JoeBob

Hey now! Don't judge all atheists based on Merlyn's agenda. I know some folks who choose not to believe in God who think that it is perfectly fine for others to have a religion. And they don't think that religious folks are a threat to them...

"Unfortunately, they had too much of a wonderful time playing and enjoying the camping and I was unable to really get them focused to just sit down for a little bit to go over some requirements." STOP! You missed it! Your boys had fun camping. Their program is a success! Unless you make them turn their backs on the outdoors to sit down and focus on advancement. There is no such thing as boys having 'too much fun camping"! Perhaps you can have a few activities planned in case they run out things to do, but make sure that those are activities that can only be done in the woods: carved boat races in the creek, trekking through the woods, critter crawl races, capture the flag. All you gotta do for Cub Scouts on an overnighter is feed them.

In case you ever want to know what 'bawbags, are: http://www.thekiltstore.com/2888/products/ex_hire_kilt_grey_pinstripe.aspx http://www.thekiltstore.com/6329/products/bawbags_underwear_cockerel_red_design.aspx

I will admit to feeling somewhat vulnerable to mischief in a hammock. Although there are no critters in the Southeast that worry me, two-legged-dogs have left their spoor in some of my haunts. There is no graceful way to exit a zipped hammock in a hurry. My emergency plan is to roll over, fall through the screen and bounce on my face...

Bleach and water mixed 1 to 8. Spray it on, let it sit 5 minutes, hose it off with spray nozzle on your hose. Scrub brush the places that remain. Do it on your driveway to clean two things at once. You can use vinegar mixed at a stronger dilution if you object to bleach.

I planned to stay out of this discussion until I read the usual BSA circular drivel: "No one may register in more than one position in the same unit, except the chartered organization representative (CR) (who can multiple only as the committee chairman (CC) or a committee member (MC)), and the parent coordinator (PC), who may multiple as chartered organization representative." So, The CR can be CC or MC, but no other role. And the PC can be CR. Huh? The PC can be CR, unless he is himself, because the CR can't be the PC. Anyone else follow this? Is this just poor punctuation obscuring that it's okay for the CR can be CC or MC, or PC?.

Yikes! Looking for a silver lining here. Is there anything to prevent the Bikini Girls from selling and the Scouts from washing? (Cars) Split the proceeds? Troop and Committee have had it with popcorn. We were eating Trails End leftovers at Summer Camp. That's one way to appreciate your clientss dissatisfaction...

For those of us who were not there:

Hey MattR, You really should try the cheap REI Mokito Hammock. The instructions advise you to sleep diagonally, which makes you flat. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I think one of the main reasons that I find hammocks so comfortable is the stretchy fabric. No hard spots, distributes your weight evenly. I always use a thermarest pad in the hammock. In warm weather a little 3/4 pad is up around my head and shoulders to hold the mesh away from my face. Bzzzzzzzz... At Camp Napowan last summer, the highs were 95 and the nights only dipped to 82/83. I couldn't have slept in a tent or on the ground. As it was, I was laying semi-nude in the air taking advantage of every little breeze.

Looking for non-popcorn fundraising ideas. Has anyone tried a car-wash? What points in the G2SS will walking around in soapy water violate?

Girl Scouts ticketed for selling cookies in a parking lot: “An officer wrote the group of mostly 8-year-old girls a ticket for soliciting without a permit." http://www.photodude.com/weblog/2001/march/13_dekalb_county_cops_bust_girl_scouts.shtml The tickets were rescinded after public outcry. I'd say go for it! Teaching moment about gubbiment.

The Wise One (@AOL.com) arbitrates truth, logic, and grammar for forum posters. If enough of us poke fun at him, maybe he'll stop calling us liars when he has trouble with the forum software, and contribute something meaningful to the scouting discussion. In the spirit of MattR's post, here's something helpful: Swine don't like pearls. We much prefer corn. Corn is cheaper, more readily available, and more digestible. If you take a good corn mash and serve it to pigs fermented, we'll be REAL friendly.

Seldom go. Got tired very quickly of hearing announcements for 30 minutes. (Put it on paper - We'll read it when you're talking about something we don't need to know!) Our RTC does a good job of eMailing topics, so that you can decide if you really should make time for an upcoming RT. Since I know that he is trying to respect my time, I try to make good topics, or send a substitute. Having a few designated 'ambassadors' to make sure that the new faces get pulled into the 'Good Ole Boy's' conversations might help you see those faces again.

Brew, does an underquilt cover your sides?

Never really wanted to apprehend someone's worldview, not my job; just shake it up a little.

99: As much as I might like to disturb your weltanschung, it's not worth my time to quibble with you about dual registrations, etc. Like I said, I'm glad you're not in my chain of command.

Been a hammock boy for five years. Pros: 1- EXTREMELY comfortable. a- My back is fine in the morning. Don't have to climb out of bed, just swing my feet out. b- .I don't snore in the curved posture (put a bolster under my knees) c- Interior pockets for light and glasses. Hang a 'C' cell lantern under tarp for reading light. 2- Light weight, 3- Versatile, don't need no stinking level spot without roots and rocks. Quick set-up once you have your routine down. 4- Can be inexpensive - $45 hammock and a $10 tarp: http://www.rei.com/product/736088/byer-moskito-traveller-hammock Cons: 1- Have to cover your pack separately. (And close it when you retire.) 2- Carry a few extra ropes to adjust for trees. 3- I'm not good for below 30 degrees. Double Thermarests keep the backside warm, but my shoulders push so hard against the sides that they make a thin spot. At 25 degrees this past March, I just had to let my shoulders freeze.

On the long cables through the trees, you can't see your end point. It is out of sight, just barely, briefly. That's part of the fun, stepping off into the unseen; and then hearing the cable zing before you see your buddies come cruising out of the trees. http://northgeorgiacanopyto.reachlocal.net/ http://northgeorgiacanopyto.reachlocal.net/photo-gallery.php?Date=&Activity=&Location=&Contents=&ImageNumber=&Sort=1&Page=24 Any stickler who thinks that being 1 on 1 on any of these platforms is a YPT violation, under zipline conditions; needs to go back to their law office and stop scaring the boys (and volunteers).

99 - You're splitting hairs and ruining the fun. BSA doesn't allow pistol training and independent firing (on a supervised range) for personnel under 14. True. If you can show me where that means that a boy can't fire one or two rounds with an adult by their side (rear), I'll consider taking the activity off site. How do you use pistol shooting to entice scouts to hang around past age 14, if their only frame of reference is xBox? I'm glad you're not in my chain of command.

KDD: The hat holds many secrets... 99 - You're gonna have to tell me what DSS and CPS are if you want me to respond intelligently. Would I bother rotating to avoid 1-1 contact on a zip line platform? NO WAY! 1- The rotation frequently changes as the guide clips clients into and out of safety lines, pushing riders to the back of a platform and then feeding the next leg from the front. Ain't gonna sacrifice safety in order to adhere to an extreme interpretation of a YPT rule. We don't control the rotation. 2- Why would you have to be a little flexible? If your group is 10 to 14 boys, the outfitter will probably split you into groups of about 8 (In my experience in the Southeast, that is about how many clients can safely occupy a tree platform.) I'm going to send one troop adult with each group and their guide and I don't care if the guide is YPT certified. 3- I am no expert on child molestation; so I have a hard time envisioning being molested while wearing a waist and chest harness, helmet, and heavy leather gloves during the 60 second interval before the next rider comes through the trees... Common sense, anyone?

"And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth". Then he made the earth round... and he laughed and laughed and laughed!

So if an adult participates in the zip-line activity, they can't be one of the first two or last two to ride, unless both adults are first or last. No other way to guarantee that a scout won't be molested in the tree tops while waiting for the next boy to zip in on a 1000 foot cable... Where's the sarcasm key?

May I suggest using common sense? 'Under the Sky' means sleeping outside. Does that mean that you have to blow away the cave roof to qualify? 'In a tent' might be a good idea in some caves to keep the bugs and bats out of your face. If you're sleeping in your bag on your pad without benefit of human supplied HVAC, you're camping. If BSA allows exception for summer camp provided tents, nature supplied caves are well within the spirit of that.

I can see BSA not being cool with pistols in young hands. The shortness of the weapon makes muzzle control/sweeps more of an issue that with a long gun. But I don't think that G2SS precludes a boy handling an empty Colt single action, learning its functions, and firing five rounds downrange under close individual supervision. Firing blackpowder on a still humid morning leaves enough smoke hanging in the air that you have to pause between shots to see the targets again. How did the cowboy gunfighters ever hit anything with their second shots? If you want to get them really 'fired up' about the darkside, invite them to witness the ten foot gouts of flame bursting out the barrel that you only see at night. (Not suggesting that you let the boys shoot at night...)

qwazse: 'Top Shot' fan?