SSScout

Hoo Boy... After several summers as a surveyor, (rodman, chainman, gofor... )I can claim INTIMATE knowledge of PI. I have come home from work wearing gloves so I wouldn't touch my car steering wheel. I could not even sneeze safely. PI always has three leaves in a group. These leaves can be as big as your hand, as small as a quarter. The leaves can be smooth edged, or have a notch or two in the edge. It can be a ground vine, a small shrub, a 4 inch in diameter vine growing up out of sight on the side of a century old tree. Tree vines tend to be very hairy. Leaves turn golden reddish in the fall, but usually don't all fall off. Pretty red berries. Everything about the plant is affective, and can cause the rash: roots, leaves, stem, berries. Your dog can give you the rash after his romp in the woods. Your boots can give you the rash when you tak'em off. Your pant legs can give you the rash when you pull'em off. Double the amount of detergent when washing affected clothing. Wash hands and the rest of you with the strongest soap and hottest water you can stand. Pretend you are a surgeon, going into surgery and you don't dare touch anything for fear of contamination (!true!). Once the toxin is washed off, the blisters will not spread the rash, but being sure the toxin oil is eliminated is hard to judge, so often folks will think the rash spreads itself. The liquid in the blisters, when and if they break,(don't encourage that, bacterial infection can happen) should be carefully dabbed off with a clean cloth or paper towel. Some say the blister liquid will spread the rash, I think not, but washing the oil off before it can really soak into the skin is important. Really bad occassions should seek medical help, especially if it is around the face or genital areas. The rash will show up within 12 hours or less, if it is to happen at all. Wash as soon as possible. Calamine lotion, Ivy Dry, other OTC stuff will help dry the rash and sooth the itch. Folk medicine says Jewel Weed rubbed on the rash will neutralize the toxin (no opinion there). Yep, and my dad could pull it up bare handed too with out effect. Brrrr, I get itchy just thinking about it. Oh, the irony of God's creation.

Once more into the breech, dear friends... My stint as a Chaplain at the '05 Jamboree was very rewarding and educational. I was most gratified to see men (and women) of various faiths (no Presbeyterians for some reason) working together to help each others faith. Catholics and Methodists help set up worship space for Muslims. Quaker and Jew went to visit the Scouts in the hospital. Mennonite and Greek Orthodox took water to the Troops. I did notice some gnashing of teeth among a few when Icons were transported for Orthodox services and it was interesting when the Quakers asked the Episcopals to turn down their PA during Sunday services because it was really loud from across Fish Hook Lake. (turned out the facilities crew had put the amplifier in a locked box and it couldn't be touched! But the E's just stood further back from the mike, so it worked out). 'Course, if what this thread is trying to do is DEFINE God, well, I don't think the thread is/will be long enough. Everyone chooses a religion/belief based on three factors: Their family's basis, their own experience, the outside world's influence.And the old saw about there being no athiests in fox holes probably isn't true at face value. Everyone finds their own way to or away from G(g)od as they must and as circumstances dictate. But I try to testify about the truth of my experience as best I can to them that ask me. From B-P:::: ""Reverence to God and reverence for one's neighbour and reverence for oneself as a servant of God, is the basis of every form of religion. The method of expression of reverence to God varies with every sect and denomination. What sect or denomination a boy belongs to depends, as a rule, on his parents' wishes. It is they who decide. It is our business to respect their wishes and to second their efforts to inculcate reverence, whatever form of religion the boy professes. There may be many difficulties relating to the definition of the religious training in our Movement where so many different denominations exist, and the details of the expression of duty to God have, therefore, to be left largely in the hands of the local authority. But there is no difficulty at all in suggesting the line to take on the human side, since direct duty to one's neighbour is implied in almost every form of belief."" (Aids to Scoutmastership, 1919) AND... ""By their fruits ye shall know them"" AND... "The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of one religion; and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wear here make them strangers." = William Penn = "It is a sad Reflection, that many Men hardly have any Religion at all; and most Men have none of their own: For that which is the Religion of their Education, and not of their Judgement, is the Religion of Another, and not Theirs." ==William Penn== from "The Fruits of Solitude" As a nascent UC, I have been given the assignment to help with the formation of 2 Cub Packs, a Scout Troop and Venture Crew at two Muslim Centers/Associations. The CRs assure me they see nothing in conflict between the goals and vision and methods of Scouting and the Q'ran. Pray for us... YiS

What they said... My only complaint was that I had some great ideas but THEY wouldn't let me ticket'em because they were for CUB SCOUTS (specifically the Day Camp) and I am a registered BOY Scout leader. But it's all good. Even tho I have been the First Assistant Everything Else to the CSDC Director (wife), for the last three years. Sooooo (as my Math teacher would say) fall back, dig in, and save the equipment.And then, because of the range of my tickets, I had to CHANGE my Leader status from ASM to UC! I was fine tuning the last of the tickets at 1pm on the Sunday of the second weekend. That was three months ago. One ticket is almost automatically finishing itself (can't believe it), the others are in various stages of needing attention and soooo I must get off the computer. Trust in the Spirit.

Lessee now... 600 miles, say,12 plus hours driving (breaks for lunch, potty, sightsee) 40 plus Scouts/Scouters, mebbe 10 cars, (okay, 8. Minivans. ) Gear on roofs, under seats, in trunks, one adult driver per car, driving the whole way BOTH ways. Can't convoy, must plan on meeting up periodically or just meeting at the camp at the end. Cell phones, walky talkys? Federal Mileage allowance in 2005 was $0.48 1/2 per mile (make it realistically $.75/mile. (Not everyone drives a Prius). Including gas+oil+insurance+depreciation+amortization+tolls+wear&tear. 600x.75= $450. per car. 4 or 5 people per car? 6? 7? tight. Bus driver is pro. Likes what he/she does. Will go, stop, adjust the trip as you wish. Bus is spacious. Potty on board. TV for watching "Follow Me Boys". Cushy seats. Big windows. Gear stowed in the bottom hold. Lead songs. Sell snacks and drinks. Play cards. Boys ride in something other than the family Taurus. Write SM memoirs. "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." Somebody else cleans the bus at the end. Don't see any down side. I think at $120. a piece is very reasonable for peace of mind, sleep deprivation recovery, Troop/Scout socializing, econonmy (8 or ten cars off the road), even at the bus' 5 or 6 miles per gallon of diesel. Mebbe the driver is a Scout and can stay over? I had a friend at work who REFUSED to ride in any car unless SHE drove. Many a time she drove by herself to many activities. She was a safe, courteous driver, friendly and helpful, and we rode readily with her, but she-would-not-ride with anyone else. One smiles and makes allowances. The SM can drive himself, some one might go with him to keep him company, and yeah, he could be the advance man. Yer either on the bus or off the bus... (was Tom Wolfe a Scout?)

I do not do 'serious' climbing, but watch alot, and have been bottom belay for my sons Troop with much direct oversight by some very experienced climbers. Retire rope conservatively... Education... Some years ago,I was given about 200' of 1/2" Plymouth "Goldline" and since I had a set of double blocks, I thought I'd use it to help move some large rocks and concrete chunks. Made a yoke, wrapped the rock, set the up block on a sturdy Oak tree branch and set out to hoist the first rock and push it over to its desired spot.( four fall, plus a pull, about 18' or so rope in each fall and about 25' in the pull). The two of us pulled and pulled (yo heave ho!!) and pulled. The four fall set didn't move the rock, but (by measurement) the 200' of rope became almost 300'!! Never knew nylon rope to stretch like that, but we had, I guess, over reached the limit of the cord! Eventually the rock moved, but , boy!

Ditto the above on my end. When Scouter .com opens, or when I click on "Today's Active Topics", the bottom activity line shows "opening page www.xvgaoke***", then shows "display picture" ((etc stuff)) and this repeats several times, before the Scouter page displays and "Done" shows on the bottom activity line. Things are very slow here, relatively. I operate from a server with a very tough fire wall, so I'm not concerned about my end, but from my experience and the above comments, something is in or trying to be in Scouter.com that shouldn't be. No unusual pictures, but still slow to display Scouter pages. Terry, How can we help?? Please don't post spam links in messages - moderator (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

In my informal study, I have detected a change in philosophy, focus, purpose in BSAing since its creation. Since Beard, Seton and the other original American founders adopted/adapted B-Ps vision, "Scouting" changed. Green Bar Bill, I think, fostered a return to the original ideas, but... . I would hope you could show that in your history. Not so much a recitation of names as a explication of the evolving ideas and how personalities were chosen (and self chosen?) to form and lead the largest youth organization in America. You might touch on the ongoing tension between the "professionals" and the "Volunteers". Some space and ink might be utilized to a study of the various "scandals" of note , both ancient and more recent; how they tempered BSAs attitude toward itself and colored the publics opinion of the BSA. Child abuse, poor training, camp sales, lost Scouts, forest fires, inflated memberships, ... lots of possibilities. How many volumes? YiS

Can we say "Segway"? I haven't been to Owasippee either, but troll the past posts about it... Level walking is nice, but APH isn't perfectly flat either, and the whole complex is spread over almost 3 x 4 miles...Walking, biking, bus transit, all useful...

O Wa Si PPee... Use a large, established camp, basic infrastructure is there, use the ground for summer camping and "high adventure" in off years... Give CAC a chance to recover. National owns it, CAC doesn't, local county people keep their zoning and get tourist dollars, everybody's happy (except the resort developer). Cool weather rather than hot dry/humid. Where's the problem?

I always teach the Four Laws of Motion... 1) Action/Reaction 2) At rest/Stay at rest; in motion/Stay in motion (unless acted upon) 3) Acceleration proportional to force applied 4) You can't push a rope....

Maybe National could buy Owasippe?

If possible, Take your calender and schedule the events as far in advance as possible. Rough in the event and date. Put these on a largish paper, chart size, poster on the wall by the parents hangout (back of the room? Hallway?) CM announces and ACM/CC button holes the parents and gets them to sign up then and there ("well I'll help, but I can't be responsible because...") Often the empty spots are an encouragement for others to step up. When they see all the neat stuff, months in advance, then they can get a handle on it. Vacations, employer concerns, church events, school events all need to be accounted for. Good luck...

(((sounds of crackling fire in back ground))) Oh, you can't get to heaven (oh you can't get to heaven) In a red canoe (in a red canoe) 'Cause the darn Girl Scouts (cause the darn Girl Scouts) Will follow you (will follow you) Oh, you can't get to heaven in a red canoe 'cause the darn Girl Scouts will follow you, I ain't gonna grieve, my Lord, no more I ain'ta gonna grieve my Lord no more, I ain'ta gonna grieve my Lord no more I ain'ta gonna grieve, my Lord, no more. Oh, you can't get to heaven In Merlyns pants Cause Merlyns pants Are full of ants.... ** * * (etc) And you can't get to heaven In old Ed's car Cause Ed's car must Be full of rust... And you can't get to heaven No, not right now Cause soon enough You'll find out how... * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * ((What rhymes with dot com??) (This message has been edited by SSScout)

Yep, Yep, Yep... Get your boys out and about. Get'm out of their "Comfort Zone". Get'm away from home. Plan that long trip. See the sights. Talk to the locals. You might even meet another Scout. The Spirit will often lead one into another. Here we are sitting in our local burger joint, in walks a family of 5, and the dad has on a "Florida umpty-um Council Summer Camp" Tshirt. Well, the two dads strike it off, much to the shagrin of the boys, but hospitality requires a stranger be welcomed. Info exchanged, local color recommended, smiles all around. New friends made. YiS

Archery Range Safety Officer does seem to have varying requirements, depending on the Council. Scout is often seen as different than Cub, but in actuality they are essentially the same, just bigger ranges. Our Council requires at least a long days training by a trainer who posseses a Level 3 cert from a national archery association (there are several). And finding that trainer is often the problem. Often the Trainer has gone to the Archery Organization and taken their training at his/her own expense (several days long). You can get it (the RSO training) at the BSA National Camp School. There are published Range Guiides for Cub Shooting Sports and Scout Shooting Sports, but finding them is often difficult. Check with your DE and Council Program Director. Often. Scouts Luck to you!

Oh, let's include some more recent inspirational stuff::: The Rocket Boys ==Homer Hickam (October Sky is the movie) Into Thin Air ==Jon Krakauer and some more classy fluff::: Twenty one Balloons (balloon inventor becomes lost while crossing the Pacific, and lands on Kakatoa , establishes an advanced civilazation and escapes just before the island blows up)

Everybody is either on the bus or off the bus... A Scout unit owning a bus or the Charter Org owning the bus or a Scout parent owning the bus (A Scout is Trustworthy) should not be a problem... The problems will appear with the State insurance and driver Licensing requirements. Check out the requirements with your State MVA or DMV. The Commercial Driver License and Classification laws are very specific as to size of vehicle, seating capacity, etc. Passenger endorsement and School Bus endorsement for your CDL are very specific too. 'Course once one has the CDL, jobs are easy to get. Your Insurance Company will be very specific about WHO is allowed to drive the Church/Troop/Camp bus. Discount rates will be available to folks that certify a certain level of training and safe record. Check it out... What ever happened to the Automobile Driving Merit Badge?

Wonderful. That's why we're here. I am emailing my congrats to Eric via the articles author. But howcum this post isn't titled "Eric Burns"? Dan Snyder is only the Center Director...

My initial take on the post is that, yes, the Scout should get ALL his awards from the Troop. The Camp Class should always pass the TF, SC, FC, MB, Scout Lifeguard, Mile Swim, Totin Chip, etc. on to the Troop for final approval and presentation. I believe the TC class conselor was operating on the premise that this was an average Scout and "a Scout is Trustworthy". Pass the card to the Scout, he passes it on to the Troop. The Camp may have learned something here, the Troop may have learned something and hopefully the parents have picked up a piece of info about their son too. AND the Scout should find a complete bunch of adults in agreement here that ultimately he cannot manipulate. Standards of behavior have consequences.

Ah no... Ya gotta be a Camp Director... As the First Assistant Cub Scout Day Camp Director for Program Design, Procurement and Implementation, (guess what my significant other is...)I must say that if you build it, they will come and throw up on it. But you don't concentrate on the problems except to plan for the possibilities and solve them when and if they happen. You concentrate on the OTHER 200 Cubs smiling and saying 'OOO" and "AAAH". Even the Cub with the sprained ankle will remember the ambulance ride, if nothing else. The rest will learn alittle about map and compass use, what poison ivy looks like (maybe), the cool State Police Helicopter that landed, the big plastic sheet slip['n slide that no one else will have that summer, and the fish their buddy caught.. The parents will learn alittle about time with their boy, despite themselves. Maybe you can have a short conversation with the woman who sits behind her den, writing on her knee that proposal she HAS to have in the office TONITE. Or the Dad who is ASLEEP while the den pounds symbols into leather totems. Is he dedicated or trying to 'sleep it off' because... Lots of possibilities. Yeah, you want to be a CD or a FACSDCDPDPI. You know you do... Next years theme herebouts is "Wonderful World of Wheels". Finally, something we can get our Cub hands around... Gonna contact that Model T Club that disassembles a Model T and then Re-assembles it in less than 15 minutes...

At our CSDC this year (as in past years), we always have coffee and donuts on hand for the early staff settup folks. So we order 2 "Boxes o' Joe" from Dunkin'Donuts and 3 dozen donuts. Then two Packs, out of grattitude, bring us another "Box o' Joe", EACH. Then the staffer that comes in after lunch arrives with... another "Box o'' Joe". We take home 3 full "BoJs".... Next morning, change the order to ONE BoJ, and 3 doz Donuts...Same two Packs each bring ANOTHER BoJ each... Noon Staffer got the message... Home refrigerator is full of Iced Coffee... Third morning, we buy NO coffee, same two Packs (we did tell'em, gee thanks, but...) bring us ANOTHER two BoJ... So forth and so on... By the end of the week, we have given our neighbors BoJs, taken some to social hour sunday, and transferred mucho cafe to pitchers... **LET ME FINALLY GET TO MY POINT** If you take the BoJ apart, you will find inside a cardboard box (which can be recycled) an aluminized, double walled, mylar bladder with a safety grip ("squeeze and turn") cap. It is very strong, holds at least a gallon of liquid. If you attempt to wash it out, you find that soap, bleach, detergent will not faze the coffee taste. It will always make water held therein taste like coffee. So: What can you do with eight (8) gallon mylar bladders? Should one attempt to recycle more? Possibilities present themselves (both experimentally and theoretically): *Water storage (Camel backs?) *floats for rafts. *pool party toys *packing for shipping breakables *punching bags, hung from a tree limb *archery targets (tough, need SHARP arrows) *Water wings (duct tape, too) If really good ideas occur, should one go to DD and ask for free (cheap?) clean unused BoJ bladders?? Or do I really have too much free time? YiS

OO...OO...OO... By All Means... Love to compare... Did you do "Land of the Pharaoh-ohs"? The police and F & R folks came to our CSDC because they wanted to, not because they HAD to! Where do we send the coffee?(This message has been edited by SSScout)

Here's how I was taught. It works, but BE CAREFUL (you'll see why in a minute). Corfam? Nah... Collect: Shoes, Kiwi black wax polish in the little can (Esquire not so good, seems like), a small candle anchored on a plate, Cotton balls (cosmetic section), old wool sock, stiff bristle brush, cotton rag (T shirt?). Saddle soap, if possible. Allow AT LEAST an hour (HOUR) per shoe. Clean shoes with stiff brush and cotton rag as necessary. ( if they are new, just wipe dust off). Saddle soap to remove dirt. Water as nescessary. If leather soaks up water, let'em dry thoroughly before proceeding. Light candle. Take dry shoe, and with wool sock rub on LOTS of wax all over shoe. CAREFULLY, rotate shoe round and round (keep moving) over candle, (Non purists can try a hairdryer on high), melting the wax INTO the shoe leather. If you hesitate, or get too close, the wax may catch fire. BLOW IT OUT IMMEDIATELY. Burnt leather will not take a polish easily. The goal is to build up a base of wax soaked into the leather. You will be amazed at how much wax will dissappear into the shoe. Rub on some more wax, melt again. When you think you've got as much wax into the shoe as you want, proceed as follows: Take a cotton ball, and rub a leetle black wax ( I knew some, who at this point, used canning parrafin) onto the cotton. Soak it in COLD water, wring out most.And rub on the shoe in quick, circular motions. Wax dissapears. Dap on more wax. Rub. Wax. Rub in circular motion. Repeat as necessary all over shoe. When the cotton ball falls apart, take another and keep on keeping on. Not only go by visual quality but by tactile feel. EVENTUALLY (oh ye of little faith...), the shine will appear. Do not use the heat again. Only rubbing with the COLD water and wax on a cotton ball. The standard we held to was being able to see reflected in the toe or heel, two separate fingers from two feet away. (phew). A good job would only need a touch up before inspection. Not to be tried on desert boots... "Walk a mile in my (spit shined) shoes... Not on yer life!' Acronimically yours, YiS........

Might be too late to arrange this year, but we have 4 Troops that negotiate to work at the County Fair each year. In Uniform, they help direct parking and traffic, deliver ice to concessions, pick up trash, and act as 'gofers' for the Fair headquarters. I know, also, that the Fair is open to proposals from folks to operate food concessions and such. Are you chartered to a church or civic club like Lions? Perhaps they would partner with you for a funding project. Frinstance, at the Fair, we have several churches that run food stands and you'll see Scouts behind the counter in Troop Tshirts. Another idea::: Sponsor an "Outdoor Gear Flea Market" for your District or Council. Organize a place, advertise, rent tables and space for Troops and individuals to sell outgrown packs, tents, boots, etc. Good Luck... YiS

Thought: I hope this wasn't an IT class project. Fait accompli?