RememberSchiff

It may sound too obvious, but I would say an outstanding patrol consists entirely of boys who want to do scouting - learn skills, journey outdoors, serve others,...If we keep our promise to our scouts, this is the end product of methods of scouting. But realistically, IMO "outstanding patrols" more often result (temporarily) from an all-star selection of the best scouts from across units to attend Philmont, NYLT... My $0.02 (This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Back then, the community strips (town, state) denoted the location of your unit. I lived in the next town over, so my hometown name was not on my sleeve.

Not that whistles and bugles don't have service availability problems either. On windy days, if you're upwind you may not hear the call at all. Still carry a whistle, flashlight, and cellphone. Back in the day, we communicated with other patrols using walkie-talkies. Pretty cool to act like Sgt. Saunders "Checkmate King 2, White Rook calling, over." New batteries Friday night came back as dead batteries Sunday afternoon. We had signal flags too, but we rarely were in line-of-sight. 300 feet or more as we adult leaders prepare them to solo. My $0.02,

Yes slowly. I don't remember any scout stores back in the 70's. Uniforms and insignia were stocked in a corner of a general store or department store. New items CSP (ugh) were stocked as the old red and white community strips (city, town, state) were sold out. Stocking one CSP patch took far less space than the dozen(s) and dozen(s) of ever-growing number of community patches; streamlined manufacturing too. Too bad, CSP all pretty much look alike from across the room and who knows where (Pick-a-name) Council is. Transition was easier, wearing either was okay as that memo infoscouter mentioned. The Uniform Method was not added until 1980 or 81, by that time I think the transition was completed. My $0.02

Sorry I wasn't clear, it is common public knowledge that the new IH is gay. Most of the congregation and troop membership is okay with that. Council is aware of the situation. What happens? Does Council block recharter, tell and defer to National? Could appear to be a public contradiction of BSA policy. I am not saying that you are wrong, but I would hope some background checks are done with IH's and certain key leaders(scouts execs) though they may be considered not direct contact. My $0.02

So what happens if anything to a chartered scout unit, when its CO (a church) installs a new minister (the unit IH) who happens to be gay?

I will not build what I do not need nor what I cannot afford. I have seen too many council construction projects go overboard and/or underfunded and they are in a deep hole - camp timber has to be cut and camps have to be sold. Here's an example Pine Tree Council, in Portland, Maine built a new council headquarters - the Alton E. Chuck Cianchette Scout Service Center and it is first rate and was done right but could we afford it? http://www.pinetreebsa.org/properties/servicecenter/ but the money ran out and council is short about a million. So timber was harvested from Camp Gustin and it will likely be sold too. http://www.sunjournal.com/city/story/933664 So why the high cost (it's already a wilderness, add an entrance road, some plumbing, gear, and base camp support buildings), and where's the money coming from? I fear nearby councils will be encouraged to sell existing (competing) camp properties to pay for the Summit. My $0.01

Our troop meetings look more like an adult drop-in center. They arrive early and setup tables and chairs. The problem is they won't shut-up, but the SM and Troop Committee say it's ok. Adult-run. Agree that the adventure is mostly gone from BSA and that other organizations have lured away boys who should have been scouts. Our loss. Even something a simple as swimming we no longer get right. Remember when all scouts were taught to swim at camp, just like 4-H and Y camps still do. Maybe if you teach an 8 yr old boy to swim, he will want to kayak next. Can't have that. Meanwhile the paddle boards remain stacked and unused in the camp cabana. My $0.02(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

The so-called "legal" types did not read the Scout Oath - "help other people at all times". Scouting is about doing what's right, learning to make good judgments. This occasionally does not align with following the rules. Ring the bell. My $0.02

A million here, a million there, pretty soon you're talking real money. Maybe shy of the amount to build a Disneyworld or college campus, but still I wonder why the high cost for an outdoor camp and where all that money will come from, maybe the next Jambo will be even more expensive? So far, I think donations have totaled 100 million. 170 million to prepare site for Jambo 2013 300 million to further develop for high adventure camp and possible World Jambo bid ----- 1/2 billion? I read about this on NPR (includes audio interview with Bob Mazzuca) and other sources (hard to find the earlier articles that mentioned World Jambo bid). http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=17161 http://tinyurl.com/35j48vf A scout is thrifty.

Hurray for the Girl Scouts for supporting American Labor. "The owners of a family-run Passaic, New Jersey, factory that has been the main supplier of Girl Scout uniforms and sashes for years were told recently that the organization would be seeking bids for the job including from a company in China. Girl Scouts spokeswoman Michelle Tompkins said the organization, which has its national headquarters in New York City, had been contacted by parents, members and volunteers urging it to keep the uniforms American-made. She said the contract hadn't been awarded but the bid request had been modified to require that the uniforms be made domestically and that companies adhere to strict guidelines regarding worker age, treatment and safety." Read the rest at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39958626

BD - You betcha. We continue to ring the bell for Salvation Army. No secret, no problem, probably because we don't touch the kettle. Just ringing the bell and singing Christmas songs, helping others. Some get in knots about Boy Scouts wearing their uniform while helping their sisters sell Girl Scout cookies, or donating their own time and money to some good cause. Council has to approve each instance. National has to protect the brand while they short-sell it for a buck. Boy those Direct-TV ads in Scouting get me going, why are we associating with such....(unscoutlike words describing a company that has a F rating by Better Business Bureau deleted by RS) There was a big fundraiser with the Blue Angels up here. Many scouts and scouters helped out. We're still waiting to hear the financial results and what the money will be used for, hopefully not a new headquarters building. Counicl, FOS show us the details, alot of rubber chicken award banquets going on. Meanwhile we ring the bell for those Salvation Army helps. "The rules only impact those who chose to abide by them." Well said and true, a nod and a wink. My $0.01

Timing is everything... Next month, I had planned to see the exhibition "Norman Rockwell and the Boy Scouts of America" before it closes Nov 27. http://www.nrm.org/2010/06/norman-rockwell-and-the-boy-scouts-of-america/ I should have attended yesterday along with some 400 other scouts when an event was held with speakers Joe Csatari (the illustrator who succeeded Rockwell at Boy's Life) and his son Jeff! http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_16417985 Anyone go? Lost $0.02 and more (This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

This gave me a chuckle http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39793497/ns/world_news-europe/ I don't mean this as a slight to our British friends, we have had bigger goofs. Just a comment that no matter how advanced the technology all systems have an inherent weak link - us. Could some Boy Scouts row out and offer a tow? Maybe re-create that moment when a scout offered help on a foggy night My $0.01

Let the buyer beware, they may be under new management but there were many complaints of undelivered awards with this company not too long ago. circa 2007 http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=166463 circa 2008 http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=189850 My $0.02,

In my unit, the Troop Committee meets once a month on the same night as the troop meeting. The SM attends while an ASM(s) covers the troop meeting. The Troop Committee tried meeting on a separate night but attendance was poor.

Oh it has been discussed. I have not found the Search tool on scouter.com helpful though you will get a listing for searching "Scout bucks". I use Advanced Search on Google for domain scouter.com to search this forum, though that has occasional problems too. Google: "Individual Scout accounts" site:scouter.com Welcome troop1910. My $0.02

In keeping with making the world a better place...imagine if scouts had to re-certify (like Red Cross and WFA certificate holders) in first aid skills periodically. So the scout who got a speed-pass of T-SC-FC first aid and then first merit badge by age 12, now had to re-certify say at age 14 before he could advance or maybe complete WFA at age 14 and maintain current certification if he wanted to advance in rank. Of course, adult leaders could still be considered "Trained" and have no first aid training whatsoever. My $0.02

Yeah, I have heard others also speculate that a scout t-shirt and jeans would be the next uniform. So I asked what about all those badges, where would they go? 'Badges? They would probably get just cards (personalized Pokemon cards?). Parents want less work - no sewing or gluing.' Took 2 aspirin with that thought,

First, Safety and security. Safe storage of fuel. We store stove fuel off site from Charter Organization. Charcoal is stored in our troop shed. Food? We do not store any leftover food. Not looking for critter problems in our shed. Water jugs, coolers need to cleaned and stored DRY, closed! Storage area and trailer securely locked. Spare tire and registration folder in trailer. Trailer inspection? Insurance coverage? Depending on your storage area, consider smoke/fire detector. Good point about storing about floor level. Second, inventory and inspection. What serviceable equipment do we have? Make sure everyone has returned gear (yeah but how will I know ) before inventory. The troop likely stores more than just camping gear. We store badges, forms, troop library, ceremony stuff, and even a Pinewood Derby Track for our Pack. From here, it gets more involved. Deciding to repair or replace. How to store? We store gear by patrol (patrol signs out and is responsible for their gear). How to control access will be an issue. How to accept returned gear (dry, clean, in good condition) will be a bigger issue. As mentioned, you will guide the troop quartermaster and his assistants through this process. They will have problems handling the time-consuming details particularly after an outing. No quick and dirty. Take a particular interest in your first aid kits and lashing rope. My $0.02

"Do we have pictures of what the things look like to recognize bronze, silver, gold? How noticeable will a given level of accomplishment be?" Hopefully, National will put same team on this as is working on Geocaching Merit Badge. Teach your PLC to plan and execute the program and let whatever awards take care of themselves...eventually. Another $0.02

Patrol method = everyone has a job but all help. No sitting on your duff because it ain't in your job title description. In a newly formed patrol, the PL sees to this. As (if?) the patrol successfully gels, this occurs automatically. A thing of beauty! Often in a successful patrol, it will not be readily apparent who the PL is. Everyone knows their job and helps everyone else. My $0.02

While you are attending adult leader leader training courses, can your 15yr old scout son be a member of a provisional crew taking a trek during that time?(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Hmmm, So for a Venture Crew, the Crew President and Secretary must sign, but for a troop, naah we don't care for the SPL to sign for his "scout-run" troop. 1. Advancement - I would rather see 60%, 80%, 100% of those scouts who left (aged-out, quit) had earned the rank of First Class or higher. I'm not thrilled with encouraging mills for those who remain. Did we SM and ASM's help all those boys that joined? 2. Retention - Corrected any troop problems stated by departing and transferring scouts as verified by District Commissioner and departing scout parents. Retain 70%, 80%, 90% of Webelos crossover for 1 year. 5. Short term outings (hikes, camping, bike trip, Red Sox game...) - PLC plans and conducts outings (too often troop conducts = adult conducts) 6. Long term camping - PLC plans and conducts. 10. Budget - allow scout families an opt-out of fund-raising i.e. donate cash equivalent, return all monies in his account to scout when he leaves unit or scouting. No scout participation requirements except for summer camp? Maybe split form for troop performance: one section adult leader goals, one section scout goals. My $0.02

If I could only take 1 thing from Sports and apply it to Scouting, it would be the discipline, particularly taking away awards (even Heisman and Olympic gold) for rules violations. Runners-up: - physically strong (physical conditioning) - a local central authority ( league, conference) with enforcement powers over team programs and personnel. - scholarships - competitive spirit and sportsmanship - no sewing - membership would be nice too, far more involved in sports - Hollywood. There are many sports movies (Rudy, Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, Miracle on Ice,...) but only 1 boy scout movie. Say where is "Waiting for Green Bar Bill", the documentary that I am fabricating that Kudu is producing ? My $0.02