SSScout

Wow, way to resuscitate an old thread. We never did hear back from onetallmama, did we? Guess we scared her off with our encouragement as to how to work her group.... And yes, Welcome @@Bridget_in_MD. I am in Mungumry County Murlin..... Or are you up near Balmer?

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and supporting your government when it deserves it". = Mark Twain =

Here's the model for Irving's statement: From Marc Ryan, Lake Erie Council SE, the day after.... Look to the 25 July page.... https://www.facebook.com/LakeErieBSA/

Sounds like a new manager wants his fiefdom to be operated his way, make his mark, leave his org in his image. Loss of face to face? How is IOLS , WB, other training to be done? Scouting is NOT an "online " activity. It is an out in the woods activity, if you catch my drift. I was a Deputy District Commissioner, a few years back, show you my patch if you like. I was told it was a "specialized" Commish, mine was to be helping with new units, which I did. Then I was "promoted" to Assistant DC, and told the title of DDC was to be "retired" from the National lexicon. Sorry for your angst, Tahawk. Maybe they are trying to economize by eliminating underused DEs.... naw, couldn't happen. The DEs will be made Assistant Chief Scout Executives, bet. Wait a bit. They will feel the heat from the volunteers, the lack of "service" from the pro's and presto ! Eastern Service Area, Western Service Area, River Bend Service Area..... See you on the trail.......

Antique gear.... This was my Scout packframe, lashed a Yucca pack to it.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-US-Army-Marines-Packboard-American-Sea-March-1944-/232173807534 It's up in my attic. I am surprised, that when I took it to a Troop meeting for a "show and tell", none of the Scouts had any interest in it, but the Dad's mmmm'ed and nodded.... Back in 1959- 60, it was all the rage at Philmont.

""SUPPORT THE PARMIGIANO INITIATIVE >>>> MAKE AMERICA GRATE AGAIN""

Three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: ""HEY ! WATCH THIS !!""

""We pick a week in July and hike for 7-10 days."" umm- mmm-mmm. Yep, that's the way to do it. Go south. Work with the rotation of the earth to help push you along. And, just look at the globe, heading north is always uphill...

Please hold the iPad to your shoulders and feel my back pats.... Are you hiking with anyone else? Are you headed into Maryland?

Hat courtesy... a contentious topic historically. Here, in Scoutworld, the answer is.... "It Depends " Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…. The subject of “Hat Courtesy†goes back at least 400 years. For our purposes, the short answer to the original question is… “It depends†. Back in the 1600’s, in England and in many other european countries, folks that had a hat on (and the wearing of hats had as much to do with unwashed hair as with anything else), were expected to take it off as a sign of respect to their “social superiors". There was no law about it , it was just expected, and if you didn’t you might be hauled before the local Magistrate and thrown in jail. Quakers were the first to challenge this, they chose to treat all as equal before God, and kept the hat on, even indoors.. And were thrown in jail for their timerity. So Jews wear their hats in temple, and elsewhere, “church ladies†wear theirs seemingly everywhere, oldtime male Quakers would wear their hats in Meeting (worship), taking them off only if moved of the Spirit to stand and speak a message. Sihks wear theirs everywhere, so do our Muslim brothers, if they wear any. Our military direct that theirs be doffed indoors, unless in a ceremony. Scouts? If it is "the uniform" (Cub Scout Day Camp uniform, Uni of the Day at Camp Woebegone), keep it on and salute as usual. Take it off in the dining hall, indoors, tuck it in the back belt. My Woodbadge cap kept the sun out of my eyes and rain off my head, but got tucked into my back belt when I entered the “barnâ€, my Quaker sensitivities not withstanding. I took my hat off not out of “respect†for any person, but as part of the expected routine. So, “it dependsâ€.

Hoo boy, are you in deep. Welcome to the Forums. Lion Cub eh? Remember the Cub Mantra: Kis Mif, Kis Mif, Kis Mif...... Keep it simple, Make it fun. See you on the trail....

"A Scout is Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, kind, etc. " It sounds like the Troopleadership (adults?) are holding to MOST of that list, but maybe not all. If the records are correct, and the Scout has earned the MB/rank correctly, that's good. If the actual BADGE has not yet been presented because the Scout could not (for whatever reason) attend the CoH, then some adjustment should be made. Has the Troopleadership made effort to find out WHY the Scout did not attend the CoH? We still have telephones. Knock on his door. Is he still a registered member? On the Charter list? Then he is a Scout still. Either (1) wait for the next CoH ( phone him and remind him !) or (2) Make some other arrangement (present it to him at his hospital bed?) or (3) Mail it to him. Include a letter (what a concept !) to congratulate him, remind him he is still welcome in the Troop) and wish him well. If he is no longer an "active" member (it is known he quit, moved, family is down on Scouting, ) mail the awards to him and wish him well in his future activities. When our Cub Pack fizzled out and de-chartered, I found a box of awards (ranks, Den Leader Knots, craft kits paid for/assigned/never done...) in the detritus. I made it a personal goal to find and give these out. It took some research, but oh, the surprised looks when I knocked on their door and presented the badges, sometimes more than a year late. But the person who EARNED it, received it.

A prediction: "... a really, really, great organization...."

I know some of you have "done" Philmont, done Northern Tier, done the AT for some distance. I few years ago, I was invited to walk the Camino de Santiago with a friend. He had some large changes in his life and wanted to get away, to have a different perspective for awhile. He called me his "lifeguard". I took that as a very big compliment. And so we mostly walked, carrying most of our material needs on our backs for several weeks. What is it that makes these events, call them "expeditions". so memorable , so important to a person's life? Such treks are "lived simply", taking only what we can carry. Yes, we often depend on a lot of modern technology (whatever that technology is at the time. Compass? topo map? GPS?), but it is what we carry on our back. That's all we really need, isn't it? On my Camino trek, I had my friend and many new friends met and walked with along the way. People helped us and we helped many when we needed the help. Clean Water and places to rest on our way. How complicated do we really need to make our life? We are constantly bombarded with messages about what other people think we "need". Vitamins? Shingles? Types of tea or water purification systems? Detergents? shampoo? Potatoe chips? What do we really NEED in our backpacks?

Haven't seen that here in NCAC. This is to be an "in person" meeting, not online or phone conference? ? Town Meeting? Including who? The CORs ? Anyone labeled "Scouter"? Sounds interesting to me....

A letter? What's that? When I was asked to Scoutmaster the Troop to Summer camp one year, I brought along a pack of Post Cards and stamps. One afternoon (I think it was Tuesday), I sat the Scouts down , passed out the cards and said "today we are writing home about camp". Duh.... "what should I write?" " Do I have to"? "My folks know where I am..." I wrote one myself. They were put in the camp Post office box that afternoon, they arrived home on Monday and Tuesday the next week... Would you believe , out of ten Scouts (they were 12 and up), TWO did not know their address? Pull out the record book.....

Back in 2013, the Consol bridge was a really neat design. It copies the design of Millenium Bridge in London. It was discovered that it had a possibly(!) fatal flaw, in that if too many people cross at the same time (it's a tourist attraction!) a harmonic swaying is set up. They don't even have to "march" in step to set it up. Many good documentaries about this on line... The supports of the bridge swayed many meters over the center line, actually throwing people off their feet. The Consol Bridge has the same basic design. On opening day, all of A & B camps tried to cross at the same time (it is the shortest route to the center of Jambo). Scouts ,10 across, all eager to get there, packed the bridge, walking across. As the bridge started to sway, left and right, the walkers would sidestep to catch themselves from falling, and correct the sway , but this actually reinforces it. Another Scouter and I (he turned out to be a civil engineer !) watched in amazement as the top of the vertical supports deflected almost 3 feet left and right ! We spoke with another Scouter and we closed the bridge until the bridge was empty and the sway settled down. He took some pictures. We both wrote a report about it. After the bridge stilled, we allowed one third of the "gate" of the bridge to allow Scouts across. That seemed to be okay. The bridge rattled and bounced, but did not start the back and forth . Hence my comment about "rocking" the bridge..... The Millenium Bridge was retrofitted with "dampers" and stiffeners. I have not heard if the Consol Bridge was ever "fixed". I was told it was built strong enough and wide enough to permit a small ambulance/Jeep to cross it, but that was then.

There is "Caravaning" And "Convoying". The Convoy idea is not necessary and can lead to taking chances unwarranted. "I havta keep up with the leader!". No, you don't. You have to drive safe and get there in one piece. The army may "convoy", but we ain't the army. The POTUS may drive thru DC in convoy, but we ain't him. We do not have that purpose or permission. To "caravan" implies the same idea, but to me, it means knowing the route, having some idea of a realistic schedule, and having "meet-up" places along the way, if the destination is some distance away. It does NOT mean keeping each other's car within eye shot. It DOES mean driving safely and legally. My old Dodge Caravan (four cylinders, 5 speed, 30mpg) could (and did!) carry 5 Scouts and all their gear to summer camp many times, but it could not (physically!) do over 60mph. At least not uphill.... I told folks I'd meet them there, depend on it, but I wasn't about to feel bad about not getting there earlier....

In my physiology class, right after the candle wick trimming workshop, I remember being taught that the human body had three main functions: thinking, muscle use and digestion. They said that the circulatory system usually had enough blood and exerted it's effort in supporting any two of those functions, the third would be , shall we say, toned down, put on a back burner, not be at high efficiency. Therefore, after a big meal, your thinking may be slow(er), your running/swimming/log splitting might not be at their best. Therefore, do not engage in life supporting events (mile swim? Scuba? Free Rock climbing? ) or heavy thinking (debate team? Presidential elections? Wifely discussions?) right after fried chicken picnics. Coffee, tea, a donut might not be as handicapping. But mama's pot roast, dumplings and celery sage gravy, stay on the deck for awhile before demonstrating that Olympic Butterfly. Not so much "cramps" as "lack of ability"....

Roby: Sad. Point to note: Council should have records noting that : The Charter Org should have named (1) the Institutional Head, as described by Q above. and (2) a Charter Org Representative, as noted by many above. Any money earned belongs to the Charter Org, because the units belong to the Charter Org. The IH and the COR should have an interest in that. The person being discussed here is not only defaming the name of BSA, they are cheating the boys, the are stealing from the Charter Org. Lots of unhappy folks in that list. Pursue it. Make lists and enlist the news media.

B G: If it is not too late, perhaps a Native American traditional story, such as "How Bear Lost His Tail (and why the Big Bear in the heavens still has his )". (( **Practice with appropriate motions and sounds....)) Oh, my beloved:: Hear now the story as was told to me by one much wiser than I. Long ago, when the animal people would speak as you and I , Bear had a long and beautiful tail. He knew that, but set no store by it, being not as vain as some. Fox, on the other hand, also had a tail of some beauty and was not shy in telling of it. Indeed, Fox grew jealous of Bear's tail and decided he must rid himself of this (to him) unfair competition. And so this is what happened.... In the late fall of the year, when Fox knew Bear would be always hungry, before his long winter nap, Fox caught a nice fat Trout and sat himself by the trail where he knew Bear must travel. Sure enough , along comes Bear. "Hello, brother Fox", said Bear. " What is that you have there? A fine dinner, I see !" "Yes" Fox replied between bites, "It is my dinner." "And where did you catch such a fish? I might like to catch such for myself !" said Bear. "Over on the lake shore" said Fox. Now Bear knew such Trout were usually caught in a fast stream, and not in a lake, so he was doubtful, and said: "Oh, I find that hard to believe. What bait did you use?" "My TAIL !" munched Fox. "Tail?? How so tail? " said Bear. "Why, I can show you. Follow me to the Lake." so the two walked off down the trail to the lake shore. Fox indicated a rock by the water's edge and said to Bear " See? This is where you sit. Stick your tail into the water and swish it around. When the fish bite on to it, pull out your tail and there you are ! Fish Dinner !" Bear was eager to have such a fine trout to eat, so he sat down and stuck his tail in the water and swished it around. "Like this?" He asked. "Exactly !" said Fox, who started to walk away. "But how long do I sit here?" asked the trusting Bear. "Until you catch the fish, silly!" said Fox, who smiled and ran off, very pleased with himself. Well, soon Bear grew drowsy. The sun was setting and soon Bear had fallen asleep, pleased with himself that he would soon have a fine fish for eating. When Bear woke up, it was next morning, and lo ! The lake had frozen over in the night ! Bear found his tail was frozen solid in the lake ice, and he knew the cruel trick Fox had played on him. The only thing he could do was tear his tail off as he sat up and had to go down the trail , sad at this turn of events. Now, the Great Spirit Manitou had seen all this and took pity on Bear. In his dream that night, the Great Spirit came to Bear and said, " I cannot give you back your tail, but here is what I will do: I will make a picture in the sky so that all may see how long and beautiful your tail was, you and your cub. And henceforth, Fox will never again wave his tail high and proud in the air, but will carry it low to the ground. So shall it be. " And so it has been. So the Bear in the sky has the long, wavy tail, the Bear you see in the woods has a short stubby tail, and the Fox you see along the trail will not wave his tail in the air. Remember, and tell your Cubs , so they may be as wise as YOU !

I concur. Make up at least two unis. You will want to rinse out one almost everyday, which makes three sound nice, but not a requirement. Dust and sweat will make their mark. Dress them up as you would any uni, local patches, CSPs, etc. As much or as little bling as you think necessary. Conversation starters ! Bring extra CSPs for trading/awarding. If you have any extra hats, neckers, etc. you can do without, you will find a new friend to award them to ! I made a good friend at my first Jambo and found I HAD to give him my extra Campmaster hat... You will find opportunities for ad lib awards (2010, the "Dixie Cup" award.... ) You should get the Jamboree patches and a name tag, I would think. Your Department may have a special "hanger" or name plate. Or hat. Or you might suggest to them such. Good Jambo (the unofficial greeting) to you !

Play the "what if" game. What if I get thirsty. What if I get hungry. What if it rains (you get wet). You will leave your camp after breakfast and probably not get back before dinner time. Cook crew needs to plan that way, if they are out at the Barrels, and due back at ACamp for dinner duty, leave with enough time ! Use the map. (frinstance) It is a 90 (!) minute hike from Acamp to the Barrels or BMX. "But I heard there will be a bus shuttle". With 35,000 Scouts, how's that going to work? Use the "Good Jambo" greeting to everyone... It is appropriate and hey, let's start a new tradition. Boots /wool socks for walking, sandals for around camp. Clean socks. DO NOT depend on the cell phone service. There will never be enough charging stations. Bring another towel. Set up laundry drying lines. Rinse out early, dry for tomorrow. Yes, the Scout Shop will have what you need.... at almost twice what wallymart might charge. Hats, sunglasses. Holy book. Cards for "Hearts". Control your desire to make the Consol Bridge rock. Review the Takoma Narrows bridge film. If you are invited to visit FCamp, be advised it is the highest point in Jamboree other than the Dead Lot for parking.... Visit the "Duty to God and Country " pavilion. Accept that you will NOT be able to do "everything", but you will do "a lot", and you will never forget (most of) it ! Good Jambo !

Batteries, clip connectors, wire, bulbs, voltmeter... wheatstone bridge, nails, board, ,,,, Too bad RadioShack is drying up... I miss Heath Kit. Try Edmonds Scientific: http://www.edmundscientific.com/ and https://www.sciplus.com/

My old time family doctor always said that you could do two things to a Poison Ivy rash: If you washed it well, as soon as possible with warm water and Octogon soap, the rash would heal in ten days to two weeks. If you treated it with Calomine lotion, it would heal in a week and a half to 14 days.