BrentAllen

Reviving an old thread, with an update. SPOT now has a product that turns your cell phone into a satellite phone that can send small text messages or emails. Note this is one-way communication - it cannot receive any type of messaging. After talking with another Troop down the road that is using a SPOT, we have decided to take a look at them. We have a Crew headed to MOHAB (see the April, 2011 issue of Boy' Life, article on ultralight hiking) where we will be out of the cell contact for just about the entire trip. MOHAB doesn't provide sat. phones and recommends that the Crew brin

Lisa, Carter's cozing up to dictators as president was minor compared to what he has done since leaving office, which is the time period I was refering to. He continues to do it to this day. Tell me any ex-president who has done so (after leaving office)?

Sorry, Lisa, but Carter goes out of his way to do it. Sure, others may have had to deal with them while in office, but few have continued to cozy up to them once they left office.

There is still questions about whether Reagan actually knew the arms sales were going on. They happened under his watch, so he has to take some of the blame. I also don't forget that this was taking place to try to free some of our hostages. Arming our future enemies has taken place before (Afghanistan & Bin Ladin), and may well now be happening in Libya. I don't like it, but when we get involved in the affairs of other countries and choose sides, we shouldn't be surprised that it does. You can still go attend Carter's Sunday School class and even take your Scouts, if he isn't off

You really want to compare Carter to Reagan? The Reagan that defeated Carter in one of the biggest landslides in the history of our country? OK, go ahead. Carter's support of Robert Mugabe: "The Boston Globe reported in December, 1979 that "Carter Administration officials feel they have scored a major foreign policy success in Rhodesia." (Zimbabwe was formerly known as Rhodesia). The purported success was a settlement that set the stage for Mugabe's rise to power. This was months after the Washington Post described him as a "scholarly, avowed Marxist." In August, 1980, Carte

We were ready for the storm, and ended up barely hearing some thunder. It all went north and south of us. Some of the communities I work with were really hammered. I've heard the schools in Ringgold, GA are closed for the year - they won't have them repaired before the end of the school year. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost family members. May God bless them.

One thing you can say about Carter - he never met a dictator he didn't like.

Calico, You'll have to argue with the scientist on the NOVA program about the switchgrass - you can pick up the alcohol brewing around the 34 minute mark on that link.

DWS, You are correct - I've been watching too many Samuel Adams commercials. It was barley they mentioned, but they actually end up using switchgrass, an agricultural waste material. And it was a tablespoon for $100 grand, not a teaspoon. See the whol program at http://video.pbs.org/video/1873639434 NOVA Power Surge

pack, I watched a NOVA program the other night on green energy. It featured the Chinese company manufacturing all the solar panels being used over there, and talked about how many (100's) new nuclear plants are being built. How many are being built in the US? Zero, zilch, nada. The Chinese are building the new Westinghouse design which is far more advanced and far simpler than what we currently have (70's technology). However, neither of these really address transportation fuel issues, because electric vehicles just aren't a serious solution to the problem. The show also featured a

"...our failure to use our ingenuity and creativity to develop and pursue alternatives to oil,.." I don't agree with this - we have plenty of resources for energy. Congressional Research Service just came out with a report saying that the United States has the most energy reserves in the world by far, more than Saudi Arabia, more than Russia, more than anybody. http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=04212e22-c1b3-41f2-b0ba-0da5eaead952 As for Obama being American or un-American, I found this article interesting: http://frontpagemag.com/2

I stuff the sleeping bag, stuff the hammock & tarp, stuff the tent (when I take one). I think the last time I folded a tent was 4 years ago, on a Cub Pack Family camping trip. That was a big family tent.

lrsap, Congratulations on the new SM position. It can be very challenging, and very rewarding. Good luck! A few points, as I was in similar shoes back in 2007. Focus on quality of program, not quantity of boys. If you stay focused on quality program, the rest will take care of itself. As others have mentioned, get a copy of the 3rd Edition, Scoutmaster Handbook. Read the sections about starting a new Troop and becoming a new SM; they were a great help to me. Don't worry about an SPL until you have at least 3 patrols. The boys need to learn how to be PLs before they need to

lrsap, Congratulations on the new SM position. It can be very challenging, and very rewarding. Good luck! A few points, as I was in similar shoes back in 2007. Focus on quality of program, not quantity of boys. If you stay focused on quality program, the rest will take care of itself. As others have mentioned, get a copy of the 3rd Edition, Scoutmaster Handbook. Read the sections about starting a new Troop and becoming a new SM; they were a great help to me. Don't worry about an SPL until you have at least 3 patrols. The boys need to learn how to be PLs before they need to

For us, the adults camp, cook and eat as a patrol. We have invited the SPL, ASPL and QM to eat with us, but they usually ask a patrol if they can eat with them (they each ask a separate patrol, not all asking the same patrol). I guess they would rather eat with their peers instead of with the adults, which I think is a good thing. Works for us.

pack, You'll have to wait a month, but here is your answer: Where's the Birth Certificate?: The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President [Hardcover] http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-Birth-Certificate-Eligible-President/dp/1936488299/ I've heard what Kahuna said - that getting a birth certificate in Hawaii is easy - that Hawaii has/had a statute that allows a Certificate of Live Birth to be issued simply on the statement of one family member (with so many islands as part of the state, I'm guessing there may have been many births outside of hospitals at that time). If th

CNN: "Developer and reality show host Donald Trump has been pushing the claim that President Obama was not born in the U.S. -- a myth that has dogged the president since he took office..." "...a myth that has dogged the president since he took office..." Read that line above, and give it some thought. I'm sure there are some birthers who think Obama was born outside the US, but I believe many are just using the birther issue as a political hammer on him. If the issue continues to dog Obama and create doubt in the minds of voters, we will continue to hear about it. It's just politi

No, not me. I rode the ride at Disney World over Spring Break - that may be as close as I get to Everest. Anyone following the climbs this season? If you are interested, this is a good site. http://www.everestnews.com/ For the IMG Team, their sherpas reached Camp 2 (21,000 feet). I may have to get Krakauer's book out again; its been a few years since I last read it.

So Oak, your Cubs never got to shoot archery or BB guns? I'd say that is depriving them of some of the most popular Cub activities. drewASM wrote, "A council camp that has tent platforms that are rotting and cots that collapse." Where do you think the money to repair and replace those items comes from? FOS. So keep your money, and see where that gets you. None of your dues goes to council. Council basically gets funded through a cut of popcorn sales and FOS. If you don't know what your DE is doing to earn his pay, then you aren't paying attention.

Being a big fan of the Golden Rule, I would never tell one of our parents how to raise their son. That was one of those silent promises I made to myself when I became a Scouter - I would never cross that line. That being said, I let the parents know that when their son is on one of my trips, he is no longer their son, he is my Scout. If a Scout is doing something on one of our trips that I don't approve of, the excuse "I do this at home" will not cut it - he isn't at home, he is on my trip. As for the drunk driver dad, I wouldn't have called LEO, but I would have insisted we get so

I have acquired a few bags over the years, but only use two - a 15 degree down bag and a 45 degree synthetic. I also use a Coccoon Coolmax liner frequently, in both warm and cold weather.

SP, Yes, I am a big fan of Green Bar Bill. I'm sure you are aware that he is generally credited with saving the BSA program from it's experiment in the 1970's. You are also visiting a web site that is dedicated to him. The quote I use is from the Scoutmaster Handbook that was in place for a number of years, so it is the text the SMs used to run their programs. If you reread the quote, it doesn't say to build "the" best Troop - it says to build "one of the" best Troops. And you are correct, there is no metric to measure that, and I don't think there should be. A Scout Troop should h

SP, No, I don't check for socks - the PLs do. And yes, they must be Scout socks to count. The boys enjoy playing this game, earning points for Honor Patrol, and they are probably harded on each other than I would be. Your ragging on us for doing so is similar to the attitude that is plaguing our education system - the kids at the bottom of the class ragging on those at the top for working hard and succeeding. Those at the bottom seek to bring everyone down to a mediocre level so no one looks bad. Beavah, you wrote, "But yeh don't have real youth leadership unless the youth can chang

Seattle, Page 33 - "The BSA's official uniform includes a Scout shirt, Scout pants or Scout shorts, Scout belt, Scout socks, and shoes or hiking boots." So, of course, the boys in our Troop need to wear socks to be counted as "in uniform." Why ask about the neckerchief and hat? Because they are decided upon by the boys. Our Troop doesn't wear either one - their choice. I really wish they would come up with a custom neckerchief, and they may in the future, but that is their decision and I respect it. You seem to think that since I have a vision for our Troop that I rule it with

BadenP, I completely agree, and I don't think I have ever said a Troop needs to be in full uniform to be a good Troop. On the other hand, I can show you plenty of examples where others have said, to the effect, "the full uniform Troops I have seen never went camping," or "the full uniform Troops were adult run," or "the full uniform Troops were Troop method," etc. It seems there are many, many Troops that claim to do great with every method, every part of their program, except uniforming. What I have said is I don't see why our Troop and another down the street can be full uniform and