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Agreed. Birdhouse is not an option. Do encourage the scout to consider fish and wildlife MB if he still want's to build the nesting box. The main reason is so boys learn to follow instructions with some degree of precision.

Since when is there a copyright on fire starting? Also, religious recognitions are not a requirement of BSA, a distinctive of the "Trail to Freedom." Were I to advise a TL group; however, I would encourage the boys to demonstrate that they have mastered most of the skill related requirements before requesting sign-off on the respective advancement.

Well, BSA goes around touting that the unit should be considered an extension of the church's youth ministry. Lots of us, myself included consider scouting to be an excersise in "practical Christianity." In this charged political atmosphere, when folks are being forced to choose sides, like children in a nasty divorce, what do you do expect a Christains with sincere convictions on the other side of the cultural divide to do?

So, loose 100,000 members ... that's about 2 million in income from registration fees alone. Disney's contributions were only in proportion to its employees who donated to BSA. If 1 in 12 who were donating to BSA left, it's unlikely they would apply for matching funds anyway. Since most corporation contributions operate via matching funds without prejudice as to the groups their employers support, nationwide, membership decline will has a greater long-term direct impact on corporate donations nationwide.

Guess to recoup those $$, BSA needs to build a better mousetrap.

This is a more articulate description of venturing as the "Un-Cola" of scouting. It also makes the point that all the changes are likely "window dressing." Still, it ignores the economic issues in venturing and does not recognize the CO as the true customer base.

Well, they are volunteers, so acting professional won't get them a raise. This is a common story in small packs. Look around for another Pack with the accountability you think you deserve.

Which membership fee? The 2010 one?

In our troop, we don't excuse genetics.

One scout in Son#1's den was 10 when he crossed over with his buddies. No problems.

I'm so sorry for this bad news. Our best friends had two kids with a genetic hearing loss and we saw them go through incredible challenges. Our kids never had to deal with disabilities while scouting, but they had friends who did. Every disability is unique. So nobody - even someone with your son's exact problem - can tell you how resilient your boy will be. In general, boys are very resilient. Patrols adapt much better than do dens or packs. Plus there is a lot of growing that Webelos do. The size of the den is a big deal. The more they are closer to patrol size, the better ever

Huzzah! I can only hope that Venturing's precipitous decline will cease so that in 4 years and there'll be a crew waiting for him!

Most folks I know don't find that "shock" all that bothersome. But, I agree with you. There is no point in a Christian walling him/herself off from the rest of the world. Kinda flies in the face of the Great Commission. On the other hand TL & AHG aren't isolationists, they are betting that a large part of the population are hungry for leadership who is overtly Christian (evangelical/orthodox/catholic) and defensive of heterosexual unions in terms of models for their youth. They are also figuring that many non-Christian parents would prefer that to a movement that is decidedly non-se

Shoe boxes are wonderful things. But for display? Sounds like you could mount them on dowels, wire, or maybe string, stretched between a wooden frame.

What if uniforms, backpacks, etc ... are purchased with ISA's with the understanding that they will be handed down to future scouts? One could argue that all uniforming does is make the troop look sharp and make it easier for unit leader to ID his kids. Troop benefit all the way.

as someone who admittedly struggles with accounting, Im not grasping how NOT having ISAs works. I get that all the money goes into one fund...what I dont get is come time for camp payments how do you know how much Johnny raised and how much Tommy still needs? And once you have that figured out, if a boy needs to "borrow" against the troop, by what calculation do you determine that he has worked off that debt so to speak? It seems to me that if you know how much a boy has contributed or how much he still needs to contribute, somehow you are still going thru the motions of an ISA but just not

as someone who admittedly struggles with accounting, Im not grasping how NOT having ISAs works. I get that all the money goes into one fund...what I dont get is come time for camp payments how do you know how much Johnny raised and how much Tommy still needs? And once you have that figured out, if a boy needs to "borrow" against the troop, by what calculation do you determine that he has worked off that debt so to speak? It seems to me that if you know how much a boy has contributed or how much he still needs to contribute, somehow you are still going thru the motions of an ISA but just not

d.f., no point in being mean. You'd be better off pointing out that there are two sides to every equation. Executives of non-profits justify their compensation relative to certain benchmarks. For example: # of million $ donors solicited per year, # of staff managed, how much more could they get doing the same job in the private sector, how popular they are with their constituents (and make no mistake, Bob M is very popular with the boys who've met him), etc ... One could argue that Garibay's pittance represents the "glass cieling" to which many female execs are relegated. Or, it could

Now you're starting to sound like a credit card company. The closer you get to a a commission per sale, the more it looks like taxable income. How bout this incentive: the more you sell, the more you help pay a buddy's dues?

TiNJ, how many scouts were in your class?

I think in your case, you would pick the most interesting activity/project that could be done in two hours with the MB. You might want to describe how you decided upon your occupation/hobby, what it took for you to learn it, how much further you could go with it. If there's something in the book that's not entirely clear, in your opinion, you might want to go over that with the boys. Those are what pow-wows are for. With the organizers, you need to know what their expectations are, and you want to be clear to them that the badge will not be earned during the event. You might want to hav

Yep. It's always better to disagree amicably and pray that something good comes of it. So did you ask him ... How much are TL's execs paid? Is there a salary cap? What is the per-person cost of membership? Is there a long term cap on that? Do they have a plan for endowments? If someone donates land, who decides what will be done with it? Just saying my suspicion is that the financial stuff is just a smoke-screen. Centuries ago, the Sultan of Egypt applied a differential tax on Christians vs. Muslims. Christians claim difference enticed some folks who were "on the fence" to convert to

I'll let someone else post the links to their rants on merit badge universities. As long as the boys are obligated to meet the counselor on their own (chaperoned by their parents or maybe with a buddy) to demonstrate they completed the requirements, I'm all for pow wows.

The troop dues are $55 to cover registration and bling. We held the line this year but expect to need to increase next year. The boys would rather their fundraising go to reduce camp fees. Which we try to keep at $15 per weekend. The crew dues are $28 and cover registration costs and members pay full cost for everything.

Fill out a BSA adult app. No fee required. (I wonder, how much of our registration costs go into background checks on MBCs?) Technically you're a volunteer for the district. But, that doesn't mean you have to counsel out of anywhere besides your troop meeting place. A few of our ASMs arrange to meet boys from other troops during our meeting times. (Guaranteed youth protection.) Generally, we're looking for folks for whom the badge is either your training, occupation, or hobby. When your application is approved, think of a presentation or activity that you could provide by way of introduci