Mike Long

Both links break. How about this one? http://pages.towson.edu/romans/philmont/philmont_fires_2002.htm They also have a link the page I posted.

I found an excellent fire map online. This is a big one and getting bigger. http://www.earthanalytic.com/NENM_Fires.php

Being a spiritual guide is an easy job? Those "of the cloth" are the hardest working and most dedicated people I know. Please don't belittle their contributions.

Please excuse me if you know some of this already. First off some common definitions so we can be on the same page Screen: Screenprinting mesh pulled taughtly over a wooden or aluminum frame. Stencil: The emulsion coating on the screen that actually carries the image. The artwork question first. The black will print and the white will not. Lets say you took a white sheet of paper and wrote BSA on it in black. All you want to print is the letters BSA and you intend for the white area of the paper to be T-shirt (or whatever you are printing on) Screen prep: Ok assum

When we were smaller every active adult except the SM sat on review boards. In a perfect world the BSA approved structure and methods would be in place in all troop because everyone would be tripping over themselves to volunteer. Here in the real world we all make do with what we have. If you don't have the support to function at full capacity you function as best you can, move forward with geting the troop where it needs to be and don't worry about it. Pulling in people from outside the troop and scouting to sit on review boards is more trouble than it is worth. Think about th

NJ I also see that difference. More boys Vs. more boys by my review date. That in my mind does call into question the motivations of some individuals and wether those motivations are in the best interest of the Scouting movement. I think that the latter motivation is not in our best interest or in the spirit of scouting. Much the same, Scouting has not become a mere numbers game although there are some within our ranks that might be going that direction.

Get another unit leader to fill out the paperwork and then have them present it to the unit leader to sign. Once signed then send it out yourself.

Has scouting become a business for numbers / money? In my view, No. Numbers are a good way of judging the health of anything. The higher the numbers the higher the likelyhood that things are going well. This is a common and accurate method of judging effectiveness. I also don't see anyone getting wealthy off of scouting. Certainly not any DE I have ever seen. Frankly the only well-off Pro Scouters I have met were well-off because they retired from very successful careers and could now afford the pay cut to be Pro Scouters.

Anderson, you have done everything that I would have done and I'm not sure what more you can do except keep asking. I'd also make it a point to be very observent as some people with loose morals tend to have loose lips and eventually spill the truth.

Screenprinting you say? Yes, I did it professionally for about 10 years. I'm a master screenprinter. I need more info before I can help though. 1. Have you printed before or are you asking because you have no experience whatsoever? 2. Camp? Do you mean summer camp?

I don't think such a service exists so it's just going to be legwork to get it done. I do know that in North Chicago there is the Great Lakes Naval Training base (Exact correct title uncertain but I lived there when I was little) that you could contact either the base or the troop they charter. Not to mention the fine Scouters present here who are more than willing to help. Right gang? If y'all were going to seabase then you'd have north florida covered.

A burn ban IS a big deal. There have been burn bans in effect here in Florida off and on since the '98 firestorm. At its highest level all heat sources are outlawed. This includes campstoves, contained grills, lanterns ect. cold camping only. No it doesn't mean you can't camp. We still do. It just means you have to reconsider your techniques. Contrary to popular misconception LNT doesn't mean no fires it means to carefully consider how and where you do have a fire and to consider if you should have one. You should be using LNT at EVERY camp, period. www.lnt.org

Well there is always the possibility that the wallet never made it to the meeting at all. I would not assume that there is a thief in your midst just yet. I have left many things in my pockets that have fallen out unnoticed when I took them off. Has anything else of value dissapeared at a meeting? Plus if this meeting was last night perhaps the person (if any) who accidentally picked up the wallet doesn't realize they have it yet.

I took rifle my first year, so did the other guys I joined with. No ill effects.

A situation like this just screams for a Den Chief to work with these boys. I have to agree with Sctmom. Use the skills they were taught and have fun with them. I would think that activities would be easier and more enjoyable now that advancement is covered. You can just concentrate on having fun. What kid is bored by fun?

Wow, I only looked at the Boy Scout joining requirements and my response to go forward hinges on the accurate completion of the AOL. Unfortunately that has not been met. I agree with Bob in all aspects. The council assumes that units faithfully and accurately conduct advancement in accordance with the methods of the BSA. The task of doing this is the domain of the Cubmaster and unit committee.

Yes they can enroll in Boy Scouts. You are correct there is no "and" in the requirements. They only need to satisfy one of the conditions and they have done so by completeing the AOL. Congratulations and welcome to Boy Scouting.

If the camp has a first year camper program then be sure he takes it. That is the biggest bang for the buck. As far as merit badges, First Aid, swimming, any handicraft badge (basketry, leatherwork, metalwork ect.) Indian Lore, camping, cooking, pioneering, fishing, some of the ecology badges that aren't too academic are all good badges for a first year scout to take. As for all the watersports badges I would reccommend doing swimming first but it isn't required that the scout do so. I typically steer scouts towards swimming and first aid, both invaluable skills. Archery might be a good o

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oz I do that do! Scouting IS universal. I especially love the "OHMAGAWD!" and the awkward silence that ensues when you say something. Honestly I don't care if they ever sleep but they had better not disturb the other campers. But one takes care of the other. If they are quiet then very soon they will be asleep and the objective is complete. I have to say though that the noisy tent problem is a rare thing for us.

Sure, it certainly wouldn't hurt the cause. I'll let y'all know the particulars when I do.

Salra I'm sorry that that Troop didn't have the fortitude to do right by your family and the Scouting movement. Meaningless Blather? Not to me and many others. I've based my life on the Scout Oath and Law. Sure we fall down on occasion but the intent is there. Don't let one bad apple spoil you on the whole orchard.

Online training could be a future goal but a searchable online knowledge base would not be difficult to implement imediately and would be of great value to many Scouters. Copyright restrictions? I never suggested stealing content. I'm not a shade-tree developer, I've done this before. I'm talking about doing it right with the blessings of the BSA. Cost of development is the only real major issue I see. The benefits need to be weighed vs. cost. If the BSA considers it worthy then just budget it and do a fund drive to pay for it. Every time my council wants a new facility they do it t

My son? That should be irrelevent. It's a scouting event, all scouts should be treated the same. The more I think about it the more torn I become.

Online training. All the data and answers in one place accessible and searchable online 24/7. No longer would training be subject to the opinions, mistakes, ommissions or additions of local trainers or those who might accuse the local trainers of such. Also no longer would there be leaders waiting for a local council to hold a training course only to discover that the class is full or conflicts with another activity (scouting or otherwise.) This would not be difficult to do only time consuming. All Scouting materials are printed. That means they exist in an electronic format somewhe

Actually the first thing to go through my mind would be to figure out the circumstances and if something illegal happened call the police and hand the boy over. Are we supposed to just call the parents and inform them their son is a felon, please deal with it?