ianwilkins

13 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

a Police Explorer post with 15 active explorers sold 600 boxes of donuts....oh, the perpetuation of stereotypes!

...and never left the police station.

Was at a fairly large camp last year and there were some police there doing a demonstration and general community stuff, and one came rocking up to the others with a big bag of fresh donuts...made me smile too.

13 hours ago, Terasec said:

As an Immigrant myself from Italy

idea of camping in Italy and most of Europe is different than US,

in Italy there is almost no public lands that you can just set up a tent and few places that is allowed is highly regulated

European national lands is more like US national and state  parks as opposed to US and state forests

Yes, I think the key is private ownership in Europe, and the space in the US. I mean, our local UK campsite is 7 acres in size (are your acres the same size? Anyway, close enough), the largest one I know of is 400 acres. There's a fair amount of National Parks, but they generally don't allow random camping. There are a fair few scout campsites, and vary from not much more than farmer's fields, to farmer's fields with a toilet block, to all singing and dancing activity centres. Though almost none have mess halls. 

Actually, in Scotland you can wild camp, and there's a test/trail going on in a few national parks at the moment.

Then again in Sweden wild camping is okay apparently, and being on someone else's land is not trespass (in my simple understanding). Meanwhile in France, well, there was talk of us going there and camping, but if you do more than a 5 day camp, you have to get about three layers of approval, you've got to be 200m from any water or ancient monument, there were two more pages of rules and advice, and the local mayor can inspect your camp with the local police and shut down your camp (and arrest and fine the leaders) if they don't like what they see....we're not going camping in France.

14 hours ago, FireStone said:

World Championship...The event this year was attended by scouts from all over the country. I heard something about over 100 councils and over 20 states represented. 

Aaah, the old "only one country takes part but we'll call it a World Championship" trick.

Only jesting, sounds like an exciting day, always good to meet lots of scouts from different places. 

On 6/11/2019 at 5:12 PM, qwazse said:

Better than tweezers: thumb and forefinger. Squeeze,

Squeeze? Urgh! I feel a bit queasy even thinking about that!

I thought the reason they recommend thin tweezers and tick tools and definitely not fire or a cigarette or Vaseline or fingers is the danger of forcing the contents of the tick's stomach out through the mouth and into your bloodstream. Which is not the way you want nasties entering your body.

I would say this kid needs some counselling to get to the bottom of it, and finding ways to cope with it. I've had kids on the autistic spectrum not be able to cope with certain aspects of certain camps, one had to go home in the middle of the night. Not great. 

My uninformed and unprofessional guess is maybe he's catastrophising, and that's working him up, and him getting worked up is slipping into a vicious cycle where he's worrying about getting so anxious, which is making everything worse, making him more anxious, which is worrying, and all rationality goes out the window. He's probably getting anxious at the knowledge that he'll be crying and having an anxiety attack when he goes to bed on camp, what will his friends think, and he feels powerless to stop it.

My guess is the best thing would be someone calm and rational to talk to, even in the middle of the night, plus some counselling to give him some tools and coping strategies.

On 6/15/2019 at 12:58 AM, fgoodwin said:

Can you name a recent movie that shows Scouting in a positive light and doesn't make use of the pedophile or nerd tropes?

Yes, my aforementioned Rim of the World. It's a female scout, but she's a-la-mode a strong capable female character.

We've had a comedy series over here in the UK called Ghosts, where someone inherits a house, has an accident and can now see dead people, one of the ghosts trapped in her house is a scout leader, comes across as well meaning and enthusiastic, though admittedly a bit of a nerdy voice, and no mention of paedophilia. Which was nice.

Rim of the World - film on Netflix

Seems to have a girl scout, ish, or a scout that's a girl anyway, in it. Red necker, a troop number, random badges, shorts, and a Davy Crockett hat.

so...I'm an OBE now? Cool! Will there be a rota for the medal?

Brownsea Island has some small displays and heritage stuff, a kudo horn but not I think *the* kudo horn,  it's quite interesting. Gilwell Park has a museum, much of it about Gilwell Park and adult training, but also some decent general artifacts, but I think they're about to rebuild it soon, at least, I think they were begging for money to do same recently. Gilwell Park also usually has BP's caravan, and his Rolls Royce, Jam Roll. Though, fair enough, these are not very practical options for most US scouts doing their Heritage Merit Badge, but there you go.

Of course, the text of loads of old scout books are on the fantastic resource The Dump.

11 hours ago, MattR said:

I learn some of the most fascinating trivia around here. My guess is scuttlebutt is a British phrase. So, now I know.

By and large the British Navy I should think. The English language is chock-a-block with words and phrases that have gone into general use that started in the British Navy.

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/nautical-phrases.html

2 hours ago, MattR said:

This has to be a British phrase. Is the water butt the one responsible for getting the water? My scouts will likely have a lot of fun with that one.

A water butt is a large barrel that usually collects and stores rainwater. We have one attached to our rainwater down-pipe to harvest rainwater to put on the garden.

You know our section for 6-7 year olds is called Beavers right? We don't have any fun with that. Just an irrelevant aside. Ignore me. Ignore me especially when I tell you locally we used to have a mascot costume for that section. It's name was Big Beaver. I had to ask for volunteers to wear the costume once. I can't remember how I phrased the opportunity, but I'm sure no one laughed at all, no no. It did turn out I was also the right size for the costume, so had to spend a sweaty half hour inside Big Beaver. True story.

22 hours ago, Petey091 said:

 We usually retire 300-400 flags at a time.

Ok, seriously, in the interests of international knowledge exchange, what are you doing to your flags? On what basis are flags retired? If they touch the ground? The slightest speck of dirt? Are they use once only? 300 at a time? I'm taken aback.

Ian

11 hours ago, Saltface said:

I think most countries retire the flag through incineration (eg. Mexico, Argentina, UK).

I've been a leader for over 25 years now, and I've never seen a ceremonial UK flag disposed of or destroyed, but your right, the official flag protocol is burning, or cutting up.

Most of us are just trying to make sure we put the UK flag up the right way, so we're not telling other ships we're in distress!

13 hours ago, HelpfulTracks said:

A woggle is a woggle? I disagree, in fact the Wood Badge Woggle, Beads and Necker are one of the very few things that are recognized world wide. It is worn to symbolize completion of something. Just as 3 beads are for staff and 4 for course directors symbolizes a position held. 

Just to add, as a side note. In the UK we have wood-beads given when you complete your leader training, and you then become a member of the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group, which has its own necker you can buy (a fairly drab thick woollen thing, I didn't bother). I'm 90% sure there is no official wood badge woggle in the UK that is restricted to wood badge holders only. I believe the 3 & 4 bead thing was phased out in the late 60s/early 70s in the UK.

15 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

They could call it "Bloody Traitor Day".   

We've already got Bonfire/Guy Faulkes Night. Or "burn an effigy of that catholic that tried to blow up parliament" night. Though the details are mostly lost in a hazy mess of low quality meat, drinking, sparklers, and fireworks.

21 minutes ago, walk in the woods said:

You don't have July 4th on the calendar in the UK?  Does it go straight from 3 to 5? 

Can't think why the UK doesn't* celebrate American Independence Day. 😇

All friends now though eh?

* Well, some shops and pubs try and milk it for commercial gain, like St. Patrick's day but less green and Guinness, and more stars and stripes and hot dogs.

Out of curiosity, in the UK we're told that St George is the patron saint of Scouting. This is handy for a good number of us in England, as he doubles up as the National saint too. Quite often there's church parades, or fun days, we have a weekend family camp at our local site, there's also a parade for Queen's Scout Award (Eagle equiv. basically) holders at Windsor Castle. Basically, lots of things are going on around St. George's day. 

My question is...does anything like that happen in the US? I can't remember seeing anything, so here I am wondering if it's something that didn't end up in Scouting "lore" on your side of the pond.

Are you lot really making references to British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances? I say! 

And then the briefest research suggests it's one of the BBC's most popular exports...well every day's a school day.

Hi Onslow.

Ian (UK scouter)

21 hours ago, Jameson76 said:

Man...that is a special kind of hell in my opinion. 

5 leaders in one tent "shudder"

Sorry, diverging from advice...

Tsh...5 in a tent? I see you five and raise you to 11, to start with...

We went on a Jamboree on the Canary Islands a couple of years back, it was an experience. They supplied tents. To be fair, I'm sure they were doing their best, and it was only for a week and no one died so....anyway...we turn up at the site a few days after everyone else, and there are some people in "our" tents. The scouts with us were supposed to be somewhere else on site...there was some more people in their tents too. We went and had dinner, at about midnight, while they had a bit of a re-arrange. We came back, we had 15'x15' (maybe) army tents, massive outside frame with the canvas hung from it. Inside were triple deck bunks, the top bunk must have been 6' off the ground. There were three, that's all we had for the night, and the scouts and leaders needed to bunk in with us Explorers for the night. Three tents, so girls in one, boys in another, leaders in the third. Our leader's tent had three triple bunks in. We had 11 leaders. Luckily two had brought their own mats. They got the floor. I was on a top bunk, about 12" from the roof. The female leader below me had to put up with me climbing up and down the creakiest bunk in Christendom (and us all making childish jokes about me being "on top", to be fair, she gave as good as she got). At least two of the leaders were inveterate snorers, so that was fun. Then 3am the local donkey woke up and wanted to tell us all about it.

The next night was luxury as the 5 scout leaders decamped to their tent and left us to it in our bunks. Just as we got used to this we went to another island for a couple of days, and had to sleep on the floor of a school gym, all three hundred of us, boys, girls, leaders, one room...yeah, you know those pictures from disaster relief efforts...just like that.

Let's call it an adventure. An experience. Never to be forgotten. I slept well on the plane home I tell you that.

2 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

Another issue... I dont sleep all that great at home, but on Pack campouts I feel obligated to go to bed early when I am "supposed" to go.  I go in and can't go to sleep, but have to be still and quiet for the others in our tent.  So I end up just staring up and hoping for the best.  Last weekend I slept in 15 - 20 minute spurts at a time all night long.  Makes for a bad next day.

First thing I guess is cot selection.  I was worried about carrying too much and looking like a wimp, but I am past that.  Tired and sore all day seems to throw cold water on that idea.

So... what do I want?

Take your own tent. Or start hammocking. Go to bed when you want. Sort your sleep issues at home, and camp will probably follow. Mind you, camp is always a battle, I usually go to bed and am mulling over the days events and pondering tomorrow's. Never a great combo for sleep.

Ian (48)

12 hours ago, cocomax said:

The people running the camporee made a point of saying that the girls winning best troop proves that girls belong in the BSA and that now the boys need to step up their game so that they can keep up with the girls.

Sunday morning the boys in my troop were wondering out loud  *IF* they ever go to another  camporee that had 3 girl patrols instead of just one, would the girls automatically win first second and third in every event? 

The boys in my troop are not happy.

I'm not surprised they aren't happy! That's terrible. I'd guess this will be difficult to resolve with the organisers without one or more of them taking umbrage, but I do think such blatant gaming needs nipping in the bud.

And apologies @Eagledad it's clearly more as you suspected/stated than I argued. I was wrong.

18 hours ago, Eagledad said:

adults will praise the great leadership of the weaker sex as well.

And maybe the girls were smart enough to realise there would be people that think like this and would re-double their efforts and be extra motivated to do well to prove them wrong. As it turns out, even if they did prove them wrong, those people belittling them would find another reason why it wasn't actually the girls efforts that got them where they are.

Handy tip: If you're ever standing with my Explorers Scouts, don't ever refer to the girls as the weaker sex, they would...not be impressed.

Start with an overnight? Or a weekend nearby?

Yup, they are "mine". I was at a leader day the other week and I knew one of the leaders there, I told the others she was one of "my" Venture Scouts, which then made us both feel old, as Venture Scouts was replaced in 2002 in the UK.