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CynicalScouter

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Everything posted by CynicalScouter

  1. That's not how ads work. More likely there is just a iframe or box integrated into the website. That box is controlled/operated like a roadside electronic bulletin board that is customized to either a) show ads that have the same key words as the site or b) show ads that have the same key words as your recent searches. The site owner has no knowledge of what ads might popup. There may be a way for them to request that certain advertisers not be in the ad cycle, but they would have to go out of their way to do so.
  2. It is possible that there is simply an auto-generated ad box at the top and that the ad is based on the content of the site and/or you browser or IP search history. I do not think the admins are picking these ads.
  3. That is not what he said. Here's what the actual requirement is. Note the phrases "to the extent possible" and "when possible." And that is for Phase 1 and 2; we are in Phase 3.
  4. Depending on where you are at, there's going to be units-on-paper that last because they can recharter in August with what they have on paper now as people wait it out. For the December recharters, let's see. THAT will be the real telling factor. Random, wild, speculation: 20-40% unit collapse.
  5. Here's the thing, even those with legal expertise disagree. It comes down to how much control did National hold over the Councils and the adult leaders. At this point National is prepared to concede and in fact has conceded in its bankruptcy filings it had SOME control (the fact they kept the perversion files with data from the councils; the fact hat councils only exist at National's say so, that council implement National's policies, etc.) Rather than spending the better part of the next decade hashing out how much (15% liable? 25%?) they are going for this global settlement and inviti
  6. June 25, 2020 To our Law Enforcement Exploring community, national and local agencies, adult advisors, Explorers, and their families: As you know, for over 60 years, Law Enforcement Exploring is a proven, successful program that offers youth career opportunities in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Perhaps the most diverse career field in Exploring, Law Enforcement Exploring serves a community made up of young men and women from many cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. This is one of the many reasons why Law Enforcement Exploring serves as a positiv
  7. Somewhere, you just made your general counsel happy. Great disclaimer work! 😀 And thanks of the rest of the info; this makes sense. I just literally did not know. I did notice that a lot of my former "taleo" no longer appear (e.g. bsalearn.learn.taleo.net)
  8. Does this mean Scouting U is getting nuked?
  9. Heart of Virginia? There are three options AT THIS MOMENT (things can change): 1) The Council joins in with the National bankruptcy plan and pays some amount TBD. Any claims against the Council for past actions are considered closed. That TBD amount is unknown at this point, but councils who are interested in this deal have until a date in the near future to take the first step (turn over all financial records) to the bankruptcy court. 2) The Council decides to go it alone, the plaintiffs finish their suit against National and the Councils that agreed to join in the settlement,
  10. There are lots of elective merit badges with redundant or near-redundant elements (pets vs. dog care?). And no one has to take American Heritage or American Culture
  11. Not a single current merit badge requires any discussion of racism. Then you must object American Heritage, right (Choose THREE groups that have different racial, cultural, national, or ethnic backgrounds, one of which comes from your own background.)
  12. That is ultimately what this boils down to: individual scout accounts funded via proceeds from fundraising for the unit (e.g. Scout gets XX% in their personal account to use as they direct) violates IRS rules, but since those rules won't be enforced (via audit), we are just going to go ahead and do it anyway.
  13. Bankruptcy offsets any such restrictions. If it is a BSA asset (and these are), then it can be forced sold to pay for debts. And it would not be BSA technically selling it; at that point BSA will be forced to turn the rights to the property over to a Bankruptcy trustee (by court order) who will then sell and transfer the proceeds to the creditors/claimants. Playing a shell-game where BSA suddenly tried to transfer these properties back to the original donors would be seen as a ham-fisted effort to try and hide/divert assets subject to a bankruptcy proceeding and would fail. It may actuall
  14. This is a really thorny issue. There are several sets of Bryan on Scouting articles on this topic over several years. The latest I know of is here: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/12/03/individual-scout-accounts/ The BSA also has a publication on this topic, which I find less than helpful personally. There are also IRS letters of various forms out there.
  15. Yes, and GTA explicitly provides this as an example But the SM still has the responsibility to follow up and ensure that the MBC was registered and report if they find a problem after the fact. The other problem is that many of these online mills are being run direct by the councils themselves.
  16. If the SM believes the MBC was invalid or failed to meet the basic minimum standards for the merit badge (read: merit badge mill) they can and arguably should/must file a 11.1.0.0 Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns. Neither 7.0.0.3 nor 7.0.4.6 preclude a review under 11.1.0.0. And this is in addition to the SM review under 7.0.4.7 From the 11.1.0.0 Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns form itself.
  17. As I understand it the issue is not "do you have a signed blue card?" The issue is "I as SM have no record showing the person who signed that blue card is a registered and valid MBC because they are not in Scoutbook, therefore I want to track this down/I want more information." As I said earlier, if this were unit or district/council it would be easy: poke your unit or district advancement chair or poke someone at council to confirm the MBC's status. Easy peasy. But doing it for a MBC that could be half a continent away? Not so much.
  18. And the SM needs to understand that a) not all MBCs are in Scoutbook and b) even the ones in Scoutbook may have lapsed/be no longer registered.
  19. The session may have been, but the Guide to Advancement does not contemplate "council signatures" and that is why your SM may be having a problem. This sounds like a merit badge mill. It is not "the council" that the scout was suppose to have a discussion with or show or demonstrate. It was a particular human being. That human being is suppose to be a registered MBC. That is what is frustrating with these mills. It is suppose to be merit badge COUNSELING. Not a mill where the scout sits there, stares at a screen, and gets a sign off "from council." Even in summer camps when a blue card i
  20. Yeah, that wasn't suppose to happen. It is an MBC that issues the card. Not a council or such.
  21. Part of this is (as I understand it) back in the day the SM had much, much more control over the merit badge counselor system and the phase "scoutmaster approved" was used. Now, GTA says that the SM has to provide a name, but cannot force the issue SO LONG AS THE MBC IS A REGISTERED ONE. And that's where the SM may make inquiry: was this MBC "registered and has been approved by the council advancement committee" in their home council? If not, then you got lots of problems up to and possibly included voiding the merit badge under GTA 11.1.0.0.
  22. The SM meeting requires only that the SM provide at least 1 MBC name. The scout is then free to go to any MBC that is valid and registered. There are virtual merit badge colleges being offered literally around the world (Transatlantic Council). I've had scouts who have signed up for the Virtual merit badge college across the country, THEN go to the SM for the blue card meeting before the college started (e.g. Sign up Thursday, Email SM Thursday night, SM does a virtual meeting/virtual sign off, Merit badge college starts Monday). EDIT: The problem is some SMs are (rightly) openly question
  23. The SM has an a duty to ensure that the blue card was validly signed by a valid MBC. See Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.7
  24. Not all units and/or councils use Scoutbook. A person could be a fully registered and valid MBC and not in Scoutbook because a) they chose not to be or b) the unit they are associated with doesn't use Scoutbook or c) their Council does not use Scoutbook as its MBC list (they use Doubleknot or some other something or other) Under the Guide to Advancement, the SM can (and arguably must) confirm that the MBC was registered and valid. In unit that's simple: the SM double checks with the advancement chair. In council that process is simple: just call (or look up) the Council provided MBC list
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