

Thanks for the replies. I've also been researching spun gun incidents of all sorts, to get a better understanding of the risks. What I was looking for here was specific policy language from BSA that would rule out combustion guns vs. pneumatic guns. G2SS on fuels and fires - thanks Eagle76 - there is language here for chemical fuels, which is helpful. Clearly the intent is for various fuel types to be used safely, under supervision, for their intended purpose. I think I can meet that standard. The only bold policy here is that liquid fuels are not to be used for starting fires. Ag

Have done, OGE :-) http://www.scouttroop.org/oh/bsa/476/TrebLaunch.jpg

No, ScoutNut. I'm really asking. If you can convince me not to use hairspray, I'll constrain the patrols to a compressed-air design only. They are lobbying for a hairspray design though and I am currently inclined to allow it.(This message has been edited by fling1)

Hi All, I have an activity in mind to foster patrol unity and build teamwork, but I want to ask your opinions about it... I want the patrols to build potato guns and compete with them. It will provide plenty of opportunity to plan, execute together, and increase their team spirit. I am convinced that this is in bounds, although I know there are some who will object both on safety/common sense grounds and also some who will question how this achieves the aims of scouting. While I appreciate these objections, I am after something more specific: The most common design call

Semper wonders: Maybe Derek will volunteer to place the apple on his head" Of the "dangerous projectile" activities: [bBs, archery, tomahawks], the tomahawks are by far the most challenging target weapon. Many, many people fail to hit any part of the target from 15'. And if the target is a big slice of oak tree (hard stuff!), you need a perfect throw plus some luck to make it stick. At the Expo I mentioned, they stapled a playing card to the middle to serve as the target. Nick the card with a stuck throw to win a prize. Not many prizes get awarded. So I'll pass on the William Tell duties,

Tomahawk throwing is a blast. Our council used to put on a "Outdoor Action Expo" (previously known as "Family Jamboree") for the public as a showcase of scouting for the community to enjoy. It was a great event that has unfortunately gone by the wayside :-( The tomahawk throwing station was always a big hit and available to all comers, any age, any gender, scout or non-scout. (There was also archery and BBs available on a similar basis. Better yet were the monkey bridges, rapelling tower, and 50' caving ladder: each of these was organized and run by a troop and the best ones had t

Simple question, in two parts: What BSA training was the most helpful to you? What did you learn there?

Whose phone number do you have? Seriously, what ScoutNut says is true - the SM and SPL work together, so calling either one of them should get the ball rolling. As a WDL, I once had better luck reaching a youth leader when I was trying to contact a troop. YMMV.

You are overlooking the obvious "best way to cook 100 Hotdogs". You need: 10 campfires 100 sticks 100 Cub Scouts Hope this helps!

Great topic. Thanks, BW, for injecting a large dose of clarity on this subject, re: "accident vs. liability" and re: "denial of coverage" However, I think we are still in the dark concerning our worst nightmares -- the ones where we get sued into the stone age, divorced and destitute because of one bone-headed decision, or even a misunderstanding of policy. Bob's helpful posts included: Not all together true FScouter. Unlike the accident insurance, the liability protection is based on the party being covered taking reasonable precautions to avoid causing injury. The insurance c

I wrote: Yes, the founders had every expectation that God and religion would figure into the governmental process... at the state level. BW wrote: I am not sure that there is any historial evidence to support that. I am no scholar on the subject, but here's an example I feel sufficient to base the statement on: Massachusetts drafted their state constitution in 1777, and eventually ratified their first in 1780. John Adams was its principal author, and clearly qualifies as a "founder" and a key figure in the development of the U.S. Constitution. Massachusetts is proud of the fact that m

I know better than to participate in these discussions, but it probably won't hurt to post just one little missive ;-> ... 6 pages so far, and only one mention of the crux of the problem: The 14th Ammendment. I so enjoy these arguments, because both sides are right. Yes, the founders had every expectation that God and religion would figure into the governmental process... at the state level. Remember, they founded a federal republic of sovereign states. They went to a lot of trouble to protect the states from abuses of the feds and from being overwhelmed by their fellow sta

I can't figure out which side of the fence you guys are on... It costs so much! We don't get enough percentage! Which is it people?? It costs so much because you are keeping 1/3 and your council is keeping 1/3. Compare to what troops make selling Girl Scout cookies, and your eyes will open. Those things are expensive, too. But the troop will collect 10-20 cents (!) per $2.50-$3.00 box. High priced popcorn is a bit of a tough sell, agreed. But which is easier to sell to get to summer camp? $600 worth of popcorn or $2000 worth of cookies? Which is easier to put in yo

Barry, do your existing patrols have any say in how this happens? If not, has this ever caused you any problems?

Ha!! Our boys did this this past weekend at the River Days festival in New Richmond, Ohio. It was our first time and we had a blast. There were 30 boats there, some of which were outstandingly made. In fact some of the boats have competed for several years, believe it or not. Our three entries were rather humble in comparison, but our boys are already thinking of more ambitious projects for next year. We camped just a couple blocks away from festival central, right on the river, and enjoyed the live band all weekend and the huge fireworks show across the river -- all while relaxing in

We actually did a Gilligan skit at last year's Blue and Gold, with assorted adults from the Pack. (Our theme was "tall ships" which included various sailing and island touchstones.) We adapted the script of the first episode of the show. The script was dug on the internet.. here's a link: http://www.gilligansisle.com/scripts/script1.html We simplified greatly of course... here's what we used: Started with the radio broadcast, somewhat shortened. Moved on to Gilligan building the raft (starting with the sign, of course!). Got the sail from the girls. Launched the raft with

I like your question, Ronvo. I am not a super-naturalist kind of guy, but I encourage my guys to take an interest and be open to learning something. Whenever I have a chance to pass on something that I know, I try to incorporate a couple of "bonuses": When and where I first learned about it, especially if it has been recently. What I did to extend my knowlege a bit. For example, I recently wondered, "what the heck are those little glowing worms?" when I was up at 2:30, walking off a headache. I had never seen them before! So I googled my way to the answer, then I shared

In my view, the *primary* job for the ASPL is to work with the troop's "staff positions," ie: QM, Scribe, etc. (This frees the SPL to plan and run meetings.) He should be aware of each staff member's goals for their position, and help them put together a plan to acheive the goal, identifying resources, etc. Then followup to monitor progress against the plan. The ASPL has a *secondary* job to back up the SPL for absences. A large troop might have a large staff. Multiple QMs, Scribe, Webmaster, Publicity Dude, Photographer, Historian, and other specialists. With enough positions like

I have the same 3-way headlight that OWL62 mentioned (Ray-o-vac?) and I LOVE it. The three way switch goes from off - 1 red LED - 3 white LEDs - 1 white bulb. I bought it for $12 at Mejier. It takes 3 AAAs. The red (first position) preserves your night vision and is enough light to take care of most chores. I rarely go to the white because it is so nice to keep your eyes well-adjusted. The white LEDs are quite bright, but the bulb is brighter yet. The bulb is definitely more "yellow" than the LEDs, even though it is a pretty bright bulb. I almost never use the bulb, but it is nice