scoutldr

You're referring to the William D. Boyce award. Could be several reasons why the award was not given: the person did not apply for it; the unit was organized but the specified procedure (12 steps) was not followed; etc.

In the spirit of full disclosure, how many CO's are offered a full copy of the "policies, rules and regulations" of the BSA before they sign on the dotted line? Wouldn't this seem reasonable, if they are required to uphold them?

"If summer camp were a bad thing or were not meeting the needs of units, they would die away." ...or be sold to fund executive salaries.

There is quality and then there are numbers. The two are not necessarily related.

We just met with our UC for "goal setting". What a joke. You can pencil-whip the numbers any way you want to ensure winning the award.

I'm always amazed that something as important as the Eagle approval process varies so widely throughout the country. In this Council, the Council Advancement Committee does nothing. All EBOR are conducted by the units, with a District rep present. If letters are obtained or references checked, it's up to the Unit Committee Chair (BOR Chair), and I as the District rep, don't second guess him. If the EBOR is successful, I sign the form and we're done. YMMV

Try contacting your local Red Cross chapter...they usually have a database of local volunteer translators. Or a local university? Heck, I would even visit my favorite Chinese restaurant and explain your dilemma (seriously). Someone there may be willing to donate "one hour a week" as a volunteer to your troop! How is the scout managing in school? I know in this school district, the school is required to provide an interpreter if the parents choose to mainstream the boy in public school.

Civilian wear only for both.

This is not an official position, as far as I know, but I have seen it in larger troops. It is usually a committee member or ASM who is in charge of the "Life to Eagle" process, and making sure that Life Scouts are mentored through the process.

Patrols are allowed to camp without adults. I'll bet that policy changes.

gwd, you are describing my troop, exactly. I will be interested in the replies. I think the problem is an overabundance of units in our geographic area, most of which are the same size we are. There are one or two "mega-troops" with 6 patrols and 23 ASM's producing 8-10 Eagles per year. But i have to wonder...how many separate units can the market bear?

Our council does CSP's, coffee mugs, plaques, etc as well. For the second year in a row, I never got mine, due to poor recordkeeping at council and a DE who is overwhelmed. Year before last, I never got credited with an FOS pledge payment, even though I had cancelled checks...again, poor recordkeeping. My wife was furious. This year, I didn't donate. Go figure. Oh, for IRS purposes, I still had a sizeable charitable donation to the BSA...it just didn't go to FOS. It went to my unit where I know how it got spent.

Sounds like that the POR is not the only thing that will hold him back. To advance to Star, Life and Eagle requires independent work on merit badges and service projects. Merely showing up for meetings and campouts is not going to do it, unless you are running a MB mill during meetings. I would have a BOR with the scout and have a frank discussion along the lines of "from here on out, it's up to you, Bud." Then wait for him to either get off the dime or age out. Dealing with disruptive behavior is a different issue, and should be dealt with accordingly.

Me, too. I assume it's a function of too many people trying to log on to the Scouter.com site at once. I find it's much better in the early morning (EST), before the rest of the country wakes up.

I noticed on my last post, it doubled. This is a test to see if I've caught the virus.

District committee positions are elected annually. The same people can be re-elected, or they can be replaced with new nominees, at the discretion of the nominating committee, but the understanding is that it's for a one-year term.

You can't kid us...you're just trying to make it to "Senior" status! :-)

Just watched the arrival ceremony and procession of the Ford motorcade to the Capitol. Stopping at the WWII memorial, there was an impressive delegation of Boy Scouts, including Eagle Scouts out front to honor the President. I assume they were from National Capitol Area Council. Good job, guys! You looked sharp and did us proud!

I would have the flag authenticated. If it is indeed an antique piece of history, it could be worth a lot of money, and the owner should be consulted. I would NOT burn it without researching it further.

The FDL is the official symbol of Quebec, which would account for it ending up in New Orleans...probably imported by the French Acadians (Cajuns). If you google "Quebec Flag": "The flag of Quebec was officially adopted on March 9, 1950. It's a modern version of the old French-Canadian flag known as the Fleurdelyse. The white cross on a blue field recalls an ancient French military banner, and the four (4) fleur-de-lys (flowers) are symbolic of France." See also: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/fdl.htm which shows a stained glass FDL window dating from the 15th century. So bottom line is the BSA would have a tough time trying to lay claim to the rights to the generic FDL. When the eagle, shield, stars and "Be Prepared" scroll are added, however, it becomes a unique trademark.

From Wikipedia: Fleur-de-lis is literally translated from French as "flower of the lily", and is widely thought to be a stylised version of the species Iris pseudacorus. Decorative ornaments that resemble the fleur-de-lis have appeared in the artwork from the earliest civilizations. "The use for ornamental or symbolic purposes of the stylised flower usually called fleur de lis is common to all eras and all civilizations. It is an essentially graphic theme found on Mesopotamian cylinders, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Mycenean potteries, Sassanid textiles, Gaulish coins, Mameluk coins, Indonesian clothes, Japanese emblems and Dogon totems. The many writers who have discussed the topic agree that it has little to do graphically with the lily, but disagree on whether it derives from the iris, the broom, the lotus or the furze, or whether it represents a trident, an arrowhead, a double axe, or even a dove or a pigeon. It is in our opinion a problem of little importance. The essential point is that it is a very stylised figure, probably a flower, that has been used as an ornament or an emblem by almost all civilizations of the old and new worlds."[3] It has consistently been used as a royal emblem, though different cultures have interpreted its meaning in varying ways. Gaulish coins show the first designs which look closely similar to modern fleurs-de-lis.[4]

Welcome to the forum, Pack! We refer to this as our virtual campfire, so pull up a log and pour yourself a cuppa joe (or bug juice). We have many and varied opinions here, so jump right in whenever you find an opening! I got back into Scouting much the same way you did. Got my Eagle in 1970, got married in 1975 and in 1978 hatched my first son. As soon as he was old enough we went to "school night for scouting" and signed up. The guy from District there actually said..."we need den leaders and it's only one hour a week"...I had to laugh out loud! Just be careful you don't bite off too much at first and burn out...enjoy the journey with your new Tiger! Laissez les bon temps roullez!

I just asked an eBay vendor if he was licensed to be selling clothing items with registered trademark BSA logos on them. He is being very evasive and demanded my name and address before he will respond. I think that tells me all I need to know. They are not even very good reproductions. His eBay name is 2rats34. Since he won't answer my questions honestly, I'll probably report him to eBay. This is the kind of thing that BSA lawyers should be going after.

We had a discussion here once a few years ago in which a poster said that "Do your Best" is the Cub Scout motto. In Boy Scouting, you either meet the requirement, or not. For most things there is little room for interpretation. For instance, I have a scout who was stalled for 2 years at 2nd class because he could/would not pass the Swimmer test. (he does not have a disability, so an alternate requirement was not considered). He would jump in, take 2-3 strokes and come up sputtering because he didn't like his face being wet. Being a BSA Lifeguard counsellor, and former WSI, I offered to spend extra time in the pool with him, and even suggested private lessons over the winter at the City Rec Center. He just wasn't interested. "Water is not my thing", he said. So, did he do his "best" or did he just do all that he was willing to do? Finally, this past summer, he passed the test and that evening we scheduled a BOR at camp and he was immediately advanced. He was very proud of his accomplishment, and will probably remember that the rest of his life. What would he remember if we had simply said, "Ok, that's good enough, you passed." Water is still not his thing, and he may not ever be an Olympic swimmer. But he reached for a goal and eventually achieved it, overcoming his personal barriers. That's what it's about...not seeing how fast you can accumulate cloth badges.

Studying B-P's original writings is interesting...I like to do it, too. But that's not the program we are charged with delivering.