berliner

Sadly the US education has not only had a bad repuation for the past 3 decades or so ... it really is that bad (outside Ivy League/Private Schools)

When I went to school in California as a foreigner I got the highest scores on spelling bees o_O and english was only my 3rd language ....

I took all the CTBS and PSAT/SAT stuff. The entire system of learning is so different in the US.

A 12 grade US High School Diploma is comparable to 10th grade in germany (Abitur is 13 years).

German exchange students who spend a year in the US usually repeat a year unless they are straigh 1/A.

And dont even get me started on how bad and dysfunctional the german school system is, they didnt do that great on PISA either ...

And you end up with politicans with the knowledge of Sara Palin *shudders* ....

When I was an 80s cub we got Kool Aid and cookies and Den meetings and Pack meetings, Blue & Gold Banquet was full on buffett dinner in the army mess hall. In the Troop it was up to us to get something to drink if we spent most meeting outside running around playing capture the flag or something. As a scouter I tried to restart this cookies n drink thing but it never took off again. I really liked it though. Although being an adult now I do agree fruit would of course be better. In NZ the kids just got water. When taking cubs on a an outing Ive had a backpack full of capri suns with me :-D

Pure Socialism...that's what that is...

 

Honestly, if you're making 23k, it's not going to be that hard to maintain even if you have competition. Let the little guy have some of the largesse...another case of adult scouters giving Scout Spirit a bad name...Good luck on your fight Base...

If scouting was so socialist then the BSA wouldnt be doing it ;-)

Pure Socialism...that's what that is...

 

Honestly, if you're making 23k, it's not going to be that hard to maintain even if you have competition. Let the little guy have some of the largesse...another case of adult scouters giving Scout Spirit a bad name...Good luck on your fight Base...

Community Servie Hours, mmmmh?

But seeing the threads here I see how some dont understand the difference between for example being social and socialism.

Pure Socialism...that's what that is...

 

Honestly, if you're making 23k, it's not going to be that hard to maintain even if you have competition. Let the little guy have some of the largesse...another case of adult scouters giving Scout Spirit a bad name...Good luck on your fight Base...

"A Joey cares a Joey shares" Joeys = Australian Tigercubs

If some Troops make more than 17 times as much as another (1700%), whats wrong with being a bit christian and giving 10% or so?

If some Troops in Beverly Hills or Fischer Island have it so easy, why cant they share with those who have less?

Scouts do "Scouting for Food" to help others less Fortunate, but shouldnt help start at home?

Spent some time thinking about this thread and all ... and totally forgot the most basic thing:

always carry a spoon (any Infantry Grunt will tell ya that one) and never forget your towel ;-)

Just read this:

I draw the line at Webelos. But Siberian Tigers, White Tigers, Gray Wolf, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear are OK for patrol names and flags. Just not patrol patches. IMHO

(For those that didnt know it: Grolar is a new species that was found in the past years evolving from Grizzlys and Polar Bears)

When I was ASM our boys didnt do "scouting for food" in the sense of collecting; the community service was done at a church packing and handing out food parcels (Church does this every week so some boys raked up a good amount of community service hours).

 

Introduced SfF to my Scoutgroup in NZ - and to my biggest surprise my smallest cub, a wee lil tiny 6 year old, was the smartest and collected from his neighbours AND his school and brought in more food than the entire venture crew ^o^

V-C at the time was 5 boys and 1 girl, but they only asked their neighbours.

But I agree with you otherwise. You seem to have smart older boys 8-)

Hi & welcome :-D

When I was ASM our boys didnt do "scouting for food" in the sense of collecting; the community service was done at a church packing and handing out food parcels (Church does this every week so some boys raked up a good amount of community service hours).

Introduced SfF to my Scoutgroup in NZ - and to my biggest surprise my smallest cub, a wee lil tiny 6 year old, was the smartest and collected from his neighbours AND his school and brought in more food than the entire venture crew ^o^

National Forest offices are closed but the trails are still available. Put away the tent shelters, dutch ovens, and Winnebagos. Pick up a backpack and do some real outdoor adventure. As for the closed parks, nice - the wildlife can use a 'breather'.

All the state parks in Wisconsin are open and no government in the way of having a great time. They are really gorgeous this time of year, too.

 

Stosh

Problem of course is that the ACA was rammed through congress using budget reconciliation instead of actually getting the votes to pass the bill. This was done as a parliamentary maneuver by the Obama administration because he lost his 60-vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate the fall before when Brown was elected to fill Kennedy's seat. Rather than fight he used a process designed to cut the budget deficit to expand it dramatically. Some may call that good politics, some will call it Executive over-reach, some will call it a handful of extremist nutbags pushing an agenda.

 

As for the thought the republicans are being cornered into their "bright red distracts [sic]" you might want to look at the 2010 and 2012 elections. In 2008 the Democrats held 61 seats in the Senate and 256 in the house. In the next congress that went to 56/193 and in the next 51/200. In the President's home state a Republican was elected to take the President's old Senate seat. Don't forget that the folks in the congress are actually elected by the people, not the electoral college. The mid-terms next year will be interesting.

 

As for folks in Europe worrying about the US, meh. Maybe they should be worried about the collapse of the socialist economy in Greece (and Portugal and Spain and others). Maybe the US should be weary of traveling that same road.

 

If the US can afford all these wars it should be easy as to fund healthcare. I really dont understand why the US doesnt have it yet. Being social is not necessarily socialist.

Sad how this makes the US Goverment look outside the states, on the news in other countries.

Super Power Shutdown - maybe not the best thing.

All because of a handfull of extremist nutbags it seems.

But the german news picked up on the fact that one of the screwballs responsible was also one to open a memorial in front of cameras - schizo much?

I havent been to the Girl Scout Chalet ;-) Did the tour of the south: Scouters Conference in Garmisch, Merit Badge University in Vilseck, NDCS in Heidelberg, IOLS in Stuttgart (Greenie Beanies LOL - but I love em dearly I got MREs for my Troop from SF), on the way back from Camp Alpine spent a night at the new Camp Freedom, but inside the Barraks 8-) I do love hearing Taps and all.

Africa sounds like year round summer camp 8-)

Safety, First Aid & Fun should be first and the Fluer de Lis is the main symbol *nods*

But everything scouting is knotted together somehow ^o^

Knowing how to tie the friendship knot is pretty cool.

 

Maybe we should introduce a Bondage Merit Madge for adults?

But I was talking about adults :-P

Go do another round of YPT KDD ;-)

yup, salary AND healthcare ;-) ...

Safety, First Aid & Fun should be first and the Fluer de Lis is the main symbol *nods*

But everything scouting is knotted together somehow ^o^

Knowing how to tie the friendship knot is pretty cool.

Maybe we should introduce a Bondage Merit Madge for adults?

You know as Germany is paying for the entire European Union I was half expecting a statement today that Germany would also pay for the US ... ^o^

Nike - what town you from? Where you in TAC in 2009/2010? *waves*

In Kandersteg the World Organisation of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts have their very own lil Chalet (house) just a valley over next to KISC.

As Switzerland is located in the center it is the best place to explore europe from 8-)

When signing up we had the parents sign a release form for all scout related activites.

We did have some "specials" that didnt have their pics releaseed/name taged.

If they are on the group picture, they go on the groups CLOSED FB account. The closed account is only accesibale to scouts/parents/leaders and NOT public.

We try to find some pics to make public without faces, which cuts the smiles out of the picture :-(

So I went digging thrue storage. Wont copy the entire thing (1,000 pages LOL) but wanted to add some bullets points: a bit out of order, sorry. Any specific questions just ask ^o^

BSA Northeast Region

National Camping School

Cub Scout Camping

 

-Camp Health and Safety (64 pages)

-Day Camp Administration (130 pages)

-National Standards for local council precamp and operational accreditation of cub scout/webelos scout day camp (12 pages)

-Outdoor Program Guidelines (8+12 pages)

-Annual Health and Medical Record -Belt Loops/Pin Certification

-Cub Outdoor Activity Award/National Summer Time Pack Award

-OA

-Campfire Program

-Fireguard Plan

-Safety Afloat/Safe Swim Defense/Safety Afloat Training Outline

-Duty to God

-Cub Scout Character Development -

age appropriate guidelines for scouting activites

-Scouts with Disabilites and Special Needs

-OSHA laws that affect camps and conferences

-Leave no Trace

-Cub Scout Visitation Team Training Guide (administrative guide for local councils)

-case study workbook Day Camp Administration -Camp Program Ideas (81 pages)

-Guide to Safe Scouting, unit leaders guide for current policies and procedures (80 pages)

-Day Camp Staff Training (45 pages)

-Camp Program & Property Management (probably 200 pages)

-Shooting Sports for Cub Scouts (52 pages) -administrative guide cub camps, (55 pages)

-budget sheets, cash receipts, check request,

-Unit and Event Log

 

That, in a nutshell, is NCS/NDCS.

I think the cost was not much at all, considerung so much paper and all the food was included.

Learned a bunch and met a bunch of cool scouters - what more do you want to ask for?

COPE, Climbing and how to run a camp. All nice skills to have but that does that teach the skills that make a better Scoutmaster?

 

What were the outdoors/scout skills that the old Woodbadge taught?

 

Before "leadership skills," the purpose of Wood Badge was to train Scoutmasters to how teach the best Patrol Leaders how to physically lead their Patrols into the backwoods. Scouts learned their skills from a "Patrol" Leader, not a "Troop" Guide!

 

Here is a Wood Badge participant's official "Wood Badge Training Notebook" from William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt's Wood Badge:

 

http://inquiry.net/traditional/wood_badge/index.htm

 

This story is so sad but it is true:

we spent time talking about the rule that no scouts are to be carried on the outside of vehicles,

as in not hanging on the (out)side the SUV/Jeep and standing on the side step/floorboards, sitting in the open pick up cargo space without seatbelts

and my favourite which is outlawed by BSA but I have seen this done in another country

towing scouts in tailers.

This is not Woodbadge material. Campfire story maybe.

Seems BSA got sued so often for scouts not following safety rules let alone common sense and falling off or out of vehicles while driving,

and some scouters led the way.

Getting one Troop to a site is one thing, moving around an entire camp something completely different.

Teaching Woodbadge skills to 20-30 boys is a big difference to teaching basic skills to 400 boys or 2,000 scouts.

Thats where the BSA is a lot like the army: the larger the camp the larger the logistics and admins.

More geeks and nerds runnging around with clip boards. And whistles. ^o^