scoutingagain

It's one thing to have many adults registered and helping with all the positions on the committee actively filled. It's another to have a 2:1 ratio of adults to scouts on camping trips. At that point it's become a manscout troop. SA

"Do we know if they paid people to show up and demonstrate?" Well I don't know if they were paid, but after talking to some Scot Brown sign holders in town the weekend before the election...well lets just say that quite a few did not sound much like Matt Damon. Not that there's anything wrong with that. SA

If this thing ever makes it to the theatres I'll be suprised. It might actually get finished. And more likely will be shown at a few local Tea Party rallies. As far as the threat coming from within...that's probably true. Just not sure which side it's coming from. SA

"At what point do you decide that a Scout is not going to be an Eagle in your troop? " When he turns 18 and has not completed the requirements. In many of the examples described above, a scout has not completed a requirement(i.e. scout spirit, POR) so his advancement has been deferred until he has satisfied the governing authority he has completed it.(ie. the SM) I would hope a good scouter would not decide a scout is not going to be an Eagle until he reaches the age of 18 without completing the requirements. Until then, we hope the scout can eventually fulfill those requirements withi

See the thread on Fishy Law and Politics. http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=263191 SA

Frankj, Coakley's work as a prosecutor had little impact on the race. Frankly, after the primaries, she was nearly invisible up until about a week before the general election. Brown worked hard. Did much of it on his own. Had little support from the national party until it looked like he had a chance. Even though I don't particularly think he's a great candidate to be a Senator, based on the two campaigns, he deserved the win. I'm hoping he fits in with the New England Republican contingent and sends the message, if you want to attract Independent voters, you need to run candidates

Contact(call don't email) www.alpsmountaineering.com or www.scoutdirect.com and ask about their scout discount. They have excellent equipment and give scouts & scouters a very hefty discount on high quality gear. They occaisionally have clearance items and sales and you can pick up brand new, high quality gear at sometimes a 70% discount. Best of luck. SA

Volscouter, Didn't mean to imply an direct relationship between the companies and Brown's campaign. But I think it's a clear indication there are very large financial interests on the part of insurance companies and health care companies to maintain the status quo, where they can cherry pick who they cover, and charge high fees. So yes, their stocks would go up. Ironically, State Rep Brown, was very much in favor of the Massachusetts Health Care system(which is very much like the proposed national system) when it was promoted by then Governor Mitt Romney®. Romney was one of the few

The word "theory" has several meanings. Before a discussion continues on what is theory, fact or scientific law, all should understand the context in which people are using the word. Many folks confuse the meanings no. 1 and 2 below. Theory, Spelled Pronunciation [thee-uh-ree, theer-ee] noun, plural -ries. 1. a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity. 2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reportin

I find it interesting that Health care stocks are soaring in anticipation of a Brown victory. He has pledged to block the Health care plan currently being debated. Pretty good indication of whose side the Health Care financial folks are on. SA

In our District, the direct solicitation of cash is frowned upon, if not out right prohibited. Sat in on one EBOR, when asked how the project was funded, the scout anwered honestly and indicated that most of the material was donated, but realized towards the end he would be a couple of boxes of screws short, so he went to the store and used his own money to pay for them. The District rep, basically said, "Well your really not supposed to do that". The scout did pass his EBOR. While the direct solication for cash is not allowed, asking for donations of materials is done quite frequently

As a son of a WWII vet that served in N. Africa and Italy I've heard my share of WWII Stories. They usually came up after watching an episode of Combat! with my Dad. After a while in my late teens I sort of realized that anyone from that generation has great WWII stories. I got into the habit of politely asking folks who were alive then what they were doing between 1939 and 1945. I've heard stories about rationing here at home, going without butter, collection drives etc. Stories of a little chinese girl running west across China from the Japanese until her family hit the Gobi desert

While I did not participate all that much in either thread I had been following them. The Gay Question thread had gone off in a creepy direction as Lisabob put it and I agree it should have been closed. The Global warming thread, while getting a bit testy at time had not crossed the line yet, IMHO. One thumbs up, One thumbs down. That said, I agree I'm glad the moderators are there to bring the threads back and monitor them. SA

As ManyHats acknowledges there are many units where adults are serving in dual roles. Usually one lead role and then maybe an asst. role. I.e. CM and Asst. Weblos Den leader. There are some dual roles that should not be allowed period as they would tend to concentrate too much authority (and responsiblity) in one person. i.e. CM + Committee Chair, Or Committee Chair + Treasurer, or CM + Treasurer. I would also hesitate to have a Den Leader also be the CM or CC as all three positions really require someone to concentrate on the roles and responsibility of that position as a lead positi

"Also, if these local options are enacted, there will be troops that allow only Jews, only Christians, only whites, only blacks, only hispanics, et cetera. I believe that the BSA is acting in a prudent and responsible manner in order to deliver a program that proclaims to be morally straight which according to most (though not all) religious denominations would preclude accepting homosexual behavior" Just to be clear, the BSA does currently allow discrimination by individual chartered organizations. For example there are Jewish, Muslim and Christian units that require membership in their

I've been following this thread with a bit of a chuckle but got a good one with "It appears that the AGW proponents are cherry picking data to suit their needs." Especially if the link used to support the statement is an example of the objective data folks are using to convince themselve AGW isn't happening. LOL. For me the survey posted in the inital post pretty much locks it up. I looked through it and based on those responding there is a general consensus that: Global Warming is happening and Mankind and his/her actions are signficant contributers. After that th

Have to put a plug in for Camp Squanto in Southeastern MA, just west of Plymouth. See http://campsquanto.net/ Great Waterfront on a kettle pond with some of the cleanest, warmest waters you'll find in NE. As noted, just west of Plymouth, MA, the Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation. Within an hour of Cape Cod and 35 - 40mi. south of Boston. Again they get Out of Council units fairly regularly. SA

This is more than a council loss. It's a loss to the entire Northeast. Our unit stayed there when visiting the city last spring. It is one of the few camps located in close proximity to NYC attractions that allow an out of town unit to come in and stay and be able to enjoy the city without having to commute an hour or more in an out of the city. Really sad. I hope a better way is found than selling to developers. National Park Service? SA

I don't know about your camp fee, possibly, as it might be considered an "out-of-pocket expenses you paid to do volunteer work" but while your milage is deductible, it is not deductible as a business expense at $0.55/mile. It is deductible at a different rate meant only to compensate you for your out of pocket expenses. I'm not sure what the 2009 rate is, but it's more like $0.14/mile, not the rate you show. I'm not an accountant so ask one about the camp fee. SA From Instructions for Schedule A,Itemized Deductions Gifts to Charity Contributions You Can Deduct Contribu

As noted, there is no BSA policy that prohibits the involvment of women in leadership roles in Boy Scouts (as long as they meet all other membership criteria). However the Chartering Organization can set it's own standards for leadership that exclude women if they choose to do so. However, this is a decision of the Institutional Head of the CO,...Not the SM or Committee Chair. I agree with those that believe it would be a hugh mistake to limit leadership involvment based on gender. In today's society many of these young men will enter the workforce or military where they will have

I've generally held my tongue on this one, but tend to sympathize with Ed. I understand the need for unions and they have done and continue to a lot of good in supporting the working guy or gal. They should and do negotiate the best deal they can get for their members with respect to wages and benefits. If they get too much, that's managements fault for not negotiating better on their part, but unions need to be aware they really can suck more blood out of the enterprise than it has to continue. i.e. the auto industry. I can even support some work rules that ensure qualified workers do spe

Don't know if this will help or not. Our council does request reference letters. The form for the reference letter can be found at: http://www.oldcolonycouncil.org/Documents/EagleReferenceLetter.pdf it is an editable .pdf form. Good Luck. In the unit I serve, I have the candidate have the references mailed to me and I turn them into council along with the completed application and workbook. I most cases it takes about a week to 10 days to get all the letters in. Sometimes less, sometimes a little longer. SA

Well one way to certainly increase the interest level of teenage boys in an activity is to have teenage girls there as well. As far a youth protection issues, they would be no different than what's currenly used in the Venturing program. But from a traditional curricullum standpoint, I agree it doesn't seem to make much sense since Venturing doesn't use patrols, and I thought the main point was to train older scouts to lead troops and patrols. SA

"Just in time for Halloween." Well since the statements were made in a hearing held in the Spring of 2008 I'd say they were in plenty of time for Halloween 2009. SA

"He would be planting several small trees, designing and planting a couple of fairly good size plant groupings and may be laying down sod. " Depending on the potential hours of work and number of people likely to be involved this project would likely be approved in our District. In the Eagle project workbook just list the estimated value of the materials that were donated, and indicate they were donated by the benefiting organization. There have been several similar projects performed in our District where materials are purchased by a school or church. The Eagle candidate usually arran