Be_Prepared

We did this recently at a troop campout. I went to a local company that sells decorative rocks for landscaping and bought 8 pieces of thin slate, about and inch thick and a foot or so across, one for each patrol

A dinner the patrols built a fire as usual. When some coals developed, they put three or four small rocks in the fire and laid the slate on the top. Before too long, it was hot enough to cook.

We cooked thin pork chops. For a quicker meal, chicken strips would work nice.

Since you're going to Woodruff Scout Reservation, you may be interested in the new promo video - they just put it up on youtube this weekend

Well, the first President of the United States was probably John Hanson - 1781 to 1782. At that time, you could only serve one year. There were 6 others after him. Washington was the first under the current Constitution.

Don't know if he took an oath, though. Have to look that one up.

I would hardly say this discussion qualifies as "blithering right wing conservatives spouting their idiocy". If anyone thinks so, then there's a number of call in radio shows that will enlighten you to true idiocy. This is more historical minutia.

I, for one, am extremely liberal.

To further ad trivia to the discussion, Obama may, in fact, have been the 44th person - that is, if David Atchison took the oath. Who is he ? Well, Zachary Taylor ( 12th president ) did not want to take the oath on a Sunday, so Atchison was ( or wasn't) the president for a day, and may ( or may not ) have taken the oath. His grave even reads "President of the United States for one day". Taylor took the oath on Monday. Atchison is said to have slept all day on Sunday. Anyway, more foder for discussion.

He is refering to former President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, from 18851889 and 18931897; he was the only president to serve two, non-consecutive terms. So Obama was the 43rd person to take the oath, even though is number 44

Another item on the form that is odd is the Talent Release Form. I have no idea how this could possilby be enforced or tracked.

Summer camps do not typically keep old copies of health forms, so would have no idea who checked off 'no' for any post camp pictures, publications, etc.

Is not checking the box implied consent ?

What if somebody doesn't check the box, then after the fact, decided to check the box - who or how could anybody know

I have only seen talent release forms used for single events - not an overall form that would be used for multiple things in a year ( unit camping, district event, council camp, Jamboree )

I think this could open up all sorts of problems. A parent checks 'no' and their son's picture appears in a slide deck for a summer camp promo. How on earth could any event monitor this ? Have all 'no' scouts wear a sign around their neck ?

The Scout Camp that I am associated with only requires an official uniform - so we get a mix: current traditional Boy Scout, Venture, Sea Scouts, Foreign Scouts. We've even had some Explorers. A few staffers have older shorts, with red topped knee socks, some even have old knee socks/garters. The 17 and under females wear Venture uniforms. The 18 and older females can wear Venture, or Boy Scout. We just ask that there is no mixing/matching of uniforms - such as dark green Venture shirt with dark green Boy Scout pants - things like that.

In thinking back on it - we used to sometimes have two of them, side by side. ( the horizontal bar was long enough for two, with two stakes in the ground ) That way, two scouts could race. Then two more, etc. Then the winners would race until you were left with the final two fasted scouts. You had to be able to throw a clove hitch if you wanted a chance to win.

We used to always have one of these at our district camporees as a kid. Basically, it's a horizontal log lashed about 10 feet or so off the group ( either between two trees or two uprights ). It's a timed competition. You have a coiled rope in your hands, you stand about 15 feet away - and there's a stake in the ground at your feet, and a short log on the ground underneath the horizontal pole.

You throw the rope over the upright, run up, grab the free hanging end, tie a timber hitch, run back to the stack, while pulling the log off the ground, and then tie it off with a clove hitch. When you're thru, the log should be hanging in mid air, with a correctly tied timber hitch and the other end should be tied to the stake with a clove hitch.

Woodruff Scout Reservation - North Georgia, but the Atlanta Area Council.

Good program - temperatures in evening can drop to the 50's some weeks. Incredible facilities. About 750 scouts per week - 8 weeks of camp. Lots from Florida and other states. The weeks in early June will be full by now, but there is usually space in the July weeks.

The good thing about the program is that the scouts do merit badge classes in the morning, and can do troop activities ( archery, rifle, mountain biking, mountain boarding, hiking, rappelling, climbing, swimming and boating ) in the afternoon and evening. Also - all scouts go on a whitewater trip - either the Ocoee or the Nantahalla River

Absolutely. As you noted, the current "Arrow of Light" patch worn by youth members was called the "Webelos award" from 1941 to 1967. When the current Webelos rank was created in 1967 (replacing the Lion rank ), the former Webelos rank was renamed the "Arrow of Light". Scouters who earned the patch under the old system are eligible to wear the knot

As I mentioned on another thread, the summer camp that I am associated with receives hundreds of flags per year for retirement, usually approaching 1000 each summer. We have a weekly ceremony, where one flag is cut and placed on the fire. The cutting is a practical matter - due to the size of the flag used. The flag is cut into 4ths - with the union going on last. Again, the main reason for cutting is just that the large garrison flags are hard to handle. We retire a few smaller flags as well, but they are placed on the fire folded.

A few times during the summer, the staff retires large quantities after the regular ceremony. A good point, mentioned earlier, is the length. With people standing - retiring too many at once pushes the ceremony to too long.

The majority of states have some law prohibiting campaign material. It differs by state. Sometimes this is interpreted to include hats or buttons ( passive electioneering ). Some states have laws that actually list things that you can't do ( stickers, labels, etc.)

The interpretation of the state laws has long been left up to each county, so it's usually not enforced the same within the state. Each locality can interprete it differently. So one polling station could allow a 'W' button and another could ask you to remove it.

I agree - pretty standard stuff. I've been a poll worker before. We had to go out and measure 50 feet from the edge of the building in different directions, and put up a small flag. Signs couldn't be within the 50 foot range. Also - no cell phones in the polling area. If someone came in with a candidate shirt, they had to turn it inside out, cover it, or leave. Very narrow restrictions, nothing that I would see about 1st admendment violations.

My take on the postponement request. Had it been agreed to in private, and announced as a joint agreement - it would have had validity. As it was - announced by one, and then a challenge issued to agree - the perception is a campaign opportunity "I'm putting my country first". If this was a true intent, the media would have been notified after the fact, not before.

As a side note to the cutting of the flag. At the council summer camp I am associated with, there is a flag retirement ceremony every week. The flags used are usually quite large - 12 to 15 feet long. They are cut as a practical matter, since it's about impossible to put one that large on the fire whole. I've often thought that that was the genesis of the tradition of cutting the flag - it was just a practical matter, and that gradually lead to people cutting up smaller flags.

For the smaller flags, we just put them on the fire in their tri-fold state. Usually 1 large flag and a few smaller flags are retired each week. The council gets over 500 flags a year dropped off at their offce to be retired, and the staff has a few retirement only campfires during the summer to retire large groups of flags. The key is that the fire has to be roaring pretty good, and built in a log cabin style, so the flags can be placed on top.

The crest is not embroidered on the new shirt. Same patch as is now. Boy Scouts of America, however, is embroidered directly on the shirt - as oppposed to a sewn on strip. The flag is attached to the sleeve, not sewn.

Fishing requires a scout to kill a fish.

A crew that I know went. It's only been run the past two years. Mix of male and coed crews. They did ropes work, whitewater rafting, caving, horses, had evening socials, etc. Swimming at the Ocoee River ( where the 96 Olympic Kayak events were held ) Housing is in bunk houses. Eating in dining hall. There were several oportunities to pass off requirements. Crews were from Fl, Ga, Tenn and SC.

Woodruff Scout Reservation ( Atlanta Area Council )located in the North Georgia mountains has a one week "Venturing Extreme" which is run at an offsite location, for Venture Crew only

http://wsr.atlantabsacamp.org/info.asp

Listed under Venturing Extreme Brochure

Only Venturing Crews - no boy scouts troops

Where, in the Guide to Safe Scouting, does it state:

"a registered adult must be "housed with and personally responsible for the (insert Male or Female) participants"

The Guide to Safe Scouting States:

"Coed overnight activities require male and female adult leaders, both of whom must be 21 years of age or older, and one of whom must be a registered member of the BSA."

For those that think otherwise - one often has to look at the history of a rule to understand it. Early versions of the Guide to Safe Scouting read:

"Coed overnight activities require male and female adult leaders, both of whom must be 21 years of age or older."

Often, the biggest barrier to Venture Crews is finding a 21 or older female to attend. This clause was added ( only one of whom must be registered ) so that coed Venture crews could camp without having to find a female registered leader - just a 21 or older female will do.

Guide to Safe Scouting:

Coed overnight activities require male and female adult leaders, both of whom must be 21 years of age or older, and one of whom must be a registered member of the BSA.

An incorrect statement was made earlier - for coed overnight activities, only ONE of the two leaders ( one male and one female ) has to be a registered member of the BSA. Both, though, have to be 21 or older.

I'll agree with Eamonn. If you're in the area, stop by. buy a patch or a t-shirt. There's some items in some display cases - but it's mainly a hotel/youth hostel.