DancesWithSpreadsheets

I also had problems accessing the site on Tuesday, both from home and work. The error message said something about a server reset. DWS

ScoutLdr, that is not my understanding of how the CFC works. Contributions designated by the donor are supposed to go to the designated charity, period. Contributors who do not specify who their contributions are to go to I think end up giving to a designated "lead agency" usually the local United Way, then those funds are divvied up according to pre-established percentages, but contributions to a specific 501©(3) are supposed to go there, period. I looked at the CFC section on OPM's website to see if I could clarify this, it did not directly address the question, but did clearly indica

I know when I was a youth we... disliked the necker (hate is such a strong word) but it was mandatory with the collarless shirts, so we did the obedient thing and wore them, at least until collared short-sleeve shirts came out. But what if neckerchiefs were to become a restricted item, say that only scouts who were First Class or above and had 15 days of camping experience, basically OA eligible, in order to wear the necker. Do you think that would increase its cachet any? Regards, DWS

So is it just the loops you folks don't like, or the epulets too? To my mind epulets would look pretty odd on a shirt without a collar. While we're making a wish list can I add one thing? A small D ring on a sewn in loop on the inside top seam of the front pockets to secure keys, pocket knives, etc to. Regards, DWS

Personally I'm a fan of freeze-dried backpacking foods, after a full day of hiking boiling water and pouring it in a puch is about all of the culinary activity I'm in the mood for. But I do agree about the educational aspect of it. The only problem is that with s stove like the jetboil you're a little limited in the kinds of cooking you can do. I've never used one, but from what I've seen they're pretty much set up to do one thing, boil water. So I don't really have a recipe for you, but here's a suggestion: get a cooked chicken breast or tuna fish packaged in a foil pouch, some v

Well, I didn't think you were totally serious, but I do think you raised a good point about how CS could be setting up it's participants for a rude awakening when they cross over. Regards, DWS

I don't think we're setting them up for failure, it's more like a gradual progression from spoon feeding them to having them cook for themselves. Webelos Scouting in my view is the critical phase in the transition; this should be where the boys learn that they need to take at least some of the initiative for managing their own advancement. Boys that have been through Cub Scouting at least have a better understanding of how the advancement process works, meet the reuirement, get the badge. Webelos is the perfect opportunity to get them in the habit of planning what they need to do to ge

Congratulations Ken, to you and your son. DWS

No not at all, I'm sorry if I gave that impression. My point (if I have one) is that avoiding one-on-one contact will only protect a scouter if he or she can produce at least one witness, youth or adult, that can say, with some degree of certainty and credibility, that the Scouter was never alone with the accuser, and did not engage in inappropriate conduct. Under the circumstances described in the original post, I don't see how the ASM could do that. DWS

Yes, there may have been hundreds of other people around, but if the scout in question made an accusation, say the next day, would you be able to round up all those potential witnesses to find out what really happened. If you did would they remember one scout and one ASM among so many? Would you be able to reconstruct a timeline to show that they were in the public the whole time and never out of sight of the group? This may not be a technical violation of the YPT, but I for one wouldn't want to put myself in that position. DWS

I think that the Eagle Rank is not one or the other, but has aspects of both. It is a rank, just like Tenderfoot and Life, and if you meet the requirements (including the subjective ones like living the Oath and Law) you should get it. There are no quotas or limits, every boy can earn it, if he puts in the effort. But it is also a recognition that the boy has gone above and beyond, both in acheivement and service and is rightly celebrated as such. But I think to many outside the movement, it is thought of more like a diploma, it means that you went all the way through and "comp

Math and science are not necessarily exclusivly indoor activities or incompatible with traditional Scouting. Celestrial navigation comes to mind as an activity that involes quite a bit of math and science. The science of botany has numerous applications in the area of wilderness survival. Geology, hydrology and other sciences are very useful things for an outdoorsman to know. And having someone trained in civil engineering would be a definite plus on your next pioneering project. Do you really want to discourage young scientists and mathematicians from your program by

Then it has met its intended purpose, you're welcome. DWS

Which workbook are we discussing here? Just for grins I went and downloaded the Eagle Project Workbook linked to from the NESA site. I tried typing in the narrative areas and it word-wrapped and started new paragraphs just fine for me. This was using Acrobat Professional ver 8. URL for the form I looked at: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-927.pdf

I stand corrected, thanks for the reference OGE.

Way back in the dark ages (the mid-70's) the uniform shirts that I had did not have a collar. The neck hole was finished with a wide hem. The neckerchief sat on top of that and was a required uniform item, as the shirt looked rather silly withhout it. I think collared shirts were available for adults, but for youth the official uniform was the collarless shirt. Later, say about 1978, collared shirts for youth became available, and when you wore a collared shirt you did not wear a necker, and if you did I believe it was a rule that the collar be turned under. That may be the origin of the

Not sure if this will work, depending on the adobe version and how the form was set up, but try hitting ctrl-enter to start a new line. DWS

Well, I've been lurking around the edge of the campfire listening to all the interesting conversations, and I think it's time I stepped into the glow of the burning e-logs and introduced myself. I'm a scouting alumnus who aged out in the (very) early 80's who hasn't had much to do with the movement since then. I'm an Eagle Scout and Brotherhood OA member who can't remember the admonition well enough to get into the restricted section of this forum. I have a six year old son who recently joined Tiger Cubs. After trying one pack that recruited at his school and then deciding to switc