SSScout

""What I do remember was that it took many calls to get to someone that was involved with the decision. I never found out who made the final decision.My guess was the Chief Scout Executive cerainly had to approve it."" So, the address for Mr. Mazucca is...? My Canadian connection tells me that the ScoutsCanada uniform supplier is, indeed, a Canadian company,Joe Fresh, but not necessarily fully manufactured on the North American continent. http://www.scouts.ca/uniform/uniform.html Most seem to like the new unis but with the one complaint: how to apply all the usual badges and where to put them? Not my problem.

Wear the necker. Encourage it. Talk about it's history, it's uses, it's symbology. It is the ONLY item common to all Scouts in every part of the world. Scouts that cannot afford a shirt will wear the necker. Their ranks will be attached to it. It originally was the same size for all Scouts, and Cubs. You grew into it. The shirt collar was bigger, too, on older shirts. You wore it over the collar, or neatened up the collar and wore the necker pulled snug around it, old Canadian Scouts still do this.Or the shirt came without a collar, to better wear the necker. It was (and can be) a very handy thing to have. Much like my dad's insistance that a "gentleman always has a clean handkerchief", a Scout always had his neckerchief. Necker use (from an old book I have): Signal flag, lashing for extending poles, nose covering for dust or smoke, wet it down and cool your neck, head cap, ID groups (arm flash), bandage, tourniquet, sail for boating (!), extend reach for rescue, sweat band, head bandage, eye patch, tie two together for swim suit (!), arm sling, sprained ankle brace, blindfold for games, disguise/costume for skits, flag for "capture the flag", mark boundary, ID Patrol area, Troop area, wind sock, kite material, mitten, hot pad for cooking, dust seal around neck, warm neck, award presentation (!), trading item, repair for torn pack frame(!), "etc."

Wear the necker. Encourage it. Talk about it's history, it's uses, it's symbology. It is the ONLY item common to all Scouts in every part of the world. Scouts that cannot afford a shirt will wear the necker. Their ranks will be attached to it. It originally was the same size for all Scouts, and Cubs. You grew into it. The shirt collar was bigger, too, on older shirts. You wore it over the collar, or neatened up the collar and wore the necker pulled snug around it, old Canadian Scouts still do this.Or the shirt came without a collar, to better wear the necker. It was (and can be) a very handy thing to have. Much like my dad's insistance that a "gentleman always has a clean handkerchief", a Scout always had his neckerchief. Necker use (from an old book I have): Signal flag, lashing for extending poles, nose covering for dust or smoke, wet it down and cool your neck, head cap, ID groups (arm flash), bandage, tourniquet, sail for boating (!), extend reach for rescue, sweat band, head bandage, eye patch, tie two together for swim suit (!), arm sling, sprained ankle brace, blindfold for games, disguise/costume for skits, flag for "capture the flag", mark boundary, ID Patrol area, Troop area, wind sock, kite material, mitten, hot pad for cooking, dust seal around neck, warm neck, award presentation (!), trading item, repair for torn pack frame(!), "etc."

Not THE Pierre Esprit Radisson? I grew up on his TV series! Haw-haw-haw!

For one of my WBtickets, I wanted some souvenir patches. Called an embroidery business recommended by a Scout friend, offices here in MD, about 15 miles from home. Phone call, Email conversation ensued. Design pdf file to them, price quoted, agreed to. Fedex package dropped on my front porch three days later, Fedex "Singapore". Three days from email agreement.

""what I'm trying it find is what is right according to the US government."" Oh, don't get us started on THAT...

To "dip" the flag, tipping the pole, indicates some respect to another flag or entity. The term "drape" to me means placing the flag OVER something (like a casket?). When our smallish Cubs do flags, we ask them to "drape" the flag over their arm so as to not drag it on the floor. "Urban legend" indeed. But I would counsel holding the US flag as vertical as possible always, unless you have to go thru a short doorway, or the wind requires some physical handling. During the ceremonial speaking (PoA, SBB, etc.), the US flag would be kept vertical and other (state, county, etc. ) flags dipped slightly, in respect. As I look at your picture, I might suggest that if you do "dip" the flag slightly for visual effect, make sure all the other flags are dipped distinctly MORE. By tradition and expectation, the US flag should always be the highest (disregarding the situation at the UN, for instance) of all flags present. Google "flag etiquette" and take your pick... During a 9-11 commemorative, I had a LARGE State Trooper/ex-Marine both thank me for our Scouts' flag ceremony and chastise us because "that wasn't the way we did it". His complaint was that while we had the US flag LEAD the procession into the hall and onto the stage, the procession leaving had the US flag be the LAST off the stage, and THEN lead the procession out of the hall. He favored the US flag FIRST at all times. I had another man say that the US flag should've been the LAST out of the hall. Can't please every one.(This message has been edited by SSScout)

...spun thread. MEDIA ATTENTION>>>> Do you seek out the local media/blog/newspaper/tv/radio to espouse the Scout activities of your Scouts? Or why not? Day Camp? Philmont trips? Service projects? Both future, to come, ongoing, completed? Fund raising? Eagle CoHs? Bike hikes? Cub fish derbies? Parade floats? Signs out front of your CO? Uniform to school? JSNs? JSDs? County Fair display? What?

That's just the point. Who knows about your Scout thing, and how did they find out? I guess we need a.....

Five Eagle Scouts, five neat projects: http://www.heraldstaronline.com/page/content.detail/id/571903/One-troop--five-Eagle-Scouts.html

It is a Woody Allen movie, I think, "Sleeper" is the one, yes? Safe at all costs. No risks. Health without pleasure. Life without adventure.

I like Pappa's approach. In my previous life (preretirement) one of my duties was investigating and reporting on traffic accidents. Even got to report on an antique trolley car accident. In our view, we observed there were two kinds of accidents : Good and Bad. In a good accident, there were no injuries, very little damage, our driver was not at fault and the other driver learned a lesson (we hope). In a bad accident, there were injuries, significant damage, and our driver was clearly at fault (or "contributed significantly to the cause"). When it became apparent that the trainers were stressing Schedule Adherence above all else, the PTB soon decided that the drivers had to have a new paradym to adhere to. When cautious, courteous driving became the standard, accidents and complaints went down. Are roller coasters safe? Exciting? Over engineered? (we hope). We have four (!) high rope courses within 50 miles of our house. These are the walk and swing playgrounds wire cabled 20 or more feet in the air thru the trees. Safety (there's that word again) harnesses, climbing clips, oversight and watchful eyes are the rule everywhere. They welcome "kids" ages 8 thru 80. At our county fair, the Scout activity is a rope bridge, 5 feet up at the ends, draping to 2 or 3 feet in the middle. We strive to have boy "lifeguards" accompany each crosser and yes there have been "slips" but no injuries (that I know of). The youngest has been 3 to cross the bridge, the oldest , at least 82. Oh, did I say "is"? I meant "was". The fair canceled the rope bridge for (to me) unknown reasons.

In one of my favorite Monty Python sketches, we see two airline pilots in the cockpit, bored to tears, and playing "I spy with my little eye...". One of them then gets an inspiration. He gets on the intercom and announces to the passengers: "There is absolutely no cause for alarm". That's all. This is , of course, perfectly true at the time, but what a context! To say an activity is "safe", can be true , but how about that context? People once thought installing asbestos in boilers was safe. Then. Not now, with more complete knowledge. I like Le V's thought. It is something that ALL activity directors need to consider, you can minimize risk of injury, but make things absolutely safe? Hard to do that.

Oh, come on... We all know that presidents do this kinda thing. It ain't news except that some techie (who is now out of a job) left the mike gain up. Didn't we have a prez once that had a "secret " way to end 'his' unpopular war?

It is a sad reflection on todays parent that they often miss out on the only time they will have to affect the growth of their child. Ten years from now, they will wonder why they have no affect on their child's behavior. What is it the Bible tells us? Bring up the child in the right way and when he is older, he will know how to go? What you are experiencing is what I call the "soccer syndrome": drop the kid off and come back in 2 hours. It is far too often that the parent doesn't think they CAN know how to "parent" . Tiger Cub gives that opportunity. You must insist and enforce the need for the parent to attend and stay with their child for the meeting. Hand the parent a pair of scissors the second they enter the door, ((don't let them drop the boy off at the curb)), and tell them to cut this out for you... Give them a definite assignment, WITH THE BOY, immediately. Tell the boys that their parent(s) are invited to be part of the Den. Make sure that the boys know, and help them to place the guilt trip on the parent. They have to make the choice: Which is more important, Their BOY or - ?- ?? The boy will only be 7 (or 8, or 9....) ONCE. Thank you for your service. Noli illegitimi non carborundum.

Bagerra the Panther

Is it too late to have a camp bugler? Taps at day's end is always welcome. Reveille , mmmm ok. Weather Rock... Staff should be ready with parkas, raincoats, anchor ropes, sunglasses as required for the day, as the WR predicts. DONOT do the announcement song. Do NOT. I like the Sports score thing. Cricket score from Kenya, Nauru, etc.

It is always "possible". Whether it is "probable" or "realistic" is another issue. That, neither the SPL nor the Sm can predict.But hey, no harm in the encouragement. Now , about the term "guy".... I always have a problem with that and counsel my Scouts and IOLS folks about the preferred labeling of our young charges as "Scouts" , "boys", by name. I hear EVERYONE called by the epithet "guy". I like to think our Scouts are something more than that.

I like all the comments given. Set the example... remind gently... Don't let the boys forget that "a Scout is Friendly" oops, I mean, "the Cub helps the Pack Go..., the Cub gives good will". Don't forget to notice Good Behavior... Mom:: ""Care to guess what the parents are?"" ? Blonde? Alone? Absent ? Tall ? Acne covered ? Wheel chair bound ? Oh, I give up.... What are they?

I make the following predictions: 1) The boy is an only child, no siblings. 2) the family is well off financially. 3) If this is not corrected now, the boy will not move on to BoyS, or if he does manage the enistment, the other boys will do the corrective action or he won't be in for long. I like the responses from Joebob and Base and Blake. As a sub teacher, I have similar problems with a few kids, each time. Since I do not have the luxury of communicating with the parents to inform them of their cherub's socially unacceptable behavior, I usually make it personal. I sometimes have to go right up to the miscreant (surprise!) and 12" away from their face TELL them of my expectations. Surprise! I mean what I say. "One more word out of anyone, and they are out in the hall and we WILL talk" "I'm sorry..." "THAT"S THE WORD! OUT!" presto, no more problems with the rest of the class. So, in "class", (Den meeting, campout, etc.) You are "in loco parentis". Take the boy aside and out of the group, tell him how things will be, that his parents will be spoken to next. Don't like hotdogs? Well, you won't starve. Then you speak to the parents about how disruptive it is to have someone "cater" to such a behavior. Food allergy? Understood. Picky eater? ummmm. Will you accompany your boy to college? Into the service? On to his job? I went to a Maine summer camp with my cousin. My folks thought I was a picky eater at nine years old, but I was truly afraid Rich was going to starve. After a week, he began to try other stuff, and after the third week, he was eating peas and burgers with the rest of us. He never did come to like oatmeal, even with maple syrup, and at the camp in Maine, it was REAL maple syrup. Someone has to have a sit down with the folks and remind them they are PARENTS not BUTLERS (I think that was my dad's comment, but I may have heard it elsewhere).

HWGA... One of the finalists in the NSJ sweeps was the Goshen Scout Reservation of the NCACouncil. The idea was to use alarge piece of it for the NSJ and the rest (and all of it off times?) could be used for local council camping and training stuff. But the local county folks lobbied hard against it (for many reasons), so our Bechtel heroes came to the rescue, and here we are. Ideas: *Summit/Philmont alternate sessions. * Some Rocky Mountain Council offer a large chunk of Scout reservation for a large every eight years event. Charge a reasonable rent, but keep title to it. * Have regional Jamborees, like ScoutsCanada does. Make them every three years, make the national every five, somewhere, perhaps at a Council camp. Make them low impact, camping afairs, bring your own tent. Local Councils gain prestige, good PR, maybe a little income for their camps thereby, bidding for the privilege. Why else does a city go thru the agony of the Olympics? So: a gradation of camping: Individual, Patrol, Troop, District Camporee, Council whateveroree, Regional Jamboree, National Jamboree, WORLD Jamboree........ Can't go to the Biggee? Maybe the next biggee is more appropriate. You can use my idea for free, no charge....

Charlston is a nice little (relatively!) airport. They chopped a nearby mountaintop off and paved the result... You don't so much fly into as onto it. I would imagine that will be the airport of choice. Bus shuttle service and all.

Yep, been there taught that... When I teach Knife and Axe and Saw at IOLS, I always mention the G2SS wording, and mention the "local" bans, the lack of a National ban, and then we teach and discuss safe handling of ALL sharp tools. "Pride of skill" and "respect the edge" is the way I approach the subject. Including but not limited to: Cub folding pocket knife, Boy Scout folding pocket knife, Wenger Swiss army knife, lock back knife, cheap souvenir knife, Leatherman multi tools, Xacto knife, mom's (and dad's) big carving knife, serrated edges, Kbar, hand axe, hatchet, carpenters hatchet, 3/4 axe, double bit axe, broken handles, unbreakable handles, repairing and sharpening, wood splitting wedges and sledge, carpenter saw (rip and cross cut), pruning saw, two man cross cut bucking saw, folding puning saw, bow saw, Svensaw, and how to clean, oil, sharpen and sheath (!) all of them. I remind my nacsent SMs that the Scout may come upon any of these, that the care and skill involved is easily transferable to other sharp (DANGEROUS) tool use, and that, yes, SOME of these are NOT appropriate for Cubs or smaller Scouts to handle. It's up to the local leader to set the standard that the Scout will meet. Someday I should write all this down...

Yep, the SfF is a worthwhile endeavor. And leads to some headshaking, as has been noted. Make sure you include an explanatory note, a half page is sufficient, about WHY this empty grocery bag is hanging on your doorknob, and include a phone number to call for information. And Scouter, the government engineer would say... "the design and execution of the liquid retention device is overly commodious and should be therefore redecided to allow more economical utilage of available construction materials".

Oh, lots of ideas... "RESCUE!" Get your "victim" out of various situations. Across the raging river, pioneer build a bridge, slack rope walk, signalling to some one for rescue, first aid, call your state police to have a helo land, fire and rescue come and do demo, "GAMES" Have a live chess game (merit badge?), build real Temple Ring game with 3 8' posts sunk in ground and tires of graduated sizes (tractor thru VW?), various capture the flag games ("Jugs"), rig up a joust game with a rope riding horse thing, cudgel sticks (lots of padding on the ground) on a balance beam, archery range, hatchet throw, ((How did you get Airsoft approved for a Scout camp??), scavenger hunt (at night?), look up frazzlyram on line, burn a string contest, Find a reeeealy big American flag (like 12 by 20 or bigger) and have Patrol fold it correctly for time...