nolesrule

The website says not to boil the bags because they aren't designed to withstand the heat of boiling them, so it reads as more of a disclaimer in case the bag fails. It has nothing to do with the possibility of chemical contamination, since it's not listed under the "Safety" section of their FAQ which addresses the subject of chemicals. Obviously, having this discussion at all demonstrates that it is possible to boil in one of their bags, regardless of what their website states.

asm 411, yes he can have the scoutmaster conference before the timne clicks off, just not the board of review. Since there's no rush, I was just giving the optimal timeframe to have it.

A reasonable answer would be to hold the Scoutmaster Conference once everything has been completed, including POR tenure. It should be a time to reflect on all the completed requirements and also to begin a plan of action toward the next rank. The Board of Review should be scheduled upon request of the boy once all requirements, including the Scoutmaster Conference, have been completed.

Another possiblility that you have failed to consider is a security vulnerability in the forum/registration software, which may or may not be scouter.com's fault. Never attribute to maliciousness what can be caused by incompetence.(This message has been edited by nolesrule)

"But I also think that wearing the Green Venturing uniform will make me standout more than wearing the Tan Scout uniform with no number and will allow me to blend in with the other leaders. " You aren't a leader in the pack so you should not try to blend in with the other leaders by wearing the tan uniform and blue loops. That is misleading to the other boys and parents and probably also other leaders in the pack. Somebody might assume that you are a leader in the pack. As for the Venturing leader uniform...how do you want to be seen at the meetings? As a Venturing leader who is at the pack meeting or as the parent of a child in the pack? If you are a Tiger Cub parent, then wear the Tiger Cub shirt, as that is the proper uniform for a Tiger Cub parent. If you are a parent of any other level Cub, wear your "parent" uniform. It is important to remember WHY you are there.(This message has been edited by nolesrule)

I'm sorry, but you're theory is working under false assumptions. Relying on obfuscation is no guarantee of preventing randomly generated spam. Once email harvesters find a domain with a working MX entry, they will find a way to discover valid email addresses on the domain.(This message has been edited by nolesrule)

There's nothing conclusive about your experiment. I've created email addresses that have never been used anywhere, and given time they will always start receiving spam.

Is such a gross violation of BSA advancement policies teaching good character?

Like Eagle92, our lodge has 3 Ordeal weekends for camp improvements... fall, winter and summer, with a fellowship weekend in the spring (among other activity days/weekends). The Spring Fellowship consists of inter-chapter competition, the annual banquet, Vigil callouts breakfast. It's the "fun" weekend, the purpose being, well, fellowship.

Listen. Observe. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know an answer when asked. Do your best to get the answers to those questions as soon as you can. Don't be afraid to ask for advice/help from other commissioners should you need it. Ask to be placed on unit newsletter or event notification email lists. Don't bring your visitation report forms to the meetings, and don't fill them out till after you have left. Attend or take online trainings for adult positions you may be interacting with but haven't served in. Don't be a stranger at Roundtables, Commissioner meetings or annual Commissioner Conferences. You may find after a time that you have an open invitation to attend any unit meeting, committee meeting or unit event with the units you serve. It's still best to communicate in advance that you will be there. Beyond not surprising them, you'll want to make sure the meeting time/location has not changed for one reason or another. If you are a friend to the units you serve, they will want to keep you in the loop.

"What would you think about the BoR members awarding a boy his rank patch or pin right then and there after the BoR? ' The important thing is awarding the boy in front of his peers (i.e. the rest of his troop) at the first available opportunity.

What you saw on that website was specific only to that Boy Scout troop. It does not apply to the troop your son is in. As for what that line means on that website, I'd assume it means that he would need to attend 2 out of every 3 scheduled activites of each type. That means 2 out of 3 camping trips, 2 out of 3 service projects. So if he was QM there were 3 camping trips, he'd need to attend 2. If there were 6, he'd need to attend 4. It's not so simple when you don't have easily divisible things, like what happens if there are 4 activites, or an activity gets canceled that might cause the boy not to meet the criteria, which is why I usually recommend to the units I serve not to include percentages as a criteria.

"No, that's how they learn to listen to the adults rather than the bugle. When the bugle sounds, go stand by an adult, they'll tell you what it means." Have the SPL along with the bugler give them the information once. They should be able to pick it up quickly. New boys to troop will learn from the other boys down the line. All you have to do is take a short time to establish it and then things will fall into place.

Unless your son is a member of Troop 103 in the San Francisco Bay Area Council, that link is not relevant in this discussion. That's an example of one troop setting its own criteria for "serving actively."

Since it's a relatively new troop, is it possible they are operating the CoHs under an almost Cub Scout pack meeting mentality?

BW, I like the way you phrased that.

It's certainly best for the boys to receive the physical reward for the achievement as soon as possible. If you don't have the award in stockpile, make sure it's acquired prior to the next meeting. In line with Nike's "bugaboo" about having more than one Scout with an SPL patch, the uniform should reflect the current status of the Scout (or Scouter). That means the boy should have the current POR patch (or none) on his sleeve and the correct rank badge on his left pocket. This is not meant to sound like uniform police, but rather a good reason for the troop to provide the boy with his awards in a timely manner. He shouldn't have to wear his old rank badge any longer than it takes for the troop to acquire the new one...which should be as soon as possible. (This message has been edited by nolesrule)

Seems it depends on whether your Scout Shop considers the knots restricted or not. A few years ago I went in to put a new uniform together, I had the necessary proof I needed for AOL and Eagle square knots, but when I offered to show the cards/certs I was told it wasn't necessary. If you have earned the award, you are entitled to wear the knot. The knots are not the actual award.

Slightly off topic...Even in an imperfect world, there is no reason a UC should be participating in FOS presentations. You can't be assisting the units and asking for money on behalf of the council at the same time. It can put a bad taste in the mouths of unit leadership. And as for the argument that you can do the FOS presentation at a unit you don't serve, what if sometime down the road you get switched to that unit? When you show up, the leaders remember you as the guy who asked for money. Rather than having UCs do this kind of phone call, it might be better to have it as a beginning of the year practice for the units themselves with new Scouts and new adults. A good way to make sure everyone is on the same page.

My DC would tell the council that this kind of thing is not a UC's job. We're supposed to help units, not deliver a survey or pass out information to scouts and leaders on an individual basis.

Someone did tell you. Your SPL. From information he received directly from the camporee director at the SPL meeting. Are you saying you didn't believe your SPL? Ok, so it was a wooden pole and not metal. It still doesn't matter. As someone who lives in the thunderstorm capital of North America, I can tell you right now that a wooden flag pole is still a lightning rod. And even worse, a wooden pole could explode if hit with lightning because the lightning would instantly boil any moisture in the wood, causing the steam to rapidly expand in the pockets of the wood. EDIT: shortridge hit the nail right on the head.(This message has been edited by nolesrule)

All-weather flags (read: nylon) can be flown in inclement weather, but that isn't pertinent to the discussion. Holding a flag raising or lowering in the middle of a storm with the potential for lightning? That would be irresponsible. You wouldn't let your boys go swimming in a thunderstorm would you? If there is lightning, you should be taking the proper safety precautions, and that includes being far away from a tall metal pole. The camporee director did the right thing, putting safety first. The people who ignored him and showed up anyway did not.

I spent a good 30 minutes writing a response but realized my entire point has gone over your head. All I will say is the world is just not as simple a place as you make it out to be, and that there will always be exceptions to your premise, whether you can see them or not. But I get the feeling I could give you a million real-world and/or hypothetical examples and you would still disagree. And I'll leave it at that. And in these posts, I never once condoned lying or misleading when giving one's word. There's certainly no integrity in that.

So what you're telling me is that once you have made a decision, if you later on feel you made a mistake in that decision and change your mind, there is absolutely no way you can correct it without losing integrity? Am I understanding you correctly?

That's why I mentioned severability clauses. That said, it'll cost a whole lot more than $5000 if you were to try to enforce something that is unenforceable. An unenforceable clause in a contract has as much bearing on the parties to the contract as if it was never written into the signed document. So, for all intents and purposes, you don't have an obligation to follow it because in the end it doesn't exist as it has been superseded by a higher authority. That said, in the case of a dispute, you'll need a judge to enforce the unenforceability of the text. "The law says that I can hold animal sacrifices in my backyard. However, that upsets my neighbor who asks me to cease. I agree, primarily to get him off my property because he smells like garlic. Do I still have an obligation to do what I said that I'd do? According to you, I don't because there's nothing that he can do. According to me, I must because I said I would. " People can change their minds. There are ways to do that while retaining your integrity.