Aquila calva

Six out of the last eight years there has been a Republican in the White House and majority Republicans in the House and Senate. The national dept has increased by estimates of up to 11 TRILLION dollars.

We have been duped, O Lord. And we are about to be duped again this week. Thanks, George.

The president is four months from retirement and he asks congress to give his friend, Hank, 700 billion dollars, to help fix the mess he has left us with. Here is a three-page request that congress is supposed to pass in less than a week. It just seems very disingenuous. Isnt the president supposed to be smarter than that? It isnt just socialism, it is greed.

What a mess!

We privatize profits; we socialize losses."

Listen to the whole explanation here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94686428

Thanks, BobS, for your words of wisdom, spoken from experience. And welcome to the forums.

...Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind ...

It sounds like you already know a lot about this.

Go to Google and type in

nonprofit bylaws of incorporation in California

and see what you get.

Let us know what you finally come up with, since this question will probably come up again.

I havent heard of the fictitious 100-page rule, but I have heard rumors of the fictitious 100-hour rule for Eagle Scout projects. Seems that in our District, Eagle candidates are encouraged to create projects that will be about 100 hours of total service, by the scout and the volunteers he recruits to help with the project and that he leads in the completion of the project. This rule isnt written down any place, but it gives the scout some idea of the scope of a potential project.

But the total hours DOES get reported on the Eagle application. The Eagle application now asks for the `Grand Total of Hours____________ (from page 10 of Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook)`

If the fictitious 100-hour rule is taken to heart, Scouts in our district would, on average, enter 100 hours. If every Eagle Scout in the country entered 100 hours in this space, and estimating there are something like 46,000 scouts who earn Eagle each year, that totals 4,600,000 hours of service project work nationwide. Does the National Council use this figure in the Report to the Nation that happens each year? Probably, as I think they should.

It probably isn`t time to scrap the Eagle project, especially since this total number of hours is now part of the Eagle application.

Then there is the outside the sphere of Scouting discussion.

Lisabob..."send them a quick letter mid-week."

That made me chuckle! I can hear it now, "A letter?!"

Now that I have sent my son off to Boy Scout summer camp at least eight times in the last six years (a couple times with friends in other troops, because he liked it so much) I am beginning to understand that the order of the week, for some scouts, includes phone calls (sometimes), emails (maybe), text messaging (probably). If you can't beat it join it, and, yes, it will change the summer camp traditions, but we (adults) might as well wake up and smell the cappuccino!

We can prepare scout and parent(s) for what to expect at summer camp, and we can explain that camp is a great fun time to have some quality separation, but if a child wants to be in touch with parents, it is no longer reasonable to say, "Oh, it isn't possible to call your parents." It just isn't true any longer (in most cases). So let's not lie to kids and parents for the sake of some long past tradition. If the child has a need, hand the scout a cell phone and let him talk to his parents.

And then get back to having fun at camp.

Have fun scouting!

Hello cubdadinnj,

When it comes to writing checks to scouts and parents from the troop account, without any receipts for legitimate scouting expenses, you need to just STOP IT NOW! This can spell big trouble! It doesnt matter that this has been the practice for years. It is plainly wrong, and clearly untrustworthy. Your committee needs a WAKE UP CALL! None of this money BELONGS to any individual scout. If the head of the chartering organization learns about this, and has two ounces of financial sense about them, the troop could be history in no short order and rightly so.

When a scout earns credit in their scout account, it needs to be used for clear scouting purposes such as camping events, uniform, and some needed equipment.

Writing a check to a scout or parent without a clear scouting purpose is just plain WRONG!

Have fun scouting.

In 1939 BP was 82 years old, and had moved that year to Kenya. He died in 1941.

Thanks for the limerick. We had a whole thread of them a couple years ago.

As for the Eagle palm approach..lets see.

There are 121 merit badges (or so).

Minus 21 for earning Eagle, leaves 100 more.

Each palm requires 5 additional merit badges, so 100 / 5 = 20 potential palms.

Each palm requires 3 months additional service in Scouting, so 20 palms times 3 months equals 60 months of service or 5 years.

Palms can be earned only until a Scout turns 18, so 18 5 = 13.

A Scout would need to earn Eagle by his 13th birthday in order to leave enough time to earn all 20 palms.

Did I get this right?

One square knot patch seems reasonable.

Great idea!

Go for it!

Get'er done!

You will probably be getting a letter from BSA National soon.

Then you can decide if your good idea is worth the struggle.

All best wishes...

Have fun scouting.

Will the BSA, or a BSA Council, approve an "unincorporated association" as a Chartering Organization?

Just wondering.

You may be interested in this old thread....

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=40484

Dear dpicarelli,

Welcome to these forums. And thank you for volunteering to help your pack and troop.

Since the issues you describe are now in the hands of the police, and a lawyer is involved, it sounds like the matters will eventually be worked out.

The chartering organization structure has many good qualities and it has its challenging qualities, too. Local control usually works pretty well when all the responsible people are pulling in the same direction. Unfortunately, a couple of bad apples can really spoil the whole basket.

The quality of the scouting program is ultimately a sum total of the quality of all the leaders involved, both adult and youth.

Have fun scouting.

(This message has been edited by Aquila calva)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-fernandez12feb12,0,2361925.story

From the Los Angeles Times

Scouting's merits

The group's homophobia presents a moral dilemma: to join or not?

By Jay A. Fernandez

February 12, 2008

I recently received in the mail an urgent request to support the cause of something called the Scouting Legal Defense Fund. "Hey, I'm an Eagle Scout," I thought cheerfully. "How can I help?"

According to the accompanying letter, my financial assistance was "desperately needed" to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union from using the courts to force the Boy Scouts of America to accept gay scoutmasters. This potential catastrophe, the letter said, "will destroy the Boy Scouts' mission to instill wholesome values and provide solid role models to young men to help them become responsible, well-rounded citizens."

After a few phone calls, I came to find out that the ACLU has no active cases against the Boy Scouts. And many past cases focused on the exclusion of atheist Scouts. The ACLU's basic position has been that if Scout troops are supported by the government, as many are, it is unconstitutional for members to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation or religious beliefs. Several legal settlements have led to government sponsorship being withdrawn.

Beyond the blatant dishonesty in that letter, its implication that gays can't be role models is an argument that my 14-year-old stepson, Ethan, could dress down without looking up from his multimedia Skype-iPod-"Survivorman" cocktail. So I won't bother with them. But this is suddenly a real dilemma for me because Ethan asked to join a Scout troop.

Years ago, the last time this gays-in-Scouting dust-up made it onto my radar, my brothers and I -- all three of us are Eagle Scouts -- fretted over the right expression of dissent. We considered sending back our Eagle badges, as others did, in protest. That we ultimately didn't says less about the extent of our outrage than our pride in achieving something fewer than 1% of Scouts manage. I worked hard for that -- suffered, even -- and, ashamedly in retrospect, I wasn't willing to give it up in the name of principle.

At that time, Ethan was 6 or 7 and asking my wife and me about Scouting. We tried to explain why we felt that the organization's decision to exclude children or adult volunteers based on their sexual orientation was antithetical to our ideals. In our view, if we wanted to raise Ethan to have "wholesome values" and be a "well-rounded citizen," then he couldn't participate in a club that openly discriminated. Frankly, I'd like to keep the orienteering merit badge focused on learning how to use a compass.

Granted, there were other reasons I was reluctant to encourage Ethan to join, and they had less to do with principle than with the scars -- or "memories" -- I collected during my own dozen years in Scouting. I camped, cooked, hiked, built fires, swam and earned merit badges, seemingly only on weekends that called for soul-drenching rainstorms, while striving for the honor that my parents had perversely made a requirement of getting my driver's license. From that accumulated experience, I can tell you one thing for sure: Homosexuality was the very least of the things a kid needed to watch out for at Camp Thunderdome. The degenerates and bullies I went through Scouting with were generally lunk-headed sadists who smuggled in porn, committed cruel pranks and tried to set each other on fire. Be prepared, indeed.

And though I was convinced that my likable (and married) scoutmaster was gay, what actually bothered me most about him was that he thought it would be funny to organize my peers to pick up my cot while I slept and deposit me in the middle of the woods. On awakening alone in the ink-dark arboreal abyss, my first thought was not "wow, that guy maintains suspiciously good hygiene."

And then, about the same time as the letter arrived, Ethan again expressed interest in joining. Unlike me, he has the personality for it. Swimming, building, camping, cooking, hiking -- these are all activities he loves and does often with his dad, a former park ranger. So we bought him cool gadgets, and I helped him learn the Scout oath.

But in doing so, I was reminded of the dreadful phrase the Scouts and their legal backers, the misleadingly named American Civil Rights Union, tout as the basis of their anti-gay stance. The oath ends with the promise "... to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight." Ah, the old "morally straight" conundrum. Does the spirit of that pledge mean that you will never lie, or that you will never lie with a guy?

For me, the edification of Scouting came in the form of lifelong calls for strong community, an awareness of one's effect on the natural world, self-reliance and leadership skills. (Camping, however, remains just above waterboarding on my list of favorite activities.) To claim that these qualities are somehow reserved for heterosexuals, either as teachers or students, is to miss the point entirely.

Although I find the Boy Scouts of America's stance no less offensive now, I do want Ethan to have these experiences with his peers. The troop he discovered seems to focus on hard-core rock-climbing and hiking (they practically traversed half of Death Valley on a recent weekend). He's old enough to make his own decision.

He's also the most nonjudgmental kid I know, unlikely to be corrupted by any bigoted dogma. The truth is, as more kids like Ethan join and eventually play a part in determining Boy Scout policy, the faster those discriminatory elements will vanish like so many sparks from a roaring bonfire.

Jay A. Fernandez writes The Times' weekly Scriptland column

Hi gwd-scouter,

So.your troop is about to inherit (absorb) another troop of 8 or 9 scouts who are in the 9th and 10th grade. The one active parent in this group has indicated a desire to give these scouts more opportunity to earn Eagle. Your troop will need several well-trained Eagle Coaches; otherwise you will find yourself being the Eagle Coach for many teenagers you dont even know yet. And these scouts will each need an Eagle project. The focus of these scouts will be to finish up those last required merit badges, put together and complete an Eagle project, and pass the Eagle Board of Review. As Scoutmaster, you could easily find yourself faced with a whole different set of demands. It won`t be just about forming new patrols or encouraging a boy-led program. Let these new parents know right away that their help is needed if these scouts will accomplish their Eagle goal. The position of Eagle Coach in a troop is very important. It can`t always be only the Scoutmaster.

Speaking of "plants"....

Please pass the beans (with ham).

BrentAllen: Your point is well-taken.

From the Communications Merit Badge Book: 2007 Printing, page 4.

8. Plan a troop court of honor or campfire program. Have the patrol leaders council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies.

This requirement puts a lot of responsibility for the court of honor into the hands of a Scout working on the Communications merit badge. It also puts a lot of responsibility on the PLC.

This may have been interpreted, over time, to mean that the Scout working on the Communications merit badge should actually present the advancements and merit badges. Perhaps this merit badge requirement should be rewritten.

Hello Bear12, Welcome to these Scouting forums. Your question and comments have really hit a nerve. Other posters have offered some good suggestions and examples.

First of all, congratulations to your son for passing his Eagle Board of Review. This is a major accomplishment and your son deserves a lot of praise.

And congratulations to your troop, too, Scoutmaster included, for helping to provide a Scouting program where your son can earn Eagle! Wow! This is a major accomplishment. From what you have said, it could be that it is overwhelming the Scoutmaster and other leaders. To put the question in colloquial terms: Now that weve got one, what the heck do we do with it? There is so much mixed tradition, procedure and protocol wrapped up in this, it can be confusing.

I also agree that it would have been best for the Scoutmaster, at the troop court of honor, to say congratulations to your son for passing his Eagle Board of Review. I can also believe that the Scoutmaster could have forgotten to do just that! Lack of experience in this matter could be a major contributing factor in this unfortunate oversight. Since this is his first Eagle, he may well not know what to do.

Here is another true story along this same line.

Last October, a Scout in our troop passed his EBOR. He is the third Scout to earn Eagle in our troop. His Dad is our Scoutmaster and he puts a lot of time and effort into the troop program. The day after the EBOR I got an email from the SM telling me that the Scout had passed his EBOR. I hadnt even known that the EBOR had been scheduled, but it was all taken care of by the Scout and our Advancement Chair who also attended the District EBOR. As Committee Chair I have the most complete email list, so I immediately sent out a short email to the troop saying CONGRATULATIONS to the Scout for passing his EBOR the night before.

At the next troop meeting I again announced to the troop that the Scout had passed his EBOR. The new Eagle wasnt able to make this meeting because of a school commitment. The scouts seemed pleased but there wasnt much of a response. Sort of like, Oh yah, we already know that and Why should we hoot or applaud because he isnt here anyway?

The troop Court of Honor was held in early December. (The Scoutmaster had told me that the family was planning an ECOH for a later date. They were still waiting for the Eagle packet to arrive.) The youth leaders planned the troop COR with the help of the Scoutmaster. I was sitting in back, taking it all in, feeling pleased I didnt have to do much at this COR because everything was taken care of by others. The patrol skits were done, the FOS presentation had been given, the advancements and merit badges had all been given out (by the SPL and ASPL), and it was about time to have the closing ceremony. I suddenly realized that the newest Eagle Scout hadnt yet been recognized. I got up, went to the front of the group (probably 70 people including scouts, parents and guests) and asked the new Eagle to come up front. I didnt have any idea what to say but finally just said, Here is the troops newest Eagle Scout. Immediately, the whole audience stood up and gave the Scout an extended round of applause. It took me by surprise! After everyone finally sat down, I congratulated the Scout again, shook his hand, and said that the family was planning an Eagle Court of Honor for a later date.

This Court of Honor could have easily ended without anyone saying anything about the newest Eagle Scout. I think the Scoutmaster had even forgotten it because he was so focused on all the others. And, I also think, that the Scoutmaster might not have known exactly what to say at that Court of Honor. Im just glad I got up and said something.

So it doesnt always have to be the Scoutmaster. In your situation the Committee Chair, or the Chartered Organization Rep, or the SPL could also take the floor to say CONGRATULATIONS!

A Scout troop is a group effort. Leadership belongs to all of us.

(In our Council) The Eagle Scout packet, including the pins and documents, is sent to the Council office. The Scoutmaster is notified that the packet has arrived and he, or someone else from the troop, should go and pick it up. I had picked up the packet for the most recent Eagle and then I gave it to the Scoutmaster for safe keeping. He brought it to the ECOH.

When your sons packet arrives at the scout office, this could provide another opportunity for the Scoutmaster to say his congratulations at a troop meeting and at a committee meeting. It would probably be good if your son was there to hear the congratulations.

Pick a date for your sons Eagle Court of Honor. Let everyone know. And have a great time! (And write out a script for your Scoutmaster. )

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad

Prospero ao y Felicidad

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas

From the bottom of my heart

When ref collapsed, teen knew what to do

Her defibrillator training saved a life after CPR failed

BY NICK FERRARO

Pioneer Press

Article Last Updated: 12/16/2007 11:59:11 PM CST

Lindsey Paradise was watching her classmates from Fridley High School play Simley on Thursday night. They were up by 16 points when the boys basketball game came to a halt: A referee collapsed on the Fridley court.

Paradise's quick thinking - the 16-year-old helped administer CPR and operate a defibrillator - saved the official's life. Dale Wakasugi, 49, of Woodbury, is recovering from cardiac arrest, and Paradise was the game's most valuable spectator.

Paradise said she heard her mother gasp, with about five minutes left in the game. She looked away from the action on the court and saw Wakasugi on the ground, motionless. That's all it took for the high school junior and Fridley resident to jump up from the upper bleachers and into action.

"She flew from the stands and slid on her knees right up to him," her twin sister, Alyssa, said. "Just by looking at her, you could tell that she was in a zone."

Paradise, who received training on how to operate a defibrillator last month at school and through the Fridley police youth Explorer program, said instinct took over.

"I ran down to the court and knew that you're not supposed to touch him right away," she said. "I heard and saw his head hitting the floor. And then two parents came over to us."

Paradise remembered she had a plastic CPR face shield in her purse.

"I ran back up there, grabbed it and ran back," she said. She put the face shield on Wakasugi and helped three others, including two parents who are nurses, perform CPR. "I was holding his airway open and was checking for a pulse," she said.

But the four rounds of CPR didn't work. The referee had no pulse.

Paradise ordered a spectator to grab the automated external defibrillator hanging on a nearby wall. She and others checked to see if the machine registered a pulse rate before administering a shock, something she learned in training.

Alyssa Paradise said the gym was so quiet she could hear the defibrillator's voice prompts echoing throughout the facility.

Lindsey Paradise put one defibrillator pad on Wakasugi's chest, and another good Samaritan put one on his side. He was shocked and started to come around. He regained a pulse.

"I saw his chest going up and down," Paradise said. "We were talking to him, saying, 'Keep breathing, Dale,' and we were trying to comfort him."

Rescue personnel then took over and gave Wakasugi oxygen, lifted him onto a stretcher and wheeled him to an ambulance. The game was suspended and likely won't resume.

Wakasugi was conscious before being rushed to Unity Hospital in Fridley, something that amazed firefighter and EMT Renee Hamdorf, one of the first responders at the scene. She said Paradise's quick action saved his life.

"It's rare that they wake up that quickly," Hamdorf said, "and I would attribute that to the care that was given to him so quickly ... She was just a high school kid who jumped to help. Not too often does a high school student step up and help a complete stranger. It's very impressive."

Wakasugi underwent surgery at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids to repair a blocked artery. He was in fair condition Sunday and is scheduled to go home today.

Surrounded by family and friends, Wakasugi said doctors told him CPR would not have been enough to revive him. "If this girl didn't have the wherewithal to stay calm and know how to run that defibrillator, I wouldn't be here," he said. "CPR wouldn't have done it. I'm just grateful."

Wakasugi, a clinical oncology specialist, and his wife, Katy, said they want to contact Paradise and meet her soon.

Paradise, who aspires to be a police officer, said she was relieved to learn that Wakasugi is doing well.

"People kept telling me that I saved his life, but it was not just me," she said. "I was just glad I was able to help. But I'm glad he is alive and can be home for the holidays."

Nick Ferraro can be reached at nferraro@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2173.

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_7739301?nclick_check=1

The issues may not be all that different than they were in the 60s (and before) but our UNDERSTANDING of the issues is quite different. We now know at least a couple of things about abuse that we didnt know before (or that we just didnt want to admit before). These are outlined in The Parents Guide at the beginning of the Boy Scout book. Please, EVERYONE, read it again, and again and again.

THIS ISNT ABOUT STRANGERS! Its about people we KNOW and about people our CHILDREN know.

Children are most likely to be molested by someone they know and trust

Eighty to 90 percent of sexually abused boys are molested by acquaintances who are nonfamily members.

These statements are found on page six of The Parents Guide found in the front of every Boy Scout Handbook under the heading Sexual Abuse.

I repeatThese new requirements are GREAT!!! And it is about time!! They are steps in the right direction.

And, yes, I would rather be taking a hike with the troop than talking about these issues!!!! And, yes, I grew up in the 60s, too. I became a Boy Scout in November, 1961. And I like to think that I know more now than I did back then.

Scouting Youth Protection resources are all listed here:

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/ypt/resources.html

An explanation of the Three Rs of Youth Protection can be found in the front of every newly-purchased Boy Scout book. This is in an attachment to the scout book and is called How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parents Guide.

The big problem is that this removable attachment is too often taken out and easily lost.

The Three Rs are Recognize, Resist and Report. These are used as they relate to various forms of abuse, but they also work when trying to deal with bullying behavior. I am convinced that many Americans just dont know what bullying behavior is. What starts out as fun and games sometimes turn quite nasty. A lot of us just dont Recognize it, much less Resist and Report it.

Here is a link to the version for Boy Scouts in English (this is also in the list at the link above):

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/ypt/pdf/46-015.pdf

"help a scout leader get over his/her luddite tendencies and understand the world our kids live in"

How observant! I'll second that motion even if it is a little on the "sharp" side.

This is the first I am hearing about these new requirements. I think these are GREAT ideas. It is about time! There also need to be corresponding new requirements in the Cub Scout program. And the requirements should include a discussion of what abuse is, not just bullying. According to the Parents Guide in the front of the Scout book (page 6 in the 2005 printing) most sexual abuse occurs between the ages of 7 and 13. We need to start dealing with this at the Cub Scout age.

These requirements need to be part of the scouting program from the get-go. The information in the Parent Guide is very good, but it needs to be integrated into the whole program. These new requirements are a step in the right direction.

We need to help our children understand ever more clearly what it means to be friendly, courteous and kind.

Bravo, Boy Scouts!

___________________________________________

OK, now I will quibble about one thing. This new first class requirement should be included as requirement number 10 (not 12). The current number 10 should be number 11 and the current number 11 should be number 12, etc. And I hope that whoever is writing these also includes in the book text some clear and concise explanations of these new requirements so all Scouts, Parents and Adult Leaders will be able to talk about these things using the same language.