dsteele

Venturer: I don't understand when people take the time to ask questions that they're perfectly capable of answering themselves. You have a cool Canadian hat. I think that's cool. You know it won't be official when you wear it with an American uniform. However, I checked the grand scheme of things and didn't find Canadian Campaign Hats mentioned in it anywhere. Please feel free to wear your hat and take any conversation as an opportunity to expand the world brotherhood of Scouting. Unc.

I believe it was my post that you are returning. Please help me to understand with no offense intended. You were a Scout. You had no trouble with being sent on a fool's errand and indeed launched a thread looking for "good hazing," but you were terrified of lighting a fire to cook your egg? I don't understand. Something just isn't making sense here. Unc.

What prevented you from cooking the egg? When I took my ordeal, they brought us one raw egg. The smart guys made a fire and heated up a rock. They then fried the egg on the rock and had breakfast. Even the dumb ones like me boiled the egg in a paper cup full of water and ate a hard-boiled egg for breakfast. Unc.

So what exactly is a BKM? I'm up on most Scouting anacronyms, but don't know that one. Unc.

Thanks, John. The secret to my success is finding the hidden dangers/causes/objections to what needs to be done. Expose them and they wilt like leeches in the sun. Hopefully. Unc.

I wonder the same thing myself. Unc.

Setting aside the hazing question for a moment . . . I have more trouble with this lone Scout's search being in violation of the buddy plan. In his happy wanderings, what if he'd become injured or lost? Unc.

Refusing to sign off on a requirement that has not been met is not hazing. Saying, "Nah, nah, nah, nah-nah naaaah" while refusing is hazing. Seems pretty clear to me. Unc.

I've seen numerous references to the DE. I'm curious as to what he/she does all day. What do you think? I happen to believe that they're working very hard, but I'm not sure what they do all day. Thoughts? Unc.

This one requires some illumination, but it's stuck with me since High School: Spoken by the Super in "One Day at a Time" on TV: "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." Message: The path to right isn't always clear, but there is a way. Unc.

If he's signing up his own son, he doesn't need to fill out an adult application at all. He only needs to fill out the bottom part of the Cub Scout application. I don't know if SSN is on there for the parent or if the BSA does criminal background checks on the parents -- I doubt it. The youth SSN is not required. There's a blank for it, but it's not required. Even if he does fill out an adult application, which I think is a good idea, the SSN is required. However, if you look at the unit copy, there is no SSN on it and the carbonless paper won't copy it. Therefore, the only ones who get the SSN are the people who work in the council office and the company that does the criminal background checks. I know about identity theft and understand the concern, but the BSA does not share the information and I raise my eyebrows when someone refuses to give it. Unc.

That's why you should never send an idiot to training. All you get in return is a trained idiot. Unc.

you have shed lux et veritas, Eamonn. Consult your Latin dictionary, or OGE if you need to, but I don't think you will. unc.

I think that the beauty of the "brag vest" lies in it being unofficial. Sure, it's gear bought from the Scout shop, but not a uniform item. If it were a uniform item, I'm sure that someone, somewhere would regulate which patches would be worn and where on the vest. As it stands, you can do whatever you want with it. Be careful what you wish for . . . Unc.

I have absolutely not doubt and absolute faith that the "little voice" we all hear on occasion, comes from a source far, far bigger than ourselves. Most of the time the force is Good. It is a shame that not everyone can hear it and that some choose to ignore it's existance. Bless you! Unc.

Carol -- You're darned tootin' that Michigan has history They fought a war over Toledo and both sides lost. Ohio lost because it got Toledo, and Michigan lost because it had to take the Upper Peninsula as a result! Okay, now I'm in trouble in both states. Unc.

Keep us posted. We've got our cyber fingers crossed for ya! Which may explain the typos! Unc.

A couple of things I'd like to point out: I'll make my points first and illuminate them a bit below that. 1) I would argue that you're CM's plan is still soliciting donations. 2) Fundraising is a function of the pack committee. It is not the job or pervue of the Cubmaster. Illumination of point 1: The card is presented as the pretty much, "Would you like to make a donation to pack Xyz? It will be between $1 and $5. If you do, we'll give you this buy-one-get-one coupon worth up to $8.00. Sounds like a good deal, but it isn't of value unless used by the donor. So, from the donor's perspective -- which does matter -- If I make a donation of $5.00 because I'm unlucky enough to make the wrong scratch, let's see what happens . . . A) Best case, I just paid $5.00 for a coupon I'll probably forget about making a donation that isn't tax deductible and not worth remembering. b) worse case, I pay $5.00 for the coupon. I "treat" my kid to an $8.00 meal at the restaurant and get my $8.00 meal for free. Okay, so I just spent $13.00 to get an $8.00 value. c) The coupon doesn't get used at all and I'm just flat out my $5.00. d) Absolute worst case -- and I saw this happen in High School. The kid selling the donation idea decides 10 years down the road to make up his own organization, and sell scratch cards for the High School Boosters, and pockets the money. Where did he learn that neat little scheme? Actually, the real life example I refer to was selling candy bars, but the example holds. Point 2 will probably result in a spin-off: a) Fundraising is a function of the pack committee. The permit your CM claims was approved had to be signed by (I forget who,) but I know it wasn't the Cubmaster. b) The Cubmaster may have this as a pet project and the reality may be that there is no committee, but there ought to be one. Unc.

Cajun: I'm glad to see that it's working. This may be an issue of "be careful what you wish for" and if you get too many uniforms, I'd ask that you pass some along to other units. I made the suggestion that you appeal to the net for donations, but didn't think it through fully just how far such a request can go. Best of luck. I'll send what I can. Unc.

Bob: Your post does help me It gives more meat to the history of what a Show and Do was and it proves you're older than me! Sorry -- had to stick that last bit in. Unc.

What I find in the article is that there is no mention of a request to alter the age maximum, although it sounds like either young man would have been able to obtain it. My congrats to these Eagles! Unc.

At the risk of showing my age, at least in Scouting, you, Summit911 are reaching farther back than you know. The original Show-and-Do (or variations on that spelling) go back some 40 years to the late 1960's. It was indeed a training for SPLs and Scoutmasters to take together. By the Late 1970's it had evolved into the Scout-O-Rama, or Scout Show, in which the public was invited to view Scouting in the field (by ticket sales or publicity.) The intent was less on training then than on learning. Ticket sales and public interest faded and by the 1980's most had disappeared. There was a brief resurgence of the idea in the late 1980's, but it fell off. I don't have any syllabi left from the 1960's courses. Unc.

I consulted with Auntguinea on this one. She suggested the hand method, of course. However, she said that after pinning the patch on the pocket (being careful not to pin through the shirt) take your needle and slide it through the loops on the back of the patch. Don't even attempt to push through the plastic backing. Then, make a loop, prick the pocket, and slide through the next loop, four or five up. Go around the patch in this manner, going contrary to your instincts. If you're right handed, go around to the left. If you're left handed, go around to the right. She informs me this is called applique. Keep your wrong hand inside the pocket and be careful not to knick it. The other choice, if you insist on using a machine and want to keep the pocket a pocket -- take the pocket off the shirt, carefully, sew the patch on with the machine, and then sew the patch back on the shirt. Use pins to put things into the proper place. Simple, eh? Unc.

Not getting into details about my knowledge of poverty. I want to offer cajun a suggestion she can do rather easily . . . I believe you're trying to help the troop get uniformed. I applaud that. For the price of a P.O. Box and posting on boards such as these, publish the address and ask for people to send used uniform parts your way. Most people who are inclined to help aren't looking for someone to pay postage. There are a lot of parents of grown children who were in Scouts who won't throw uniforms away, but don't want to keep them either. You might even try posting on message boards in metro areas. Remember, if it was ever official, it still is. Good luck. If I see the P.O. box, I'll send what I can find. Unc.

BadenP -- I think what you describe is an excellent example of Scouting regardless of where it is done or by whom. Great job! Unc.