RememberSchiff

Back in the day, I recall scouts who wore BSA official uniform slides, the brass turk knot, were razzed. As a Bear, I made an ambitious first attempt at carving a kit slide - Cochise, which ended poorly. My second attempt was an arrowhead which was somewhat recognizable as such the further back the viewer stepped.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jersey-boy-scouts-pay-18k-transgender-boy-45883121 http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2017/03/02/boy-scouts-pay-18000-apologize-9-year-old-transgender-boy-thrown-out-pack/98665342/

The uniform is also optional, so in part or whole, it does not make a scout. BTW, the Uniform Method was not a Method until the mid 80's. If your unit wears the uniform, there is a guide to wearing it correctly. Well sort of, when the necker was required some Nationalista's stated the necker is worn under the collar. My point is the necker makes one look like a scout and if it is a real necker it has many functional uses.

Same page When engaged in Scouting activities, members may wear the neckerchief with appropriate nonuniform clothing to identify them as Scouts. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/08/21/scout-neckerchiefs-now-approved-wear-nonuniform-clothing/ "One uniform piece unites Scouts in all 223 countries with a Scouting program. It’s not the button-up uniform shirt. It’s not the purple World Crest. It’s the Scout neckerchief." I am sure some will make the argument, that if they are at a Scout activity then they must be scouts so there is no need for a uniform in part or whole to identify them as scouts.

I have wondered what percentage of scouts do not turn in their completed blue cards.

Shemaghs anyone?

Has anyone heard of more provisional weeks at HA camps? As I understand, Philmont has provisional weeks for NAYLE?, STEM , and trailwork but not treks.

EMT and WFA are different worlds, so this is an incomplete answer. EMT training is about emergency care within the Golden Hour. You might treat a patient for 20-45min. With WFA, the ER is hours away. Stabilization is up to you, immobilization of spinal injuries more critical. No collars or backboards in woods. EMT's have the gear on the unit, WFA's may have to improvise splints and patient carry in the field. Self-sticking bandages, duct tape, blood-clotting dressings are in our first aid kits. WFA teaches complete patient assessment ABCDE, my EMT CPR training was just ABC leave the rest to ER. With WFA, you re-certify in 2 years but many take advanced WFA (AWFA?) instead. WFA covers the more treatable wilderness injuries - bug bites, altitude sickness, dehydration, heat and cold injuries... I found it worthwhile, hopefully you will never need it.

CPR certification is separate from WFA. I strongly recommend SOLO WFA courses.

Perhaps this Troop Committee is still in Pack Committee mode?

All made in the USA. https://www.buckknives.com/collection/bsa/

I saw that Zinke rode a horse to work on his first day, seems a green transportation solution.

A few years ago, the BSA forced Hacker Scouts to change their name which is now Curiosity Hacked. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/20/business/la-fi-tn-boy-scouts-threaten-hacker-scouts20130819

Yes, but IMO the "challenges" in the adventure of Scouting should go deeper - solo leadership challenges. But thrill is relative, consider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb4oW-plc0I

In a 68-31 vote, the Senate confirmed Ryan Zinke as the next Secretary of the Interior. A former boy scout turned Navy SEAL in the Iraq dessert, Zinke grew up 30 minutes outside of Glacier National Park in Montana, an experience he cites as the impetus for his interest and dedication to environmental stewardship. He has promised to “restore trust†in the department and address the $12-billion maintenance backlog in America’s national parks from Alaska to the beaches of Maine. Republicans hope Zinke will also usher in a “culture of change†to the Interior by repealing many of the Obama administration’s land management policies seen to favor environmentalists over local interests. http://glacierhub.org/2017/03/01/zinke-trumps-pick-for-interior-talks-glacier-retreat/

About 14,000 new Eagles in 1950 when total BSA membership was around 2.8million about same total membership as today. Fewer programs back in 1950, so I would suspect there were more Boy Scouts in 1950 than today. Last year, as I recall, there were over 55,000 new Eagles. It is relatively easy to determine if any scout earned his requirements or his parents worked the system for him - just ask him.

College applications are certainly on the radar of these parents so they push. Hard to say if being an Eagle is/was a factor. I would be disappointed in a scout who didn't stand up proud of his accomplishments. What will happen in a job interview if the interviewer says "Well, it would have been impressive if you had graduated from an ivy league school."? No silence, no head-nod, with vigor and authority speak of the path you took and what you accomplished and learned. So far, I know only of one of my scouts where his Eagle was a factor in college admission; that college was West Point.

In addition to "Eagle mill" troops, there is a growing trend of savvy parents working the system to produce an Eagle son before he enters high school, so 7th and 8th grade "Eaglets" are becoming more common.

Time for a major revision.

Wouldn't it be nice if Scouting Heritage MB had a requirement to explain the why of wearing a neckerchief and wear one for an activity or period of time? Does the merit badge pamphlet mention the neckerchief?

The New England Patriots' motivation phrase "Do your job" has been in the media and given the current world affairs, maybe a hook that leads to further explanation of our mission and program. Together we have a job to do. and yes, its a bear. My $0.01

Yes, I think it is a good story to discuss with scouts.

I still wear a real neckerchief, square of course. It is immensely functional as I often demonstrate on outings. Unfortunately, my troop currently has opted-out of neckerchiefs but I am trying a new approach - the necker as gear not as uniform. My fiendish plot starts with a wilderness survival campout which requires scouts to wear a neckerchief and use it during the weekend activities - water filtration, first aid, signalling. My $0.02

Blw2, you may find Buffalo and Budget's AT story interesting. http://www.salisburypost.com/2017/02/26/buffalo-budgets-big-adventure-tough-year-hikers-salisbury-men-conquer-appalachian-trail/ It’s difficult to decide what was the most impressive part of Buffalo and Budget’s conquering of the Appalachian Trail in 2016. The men are older than most people who take on the 2,189.5-mile AT, which extends through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, or in the Salisbury hikers’ case, from Maine to Georgia. Schiemann (aka Buffalo) is 59 and a retired pensioner with General Electric; Kolkebeck (Budget), 63, was the longtime manager of Salisbury’s Baja Products plant, which had closed prior to their trek. Going into their adventure, both men were veteran hikers, owing to their many years of service as Scout leaders. With his Troop 442 Scouts, Kolkebeck has hiked five times in Philmont, the high adventure ranch in the Rockies of New Mexico. Schiemann has gone with the Scouts to Philmont three times. They also are well familiar with trails through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia and have taken countless trips to the nearby Uwharries. But nothing quite prepares you for the rigors and relentlessness of a through hike on the Appalachian Trail. ... more in above link

http://wwmt.com/news/local/local-boy-scouts-rescue-dog-that-fell-through-ice Recommend watching the WWMT video. Kalamazoo Troop 205 on a Polar Bear weekend at Roto-Kiwan Scout Reservation when scouts on a hike saw a dog fall through ice in Scout Pond. Scouts fetched a canoe and their Scoutmaster but there were no paddles and apparently no PFD's. What to do? What would trained Scouts do? "Scooby is Dooing just fine".