scoutldr

Yup...the cup will burn down to the water level then stop. They think it''s magic!

They own the unit AND the money. Be careful that they don''t decide that they need new choir robes or something. Don''t you need a troop trailer? The others are correct, you don''t need to be at zero at the end of the year, but you should shoot for some modest "reserve" to be carried over. I know that all councils want you to sell a million units of popcorn every year, but the truth is, most units don''t need that much money. Your unit budget plan should reflect anticipated income and outgo, with the reserve left over for emergencies. If you are fundraising for a special thing (new tents, trip to Sea Base, etc), I would set up a special account kept separate from operating expenses.

Most cured hams are "pre-cooked", meaning heat and serve. The watermelon would provide a novel way of heating the ham directly on the coals while not drying it out or burning it. Sounds cool! I also like to wow the Tenderfeet by boiling water (or poaching an egg or cooking a sausage ball) in an orange peel...directly on the fire.

I also noted that many of the trails listed on the NTHA web site are BSA or GSUSA historic trails. Why not just get the BSA medal and patch and be done with it? If there is a potential trail in your area, it would make a fine Eagle project (I think) to develop it and the requirements for an award. Also, as was stated before, the only non-BSA awards authorized for uniform wear are the religious medals/square knots.

My own sons are 29 and 24 and no longer registered. I have been in scouting since 1964, with a few years off for college and waiting for my first born to become Cub age. I can''t imagine NOT being in Scouting, but the time is coming ... my two compadres (SM and ASM) are in the same boat, and we are ready to give it up. Recruiting has become fruitless, and the current crop of parents, while nice and very appreciative, show no inclination to take over the helm. The most they will do is show up for meetings, sit in the back of the room, and provide transportation when asked. One is an Eagle, but very shy and quiet, and the others are freshly retired military who are busy going to school and transitioning to new careers (that''s the inherent problem of retiring when your kids are still in middle school!). We will be losing one next summer to a military transfer, then we will be down to five. So, when the time comes, which will be when the current crop either Eagles or ages out, we will throw in the towel, because you reach a point where you (and my wife) say, "why am I still doing this?" (usually in the woods during a cold wet weekend, when the scout''s dads are home watching the game on their plasma TVs). It is not without mixed emotions, but I am nearing retirement from my govt job in a coupla years and also need to be making transition plans...at age 56, I won''t be able to sit at home carving neckerchief slides, since I still have a mortgage and bills to pay. Our CO doesn''t care either way.

I would say, "well, for the next year, he can be a wolf, then he can be a Brownie". I agree with eisely. Who are we to judge? Should the BSA now demand to see proof of a Y chromosome, in addition to being straight and non-atheist?

No, there is no rule. Your scout executive does not run the pack, you do...or rather your Chartering Organization does, and he is off base. Your District Executive should be looking for a way to form a new unit to accomodate these new recruits. They get credit for forming new units as well as increasing membership numbers. The ideal thing would be to register the new cubs in your pack, then split down the middle, like cell division. That way, each unit gets an equal share of genetic material...leaders and age groups. If you are at the max for your meeting space, there might also be Fire Marshall concerns with maximum occupancy limits. I once was CM for a pack that grew to over 150 boys. Pack meetings were 2 and a half hour boring arrow point marathons. We split the pack twice, and now there are three packs and two troops that grew out of that one. That''s how Scouting grows.

We have a small troop and our CO contributes nothing. Every cent (plus a lot of MY money) goes to the boys. If your unit contributes training scholarships, that''s wonderful. I would make it a line item in your Unit Budget Plan and factor that in as an expense. Just means you need to sell more popcorn!

My view has always been, "I am the one who stepped up to the plate, so we meet at my convenience." OK, so that''s a simplification. The choices are clear...if you can accomodate an earlier start time, then fine, do it. If not, tell them so. But make it clear that if they outvote you, you will be happy to turn over the leadership reins to one of them. Everyone has demands on their time, so one person''s demands should not overrule everyone else.

THey will have 72 Virginians waiting for them in Paradise. I hope to be one of them...

I have also seen an adult wearing ALL of his medals (Eagle, Religious, training, etc) ALL of the time. I think to myself, in the words of the inimitable Bugs Bunny, "what an ultramaroon!" and move on.

From the Safety Afloat portion of the Guide to Safe Scouting: All activity afloat must be supervised by a mature and conscientious adult age 21 or older who understands and knowingly accepts responsibility for the well-being and safety of the children in his or her care, who is experienced and qualified in the particular watercraft skills and equipment involved in the activity, and who is committed to compliance with the nine points of BSA Safety Afloat. One such supervisor is required for each 10 people, with a minimum of two adults for any one group. At least one supervisor must be age 21 or older, and the remaining supervisors must be age 18 or older. All supervisors must complete BSA Safety Afloat and Safe Swim Defense training and rescue training for the type of watercraft to be used in the activity, and at least one must be trained in CPR. It is strongly recommended that all units have at least one adult or older youth member currently trained as a BSA Lifeguard to assist in the planning and conducting of all activity afloat. For Cub Scouts: The ratio of adult supervisors to participants is one to five. From the Safe Swim Defense rules: 1. Qualified Supervision All swimming activity must be supervised by a mature and conscientious adult age 21 or older who understands and knowingly accepts responsibility for the well-being and safety of youth members in his or her care, who is experienced in the water and confident of his or her ability to respond in the event of an emergency, and who is trained in and committed to compliance with the eight points of BSA Safe Swim Defense. (It is strongly recommended that all units have at least one adult or older youth member currently trained as a BSA Lifeguard to assist in the planning and conduct of all swimming activity.) http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss02.html#h

Shirts and trousers. BSA adult uniforms are available in 3 different fabrics...polyester/wool blend, polyester/cotton blend, and 100% cotton. All are available by mail-order from www.scoutstuff.com or through your local Scout Shop. Most people wear the poly/cotton because it''s the cheapest and what most Scout Shops have in stock. I have a 100% cotton shirt I picked up on eBay. It''s great when it''s starched and ironed, otherwise it looks like it''s been slept in for a month, and the collar is starting to fray. Poly/wool is the most expensive and IMHO, too dressy and pricey for field use, but they do look good.

Welcome to the forums, Amy. I assume you are the Troop Committee Chair and are asking about how to run a Troop Committee Meeting? Running the Troop meeting is the job of the SPL, under the guidance of the Scoutmaster. Running a troop meeting is up to you...you can be as formal or as informal as you need to be to make it work. Robert''s Rules is probably overkill, but a free for all won''t work, either. Depends on the size of the group and the ability of the people to work together. IN most cases, decision by consensus is best. Consensus means, while you may not agree with a decision or get everything you want, you agree to support it and help the group make it work.

ME too...also getting that popup again.

This is a unit in trouble due to lack of leadership. IN my opinion, it comes under the District Commissioner, rather than membership. Membership should focus on district-wide recruiting efforts, not putting sick units back together. The DE and DC needs to visit the COR and have a heart to heart about the future of this unit.

Ditto...nothing here yet for us mushrooms.

"Must be you guys live in really litigious states." Virginia, the Mother of Presidents, both Union and Confederate. It's not the locals, who are mostly Southern ladies and gentlemen...it's all the "come-heres"...a lot of under-25 sailors with crotch-rockets and tourists from less refined locales. My wife is an elementary school nurse and I am entrusted with boys and young men on weekends...not sure if that factored into it. We also have no protection against uninsured motorists...regardless of fault. My insurance pays the bill. You can get a license while uninsured (if you admit it) by paying an additional $400 fee to the DMV, but the victims don't get any of that. That's happened to me twice when I was rear-ended...once by a 16 year old with no insurance, and once by a young Marine coming off a 3 day bender. Not to mention illegals with no licenses or insurance...

Complete uniforms may always be worn, as long as they are still serviceable. Mixing of uniform parts is frowned upon. As I recall the fold down pocket flaps were for youth only. Adult uniforms had standard trousers.

Back in the day, we had Wolf, Bear and Lion badges, all with arrow points! The over-achievers had them all the way down the shirt-tail below the belt...you couldn't even see them with the shirt tucked in.

Welcome, lc...sounds like things are "cart before the horse" here. Normally, a Chartering Organization (CO) will decide to form a unit then they come looking for leaders. Your District Executive's job is to find willing COs and get them to sign on the dotted line. That's how they get paid and promoted. That's the textbook version, anyway. If you don't have a CO, you don't really have a Pack...yet. Good luck!

My troop went to Bayport for Week 5. Overall impression was positive, due mostly to brand new facilities. Foodservice is contracted and was the best I've seen for quality and quantity. Private showers and toilets in campsites was a bonus! There is a Leader's lounge with Sat TV and WiFi, but the one time I stuck my head in there, it was full of youth staff members soaking up the A/C after lunch. The only glitches we noticed were at the rifle range (scouts only got 3 shots per one hour session...no opportunity to practice), but hopefully that will be ironed out. Mine came back with all partials for Rifle MB. Good emphasis on safety, however. Tents were old leftovers from Camp Chickahominy, and most in our site were mildewed and in poor condition...bring extra tarps in case of rain. Also, bring mosquito nets, although this summer was dry and they weren't too bad. Be prepared! Tents are on platforms with standard cots. The waterfront is a good hike from the main camp (uphill both ways)...our SM registered 50 miles on his pedometer by the end of the week, but that's with extra walks to meet his goal. Not for the faint of heart or out of shape! In July/August, expect 90+ high temps with high humidity and evening lows of around 75. It's in the same region as FT AP Hill. Hydrate! Location is an easy day trip to Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, so you might want to plan an extra day or two. If your SPL wants my SPL's opinions, shoot me a PM and I'll hook them up.

Larry LaPrise (Roland Lawrence LaPrise, born: 11 November 1912 in Detroit, Michigan, died: 4 April 1996 in Gooding, Idaho) holds the U.S. copyright for the song Hokey Pokey. LaPrise reportedly wrote the song in the late 1940s for the aprs-ski crowd at a club in Sun Valley, Idaho. The song was first recorded by his group the Ram Trio (with Charles Macak and Tafit Baker) in 1949. They were awarded U.S. copyright in 1950. After the group broke up in the 1960s, LaPrise worked for the Post Office in Ketchum, Idaho. The authorship of the Hokey Pokey is disputed, with British/Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy claiming to have written the original (entitled Cokey-Cokey) during WWII. Robert Degan sued LaPrise for copyright infringement of his 1946 The Hokey-Pokey Dance. They settled out of court. See article Hokey Pokey for a more comprehensive account of the various competing theories attending the origin of the song and dance both in the United States and the United Kingdom. Source: Wikipedia (so it MUST be true!)

Now if we could just convince all the animals to use WAG bags, everything would be just perfect!

Generations are among the most powerful forces in history. Tracking their march through time lends orderand even a measure of predictabilityto long-term trends. Generations follow observable historical patterns and thus offer a very powerful tool for predicting future trends. --Neil Howe and William Strauss, generational scholars Millennials are considered those age 25 and younger (born after 1982). Approximately 100,000 Millennials are serving in todays Navy. We will recruit Millennials for the next 20 years. According to the Pew Research Center and authors Strauss and Howe, the Millennial generation is more diverse, and accepting of diversity, than previous generations. Education focuses on cooperative learning and record numbers are gravitating toward large institutions and government agencies for jobs, seeking teamwork, protection against risk, and a solid work/life balance. Their culture is becoming less edgy, with a new focus on upbeat messages and big brands. Their close relationship with their parents and extended families is carrying over into their young adult lives. When asked about the most important problem they face, Millennials were more concerned about financial matters than previous generations at this age. Notably, the Millennial generation is less cynical about the government and military leaders than previous generations of young people. Fully 48% believe the best way to ensure peace is through military strength. They are overall very positive about their lives and the way things are going in our country. They can be described as institutionally driven, with a profound trust in authority. They grew up as increasingly protected children, coming of age as team-working youth of a crisis (9/11). Howe and Strauss believe the G.I. generation of WWII and the Millennial generation have similar characteristics. Communicating with Millennials Evidence shows that young Americans are estranged from daily newspapers and rely more heavily on television and personal contact than on the Internet or newspapers for their news. Today, unlike most older Americans, many young people find a bit of news here and there and do not make it a routine part of their day. Tips for Navy Leaders: Use more face to face communication and fewer emails and newspaper articles. o Whereas 35% of the population over age 30 claimed to read the news every day, only 16% of those ages 18-30 said they read the news daily. Research also shows that face-to-face communication is the #1 source of information across all age groups. Take time to first explain issues, then repeat the message. o Studies indicate that people can hear something over and over yet not recognize its existence if they have little prior knowledge or awareness of it. Their mind fails to recognize it amidst the noise of the hundreds of other messages that bombard us every day. Repeat messages in a variety of media (face to face, email, web site, etc.) o The ordinary top story reaches many fewer people today. Young adults are substantially less likely (43% vs. 62%) than older respondents to claim exposure to a leading story run in one medium only. For more information, read: A Portrait of "Generation Next:" How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300