SSScout

Yep. One can use the "Impact" method. Or the "Contact Method". The Shilleliegh Method, whereby one Scout holds an axe, blade into the bolt to be split, and a second Scout hits the poll with an old bowling pin or carved "persuader" (the Shileliegh), is a safe way, but will ruin a good axe, as it tends to spread open the eye and mushrooms the head. Something to read on a cold night: http://www.bchmt.org/documents/education/AnAxetoGrind.pdf Here is my favorite video. A classic, to be sure:

*Ahem* Any news on Scouter Surbaugh ?

Keine Sauerbraten, sondern Truthahn ? Und Fullung, smeckt gut....

Local FB page: Mother opens with "Looking for local places/activities for middle schoolers to do and keep busy". I respond with "Seek local Scout Troop, Cub Pack, click on www.beascout.org." She responds , "the kids aren't into scout stuff. We are looking for fun stuff like Jump Up, Kids Gym, etc. Otherwise all they do is hang out at the Micky Dees." My response: "depending on what your kids are "INTO", Scouts can do that: movies, bowling, the zoo, hikes, nature, trampolining, etc." She responds, (smileyface).

Maybe we should promote just shaking hands . . . .

Wonderful Idea. I attended the last Jamboree held in Fort Ambrose Powell Hill . Wonder when somebody will make the connection with his name and record?

You tube is full of such "accidents". I use quotes because they can almost ALWAYS be prevented. Most unfortunate here. I teach bus drivers. I make my students "repeat after me: If it looks like a Rail Road Crossing, I will treat it like a Rail Road Crossing." To wit, any vehicle classified as passenger bus, whether it carries passengers or no, on approaching a Rail Road /Road crossing, must first put on the four way flashers, or the School Bus Flashers, STOP (FULL stop, NOT "rolling stop") within 20 feet of the closest track,( but not where the crossing gate can close on the bus), shift into First Gear, OPEN THE DOOR and LEFT WINDOW, listen, look, and when CLEAR and SAFE TO DO SO,,,, proceed in First Gear across the tracks without hesitation or other stopping , LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN. When clear of the tracks, CLOSE THE DOOR, turn off the four ways or School Bus lights, and proceed as usual. In every case, when the student driver takes the state license exam, there will be either a REAL grade crossing or painted stripes on the driveway with a crossbuck sign. In one case , it was Washington DC, the testee was directed down a street that had THREE separate industrial rail crossings. He told me since the third one LOOKED like it was "abandoned", he ignored it. Guess what happened? We had to come back two weeks later to try again. Different examiner, same route, he passed this time. Tracks do not forgive mistakes. They require one to NOT make them.

About The Summit.... wasn't it told that Bechtel (that name's familiar) donated 50million for the purchase? And another 50 million for development? Am I remembering that wrong? Where'd that go? And while we're on the subject.... is there still a "no trespass" area there? Last Jamboree I attended there, I took a hike and was shoo'ed away from a trail on the map by some M16 totting Marine MPS....

Each Council is a "franchise" of the National Council. Each Council has a corporate structure dictated , ostensibly, by the local state requirements for a corporation, be it "for profit" or "non-profit". As such, the Council needs a Board of Directors, and some sort of Stock Holders arrangement. With BSA, as I understand it, the local Council must have a set of Charter Organization Representatives, officially these folks are supposed to meet periodically and VOTE, DECIDE on the Council leadership and Big Decisions. I was introduced to this concept when this group, Scouter dot com, was introduced to the brou haha about the attempted sale of the Owasippee Scout Reservation in Michigan. It took awhile, but the COR's and the involved County government eventually got together and forced the Chicago Council , which was backed by National, to NOT just sell off the umpteen hundred acres of Owasippee to a resort developer. The Scout Reservation still exists and is very successful, by all reports, as a cooperative local Park and Scout camp. Perhaps we need to get the CORs in our various areas , shall we say, "involved"?

All together now . . . "Owasippee".

Oh, I don't know. I visited my home Troop ( dates back to when I was a paleo Scout) and now Commish, last night and met a new parent. The Scouts were all busy, and I asked him which was his? He pointed out the lad, and in our conversation said the boy had just upped and asked to become a Scout. Had he been in Cub Scouts? No. Had the dad been a Scout? Only up to First Class, his family had moved around a lot. How did the boy (sixth grade) come to want to join the Troop? Dad said he thought it was because of a friend, but he wasn't sure. The allure of Scouting is out there, whatever it is.

Well, that is what I've been told, that the MB records must be/are checked before the EboR is scheduled. Dates, etc. must line up and such. Ah me. I have not had to pursue this type of activity in a looong time. For instance: http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/NCAC_Eagle_Scout_Verification.pdf

In my experience with young lumberjacks, ie Totin' Chippers, the idea of a sharp axe is hard for them to conceive. They want it sharp NOW, not after an hour of handfiling. And the skill involved in aiming and chipping a V in a log takes some time to gain. Rarely do Scouts get that opportunity any more. The Scout Fieldbook of my day, William Hilcourt be thanked, gave fairly detailed instructions on how to fell a tree (bare chested Scout was the illustration). And as to actual splitting bolts? Wedge and sledge? The average 12, 13 year old Scout needs that experience but , again, rare it is in the urban world. Over swing your sledge and presto ! We have an opportunity to learn handle replacement. The "safe" way to split bolts is with the "shilleliegh " method, in which one Scout holds a long handled axe straight on the bolt, and the second Scout stands perpendicular to the axe handle and swings the old bowling pin or carved Persuader to hit the axe poll and drive it thru (!) the bolt. This does work, but it ultimately mushrooms the poll and loosens a wood handled axe by widening the eye. Thus, use only a cheap, disposable axe, if you identify one. I gave my Troop a cheap fiberglass/plastic handled axe for this.

I agree, this video is not the best for a Scout activity, but a start of discussion. Here is my favorite video, courtesy the USDA Forestry Service: "An Axe To Grind" in two parts, note.

Here in the NCAC, White Oak District, MBCounselors must be registered with the District MBDean, who lists them with the Council. Council has taken to checking MBC names and dates on Eagle Applications before the Scout may proceed to the Eagle BoR . There has been gnashing of teeth, to be Biblical, about this. The MBCounselor needs to fill out two pieces of paper : Adult Scouter Application, Merit Badge Counselor Application (which details which MBs and who the MBC will see, ?only Troop members or any Scout?) and take about an hour and a half of online training (This is Scouting, YPT, MBC training). All this is free, no fee required (unlike us Commishers and ASMs ). There is no requirement to be "expert" in the topic, be it Archery, Nuclear Science or Chess or Basketry, only a desire to BE a MBCounselor. Oh, and maybe a desire to be "Trustworthy". How a Scout teen at Summer Camp can "legally" fulfill these steps has always caused my head to be scratched in wonder. So , perhaps, the "activities accomplished" page is appropriate, unlike the "Partial " Blue Card I partially fill out during my bemused time as Bugling MBCounselor.

Not so far fetched. It all depends (as does so much in Scouting and/or kid's life) on the adults. As a Cub, way back in paleo scout times, our local Scout District (I guess) sponsored a Cub Scout softball league. Packs fielded teams, we got together on local park and school fields, and PLAYED BALL . I was a right fielder and first baseman. Learned to swing a bat. Earned a arrow point or two thereby, as I remember. My dad, and the other dads and moms, played coach and umpire and had a real reason to get out in the back yard and "interact" with their kid (me) tossing a ball back and forth, thereby developing hand-eye co-ordination and verbal language skills. Not all of which are repeatable in polite company.... This did not continue into Boy Scouting, but it was fun.

We have another big thread about that program. I remember 106 years being mentioned. The problem is recruiting and convincing teens that "messing about in boats" is a worthwhile thing to do, along with soccer, wifi gaming, other sports, etc. etc.

Flying? When I was maybe 6(?) dad and I went on a 'guy" day out to the Frederick County Fair. I saw a helicopter land in the big field, and being crazy about airplanes, we went over to see it. I found out later it was a Bell H47G, with the big plexi glass cover for the pilot. For a price, you could go for a ride ! Dad and I strapped in, and man, I still remember that ride ! Unfortunately, my poor eyesight kept me away from a pilot's license, but aviation still became important to me...… Help that young aviatrix learn to fly the REAL way.... Lift, Thrust, Drag,,,, Gravity she already knows.

Again, the three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: ""HEY ! WATCH THIS ! ""

My favorite resource in at least part of your discussion is "How To Shit In The Woods" by Kathleen Meyer. It can be had on eBay or Amazon….

trial and error. Mix sulfur and carbon and....

Well, only from the original post's description. Sounds very familiar in many ways. Perhaps, but then neither does/did Mashmaster, but he must try to meet the Scout on his terms and deal with the problems the Scout creates. The "motivation" ultimately , I guess, does not matter, only the result , and the ScoutLeader/Teacher/Coach must deal with that result. Does the kid want to feel important, valued, successful, loved by his parents, happy, less sad/depressed,,,,, what is the Scout's "motivation? Does it matter? Only if the ScoutLeader/teacher/coach wants to reach that kid.... so some assumptions need to be made. What has "worked" in the past? What lever/pressure can the ScoutLeader/teacher/coach use to obtain better behavior from the kid? Yep. And yes, peer language education is always possible, depending on the kid's peers, who he chooses to hang out with and why... There's that motivation thingy again. Could the parents/family dynamics have anything to do with the problem? Kids are pulled in many directions by many "motivations". You are to be congratulated to recognize this and use that recognition to your benefit. Such honesty and personal admission is rare. Let me know when the election is, and I'd vote for you. of course. Assumptions are only good in real estate. But we must use the facts as presented in the original post. Did I use any of those facts wrongly? I used my own past experience, as did you , in your response to me. Perhaps some of your experience would, if you could speak to this Scout, benefit him. Good luck to you, mds3d, see you on the trail.

Is he really? He is a manipulative brat who has learned to play his game his way. He gets a rise out of his fellow Scouts. He knows if he couches his story the right way (oh, he told the truth all right, his version) his parents will always come to his defense. He wants his parents' attention, no matter how he gets it. Language, topic? He learned it from the same people anyone learns language, dad, (mom?) Uncle, TV ( which the parents do not censor). He likes the sexy talk because it makes him feel grown up and superior to his "baby" fellow Scouts. He has learned how the "he=men" talk. Locker room talk will be his forte. I was once a sub teacher who accepted a Full Time assignment as a "Special Tutor" for Certain Kids. The Assistant Principal sat me down and explained that he had a few kids that had learned to play the system. Case #1: Cheryl was in 7th grade, a smart young lady, who was constantly acting up in class. Asst. Pr. calls a meeting of Cheryl, BOTH her parents, and ALL of her teachers, and me , the new guy. He read several official reports of her misbehavior, noted that it wasn't just one or even two teachers, but ALL SEVEN ! the parents could not deny their cherub's culpability. Chery sat there silently, said nothing. The Asst. Pr. noted that Cheryl would be in my charge for at least one class, we chose English. The parents sat there and silently fumed, starring at Cheryl, A.P. and me in turn. The other teachers gave stories in turn. The A.P then told the father HE had homework, for he was now the "homework checker". He had to sign every homework assignment, that the SpecialTutor(me) sent home. Three months into this, Cheryl was making all As and Bs in every class, and had been re-assigned back to her regular English class. By all means, make sure the parents of your Scout (BOTH OF THEM) attend any SMConference. Any SMConference, the bad ones and the good ones. You cannot modify the Rank Requirements, but you can insist on conditions for your SMConference(s). This is an excellent example of how Another Adult (teacher, sport coach, Scoutmaster? ) can have an effect on a kid. Make standards, hold the kid to them and Make The Consequences Stick. Oh, and ALWAYS have another adult Scouter with you whenever you speak to these people. YP 102. You want to be liked? Be likeable. You want help when your in trouble? Help somebody when they need it ("naw, I ain't going to do dishes...."). Need to be believed? Tel the truth in ALL things. You want your parents' attention and approbation? Give them GOOD reasons, and then you can learn it ain't your fault if they ignore you, it's their mistake. Be consistant. Be vigilant. Scout Promise, Scout Law.

Way back when, to be a BOY Scout, one had to be a young male human. Depending on the favor of the sponsoring institution, his religion, skin color and ethnicity might be considered in that formula. If the kid was NOT a young male human to start with, they might go to the Girl Scouts for consideration. See above addendums for further consideration. Times have changed. Society has changed, some might say not all for the better. At least for the BS of A, if I interpret the rules correctly, the minimum requirement to be a Scout is to be a breathing young human. Period. For the Girl Scouts of the US of A, one must still admit to being a young female of the species., males need not apply. Color of skin? not a consideration in either organization. Religion of choice? Again, not a consideration except to the sponsoring institution. They can still say "you might want to go to another church/mosque/synagogue". Ethnicity? I hope not a consideration now, either officially or informally . Citizenship? Nope. I know a Troop that has an active young Scout whose family is Armenian, and they will be going home to Armenia in due course. The nascent Scout is strongly urged and asked to live his/her life according to a promise and set of rules. Us ole' timers try and provide opportunities for these future citizens to practice these rules in outdoorsy activities and other places. That's our job. Past mistakes? Yep. Learn from them? We can only hope. Help the victims injured by these mistakes? Absolutely. By so doing the BSA and GSUSA show their resolve to be the moral leaders they claim to be. Now, can we answer the original question? Yes and no. Not everyone can be a Scout or Scouter. Not every young person has that opportunity. I won't try to list all the possible obstacles and reasons. Not everyone can be an adult Scouter. Again, many reasons for not being one. BUT.... There is no modern reason why any breathing human being could not try to fulfill the vicissitudes of being a Scout. If they want to. The next question is. . . do WE want them to?