mrkstvns
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Posts posted by mrkstvns
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Eagle may be scouting's highest rank, but there are awards that are FAR rarer and more prestigious. The oldest of these is the Silver Hornaday medal. In many years, the number of these awarded nation-wide is in the single digits. Many scouts find their Eagle project to be a daunting challenge. Imagine having to do at least FOUR projects of equal or greater complexity, all of them focused on different areas of conservation....and requiring approval by national. Well, that's the kind of effort a highly motivated scout must have to earn a Silver Hornaday.
My heart soared today at the news that a scout in West Texas achieved this very difficult and prestigious award. (The first time in 108 years that anyone in his council has earned one.)
I am so proud of him.
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17 hours ago, Eagledad said:
Ever do Chili Mac & Cheese? Pretty good. Created it during lean times in college.
I'm not quite sure what you mean. Are you cooking the cheese into the Chili Mac instead of using it as a topping? Or doing something else?
My son likes those boxes of Kraft macaroni & cheese. Not too long ago, he found some leftover taco meat in the fridge and dumped it into his macaroni & cheese. Said it was good, but he's never done it on a campout (though no reason why not...)
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15 hours ago, Liz said:
That's green, about the same color as what I got. It might be OK on a Venturing Uniform, but not so much on a Scouts BSA uniform.
Yeah, it definitely looks too intensely green for a Scouts BSA uniform. Interesting that the one useful review of the product comments on the color (which looks more of a forest green to my eye...)
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I love starting the morning with a hot cup of very strong, very black coffee.
For many years, I've packed a small, plastic Melitta cone coffee dripper. They're durable, washable, and even better --- lightweight. A more practical camping coffee solution has never been invented (and at a mere $4, it's about the cheapest "gadget" in my backpack). Easy to use too: Just set it on top of a coffee cup, insert a small paper filter, add fine espresso ground coffee, then pour hot water over the grounds --- voila! A great cuppa joe!
It might not be your fancy, schmancy espresso machine, but for the practical and frugal outdoorsman, it can't be beat!
https://shoponline.melitta.com/product/Pour-Over-1-cup-brew-cone-black/pour-over-coffeemakers
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On 4/3/2019 at 8:42 PM, HelpfulTracks said:
Nova Counselor and Mentor each require a separate application (I don't remember the codes). They used to require separate training as well, particularly for Mentor. Mentor has some additional requirements based on field of knowledge and for Gold (Venturing) it requires that the Mentor be approved for a specific scout and project.
Position Codes:
- 58 for Nova Counselor
- 52 for Supernova Mentor
Training has been updated in the past year, so even if you've done Nova/Supernova training in the past, it's worthwhile doing the new online course as a refresher. Also, there are quite a few new Nova awards at the Cub, Scout, and Venturer level, so even scouters with quite a bit of Nova program experience would do well to check in on scouting.org to familiarize themselves with the new awards (some of which are quite interesting and will provide some good opportunities to explore new STEM topics).
Note also that Supernova Mentors and Merit Badge Counselors need to fill out an additional form in addition to the Adult Application. These forms specify which specific awards you want to counsel and ask for some brief info on what your qualiifications are for that award.
I definitely agree with the suggestion to keep copies of the Adult Application, as well as your Merit Badge and Supernova Information forms. In our District, there is a long tradition of the District Advancement Committee sitting on these forms, failing to act, failing to communicate approvals/disapprovals, and ultimately, requesting the forms to be re-completed or pretending that the forms never existed. Having the copies handy can save lots of time.
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Supernova Awards Mentor Information form
https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/stem/pdf/514-017_WB.pdf -
Merit Badge Counselor Information form:
https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf
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1 hour ago, MattR said:
It also said leave out the cayenne if you don't want it spicy.
Or double the cayenne if you like to double the pain...
Rolling your own spices is a good idea, but it makes it a bit harder on boys at a campout.
The advantage of the pre-mix is simplicity. The disadvantage is you never get beyond simplicity.
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45 minutes ago, ChadiHani said:
More than 210 tips , a regularly updated album with a lot of scouting tips that help you get the most out of your scouting life . Link : https://www.facebook.com/pg/SGWENVII/photos/?tab=album&album_id=283361791820915
Please show some support to our Page fb.com/SgwenVII
Greetings from Egypt !
Looks interesting...
Do you have it available somewhere other than Facebook?
I can't access anything on Facebook due to security blocks. It would be nice to have useful resources on an open, reliable, trustworthy platform.
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Chili Mac is a staple of almost any family with hungry kids, and it's easy enough to make while camping that legions of scouts and scouters have come up with their own variations on this, rather basic, recipe. Feel free to adapt to your own tastes. (I'd love to hear how other folks make their Chili Mac...)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15-ounce can light kidney beans (or charro beans, or pinto beans)
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 package McCormick's Chili mix
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar, or Mexican cheese blend (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Boil macaroni 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse and set aside. Brown ground beef together with onions and bell peppers. Drain and discard excess fat. In large pot, combine browned meat, macaroni, and all other ingredients. Simmer together about 20 minutes. Optionally, top with cheese and enjoy!
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Got my Death March patch in the mail yesterday! I am a happy camper...
You guys are great!
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2 minutes ago, Jameson76 said:
Funniest thing I've read today
I'd laugh with you if it wasn't so darn sad (and so true).
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41 minutes ago, Haukehaien said:
The color I got (which I now can't find) was called "Dust Tan". ...
I think Velcro makes a clear strip or dots. These might work for some of y'all...
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2 hours ago, qwazse said:
Simple solution: stop using Email. Pay the USPS 50 cents a pop to find your Arrowman.
With email being free, I'd continue to use the email to reach the 80% whose email addresses have stayed the same over the past year, and only pay the "to cents a pop" to send follow-ups to the other 20%.
By the way, I know you're right. I've had more than 10 email addresses over the past decade but only 1 physical mailing address. No contest as to which is the more reliable method to reach me...but that's me, people move too and it could just as easily go the other way.
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4 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:
Last night, I heard the term "double scouts", where the speaker was referring to scouts who were members of two separate scout groups. He compared them to double letter high school athletes. Double scouts? I guess every variety has to have its own label.
Like a Venturer who is also a member of a Boy Scout troop? That's been done for years with no need of a nonsensical adjective of dubious utility.
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25 minutes ago, MikeS72 said:
I spent the weekend assisting with scenarios and skills practice for a WRFA class. There were 3 medical doctors and a nurse teaching.
As each person checking in Saturday morning turned in their Part A & B forms they were asked if there were any issues we should be aware of, and the forms went straight into a folder, where they remained until they were returned Sunday afternoon. No reason to read anything on them.
And you could very easily have just asked the one relevant question without keeping any paper records that have the potential to be abused by people with zero "need to know"....
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11 minutes ago, willray said:
It's not clear to me how a "qualified/not-qualified" checkbox provides the information necessary for a unit to make well-informed decisions about how to deal with a person's medical status in the context of an activity, unless you're proposing that BSA bar anyone from participating in any activity unless a Dr. is willing to certify that there is no possibility that any medical conditions that person may suffer, will have zero effect on the activity. People will encounter situations during activities where their medical conditions have bearing on their treatment. That shouldn't bar them from the activity, but it would be exceptionally un-scout-like to insist that the unit should suffer the burden of trying to assist them in the absence of information that would be helpful in improving their care.
It is not YOUR business whether somebody is fit or not fit. That is between them and their doctor. If the doctor has reviewed the demands/requirements and says "fit", then all you have to do is accept his professional opinion and you are absolved of liability. A waiver would be okay. A detailed medical history is not necessary, no matter how much you, BSA, or the busy-bodies in your troop may think it is. Pretending that there is some special "scout-like" obligation is simply nonsense. Medical info is none of your business. Nobody in the troop has a right to expect that it is.
11 minutes ago, willray said:I certainly don't have a good answer to the problem, HIPAA certainly isn't it.
Never said it was. HIPAA though does set a responsibility on health care organizations to respect an individual's privacy and safeguard their information.
This is the ONLY point that I think should be extended to BSA, schools, camps, and ALL other organizations that ask for any health info: they should respect privacy, safeguard information, and penalties should be imposable for failures to do so. People should be allowed to keep private info private, and organizations that are cavalier about it should be fined, sued or otherwise face consequences. THAT is my point. Exactly how such a policy could be formulated is up to the legislature, but a need for such safeguards is apparent from this discussion.
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3 hours ago, willray said:
Again, I believe someone without knowledge of what HIPAA actually is or does, is advocating for something they don't understand.
Be careful of what happens when you "assume"...
3 hours ago, willray said:What you are advocating for, does not prevent what you want it to prevent: assuming Awanatech is the cognizant individual with responsibility for the health information and medical-preparedness of the unit on an activity, he or she would be allowed by HIPAA to review the medical forms.
Not necessarily. There should be no assumption that Awanatech is a qualified medical professional, therefore, no assumption that ANYBODY in the unit is authorized to review health and medical information. A better approach to extending privacy laws would be for an organization to set health standards and only for a trained medical professional to assess an individual's ability to handle the stress or physical conditions. A simple "Qualified / Not Qualified" checkbox signed by the professional is all the organization really needs.
BSA's health / medical forms are problematic because they disrespect people's privacy. They can do better.
Honestly though, this problem isn't limited to BSA. Schools often have athletic physicals that likewise, request information that could be sensitive and that really is not the business of school coaches, administrators, etc.
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I get it now.
Any kind of boat will do.
Good to know. I know a couple young men who like getting out on the water...
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On 4/5/2019 at 8:37 PM, RememberSchiff said:
Why not use paracord cut to length?
I tried to make my own out of camouflage cord. Now I can't find it...
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On 4/1/2019 at 1:00 PM, RookieScouter said:
Does any know where I can get a short description of each rank? (Lion -Arrow of Light) I'm trying to put together a poster for recruiting and want to give parents an idea of each rank. So they can have an idea of what their children will do over the years as a Cub.
Here are the official descriptions:
https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/what-cub-scouts-earn/the-advancement-trail/
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12 minutes ago, mashmaster said:
You now have two I believe. A new ship just started in Boerne
A naive question: Do sea scout ships actually have boats and really go sailing?
I ask because many of the questions I see coming up about sea scouting seem to have nothing nautical about them.
And now a mention of a ship in Boerne, which by my map is located in central Texas in the heart of "Hill Country". I would make snide comments about that area having no maritime tradition, but somehow, some way, one of America's great naval commanders, Admiral Chester Nimitz, did in fact, grow up in the rocky, dusty, beautiful hills of central Texas.... I guess there are lakes to sail on there, but it's hard to imagine an adventurous maritime program thriving amid hills full of rattlesnakes and cacti...
Soooo, I wonder, Do sea scout ships actually have boats and really go sailing?
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10 hours ago, awanatech said:
... Since I had looked over his med forms, I was able to tell them of his drug allergy before the med form was brought to me.
Hmmmm.
You might think that's a "positive" outcome, but I'm very troubled that any adult is prowling through the medical forms, reading info about everyone in the troop. That is precisely the reason that health care providers are obligated to safeguard health info under HIPAA regulations --- because we, as a society, WANT to have the right to our health information staying "personal".
What you are doing argues strongly in FAVOR of extending HIPAA protections to organizations like BSA, because they clearly cannot be trusted to keep personal information "personal".
I certainly don't know the ideal way to handle personal health information, but I know it's not having you read everybody's health background. It might be to adopt something like the sealed envelope approach that John-in-KC described. It can certainly be done better than today's practice of having binders of forms sitting around, readable by anyone with an inkling to snoop and gossip.
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I, for one, have far more important things to worry about than terminology. For example, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could, in fact, chuck wood?
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10 hours ago, tk71 said:
... I am wrapping up my 2nd year as an ASM in a large Troop (106 boys ...
Wow! That IS a large troop...bet y'all have some GREAT campouts!
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On 3/31/2019 at 8:20 PM, qwazse said:
But, your question implies a "when will it end" aspect. Well a topic, such as this one, that's about girls solely for the sake of talking about people enthused or opposed to girls in scouting, well that is an issue. As such it will always be filed in I&P. I'm fine if it takes a good long while before people stop bringing up the issue.
Agreed.
Girls joining scouts might already be a settled question, but that doesn't mean it's accepted across all units in the organization.
At some point, enough people will see enough postings that show the world didn't end just because a girl decided she liked BSA....and when that happens, they'll all get back to talking about important issues, like whether to use a right-handed tent stake or a left-handed tent stake.
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Wow! FAR beyond mere Eagle...
in Open Discussion - Program
Posted
Precisely.
An Eagle rank is good preparation for the basics in life, and it is definitely admirable that so many boys aspire to the rank.....but it's really no Hornaday.
In 2017, BSA awarded 55,494 Eagle ranks. In that single year, it's more than 5 times the total number of Silver Hornadays awarded over more than a century!
Just like we all applaud our kids when they achieve a high school diploma, we applaud the boys who earn their Eagle. But it's a different kind of accomplishment altogether when a boy earns his PhD. Same with the scouts who have the ambition and drive to complete a Hornaday.
Many (maybe most) scouts view Eagle as the culmination of scouting. Yet there are some great opportunities to go further via OA engagement, camp staffing, venturing, and "above and beyond" award programs like Hornaday, Supernova, and the National Outdoor Awards.
LOTS of room to grow along the Scouting trail...