scoutldr

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.

Whew....that was a tough 48 hours! WOW...29,999 active users!!!!! THat''s some new server, Terry!

Troop hikes out of the woods unharmed. They just got lost. We now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Subject: National Punctuation Day Nine out of ten emails (Scouter.com postings?) seem to contain at least one typographical error, better known as a typo. Never before have so many words been mangled. Is it caused by carelessness, keyboard clumsiness, or just plain ignorance? The U.S. will celebrate its fourth annual National Punctuation Day on September 24. Let''s make it a worldwide affair, when we name and shame offenders, and return faulty emails to their senders, with mistakes highlighted in red. More about this in The World''s First Multi-National e-Book: http://www.bdb.co.za/shackle/articles/world_punctuation_day.htm The Apostrophe Protection Society: http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/ PS: The double apostrophes here are NOT my doing! (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I''ll bet they''re all sworn members of the Uniform Police, too. Unlike Moximan''s troop, we don''t have "bi-laws"...we have "hetero-laws". Sorry, couldn''t let that one go! ;-)

(CNN) -- Eleven members of a Boy Scout troop did not emerge from a camping area in the mountains of western North Carolina as scheduled Sunday evening, prompting an overnight search effort, local authorities said. The eight scouts and three adult leaders from Troop 217 in Raleigh, North Carolina, were on a weekend camping trip in the Black Balsam Gap area near the Blue Ridge Parkway in southern Haywood County, according to Haywood County sheriff''s dispatcher Michael Huffman. Their vehicles were still in the parking lot at the entrance to the campground Sunday evening, leading authorities to suspect the scouts simply camped out for another night, Huffman said. Lisa Logan, whose husband is one of the scout leaders and son is a scout, said she has "a complete peace that they''re fine." "I think more likely than not what happened is they got behind in their schedule, saw they weren''t going to get out by dark, decided it was probably safer for all the boys to just stop, camp and come out in the morning," Logan said. Search teams were organized late Sunday night after their families in Raleigh did not hear from them after they were supposed to have begun the five-hour drive home, Huffman said. Five search teams combing the mountainous, heavily wooded area have not found any sign of the scouts, but they have eliminated a lot of territory, according to Haywood County Emergency Services Director Greg Shuping. Shuping said he the weather is good and he is optimistic the search will bring a happy ending soon. Several parents were driving from Raleigh to the camping area overnight. The area is located in North Carolina''s Pisgah National Forest and has popular hiking trails running through it.

Welcome, hersheygirl. Are you in central PA, or just a choco-holic??? Sorry to skew the stats here, but our annual dues are $25. Fundraisers are voluntary, and scouts'' efforts are reflected in their scout accounts. If they do not sell popcorn, they pay as you go. I agree, the strong-arm tactics are wrong.

Chuck, I think you answered your own questions. And you don''t need to explain anything to the other parents...just say, "yes, they must have worked really hard!" It could be the scout is an over-achiever. If so, don''t hold him back. It not, and the parent has cheated, there''s nothing you can do about it.

Gunny said, "You''''ve got me paranoid that I''''m one of the slugs who''''s not involved in my local schools.(You can never do enough!)" A psychiatrist once told me, "those who are truly crazy don''t wonder if they are."

Sarcastic??? Moi???? Au contraire! In this SMSA (standard metropolitan statistical area), there are about 7 school districts. It is a well known fact among those who have lived here all their lives, as I have, that two of the districts are excellent, some are average, and one, I wouldn''t send a dog to. When a new military member transfers in and starts looking for a house, the first question I ask is "do you have kids in school?". Now, why is there such a disparity in quality of education within a 25 mile radius? Per pupil spending is about the same. Buildings and classrooms look about the same. The teachers are about the same...and get paid the same (+/- about $1000). The ONLY difference I can see, is the SES (social and economic status) of the residents. The "excellent" schools serve primarily non-minority populations, while the "other than excellent" schools serve a large minority and inner city population. My observation is that in the excellent schools, the minority students do just as well, if not better than the "majority" students. I think the difference is parental involvement. When both parents live in the home and are ACTIVELY involved in the schools and interested in having their kids study and do homework, rather than letting them roam the streets, the kids will excel. It''s a cultural issue, and NOT something the schools can solve, regardless of how much money we pour into them. By taking your voucher and "escaping" the public school, you are part of the problem. The school collective no longer benefits from your interest and efforts, not the least of which is to set the example for the other parents who don''t KNOW how to parent. As I said, my wife and two sons and I are products of the public school and state universities. From the day my son started kindergarten, she was there volunteering in the clinic (an RN). They eventually hired her to be the school nurse. She was active in the PTA and eventually elected President and honored with a Life Membership. When my sons went on to high school, we spent countless hours sitting on the bleachers for Baseball and Football games, going to PTA meetings (BORRINNGGGG!), and buying band candy. The baseball coach knew us by name...because he was my teacher when I was in high school. When my son brought home a bad grade, I was talking to the teacher the next day. When you don''t even know who the father is, and you have to work all the time and can''t go to meet teachers and volunteer, that kind of rapport can''t and doesn''t happen. Don''t blame the schools...you have to hold up your end of the deal, too. Fix the culture, and the schools will follow.

MB sash: definitely OA sash: No. A BOR is not an OA function. His pocket flap will denote his current lodge membership in good standing.

I would bring it up at your next LEC meeting (you do go to those, right?). Let the group decide, with your Lodge Advisor''s guidance. Then everyone should abide by the decision and wear the same thing...even the adults.