SSScout

Hold your ground, BMD. We know you're in it for the boys, not the pros. Coming thru Murlin anytime ?

So no one near was a Farming Mechanics MBC. Scoutson wishes it. Phone calls gibt nichts. So I become a FMMBC. Put a notice in the District Newsletter, I get lots of calls, some from Scouters ("I have some Scouts in my Troop that want to take your class"), some from Scouts. I tell the Scouters to tell the interested Scouts to call me. About half of those are never heard from again. Of the Scouts that called, all continued. I pick two Saturdays in the future with no District or Council conflicts, and contact every Scout. We meet, and proceed. The significant thing in this , I think, is the fact that the Scouters' Scouts mostly did not continue, but the Scouts that called, did.

Physics. Inclined plane. Friction. Take the buckle and look thru the buckle, at the front and the back plates. If it looks like the distance between them (the inside ) hasn't been stretched or widened, next look at the slots the knurled rod rides in. If they look to be undamaged/worn/stretched (try that needlenose pliers thing mentioned earlier) , then try this: Measure the distance between the side walls (where the rod slots are). Take that measurement to your local family run (not Homedepot) hardware store, (better yet, take the buckle)and ask them to find you a small piece of metal, thicker than flashing, but not too thick. If necessary, you can use flashing, but not aluminum, as it is too smooth. Galvanized steel might work. You want to shim up the buckle inside to make it a thinner slot, thereby giving the belt less room to slip, and the gripper rod, more chance to grip. When you have a piece after some experimentation, GOOP glue may be the thing to hold it in place. Let it dry overnight, trim it neat. Saved belt buckle. I have noticed that the more modern buckles are more prone to this problem than the antique ones. I've done this a couple of times . You're welcome.

OOH! OOOH! Concept!! "Campfire Cuisine" (keep frozen until ready to use) Contains: * 2 - aluminum foil squares, 18" x 18" * 1 - celiphane pack flash frozen 8 oz. ground beef (USDA) * 1 - celiphane pack flash frozen 4 0z. sliced carrots * 1 - ditto pack 6 oz. sliced potatoes * 1 - ditto 4 oz. chopped onions * 1 - packet salt and pepper, plastic knife/fork/spoon * 1 - orange ade mix * 5 - ketchup packets * 2 - mustard packets * 1 - Ready-Up, Light E-Z charcoal grill (pat. pend.) * 1 - Pack Matches (Lucifer brand) Instructions:: well, you get the idea... Oh, wait... I bet the military would like the idea of packaged meals, if they were ready to eat.

A-men to all the previous. The Den ,ideally, meets and does it's thing in somebody's back yard or rec room. They go off together to visit the zoo, or neighborhood model railroad or hike the Civil War battlefield and have a frisbee toss/picnic after. The Dens get together for "the great gathering of the Pack" (I like that phrase) to "celebrate the boys' achievements" of the past month. If the Den leader(s) have problems with the idea of LEADING the Den, then, as has been said, that is as much a problem of innate talent and desire as much as training ang program ideas. If the Pack is meeting so the Dens can meet (more efficient for the parents? Mebbe not...) in the same place and 'eliminate the need for another meeting (groan?)', then that may well short circuit the design and intent of the Den/Pack idea and thereby shortchange the boys of their due. Is Cub Scouting for the benefit of the parent or the boy? My ideal plan: Ms Smith is the Den leader of Wolf Den #3. Den meeting every September Thursday afternoon after school at Ms Smith's rec room or backyard. It has been discussed among the parents,and agreed that the Den meeting goes to another parents home in November, then December, etc. (This is only fair). Ms Smith remains the Den Leader, but the venue can change. Stand in a circle, say the Cub Scout promise, the Law of the Pack, the Pledge of Allegiance, practice flag folding, make a key holder for dad. One thursday, they meet at the Volunteer Fire Dept. and learn about fire safety( Wolf requirement!) Kids like the Firemen's ready room, but they can't meet there everyday! One Saturday, they go down town to visit the zoo, and picnic there. No Den meeting that thursday. Some meetings, they even help each other with their homework. Pack meeting is first friday every month, in the social hall of the church. Dens gather, Bear Den does opening, they've been practicing at their meetings (Wednesday at Mr Kent's gararge, after school), awards are made, maybe a skit or two. Cheers and a song. Announce the Pack campout coming up, (parents have already done email and phonecalls for planning). Mr. Jones has his BALOO training, we're ready. Boys practice tent setting up. Den 4 wins the competition. Webelos Den does closing. Now, all that can change when the parents insist that their plans are what need to be accomodated, ("Soccer Syndrome": Drop the boy off and come back 2 hours later. Maybe the kid has learned something?) so the BSA becomes the Baby Sitters of America. The Den being the preferred Kid's Gang is lost. It is another day at school, not an adventure or something new to set them apart from the usual kid. When i read the title of this thread, I immediately thought, "isn't it usually that we complain when Scout TROOPS are run like Cub PACKS?" Here the discussion is "can the Cub Pack be run like a Scout Troop"? Ummmm... not the ideal to be approached, IMHO.

*sigh* It has come around to leaving the campout to movies huh? I just came back from a Camporee with close to 400 Scouts and Scouters. The hosting Troop had done a credible job with activities and program (I have some small quibbles, but that is for me and the host SM). But the Campfire... In a wide open field, They had stacked cargo pallets 9 feet high, in four (4 ) piles together (got that picture?), so we were faced with a pyre 10' square by almost 10' tall, against which more logs were stacked. When the Scouts were seated (30 feet away, they did think thru the safety. Also had 100+ gallons of water in 5 gallon buckets, and several shovels and piles of dirt), then watched the Scout MC pour a fluid over the front of the pyre. And, at the appointed time, reach in with his adjusted Bic and FROOOSH! We had lift off. The program went quickly thru the usual skits, but no songs, no cheers, no indian legends, no 'ghost' stories, no ash tradition, no Scoutmaster minutes. When the fire had dropped to the low coals level, (still plenty hot) , our brave Scout MC tried to lead the group in Scout Vespers. Didn't work. So we had had a fun time, but IMHO could've been handled better. I think movies have their place, but the center of a campfire program should be a campfire, if at all possible. Maybe not one visible from the Satelite, but a campfire. And I would favor the usual plan of Excitement, Fun, followed by more Meditative stuff, leading up to Closing. I missed that this time. Our Troop has a movie night in early January, when the holidays are past, the Troop meeting needs a break from the usual. We show "Second Hand Lions" or somesuch, popcorn and cider made fresh, and make sure that the whole family is invited, along with school buddies and folks from our CO. Did I hear somebody say "recruiting"?

"Bleed red..." Well , yeah, but I wheely, wheely want to avoid bleeding... I thought I meant laughing.... LAUGHING!!! Or smiling, at least. Universal language. All humans speak the same language immediately after birth. That changes after the first year, thru no fault of the newborn. I once saw a very clever comedian, his schtick was "the universal translator" : Czechoslovakian baby : "Ayagaga bluggggh". Chainese baby: " Ayagagablugggggh". Brazilian Baby: "Ayagagabluggggh", made his point easily.

Tired of all the bad language and vehemance when it comes to the DIFFERENCES among all us human beings? Ummmmm? Well try some new chapeaus on for size....

This is the link/report I found. They mention the boys earning Scout badges, but no uniforms to be seen here. http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/virginia/falls-church-homeowners-treehouse-found-to-be-in-violation-of-fairfax-countys-zoning-laws-101011 Zoning board threatens with demo order,tree house is a REALLY NICE one, the PTB consider it an addition to the main house.

For most folks, a Cub Scout uniform is a Cub Scout uniform. Matters not if the Cub is from Pack XJ or Pack QS. "" So we are about five weeks into popcorn sales in our council and ..."" "Dad! Dad! There's some Cub Scouts selling popcorn to the Sullivans next door!" "So? Didn't I tell you our Pack was selling Popcorn? Did you get out last night like I told you?" "Well, yeah, but no, and... It isn't from our Pack! They ain't from our Pack!" "They aren't? Well, they got some nerve. You get your uniforms own. Hurry up! This wouldn't have happened if you'd got out after dinner like I told you to! You kids never listen. Get going!" "HEY! YOU! " "YOU ARE ENCROACHING ON OUR TERRITORY1 GET OUT OF HERE! "Come on, Earl, Kevin, get your butts out of here and take these order forms with you. Here, don't forget your pencil. Get down to the Franklins and Hernandez houses. They haven't been there yet. See? You missed the first houses in the street. I told you to get out there last week! Now GET!" Maybe I could embellish it and send it off to SCOUTER, wadya think?

Mebbe that's their "good clothes". Are they going to live in the tree house? Why was it newsworthy? Haven't seen the story.

Scout in our Troop planned and proposed a project at his church's camp up in the Blue Rdige Mts. about 150+ miles away. It was well conceived, roughed out, materials estimated. But when he presented it to the Troop committee, the distance involved was pointed out to him. It really meant virtually none of the Troop could help with it (over several weekends). He decided to pass his plans on to the camp for them to work it without his help, but with their own volunteers. He came up in the next months with an equally worthy (and structurally similar, come to think of it) project much closer to home. Scouts could help. Approved and approved.

Well, I swan... ain't neverheard no Scout District fella not let his Scout leaders take trainin'. Not nohow. Where'inhell he get thet idee? He ought'n be proud of ya'll want'n to. "How to use it?" Why , thar be , nye on 5 or 6 ways to "use" it. Cub Day Camp, Camporee, Webelos Weekend, jes cause the NAME seems to limit it to ONE thing, don't mean it cain't be utilized in som'tother. It all fer the boys, right? How can it NOT be used? And with yer'n money, too. He ain't got no complaint. And "not allowed to take Pack out of District or Council" fer activities? Well , we do that all the time up here in middle Murlin. Take'm up to Baltimore to stay on the USS Constellation overnight, take'm hiking in the Shennandoah, down to DC for the Zoo, take'm down to Richmond to see the Civil War stuff. Heck, that's what Scouting is meant to do: all the stuff the Pub Schools can't or won't. And I bet yer District or Council ain't got half the neat stuff to do or go see or stay in that the boys would like. Go and do it, and see how many Cubs don't transfer into your Pack... ""The program we provide as a district is more than adequate for what cubs are supposed to be doing. "" Bullhockey... Adequate for what Cubs... Now, are you tellin' me that is a QUOTE? Someone Actually claimed the present program was ADEQUATE? Since when is ANY Scout program ADEQUATE and left at that? 'Course, that might indecate that SOMEONE is trying to NOT seem IN-adequate in their planning and implementation. Just sayin'. Now, base, you go on, now, and get them boys o'yurn into and onto as much stuff as far afield as you can manage. Give them the CHANCE to form memories, not regrets, at bein' Cub Scouts. Hey, now that's a possible quote... "make memories, not regrets." Y'all take that and run with it.

Isn't there some copyright issues? I wonder if it has a "not an official publication "etc. notice/disclaimer. Or, maybe it has the Irving OK? I'll look at it when it gets to Borders. Oh, wait... Short: Now that I think about it, do we "aim" at the boys or the Parents? Or both?

Let us remember that once upon a time, no such project was required for Eagle rank. Only (if memory serves) the demonstration of service to others (Scouting, community, etc.) thru one's (?) quality of life (?). When the new requirement was added, it was meant, I think, to further establish the elite quality of the Eagle rank. Does the new workbook help to do that? Or only make it easier to justify mediocrity?

Well, MY Handbook for Boys told me to take two wool blankets and use big safety pins to pin them together to make a sleeping bag! And use my mom's old shower curtain as a ground cloth under the canvas shelter half that older Scout used at Philmont and then gave me when he went off to college. And how to get the corrosion out of the brass L head 2D cell BSA flashlight when the batteries boiled over. And clean the grease out of the frypan with sand and gravel from the creek, then boil water in it to STERILIZE it. Wipe it out with big leaves. And how my dad helped me dig the nails out of the heel of my boots when they came thru into MY heel. And Mary Ann Corned Beef for breakfast, cans don't spoil.

"Nostalgia has a new name and it is "history"" I passed this on to some friends and SOME of them say "it doesn't go back far enough".

Man, those original Scouts. How did they EVER get by with all that HEAVY, STIFF, UGLY gray green tan stuff? I mean, I've heard of 12 year old Scouts doing the 100 miles at Philmont with Plywood pack frames, canvas tents, aluminum pots and fry pans, and (shudder) no 'squiter netting! And the uniforms! Wool sweaters, full leather shoes, 100% cotton shirts that HAD to be ironed (ask the mom)? And look at the photos! What were they thinking, wearing that hot, useless bandana thing around the neck? Makes you wonder how they even lived long enough to have children of their own? Why didn't they just invent nylon and plastic back then, instead of waiting til later?

Okay. Sorry for the mireading. I thought the newest version was already online, hence the friday notice I noticed. Okay, I will tear this one up and Scoutson will use the one Council provided. Thanks, B. Could use a revision date on it, none the less.

Clarifications please. The ESLSPWB I just printed out : *Only had 16 pages. No page 23. *Page 3 did NOT have the wording """Only the Official Workbook May Be Used Eagle Scout candidates must use the official Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, No. 512-927, as produced by the Boy Scouts of America. The official fillable PDF version can be found at www.scouting.org. Although it is acceptable to copy and distribute the workbook, it must maintain the same appearance with nothing changed, added, or deleted. "No council, district, unit, or individual has the authority to produce or require additional forms, or to add or change requirements, or to make any additions, deletions, or changes in the text, outlines, links, graphics, or other layout or informational elements of the workbook. It is permissible, however, to print, copy, or send individual pages or forms within the workbook as long as they are not changed in the process." "" * There is nowhere a Date of Revision. How to know this is THE version to use? *Got this from http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-927.pdf referred from http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/eagle.aspx What did I miss in this conversation?

Programing? Ha! WITRAN,, FORTRAN,, COBOL,, Anybody out there have a Sinclair 1000? Plugged into your TV set. You could balance your checkbook with it, that's about all. I ordered a radio from a Boys' Life ad, . It was a small red box with a screw thing on one end, a long wire and a earphone out the other. No batteries, it was a crystal-diode receiver,, You turned the screw thing to adjust the frequency, I could receive two strong local stations with it. My dad had strung some wire around the ceiling of my room to hang my model planes from, so I attached the antenna wire to those, and presto! I received two more stations at night.

Nah, this is a man who hasn't "got it" yet. At CSDC, I had to educate my CD in the Ways of the Sign. First day, we had the inevitable "SIGNS UP!!!" when the Cubs didn't IMMEDIATELY quiet down and pay attention ("Ah'm soo pooor, I cain't even pay attention!"). So, I told the Cubs the story about the Jamboree gathering of umpteen thousand Scouts, and how the Chief Scout on stage would raise his sign up and within about 15 seconds, everyone had THEIR sign up, and all were quiet and listening. So we make noise... AHHHHHH... I put my sign up, and watch my clock. "Aha! 45 seconds, not bad, we can do better. LET ME HEAR IT!!".... AAAAAHHHHHHH..... (sign up) "yeah! 20 seconds! I like that!" So each morning, at opening flag, we used the sign as a Den competition. Worked at each Statiion thru the camp, too. It is an education for the Scouts and for the Scouter. You make the Scout more responsible (yeah, even Cubs) and the Scouter less responsible (they should wait for me to yell? I don't think so.) Camp doesn't start, Archery doesn't start, THE FUN doesn't start until EVERYONE has their sign up and is LISTENING. I can wait, I'm paid by the hour. ANd your conversation with the yeller was...?

Try again. Clear channel AM radio... WLS... WJZ... WWVA..."Ici SayBaySay, Raadeeoh Canadah... Toorontoo" On the long trips back and forth to school in Indiana, late night radio... "CHICKENNNN MAN! He's everywhere he's everywhere da-dadadaDAH!" No modern auto radio has a AM receiver that will receive any but local stations anymore. Why is that? Another conspiracy to require the purchase of Sirius radio? Where is my Armstrong Superheterodyne?

CSDC gave out plastic mugs one year, about8" tall, 3" wide, big handle, BSA mongram emblazoned on the side. We ended up with four of them. I put a carabiner thru the handle, clip it to my belt loop. Carry it that way to all Scout events (and others, much to my family's embarassment), but I avoid styrofoam and paper guilt this way. I am always ready to share a cupa at the camporee or training or IOLS. Rinse it out, hang it on the beltloop to dry. I had a nested Scout kit for a long time. Kept the frypan, the plate, leave the pot behind. Use it for demos and Jonny cake frying, Scouts like to watch the Primus squeal as it heats up. Bent my fork and spoon to fit inside, use pocket knife when necessary.

I think it's a fine idea for a contest, but I would point out the following: 1) It is NOT a BSA contest. Read the fine print for the sponsors. I see no real connection to BSA, we hope Irving has really given permission to use the name. 2) You "win" a "camping package" . I haven't seen what that means. Cash check? A scholarship to a camp? 2 1/2 sleeping bags? What? 3) Yep, it is a computer internet contest, almost like a chain letter, it is a SWEEPSTAKES, a LOTTERY, a RAFFLE, but without a monetary entry fee. Is this gambling? I guess not, it is not raising money for a Scout entity, doesn't cost anything to enter, just internet access and an appropriate browser, yowser. 4) And, I guess the old saw of "well, somebody has to win it, might as well be me" applies here. 5) But I haven't liked the way GChrome took over my screen when I inadvertantly hit the wrong button using GoogleEarth. And Foxfire is a questionmark in some folks that I trust, and IE hasn't done me wrong yet, so I guess I'll just wait for Publishers Clearing House to knock on my door.