EagleInKY

Here's a link to a schedule of upcoming woodbadge courses. http://www.woodbadge.org/WhereWhen/wbwhen.htm

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It's similar to going to another district that is offering training you need when your district isn't offering it. The down side, as I see it, is what you'll miss from the brotherhood aspect of it. When I go to any council event, I run into others from my course, either participants or staff. It's a brotherhood that seems to last a long time. You'll miss that perspective of it.

The level of security required is directly related to how much confidential/sensitive information you are going to include in the secured area. If the information contained in the secured area could easily be obtained by attending a pack meeting, then the required security is less than if you are going to include lots of contact information, details about den activities, etc. But, in general, here are a few dos and don'ts off the top of my head: DO: - Have each family initialize their account. You can do something such as require them to know the last name and telephone number of a member, or something to that effect. A more secure method is to preassign a PIN number that you give them. - Monitor new accounts as they are set up. Notitifications should go to the administrator (you or someone who knows who is in the pack) to delete anyone who has "hacked" in. - Associate the registration to a member. That way, if a family leaves the pack, their access goes away the next time you update the database. - Have password standards (at least six chars long, contains a number, can't be a substring of the userid/email, etc). - When an account is set up, send an e-mail to the registered address with an activation code. The users should not be able to access the site until it has been activated. DON'T - Rely on public information as your only requirement access, such as phone numbers, addresses, last names, etc. - Pre-assign access and assign passwords like the first four characters of your last name. - Share a common userid or password.

We had a Tiger win our pack championship one year. The dad swears the boy did a lot of the work. He did do the axles and wheels, and assisted, but the boy did a lot of the cutting, sanding, painting and decorating. Let them play!

Welcome newbie! The only problem with your name is that it will be outdated soon. You'll learn quick if you hang around this bunch!

I picked up the 2005 book today. I've scanned the requirements for you. OCR botches some of the words, but I think you can get the gist of it: Nuclear Science 1. Do the following: (a) Describe the biological effects and hazards of radiation to humankind, the environment, and wildlife. Explain the difference between deterministic and stochastic effects. In your explanation, discuss the nature and magnitude of radiation risks to humans from nuclear power, medical radiation, and background radiation. Explain the measures required by law to minimize these risks. (b) Describe the radiation hazard symbol and explain where it should be used. Tell why and how people must use radiation or radioactive materials carefully. 2. Tell the meaning of the following: ALARA, alpha particle, atom, background radiation, beta particle, contamination, curie and becquerel, gamma ray, half-life, ionization, quark, isotope, neutron, nuclear energy, nuclear reactor, particle accelerator, rad and gray, radiation, radioactivity, radon, rem and sievert, and X-ray. 3. Choose five individuals important to the field of atomic energy and nuclear science and explain each person's contribution. 4. Choose an element from the periodic table. Construct 3-D models for the atoms of three isotopes of this element, showing neutrons, protons, and electrons. Use the three models to explain the difference between atomic number and mass number. Then do the following: (a) Make a drawing showing how nuclear fission happens, labeling all details. Draw another picture showing how a chain reaction could be started and how it could be stopped. (b) Explain what is meant by a "critical mass." 5. Do any THREE of the following: (a) Build an electroscope. Show how it works. Place a radiation source inside and explain any difference seen. (b) Build a model of a reactor. Show the fuel, control rods, shielding, moderator, and any cooling material. Explain how a reactor could be used to change nuclear energy into electrical energy or make things radioactive. © Using a radiation survey meter and a radioactive source, show how the measurements per minute change as the source gets closer to or farther from the radiation detector. Place three different kinds of materials between the source and the detector, then explain any differences in the measurements per minute. Explain how time, distance, and shielding can reduce the radiation dose. (d) Obtain a sample of irradiated and non-irradiated foods. Prepare the two foods and compare their taste and texture. Store the leftovers in separate containers and under the same conditions. For a period of 14 days, observe their rate of decomposition or spoilage, and describe the differences you see on days 5, 10, and 14. (e) Describe how radon is detected in homes. Discuss the steps taken for the long-term and short-term test methods, how to interpret the results, and explain when each type of test should be used. Explain the health concern related to radon gas and tell what steps can be taken to reduce radon in buildings. (f) Visit a place where X-ray is used. Draw a floor plan of the room in which it is used. Show where the unit, the unit operator, and the patient would be when X-ray is used. Explain the precautions taken when X-ray is used and the importance of those precautions. (g) Make a cloud chamber. Show how it can be used to see the tracks caused by radiation. Explain what is happening. (h) Visit a place where radioisotopes are being used. Using a drawing, explain how and why they are used. (i) Obtain samples of irradiated seeds. Plant them. Plant a group of non-irradiated seeds of the same kind. Grow both groups. List any differences you observe during a 30-day period. Discuss with your counselor what irradiation does to seeds. (j) Visit an accelerator (research lab) or university where people study the properties of the nucleus. After your visit, discuss what you have learned with your counselor. 6. Do ONE of the following: (a) Give an example of each of the following in relation to how energy from an atom can be used: nuclear medicine, environmental applications, industrial applications, space exploration, and radiation therapy. For each example, explain the application and its significance to nuclear science. (b) Find out how many nuclear power plants exist in the United States. Locate the one nearest your home. Find out what percentage of electricity in the United States is generated by nuclear power plants, by coal, and by gas. © Identify three particle accelerators in the United States. For each accelerator, describe three experiments that have been done or are in progress. Name three particle accelerators in the United States and describe the type of experiments each accelerator is designed to perform. 7. Find out about three career opportunities in nuclear science that interest you. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession and discuss this with your counselor. Tell why this profession interests you.

no worries... I'm a few years removed from that position. Maybe my successors have improved on my ways.

From one Eagle to another... welcome!

Welcome aboard. I remember my Tiger Days. You've got a great road ahead. Every year just gets better than the last.

Welcome. Enjoy the show!

As far as I know, training is training, no matter where you took it.

Two deep leadership does not apply to meetings. HOWEVER, it is always a good idea. I've only had a couple of occasions where it has happened, but sometimes you may have an assistant bail on you at the last minute, or have to run an errand. You can't cancel the meeting every time that happens. Remember, the 1-on-1 rule still applies and should always be kept in mind. This is even more critical if you are the only adult at a meeting.

Do you do one pack activity per month, in addition to the pack meeting? If so, that could be part of the issue. In most packs I've been associated with, the pack only has a few "activities" per year, and one pack meeting per month. I encourage den leaders to raise the bar as the boys get older. Two times a month may be fine for Wolves. Bears, pick it up to two times plus an outing. Webelos, raise it to three times per month plus an occasional outing. This helps get them prepared for Boy Scouts, where they'll meet every week, year-round, and have one or more activities each month.

I've been beat up on this subject before. I love doing big, nice ceremonies. But it's nearly impossible if you have to do two or three at every pack meeting from December to May. Therefore, we did one big recognition at a time when all or most of the den had achieved the rank. If the boy wanted the patch ahead of time, we usually just presented it at the den meeting. I think I had one parent complain in five years. That doesn't make it right, but it did make it work well for us.

I'd love to have an ASM that didn't have a son in the troop. Assuming they buy into the boy-leadership concept and have a strong understanding of scout skills, I think they'd be a great addition. He wouldn't bring some of the baggage that "we dads" have. He could look at some things with impartiality. And, he could give the POV from a non-parent, which can be good at times.

JD - Who let the dogs out? mjengels - welcome to the campfire. We hope you enjoy Scouting as much as the rest of us. We're kinda hooked on it, if you haven't figured it out.

We do a "Tenderfoot Weekend" campout, about 4 weeks after crossover. We focus on the Tenderfoot requirements, but also cover some other things as well. They can sign off on nearly everything Tenderfoot-related that weekend (except for the 30 day physical fitness program).

IMHO, the best approach for Cubs is to first have them set up a discipline code. This can be done at one meeting. You talk about what good behavior is. What are types of things they can't do. They can actually have fun with this. Second, start a behavior candle (or Scout Spirit candle, if you prefer). The candle is lit during the opening of every meeting. It gets blown out when the kids get unruly. When the candle burns down, they get a prize (something fun, like a pizza party). The good kids will start to pressure the unruly ones to behave so they can get their prize.

251 - She's probably heard about the council-based National Youth Leader Training (formerly JLTC). It's been totally revamped. I've read some about it, but can't speak from any experience. This website talks about the development of the program: http://www.jltbsa.org/

Well, after looking at Rooster's quiz, I have to beg forgiveness. I guess one problem with useless trivia is that it becomes even more useless over time. It looks like a few other schools would now fit the criteria (St. Johns and Syracuse at the least). I stand corrected....

Semper got them. The Crimson Tide and the Green Wave. Both are singular nouns. (Actually, Notre Dame Fighting Irish is plural, "Irishes" is not a word.) Well done.

Trevor... useless trivia moment. It's actually the Stanford "Cardinal". They are only one of three Division 1 schools with a mascot in the singular form. Can anyone name the other two?

Wow! There's really a Dumpster Diving MB Patch! I just told the story about designing a Dumpster Diving patch and presenting it to my wife at a COH. If I had known there was an actual patch, that would have been perfect. I'll have to bookmark this site for the occasional "special" recognition that we need to do.

This past weekend we had our Klondike. Temps were down under 20 degrees at night. At about 5:00 AM I was awoken by some laughter. Originally, I thought it was coming from the troop next to us. But, after about 10 minutes of thinking "why doesn't someone in that troop quiet them down", I recognized one of the voices as being a boy in our troop. Unzipping my tent just enough to shout at them, I told them to quiet down. They did, for a little while, but continued to make too much racket. When I decided to get up, around 6:20, I rousted them out of their tent as well. Explaining the number one rule of mornings at camp. "If you wake the Scoutmaster up before 6:30, you better have a fire and coffee ready for him". Then we had a little chat about what the phrase "A Scout is Courteous" means.

I believe the "twentier" and "Super Achiever" are still around. But they seem to be local options. Some scout shops have them. Check yours. If it doesn't, check some others around you. You may find them. We did.