walk in the woods

8 hours ago, elitts said:

So given that data, we have to conclude one of a few things must be true.

1. Something about the US leads to criminality at drastically higher rates than everywhere else in the world;
2. The US is just amazingly better at arresting and convicting criminals than everyone else in the world;
3. The US puts more people in jail for longer periods of time than everyone else in the world.

4. the US is in general a freer society, in the sense of negative freedoms, at least for now, therefore more people are likely to make bad choices

5. The US places, or at least used to place, a higher value on personal responsibility and accountability.

6. People in the US are more likely to flaunt government over-regulation of their personal life choices.

Comparing the US to individual countries in the EU is an apples to oranges comparison even if using rates.  It would be more appropriate to compare the US to the entire EU for a legitimate comparison just on a population and diversity basis.

3 hours ago, Double Eagle said:

If you aren't going to have fun at camp as a SM, why would you go? 

To get away from my now ex-wife! :). 

22 hours ago, Sentinel947 said:

That doesn't mean we can't make common cause with the BLM movement on areas of agreement, but it would preclude a blanket endorsement. 

Get serious.  Here's an interview with one of the founders of BLM.  At the 6 minute mark she talks about being a "trained Marxist."  The Postmodern progressive movement isn't interested in a diverse group of people singing scout vespers around the campfire.  

37 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

AAAAAOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo

Man, that felt good 😜

You forgot Werewolves of London.

1 hour ago, Snowball said:

When I googled what are employers looking for this is what I found.

What are employers looking for

• Communication skills
• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Dependability
• Teamwork
• Flexibility
• Self-reliance
• Eagerness to learn
• Confidence
• Work ethic
• Determination
• Problem-solving skills
• Positivity
• Ambition

This sure sounds like what a youth gets out of Scouts to me.    These days many kids have low self esteem so my thought is to use the tag line, "What makes you stand out?" Getting them to think standing out is not being the star athlete, first in your class academically, etc. but it can be helpful, loyal, flexible, dependable etc.   

"This sure sounds like what a youth gets out of Scouts to me."

It does, but it also sounds like 4-H, FFA, organized sports, Boys and Girls Club, Band, Drama Club, etc.

I'd start by figuring out who you are competing against for these girls time, what differentiates you from the options available to them, then sell the differentiation.  If you try to sell the stuff on your list you are no different than all the other options, at which point you have to compete on price and convenience.  You'll lose that fight more than you win it.

Don't know that I'm driving at anything.  I'm just confused.  In August of 2018 you wrote in your "OA Ordeal Question" thread:

Quote

Well, we just got back from a troop meeting where the Scoutmaster was disrespectful to my son, questioned everything, wouldn't sign a merit badge card because he has been busy attending Sea Scout meetings rather than the Troop meeting.  He asked me point blank in the car if he can quit the troop now or does he have to wait until after his Ordeal weekend.  Can he just go with being a member of the Ship vs. the Troop that voted him in?

Then in September 2018 in your "Some people have some nerve thread:

Quote

Not surprisingly my favorite scoutmaster put out an email that for anyone going to the OA Fall Assembly they needed to email her, then when emailed she said my son and I needed to see her first.  ummm, no, that isn't how it works she doesn't control OA attendance.  Some gaul she has....

then in your July 2019 thread "Invisible Scouts" thread:

Quote

So our Charter Org Rep makes a big deal about our troops first ever scout going to World Jamboree to the entire troop email and asks them to send him care packages.   The troop has been around for a long time so he is making a big deal so it makes sense.  Of course my son who is in the troop and also going to World Jamboree isn't mentioned at all....  He tells me at dinner tonight "they don't even know I exist".  He transferred in a year ago and basically feels invisible.   COR knows he is also going....

I feel like sending mail to the COR and saying "Way to go jerk....."

It just seems like you've had an adversarial relationship with the troop/troops for a while. 

3 hours ago, mashmaster said:

On his first work day he had many members from his old troops so I think I can safely say it was ammicable.  Not sure why you would doubt that?  

Well, you're complaining that members of his former units weren't supporting his project.  Former being the operative word.  Just because one party believes a break up is amicable doesn't imply both parties do.  

You didn't answer my question though about his shipmates.  Did they show up to work?

3 hours ago, mashmaster said:

Yes it was, 

As defined by you I suppose.  Did the troops think it was amicable?  Beyond that, did his shipmates show up?

@CynicalScouter where did you come across this letter?  Are you involved with a Law Enforcement Post?

It is inevitable.  Been happening in tech for some years now.  See https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/12/tech-industry-has-an-ugly-master-slave-problem/.  You'll note in the article Yale stopped using the title master for the heads of their respective Colleges.  The BSA has already signalled their virtue, they will have to submit to every demand moving forward.

12 minutes ago, David CO said:

I don't anticipate the guillotine for myself or my friends, but a more symbolic decapitation is already occurring.  Statues of Father Serra (a Catholic saint) have been beheaded.  One was illegally pulled down by protestors as a part of the Juneteenth celebrations in San Francisco.  

From my point of view, these are celebrations of anti-Catholic bigotry.  But so long as acts of anti-Catholic bigotry are conducted under the cloak of Black Lives Matter and Juneteenth, they shall enjoy the protection and support of local officials, liberal journalists, and BSA.

I saw that.  Also statues of Washington and Grant.  The mob won't be satisfied with anything less than the full destruction of all that has come before.

15 hours ago, David CO said:

At least he is being honest.  It makes one wonder exactly how many "Trump supporters" is too many.  

 

Now that the BSA has fully prostrated itself before the postmodern mob, even 1 will be too many.  I'm sure the guillotines are being sharpened as I type.

1 hour ago, TAHAWK said:

  "UK council stops plan to remove statue of scout founder Baden-Powell"  ???

The article has been updated since I posted this morning.

Reuters reports the statue of B-P near Brownsea Island to be removed.

Hmmm, I just saw this article from CNBC with new to me at least information and different from current conventional wisdom.  Quoting:

Quote

“From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said at a news briefing from the United Nations agency’s Geneva headquarters. “It’s very rare.”

Quote

“We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing,” she said. “They’re following asymptomatic cases. They’re following contacts. And they’re not finding secondary transmission onward. It’s very rare.”

Quote

To be sure, asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of the virus appears to still be happening, Van Kerkhove said but remains rare. That finding has important implications for how to screen for the virus and limit its spread. 

1 hour ago, MattR said:

Isn't the google/apple contact tracing app supposed to be ready real soon? I know the API has been out for a week or so.

What I read was they were only providing the API deferring to the governments to develop their own tracking apps.

3 hours ago, SSScout said:

How come I now have a side to side scroll bar and the whole home page (for instance) is not totally visible like before?  

You're not alone.  I had to zoom my browser in to get it all in.  

My comparison point is 2013 so take that FWIW.  These were the highlights to me:

Base price $1175 for participants, $895for staff (reduced for half session)

Troop size of 40 with up to 8 adults; can recruit individual patrols of 10, 2 adults 8 youth, for provisional troops.

Council estimates of 20,000 attendees, initial payments for 12,000.  Initial payments due by end of Sept.

Day of service in local councils vice on site in WV

30 minutes ago, PACAN said:

And don't forget councils will charge their own $66.00 "activity fee" per scout and $42/adult as National has already allowed councils to match up to the National fees last year.

Indeed.  My council already announced $60.  So for us a new scout in Sept is $22 prorated national, $25 new scout, and $20 council for $67at sign up then $126 in October/November for recharter.  Almost $200 lift the first two months plus unis and stuff.  

So a new scout in Sept gets $22 prorated fee for the rest of the year and $25 new scout fee?  Or does the $25 get them the remainder of the year?

13 hours ago, skeptic said:

Of course, this whole thing is beyond the pale anyway, as the fact is, that there is no absolute way to keep warped personalities out of the program, no matter how many barriers are put in place.  And the fact that the percentage of vases, compared to overall membership numbers, is lower than all, or almost all other similar groups makes the situation even more bazaar.  I continue to wonder how taking societal issues from another era into the current one and rendering judgement is in any way rational or justified.

As I and others have stated multiple times, this is not now, nor has it ever been, about compensating victims.  The BSA has been identified by the postmodern deconstructionist as a target to be destroyed due to perpetuating a male-dominated power structure.  Once so identified, no amount of change will satisfy because historical grievances will always outweigh.  The BSA also runs afoul of the postmodernist by using such outdated ideas as a Scout Law (Trustworthy and Loyal are just a social construct built by the powerful) and Scout Oath (Duty is only due to oneself).  Other organizations get a pass because they adapted to the My Personal Truth narrative voluntarily at first pushback.

@carebear3895 not to pry but can you share details?  Did the retirement plan switch from defined benefit to define contribution?  Reduced matching?  Liquidating the pension fund?

1 hour ago, Eagle1993 said:

But many youth live in the city, and camping is a foreign concept to them. City folks can go to museums to identify plants and animals, etc. Our youth need to know how to navigate bus routes and subway systems.

This is the new version of the ISP Urban Hike.

I wonder if BSA gets to develop the campaign or if they just have to fund it without input

1 hour ago, desertrat77 said:

If I recall correctly, JP Morgan has a 450 million dollar lien on Philmont.  I'm not sure what JPM would do with the land, but as you know it's pristine wilderness.  There may be a developer or two that would like the opportunity to turn it into exclusive properties for hunting, vacations, etc.

That's true, to secure existing debt per https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/11/22/boy-scouts-mortgage-vast/.  But here's the problem I see, I did a quick search, and it's only one data point, but here's a listing for a ranch near Cimarron, https://www.landwatch.com/Colfax-County-New-Mexico-Farms-and-Ranches-for-sale/pid/337607531.  It has 50,658+/- acres, listed for $96M.  Do the math and it's roughly $1900/acre.  Assuming Philmont at 140,000 acres,  with a $450M mortgage, it's valued at just over $3200/acre.  That's a heck of a premium.