shortridge

Oh, yeah, texture makes a huge difference in food. Hard taco vs. soft, for example. Nike - Pancakes can also be eaten by hand, sans syrup, of course. Try rolling them up with peanut butter and jelly. Mmmmm....

evmori, Did you by any chance graduate from the Donald Rumsfeld Academy of Q&As?

I believe that here's the policy you're referring to regarding fundraising, from the Unit Money-Earning Application. Regarding your broader question, Eagle92 is right. The difference would appear to be in raising money for the Scouting program as operated by the CO vs. the CO's programs. 7. Will the fund-raising project avoid soliciting money or gifts? The BSA Rules and Regulations state, Youth members shall not be permitted to serve as solicitors of money for their chartered organizations, for the local council, or in support of other organizations. Adult and youth membe

Adall.com has 15 copies for sale (assuming you spell it correctly, with one L, which I never seem to do).

evmori, I read "in the presence of the boys" in the original post to mean "in the presence of the boys." The dining fly generally isn't a location away from program participants, but usually a gathering place.

2eagles, Sorry, I'm confused. In your first post, you referred to "an individual who has supported Eagle projects for years." But in a follow-up, you stated: "This organization does not and never has had the funds to help with Eagle Project costs. Nor have mini grants etc.. ever been a possibility." Which are we talking about? An organization or an individual? Someone who's funded projects or a group that hasn't funded projects? Or am I misunderstanding something big?

If you or your unit librarian would like to build up a library of some of these books today, check out Dover Books (doverpublications.com). They don't have everything on the list, but it'd be a good start. The thrift editions are no-frills reprints of classic fiction and poetry - real bargains when you consider what paperbacks go for today. Last of the Mohicans is $4, Call of the Wild goes for $2, and we're talking just $1.50 for 16 short stories by O. Henry. (I'm not a Dover shill, just a very satisfied customer.) In addition, Dover offers reprints of the 1908 Scouting For Boys and the 1

Something about this sounds a little fishy. If it's for reimbursement, where did the money come from initially? Other volunteers or donors? The Scout's family? Did the Scout himself have a grand in the bank to draw on? The first rule of being thrifty is that you don't spend money that you don't have. If it turns out that the Scoutmaster, Eagle project adviser, district official, etc., told the Scout that this individual writes checks to reimburse projects as a matter of course - kind of like guaranteed mini-grants - and that it always happened, I could perhaps understand the ass

If the situation becomes untenable... look into a Venturing Crew (not venture patrol). If you have ties to fellow camp staff members, that's an easy road to take. You can be with like-minded people and go on adventures as time permits. It won't be the same as in a traditional troop, but if your time is getting scrunched, it may be the best option.

From G2SS: "Adult leaders should support the attitude that young adults are better off without tobacco and may not allow the use of tobacco products at any BSA activity involving youth participants. "All Scouting functions, meetings, and activities should be conducted on a smoke-free basis, with smoking areas located away from all participants." Based on this, I'd talk one-on-one with the SM, gently reminding him/her of the rules. I'd ask specifically what steps would be taken to prevent this type of action in the future, rather than make it into an assault on their poor judgment. You'r

I don't mean to detract from the thread, but fyi, that eaglescout.org site is NOT official and its content does not necessarily represent BSA policies and procedures. As with everything you read here, take it with a grain of salt.

Anyone have any insight into why "regional director salaries" would have declined so dramatically - by $450,000 from 2005 to 2007? Was there a mass layoff, retirements, restructuring at the regional level? That just seems like an awfully big jump.

That site is guidestar.org. You have to register to check out the Form 990s, but it's free. The only caveat is that it's a privately run site, so they don't always have the most recent forms and information. You can also request a Form 990 directly from the nonprofit. They're required to provide them for the last three years, if memory serves. You can get older ones from the IRS directly, though it may take a while. Payment for copying and shipping costs is involved. There is an interesting related article over at the American Institute of Philanthropy's Web site on nonprofit salarie

Congratulations to your son! Just an observation - "Since nothing is supposed to leave the board room..." - there are no secrets in Scouting. That's a very silly policy.

I gave myself a half-hour to do it, figuring the other trainings hadn't taken nearly that long, and gave up after 45 minutes. A ridiculously complicated application that DOES require a personal cheat sheet.

RememberSchiff - Your memory is accurate. * 4-H: 6 million youth "enrolled in our programs" in 2007 (tinyurl.com/dxgddd) * Boys & Girls Clubs: 4.8 million "boys and girls served," no year given (www.bgca.org/whoweare/facts.asp) * BSA: "reached more than 2.8 million youth" in 2007 (http://scouting.org/Media/AnnualReports/2007/03year.aspx); describes self as the "nations largest youth service organization." I guess depending on how you crunch the numbers and define your terms, each could possibly be right. But that's a pretty big stretch, IMHO.

Concur. If your son has a problem with it - if they were asking or requiring inappropriate things, re-testing skills, etc. - then let him bring it up after the fact. (Ideally, after he's gotten his award! )

jblake - I was responding to the original post, which stated that the adults were indeed interfering. Yeah, they could mutiny, but they'd be more likely to quit, in my experience.

"I butchered the property," said Bruce Faller, a district commissioner for a Vermont scout council, describing a 2006 logging operation he ordered for financial reasons. "It was old, big beautiful wood ... I wouldn't have done it if there (were) any other way." I can't help but think that this guy's title was butchered. Under what circumstances would a district commissioner be in charge of property?

Interesting approach by National to release the questions and answers. Smart, too, getting the whole context of the questions out there. Haven't yet had a chance to read the entirety of the newspaper reports, but I'm looking forward to doing so.

How can a scout be awarded more MB and Palms if the unit is not filing Advancement Reports signed by the troop committee? Curious minds want to know. Sounds like fraud to me. I would also wonder if he's using registered MB counselors. For palms, he can use merit badges earned at any time since becoming a Scout. So if he earned a badge at age 11, it'll count.

Your local summer camp may also offer specific programs for non-swimmers. At the camp where I used to work, that class was usually between 5-10 Scouts each week - so your son wouldn't be alone or among the "little kids," as he might at the Y. It was all in the shallow end, and a very progressive program, so the Scouts got used to it gradually.

Local fire hall.

They could also just quit, and go camping on their own.

Gotta love them spambots and trolls. It looks like the OP is still around... so if anyone's still interested, I can attest that there's no 50-mile stretch of trail anywhere in Delaware, unless you want to do the American Discovery Trail along rural roads and across highways. It's an experience, for sure, but not one I'd recommend for young Scouts. The Wilmington (Del.) Trail Club does a long-distance hike every spring, across the border in Pennsylvania. I don't have the details in front of me and my Internet connection is messing up, but Google "Wilmington Trail Club" and you can lea