desertrat77

@@Stosh, I concur, the sheet bend is a great knot. In no particular order, it is in my top three, along with the square knot and taut line hitch.

One of my favorite memories of my first 50 miler: camping in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Watching the bats do their thing as dusk faded into night. Then we moved to AK. Skeeter coils, nets, and big cans of Cutters were standard gear.

JTE drives.... Quantity over quality. Form over substance. Add some of the worst software in the history of computing, and you've got a program that will keep managerial types in meetings for weeks on end. We shouldn't quantify everything. Sometimes having steady membership who enjoy a great program is success enough.

+1

Uncle P, Those homework merit badges can be painful. I recall when I was a scout how annoying some of them could be. But it's all part of the character building aspect of scouting. Persevering, gritting your teeth, completing the task. Thanks for the additional insights regarding your nephew's circumstances. Others have said it better previously, but I think that scouting can be a game-changer for many youth who are isolated and have family challenges. It's encouraging to see a scout who was never really social meet new friends at camp, and then they are inseparable for the rest of the week--going to activities together, sitting around shooting the breeze, etc. It is spontaneous and when the scouts do this on their own initiative, it really helps them grow. When I was a boy, I know how much scouting helped me. Truly, it was my home away from home. Things may be awkward at first, but please encourage your nephew to stick with the program, even when there are bumps in the road. The positives are far greater than the negatives.

Now that you mention it...my experiences with ATT home internet have been quite horrible.

That would be a great start!

My daughter's Venture crew put out flags for the veterans in a local cemetery today.

I hope our new president can influence the IT situation at National. Irving's IT department is in dire need of direction. Someone needs to guide them into 2016.

Howdy Uncle P, welcome to the forums! I guess my main question is this: who is driving the goal? Your nephew--or other family members? The trail to Eagle is one that the scout must make. Yes, he receives help and encouragement from friends and family. But he's got to hike it himself. The sole issue I have is not with the plan itself (it is sound) but that you did the research and outlined it for the scout. Eagles (and Eagles-to-be) are supposed to be self starters. If your nephew wants to be an Eagle, he needs to formulate his own plan. It may not as be as polished as yours, nor as linear. But the scout must take these actions himself if he is going to really learn the lessons needed to become an Eagle. May I offer a recommendation? Please table your draft and encourage him to write his own plan. On the other hand, he may not be interested in timelines or plans. That's okay too. He'll figure it out along the way.

Great outdoors-folks like Bear and Mike Rowe, and others like them, will never get hired. Sorry to say. Remember, the same people that signed off on the water gun and bubble ball bans are the hiring authorities.

+1

David, thanks, I understand where you are coming from.

This is a hobby horse of mine. Kindergarten graduation ceremony, fifth grade, etc...what are they graduating from? What have the really accomplished? They've completed a grade. Congratulations, enjoy your summer. The ceremonies and superlative awards? Teacher ego building. And reassurance for mummy/daddy, their offspring are indeed the special snowflakes that they are raising them to be. Same in scouting. The kids know baloney when they see it. And they will applaud true accomplishment when they see it. Our kids are so much smarter than we give them credit for. At my daughter's high school, the principal cut the graduation ceremony from 3+ hours down to 1.5. And it's just as dignified. Favorite memory: on the last day of school in the 6th grade, Mrs. Larson brought in a huge batch of delicious homemade tacos, and we all ate six or seven each while watching a Western movie. Then she said something like "I've enjoyed being your teacher, good luck in junior high." School's out for summer! I've been a participant in some academic ceremonies since then, but I'd trade them all for some tacos and an old cowboy movie.

Then let's keep the awards to a minimum--Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, AOL. And eschew the participation ribbons and "I Tied My Shoes!" type of patches. The boys do not need an award every time they do something. Most will see these things for what they are and assign little to no value to them. Scouting memories come from experiences as the result of a solid, active program, not the abundance of cheap awards.

David, In scouting, I've found that in situations like this, the adults are just reassuring themselves. The scouts are okay and remarkably balanced, as long as they are having fun. The scouters and the parents put much more stock in the cheap handouts. The scouts see right through it. Plus, it's an adult ego thing. "Look at the grand gesture I made."

A quick SM conference is in order. Talk about what happened. Discuss the effect it had. Outline expectations and consequences for the future. And that's it. Turn the page. No need to pin a scarlet "coke snorter" badge on him. The behavior was inappropriate and immature, but it is certainly not the crime of the century.

New COs are always a challenge.... If I'm understanding correctly, it seems that geographical proximity is important in your case. If 15 - 20 minutes seems a long ways then it would probably be best to let different COs charter each unit right there in town. I know it seems inconvenient to split the units, but if the town is small, it shouldn't be an issue. I think it is fortunate that you have folks willing to be a CO. When I was stationed in CA years ago, I tried for a year to find an organization to sponsor a Venture crew. Not a single one would commit.

Agreed. The water gun/balloon decisions had all the earmarks of the "sedentary scouter" syndrome. Think about the last time you were at a high-energy scouting event: water gun fight, no-rules water polo at camp, etc. Those in the game: completely committed and having fun. Ninety percent of the bystanders: keeping an eye out for things that may cross the line, but otherwise smiling and understanding the enthusiasm of the participants. Ten percent of the bystanders: aghast, appalled, unsure, worried. They themselves would never have been involved in such a free for all, and if they had their say, the event would have never happened. Well well well...that ten percent now works at Irving, and they will have their say....

Beavah, with all due respect to Mr. RichardB, the last few times he provided links or supporting documentation from National, it didn't work so well. Weaknesses and loopholes big enough to drive a truck through. Not blaming him personally. I don't think he did it on purpose. I think he and his fellow pros are in the unenviable position of having to carry Irving's water...which is part of their job, true, but Irving is famous for issuing poorly written/disjointed policy.

Serious question from a non-WBer: What was the point of the assigned project? Though I appreciate the hard work that went into the research and page building, frankly it seems like a big homework drill. The criteria for all these awards can be found in current BSA literature. A search engine can find them quickly.

Stosh, interesting to ponder. AOL is the final mile of the modern day Cub Scouting Forced March That Never Ends, with lots of geegaws and participation ribbons along the way (not all packs, but many give out that stuff). I think the cubs could handle the challenge, but there would be too many upset parents. Others know better than I, but isn't there already a big drop out rate after AOL?

Mr. Bob, "...GET SHOT DOWN!" Lol, that made my day ! She was articulate and knew how to conduct herself in public. Standing around chatting with us, she had a good sense of humor about her award, viewing it with a big grain of salt. Zero diva stuff. Concur--the scout is an Eagle, regardless of chronology.

Vumbi, though I carped a bit about that SM, things went well after he was gone. The next three were all good leaders and knew the right way to encourage, correct, and mentor. I'll give Mr. Scornful his due--I grew a darn tough hide when I was his SPL and he played his games. Not a bad outcome, in retrospect. Your COH sounds great, and I truly wish I could have done something similar. Though I was The New Guy, five scouts very kindly invited me to fold into their joint ceremony. It was a big to-do...Lowell Thomas Jr. was keynote speaker. A retired gent who flew many missions during the Berlin Airlift presented my medal. And Miss Teenage America was there. Though I will always appreciate the kindness of inviting me to be a part of the ceremony, I must admit it was a bit empty for me. No friends present and after the formalities, it was a bit of a Huck Finn moment of "what do I do now?" But I made some great new friends in due course. All that to say I think a small but heartfelt ceremony like yours will always be more meaningful than any giant production.

After I passed my board of review, my family moved before National officially approved everything. New state, new council, new troop. My new SM took great joy--and I use those words specifically--in pointing out every error I made and always arriving at the conclusion that I was a pretty sorry Eagle. (Interesting that he was an Eagle as well.) I could take feedback, and I certainly made mistakes. But the SM's added/extra condescending/scornful nature, plus the Eagle guilt trip, got a bit heavy at times. I was very relieved when he resigned and a good SM took his place. I really grew and learned a lot under his leadership. The rank should be difficult to earn, and the expectations are high, by all rights. But there is a proper way to all do that. The constant sniping ("you call yourself an Eagle scout?") just got old.