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CalicoPenn

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Everything posted by CalicoPenn

  1. I've been spending some time searching for additional information, somewhat sparse but out there, on the fire. What I've found, though, fleshes out more of the story, and confirms my belief that the BSA should have settled. I found an article about the fire posted by the Deseret News that gave the name of the fire, and the time frame - the East Fork Fire, June 2002 (most large wildland fires are given operational names, though sometimes the names are duplicated - there are a few "East Fork Fires" out there, but knowing it was in Utah in June 2002 helped alot). From there, I was able to
  2. gwd - great idea! Even if the Guides do it, it's still not a bad idea for a different older Scout to do this pre-Scoutmaster Conference review. Fuzzy, I can relate to the whole clove hitch thing, though for me it's the square knot. I can tied a square knot in my sleep, yet lately, I'd say about 4 out of 10 square knots I tie end up being granny knots instead. (sigh). Calico
  3. This past summer, I set up my camp near a Boy Scout troop. Part of my routine after setting up camp is to "police the area", picking up leftover trash in my campsite (I rather dislike the idea of living among other people's trash, even if it is just for a night or two). Rangers and Campground Hosts invariably mention how much cleaner my site looks after I "move in". I use a trash-picker gadget someone gave to me that I always keep in my truck. My activities gained the interest of the Scouts and their leaders as they watched me pick up the trash and continue to pick up trash along the road
  4. Barry's advice on "boy-led", shared by Sr540Beaver, is an excellent example of a good program "tweak" that follows the spirit of the rules to benefit the lads. In this case, following the letter of the rules would have been a disservice to the lads. The only thing I might have added to Barry's advice (don't mean to be presumptuous) is that if the adults are doing planning/leading that should be done by the boys but they still aren't ready for it, they should still involve the boys - the adults shouldn't make the plans alone, they should work with the lads to make the plans - the first co
  5. Is your mouse button set to "doubleclick" when you click once? In some of the "older" operating systems, there was an option under "Control Panel - Mouse" that allowed one to enable a function that would automatically change a single click of the mouse button to a double click. You might check to see if you have that option and if so, is it enabled. It was also sometimes found under "Control Panel - Accessibility". Most of the newer operating systems don't have this because double-clicking is no longer required most of the time (it used to be common that you had to double-click everything
  6. Doesn't it all just boil down to one thing? Our judgement? The rules are the rules, the program is the program, but if insisting on following the letter of the rules is getting in the way of the lad's enjoying the program, shouldn't we be tilting more to the lad's favor? The thing we sometimes forget to take into consideration is that every person is different, and while the rules will apply in the vast majority of time to the vast majority of Scouts and Scouters, there will always be exceptions. A kid being held up for Tenderfoot for 2 years because he can't do a pullup? What the hec
  7. For a good pair of boots on a budget, check out the Hi Tec line - available at Sports Mart/Sports Authority, and at many hiking stores. I've never had a problem breaking them in (they've worked well for me in less than 10 minutes of wear) if the fit is proper. Calico
  8. It seems there are a few ideas as to why Hoagies are called Hoagies but the most commonly accepted is that Italian immigrant ship builders who worked on Hog Island, an island on the Delaware River near Philadelphia often had large meat and cheese filled sandwiches made by their wives for lunch. When "someone" decided to make and sell sandwiches like this, the "someone" called them "Hoggies" after the island where they were first seen, and this eventually became "Hoagies" likely because of the regional dialectical pronunciation of the word "Hoggies". There are a few other theories as how
  9. It all depends on what is meant by "take part". The Pack shouldn't expect the Den Chief to sell items like flower bulbs, popcorn, etc. - he's not one of the boys in the Pack and should be doing things like this for his own unit. The Den Chief is a leader in the Pack, and should be helping out with Pack/Den fundraising in a more administrative/training role - within the Den he serves (not the Pack as a whole) - similar to what a Pack would expect a Den Leader's role to be. This means helping the Cubs develop sales skills/techniques (perhaps with role playing exercises), helping them keep
  10. First rule of fundraising: No means Maybe. Second rule of fundraising: Maybe means Yes. Third rule of fundraising: Yes means "There's more where that came from" Fourth rule of fundraising: There is no such word as No Substitute volunteer recruitment for fundraising - same rules apply. Eamonn, the problem is that British politeness - time to try some American Cowboy brusqueness - I always find the following works well if delivered with just the right tone of calm menace: "No - and if you ask me again, I'll tear out your spleen". They'll be so busy trying to figure out where
  11. The reason that digging a hole is no longer best practice is that it doesn't fit into the Leave No Trace philosophy. By the same token, simply slinging the water about doesn't fit into the Leave No Trace philosophy either, though it is much closer to good practice. Digging a hole was encouraged at one time so that food waste in the dishwater could be buried. Simply slinging the water around means whatever food waste is in the water will be spread out over a (relatively) wide area, and likely be caught up in the leaves and branches of plants that happen to get in the way of the water. B
  12. I'm going to softly disagree with Beavah et al on this one. I say softly because I don't disagree with what they're saying, and I'm not disagreeing based on the idea that if he completed the requirements, he gets the rank - I'm disagreeing based on what is being stated in this particular case. I've read through Lisa's post a few times to make sure I didn't miss something, but it doesn't seem like I am - I'm not seeing anything here that states this Scout lacks Scout Spirit, or isn't following the Scout Law or Oath, or isn't performing his responsibilities. What I come away with after re
  13. Fantastic news! Proof the system works the way it should. Congratulations to your son. And congratulations to you for not giving up when the instinct was to declare the situation hopeless. CalicoPenn
  14. Gonzo, I've been familiar with Phelps' brand of religious activism for a long time. Not many people are aware that Phelps celebrated the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the death of the astronauts aboard on his web site. I don't think I've ever seen the name Phelps and the word Decency used in the same sentence. I'm not sure he has the decency to be decent. Calico
  15. No one has yet commented on what I think the most important part of the post is.
  16. Don't forget that part of what needs to be done is to train the boys too - Questions get asked of the PL/SPL - the adults telling the boys to "go ask your PL/SPL" reinforces this idea. I've found that the most difficult obstacle to overcome is when a Scout's parent is one of the leaders - it's common for a Scout to go to mom/dad and ask a question. In my Troop, there was no Mom or Dad. During Scout-time, Bobby Smith's dad wasn't "Dad", it was "Mr. Smith". And unless it was an emergency situation where the natural instinct was to yell out Dad, every time "Dad" was addressed as "Dad" and
  17. What I'm about to post may not sit well with some people on the forum so let me start out by stating that Phelp's plans to picket the 9-year old cub scout's funeral is absolutely deplorable and repellent and shame on him. That being said, the ACLU's position on the laws banning protests at military funerals (passed specifically due to the actions of Phelps and his band of followers) is spot on and I suspect that the courts will eventually declare the bans to be unconstitutional prohibitions against free speech and expression. We may not like it some of the manifestations, but free speech
  18. I've thought more about the veto power and I'll back off from the position that the Scoutmaster doesn't have verto power - but state that the Scoutmaster shouldn't have veto power except in the most egregrious cases - I'm of the mind that boy-led means boy-led, and part of this equation is the boys need to be allowed to live the consequences of their decisions. The Scoutmaster is there to counsel, guide, train, advise and coach. The boys choice might make the job more difficult at times, but that's the game we play. As for the SPL and PLC who isn't doing the job because they know the ad
  19. You're right to have bad feelings over this. Unless there was some serious violations of rules leading to health and safety issues, the SPL serves at the pleasure of the YOUTH members of the troop - NOT the Scoutmaster. The youth may nominate anyone they choose to be SPL - the Scoutmaster does not get veto power over nominations or the boy's choice for SPL - not before the election, not after the election. The only time the adults should be removing an SPL is if there are serious violations of rules - and then that lad should not only be removed as SPL but also from the troop - in other wor
  20. I'd expect that the Scouts would question authority if they believed this was the correct course of action. Indeed, I would consider it something to be expected of a Scout that is following the Scout Law. In the 7th point of the Scout Law - aka A Scout is Obedient - we tell Scouts that it is ok to question authority when we say "If he feels that these laws are wrong he attempts to change them rather than simply to disobey". I'd expect the Scouts to follow that same line of reasoning when it comes to "facts" being disseminated. We should be encouraging the Scouts to question the facts
  21. I see a commonality in the examples of appeals to National that have resulted in National reversing the EBOR and awarding the rank. They common factor is that the initial EBOR denied rank based on measurements of subjective standards - things like Scout Spirit and Morally Straight. We measure these by our own experiences, our own beliefs, and our personal values, and they don't have a universally right or wrong answer (no matter how much some of us want to insist that they do) thus they are subjective. Objective measurements are those which have a right answer for everyone. Earn the proper
  22. Hmmm, is it just me or does anyone else see a potential WB ticket item. Council must be able to provide some numbers on how many of each merit badges was earned in the council per year - Perhaps someone could work with Council Advancement to create a two column "menu" of MB's for counselors with a "no more than 4 from Column A (popular) AND no more than 8 from column B (less popular)" rule. Or to make sure as many Merit Badges as possible are covered, for every 2 MB's chosen from Column B, you can choose 1 from Column A - up to 4 Column A badges. Just thinking "out loud" Calico
  23. Oh, let's not forget the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms (saving or attempting to save a life at extreme risk to oneself) for saving his dear ol' dad from a potential heart attack from the physical exertion of mowing the lawn, all while manuevering a dangerous, bladed machine. Calico
  24. Sounds like an accounting nightmare waiting to happen. One can only hope a number of the units and/or their Chartering Organizations get together and tell Council to go scratch. This is nothing more than Council-level dues to families couched in "fair share" terms. What will the Council do if units refuse to play along by not participating in FOS or Popcorn Sales, and just send in their regular dues just like normal? What's next, going to each Chartering Organization and charging them a per-head count for the number of people registered? Calico(This message has been edited by CalicoP
  25. Hello Pat - and an echo of Trevorum's welcome. What Trevorum describes is what I know as an "Indian Grommet". It can be used with a tarp or with a tent. On a tarp, it is used to attach a length of line (rope) to a corner where there is no grommet or the grommet has come apart. Place a small roundish stone on the tarp at the corner then fold the corner over to wrap the stone - the stone needs to be completely covered, but you don't need to overdo the wrapping - tie the line around the tarp below the wrapped stone - the stone keeps the line from slipping off the tarp. The bigger th
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