SamEagle

Hey, corduroy is making a comeback! Spats, on the other hand...

I'm just a college age venture kid, so perhaps I'm not qualified to contribute. Here are a few ideas anyway.

Using the same quote "without faith you cannot become a good citizen," you could branch into some other questions on the nature of faith. Lord Powell surely meant faith in God, but what about faith in humanity, or in the golden rule, or some other moral code? If you really want to take it all the way, you could say BP meant faith in the Judeo-Christian God, not those of other religions (I'm not sure about this, though - somebody correct me if I'm wrong), yet scouts accept those who have belief in a god, not necessarily the Christian God.

All depends on how controversial you want to make the paper. Good luck with it.

Edit:

On the point of Reverence: One could argue that as long as a scout displays respect for the religious beliefs of others as well as the mandates of the BSA, he could fulfill the Reverence aspect. It is still possible to get something meaningful out of religious and spiritual activities, even if you do not share all the beliefs.(This message has been edited by SamEagle)

That would be grueling, frustrating, mentally and physically exhausting, and also an absolutely amazing experience. I wish I could do it.

Trail's End chocolate popcorn, combined with Thin Mint GS cookies, is my all time favorite chocolate fix. I love getting that stuff, and supporting the scouts.

On scouts not being able to wear uniforms to fundraising events, such as carwashes - does anybody else see some potential problems here as well? Ever seen a car wash run by teenagers? I'll tell you, some of them come up with very...creative ways of getting people's attention. Like my friend who wore a very short bathing suit, then stood next to the street with a slightly larger sign advertising the car wash. The picture of this made it into the local news, with the caption "Baring All for [Organization Name]. Hilarious as this was, it still seems like that might not exactly be the image BSA wants to project.

Oh, c'mon lad, it's St. Paddy's day! Everyone's Irish! (I know, I know...)

I'm a Notre Dame student who knows several kids who've studied abroad in Dublin. They said most of the Irish students don't get too offended about our (rather silly) mascot. After all, one of the ways we got the name was from a battalion of Union soldiers which included several ND priests and boys (mostly Irish). Not a slur so much as a historical reference.

As far as the skits are concerned, I think that kids will be kids, and the adult leaders need to keep in mind that not all their humor will be pc. I see nothing wrong with "Udder Man" the super-cow. What was the matter? Did the leader see it as some form of interspecies cross-dressing?

Unless it clearly crosses a line in degrading a group of people, or has sexual or highly violent themes (not slapstick), I don't see much of a problem. I don't think poking fun at adults, scouts, cattle, etc. is wrong as long as it's kept good-natured.

Improv can be risky, but also a lot of fun. For my Catholic youth group related events, we would put an adult or responsible kid in charge of "buzzing:" stopping the action if the skit got tedious or started to take a turn for the worse and then calling out a new direction.

double post.(This message has been edited by SamEagle)

This is a little late, but I thought I'd share.

One of my friends did a science experiment judging the effectiveness of hand sanitizer vs. Joy dishwashing detergent in killing bacteria. After a week in a petri dish, the Joy had actually grown bacteria, while there was nothing in the sanitizer. So, hand sanitizer it is.

Yup, definitely an East coast girl, with a background in dressage and hunter riding. You're observation was quite accurate.

Anyway, I looked around online, and I have a much better idea of what to bring. I went with a good pair of ropers that weren't too expensive but are well-made. I'm not crazy about steel toes, having never used or really needed them, so I decided that plain, sturdy leather would suit my purposes better.

I'm still looking at hats, but I've got it narrowed down a bit to my price range and a style I can live with. I definitely need the stampede string, or I'd lose it in about ten minutes or less!

In looking at photos from the times you suggested I noticed that most of their clothing was very simple (as you said), which is what I wanted in the first place. No fear of me being tempted by large belt buckles; I never quite understood them in the first place.

For what was left of the camping-type stuff I needed, I got some good advice from the backpacker.com reviews (I love that magazine!), and ended up going with the Red Ridge thunderlight jacket and pants. My dad has a pair that he absolutely loves, plus it was quite affordable. I really liked the campmor line you recommended as well.

Thanks for the advice!

I did get the general handbook list of things to bring, but they tend to be a little vague. ("Acceptable western wear" is what the uniform requirements for wrangler are.) I have most of what I need as far as uniform goes, but I do need to pick up a few outerwear things, thanks to a person who "borrowed" my shell, never to return.

Do you think that fleece would work well under rain gear? I have a vest and pullover that's worked well for me sailing in Maine and backpacking in the fall around the Smokies and Blue ridge, but it is pretty lightweight.

I'll look into the Campmore line; it looks good. Thanks!

I'm going to be a wrangler this summer at Philmont. I haven't been there before, and the staff handbook doesn't tell us a whole lot. So, here are my questions:

Wrangler:

-What type of rain gear should I get?

-Anybody know where we sleep when on cavalcade?

-How strenuous is this job as compared to ranger? Tips for getting in shape?

-Do I need the same clothes I would backpacking?

I'm sure I missed several of the questions I had, so any suggestions would be much appreciated!