DancesWithSpreadsheets

I got mine from Supply Captain

http://www.supplycaptain.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=14

Regards,

DWS

Actually the Silva compasses sold in the U.S. since about 1995 are not made in Sweden, but in the far east (China, Indonesia, I'm not real sure). Brunton did own Silva of Sweden and sold its compasses in the U.S. under the Brunton name, but I think that the Silva company was sold again and who knows who is making the Brunton baseplate compasses.

If I were buying a compass today,Suunto would be my first choice.

Regards,

DWS

Make sure you hit the save button at the bottom of the screen when you make any changes. It seems obvious, but that one tripped me up for quite a while.

Regards,

DWS

Basement, for about $20 you can get a professionally manufactured version of the pop-can stove.

www.whiteboxstoves.com

Not as cheap as the homemade version, and lacks the satisfaction of doing it yourself, but it does comply with BSA requirements.

Regards,

DWS

Wow, a sextuple post! I think we have a new record!

Regards,

DWS

Interesting Alabama, but one question.

If I'm reading this correctly, when it's time to cook, you put the stuffing and chicken in the quart bag, then add water, seal and wait, so other than possibly heating water in, what's the bowl for and why do you put it in the bag if you are using the plate to eat off of?

Regards,

DWS

No photos or calendar events since May 2010, no newsletter since 2009, are they still in business?

Regards,

DWS

Using Firefox, the sidebar looks the same as ever, but when I tried it with Explorer, it takes up about 40% of the screen. Simple fix: switch to Firefox.

Regards,

DWS

I thought of that too, although it always sounded like they were calling him Dandis Moore:

Dandis Moore, Dandis Moore,

Riding through the land.

Dandis Moore, Dandis Moore,

without a merry band.

He robs from the poor,

and give to the rich...

stupid b****.

Regards,

DWS

Well if you can't get the bank account information, one way to get the info you need would be to check with your candy supplier to determine how much product was purchased (and how much, if any, was returned) and see if the sales the DL is reporting agrees with the total.

You could try telling him the CO needs detailed reoords in case of an IRS or state audit.

Regards,

DWS

Yoda would have been a bit irritated as well.(This message has been edited by DancesWithSpreadsheets)

I see a lot of posts in this thread that suggest that a troop should have an explicit policy that is not responsible for loss of or damage to cell phones or other electronic devices. I wonder if that would imply or suggest that the troop is somehow responsible for loss or damage to other personally owned equipment, e.g. tents, packs, sleeping bags, stoves...

Such a policy could open up a whole new can of worms.

Regards,

DWS

Edited to correct imply/infer mental malfunction.(This message has been edited by DancesWithSpreadsheets)

I have to agree with what Hawkrod said. An inexpensive tent for Cub Scouts is a good idea because one, it is likely to be abused (especially the zippers), and two, when they're ready to move up to a quality tent they will have a better idea of what to look for and they will appreciate it and care for it more. (I know that was the case with me).

Coleman makes some fairly inexpensive dome tents, and the quality is not terrible.

Regards,

DWS

Yes, that's the poly-wool shirt that was discussed here earlier, but note that it is dry-clean only. A nice shirt for pros and council/district pooh-bahs but not very functional for wear in the field by scouts and unit scouters.

Regards,

DWS

But E92, to actually use the neckerchief for one of those multitude of useful purposes, you generally have to take it off, so then you'd be out of uniform. So perhaps we should carry an extra one in our back pockets in case we find a use for it, but then the one around our neck becomes superflous. A bit of a casth 22 it seems to me.

Regards,

DWS

First a disclaimer, I don't use Quickbooks or any of the other packages mentioned, so I don't know the specifics of those packages.

That said, from an accountant's standpoint, I think that Scout accounts should be treated as accounts payable, a liability (probable future cash outflow) that the unit owes to the individual scouts. Fundraising money comes in, you debit cash and credit A/P. Most accounting packages designed for small businesses should be able to handle A/P sub accounts (i.e. accounts for individual creditors that roll up to an overall control account for reporting purposes) so as long as you set it up that way they should be fairly easy to track.

HTH,

DWS

Nice review OEAE, I like the objective comparison of the lights you selected.

LED flashlights are great, and they represent a giant technological step over their incandescent predecessors. The biggest problem with inexpensive LEDs is not that they aren't bright enough, but that they emit too much light. There are times when you want as much light as you can get (SAR scenarios come to mind) but most of the time when camping you want just enough light to do the job.

Most mid to high end LED lights have some sort of brightness control, either multiple levels of brightness, or (my preference) a continuous range of brighness.

For most scouting activities I think a micro light like the Photon Freedom light is perfectly adequate, in fact I carry one on my keychain all the time (and I don't carry a bunch of other EDC items) Its amazing how often having a little extra light caomes in handy.

If you need something bigger, the Photon Proton Pro is the Freedom's big brother. Single AA light, with a secondary red LED, full range brighness adjustment (for both colors as well as signalling modes. A very nice light that can be had for less than $40.

Photon Freedom: http://www.batteryjunction.com/phfrmipesafl.html

Proton Pro: http://www.batteryjunction.com/proton.html

Regards,

DWS

Not a recommendation, as I have not seen one in person, but I was browsing on REI.com recently and I noticed this:

http://www.rei.com/product/816211/gerber-compact-scout-knife

Lockback, 2.5" blade, 3.3" folded, $14.95, it looked like something I'd consider for my Cub Scout.

Anybody seen one of these up close?

Regards,

DWS

I have a friend who owns her own business. She tells me that when she hires a supervisor, she insists that they either have a college degree or have served in the military. Not because they need any particular technical knowledge, but, as she puts it "it show that they can put up with an unlimited amount of S**t on an ongoing basis, and that's what they need if they're going to work for me".

College graduates and military veterans (and Eagle Scouts?) have a track record, with everyone else you take your chances.

Regards,

DWS

"Let's take Buddhists out of the mix for this discussion. I know the BSA recognizes them and that is fine."

If you concede that BSA does not require belief in a god-head in the case of Buddists, what are we dicsussing? Whether those with beliefs other than Buddism should be allowed the same consideration?

"If the only reason a boy is going to church is to fulfill the 12th point of the Scout Law, that isn't reverent. And if the boy has no belief in the God the church is worshiping, going to that church just to fulfill the 12th point of the Scout Law then he is a hypocrite."

If the only reason a boy is acting cheerfully is to fulfill the 8th point of the Scout Law, and he really doesn't feel cheerful, does he fail that point? If seems to me that the one of the reasons to have a Scout Law is to get boys to do things they might not otherwise do. If they come to us already living the oath and the law, what do they get from the program?

Regards,

DWS

You could make perforations where the flag is to be cut so the cutting would be quick and easy but still allow the flag to be displayed intact.

Just a thought.

Regards,

DWS

I'll second what BasementDweller said about WalMart tents, some of them may by good, but you never know what you're getting. My wife bought one for us a few years back, 10 x 14 or thereabouts with a screened porch. We used it for some family camping and for a couple of years of Cub Scout camping.

It does have plenty of room, and the porch is nice to stow your gear in or to wait out a short rainstorm, but it weighs about 35 pounds and is a bear to put up, six different kinds of poles, and a rainfly that barely covers the top. (Did I mention my wife bought it?)

I never could get it to set up right, the corners seemed to always be staked in the wrong place, and the floor would not lay down flat, always turned up at the sides. We tried everything, staking out opposite corners first, staking the middle first, etc. It finally dawned on me, the tent is not square, the corners are not sewed together at right angles! No matter how you set it up it's always going to look sloppy.

Earlier this year I bought an Alps Mountaineering Meramac 6 (10' x 10') through Scoutdirect and I am a much happier camper. The quality of construction is far better, it's easy to set up and it weighs less than half of the Ozark Trail monstrosity.

Regards,

DWS

Thanks for the clarification Brent, and the link.

Regards,

DWS

@Brent: hops, really? Hops are added to beer as a flavoring agent, they don't really add to the alcohol content, that part comes from grain; barley, corn or wheat usually. Why in the world are they producing fuel from hops?

Regards,

DWS

Do you really think they are going to mark these down below the melt value?

If they do, put me down for as many as they've got to sell.

Regards,

DWS