qwazse

Imagine the auto makers blocking research on transportation safety, drug makers blocking independent research on the long-term effects of their drugs, teachers' unions blocking research on teacher effectiveness - all because they want to preserve the status quo and their profits. Don't need to imagine. Once upon a time, the research center I was with had a follow-up data that countered some of the short-term results favoring a medical device. It should have been written by a prestigious MD. However, all of the other more senior collaborators had connections to the device manufacturer and had moved on to other "whiz bang" promotional research. My boss told me to write it, so I did. (There was a personal angle to this, I had a friend who was treated successfully, and I remember telling my wife "what matters is 6-12 months from now." He died at month 7.) Eventually, the device (and the indications for selecting patients for its use) was improved to ensure more favorable long-term results. I could have cranked out a few more independent reports in that area, but federal money dried up. So I moved on. Private sector is great for the "instant gratification" kinds of things. For decisions with distant horizons, it needs a lot of help.

Awful news. One deadly turn. Nike, praying for your people. Mourning at a distance is hard.

Cub Age: loved it. Scout Age: occasionally read it. (Troop made it optional for families. Tried to make sure only one per family was being ordered.) Venturing Age: couldn't care less. In fact, I think this is one of the weak parts about the venturing program. There's no web 'zine with a graphic novel that includes the teen drama, tough ethical decisions, and physical challenges. I think everyone agrees that BL rightly skirts around choices about pornography, smoking, military life, college choices, marriage, following your parents' religion, etc ... Venturing leaves those up to the units. (Although national does produce some materials that addresses date rape and sexual harrassment.)

Rule #1: Never ask anyone for a rule. There are plenty of other ones you'll get without asking. That said 18 is young, but are you the kind of guy people trust, and will you get help if you're in over your head? If for example there's an SM out there with a lot of heart but zero experience and a brand new troop. Your scouting experience, along with your connections to your district may be very helpful.

At the very least a few months suspension. Possibly for all of the boys. I know of one situation on a HS football team where the boy who pulled the knife was found to be in the right, because the other boy would persistently taunt folks wih the intent of inciting violence. The character of each of the boys needs to be called into question. The SE may need to call in a few resources to get counseling to the kids who need it. From this side of the Internet, we can't tell what exactly needs to be done with these three boys. But you need to have your best listeners able to take point on this one. Obviously, unwillingness to comply with counseling would be grounds for permanent suspension.

B. Those questions are ones that only Tom and his fellow planners can answer. As I said earlier, capacity is a huge consideration that must be addressed. (Of course, it's Texas, so maybe it only sounds big. ) There could be others. Like, are these AHG troops starting to host events that welcome cubs in their area? Is reciprocity working? Or, do you gain by shooting for even more #s of youth in the field for the event? For example, our council holds ski weekends. We get a discount from the resort for pumping as many youth as we can through their ticket booth. Therefore, the event is open to GS troops. The resort on occasion gives a substantial donation to the council. Also, some of the older GS get an introduction to the venturing program. We don't make them sit in a room like those timeshare salesmen do -- they just bump up against us and we explain how we do what we do -- chair lifts are good for that. Finally, on the outside chance that there's an AHG parent who enjoys orienteering or is really good at organizing big events, Tom now has the right to make a few phone calls to see if they can make a contribution to his volunteer pool. I'm not saying you can't say "no". Just be sure of what you're turning down when you do.

It almost seems like we need a blue card for PORs and Activity! The real problem with this is that for every boy like this, there are dozens who agree with SM that they haven't done enough to earn Eagle. For some of them, they run out of time to make it right. They may know that there it's possible to argue their way to Scouting's highest rank, but they let it go or conclude it is wrong to do so. For some, they still carry a lot of pride in what they've achieved as a scout and pay it forward in years to come. But for others they feel it's a shame and will steer themselves (and maybe their kids) clear of scouting!

That would require every MB to be approved in the vicinity of internet service. What a dull world it will be when that happens.

B.D. - I found that when the tour plans were a fillable PDF, my VP-Admin (who was actually SPL at the time) found them quite helpful for planning activities.

Cub scout orienteering with 1700? Wow! I mean, really, wow! Sure you could limit it to cubs, and if the #s are at capacity you may have to. But, think long and hard about this: how many AHG's have a brother or sister cub age who isn't a cub already? Nobody knows, probably. Would it be worth it to get a survey from parents of the girls with a box at the bottom: "I'd like someone to contact me about a boy I know who should join a pack."? I'm just saying, folks may fuss over opening a can of worms, but if there's leftovers to be mulched ...

V. - our scouts mix. If all the boys from a patrol were present, we couldn't fit them in one vehicle. But then, we're not that tight with the patrol method anyway. Shotgun may go to SPL in the SM's car (or crew president in mine) if there are loose ends. But I usually leave it for the youth who's willing to keep up any sort of conversation (and move the playlist along if it brings up any sort of cussin').

I'd say it varies by trip. But as a driver and participant as adult leader, I like: A map and directions on one page. Cell phone numbers of the drivers or navigators. Obedient kids, which ones decided at departure. At least one should have an MP3 player with a decent selection. An open seat or two, if at all possible. A mileage estimate that I can use on my tax returns if I forget to log it or fill up on gas after the trip.

The troop has had a youth webmaster for a few years. He's done a great job. The crew has Google-Site/Google-Group/and I use Google Spreadsheets. The youth are responsible for a Facebook group as well -- that is turning more into an alumni association. While we're jawing about this ... do any of you all know if there is any way to make unit tools on myscouting.org link with anything else? For example can I embed that calendar into a website?

Well, there is some method to only fiddling with your roster at the end of the year. Boys quit in January, but can change their mind once summer camp rolls around. Nobody needs the extra paperwork for tings like that. Anyway, it's better to have a boy tell you outright. Just put a note on your roster: "quit as of 1/8/'13 per conversation with Mr. 2C" and let your committee know. Whatever POR he's held should be counted up until that date. The OP's problem stems from a boy who considered staying active as merely keeping his name on the roster (on the troop's dime, evidently) for three straight years -- a behavior that was encouraged by the previous SM.

There is no way to know if this is a reversal in a decades-long trend. The last report of decline is 3 years old. You may wait for that statistic to be published here: http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/Abortion.htm It will take some time for the CDC to integrate Planned Parenthood's 2010-2012 numbers from those of other institutions reporting to their respective states in the same year. My bet is the trend may continue to decline, maybe level off. Regardless, PP's uptick most likely represents taking up the slack from other abortion providers who have gone out of business. Or, those other providers may be slow to report or have stopped reporting outright. However, I think it's safe to assume for every 10 scouts we serve, there will continue to be 2 who we've missed because of elective abortions. Or, phrased in economic terms implied by WE61, every couple of kids who can marginally afford make it to camp or whatever super-activity owe a debt of gratitude to a couple of kids who are no longer a burden to our society -- thanks to the brave decisions of their mums and dads. (This message has been edited by qwazse)

Don't forget positive reinforcement. If a youth patrol comes up with something fine, have a prize for "classiest camp meal of the month". It could be a kitchen tool (e.g., garlic press), a novel set of spices, or even a totem for patrol flags. Something the lion share of the boys in your group would proud of. A boy in a neighboring camp fried some asparagus one weekend and was kind enough to share some with me. (I have a knack for visiting other troops when vittles are on!) I made sure to praise him there, and when I saw him on camp staff this summer, and when I saw him out and about with his mom this fall. Likewise, when you are making your chili, be sure to ask some of the boys how they would make it differently.

Thanks for the update Guy. Nice to know the king is dead, long live the king. I'm gonna go try to polish some of the tarnish off of my bird. I sincerely think you did the right thing. Maybe the BOR saw something worth salvaging that you ignored. And maybe that's why you have no hard feelings. It's just unfortunate that the boys who put their heart and soul into your troop will probably never see it that way. Good luck if they bring it up around the next campfire. (Might be a good year to practice that 300' foot rule.)

Is there anything standard about venturing? The handbook is really useful for a youth who wants to work on awards and track his/her progress, and is more a paper person vs. digital person when it comes to looking up resources. I found the venturing leaders manual much more helpful when it came to explaining how to "be" a venturer.

And Merry Christmas to the folks who haven't bought into the Julian calendar.

There have to bee some cookies. When I took SM advanced, the orienteering guy introduced us to geocaching, the knots guy introduced us to the "taught line controversey" (there are two ways to finish it), the hiking guy introduced us to back country backpacking, the swimming guy was the aquatics director at summer camp. Sure, you can walk an adult through T2FC, but what he/she needs to really feel like a new scout is the sense that there is always something "just around the corner." Instructors who can give "peeks" at the next big thing once T2FC is accomplished are essential to this process.

Well, at least you spared me 45 minutes! I made up for it by listening to a young man who talked to me about what he learned from reading Fast Food Nation yesterday.

K. I had no idea that you had to put up with such idiocy. If I had to endure IOLS training like that, I would have spit nails.

Your pot, your time, your chili. How is this complicated? If I make it clear that I'm making bulliobase and am willing to share with any interested scouts, a "thank you, but we'll make separate arrangements" is appropriate. Suggestions that I prepare shark fin soup instead will be ignored.

Where do we learn that it is good-and-right to kill innocents if they impose on our fleeting sense of mental well-being? Ask the 50 million aborted for the sake of right to privacy.

You omit that it was in accordance with BSA policy and all legal requirements. Ask yourself why the headline wasn't "Top Executive Was In Compliance with All GA Statues When Handling Abuse". Or on a more general scale, ask yourself why you haven't seen a headline, "Thousands of Incidents of Sexual Abuse Preceded BSA's Policy Against Homosexual Adult Leaders."