Fat Old Guy

Five or six years. A uniform is not mandatory for Scouting and to require it is contrary to the policies of BSA.

"If a kid doesn't haveaccess to funds, how does he buy some of the supplies needed for the various merit badges? " He gets a job, just like kids have done for decades when they want something. "If he doesn't have a car, how does he drive to the bait shop to get worms for his Envi-Sci work?" Walk, bike, bus. "If his parents don't make his getting to scouts a priority, how does he attend regularly enough to rise to leadership?" Ask someone to pick him up.

"If you can't build for whatever reason there are pre-cut kits." A pre-cut defeats half the purpose of the event. The actual race is minor, the fun is in the design and building. Unless you are severly disabled, you can build a car from the Scout Shop kit with no woodworking tools. Heck, one of the fastest cars that I ever saw was the whole block of wood painted to look like a school bus. Woodworking tools? When I was a Cub Scout, I whittled my car with my pocket knife. Pre-cut kits give people the easy way out. Rather than looking for a solution to the problem of construction, they go for the kit.

"It seems that it's just assumed that they're greedy, stupid or both. " Not stupid, just greedy. "A non-wood worker like me" My woodworking skills were learned in 7th grade shop class. My son and I used a hacksaw (not a coping saw) to cut out his first PW Derby car. "the single mom who has no tools or woodworking abilities" That's as sexist as all get out. Everyone seems to think that building a PWD car is like making a ladderback chair. It isn't.

"Are you sure, FOG? I thought it was Oscar de la Hoya." I'm pretty sure that he's the guy that started the Georgetown basketball team.

I'd guess that the "folding" thing came in with the Dino de Laurentiis designed uniform (okay, maybe it was Oscar de la Fuente). Stuffing a rolled neckerchief under the collar just wouldn't look nice (not that stuffing a folded neckerchief under the collar looks too nice).

Supposedly, the only flag that Cub Scout Dens are permitted to use is the "Official" flag avaiable at the Scout Shop. If you want to break the rules and have a unique flag, let the boys come up with the ideas.

The neckerchief is much more effective if worn over the shirt in the old fashion. It doesn't bunch up and absorbs sweat (one of its original purposes). I view the 6" thing as a guideline. On someone of my height, six inches looks downright tiny. I dangle about 8".

I'll avoid the grandioise statements and answer the question as best I can. It has been my observation that, most Scout Leaders get involved as adults when their children join scouting and far too many leave Scouting when their children do. Fortunately, we do have many that stay around after their children leave and run things at the district or council levels. We do have a good number that were Scouts and then stayed involved as Assistant Scoutmasters when they turned 18. I do know one dedicated Scoutmaster who has no children and was never a Scout but was asked by his church to start a troop. Off he went to Scoutmaster training and Wood Badge. My observations are based soley on my district and may not hold in other parts of the country or even other parts of my Council.

There were three Kipling brothers, at least three from the right side of the sheets: Rudyard, Rudland, and Rudway. Rudway was the youngest and became famous as a fashion designer and invented the "catwalk" or "runway" that is used in today's fashion shows. The youngest Kipling's invention was originally called the "Rudway" after its inventor but early on a reporter told his editor about the new device, calling it a "Rudway." The editor thought the reporter had a head cold and wrote it down as "runway." Just think, if it hadn't been for that editor, aircraft all over the world would be landing on "Rudways."(This message has been edited by Fat Old Guy)

The Scout shop sells wheel kits so that isn't an issue. What I see as the big negative is that the prebuild/pre-cut kits eliminate half the fun of the event.

"I do not have the magazine and could not see the picture." I leapt to the conclusion that you have the magazine.

"Yes, in regret, I did get some enjoyment from this," Don't regret it. One of life's few pleasures comes when a pain in butt gets set back a notch, much like when the opposing quarterback gets sacked. However, don't lord it over her. Don't throw it in her face. Just go on as if nothing has happened. Let her be the one who says, "Are you going to kick me out of the meeting again?"

Hopper the Helmetless, I can't wait until you sign up. The report was that they disobeyed an order and fortunately that appears to be a myth. I don't want soldiers who disobey orders, no matter how nobel the cause. For you disobeying an order could result in being grounded, if your parents would even do that much. Disobyeing an order is a serious offense in the military. You can be restricted to quarters, forfeit pay, lose a stripe or even spend time in the brig. Permission to do something is greatly different than an order to do something. "The smoking lamp is lit," gives you permission to smoke but doesn't require you to run out and buy cigarettes. Maybe I'll make a call to the Old Guard today and get the real skinny.

Shemgren, Rudland Kipling is the lesser known of the Kipling boys. He wrote "Ocean Book," the story of a boy raised by dolphins; "Gunga Quiet," which was about a regimental singer who lost his voice; and most famous of all, a poem entitled "When." Rudyard Kipling stole his brother's thunder and published "Jungle Book."

I'm with the flightless bird from down under except that shooting her is too good for her. Tie her to a tree in bear country and slather her with honey. We have a mom like that in our troop and I can appreciate your predicament.

Oh great Beaver, you need to read your handbooks. The neckerchief may be worn one of two ways. Under the collar or over the shirt with the collar turned inside the shirt. Over the collar is not an option.

Very good questions. I wear the socks (I must have 17 pairs) but have no official trousers since I haven't found any that fit (I still need to try the poly/wool). I don't understand why people who will pay $75 for a replica Michael Jordan shirt balk at wearing a Scout uniform. I can't understand why people can't get their patches on their shirts in the right places. Of course BSA doesn't help. I was reading the PL Handbook the other day and the Scouts show some incredible creativity in patch placement. Look at the latest issue of "Scouting," are the Scouts on the cover wearing their neckerchiefs properly? Let us know if you ever find out why everyone showed up in full uniform.

Hopper, you're a military wannabe. When you turn 18 and sign your papers, you'll get something hammered into your head, you obey orders. You don't have to like the orders, you just have to obey them. If the order is to stay, you stay. If the order is to leave, you leave. Bob White did some research and discovered that this is yet another urban myth. Thank you, Bob.

Let's see. . . these guys disobey an order, something that they have a legal an sworn obligation to obey, and we're supposed to be proud of them. The fellow comments on not "shirking his duty" but he did by not obeying an order. By playing macho he risked injuring himself for no reason which would cost the taxpayers money and deprive the country of a fighting man. I respect the fire fighters and ambulance crews that stayed out in the storm but not those guys.

" I'll dance the dance for a few more weeks, but ultimately we'll buy the knots and present them ourselves." Interesting attitude.

Hopper, you dodged my question about what your parents think. BTW, by not wearing a mask in the bull-pen, you're breaking the rules (A Scout is obedient). My high school rule book is a few years out of date so the numbers may have changed but it says, "1-1-5 While in a crouch position, any non-adult warming up a pticher at any location [emphasis mine] shall wear a head protector, a mask with at throat protector and a protective cup (male only). Failure by a player to wear proper equipment after being so ordered by the umpire, shall result in an ejection." When I umpired, there was no requirement that I wear any protective gear but I wore chest protector with arm guards, mask, throat protector, shin guards, cup, and protective shoes. I even wore a cup when I worked the bases. Bravery and foolishness are not synonymouse.

Wrestling and judo are permitted. Besides, the "pro wrestling" world has acknowledged that they are entertainment and not a sport.

I also remember Avacodo's Number from chemistry class (6.023 x 10^23)

We used to run "den races" and then have an overall double elimination pack race to see who would go on to District's. The distribution of ranks in the pack race was usually pretty broad. Also, it was rare that an obvious "daddy-built" car finished in the top five. Karma.