sherminator505

I suspect that an 18 year old ASM is an abstract concept for most of the posters on this topic. Having been an 18 year old male ASM, I can tell you that it is an awkward place to be for a number of reasons. You are constantly confronted with situations that require you to step back when all of your instincts as a participating Scout or Venturer tell you to jump in. The parents in the troop have a very hard time distinguishing you from one of the older members, and the older members have a hard time seeing you as an adult leader. The fact that she is female probably adds more awkward layers to

Yikes! And to think this all started over shoulder loops. Spin off a thread, already!

Video games and movies? On a campout? I may sound very old-fashioned (considering I haven't hit 40 yet), but isn't part of the idea of camping to get the boys away from technology and mindless entertainment? This seems like it was a bad idea from the get-go, and I'm not at all surprised by the dissapointing aftermath.(This message has been edited by sherminator505)

Welcome! I believe that for sleeping arrangements, the dividing line is 18. That means that no one under 18 sleeps in the same tent with anyone over 18 unless they are directly related.

BTW... there seems to be an echo in here. Does anyone know how to delete the extra post when this occurs?(This message has been edited by sherminator505)

We know there's no such thing as the uniform policy. You probably couldn't see it while I was typing, but my tongue was planted firmly in cheek.

I say work with the kid! It seems from what I'm reading that although his time for Scouting has become very limited, he is making a genuine effort, which is A LOT more than can be said about some other Eagle candidates I've read about on these forums.

Wow! I'm surprised by such strong opinions on the uniforming of district/council folks. I maintain a uniform as a district committee member for one simple reason - I train. And when you train, you are expected to be properly uniformed. Ultimately the question is not too dissimilar to the question about the shoulder loops. It depends on what Scouting job are you doing, and what the uniforming expectations for that job are.

I agree with Brent. I feel that the letters of congratulations I received were a nice touch, and I appreciated them. The one that I remember most (and still get the biggest chuckle from) was the one I received from Governor Rose Mofford. Not bad for a kid who didn't even live in Arizona!

Ed, in a perfect world, your solution would be sufficient. The problem is that it is highly unlikely that the insurance companies would do this on their own. Thus the need for a public option to encourage more desirable behaviors like the one you mentioned.(This message has been edited by sherminator505)

Purge all of them? I understand the need for annual renewals for these folks, but did anyone in that council make an attempt to contact any of these folks before they pushed the delete button? It seems like a rather cavalier way of doing business.

Wow! I really have been out of the loop. Back to training for me...

Did you really say that you would prefer that the decision-maker be someone who is paid to say "no" as often as possible, as opposed to a government person who doesn't have a dog in the fight?

I have two knots. I wear the Eagle knot centered and STA to the left. So far the uniform police haven't taken notice...

Have they really lowered it to five? My understanding was that the requirement was eight for a NEW unit, five to recharter.

Ideally, you would have a BOR consisting entirely of troop committee members. I'm guessing the rule is there to cover situations where a quorum of troop committee is not achieved but a Scout needs a BOR. Better to do it this way than to make the boy wait another month.(This message has been edited by sherminator505)

I'm with prairie on this. I prefer the short socks as I tend to stretch out the long ones in short order.

I bought one last week, and I should warn you that in addition to having to go around twice, the backing is very difficult to push needles through. So I have decided to put this on only one of my shirts (the one that weighs 15 pounds).

Are mice crunchy and good with ketchup?

I've never understood the amount of blame that the unions continue to take for our auto industy's problems. It wasn't the unions that created way too many brands for GM to try to sell. It wasn't the unions who promoted the sale of large SUV's only to see them become albatrosses in an era of $4/gallon gas. And it certainly hasn't been the unions that have consistently kept our auto industry 15-20 years behind the curve with regard to fuel-saving technologies. All of these factors have had at least as much to do with GM's and Chrysler's problems as union contracts. All I would ask for here is a

I scratch my head every time I see a story like this. I mean, if you are smart enough to figure out all sorts of clever ways to cheat, then shouldn't you be smart enough that you don't have to?

"Why?" OK. Perhaps I didn't set up my question properly. I'm not looking at trainer recognitions as an opportunity for another "atta-boy." Certainly the BSA would seem to have enough of those, and far too often (as has been pointed out) these turn into popularity contests and really cliquish things. Full disclosure: I wear two knots. Both were earned. What I am looking for is something that would encourage more Scouters to become trainers so that you don't have the same 4-5 people doing it every time and getting seriously burned out. Something based on performance and not the subject

Full disclosure: I own one of each. I wonder if that makes ME an artifact...

A Scout stave is basically a walking stick, but with many uses. At one time, the Scout Handbook illustrated such uses as signaling with flags, estimating lengths and distances, and even constructing small camp gadgets. Nowadays, the Scout stave is more of an artifact, kind of like the campaign hat, but it is still sold in Scout shops with medallions for ranks, Wood Badge, etc.

It seems to me that the new would-be-powers-that-be need a gentle reminder that there are a lot more new faces that they will need to deal with justly. I would recommend that the leadership for the old district round up as many of their committee members as possible for the next district committee meeting, and as many scouters as possible for the next district roundtable. When you're there, be polite and Scout-like, but make sure that your concerns are addressed and your questions are answered.