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Hal_Crawford

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Posts posted by Hal_Crawford

    Eagle Scout or not?

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    Let's not forget that he has been charged with DUI, not convicted. It doesn't sound like his EBOR is coming soon so I would suggest waiting to see what happens next. Let's not convict him in Scout court before he faces the judge. He may not be convicted. If he is, more details may emerge that will make the course clearer. After his day in court he will also be able to talk about the experience without fear of it being used in court.

    Another Helicopter Parent Thread

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    If you take down your son's tent at the end of a campout.

     

    If become a MBC and sign off on your son's merit badges when there are lots of other counselors available.

     

    If you wrote the proposal for your son's Eagle project.

     

    If you hire day laborers to carry out your son's Eagle project.

     

     

    Obama not speaking in person at Jambo

    in Going to the next Jamboree?

    Posted

    I have worked a few events involving first family, second family and a former president. I have been the venue contact with the Secret Service on a couple of them. The Secret Service is generally non-committal about who and if the subjects will attend. I know that they are even more guarded if the POTUS might attend.

     

    You never know, he might still show up.

     

    Hal

     

     

    Scoutmaster options - Improperly accomplished merit badges

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    What do they call the guy who graduates last in his class at med school?

     

    Doctor. Scary, huh?

     

    If the scout meets the minimum requirement he passes. He may not remember the skills a week later and that is sad but it doesn't take away the merit badge. Maybe BSA should require a swim check, a current Red Cross first aid certification and a demonstrated ability to tie a bowline as part of the EBOR. That would be interesting.

     

    Seriously, it bothers me that many scouts pass with the minimum and then do not maintain or improve their skills. A week ago we were at a high adventure base and the staff conducted a brief map and compass training before the trek. We were going on a white water canoe trek so map and compass was not a priority in our preparation... the river only goes one way and when we get to a dam we're done. Still, I was embarrassed that one our scouts could not orient a map. In fact, he didn't know which end of the needle pointed north. Worse still, he announced that he had orienteering merit badge... earned at the same reservation.

     

    Oh well, we'll work on that one.

     

    Hal

     

    Equipment for Patrol Cooking at Camp

    in Summer Camp

    Posted

    Our troop camps at Camp Bowman at Goshen Scout Reservation. The good news is that every patrol site is provided a fully stocked chuck box. I am shocked that the Leaders' Guide is so thin this year. The following is pasted from the 2007 guide:

     

    Patrol Cooking Equipment

    The basic items of equipment listed below are furnished at Camps Marriott and Bowman for each

    patrol-cooking site. Cooperation in the proper use of the equipment will not only benefit your troop but also

    will benefit those campers who follow you.

    Dining fly with poles and lines

    Cooking fly with poles and lines

    Fireplace

    Patrol box

    Patrol table

    Cooking pot (small)

    Cooking pot (medium)

    Cooking pot (large)

    Large frying pan

    Medium frying pan

    Fry pan handles (2)

    Plates, metal (3)

    Measuring cup

    Colander (strainer)

    Hot pot tongs

    Plastic water jug

    Pitchers (2)

    Wash buckets (3)

    Basting spoon

    Soup ladle

    Meat fork

    Chefs knife

    Pancake turner

    Can opener

    Kit cover

    Paring knife

    Pot lid (medium)

    Dutch oven

    Food carrier

    Molly mop

    Shovel

    Bow saw with sheath

    Either your camp commissioner or site guide will check off the equipment with the Senior Patrol

    Leader upon arrival and again before departure. Your unit is expected to return all equipment in the

    condition it is received, normal wear accepted. Scouts must bring their own knife, fork, spoon, plate and cup

     

    Generally the stuff is in pretty good condition. The site guide will check them all with your SPL at arrival and again at departure. That said, our troop takes our own gear to avoid any inventory issues at 6 in the morning on checkout day. We also bring our own axe yard gear as it is generally in better shape than what the quartermaster has to offer.

     

    I would recommend bringing extra rolls of paper towels. The scouts always need more than the commissary provides.

     

    Best wishes to your Scouts for a great week of camping.

     

    Hal

    troop meetings . . . does your troop wear full uniforms?

    in Uniforms

    Posted

    "Having uniforms at scouting events is important, as you are identified as SCOUTS and not just random people"

     

    There is truth to this. We occasionally have people walk into our meetings who are looking for the group that meets two flights up. The shirts seem to be enough to convince them that we are a Scout troop and not an AA meeting. I am not sure that the official pants would make it any clearer.

     

    I also agree with the gentleman who recollected that his troop was fully uniformed but rarely camped. That could have been my troop. We were fully uniformed and had regular inspections down to the cleanliness of our finger nails. If I recall we did four campouts a year: the camporee, the projectoree and a practice campout for each of them. We also did a week at summer camp. I liked it at the time but looking back I have to think it wasn't much of a program. May be the reason the troop died in the mid '70s.

     

    Hal

     

    troop meetings . . . does your troop wear full uniforms?

    in Uniforms

    Posted

    Our scouts wear their scout shirts at meetings. Some wear scout pants but the rest wear gym shorts, sweats or jeans. Adults have tried without success to push the scouts to full uniform but the PLC calls the shots and they do not see it as an issue. What they do insist on however is that, no matter what the pants are the shirt must be tucked in. Every week the scouts line up by patrols and then we pause for a moment when the SPL reminds a couple of scouts to tuck in their shirts. You could say their standards are low but at least they have standards.

     

    Our troop does not wear neckers. Every couple of years the PLC considers and then rejects the idea.

     

    A friend of mine posted on Facebook pictures of her sons' troop retiring the flag at Mt. Rushmore. The scouts were wearing clean uniform shirts with proper insignia, neckers, white gloves and blue jeans. They looked sharp even though they were not wearing official pants.

     

    Hal

    Scout Sign?

    in Open Discussion - Program

    Posted

    "In Brazil, the A-OK sign ( forefinger touching thumb) is the sam as calling them an A-hole."

     

    When I was a teenager, I lived in Brazil for three years. My mom went back home for a couple of weeks when her mother passed away. On returning she was walking toward the terminal from the plane when she saw my dad and I standing on the balcony over the entrance to customs. She wanted to let us know she was OK and--you guessed it--she proceeded to flip off the entire Galeo International Airport.

     

     

    Frustrated/Upset with Council RE: Food @ Camp

    in Summer Camp

    Posted

    Looking forward to next year your troop may want to look at other camps in your council. Camp Baldwin is not a dining hall camp--ingredients and menus are provided and scouts cook over campfires. The call it Jamboree style but it is basically patrol cooking. While the ingredients may still be problematic it should be a lot easier to adapt to an individual scout's needs when scouts do the cooking.

     

    Our troop goes to a camp that has the same setup. We have adapted to kids with pretty severe allergies. Since the food is not prepared it should be easier to work around the problematic ingredients. It also puts management of the diet in the scouts' hands rather than the

    adults'. IMHO patrol cooking is a better camp experience for all the scouts anyway.

     

    Good luck,

    Hal

    Scout Drowns

    in Open Discussion - Program

    Posted

    I think that we tend to be a little too quick to find offense when scouting is mentioned in the media. Reading the first article I don't see it as a comment on scouting. The victim was described as an Eagle scout, and Emergency Medical Technician and a young man who dreamed of being a firefighter. I believe that these facts were included to put a face on a tragedy rather than to malign Eagles, EMTs or future firefighters. What I see described is a promising young man who's life was cut short by a tragic accident. There is no indication that scouting somehow contributed to his death.

     

    I also find circulating these articles to be useful. The more we know about the risks and consequences the better we can prepare ourselves and our scouts.

    Hal

    Ed

    in Issues & Politics

    Posted

    I rarely see a posting by Merlyn where there isn't one by Ed so in the interest of balance I think that Ed deserves his own thread. I am sure that we can have another about Beavah and the funny way he talks. The list can go on. Perhaps it needs its own catagory.

     

    Actually, I don't believe that any more than I think there should be a thread about Merlyn or any other individual on this forum. A number of posters have complained about ad hominem attacks and I can't think of anything more conducive to that than naming a thread after a poster. I don't think it is up to the standards we should expect from scouters or model for scouts. I believe that the original poster has already come to that conclusion and apologized.

     

    I encourage the moderators to close the Merlyn thread and this one too before this all gets further out of hand.

     

    Hal

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