Hal_Crawford

Merlyn: I do believe that is the first time I have ever heard someone call Ike a religious fanatic. Hal

Liz: Please remember that costumes refers to more than just the cheap stuff they sell at Halloween. Call your clothes garb if you want but please don't disparage the word "costume". I work in the theatre and supervise a couple of highly skilled costumers who do all the things you describe and then some. They are well versed in the design and construction of a wide variety of period styles from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to the clothing of today. One has a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design, the other has a professional wardrobe background in film and TV including

THE GOSHEN GRACE (Goshen Scout Reservation) For Goodness For Opportunity For Strength For Happiness For Enjoyment For Nourishment We thank Thee, O God. (Yes, it spells out GOSHEN!) PHILMONT GRACE For Food For Raiment For Life For Opportunity For Friendship and Fellowship We thank Thee, O Lord (Doesn't spell out anything unless FRLOFF is a word.) For a sheet containing these and other graces, go to the following link: http://www.boyscouts-ncac.org/openrosters/DocDownload.asp?orgkey=1933&id=32899

Apologies for double posting. I have no idea why my post from the this morning reappeared tonight.

Apologies for double posting. I have no idea why my post from the this morning reappeared tonight.

I saw this in the morning paper and it seems appropriate: http://news.yahoo.com/comics/brevity;_ylt=AtEZJsSfZnb6RM4bsaeWUrwDwLAF YIS: Hal

I saw this in the morning paper and it seems appropriate: http://news.yahoo.com/comics/brevity;_ylt=AtEZJsSfZnb6RM4bsaeWUrwDwLAF YIS: Hal

Nice chart but it begs the question: why do they make Battle Dress Uniforms in child sizes? Seriously, I have thought for a long time (based on strongly worded feedback from our scouts) that if the scout pants were either BDU or zip off cargos they would be a lot more popular. Glad BSA finally got the memo.

From the current (2008) Eagle application (bottom of second page, in red): EDITIONS OF THIS APPLICATION PREVIOUS TO THE 2008 REVISION SHOULD NOT BE USED. Also on the application: Any Venturer who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a troop or Varsity Scout in a team may continue working for the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks and Eagle Palms while registered as a Venturer up to his 18th birthday. I would suggest that you put this form in front of them and ask them to read to you the part that shows that they are right and you are wrong. If need be, highlight the

MMH: The new health form says the same thing. If you have insurance they want a copy of the card; if not, write "None".

309: Speaking of the Army's H/W standards, there is an article on line today about the Army considering a fat camp because they are losing so many recruits because of obesity: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090112/ap_on_re_us/military_recruiting_obesity Not suggesting that BSA open a Philmont Phat Pharm but....

I think the reason that it is not spelled out on the membership form is that the policy isn't same from council to council. The form and the (soon to be obsolete) Class 1 are used nationwide. It would seem to be a good idea to have a consistent policy nationwide but there may be good reasons that it is what it is. Hal

Our council provides the insurance with the $1 charge (not optional) at rechartering. It serves as secondary insurance for those that have their own and primary for those that don't. Good peace of mind. Because of this coverage, I strongly encourage all parents participating in any troop activity to register so they are covered.

One Hour (aptly named considering the topic) has the right idea. In fact if someone published "how to do a Blue and Gold" this should be the model. I would change one thing, do the slide-show before the Webelos 2 acknowledgment. Show the slides while they eat dessert and then one last goodbye to the big guys. One thing I have learned in over thirty years in theatre... if only one thing is going to get a standing ovation, end with it.

This looks VERY cool. When we go to district camporees we can't have fire rings or pits in our sites so we either use stoves (fine for cooking but not a place to gather after dark) or we put a trash can lid on bricks and build a fire. This looks like a much more artful approach. The compatibility with a Dutch Oven is a real plus. Thanks for the tip! Hal

The Boy Scout Songbook http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=BOOKS_LIT&C3=BK_MISC&C4=&LV=3&item=33224&prodid=33224^8^01RTL& has a lot of campfire appropriate songs, many with chords. Some are not in guitar friendly keys so it will help if he know how to transpose using a capo. Waltzing Matilda, for instance is in E-Flat which is no fun but transposed to C it isn't hard at all. If he hasn't learned to do this yet he should; it will expand the range of songs he can play. I found out that with G, Em, C an

Where are the cutoffs for blood pressure and cholesterol? The Jamboree and Philmont both have standards for BP and they will check it when you arrive. I suspect that if they had cholesterol limits there would be no one left to check anyone's BP. To me it makes sense to have standards for specific risk factors for specific activities/locations. The application of the height/weight charts is just too broad. One size does not fit all. Liz is right that the presence of AEDs and other medical resources could change the equation. As I have said before, our council scout reservation is r

Point well taken. I apologize to both of you if I my questions were poorly worded or misconstrued as criticism. I still don't know if I would approve unsupervised backpacking but I am open to hear how others deal with the issues so that we can make informed decisions if and when the subject comes up. Hal

So pack your troop on a bus, come to Washington and march down Constitution Avenue with the rest of us. I actually have no authority to issue such an invite but I don't the NCAC or National would object to even more scouts marching past the White House (especially since there will be a guy from your home state living there). YIS, Hal

So pack your troop on a bus, come to Washington and march down Constitution Avenue with the rest of us. I actually have no authority to issue such an invite but I don't the NCAC or National would object to even more scouts marching past the White House (especially since there will be a guy from your home state living there). YIS, Hal

Barry: Arrogance is dangerous. You assume that because you have never seen your scouts do anything stupid that they are smarter then adults. You assume that because you let your scouts backpack alone that they are better trained. Better experienced to be sure but better trained? I read something recently that said that an expert may just be someone who's mistakes haven't caught up with them yet. Do you know for sure how close they may have come to disaster when you weren't there? Would they tell you? Really? As a kid my parents gave me a lot of freedom. I walked to school by m

Sounds like the European measurement is based on a meter...about 39" Hal

Proud Eagle: NCAC is also including Cubs so I guess exceptions are being sanctioned. Our camporee will be held at Goshen Scout Reservation which has 6 camps: 2 CS, 3 BS and a High Adventure base camp. In addition there is a headquarters camp that can be used for reservation wide gatherings. I suspect that with tens of thousands of scouts spread out around a large lake, the cubs and boy scouts will have mostly separate activities. This will be the first NCAC council wide gathering since 1975. Best wishes for your Camporee in Kentucky. Hal

Barry: This question has not come up in our troop. I am a ASM so it is not ultimately my call. That may change. I am not sure which way I would go if the this was proposed so I am very interested in how others resolve these issues. I feel that safety is extremely important and I take my responsibility for the scouts safety very seriously... more than I would have for my own son when he was a boy (he was mine to mess up, they aren't). If scouts asked tomorrow I would vote no based on where they are in terms of age and experience... a year from now I might feel differently but first I ne

I stand corrected. It is pretty much a formality in our district. Our council delegates that approval process to the district advancement committee's Eagle board which essentially delegates it to the the Eagle board member working with the scout. Approval has been close enough to automatic to not be noticeable. Our district does expect letters of recommendation. In our troop the SM sends out a form to the references. We have held EBORs with as few as three letters having been received. In our district the EBORs are scheduled and organized by the troop with one or more