oldsm

In my book, TroopLedger is worth the money, although my committee Treasurer disagrees.

TroopLedger goes far beyond what you can easily do with Excel or any simple spreadsheet. For example,

* Easily set up multiple accounts, including scout accounts, trip accounts, fund raising accounts, liability accounts, etc., etc.

* Easily split proceeds from activities among participating scouts

* Track troop assets (equipment), including aging.

* Prepare comprehensive budgets for next year

It does take a little effort to get TroopLedger set up properly, and once that's done you have to think a bit like an accountant to make sure that assets and liabilities are identified properly. But the results are SO MUCH BETTER than the spreadsheet model.

TroopLedger also has the distinct advantage of having been designed specifically to track financial operations for Boy Scout Troops. It's not a generic program designed for small business or home finances (a la Quicken). It also is designed as a single-user application, so you don't have multiple people mucking with the finances without accountability (unlike TroopMaster, which is outstanding and has multi-user capability).

I think my treasurer's opposition to TroopLedger was that she didn't want to be bothered learning how to use the program, even with its excellent documentation. As a result, she fell back on Excel, and only she can make heads or tails out of it. But it's what she was comfortable with. (Her predecessor used paper ledger sheets, so Excel is an improvement...).

I thought I'd posted this a day or so ago, but I can't find it anywhere, so I'll try again. Sorry if this is redundant.

The scouts in my troop are planning an August 2008 trip from Connecticut to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. We'll be driving (about 950 miles each way), so it's a 2-day trek each way.

The boys are hoping to find a BSA camp en route to overnight on the way out and back. Given the distance, it needs to be somewhere in the general area that western Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia come together. Does anyone know of any BSA camps in that area that might fill the bill?

Also...we would appreciate any information that anyone can provide with respect to activities at Mammoth Cave. Obviously, there are the guided cave tours and loads of hiking. I kind of remember a kids-only guided cave tour where the kids had to wear helmets/lights, knee pads, and came out positively filthy. Fun stuff.

Aside from those activities, what else is there? Any opinions with respect to camping within the park versus area commercial campgrounds?

All advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

I guess I'm the biggest loser so far. After MANY years of different diets which all resulted in the yo-yo syndrome described by LisaBob, I'd pretty much given up. Until last June, when I opted for a surgical technique: the LapBand. I'm a believer. I've lost 110 pounds and I feel absolutely GREAT. I've taken 10 inches of my waist, 2 1/2 inches off my neck, and went from wearing 2X sizes (almost 3X) down to a straight L (bypassed the XL!). Now my wedding band falls off - have to get it resized! The LapBand isn't magic - it's only a tool to be used in conjunction with dietary changes (like eating only about 1 cup of food at a meal), concentrating on protein, eliminating most carbs, all caffeine and carbonation. But it works. Now I can keep up with my scouts instead of their having to wait for me! And I'll be around to enjoy grandkids in a few years. A former couch potato, I now supplement my scouting activities with frequent trips to a gym.

Thanks to the surgery, my sleep apnea has been cured, and I'm off of almost all the meds I was taking. That's direct savings in my pocket. Best of all, I'm not crabby like I was with other weight loss attempts (just ask my wife and kids).

If you want to pursue what I consider to be an excellent solution for some people, go online and find a Center of Excellence in bariatric surgery (see www.surgicalreview.org). Also check out www.obesityhelp.org. The multidisciplinary aspects (physician-guided weight loss, psych workup, dietitian, cardiologist, exercise, pre- and post-op support groups, etc.) are what make it work. It's the ONLY thing that has worked for me.

Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for.

I guess I erred in assuming that the video stocked at the scout shop was the latest version. I'll have to talk to them about this.

My troop has marched for years in our local Memorial Day parade. It is expected.

The PLC flat-out tell the boys (and their parents) that the only acceptable excuses are being in the HIGH SCHOOL band (which is curricular - the middle school is optional), severe illness, or the family is out of town.

The sports teams (soccer, little league, karate, etc.) have enough people to represent them in the parade. Those units just walk as a mob. Our scouts take pride in keeping their rows and columns straight and generally try to march to the beat of whichever band they can hear. They do take pride in being the best marching unit in the parade.

I just obtained the DVD "Youth Protection: Personal Safety Awareness (AV-09V027)". This is the video aimed at kids 14-20 years old. It is excellent. However, I cannot locate a facilitator's guide. According to my local scout shop, they don't believe that there is one, and searching scouting.org was an exercise in futility.

I did find an old version, but it's for a version that includes suicide prevention as a topic - that's not on the current DVD.

Does anyone know where I can obtain a Guide?

My troop did the Freedom Trail last spring and loved it. It's good to allow all day for this. That way you can spend time at the various waystations and really learn something about history. Quincy Market is an excellent place to let the scouts have lunch - it's always crowded, but it's great for people-watching. And the variety of foods available is astounding.

You'll want to build in time to visit Old Ironsides (that needs about an hour without the muesum), and the the guys will want to climb the tower at Bunker Hill (an obelisk - sort of a mini-Washington Monument). And when you finish that, you have a hike back to the "T" to take mass transit back to your vehicles.

Be sure the guys wear sneakers, not hiking boots. All of your travel will be on concrete.

Another stop along the route (not actually part of the Freedom Trail, but adjacent to it) is the Holocaust Memorial. It had an unexpectedly profound effect on the boys once the symbolism sank in.

The Science Center is great - it needs a day to itself.

Good luck with planning. Enjoy!

My troop did the Freedom Trail last spring and loved it. It's good to allow all day for this. That way you can spend time at the various waystations and really learn something about history. Quincy Market is an excellent place to let the scouts have lunch - it's always crowded, but it's great for people-watching. And the variety of foods available is astounding.

You'll want to build in time to visit Old Ironsides (that needs about an hour without the muesum), and the the guys will want to climb the tower at Bunker Hill (an obelisk - sort of a mini-Washington Monument). And when you finish that, you have a hike back to the "T" to take mass transit back to your vehicles.

Be sure the guys wear sneakers, not hiking boots. All of your travel will be on concrete.

Another stop along the route (not actually part of the Freedom Trail, but adjacent to it) is the Holocaust Memorial. It had an unexpectedly profound effect on the boys once the symbolism sank in.

The Science Center is great - it needs a day to itself.

Good luck with planning. Enjoy!

I don't recall the year that the movie was set in, but I'll bet that the 2-deep leadership requirement didn't exist back then, along with a whole passel of rules and regulations that have been forced upon us by the lawyers. Those were to good ol' days.

My son earned Eagle just before he turned 18. He scheduled his ECOH for this coming January so that a lot of his friends (who are off to college) will be able to attend during the winter semester break.

He has been asked to speak at a major Council event in late November attended by probably 400 major financial supporters of the local Council. His role is to speak to his experiences as a Boy Scout and how it helped to shape who he is.

He is expected to be in uniform. He is registered as an ASM in the troop, but also maintains his membership in a Crew (although I'm pretty certain he's speaking as a Boy Scout representative - no as a Crew member).

His question (and mine): What insignia can/should be on his BS uniform? I don't believe he's put on his ASM position patch yet - still has the JASM patch in place. The Life rank badge is still there. He would LIKE to be arrayed as an Eagle, which in fact he is, even though he has not yet been presented with his Eagle insignia. Would it be tacky to let him wear the Eagle medallion for this special occasion, then retrieve it until it can be formally presented at his ECOH in January?

My [biological] boys have both Eagled and aged out. One asked me if, since he and his brother had moved on (college, etc.), if I was going to leave the troop, too.

I've chosen to stay. I enjoy guiding my [other] boys - those who are still on the trail, and they seem to like me. I had a conversation with a mom yesterday about her son (new PL with scant leadership inclination - sigh). She stated unequivocally that she is so glad that I am the SM, and "the boys just love having you as their scoutmaster". She said that those are the boys' words - not her.

Creepy? I think not, especially if you maintain good communication with the troop, the parents, and the committee. Besides, staying involved keeps me young!

Welcome. It's good to see another Nutmegger on the board.

You and I don't know the unit. These were younger scouts - who knows better than their adult leaders how much they are capable of at this point? The older boys bailed on them - sounds like their leadership abandoned them. I'll bet that the weekend provided some food for thought for those who went. I do think it's presumptuous of us to second-guess based on our experiences with our own units.

Methinks that jblake47 is hung up too much on semantics vis a vis patrol method/troop method. It sounds to me like you made some excellent decisions and salvaged the weekend. Close physical proximity doesn't mean that patrols can't function as patrols. The important thing is that the boys are learning to take control of their activities under reasonable adult guidance. Trust your instincts. I believe you're on the right path.

Can someone explain the significance of saving or rescuing the grommets when a flag is retired? As far as I know, the flag is the stars, stripes, and the blue field. Nowhere is there mention of grommets!

Grommets are simply a utilitarian device to make it easy to attach the flag to some other object, like a pole or a rope. So why do we attach significance to the grommets? Are we just practicing LNT by not leaving non-combustible material in a fire ring? I'm curious about placing the on grave markers. Unless they're embedded or screwed on, wouldn't they just fall off during the next strong wind and become so much detritus littering the gravesite, effectively transferring the LNT problem from the fire ring to the cemetery? Maybe I'm just not sentimental enough.

Be prepared to wait for your custom numerals. My troop has used them for years, and it generally takes 4-6 weeks to get them. I've had the centennial patches on order since mid-August and they're not here yet.

Although the policy regarding new uniforms has yet to be published, I think that common sense and tradition indicate that the green sock with the BSA at the top goes with the Centennial uniform. Sort of like the red-stripe socks matched the color of the official uniform pants. The new green socks match the new pants. The Thorlo socks don't match anything.

I think the gray Thorlo "activity" socks are just an attempt to provide an alternative sock to wear when hiking or wearing boots. The old red-strip socks really weren't very good for hiking, but they were great for formal occasions such as BORs and COHs.

Guys have been wearing Thorlo for years - in addition to the official socks. I'd bet that this is basically another way for NSD do generate additional revenue (call it competition with other retailers).

Thanks, John.

My troop has done flag retirements (very respectfully, btw) for several years. We'd never think of tossing one on the BBQ. For those who are network news addicts, we've also addressed the "respectful" nature of burning as opposed to the headline-grabbing protesters who like to wrap themselves in the flag or make a spectacle out of burning the flag in anger.

My troop (myself included) prefers to burn the flag in its entirely. Otherwise, you are essentially destroying the flag by cutting. (And what about all the little threads that inevitably fall to the ground?) My guys prefer to have some suitable words spoken and sort of "drink in" the moment instead of having everyone present having to place a piece on the fire. They say that they think it's kind of hokey and disrespectful.

Different strokes for different folks, yes?

My local council newsletter, just published, has an article in it about how each of the closing campfires at Cub Scout resident camp included a flag retirement ceremony. This was something different that was quite meaningful (the intent and thrust of the article). However, the article contains the following statement:

"The BSA is one of a few organizations authorized to conduct these flag retirement ceremonies."

From the US Code, Title I, Chapter 4, Section 8(k): The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

Period. The Code statement is ADVISORY - not prescriptive. Nowhere in it is there any mention of WHO can destroy the flag. By inference, that right is reserved for ALL the people of the country. So, where does BSA (specifically, my council) come up with their statement? Is it legitimate? Or is it just another urban legend that is getting a breath of fresh life through erroneous repetition?

I asked the newsletter's editor and my DE, but I've not heard back yet.

Experience?

As a candidate for VICE-President, Sarah Palin has more executive experience than Obama does running for the top position.

"Change you can believe in": Mr. Establishment Biden?

We make things so difficult sometimes. If you take a rubber band (which has no beginning and no end), pass it through a ring, and then loop it back over itself, you will get the same kind of "knot" that is at the bottom of the emblem. Basically, you need a loop to start with - how you get it probably doesn't matter: square knot, granny knot, overhand, on a bight or not...

I believe the knot is more symbolic than anything else. It's supposedly a reminder to "do a Good Turn daily". And what this "knot" is is really nothing more than a loop of rope/string/whatever "turned" around the ring and itself.

Thanks for the link, Eagle92. However, I would not trust it for patch placement. What that link has is nothing more than marketing slicks designed to sell the uniform. As others have noted, it's not necessarily in agreement with the Insignia Guide. Best bet is to wait until September, or you may be unpleasantly surprised.

John-in-KC, you cheer the fact that the annual Requirements book has been placed online so you don't have to buy it every year. I submit that going online has is drawbacks beyond those already mentioned, such as lack of access in rural areas.

The first thing that comes to mind is loss of history and context. While what is "out there" right now might be current and accurate, there is usually no way of looking back at preceding documents. For example, I found out this summer that one of our camps was planning to teach Citizenship in the World MB as part of its Trail to Eagle program using the requirements originally published in 1996 and revised up to 2005. However, the requirements CHANGED in 2006. (This came to light when one of my scouts called me because his prerequisites for camp didn't match his new MB pamphlet.) I figured out what was happening only because I could look back through my purchased copies of the Requirements book going back several years. Had I just looked online, I would not have known this, and the camp would have "taught" invalid MB subject matter. (On scouting.org there is no way to look at earlier requirements, nor is the effective revision date on the site.)

Oh, sure, I could have printed my own copy. But with the cost of printer ink and paper - and time - it would amount to more than the cheap cost of the purchased book. And since I don't have my own bindery, it would be either stapled pages to lose in a pile somewhere, or I'd have to punch it to put in yet another binder.

Or I could just purchase the book from the scout shop in a nice small size, on sturdy paper, with an instantly-recognizable cover, and bound so that it all stays together neatly.

Online does not necessarily mean better, IMO. I hope national is not short-sighted enough to try to put everything possible online to the exclusion of printed "bin" materials.

I just came back from my local scout shop, and I'm bummed.

The new uniform pants are pretty nice. They are a darker shade of green than the now-old switchbacks. The shop had only the "canvas" pants - the nylon ones won't be available until sometime in September (they're supposedly on a boat somewhere between the Far East and the U.S.). I was told that nobody has them - not even the warehouse - and that while I could probably order them online, they won't ship until sometime in September. Both nylon and canvas pants are (or will be) available in both "classic" and "relaxed" fit. The canvas pants will look better - more like the traditional pants that preceded the switchbacks, but the nylon ones will be cooler in hot weather. All of the pants have lost the zipper at the bottom of the removable legs, so it will be difficult if not impossible to remove the legs without having to take your boots off. As I see it, that is the biggest drawback to the new pants.

The shirts (both long sleeve and short sleeve) are similarly available in two materials: 100% nylon, and a 30/70 polyester/cotton blend (yes, the 70% is cotton). Both shirts are identical construction, although the long sleeve shirt has a tab that can be used to hold the sleeve in a rolled-up position. According to the staffer in the scout shop (who was wearing one), the roll-up feature doesn't work very well, and most people won't be doing that anyway. The color is almost identical to the now-old shirt, so the immediate difference isn't very noticeable.

The new web belt is awesome. The color matches the new pants perfectly, and the belt buckle is a piece of artistry! It's no longer a cheap piece of stamped brass, but a heavy buckle that any scout should be proud to wear. The webbing seems to be about 50% thicker, too. A nice change!

As to why I'm bummed: I went in anticipation of buying the complete uniform. See, I've lost 70 pounds and taken 6" off my waist and I've been swimming in my old uniform. So I waiting with bated breath for today so that I could buy a new uniform that fits. No luck. I wanted the canvas pants, but they didn't have them in my size - seems that certain Council brass got them in advance, so my size was gone. So, instead of mixing and matching, I opted to wait until they have everything.

The shop did take my order for new custom troop numerals/veteran bar, but they have no idea how long it will take to get them.

The new insignia guide isn't out yet. Even the scout shop staff was shaking their heads at the poor roll-out by the national Supply Division: not having the IG, not taking early orders for custom numerals, not having all of the pieces available on the official release date, etc. They commented that most of the bigwigs at NSD just look at stores as numbers - they don't see or comprehend the way we customers look at things and the real-world issues that we and the stores deal with. Maybe the Irving reorganization should have included the Supply Division?

Maybe your luck will be better than mine. In the meantime, I'll have to be patient and keep swimming.

Fotoscout, see my earlier comments about Camp Mattatuck near Waterbury CT: http://www.campmattatuck.org.

It will resolve ALL of the concerns you have. My troop has gone there for years, and the older boys keep coming back - actually, 4 of them opted to be CIT after our week and plan to be on staff next year. Your scouts will know their counselors' names by the end of Monday. The food is outrageously good for a scout camp - plentiful, too. Example: for the salad bar they don't use bagged iceberg lettuce - I saw the kitchen staff actually cutting up real romaine. The scouts even commented about how good the food was.