Hal_Crawford
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Posts posted by Hal_Crawford
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Field guides on the iPhone. Man do I feel old. I will be interested to hear what others say but you may end up educating us on this one.
BTW: Welcome to the camp fire.
Hal
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Eagle92:
I am glad that they don't have a challenge option for IOLS. Those who have been there and done that have a lot to share with those less experienced. You may have thought of it as a waste of time but I would bet that others were glad you were there. Besides, its scouting at its best; camping without the boys. ;-)
Hal
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Eagle92:
Just to clarify, the BSA Swimmer test (requirement for First Class) is 75 YARDS (not feet) forward stroke and 25 yards elementary back stroke. The Second Class requirement is 25 FEET out, a sharp turn and then returning to the starting point.
I may be accused of deleting requirements but we don't require a scout to do the 2nd Class requirement (aka Beginner test) if they can successfully complete the Swimmer Test. Since the Swimmer Test far exceeds the Beginner test they get two sign offs at once. This seems to be consistent with scout camp practice.
Hal
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I too think that there is a serious hole in the "training continuum" when it comes to outdoor skills but I don't think that BSA has abandoned the outdoors. The outdoor program is alive and well in troops all over the country. The folks at National may have forgotten about the outdoors but many units are keeping the flame alive. It gets harder to find volunteers with the outdoor skills but many learn the skills from other scouters, from reading and/or from other resources like classes at REI.
"Gern Badge" is a great idea. Try to sell it to National and you are doomed to failure but what about trying it on a council level? If it catches on then maybe another council will try it, then maybe another. If it really catches on then National can dress it up with some acronyms and claim it as their idea. I doubt that the idea for the field uniform trial in the Baltimore Council came from National. It was probably cooked up by someone at the local council talking to someone at Under Armor.
Does anyone know if Back Country Outdoor Leader Skills (BCOLS) is taught in any council other than NCAC? I think it may be unique to this council.
Is there a guerrilla warfare merit badge?
Hal
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I've always liked "BFO": Blinding Flash of the Obvious.
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If a tomato is a fruit, how can ketchup be a vegetable?
Hal
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This is how it works in our district. Each year the MB czar sends to each troop a list of the counselors registered to that unit. The troops then edit their lists and return them to the czar. Those not deleted are dropped. Those confirmed are reregistered. Distribution and collection of the lists is done at an RT.
Having all counselors fill out a new application form each year is crazy. Why would anyone want to a) treat volunteers like that, b) kill that many trees, and/or do that much work? Really?
Hal
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"Speaking of senior scouts, nothing says that the BOR has to be all adults".
The BOR training module says, "All boards must constitute at least three and not more than six members who are all 21 years of age or older".
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/TrainingModules/BoardofReviewTraining.aspx
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Hmmmm. Can homophobia lead to scurvy?
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Here we go again. Homosexuality is an unhealthy lifestyle so gays should be excluded from scouting. While we are at it lets give the old heave-ho to every scouter who smokes or drinks. Obesity is unhealthy so lets use the new health and medical form to weed out all the overweight scouts and scouters. I suspect that when we are done their won't be a lot of us left.
Do you have a link for the CDC statistics? I have searched their website and can't find this data.
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Boy Scout Songbook at Scoutstuff
I can also suggest searching "campfire songs chords and lyrics" There are lots of sites though some songs may not be appropriate.
I also learned a long time ago that most folk/campfire songs can be played with 3 or 4 chords. Find a key that works and fake it. G-C-D7 and Em are easy chords that will cover a lot of songs and with a capo you can transpose into lots of other keys.
Hal
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Because everyone should know how to swim at least enough to pass the swim test. Someone once said that water is death waiting to happen. That minimal level of swimming ability might make the difference between life and death someday. The ability to hike or bike are not as likely to save a life.
Personally, I would make Swimming a required MB.
By the way, I am not a strong swimmer and struggled to pass the swim test when I was a scout. Swimming ability has saved my life several times since then.
Hal
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"Oh, why bother?"
I agree. IMHO the troop should fold. Some might argue that it has folded already.
Troop has only 5 registered scouts of which maybe three can be counted on to come to a campout.
Troop is led by an husband and wife team as SM and CC (BIG RED FLAG!). There is no effective youth leadership. SPL is absent. Why even have an SPL when you barely have a patrol? Can you even have a PLC when there aren't enough scouts for a patrol?
"The PL will do whatever I ask..." Is the PL your son? Does he have any say in the leadership of his patrol (what there is of it)?
"I should just turn in my patch, tell my hubby he is done too and take the son to the next town over". I think it is pretty clear who is in charge here. Do hubby or son get a vote?
There appear to be no other adults involved in the troop, including the mother (from another thread) who thinks you are a "lying liar who lies". This troop sounds totally dysfunctional. If Dr. Phil had scout troops on his show he would have a field day with this one.
I would bet that the active 3 scouts would be happier in another troop. I think your hubby might be happier as an ASM in a larger unit. I think you should take a break from troop leadership. It sounds like you are a bit (or maybe a lot) overextended with church, Girl Scouts and other activities. You clearly have a strong personality and just possibly some control issues. It might be best not to have all three of you hit a new troop at once.
I hate to see a troop fold. My original troop (from when I was a scout) folded about 35 years ago after it dwindled to 5 boys of which only three were active. It was nobody's fault, just a victim of changing demographics. The SM and CC tried to hold it together but the troop was already dead. I think yours is probably dead too.
Best of luck whatever you three decide,
Hal
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Don't they use bold face to indicate "just a guideline"? ;-)
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I'm pretty sure they are rules and ASMs are specifically precluded from sitting on BORs. I think your troop leadership has gone off the reservation on this one.
Hal
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I would assume that the website is accurate and the book is wrong since the book probably went to bed months ago and info was just posted on the web in the last couple of weeks.
Hal
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Where is the data? Where is the science to support his arguments? A well written narrative to be sure but lacking any scientific support it is just one man's opinion. For instance, how do we know that "Psychotherapeutic intervention at this point and earlier can be successful in preventing the development of later homosexuality"? He doesn't present any evidence to support this claim.
Perhaps he presents data and sources in the book from which this was excerpted but based on what is published here there is nothing to support or refute.
What do we know of the author and his expertise? We know his name and that he has an M.D. degree. What is his specialty?
Back in the late sixties/early seventies there was a very famous sex book published by a man with an MD after his name. The author billed himself as a psychiatrist but had never taken advanced study or residency in psychiatry.
By the laws in his state at that time an MD did not have to have any special training to practice psychiatry. The author also lacked any particular credentials in sexual health. It was alleged at the time that many of the helpful tips presented in his question and answer format were not only wrong but in some cases dangerous.
The author did not if I recall address homosexuality but I bring up this story merely to illustrate that an MD by itself does not necessarily connote expertise. For all we know, Dr. Satinover might be a dermatologist, podiatrist, radiologist or pathologist. All noble and important callings but they do not necessarily provide any insight into the fields of psychiatry, genetics or sexuality.
Lacking any data, sources or evidence that Dr. Satinover is even qualified to address this subject, I have to write this article off as irrelevant to the scientific discourse on sexual preference.
Hal
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Are they concerned about food allergies?
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I take some comfort that they are doing a trial in one council rather than just implementing a new uniform nationwide because it seems like a good idea.
Hal
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Nw that is a project to be proud of.
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There was discussion in another thread of merging the BSA and GSUSA. If that happened you could use EDGE to teach MICE.
Hal
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Given the context (...when cooking and cleaning up) I would guess that it has something to do with sanitation. What it stands for is beyond me.
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More Ice Cream for Everyone. No? Well it sounded like a good idea.
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Wayne:
Very true! But you have to admire a bear that can open a bear keg.
Hal
Goshen Site
in Camping & High Adventure
Posted
I too have very mixed feelings about this. I think it would have been an economic driver for a very depressed area. It could have created a lot of jobs, not just at the training center but the traffic would have been a boost to other sectors as well.
OTH, I love Goshen just the way it is. I hiked the Lenhok'sin trek a few weeks ago and was saddened at the thought of seeing that program go away. It would not be sustainable if so much of the reservation was developed for the jamboree. I was concerned how the changes would impact Camp Bowman with which our troop has a 40+ year history. I was concerned that the impacts would drastically change the Goshen experience.
But I also realize that nothing remains unchanged. With or without the Jamboree things will change. One of the reasons given for discussing the seeking the deal with National was that the reservation is not sustainable as it is now. They said that there just aren't enough scouts coming there to continue unchanged. I don't think that this was just a line to rally our support. I suspect that there will be changes, a couple of the camps could close.
So it goes.
Hal