Krampus

Wow...I am impressed!! That sounds like a great experience for the boys on both sides of the line. Our unit has a ceremonial team which provides crossover services for local Packs and does our own tap out. Just did the tap out last night. Kids, parents and participants thought it was great. Much more special than being 4 of 200 Scouts called out in a 2.5 hour ceremony at district camp. I'd like to see more units and districts do these things to make OA special again. It is a lost art.

Push ups, yes, that could be seen as hazing unless you are on a sports team. I hate to think we've come to realize what South Park lampooned as "Sarcastiball", where we've taken all the difficulty out of sports (or whatever) just because Timmy feels "hazed" because he's asked to put up chairs for wearing black socks instead of his Scout socks, or re-clean his patrol pot because there's still caked-on chilli in the pot. That's not hazing, that's a consequence of not complying with the rules. I wouldn't even mention frat hazing. I was in a frat in college in the 1980s. I hate to tell you the

If a Scout does not clean his mess kit properly and he's asked to clean it again, is that hazing? Whenever a Scout doesn't meet a requirement (uniform), simply having a remediation activity as a consequence is not hazing in my book. Push ups? Sure. Singing for lost gear? If voluntary, I don't see the issue. Hanging around for clean up if you act up? Not hazing in my book, it's a consequence of poor Scout behavior. We're off topic on the hazing issue so I will stop. @@Stosh, but you are still going to hear it when Timmy complains to mommy that he didn't get any dessert. He won't give th

My one concern is that was a council doc, not a national doc. They also reference a document which I meant to link to which is the which is the activities and civil service guide. Exactly. BSA keeps it pretty simple.

Yup. Had to earn it. Now you have to buy it and put it on. I should have been clearer in the thread title, we were talking about the crest "ring" from the Centennial.

Uniforms are important and our youth leaders stress them as well. We do something similar but the guys with the low scores have to stay after and clean up. The great thing about kids is you always have a small group not in proper uniform...and it is usually the 14-16 crowd and not the new kids. Moreover, it is usually different people each time. They learn...eventually...but there has never been a lack of labor supply.

They should. Cubs in my area do this all the time. You can find the designs online. They look like the picture below. We built six launchers (one for each patrol). The PLC figured out how much the parts costs (under $60 as I recall for everything). They build the launch pads at a meeting, then the rockets at another meeting. Each patrol volunteered a heavy duty bicycle pump and we were done! One dad is a general contractor and brought his air compressor for the "amped up" round. Don't forget a source for water (water jugs, hose is easier). Lots of duct tape. Just Google "pvc water rock

Agreed. Once a uniform, always a uniform. But this was about some old patch being mandatory. @@meschen is right, it is poor website design.

Since both old a new requirements are in play, here's the 2016 requirements too. To other...where is it stated you cannot pick up trash in a private community? We are not bound by the confines of an Eagle project here, so picking up trash in a private community or park in the private community is just fine. That's essentially every neighborhood in suburbia. It doesn't need to have gates and such. @@Marcus Vest, if you are planning a service project you should follow these guidelines from BSA. For more support about what a service project can be, here's a reply straight from BSA's Advan

I wonder how much of the steel is actually from China. Is it mixed with other steel? Are they assembled in China? Are they using higher quality Japanese steel? In the construction business, Chinese steel is seen as inferior. I find it odd that they make great knives but stink at other steel objects. It's about profit. BSA is making a killing on the switchbacks OR they cannot negotiate a decent unit price to save their hides. If Magellan can offer the same product $20-30 cheaper than I suspect the answer is BSA likes making money on those pants.

I don't buy the Chinese junk. Ever. However sometimes you cannot avoid it. Knife nut? Nope. Have my Swiss Army knife from 1976 and my original Buck knife from 1982. One made with European steel, the other with American steel. I wonder how long these knife companies you mention have been using Chinese steel? Will you still be whistling this tune in 40 years about your Chinese made knife? Or will you be on you third replacement by then? There hasn't been enough time to pass to accurately judge the "better" quality case you are making. Time will tell. My firm has a bit of experience w

Which industries? Their computer components suck. Their raw materials suck. Lord knows their clothing is thin and poor quality. Not seeing the "better" in anything I've purchased.

So in 40 years China will make better stuff?

Recruiting their kids is not problem. We have that covered. We show them archery (own 50 bows/1000 arrows), tomahawks (own 25 plus homemade 4x4 wooden targets), slingshots (own 10, use dog kibble as shot), have own clay thrower for shotguns, do water and Estes-style rockets, build rat-trap racers, canoeing, climbing, go karts, etc. We can hook them in. Had a Scout make a recruiting video where he replicated an entire summer camp in Minecraft. We play that at open house and the kids go insane. Getting kids is never the problem...thankfully. It is back-filling for the older parents that leav

You seem not to be part of your generation's mold, and that's a good thing. Maybe what BSA really needs is to get Millennials to recruit Millennials. Of course, that begs the question how you recruit Millennials which runs us around the proverbial circle. Feeback loop, anyone? This is the same approach my district took to solving recruiting "minorities". They simply said, "Recruit more minorities, then more minorities will come." At some point I started to channel Basil Fawlty during that round table topic...

For 'hawks and any other range device (sling shots) you need a trained and certified RSO and Instructor. Most units don't have one that I know of unless they do that stuff a lot. Trebuchets, on the other hand, do not require any certified person to run or manage the "range". I'd do that. Tons of fun to build and set off. Water rockets are another fun activity. Use the bicycle pumps for the first few rounds, then get a compressor to amp up the last round. Wet, clean fun....and currently not on the BSA Forbidden Activity List.

Don't know if Webelos can do it. Scouts can...at certain ages.

The problem is not talking to Millennial parents. The problems are more complex than that. And while not entirely unique to Millennials, these problems tend to be more and more pervasive with this age group than any other I've encountered in my life time: Self-Absorbed: More concerned about when tee-time or happy is than with sticking around and participating (or even showing up for) their kid's activities. Not Problem Solvers: Give them something to do and at the first road block or barrier they throw up their hands and walk away. Communication Issues: Despite being the generation that g

Thankfully Toyota cars are made with high quality Japanese steel and then sent here. They only use the cheap Chinese stuff in that market. Ford uses, wait for it....Chinese steel.

Surprised BSA has not eliminated sweets at Philmont after the 2013 incident where a Scout was mauled eating candy in his tent.

You'll note I did not say just any person. I noted people who, over the years, have posted a great deal and are/have been the engine that helps run this place. People do come and go. Hard workers are hard to find. Put in Scouting terms, losing the parent that occasionally helps is not a problem. Losing a Scoutmaster or CC is a totally different problem. What we have here in the last few years is the latter.

Even the ground SAR (S&R) program has been greatly curtailed by BSA in terms of what a Scout is allowed to do. Back in April 3-4 of 1974 I lived in an area that experienced F5 "Super Outbreak" of that year. I recall the local Scout troops and Explorer Posts actively involved in SAR, directing traffic, manning comfort stations and going house-to-house in rudimentary (compared to today's standard) CERT exercises. It was what got me in to Scouting and started my passion for weather and rescue ops. Now a days Scouts would be relegated to handing out water to aid workers.

A Lazarus Thread. Nice! I don't mind where a product is made, to a degree. I go for quality and price, as do many here. By quality, I of course mean GOOD quality. It should last a reasonable amount of time under normal wear and tear. I don't mind so much that BSA clothes are made in China (the ones I have from 2010 were Bangladesh). My biggest problem is the quality and the price. Nearly $50 for a poor Chinese-made pair of switchbacks?? Scandalous!!! The Magellan pair I have are identical to the BSA pair and were HALF the price. I guess the folks in Cambodia (where the Magellan pants w

Who pays for the materials? If the district, show how to make arrows. If the unit, go low cost with a Dutch oven cooking demo showing some "hacks" of Dutch oven cooking (e.g., using the lid to fry fish or make pancakes, how to bake breads, etc.). Simple camp out meals that are low mess, fun and easy are always good. Or just demo Bubble Ball Soccer.

Clearly you've never been to 42nd Street.