scoutldr

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people who bother to vote, their opinions are formed based on 1) what will this President give ME in the form of govt handouts, 2) who is the "cutest" or 3) whatever the poll workers can manage to badger into their brains on their way into the polling place. If you listen to any of Hannity''s "man on the street" interviews...it''s very frightening. Those of us who study the candidates and the issues, trying to cast a meaningful, thoughtful vote are wasting our time....because there are 50 morons out there waiting to cancel each one of us out.

So they blur out Google Earth. The address and phone number of the White House is all over the internet. Or they could just ask the cab driver, Mohammed. Every school kid used to know it was 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Now they don''t even know there IS a White House or who lives there (except for the untainted homeschoolers, of course). BTW, for detailed directions to the Naval Observatory, including a Mapquest map, see: http://www.usno.navy.mil/directions.shtml Public tours are available.

This is the OSHA regulation: "Unprotected sides and edges." Each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems. OSHA does not legally apply to scouts and volunteers. It would, however, apply to "employees" (camp staff, ranger, etc)

I think some of the best Presidents had no "qualifications" or prior experience.

Good point, OGE. Could it be that Climb On Safely training is required? (I''ve never taken it, so I don''t know). I just read the G2SS section on climbing and it''s clear it''s intended for rock/mountain climbing. I also found this in bold: "Technical tree-climbing with ropes or harnesses is not authorized as a unit activity." If the trees are lashed together into a tower, does that make a difference? Seems like we need a clarification from National on this point. It''s certainly not clear.

I never thought that they might need to call their college admissions counselor on a Saturday. I guess if that ever happened, I''d be happy to let them use mine.

The G2SS limits monkey bridges to 5 feet in height and 40 feet in length. Signal towers are not mentioned. An oversight? I don''t know.

Thanks for sharing, Chippewa. Stories like this are why we do it. Good job!

I would split the den evenly and then build both dens. According to our training, the ideal den size is 6-8. More than that, form a new den. The down side is you need more den leaders, but that''s how the program is designed. If your Cub is in the first grade for the first time, he should be a Tiger. If he is repeating a grade, he should be a Wolf. If he's transferring from another Pack, you can contact the previous Pack for a transfer sheet which should document what he's done. (It's been awhile since I've been Cubbing, so I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Sorry, duplicate post.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

That would be "too" lazy... ;-)

acco, I respect the Office as well. Apparently more so than Nixon and Clinton did. As for Barney Frank, I think the title of "Honorary President" would just quietly disappear.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I wish Bill Clinton had declined. And my Eagle certificate is "signed" by Richard Nixon. I''m not too proud of that, either. But I took it for what it was...just one of thousands of honorary titles and degrees that are bestowed on the sitting President. None of them really mean anything. I think the last President that actively engaged the BSA was FDR...or maybe Gerald Ford.

Yes, Ohio, you are OK. But, I have to take points off of SSS''s posting. A terminal ellipsis only has three periods. I was blessed (cursed?) with an "editor''s eye", probably due to the fact that my Dad had me reading and writing by the time I was four years old, rather than waiting for my first grade teacher to do the job for him (no such thing as public school kindergarten in 1958). Mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation just jump up and slap me, because they look "wrong" to me. I would never be so rude as to correct anyone publicly, however. Some of my pet peeves are apostrophe abuse (never used to show plural), the use of "their" vs. "there", the use of "to", "two" and "too", the use of "do" and "due", and subject/verb agreement. If we allow the English language to deteriorate due to inattention, apathy or laziness, it''s our own fault. In my genealogy research, I recently read some original documents (wills and letters) from the 18th and 19th centuries. It''s striking how inept we are now at writing and using the full beauty of the language.

Thanks, Pack212. I tried the inverter, and it kept tripping the breaker when I would start the CPAP (which is just a blower motor). I then bought a bigger inverter, but the instructions said not to run it more than 2 hrs at a time. Now it''s a convenient excuse, especially when the temp drops below freezing ;-). I knew that there was a reason that the young dads (and moms!) should be out in the woods with their sons rather than me.

Volker, That''s also how most Troops in the US do it. Latter Day Saints (Mormon) troops go home on Saturday night, due to religious reasons. Setting up camp in the dark is common for us, except in the summer months.

Being on the far side of 50 (my BD is Sunday!), I have thought about a camper myself. But I would never live it down with my fellow scouters. I have had a bad back for years and now sleep apnea requires a CPAP machine, so my camping is within 100 feet of a power outlet, or I just visit for the day, if within a reasonable distance. BTW, in the LNT training I had, they said that brightly colored nylon tents were a no=no too.

I watch TV every night with one eye and the other eye on my laptop (like right now). If I could choose my channels, I would have one local news channel, History, Weather, Fox news, Discovery and maybe Travel. The rest is mostly advertising and garbage. Almost forgot...PBS too (Lawrence Welk and Antiques Roadshow!)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

The SMs primary job is to train and mentor the SPL. THe SPL runs the program, and trains and mentors the other members of the PLC.

I''ve told the story before of the scout who phoned mom and left a cryptic msg on the answering machine (parents were out enjoying a "date"). Well, they got home after midnight and listened to the message and tried to call us...we were all in bed asleep and cell phones were off or in the car charging. Mom finally called the Camp emergency number and made the Camp Director get dressed and go to our campsite to get the SM out of bed. We woke up a sleeping scout and made him call mom...there was no problem, he was just calling to say hi. But he didn''t bother to say that on the answering machine. We let scout and mom know that we and the Camp Director didn''t appreciate it much. Another incident was mom being called by scout to say that so and so was picking on him. Then mom calls ASM to demand to know what we were going to do about it. Our usual procedure is to monitor the situation, and most times the kids work it out themselves...as it should be. We told mom that if she wanted to referee all the squabbles, she was welcome to get her butt up to camp and enjoy the heat and mosquitoes with us. My decided opinion is that youths do not need cell phones at camp. THe adults have one for emergencies (or for work purposes), and that''s sufficient. There used to be a pay phone at the trading post, which greatly contributed to the homesick problem. Scouts were lined up every evening calling mommy collect. Thank goodness it was removed.

Disoriented, probably. The followup article said they woke up in the morning, looked up and saw electric wires, followed them to a cabin where they met a meter-reader, who led them to the Fire Dept.

Back in the 40s and 50s, the Veteran patch would be worn on the sleeve of the uniform shirt. In increments of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 years. Now it''s just a lapel pin, not for uniform wear. AFAIK, it''s just a matter of filling out the form and buying the pin. What''s the point?

"Guide for Officers and Advisors", page 16. In a nutshell, the chapter structure should mirror the Lodge structure...the positions and duties are the same. The adults'' role at the chapter level is to serve as an advisor to a youth officer.

Have you checked the official OA pubs on the OA national web site? Some are password protected, but if you are an Arrowman, it''s not a problem.

I think maybe the off-putting thing for me is that when I hear "contract", I think of a legally binding document, which holds the signatories accountable for performing a "statement of work", in exchange for some "consideration" (usually money). THis also implies that, if one of the parties falls short, there is some kind of penalty. While the concept is good, I would prefer something softer, such as "Memorandum of Agreement", where the leader "promises to do their best", recognizing that "stuff happens" sometimes. The basis for the agreement should always be the Scout Law.