NJCubScouter

I see no evidence that they have toned it down. Have you?

I wish National would NOT call this the "Family Scouting Pilot Program." Maybe to National, "family" means sons and daughters, but to most people "family" includes the parents as well. As far as I can tell the role of parents is not changing, either in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. There also are some statements in that article that are misleading, at best. Such as: They cannot earn the same ranks as Boy Scouts, "now." They will be able to starting sometime next year. I don't think the writer of the article knows the difference between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Well, but the "angst" has been a part of Star Wars for a long time, at least since Return of the Jedi. There has just been more of it in the last two films, and particularly in this one. I do think there could have been somewhat less of it. As for "spoilers," I think there already so many in this thread (some by implication, some directly) that it probably doesn't matter anymore.

Tahawk, the top one is an Assistant Scoutmaster patch, right? (Since it has gold rather than silver.) What is the bottom one?

I am sorry you did not enjoy the movie.

Thanks. My wife and I were puzzling over that earlier. She said the sash and what was on it did not look much like the sash she wore as a Girl Scout, not to mention the girl in the picture isn’t wearing a uniform.

Without debating which of two ridiculous things is more ridiculous, I agree that the Jedi-celibacy thing is ridiculous. I think that was done simply to make the Anakin-Palme relationship “forbidden,” and therefore more interesting, without considering the wider implications. i didn’t like the prequels much either, but I have liked the sequels.

Yes, I just looked it up, Air Scouts were 1941-1949, Air Explorers 1949-1965, so you're correct, that young man from 1946 is an Air Scout.

Air Scout, or Air Explorer?

So you're saying that floating untethered in space is something that is unique to British Scouts and British fences?

Happy New Year. Interesting pictures. I'm not sure why the Scouts in the greeting card (top picture), and the fence on which they are leaning/sitting, seem to be floating in space. And in the next-to-bottom picture (dated July 1952), what's with the salute that the Girl Scout is giving? (At least, I am assuming she is a Girl Scout.) I have never seen that before. I guess one might also ask, if the uniformed Boy Scout and Explorer are giving a salute, why isn't the uniformed soldier also saluting?

I actually thought “Ewoks” when I saw the Porgs. Fortunately the Porgs did not play a major role in the movie. I agree but I think there was still a good amount here that was reminiscent of the original trilogy. But mostly for good reasons and not just needless repetition. One thing I think they have done for the fans (in the last two films) is to go back to the “mystery” of The Force rather than the midichlorians, which I think is one of the worst ideas in the history of film-making. Nah, Star Wars is set “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” No Federation.

I guess that falls into the “anything is possible” category. It is one of the ways this could have happened.

Well, she cannot be registered as a den leader or any other adult leader position at 16 unless someone made a mistake. If she is “acting” in that position the pack leaders are taking a big personal risk. On the other hand I do not think this reporter understands anything about what she is writing about here, so who knows what is actually happening. I also find it odd that the reporter does not seem to have spoken with any adults for this story, such as the Cubmaster or the girl’s parents. And can anyone tell what that male Scouter (who has red loops, not blue) is presenting her with? To me it looks like a knot patch is either attached to or pictured on that piece of paper.

I have been avoiding reading this thread because I hadn't seen the movie. Earlier this evening, my wife and I saw it. (I guess that has become our idea of a wild New Year's Eve date.) I barely recognize the movie I just saw from many of the comments in this thread (including the Vanity Fair article.) I thought it was a good movie, if somewhat derivative of Episode V. There was no Jar Jar Binks and the Porgs were at least tolerable. And there were more humorous moments in this one than any previous SW film, though my wife just told me that the humor is one of the reasons it has been criticized. (I like humor.) It also had a lot of action and adventure. I liked that too. To paraphrase the immortal words of William Shatner: "It's a movie!" And it should be evaluated on that basis.

The problem is that you (and me, and all other local-types) are not on the same schedule as BSA National. They announce girls will be able to earn Eagle, we want to know how that's going to work. They will tell us when they are ready - which, hopefully will be before the situation actually comes up.

So in that case, National did not send it back for another EBOR, they just reversed the EBOR and awarded Eagle. That is what I thought happens.

Well, despite my sarcastic comment earlier and my general cynicism where National is concerned, I actually do think that National is going to issue some guidance regarding this subject, sometime before the date when young women are officially admitted as members at the 11-17 age level. I guess there is still a flicker of idealism left in me after all.

One does whatever the literature and training of the organization that one is a member of says to do in the position that one holds. What's in a name? Rex Tillerson is often addressed as "Secretary." There is also a woman in my office who is called a secretary. They have very different jobs. Maybe a better example is "counselor." I am sometimes called a "counselor." I am not a camp counselor, a merit badge counselor (well, I am, but you know what I mean), a counselor who you speak with when you're depressed, or a counselor who helps you choose your classes in high school. And don't get me started on "chancellor."

This is a hypothetical, right? You mean if National tells council to give a Scout a BOR? Has that ever happened? National doesn't even know someone is going for Eagle until after the EBOR is over. On those occasions when someone "fails" or is not granted a BOR at council/unit level, and there is an appeal to National, and it is successful, doesn't National just award the Eagle? Or do they direct the council/unit to hold a BOR? If it is the latter, and this happens with a Scout who has not met all the requirements, National had better send along a letter saying exactly what requirements have been waived. At least then the EBOR can decide if the person has met all the requirements they have to meet and not some amorphous idea that they seem to have had the same experiences as someone who actually passed all the requirements.

I don't get it, qwasze. Why would you call them "Scoutmaster" anyway, if that is not their title? I don't think it matters whether your title includes "master" or "leader." It's what you do with the position that matters.

And what exactly are the members of the EBOR supposed to determine? And how are they supposed to determine it? I have sat on most likely 100 or more BOR's including let's say 15-20 EBOR's. I have trained other committee members on how BOR's are to be done. The main thing the BOR is supposed to determine (without "re-testing", of course) is whether the Scout has fulfilled the requirements for the rank. There are other purposes to a BOR, but that's the primary purpose. I as a BOR member know exactly what requirements the Scout is supposed to have passed. It's right there in the book. There is no mystery about what the Scout is being measured against. There is relatively little "value judgment" to be employed in the process. So now I am confronted with a young person - the gender does not matter - who has NOT passed all the requirements, albeit through no fault of their own, and I'm supposed to decide whether they are an Eagle or not. Based on what? How skillful she is and how much leadership she has shown? Compared to what? What's the standard?

Well, if they have Family Life, Personal Management and/or Personal Fitness (or Camping, for that matter) completed within one month of joining, that's a problem. Other than that, how many merit badges can a person earn in a month (or whatever) before it becomes physically impossible? I have no idea. Hopefully it is not something that I will ever have to decide. On the other hand, I am sure the BSA will issue helpful and detailed guidance on the subject so those of us toiling in the fields will not have to guess. <sarcasm off>

All I know is that when I got up and opened our back door for our dog to go out into our fenced-in yard, she poised paused at the doorway and looked up at me as if to say, "Can't you see it's raining?"

In theory, it shouldn't even get to an EBOR. The Eagle Application requires that the dates of the BOR's for First Class, Star and Life be provided. I believe the Eagle registrars at council (title probably varies among councils) actually do check the dates before signing, which is required in order to get an EBOR scheduled. The dates need to be 4 months apart for First Class-Star, and six months apart for Star-Life and Life-Eagle. That's a total of one year four months, and that's not even counting the time to complete the requirements from joining to First Class, so "less than a year" won't do it. Unless you are suggesting that someone is going to fake the dates and that the SMs and Committee Chairs are going to sign the App with the fake dates. (Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying.) How the EBOR's will handle it, if the young woman does get to that point? Well, I know how I will handle it if I find myself in such a position, which is entirely possible. Someone who obviously cannot have met the requirements does not get approved. Council and National can overrule the EBOR if they want, but National says the "locals" cannot add to or subtract from the requirements, and that is what I do - or don't do - you know what I mean.