anarchist

Potato guns are fun to build and to operate...heck they are even fun to watch when they shoot.... that said... I would say (IMHO) the liability to the unit and the CO far outweigh the unit building value...except in that you expect get a 'rush' from doing the "forbidden fruit" thing. The Plastic plumbing pipe may or may not be structurally strong enough to handle the blast generated by a two second "spray" of hairspray follwed by a flick of the installed 'bic' (flint striker). Do you have a plastic expert that can demonstrate the safety of the material? Or a chemistry/control combust

I am not Richard Dawson, nor do I play him on TV...but THE NUMBER ONE ANSWER IS: "my kid is "out" of scouting...." (sub catagories; aged out, eagled out,doesn't like it...) The Number two answer is: "I don't like the way they (the old gang) run the troop...." The number three answer is: "I am tired of dealing with '---- ---' (you fill in the blanks) parents" The number four answer is: "I am tired of having no help" The number five answer is :"I am tired of dealing with BSA (DISTRICT, COUNCIL) B.S." just a wild guess though.... anarchist

to all: (yes, even you FScouter:>)! May the Great Master of all Scouts provide all the turkey and stuffing you can gobble and the awareness to be greatful and generous...for all your blessings! Anarchist

great topic...will be interested in all the ideas...Does SFF count? This year we have helped on a river cleanup, painted the 'public areas' of a "facility for troubled youths", cleaned up trails in a regional park, cleaned up an area at a church owned farm and started a multi-year effort developing a youth/church members retreat/campsite- complete with a large brick fire pit circle... The guys helped with a community "walk a thon" (Farm Walk), did the set up for a cancer survivor over-night (24 hour)"walk a thon" We also "handle" the put-up/take down of American flags along the

dan, dan, dan... I never said I was an expert...(quoting BW here-don't put words in my mouth!)...just that I have had my share of first aid training...and I was unwilling to hypothetically "suspend my adult leader status 'cause I had a bunch of answers to FScouters ABCD quiz...and I bet you didn't try to construct the 5X5 matrix...or really try to ponder my posts...I am afraid it seems you, like others simply grab a bone and want to repeat "off with their heads! Off with their heads...!" How constructive is that? Your advice to the scout/scout dad in the second paragraph was much better

gee, dan, calm down, put the whole 5X5 puzzle together and see what it looks like or PM me with an email and I will send it to you...If you care to look again at my posts- my first post was fairly tame and while long, non confrontational and hopefully instructional. The second was again mainly informational... for the group(still no ABCD "stuff" because I took joeleepers 'question' about "d" as really a non-issue, and 'cause it was not really pertinent to what I was trying to get across..the ABCD "stuff" (third post)was aimed at our friend FScouter who tossed out the left handed challen

spinnaker, ScoutNut has the right Idea...If needed point out to the old CC that the faster he signs the faster you can find a replacement (one of those newbies). A question...how big is your troop? what is the percentage of parnets supporting their kids? I might be time to ask each family to sign up one parent as a committee member or ASM!!!?!!! By the way you could gently point out to the COR('cause the COR is obvisously wanting to follow the book), that the CC resigned and that it is the CO's (and by extention the COR's) job to recruit the next CC (just for laughs, that is) go

dan as I said it was the first part of a teaching tool, the last two lines and the ones most of you know are: A- Alert EMS B- Breathing? C- CPR D- (blank again) S- Spinal Injury and finally what you are used to: A- Airway-(open) B- Breathing (rescue) C- Compressions (circulation) D- Defibrillation S- Shock management makes a nice 5X5 visual on a powerpoint teaching screen for a near total assessment of the situation...thought it was kinda neat when I was first shown it...probably someone out there could come up with a memory tool that filled in the bla

GernBlansten and taamland, G2SS (Guide to Safe Scouting) under "Youth Protection and Adult Leadership" says (see section ****) "Leadership Requirements for Trips and Outings Two-deep leadership: Two registered adult leaders, or one registered adult and a parent of a participating Scout, one of whom must be at least 21 years of age or older, are required for all trips or outings. ********************************************* There are a few instances, such as patrol activities, when no adult leadership is required. **********************************************

FScouter... again way out in left field..... just for the record (in short form)it's now:"ABCDS" not "ABCD" A- Always B- Be C- Calm D- During S- Situation a step further it's: A- Assess the Scene B-Barrier Use C- Circulation D- (no term for this letter) S- Serious Bleeding It continues (as a teaching tool) as a visual 5x5 "block" and I won't waste more time on this unless others here want to see it...so, no I won't have to give up my position...I earned it...with CPR, Wilderness First Aid, Defibrillation training...etc... What I tried to say in

gosh, in reading my post....so many errors...sorry for not proofing...only excuse is I was in a hurry...halfway through my typing our neighbor called needing help...his son bagged real nice 8 point buck and need help dressing it out... again sorry. Anarchist

"I find it difficult to hold a boy accountable for retaining something he never is given an opportunity to use." two problems with this statement- "never given"? do we want a program where we must "give" the boys everything? Just a question... then the sentence point...which seems to be they never HAVE the opportunity to practice something...thats programs problem. We use knots at every camp... the dining fly, clothes line, hand wash station, flag pole and camp gadgets, bear bags. We tie down our canoes for travel with rope on water trips...why would have no opportunity...to practice, g

joeleeper, sorry this will be long and 'dry' Not to start a fire storm here, but your troop committee needs to sit everyone down (who will be sitting boards, anyway) and teach them what a BoR is about and drill it home that it is not a re-test! That said, Monday night I sat a BoR for first class that ran 45 minutes! We always start asking the boys to recite the law oath and outdoor code...which this boy did poorly... but 35 of those minutes were consumed by silence and yawns (the candidates'). The board asked questions and got nothing back, almost all answers were I don't "rem

Gosh, rules need not be tough length -not to exceed total length of the kit (7 inches?) height off track- (practically it has to be able to run... be the same as the official kit block of wood, weight....5 oz (not to exceed) preshaped vs orginal block if it is no more than shape???...who cares wheels and axles must be from the BSA official race kit...period. no custom wheels or prepolished axles...bearings etc. We adopt basic "rules in the box" which are our district rules... so our participants can go to district races.... been part of 12 of these now, and I can not rem

SR540Beaver, I wonder if using a GPS is like using four wheel drive...you just manage to get stuck in rougher places.... Really, while I love playing with my GPS-a great pedometer...(BTW, there is a great protractor -$6-7.00, for converting as well as a plotter 'bout $53.00 for the seriously "ill"), I would never hit the woods without my two compasses, watch...and a map (if I was in real "unknown" territory....do I really want to trust the energizer bunnie ??? don't think so.... We have used it to plot river courses and campsite locations for future river runners and we alway

Charter organization agreement and COR training are consistent...the CO must provide one COR for all units chartered by the CO, Cubs, Boy Scouts, venture, seascouts...no matter how many of what type...only one COR per CO....serves all of the CO's units. sorry Anarchist PS you can have partner CO's but they have to agree on a COR (who/which appoints)

acco40, Pack packing meal...meal you would eat on a backpacking trip???? Oh gosh, I just cooked and ate my backpack and the zippers were really hard to tenderize!...don't ask about the frame...(I guess there is something to say for internal frames after all....) :>) anarchist

mom162, First and formost good luck! Having gone through an extremely similar situation (but with space use not diet as issue) I would like to offer some practical advice. First you need to have a lang number of the Committee and SM/ASM corp in "your" corner. Then you need to find out a very critical piece of information: what is the actual (real) control structure of you CO. This is extemely important! You may find that the "IH" is not really the power in the CO. Example: in or case after being seriously impacted by a financial-space decision made by the IH...(both t

Eamonn. try: http://www.sailingservices.com/running_rig/splicing/3strnd_back_spl.htm or http://www.neropes.com/default.asp most rope manufacturers will have a web site with some info also... there is also a neat little tool called a Fid (i think it was...modern version of a splincing spike (tool) good luck Anarchist

F Scouter...the Requirement does not say you can use a week long camp in a cabin...You have showed nothing from BSA besides your interpritation that denotes a cabin camp acceptance...it says you can use a week long camp... and I still think it excludes "pitching the tent" tent not avoiding a tent... this is an outdoor organization...Yes? (or ) NO? What purpose would be served encouraging the use of cabins...? Particularly in a merit badge aimed at showing camping experience...can you really look in the mirror and say cabin camping is camping outside (with a straight fase that is?) Th

Whoa FScouter...cite a BSA source that proves Ed is wrong... I think hands down it is your interpretation that is wrong...and the majority of the posters here are right... first, it is a camping merit badge...not the log cabin lodge merit badge... then; the requirement starts..."Show experience in camping by doing the following: Camp...at least 20 daysand nights under the starts or in a tent you have pitched"... and the modifier (long-term camp excluded) is adjacent to "pitched" and not adjacent to tent. IMHO if they were excusing tenting for long term camp the requirement would/sh

chicken - egg, egg-chicken??? ummm, how can a boy "do" a requirement that does not exist? Not to pick nits here, but the requirement seems to say that the boy "will do" the requirement, not "will have done" (in the past so to speak). Seems to indicate to me anyway that: 1) if the boy has not achieved 2nd class by Jan first he has to "do this requirement" not has to have done it in the past...and If he has passed second class before 1/1/06 he is "grandfathered" for six months (towards finishing first class without having to "do"...the requirement... once again BSA could straighte

Kahuna, Discipline...are we talking storm troopers stomping on active boys? I see nothing in the opening post that allows any real suggestions...remember the best position for a SM is the "standing back hands holding a cup of coffee and watching..." Scouter659 gave no concrete examples of the "slide" or the insubordination going on so what "may" youthful exuberence (appearing to many of us old geezers as chaos) may be a slide in discipline to scouter659...we don't know, do we? Yes there are times that the Adults may have to step in but we have no "bill of particulars" to address in

eagle90, The "professional recruiter" is a good idea. For many years now our troop has "sweet talked" three scouters, usually fairly new to the troop to act as coordinators with their son's old packs...In our case this works particularly well as we seem to get more than our fair share of Webelos II leaders and Cubmasters following their sons to our "gang". These men have lasting ties to their old packs. Their job is to set up pack visitations for a patrol from our troop to go say "howdy" and do demos and then to coordinate Web II visits and activity observations. BTW we would rather hav

Darn it, stop for a second! Why is everyone so ready to Jump on this poor SM...or "go over his head" to the commissioner... He is following proceedure...the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) has a program to run. In all likelihood they have meetings and training planned for weeks if not months in advance. The PLC should be advised that a whole den and parents and leader(s) want to decend on their meeting so they can decide which meetings can handle disruptions better than others. One Webelo and parents, even two are fairly easy to handle...six eight, ten Webelos, plus parents, plus leade