Fuzzy Bear

Let's do like National does and make suggestions based on outcomes. The TOP TEN... 1. Backpacking is for people that like ticks and chiggers. A. Let's get a good film with Kevin Bacon doing something outside. It is safer and more exciting. 2. The outdoor program attracts boys. A. Make it so that the outdoor program is 90% of what we do. 3. Sports programs are successful. A. Make all units compete in at least three sports per year. 4. Camporees have lost their excitement. A. Make them into Festivals where sports are played and stage entertainment is brought in for the Saturday night extravaganza. 5. The boys do not like the uniform. A. Do away with it. Let them wear camo. 6 Boys are too busy to be leaders. A. Make the adults Patrol Leaders. 7 Meetings are too boring. A. Let the guys hook up on line and play some kind of Patrol game over the net once per week. 8 The LDS units are successful because they recharter so many units. A. Make all boys become LDS members and there will instantly be four times the number of units. 9. Service projects no longer does it for us. A. Let the County or City clean it up. 10. Boys who make Eagle stay in the Troop longer. A. Make it so each and every Scout will make Eagle in one year. That should fix it.

We had bought a fixer-upper while we were both in school. I thought it would be a one month job based on my detailed plans and research but that one month just barley got me started. The first thing I did was rip out the bathroom, a big, big mistake. We wound up using our little portable commode and I draped plastic around a ladder and used a hose for a shower. I couldn't finish the plumbing because the city required copper and I didn't have the tools, so I had to hire a plumber. I could go on and on but the point was I got a job and we moved. We still owned the house and I got a job back where the house was located. We returned and I tried to get the courage to continue working on it but I had lost heart. We bought another house. We sold the fixer-upper for a 6k lose. I sold it myself while using the logic of an ox. I listed all of the problems and talked myself out of all the money and work I had spent putting the bathroom back in it. I began working on the new house, repainting it outside and inside over the next two years. I finished the fence in the backyard, a stockade type. I planted trees and put in shrubs and flowers. We found another place and moved. The second house sold for a tidy profit. There was very little wrong with it. I listed those things also. The new owners were especially happy and said it was the cleanest and best kept house they had found on the market. They agreed to pay full price. The lose on my last house had been returned and then some. I feel pretty good about being a Scout. FB

Have a 12 month boy planned and led program using a balance of the 8 methods with adult support. The Scout program, unlike sports programs, is year round. Tell them, "The door will be open on time and the fun program you helped plan will be happening". It is their choice. All of the other stuff will take care of itself. FB

resqman, Where did you purchase your track with all of the equipment? FB

I would feel much better if the earrings had a dainty fleur de les or lily embossed in gold and I agree with KS, the skirt should be official and not a cheap knock-off. He should wear the official high top BSA socks with it and a pair of shoes to accentuate and/or match his overall wardrobe. Wearing proudly the official BSA uniform is one method that leads to the Aims of Scouting that we all agree on. Since we are not voting, being in the minority or majority carries little actual value here. FB

KS is so right, put all your ducks in order before throwing one back in the water. You have 12 months to do so. Quack, Quack

Look, if the guy wanted to stick a spear through his head from ear to ear and have it hang out on both sides and dangle a pair of earrings down to the floor, nobody should have said a word to him. As long as he was in full uniform with all badges correctly in place and wasn't going out to play soccer where one might get hurt while wearing such apparel, then he was within the Scout regulations. *Given the present state of soccer, he should avoid it anyway. Also, yes, BOR helps as an exercise for future interviews but he wasnt there for that either. Also, my personal opinion on such things is not relevant, so I dont get a vote. The leader should obediently make a humble apology to the boy and the family, Campaign hat firmly in hand, head up and brave. I still wish the Scout would have chosen to speak for himself instead of leaving and quitting. He would have been turned down for the indiscretion and then he could have appealed the verdict. He most likely would have been vindicated and he would have helped the unit/patrol to turn a bad policy into things of the 21st century. This is basic to participating citizenship and is the way to change things in our country. In other places, change doesn't come so easily. FB

from, Ceremonies for an ACM: Bring ACM front and center but below the stage level. Light seven candles on the stage above his/her head, turn the lights down low. Turn background music up to just below speaking threshold- something military and slow. Have two dens flank the ACM and begin humming along with the tune. The CM uses the P.A. to tell about the duties of the ACM and how they relate to his/her duty seven days a week, one for each candle. Have second boom box use a recorded fly over that is turned up at the crescendo of the song. The house lights are brought back up. The Dens of the Pack do a march by with their Den flags a fluttering, saluting as they pass and throwing blue and gold confetti on the new ACM while wildly cheering him/her. The lights are fully back on as the last Scout marches by and hands the new ACM a broom. The CM puts out the first candle and say, "Day one". FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

let me echo Eamonn, All leaders in all units, including the CC, are in their jobs for one year only and must be renewed for the next year. Recognize everyone for a great job and then recruit whoever you want and the CO will approve for the next. If you inform everyone and that is their expectation, then it doesn't feel like being fired. You can actually promote someone for doing a lousy job, then they can move right on up the ladder. FB

Dug, Come on in and sit by the fire and warm your cold backsides. You sound like you have ridden many moons in the land of great darkness. Here, smoke our pipe of peace. Drink a large cup of our mud and join in on the conversation. We can always use another with such an obviously large sense of humor. We are also happy to know that you hail from a great troop with a long Scouting tradition. Don't hesitate to fill us in on the details. FB

The SM disciplines within the parameters of the Scout Oath and Law. If the Scout has broken the Oath or the Law, then it can be an opportunity for personal growth for that individual to take responsibility to renew his personal actions. Most of these situations would be considered minor and counseling rather than punishment would be the method for intervention. There could be instances where things might go beyond these boundaries and the SM would most likely say, "I think it is time I have help in adjusting this behavior". The Troop Committee takes action beyond that point but stops short when there is a civil rule broken and then the DE and the DC would be consulted for further action. In most cases, discipline and the acts can be resolved at the Troop committee level but even the committee usually knows their limits of what they can deal with effectively. The parents need to be informed when there is Committee action, simply because they can be an asset and support in the process for the Scout and the person or group providing the disciplinary actions. It is not a court where due process is needed but part of the system of this justice is to make sure that the person is able to tell their story and that some type of defense is available (parents). This also helps to moderate punishment before it becomes vengeance. The "walk" in the night and the intrigue of "meeting" someone but with the resulting actions from those outside the unit with discipline involving Summer Camp doesn't make sense. Your story begs the question to be told in full. It is possible that the SM was afraid that the Scouts would get hurt by wandering off or that the Scouts might be influenced to engage in un-Scout like behaviors with others not connected to the unit. Of course, the Scouts violated the curfew and didn't follow the procedure to stay within the camp area. The SM may have felt that he did not have control of the Scouts and that they are refusing to follow common sense in such matters. He may feel that he could not be responsible for their behavior. This may not be the first time or it may be that he doesn't know how to deal with it. It is at that point that he would involve the CC and turn it over to the Committee and the parents. The CC may be new or there may not be a functioning committee and the DC was consulted because there was not a UC. This still would only be a consulting role. Coming up with the Summer Camp punishment doesn't fit the story and if the parents were part of the review, then they should have had input and been able to balance the decision unless they were also having similar problems. There is more here but I am not the one that should be writing it, so please forgive me before I do. FB

I would much rather see the school day used to assist students in focusing on the subject matter that they are assigned to learn. The schools have an important curriculum that should be safeguarded and carefully structured with few interruptions. If we taught leaders how to run a good program and leaders and Scouts how to recruit, then there would be a constant flow of kids into the program throughout the year. If we ran good Pack events and involved the CO, then we would bring in more leaders and other Scouts. If we ran good District events and brought some of the program to the community, then people would know more about Scouting and would want to join. If we opened Packs in every Church in every town and city, then we would find our population. If each Scout was proud of being a Cub, then they would invite their friends to join. Cub Scouting is a great program and can compete and beat any other just based on the variety alone. Quality program is our greatest asset. We need to first do that and then share it with others. If we do, then the numbers will be there. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

Sensing an Eagle mill is not the term I would use. It is more like a smack in the face. The troop meeting is Adult run. Merit Badge classes make up most of the meeting. One adult gives the announcements. One adult makes sure the computer program for advancements are updated. Anxious parents are on the sidelines making sure their son is doing what he is supposed to be doing, which means MB work. The (MB) program has been planned by a well meaning SM with the aid of the computer guys program to highlight which badge comes next. The summer camp has been chosen by the well meaning SM based on the missing MBs. The committee doesnt exist or is only on paper. The well meaning SM keeps the Troop's checkbook in his hip pocket. The well meaning SM occasionally tells the anxious parents about what he has planned for the next campout. The well meaning SM does not have a yearly plan but decides month to month what his Troop will be doing. Since this is from actual experience and none of it is an exaggeration, when you see it for yourself, you will instantly understand that it has nothing to do with subtlety. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

All get the same materials: 1- 2 X 4 X 12 inches long 1- medium sized cardboard box 2 feet of cotton string 6- 6 penny nails 1- 24" square of cloth 1- 3/8' dowl- 24' long 1- 1 gallon plastic milk jug 3- empty cans TOOLS 1- black marker 1- bottle of Elmers white glue 1- pair of scissors 1- hand saw- needs adult supervision 1- hammer- needs adult supervision 1- 12 inch ruler 1 drill with a 3/8 inch bit (handled only by an adult) 1- large C clamp or vise 1 work bench Review safety procedures before you start. Task: You must build an invention that uses only the materials given to you. Use your imagination. Make a drawing before you start and write down your explanation. *paper and pencil Supervision is necessary. Tools should be shared. Time needed- 5 minutes for planning- 30-45 minutes for completion. FB

The Dragon Cadence (* to be used in a dancing manner while breathing fire) Dragons Rock Dragons Stomp Romp, Stomp, Tromp Dragons, Dragons, Dragons Tap, tap, tap swirl, twirl Tromp, tromp, tromp Dragons, Dragons Rock, Stomp, Tromp Dragons, Dragons swirl, twirl tap, tap, tap tromp, tromp, tromp romp, romp, romp Dragons stomp!

A good SPL listens to the Scouts and finds out their needs and desires. He then offers those as solutions and goals. He directs when many don't agree but out of respect will follow. He learns the skills of leadership and uses them to make a great program. He is brave and he has a good sense of justice. Moreover, he is a friend to all. FB

The media, liberal or conservative, must place little ethical value on their profession if they spun this story merely to sell a few papers. They had a distinguished picture of him in his Scout shirt. He was the President of his Lutheran congregation. The Pastor was shocked and almost beside himself with disbelief. He worked in a security firm for a period of time. He was some type of security guard. They had another picture of him in his security uniform. He was a graduate of the local college in the criminal justice program. He was a civil servant and appeared conservative and had a gruff demeanor. He was a Father and a husband. He killed, got away with it and it appeared he wanted to get caught. This story is sad because there are so many victims and I don't mean just the ones he killed. None of it makes any sense.

It is still down.

If one test is not enough, then two won't do. FB

Testing

Testing, testing, testing

Testing, Testing, Testing

Testing, Testing, Testing...

I came from a Council that always had a large PW and PW book. It was an event that was fun and we had allot of interest from across the districts. The Council that I presently reside in had a miserable PW. The leaders could barley interest enough participants to match the number of staff for the event. Sessions went without while others had one or two show up. I was confused by the lack of participation but by the end of the day I began to understand some of what had occurred. These are a few things I noted: The staff came only from the sponsoring district. A large portion of the staff was recruited during the last month. They did not have staff development. There were only 2 people that wore theme costumes. Promotion was mainly from the Council and District websites. Roundtable promotion was in the form of a verbal announcement. Some of the sessions were geared to teach people a lesson about how to do Scouting. The PW book was on disc. It was handed out in a plain envelope. The people that were in charge of the event were trying to finish another WB ticket item. They had a WB beading ceremony at lunch to teach everyone about WB. The leader of the event patrolled the halls and occasioned some of the sessions to criticize the presentations. Staff recognition didn't happen. The two leaders felt that they had done a great job. I do not recommend these methods for PW. FB

To further qualify my statements (thanks to OGE): I took the Old WB course, the 20th Century one before the fall of the Western Hemisphere. The course and the staff made it a great experience. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I acquired one of the best set of leadership tools that a person could have. In part, it was due to the staff. I later became a staffer and a good old staffer too. I was also introduced to the seamier side of the old WB course. It had to do mostly with people's pride to see how many beads, positions, and courses they could capture for their own personal totem. This insider attitude kept others out and made teaching it exclusive. It was not pretty. For those that did not fit, they were treated with disrespect. Winning was the only goal and there was never enough courses for the WB club that ran it. You might not have experienced such behavior today because there was a change. The change helped to do away with such nonsense. People are happy now. We were not happy then... FB