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Eamonn: I don't think that National lets us talked about Spotted stuff. :-) - Oren P.S. The first BSA "Handbook for Boys" contained a recipe for frog's legs. Somehow, it just never seemed to catch on with the boys. Go figure. (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

I'm not an expert at this, but, seeing as how the Wood Badge certificates are issued by National (at least they are now), they should have a record of your completion of the Course. If so, I don't see any reason why you can't arrange to be awarded your beads and regalia by the current Wood Badge staff. Good luck. - Oren "I used to be a Bear . . . ." WE3-41-03

Kahuna: Please pass the thanks of this Mainlander to those Scouts. I was very moved by my visit to Punchbowl. - Oren

Rather than "targeting" recruiting toward any particular race, how about expanding your recruiting efforts to cover parts of your area that haven't had as much information about your Troop as others? E.g., contacting local service organizations, churches or other community groups and offering to give a speech on what your Troop does, how it helps the community and how it helps its members become the sorts of citizens and leaders we all need. - Oren "I used to be Bear . . . ." WE3-41-03 QM WE3-41-05

My Trooop will be getting up early and putting on our "Class A" uniforms and meeting 0730 hrs to put out some 300 U.S. flags, all along our town's two main roads. We'll meet again later at 1630 hrs and gather them all up. - Oren

ScoutMomAng: I just want to add a bit of my experience. Both as a Scout myself and now as a Scoutmaster, we ALWAYS cooked by patrol (even a short-handed patrol). Further, the cooks either dished out the meals or supervised self-service. Of course, they dished their own meals last. (KP going first.) NO ONE ate until everyone was served and grace was said. Eating together is one of man's most important social bonding rituals. How do we show people we care about them? We invite them over to our homes for a meal. How do business people develop important relationships with each other? They go out for lunch and eat together. Don't get me started on family meals. I could also expound to boredom on the shared food traditions of the major religions. Passover. Communion. Etc. So. Cooking and eating TOGETHER is a crucial aspect to patrol bonding and team development. There is no place in Scouting for grabbing what you want from the communal pot, going off and eating it with no regard for your fellow Scouts. The SM's explanation of "big eaters" just doesn't cut it with me. If everyone waited until everyone was served before starting to eat, there would NEVER be a situation where someone got nothing. If they had failed to prepare sufficient food, all may be a bit hungry that meal, but no one would go totally without, EVER. - Oren

Eamonn: As a 21st Century Wood Badger (WE3-41-03, got my beads last week!) and prospective staffer (QM for WE3-41-05), I'm very curious as to what sorts of things ("junk," as you called it) are being surreptitiously added to the Course. I'd like to know if my course had any of that and I'd like to know how to spot it when discussing Wood Badge with others. Thanks. - Oren "I used to be a Bear, . . . ."

I stand with you on this one. As a SM, I would fully expect my decision not to be responsible for the behavior of a dangerous Scout to be upheld by the Committee. After all, it's the SM and the ASMs who have their reputation and assets on the line. If something goes wrong, AGAIN, it will be the adult leaders on the scene, the SM and ASMs, who will be held responsible. I would seriously consider tendering my resignation in a situation like this. After all, it's not like we are getting paid to take that sort of risk. Let us all be hopeful that, with the Committee knowing the seriousness of your and your ASMs concerns, the decision will be appropriately amended. - Oren

While I admire your obvious compassion for this Scout, I fear that you are losing sight of the bigger picture, the safety of your other Scouts. ANY Scout, regardless of his home life, who intentionally stabs another Scout is too much of a danger to the troop and MUST be barred from participation until he can PROVE that he is not a danger. Additionally, the stabbing and the mutilation of the other Scout's gear are matters that should be referred to the juvenile justice system. These behaviors are beyond anything that a volunteer adult leader should have to deal with. I say, "call in the professionals." That Scout likely needs some professional intervention and the rest of your Scouts need protection. - Oren

Way to go! Glad it worked out well. - Oren

Wingnut- Well. There are other parts to the story that I self-edited. :-) - Oren

Vrooman- In my humble opinion, you've got a heck of a problem, way beyond a single Scout whose mother is doing his work for him. My troop was created from the ashes of a troop that was destroyed by just this sort of thing, adult "leaders" whose only goal was to advance their sons, regardless of whether the work was done or how it affected anyone else in the troop. Let unchecked, this situation will only worsen and can hurt everyone in the troop. You already mentioned that one senior Scout left, because of the flagrant favoritism. Please do what you must to correct things. Because of the experience many in my troop had in the former troop, I refuse to sign anything off in my son's book. The only exception is on merit badges, and then only when my son is simply part of a group of Scouts working on the same merit badge. I had a sign that I'm successfully avoiding any show of favoritism last week, when a Scout asked my son, his patrol leader, how well he knew me. The Scout didn't realize that I was anything more than "Scoutmaster" to him. - Oren

So there I was. Camping on a beach in Mexico with this wonderful girl, a medical student from San Francisco. She mentioned that it would be great to have a fire on the beach, but lamented that building a fire in sand was impossible. (Strange conclusion from a highly educated, intelligent person, I thought.) I asked what in the world she was talking about. She explained that she had come down to camp at this beach many times with groups of fellow college students and that no one had ever been able to get a fire started on the beach. Obviously, NONE of them had been Scouts. I had a fire going in no time. We've now been married for over 18 years and have a Life Scout (and a daugther who wish she could be Boy Scout). I keep encouraging people to become Scouts, but - come to think of it - I guess I'm pretty lucky that none of those college students had been a Scout. - Oren

Your link worked and the info there was very helpful. Thanks. - Oren

"Ideal for use in moist-cooking methods, such as braising and stewing . . . ." Hey! Why this limitation?! Dutch ovens are great for dry methods, too. What about baking breads? How about those famous Texas cowboy sourdough biscuits? Not to mention cakes. Seriously, congrats to the Texans, who now join Utahans in having an official cooking vessel, the wonderful Dutch oven. - Oren

You're welcome. As best I can tell, the reason Lodge (and the others) recommend 350 is to cut down on the obnoxious order that high temperature seasoning creates. Be sure to open your windows and, if available, run a big exhaust fan. - Oren

As for high temperature seasoning, I highly recommend it (475-500 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours with a VERY THIN coat of melted shortening, then allow to cool in the oven without opening the door). Your results should be black and hard, not brown and sticky, as with the 350 degree method "recommended" by Lodge. (NOTE: They use the high temp method to create their own "logic" line of preseasoned cast iron.) As for not using a D.O. at all, I once baked an apple pie using a cheap pie tin, wrapped in a double wide sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. (I pleated the fold between the two sheets.) I sealed up the package, leaving a few inches of "head space" above the pie. Then I placed the foil pack on some coals and covered the top with coals. The apple pie was darned fine, even compared to those baked in home ovens. Experiment and enjoy. - Oren

Yes. I'm suggesting cooking it right in the Dutch oven, without a pie tin. That's the way they do it in the Dutch oven competitions. Check out the International Dutch Oven Society at www.idos.com. The only time I use an intermediary containing is when I'm doing a Dutch oven souffle. (Of course, I'm a bit extreme at times.) Also, I forgot to make clear that the stips should be spread around the Dutch oven radially, so that they cover the entire bottom and sides. It's the only time I will ever line a Dutch oven. Otherwise, I don't beleive that its "easy of use" overcomes the problems of diminished seasoning and lack of the Dutch oven magic to the dish. A well-seasoned Dutch oven won't have a problem, even with such deliberately sticky items as pineapple upside down cakes or cinnamon rolls. Speaking of seasoning, any sort of high fat cooking will help along a beginning cast iron vessel. Just be sure to use only warm water and scrubbing with soft items to clean. No soap. Oh. If you INSIST on cooking with a pie pan, be sure to elevate it with three small rocks or something to give an air gap at the bottom. - Oren

Shouldn't be a problem. There's no need to find a "special" Dutch oven sweet potato pie recipe. Use whichever recipe you prefer. As for heat, the rule of thumb is that to achieve 350 deg. in a 12 inch Dutch oven, use 8 Kingsford regular coals* on the bottom, arranged in a circle just inside the diameter of the Dutch oven and 16 Kingsford regular coals on the top, arranged around the lid's lip, with one on each side of the loop handle. Rotate the Dutch oven one direction about 1/3 of a turn each ten minutes. Rotate the lid (without opening) the other direction about 1/3 of a turn each minutes. This promote even cooking. Add or subtract a coal or two for each 25 degrees above or below 350. A tip with regard to pies in Dutch ovens: Make strips of parchment paper (NOT waxed paper) and place them on the inside of the Dutch oven so that the ends stick up about an inch beyond the sides. Place your pie dough and filing on the parchment papers. Then, when the pie is done, remove the lid and, with a helper, lift the pie out by holding onto the strips. Place on a serving plate. Then, remove the parchment strips, starting with the bottom-most one, by pulling out from under the pie. The result is a Dutch oven pie, in all its golden brown deliciousness. - Oren * Kingsford regular charcoal gives the most consistent results. Other brands are not to consistent and the Matchlight version burns way too rapidly. Also, there's no need to wait for the coals to be uniformly gray (as in BBQ'ing). Use them when the edges get gray.

Check out today's "deal of the day" at rei-outlet.com. That's a good price on Hi-Tek boots. REI is totally reputible and you can return the item if it doesn't fit or you don't like it. - Oren

Our heart goes out to you and your family. We share, in our small way, your tragedy. - Oren

I'm a self-admitted "gear snob," so I'll avoid mentioning the "good" versus the "bad" brands. I have three pieces of advice, though. (a) Do your research first and then shop the internet outlets. A google search will find most of them, including outdooroutlet.com, rei-outlet.com and sierratradingpost.com. (b) Aluminum poles are going to be lighter and stronger than fiberglass. In fact, the only time I've heard of aluminum poles breaking under use is in extreme mountaineering applications. © Pretty soon, you and your spouse will want some space from your growing family (especially if it'll grow any more). Think about two tents, the parent tent and kid tent. That arrangement has worked very well for my family. - Oren

Congrats! I'll raise a glass (of bug juice) in your honor. My beading, too, will be in front of my Troop, at our Court of Honor on May 18. It'll be a triple beading, along with one of our Committee Members (an Owl) and another of my Bear Patrol. - Oren I used to be a Bear WE3-41-03 I'll be a staffer (QM) WE3-41-05

I guess I'm a lucky Scoutmaster. I have two excellent Eagles who turned 18 and became ASMs. The Scouts respect both of them and they knew, without being told, what was expected of them when the "crossed over to the dark side." Both are excellent examples of the maturity that the Scout program can promote. One of them, uses his triple palm status in his role as the ASM-Eagle advisor. He's helping our Life Scouts with Eagle project ideas and such. Both are Youth Protection trained, as we do not allow any adult to accompany the troop on any overnight activity without YPT. But I don't think that that's what led to the self-imposed separation. I think that it was that our adult leaders accepted the newly-minted adults into our midst. They became members of our group and stood apart from the Scouts, like we do. In short, I think that it was another example of leading by example. As for the problem posed by the original poster, it appears that intervention is in order. The SM needs to pull the new ASM aside and make the behavioral expectations and limits abundantly clear. Good luck. - Oren

Money earned through charitable donations and troop fundraising belongs to the troop, a recognized charity, subject to sec 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. That money MUST be used only for charitable purposes. Period. Not subject to any Scout's or parent's thoughts otherwise. If the troop wants to use the funds to cover a particular Scout's expenses - directly related to the charitable purpose of the troop - that's fine. But if that Scout quits the program, "his" account does not magically become available for him to spend as he (or his parent) sees fit. A troop should be very, very wary of becoming a "bank," by accepting deposits from Scouts. Trouble will likely follow. SR540Beaver's example shows the problem. The boy who sold popcorn, did so as an agent for the troop, as part of a charitable fund raising effort. The boy who mowed lawns, however, was earning money on his own. Now, the problem is that the Troop accepted his money as a deposit, turning the troop into a bank. The two "accounts" are totally different. The troop doesn't owe the first boy anything, but owes the entire amount to the second boy. Further, the troop just comingled charitable and non-charitable funds. That's a definite no-no, not only under Federal law, but also under every state's law. This could imperil the troop's legal status as a charity. There are many things in Scouting subject to different views. This isn't one of them. - Oren