SeattlePioneer

> Ah yes. A year or so ago Bill Gates was awarded the national Silver Buffalo award. I think he was a First Class Scout. However, my council had a well attended $100,000 a plate dinner for Bill at which the Silver Buffalo was awarded to him. I missed that one.

Interesting thread. So far I've read the first page. I'll note that the youth application asks parents to describe their "Previous scouting experience." The adult leader application asks "Are you and Eagle Scout" Check Yes or No. I'm interested in previous Scouting experience and I transcribe that from the application to my contact information record. That gives me an idea of whether people have some idea about the program or perhaps know nothing. If someone volunteers that they are an Eagle Scout, I'm glad to hear that. They are probably interested in being unit leaders, and I would be looking for something for them to do rather early. Ditto Arrow of Light, although usually people who volunteer that they are Eagles also volunteer that they were AOL. If they do volunteer that, I buy them the Eagle and/or AOL knot and award them that at the first available pack meeting. It's recognition for the adult and my theory is that it should encourage them to buy a uniform to put the knots on. That theory doesn't tend to produce the desire result however. I'm interested in whatever level of Scout experience a person brings to the table. If anyone gives me the "I was only First Class" or "I was only a Life Scout" line, I'll either tell them that 1) my theory is that 1st class is the most important Boy Scout Rank or 2) I was a Cub Scout dropout after only a few weeks, whatever seems most appropriate. Now on to page 2 and 3 of this thread! (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

> Sorry. What does that comment mean?

I'll bet that the city of Philadelphia has paid off on numerous other such legal claims when sued by minority and homosexual advocates. And done it with a smile. It's quite clear from the comments and actions described in the article that they continue to act in bad faith.

Hello Eamonn, Well, goal setting is one of the leadership methods taught in Boy Scouts, and for good reason in my view. Still, that can be done well or poorly. Our council has a council FOS goal and a district goal, and each Scout unit is assigned a goal. As recognition for achieving unit goals, the council awards Scout troops free badges of rank for the remainder of the year and Cub Packs a free Pinewood Derby Car for each boy. I use the goal and the reward as a tool in my presentation, and find it useful. The council suggests that it costs $160 to support each Scout and I use that in my presentation as well, which usually produces several $160 donations. The council also offer some premiums for those making various levels of contributions. This year a specially designed uniform council patch is offered for that $160 contribution as well. I find the unit goal is usually reasonable, and even my unit in a low income area has met the goal for two years. At the district level we solicit units to provide for a FOS solicitation. The two I did this year were both at Blue and Gold dinners. If a unit doesn't achieve their goal, the attitude is "better luck next year," just like if some Cub Scout didn't win in their Pinewood Derby. So I think such things can be done well or poorly. I think my council does them well.

I cut branches off of suitable trees to use for a flagstaff and crosspiece to hold the flag. I find that Cub Scouts are usually strong enough to be able to operate a staple gun to staple their flag to the crosspiece. The one thing they usually can't do is lashings to hold the crosspiece to the pole. I usually do that and explain that lashings are a skill they will learn in Boy Scouts. We also make flag stands as needed using 2x4s, with the Cubs cutting the lumber to length and drilling a hole for the pole. I use an axe to trim the pole to a diameter that fit in the hole.

I'd like to do a fishing derby or fishing trip of some kind for my small pack. Anyone have advice on how to do that? Frankly, I don't have fishing skills myself, but I'm sure there are parents in the pack who are.

We have a den flag making exercise at our June pack campout each year. The dens cycle through various activities and events during the days, and making a den flag for the next year is one of the activities. We supply a piece of cloth in the den colors (Orange=Tiger Cub, Yellow = Wolves, Blue= Bears and paint and various materials that can be painted on, cut out and glued on and such. When I was a den leader, the den flag was a center of opening and closing ceremonies and a real symbol of the den. I don't see most Den Leaders using it very effectively, but they do get used after a fashion.

I was supposed to have someone come in to make the FOS pitch at my Cub Pack --- they didn't show so I did it myself. Raised $620 with the council goal $500. Today I was called by the Cubmaster for the Pack for which I'm Commissioner. The FOS presenter wasn't going to make it so I was the designated pinch hitter. Raised $1190 with a council goal of $900. Ever noticed that when you do well making a FOS pitch you suppose that it was because of your brilliant presentation? If it's a dud there's always some other reason.

Hmmm... If I ever get my Cub Scout Pack up and running well, I just might encourage them to charter an AHG unit to compliment the Cub Scout program. The Chartered Organization is a Catholic parish, so that ought to work well.

I was reviewing fire safety with a Tiger Cub Dem three years ago. We reviewed the idea of getting low to the ground to avoid smoke in a building, looking for an unobstructed exit and escaping. I posted parents at all the exits except one waving red flags indicating that the exit was blocked by fire. Of course, when we actually practiced that, they all got up and ran out the building. The second time one Cub Scout ran over to a window and back handed it, breaking the window and getting a pretty good laceration in the process. (He was creating an exit in a window he couldn't squeeze through, and which opened from the inside.) Well, that produced a break for first aid practice. I had a first aid kit in my car, but the Cubmaster aced me out for doing the bandaging. Someone called the fire department, so they showed up with a truck, ripped off the bandage applied by the Cubmaster in favor of another one. In the course of that adventure, we did the fire escape drill a couple more times, and the Scouts were doing quite well with it at that time. Can't say that I've had more of an adventure at a Boy Scout meeting!

We do two den meetings one month and a den meeting and a pack meeting the next month.

I'm working to revive a pack that was down to a single boy 3 1/2 years ago. Because adult leadership was thin, I've invited ideas and suggestions for program during the next school year in June. Then I put together a proposed plan of meetings and activities and taken that back to discuss at the next Pack Committee Meeting. Usually that has produced some changes, but it's mostly been accepted as proposed. That takes a minimal amount of Committee time to plan. Of Course the BSA recommendation is for a detailed planning effort that may take 2-3 hours. That seems like a committee killing plan of action, since I see little interest in spending that kind of time. Still, I probably have a method that is too efficient. I'd like to see more new ideas added to the program and displacing activities that have been done before.

Personally, I consider Wood Badge to be over promoted. Someone is always taking time at meeting to sell Wood Badge, even when most in the meeting have already taken the course, or so it seems. Adding hats, pocket patches and stuff seems to be gilding that lily even further. However, I would like to have something to promote the Tiger Cub Den Leader training I conduct and/or the Tiger Cub Day Camp program I do in conjunction with Cub Scout Day Camp. This thread suggests to me that selling a patch of some kind might help with that. There are all kinds of advertizing promotion items --- perhaps I should be scoping out that market for something suitable. I suppose I'd like to promote something like an informal fraternity of Tiger Cub leaders who would value helping to promote a quality Tiger Cub program in their packs and the district. Some kind of recognition item of the kind wood badge uses might be useful to promote that end, any ideas would be welcome.

> I don't know of any reason why a unit couldn't sell something like candy bars in addition to popcorn. Many units would like to have a low price sales item for those who don't want to lay out $15-20 for popcorn. Perhaps a candy bar of this kind would fill that bill?

> Ummm. Interesting issue. Personally, I wouldn't consider a US citizenship requirement to be "anti immigrant." There are reasonable reasons why a Scouting like program might find a citizenship test desirable, and in case you haven't noticed their have been plenty of immigrants who are citizens through naturalization. Personally, I'm glad BSA does not have a citizenship test for leadership. I don't see the need myself, but if other programs do, they are entitled to such requirements if they wish.

What to do is heavily dependent on the problems, issues and situation of the existing unit.

Where is Kudu?

Abbreviations that I can't fathom are a pet peeve of mine. Usually I'll key in the whole term once before using abbreviations. You can also copy screen names of people, and then paste them in using a control + v or right click your mouse and then select paste from the drop down menu. Hence: MoosetheItalianBlacksmith MoosetheItalianBlacksmith MoosetheItalianBlacksmith I also often just use the first part of a screen name, although that was ambiguous with moose... We seem to have a herd of moose here at the moment. Another pet peeve are screen names that often seem willfully obscure and impenetrable. I don't see the point.

Our August Cub Scout Roundtable was a program on how to have an effective popcorn sale. The methods described helped treble the sales of my Pack last year. This year I'm promoting the idea of the council having a council wide training session on the nuts and bolts of an effective popcorn sale --- much like we did last August but with a council wide audience. For several years the council has done a series of "Popcorn Kickoffs" in different geographic parts of the council. Attendance earns a higher percentage of the sales returned to units. That's fine, but it's a Rah! Rah! program rather than outlining effective sales and business methods. I'd like to substitute real training for one of the kickoff programs and see who is interested in attending and the extent to which those units popcorn sales increase. I have a well placed spy promoting that in the council popcorn sale leadership now....

Hello Moose, That's a very commendable list of activities. If you want to be a SM I would suppose that you can find a troop that needs that leadership. We have several in our district! And ---oh yes! I finally figured it out: "MIB" = MoosetheItalianBlacksmith Hate those abbreviationjs I can't figure out....

Hello Moose, From time to time as District Membership Chair I get inquiries from young adult graduates of the Scout program interested in getting back into the program. Unfortunately, often units are resistant to taking non parents in as adult leaders. If I don't find units interested in such young people, I usually invite them to participate in district activities, such as Order of the Arrow, organizing Camporee, Klondike or other activities. This allows Scout Troops to become familiar with those new leaders, and allows the young leaders to become acquainted with various Scout Troops. A positive partnership is easier to arrange on that basis. Plus, being acquainted with district leaders and programs is a big advantage for unit leaders which relatively few of those leaders have. Would you consider something like that?

When I was Cubmaster, any adult taking a registered leadership position also got a neckerchief and slide awarded at a pack meeting along with their badge of office. I did a similar ceremony in awarding the neckerchief and slide as I did with awarding boys their neckerchief and slide, except that I had the Cub Scout assist their parent in putting on the neckerchief. That was actually a pretty popular ceremony among both adults and Cub Scouts.

As I understand it, the three basic food groups are greasy, salty and sweet.

Obama was arguably the most left wing Senator in the US Senate, and I fully expected him to govern from the left as President. But I agree with Beavah. He's often been governing from the center, and sometimes I will argue that he is fulfilling Bush's 3rd term as President. Of course I don't like it when he governs from the left, such as Obamacare. But that comes from losing elections. Also, he has been a personally very decent person and patient with his Republican opposition. I was proud to be a Clinton hater, and expected to be an Obama hater. But that hasn't happened.