fgoodwin

As others have explained, the purpose of BALOO is to introduce Cub Scouters to pack family camping -- it was never intended to cover Webelos Den Camping. National does not require that a WDL have BALOO in order to take his or her den camping. Of course, councils can add more restrictive requirements, but frankly, I think its stupid to require a WDL to have BALOO in order to go den camping. I know that's not a Scout-like attitude, but its stupid nonetheless. The audience for BALOO is not WDLs, and BALOO does not talk about the outdoor Webelos activity pins. There's no other way to put it: that's a stupid decision. The answer is for your council training team to get off their rears and organize an Outdoor Leader Skills for WDL class. I say this as a former district training chair who has organized two IOLS sessions and assisted with an OLS-WDL session, as well as staffed many BALOO courses.

BDPT00, as I tried to explain two posts back, the only reason to go to Jump Start is to get the Admonition to get access to the protected discussion forums. As you found, the access code for the Jump Start site isn't hard to get, if you have the HB. But that's only a means to get to the real password, which is the Admonition. That's the focus of the discussion -- the other is just a means to get to that end. I think we are all on the same page.

BDPT00, welcome to the Forums. The "password" being requested is the one to get into the protected OA Discussion Forum. As the OA Forum page says, the password to get into the protected area is the Admonition. So yes, we are using the two words interchangeably. Of course, "Admonition" is not the password -- the password is the Indian word for the Admonition. What we've been discussing is how a new OA member can find the correct spelling (and pronunciation) of the Admonition by starting with the OA HB and going to the OA Jump Start webpage. The Admonition is not on the membership card.(This message has been edited by fgoodwin)

jr56: I think the answer is: don't do anything until told otherwise by someone in authority or until you see it in writing. Has anyone told you to get rid of your old uniform? If not, then keep wearing it. Has anybody told you that you must buy and wear the new uniform? If not, then don't do it. I don't understand all this anxiety about the new uniform -- just sit tight and everything will work itself out.

SctDad, ask your OA Advisor to take out his membership card and confirm the Admonition is there -- 'cuz it isn't! Maybe it was on the older OA cards, I don't know -- but its not on the current cards. And the Admonition per se isn't in the OA HB either. You need the OA HB in order to access the OA Jumpstart website; once there, a little fishing around will turn up the spelling and pronunciation of the Admonition. You s/b able to buy a copy of the current OA HB at your Scout Shop if you show your OA membership card.

First, welcome to all the folks who are posting for the first few times, even as I feel saddened at the loss of life caused by this tornado. Scouter&mom, you took the words right out of my mouth: my own son is at NYLT this week (our council calls it "Cedar Badge"). We've had nothing but extremely hot & dry weather, but I worried nonetheless for his safety, albeit from a different set of risk factors. I hope our staff is as prepared to handle an emergency as the Little Sioux staff were.

Fully uniformed Scouter on Deal or No Deal: http://www.nbc.com/Deal_or_No_Deal/video/#mea=262233 Notice the way the ladies are not properly uniformed!

Four confirmed dead in tornado at Boy Scout camp http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080611/NEWS/80611078/ http://tinyurl.com/6aby8g June 11, 2008 A tornado tore through a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa this evening, killing four Scouts and injuring dozens more. The camp is the Little Sioux Scout Ranch, located between Blencoe and Little Sioux, about one hour north of Omaha in Iowa's Loess Hills. Arli Hasbrouck, a spokesperson for the Boy Scouts of America's Mid-American Council in Omaha, confirmed that four Scouts were killed in the tornado. She did not know how many were injured. She said 100 youths, aged 14 to 18, were at the Little Sioux Scout Reservation for a week-long leadership training camp called Pahuk Pride. [excerpted]

AvidSM: I agree the Safety Afloat training doesn't come right out and say we should check current flow conditions, but it does say this: 7. Planning Float Plan: Obtain current maps and information about the waterway to be traveled. Weather: Check the weather forecast just before setting out, and keep an alert weather eye. Contingencies: Planning must identify possible emergencies and other circumstances that could force a change of plans. Appropriate alternative plans must be developed for each. 8. Equipment All equipment must be suited to the craft, to water conditions . . . I think the suggestion to check with a local outfitter is good advice.

"Young George Bailey" passes away: Robert J. Anderson, 75; child actor was young George Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life' http://tinyurl.com/5mr88e June 8, 2008 By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Robert J. Anderson, a former child actor best known for playing the young George Bailey in the 1946 Christmas film classic "It's a Wonderful Life," has died. He was 75. Anderson was 12 when director Frank Capra cast him as Jimmy Stewart's youthful counterpart in the heartwarming tale set in Bedford Falls. As the adult George Bailey contemplates suicide, his life is told in flashback so his guardian angel Clarence can get to know him. Young George rescues his brother from drowning, dreams about being an explorer and saves the town pharmacist, Mr. Gower, from accidentally poisoning a customer. The film, which initially flopped, became a holiday favorite in recent decades after it started airing repeatedly on TV when the copyright lapsed in the 1970s. Services are pending. Instead of flowers, donations in Anderson's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society. [excerpted]

How would that differ from the Whitewater MB?

I'm no canoing expert, but the article questions whether the canoes were appropriate for the fast-running river. As John says, many unanswered questions . . .

OGE: when did a breach of netiquette become "infantile"?

Gee FScouter, what is so "infantile" about calling someone by their name?

According to a reader review at Amazon, Glenn's hometown didn't have a Scout Troop:John Glenn was always the Boy Scout of the astronauts, though interestingly he was never an actual Boy Scout. As we find here, his town didn't have a Boy Scout troupe, though a bunch of his friends and he formed their own, similar organizationhttp://www.amazon.com/John-Glenn-Memoir/dp/0553110748

River safety warnings follow Boy Scout's death June 08, 2008 19:51PM by Peter Zuckerman, The Oregonian Cold, high water on the Clackamas River is treacherous, officials warned after the death of an 11-year-old Boy Scout this weekend. Finn Terry, an 11-year-old who loved poetry, drowned this weekend during a canoe trip with his Boy Scout troop. The canoe -- carrying an unidentified man and Terry -- capsized as it raced down a section of the Clackamas River that sheriff's deputies described as dangerous. The man wasn't seriously injured. Terry and others with Troop 107 were canoeing between Barton and Clackamette parks in the Gladstone area near Interstate 205 late Saturday afternoon, according to the sheriff's office. Don Cornell, field services director for the Boy Scout Cascade Pacific Council, was unfamiliar with the specifics of the trip. He said the troop had a reputation for canoe trips and that leaders of such trips typically went through two training courses. But he didn't know who had been on this trip, what kind of training they'd received or what kind of conversations about safety they'd had. [excerpted]

Eleven year-olds routinely spend a week away from mom & dad at their first Boy Scout summer camp; I don't think two weeks for a twelve year-old is too much to expect. The boys will never grow up if not given a chance -- and in addition to the adult leadership, there will also be many older Scouts around to keep an eye on the younger guys. I say let 'em go and enjoy themselves.

And Wally Schirra passed away after the list was compiled.

ASTRONAUTS SCOUTING RECORDS (Includes Current International Astronauts) EAGLE: Current: Bowersox, Chamitoff, Forrester, Fossum, Fullerton, G.H. Johnson, Lindsey, Parazynski, Pettit, Tanner; Former: Adamson, Armstrong, Bagian, Bluford, Brady, Carr, Covey, Creighton, Duke, W. Gregory, Hoffman, Jones, Lee, Lind, Llewellyn (King's Scout, U.K.), Lovell, McCulley, O'Leary, Oswald, Reightler, Searfoss, Truly; Deceased: Carter, Chaffee, Eisele, Griggs, McCool, Onizuka, See, D. Walker LIFE: Current: M. Baker, Brand, Bridges, Casper, F. Gregory, Kregel, W. McArthur, Poindexter, Robinson; Former: Anders, Cooper, Fabian, G. Gardner, Low, Mattingly, Mitchell, D. Scott, Spring, Springer, van Hoften; Deceased: Bassett, D. Brown, Evans, Givens, C. Williams STAR: Current: Barry, Marshburn, Noguchi, J. Williams; Former: Cameron, England, W. Fisher, Garriott, R. Gibson, Gordon, Haise, Lounge, Stafford; Deceased: Grissom, McNair 1st Class: Current: C. Anderson, Bloomfield, Camarda, Foreman, Linnehan, Oefelein, Reilly; Former: J. Allen, Bean, Clifford, Coats, Edwards, Engle, D. Gardner, E. Gibson, Hammond, Nelson, Schirra, Schweickart, W. Scott, Worden; Deceased: Freeman, Henize, Overmyer, Shepard, Veach 2nd Class: Current: Altman, Herrington, Parker, Woodward, Young Bolden, Buchli, Carpenter, Cernan; Former: Culbertson, Mullane, Pogue, Shriver, W. Thornton; Deceased: Husband, Swigert, White TENDERFOOT: Current: Bursch, Garan, Hawley, Kopra, Love, S. Smith; Former: Aldrin, Lousma, McDivitt, Michel, P. Richards, Schmitt EXPLORER: Current: Barratt; Former: O'Connor, D. Williams GIRL SCOUT: Current: Cagle, E. Collins, Currie, Davis, A. Fisher, Higginbotham, Hire, Lawrence, Magnus, K.M. McArthur, Metcalf-Lindenburger, Morgan, Nowak, Stefanyshyn-Piper, Janice Voss; Former: Helms, Jernigan, Kilrain, Seddon, Sullivan, K. Thornton, Weber; Deceased: Clark CUB SCOUT: Current: Burbank, Carey, Dutton, Foale (Wolf, Germany), Gernhardt, Hadfield, Hobaugh, M. Kelly, S. Kelly, Lopez-Alegria, Loria, Massimino, Phillips, Readdy, Rominger, Sellers (Wolf), Thomas, D.R. Williams, Wolf; Former: A. Allen, C. Brown, Duffy, Henricks, Leestma, McBride, Meade, Musgrave, Shepherd, Thuot; Deceased: Conrad WEBELOS: Current: Arnold, Drew, Fincke, Ford, Gorie, J. Kelly, Loria, Massimino, Noriega, Olivas; Deceased: M. Anderson RANK UNKNOWN: Current: Morin, Polansky; Former: Bull, Harris, James Voss CAMP FIRE GIRL: S. Walker Source: Astronaut Fact Book, NASA (2006) (This message has been edited by fgoodwin)

pack: my apologies; after re-reading your last post, I think you were asking about the why source of the original quote (Chief Roberts) felt the way he did, not me, right?

Coast Guard Gives Last Flight To Boy Scouts Jun 8, 2008 12:10 am US/Pacific John Iander SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― It may be the best field trip ever for some lucky Boy Scouts, but it's a trip that's also coming to an end. Early on a recent Saturday morning about two dozen excited Boy Scouts from Sacramento's Troop 144 arrived at McClellan Airpark. They enjoyed an adventure that may change their lives. These scouts are getting a close-up look at a Coast Guard C-130 Search and Rescue aircraft. Pilot Lieutenant Randall Black and the Coast Guard crew took the Scouts on an orientation flight. But because of budgets and a new federal polic[y], this is the last orientation flight the Coast Guard can give the Scouts. [excerpted]

"45 percent of 18-34 year old Americans believe that international law should trump the U.S. Constitution in instances where there is a conflict" That is scary . . . There's gotta be a SM Minute in there someplace -- I wonder what Citizen in the Nation MB counselors think of this? For a copy of the full report, see: http://bradleyproject.org/

The Bradley Project Releases Its Report, 'E Pluribus Unum' - Calls for National Dialogue on America's National Identity http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-03-2008/0004825455&EDATE= http://tinyurl.com/6jrswk Report Finds That America is Facing an Identity Crisis and is in Danger of Becoming Not "From Many, One" - E Pluribus Unum - But Its Opposite, "From One, Many" Jun 3, 2008 PR Newswire (press release), NY Sixty-Three Percent of Americans Believe Our National Identity is Weakening, and One in Four Believe the Nation is So Divided That a Common National Identity is Not Possible WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bradley Project on America's National Identity today released its Report, "E Pluribus Unum," the product of a two-year study involving a number of our nation's leading academics, public figures, journalists, educators and policy experts. The report examines four aspects of American life crucial to American identity: historical memory, civic education, assimilation, and national security. The report finds that America is facing an identity crisis and calls for a national dialogue on America's national identity. According to James Ceaser, professor of politics at the University of Virginia and a participant in the project, America's understanding and appreciation of diversity is important but must be balanced by an emphasis on what we share. "In selecting the title E Pluribus Unum, the Project embraces the conviction that plurality and unity are not necessarily in tension with one another, but are supporting ideas of the same national experiment," Ceaser said. "Plurality is only made safe when it is grounded in a deeper commitment to national unity. Unity is the precondition for healthy diversity." To inform its work, the Bradley Project asked Harris Interactive to conduct a study on Americans' views on national identity. The good news is that most U.S. citizens believe there is a unique national identity that defines what it means to be an American. The troubling news is that over six in ten believe our national identity is getting weaker. And "even more troubling is that younger Americans - on whom our continued national identity depends - are less likely than older Americans to believe in a unique national identity or in a unique American culture." Indeed, 45 percent of 18-34 year old Americans believe that international law should trump the U.S. Constitution in instances where there is a conflict. According to Professor Ceaser, "The weight of all this evidence suggests mounting confusion about the meaning of American national identity and a loss of commitment to its promotion." "The findings from the report are sobering and significant. They raise subjects that are vital to our future, transcend partisanship, and clearly resonate with the American people," said Rick O'Donnell, Executive Director of the Bradley Project. O'Donnell continued: "Our intention is that the report be the starting point for a national conversation on these important issues. Silent Spring in 1962 started a conversation that brought about significant changes in our environment. A Nation at Risk in 1983 launched an ongoing national conversation that continues to reshape American education. It is in that tradition that we release E Pluribus Unum." A number of notable scholars have already joined this conversation and commented on the Bradley Project report. Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer-prize winning historian and professor at the University of Pennsylvania calls the report: "An eloquent defense of America's intellectual, civic, and moral identity that deserves wide circulation, especially among American youth." Harry Lewis, former Dean at Harvard College, says of the report: "A stirring reminder that America is more than the union of our differences, and a rational program for preserving the nation by passing American ideals on to the next generation of citizens." Amy A. Kass, of the University of Chicago, writes: "The Bradley Project's report addresses the urgent problem of American identity in our global and multicultural age, and its wise recommendations for promoting civic consciousness and civic understanding couldn't be more timely or more fitting." James C. Rees, Executive Director of Mount Vernon, said: "This report confirms what we experience at Mount Vernon every day - that most Americans know precious little about their own history. George Washington's face is still familiar to most Americans, because we see it each day on the dollar bill. But when asked about Washington's character and leadership, which made all the difference in the world to the founding of our nation, the average citizen is rendered speechless." The report makes clear that we didn't get to this point overnight, and that addressing our challenges is a long-term imperative. In addition to its call for an immediate and comprehensive national dialogue on America's national identity, it recommends: a renewed focus on the teaching of American history, embracing America's heroes and historic landmarks, affirming the benefits of diversity, but not adopting policies that perpetuate divisions or compromise our national identity, inaugurating an initiative to ensure immigrants learn English, understand democratic institutions, and participate fully in the American way of life, and creating an annual Presidential Award for American Citizenship for students and new citizens who demonstrate exemplary understanding of and commitment to American ideals and institutions. Professor Ceaser concludes: "The report speaks of a nation 'founded not on a common ethnicity,' but 'on an idea.' And it argues that 'a nation founded on an idea starts anew with each generation and with each new group of immigrants.'" "Knowing what America stands for is not a genetic inheritance," said Ceaser. "It must be learned, both by the next generation and by those who come to this country. From this premise follow many of the recommendations to strengthen the serious study of American principles and the American founding at all levels of education, including college." SOURCE The Bradley Project

Despite all the whining about its lack of utility, I wear the current class A when I go camping, so I see no reason why I wouldn't wear the new uniform when I go camping (at such time as I need to buy another one).

pack, you read the article, right? You posted your own example, right? And you ask me why I feel this way? Like you, I think most people are not immoral, but I still think the vast majority of people would do exactly what those in the article did -- nothing! Four people thought they did their duty by calling 911; other than that, they didn't get involved. It is truly a sad commentary on our society today, and our lack of compassion for our fellow man. I do hope and pray that BSA is making a difference. If I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't stay involved.