Gags

Greetings all. Over the past several months, the choice of language used by my Scouts has quickly deteriorated. The Troop is only 4 boys, all are 14 and in the 9th grade (3 in HS, one in the last year at a Senior Middle School, or whatever they call it). Last months backpacker was the worst. I feel theres a total lack of respect being shown to myself and the ASM (one of the Scouts mothers, no less) during meetings and outings. I understand that boys will be boys, which is why the one parent seems to accept the all too occasional slip-ups. Now I definitely dont live in a glass house (as my wife will attest whenever I watch sports on TV), but I seem to remember doing a pretty good job of watching my mouth around adults when younger. Is this concept foreign to Scouts these days? Ive tried the Scout is Clean talk, even having one of them read the description of it from the handbook during a SM conference where we discussed his Scout Spirit the past few months. I saw the light bulb go off, but it must of tripped the circuit breaker b/c it was lost on him by next week. In addition to the minor swearing (and one or two major episodes), the phrase of choice is any combination of thats stupid, youre an idiot and X is being retarded. The constant reminders of being Courteous and Kind dont sink in either. 3 of the 4 have known each other since Cubs. The ASM chalks some of it up to them just being excited to see each other (since theyre all in different schools). Shes a little blind to the fact that theyre not as close friends as she thinks, but thats another story. Im at wits end. Ive prepared a letter home to the parents, but its already almost a page long (single spaced), and wanted the lists opinion before I sent it out. I dont expect them to be angels, but is it that much to ask that they bite their tongues a little bit more while in Scouts? I wont make them do 15 push-ups for every slip up, as tempting as it is, b/c thats not the message I want to send, and more importantly, I shouldnt HAVE to threaten or use that kind of discipline in a Scouting environment. Its just that the this isnt appropriate for Scouting lectures that seem to work for everybody else is not working in this case. Do I need to just resort to being the evil SM for a few weeks, and hope they dont quit altogether? Before this letter gets too long (well, too late for that), Ill end it here and open the floor for suggestions, criticisms, or offers of free drinks in sympathy. YiS, Frustrated in Washington

FOG - I've heard the opposite. Several of my friends that use them claim they find themselves drinking less, since they're only taking sips at a time. Could depend on when you're hiking too - we do most of ours in the fall/spring. I'd go through 3 liters in no time in the summer, hose or no hose. I guess it depends on how experienced a hiker you are - if you haven't used a regular canteen before, you may not be aware of the idea of water conservation for the whole hike. Just a theory though. YIS, --Gags

Camelbak - Great idea. I assume you'd just be bringing the bottle and hose. Be careful where you keep the tip of the hose though - I've heard of plenty of cases of the valve being accidently squeezed/opened just from the way you pack your backpack. Especially with a soft camelbak/platypus, bring at least 1 liter of water in another container. No need to put all your "eggs" in one basket. If you only container leaks, you may not realize it until you're well along the trail. Multi-tool? I keep wanting one, but never want to carry the weight. Have I ever needed pliers in my 18 years of hiking? No. What I have used a multi-tool for was to cut moleskin using my best-friends Leatherman Micra (the $19.99 version). It comes with scissors. But of course, there's that other thing that can cut moleskin called a pocket knife. Mess Kit? I bring one pot, a white cereal kind of bowl (probably .25 cents at a dollar/party store), and a sturdy plastic spoon. No fork, no knife other than my pocketknife. The pot is from the MSR blacklight kit - non-stick and 1.5 litres. For the past few years, my menus have consisted of oatmeal for breakfast and dehydrated food for dinner. Mostly - boil water, add contents. hence - I only need one pot. Now - would I use the pot in a standard mess kit? Not really. It holds way too little water, and depending on the style of the mess kit, is pretty unstable. I'll put the traditional mess kit right up next to uniform pants as "things badly in need of re-designing". The bigger pot also allows me to fit the pouch that my dinner comes in inside it, giving me something to hold other than a drooping pouch - reducing the chance of spillage, while still hopefully keeping the pot clean. But if all you're doing is boiling water, than bring whatever pot you have. If it's too small, you'll just have to boil 2 pots worth. You'll still live. :-) Enjoy the weekend. Don't forget that fleece or knit cap for the evening! And duct tape. Always lots of duct tape. Happy Hiking, --Gags

OGE - I don't have my handbook on me at the moment, so I can't turn to the page that labels the parts of the axe. But if you replace the handle, and then replace the head - what's left of the original axe? Happy Chopping, --Gags

That's why I like the neckerchiefs given out at WB so much (the "plaid" ones with the embroidered "Troop 1" on the back - maybe it's just an NCAC thing.) They're a bigger size than the troop ones you buy at the scout shop, and actually hang lower for adults. I'm trying to convince my guys to start wearing the neckerchief consistently(when they don't "lose" them). I showed them the difference in sizes, and they all liked mine. If the custom neckerchief must be the same size, can you clarify NW what size you're referring to? Do they all have to be same size as the current "official" neckerchief (aka the worlds worst arm sling if you're over 90 pounds), or do the ones you order just have to be uniformly all of the same size? Thanks, --Gags

Finally - a question I feel somewhat qualified to respond to! The "slip knot" that I was taught was tied at the very tip of the of the neckerchief to tie the two dangling tips together. We were told it was to remind us to do a good turn. I believe I've read that originally (circa 1920's) once you've done the good turn, you can untie it. The knot itself is just an overhand knot in one end that's tied around the dangling tip. (geez - can it be any harder to explain in writing something so simple?). The problem I've come across with trying to duplicate this is that it makes the tips slightly uneven. But it may not be noticeable to anybody but the detail obsessed wearer (a.k.a. me). I would think a larger version of this slip/overhand knot tied farther up under the neck would work when no slide is available. The problem with tying a square knot is that the tips would stick out sideways - but depending on the size of the GS neckerchief, this may not be a problem. Cheers, --Gags

Barry, Magic is what's called a Collectible Card Game (CCG). It was the first of many that game out beginning around 1993. Oh - wow - 10 years ago - I'm getting old(er). Today being by birthday isn't helping things... It's like the traditional card game War (my king beats your jack), but instead the cards can represent creatures that you send to attack your opponent, or spells you can cast to make yourself stronger, damage an opponent, or damage an opponents creature. You start with 20 hit points, and when you get "damaged", it slowly goes down to 0, at which point, you lose, curse the luck of the draw, and start over. The key marketing gimmick is the "collectible" aspect - some cards are rarer than others (usually the more powerful cards, of course). The game has changed since I stopped playing around 97/'98, but not all that much. Same basic rules, just new "editions" to buy. The good thing is that it can be played with anywhere from 2 to 5 (or more) players. The bad thing is that it is addictive, and you can look at your watch and go "we've been playing for how long?!". Later "spin-offs" of this CCG are Pokemon and Yu-gi-o (sp?)(Japanese cartoons) based games, but I think most Boy Scouts would have outgrown these by now, but maybe not. My nephews haven't gotten to that age yet, so I can't tell. I think that should about do it. If for some reason you need more info, just let me know. And on the original thread topic - additional board games to consider would be Stratego and Risk. 1 1/2 more weeks to summer camp! Guess I should start packing... --Gags

Sorry for the shorthand. Scouts-L is a listserv - an email based discussion group. Similar to the forum here, but posts and replies are sent directly to your inbox. More information is at: http://www.engr.tcu.edu/~eidson/scouts-l/swelcome.html I know of at least two forum members that post to both - I'm sure there's more that just "lurk" on both lists. Scouts-L lets you subscribe in digest form - instead of 15 emails a day from the list, you get one with all the days "action" listed in one email. Same quality of scouting knowledge, and sometimes, same disagreements. There's no discussion of the "3 G's" - Girls, Gays, God. There's plenty of room in this forum to discuss those, rather than use up the limited bandwidth of a listserv. Hope this helps. I could write more, but the website has a FAQ as well. Hope to see you there! --Gags

Kasane wrote: > What a great line - I think this sums up the intent and purporse of a Board of Review (BOR) perfectly. Just wanted to repost it to make sure everyone else gets to read it again! It's not a test of the actual skills, but a test of how they've used the skills they've learned in scouting in their personal lives - both conciously and subconciously. I think that neatly sums up the purpose and "spirit" of a BOR. There's a similar discussion going on in Scouts-L that I think I'll cross-post this to. Cheers, Gags SM T-61 Washington, D.C.

Well, might as well join in on the fun... Glen Miller (from my parents), ELO (different from ELP!), Meatloaf, Boston, and the Eagles from my 2 older brothers, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, & Rachmaninoff (just from curiosity w/ a little help from a college piano teacher - love those 2 credit courses). Most importantly, Lynrd Skynrd and Charlie Daniels Band (aka CDB) courtesy of all the older guys and leaders in my troop who sat around the campfire and actually played guitars and a fiddle (yes Virginia, there are rednecks in NJ). To that we add in Metallica (1 Heavy Metal Band + San Francisco Symphony Orch. = 1 awesome double cd album), Kid Rock, Eminem (lyrics not for the faint of heart - but his creativity is amazing), Queens of the Stone Age, Good Charlotte, and healthy dose of whatever rock is coming out of the alternative stations these days. Swinging back the other way - we'll add in Garth Brooks, some of Alan Jacksons stuff, Toby Keith, the Dixie Chicks (just wish they'd stick to singing, rather than sticking their foots in their mouths), and of course, Shania Twain. (Mutt Lang - have you seen the way this guy looks?! I can't believe she passed me up to marry this bum....). Finally - if I had to choose only one to spend my days on a deserted island with, it'd have to be Billy Joel. (Songs In the Attic - best live album ever made, IMHO). A whole other thread could be started on what the Scouts are listening to. Rock on, Gags Washington, D.C.

This is a bit off topic - but I unfortunately don't even do a SM Minute. I have a very small troop (4 boys), and the few times we actually have a closing (rather than - I have to finish homework, my dad's here early to pick me up, can I go?), I always get the feeling that the scouts are too distracted and uninterested to listen to a story or quote. (Yes, the mtgs. do need to be MUCH more structured than they currently are - a whole other thread!) So I guess the question is - for those of you who have started using SM Minutes recently (or remember from way back when you first implemented them) - how did it go? What were the scouts reactions? Thanks, --Gags

I'd like to throw in my two cents worth on the 2-deep leadership requirement. I'm quite sure (but don't have the G2SS available for quoting) that this only applies to Troop Activities. I've seen it explained from the G2SS that a meeting is defined separately from an activity - the reasoning being at an activity, someone can help/stay with an injured scout, the 2nd can go for help. Not really a problem in a meeting setting. As B.W. said - in this case it's a G2SS issue, and not a YP issue. I know it's a "cop-out" to not offer the direct quote, but I'm hoping another list member can come to my aid on this one. Cheers, --Gags

In reply to what kwc (I think) asked about what a ticket really is - in my view, it's what separates WB from all the other training courses, and what really makes the course the most useful. In most corporate courses, you come, sit, listen, learn, leave, and quite often, forget. Or leave the course all pumped up with your new conflict resolution or organizational skills, ready to take on the world - until you return to the unread emails and stacks of paper on your desk, and it's back to the same 'ol same 'ol. In a nutshell (which is difficult for me, b/c I wander all over the place in my posts/emails - like now!)- WB says "OK. We just presented you with 8(?11?) topics to help you build a better team, resolve conflict, encourage leadership, etc. Now go back into your units, and put these ideas to work by setting and meeting 5 goals you set for yourself." (redunant sentence, I know...) That's it. In my fairly young and inexperienced mind, THAT's the difference, and THAT's what makes the course successful. It "forces" you to put your new skills to work right away, within a definite time period (18 months). For a major - ok - MAJOR procrastinator like myself, it helps me work towards things I should be trying to accomplish anyway - increase participation in Dist. Camporees (urban district, low turnout), increase troop size (went from 3 boys to 4 last week - how's that for % increase!) - basic stuff that I would want to accomplish anyway, but would not have been as focused on or have a written out plan of attack. So to summarize (oh geez - I think I just used a WB technique!) - the ticket makes you take what you learned, and use it to create and satisfy a list of goals you've set for yourself and/or your unit. I hope that clears up the "Ticket" mystery for some of you. YIS, --Gags

Does anyone have any recommendations on the store bought kits? I'd much prefer to assemble my own, but by the time I buy the travel bag and all the supplies (for say - 3 day backpacking trip) - I'm probably looking at a bill of at least $50 (although I keep telling myself one I create myself will be cheaper.) Are the ones in campmor, rei, or even Sportsmans Guide ( http://www.sportsmansguide.com/search/search.asp?c=83&k=first+aid )that usefull? Does anyone ever carry triangular bandages around in a kit (like we teach w/ the scout neckerchief)? Thanks, Chris Gagliano SM - T 61 Washington, D.C.