Fuzzy Bear

Attack is overused these days to right the wrongs of this world. We could ask ourselves first if sending in the troops shouldn't be a lower priority. I'm trying to think of some things I have witnessed here and used myself. Here's my top ten list for today. Use the backspace bar often. Try a different subject column for a day. Use insightful humor. Try forgiveness. Be wrong on occasion. Ignore it and write as if it didn't exist. Ignore the person all together. Try diplomacy. Get up and exercise 5 days a week at 5 A.M. Try typing without looking at the keys. and sometimes it is still a struggle but I try. FB

In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. An object which sinks completely displaces an amount equal to its volume; Archimedes' Principle states that when this happens, the weight of the object is reduced by its volume times the density of the fluid. If it is less it floats. Once a person knows the principle, then answers to many questions about the subject can be answered. FB

I am afraid that this is as kind as it gets. There hasn't been a real blow-out in a long time. If someone is getting ripped now, just wait. One will rise up from the ashes. It is a mixed blessing because some of the more potent expositors had insights that could take us to new depths. It is too bad that it couldn't be accomplished with a gentler hand. It seems to always be a trade-off. FB

I was a shop teacher for children with special problems for five years. I enjoyed my work and loved the students. I wrote my own tests. We prepared by reading the material and answering related questions. We then moved to the shop where we had hands-on experiences/projects over the same material. We would review the same the next day and discuss it. We would talk about how the material could be used in our everyday lives. Every three weeks, we would review what we had learned the first few weeks and take a test over it. Students knew what to expect from my tests. There would always be basic math, reading, writing problems. My tests were straight forward. The students were mostly prepared and knew what to expect. They had three levels of projects. The first level was to acquaint them with every tool in the shop in a safe, sequential and graduated manner. The second level included a personal project to be completed at school with my guidance and then they would plan and complete a home project under the supervision of their parents. The third level was to plan and complete a project for one of the teachers or other personnel at the school. This project was handled as if they had sub-contracted the job themselves. The basic project was reviewed by myself and the contracting teacher. The student had as much autonomy as possible at this stage so they could claim it as their own. We also read, discussed and tested on several chapters about the world of work, as well as brought in employers. Some of these employers donated equipment and supplies. Students did not pay for anything. We used repetition and various modes of input to achieve our goals. By the end of my time there, our students could not enter a room or any place on campus where their work was not represented. When we had open house, students would always point to several projects that they or one of their friends had done. Many of my students went directly into jobs in the community. My follow-up method was simple. Former students would stop me in the street or come up to me in a restaurant and shake my hand. Most of these students would never enter a college but they had performance abilities that far surpassed what I could do. Their gifts were generally underestimated and dismissed as being nonessential. So, this program was disbanded because it did not meet the new academic standards that we now have. FB In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. An object which sinks completely displaces an amount equal to its volume; Archimedes' Principle states that when this happens, the weight of the object is reduced by its volume times the density of the fluid. If it is less it floats. Any MB should be taught by someone that enjoys teaching and by one who enjoys the subject and by one who likes the students.

I had just finished the fourth grade and our family was leaving for good. My Dad had changed jobs so we were moving about 80 miles away. As a youth, it might as well as been to the other side of the world. I didn't know the difference. I just knew everything and everyone that I had known would be gone from my life. My Sunday School teacher gave me a young reader's Bible book with a note on the inside cover page. My Cub Scout Den Leader, Mrs. C., wrote me a nice letter. Over the next few years, I would take them out and read them occasionally. I would ask my Mother about the town and the people, which had changed. At college in our dorm, a young man down the hallway was from that little town. He told me all he knew about my group of friends that had grown up and graduated and had moved on to adult things. A few years later, I drove through the town that had grown up as well. I found our house and from the street I saw the roses that my Mother had planted in the backyard. I have changed and moved several more times but I still have both of those notes. FB

backwood, As injustices pass before our eyes, we hope we do not become jaded or that we go silently down one of those slippery slopes that leads to nowhere. Sometimes I wonder about those that come here in this Forum that have never witnessed any form of problem in Scouting. I suppose that if a person is new, they may be spared the grief or it is possible that they may have a near perfect District. Generally with tenure, one will have an awakening and a few scars that will remain. The counter to these problems is the multitude of good, hard working, honest Scouts and Scouters that we find everywhere. It is not just a thin silver lining but the majority of what we generally experience. FB

Agreed, there are several levels of people ignoring responsible behaviors in this scenario. The problem is generally manifested to even a greater degree after a choice is made on how to avoid being honest. A dumb mistake can be honest and even a little humorous. A dishonest act usually appears like someone trying to hide an elephant under a tarp. It is noticeable and it won't go away. We live with our dishonesty(ities) and recount them (*for life) like King Midas with his gold but a little differently. FB

CSLB, Page 31-1-2 This program is supplemental enrichment that compliments the existing CS program. The object is to help CS's learn new skills or improve those already possessed, not to provide an opportunity to earn additional recognition. Belt Loops are for those completing the three requirements for the sport. Webelos may earn belt loops and pins a second time to qualify for Webelos activities badges. All boys may earn belt loops more than once but encourage Scouts to also earn the pins. Once the boy earns the belt loop, he may complete requirements for a pin. Other Recognition Items: The Sports Letter Pocket certificate Activity Medal Trophy Participation Emblem *Trophies and Participation Emblems may also be awarded to adults as well. So repetition is built into this program (*of non-recognition). FB

Ignoring dishonest work can be done with great mental effort but then we can't ignore the results, nor can anyone else. FB

LB, I don't want to sound like the AP (*Advancement Police)but do you have a 2006 Cub Scout Leader Book? My 2005 CSLB, page 19-6 under the Bobcat Badge section, "Before becoming a Wolf Cub Scout, a boy must complete the Bobcat requirements." and "No matter what age or grade a boy joins Cub Scouting, he must earn his Bobcat badge before he can be awarded the rank of Wolf, Bear, or Webelos." There may have been a change, so I wanted to know what you were siting for reference. I may need a new book. Thanks, FB

One beloved SE said that a Scout Camp is nothing more than a "mud hole". My reaction was, "right, but it is our mud hole". He proceeded to try and sell off the mud hole. Most of us stood up and blocked him from doing his best. Our mud hole was used by Indians at one time. There are several areas where you can stand where they stood and as you look around you begin to understand their reason behind their choice of mud holes. I was given the privilege one summer to teach the Indian Lore MB at our mud hole. I chose a different place for each meeting. As I stood in these places, I knew that others had similar thoughts and done similar things years and years before me. As an adult, I could remember coming to our mud hole as a Cub Scout. My brother took me to some of the same impressive spots that I stood later. Others that I knew had grown to favor this area and had similar feelings, memories and experiences. I actually camped at a mud hole as a 17 year old JASM. It later became a BSA camp. I am sure that people came to it and had good experiences and felt very close to it. I just remember it as a mud hole. FB

Standard Procedure Name calling is out of bounds. It engages anger. Always listen first, always. It makes you look smart. Find out who were all of the parties involved and call them in one at a time. Only the facts, Mam., Sergeant Friday Wait a few minutes to decide how much of a problem was created. (*minor by most standards) Call the JASM in and tell him that lunch is lunch and snacks are for snacks and then tell him that he was thoughtful and did a better job than you could have ever done. While the JASM is listening, tell the boys that the JASM was 100% correct and that you are now going off to think about it (meaning, fishing). Go fishing and think about your actions. At the next Troop formation let everyone know that the entire unit is expected to be present at all meals and the SPL will have a head count before leaving the campsite. (*This insures that you wont miss the meal either.) Go fishing. Take a nap under a big shade tree. Cool showers are good also. Try to arrange your chair to face a cool breeze. These guys have had a tough year and they need you to be at your best. FB

I grew up in the 50's and 60's. We did not have the kind of organized baseball, football, soccer, cheerleading, dance, music, computer, space, and every other kind of camp that we now have, of course, unless your daddy was a doctor. I built several clubhouses, rode my bicycle all over the place, sold Scout Show tickets to hundreds of people I didn't know and liked to have killed myself with my own homemade rocket. (I wanted to be first or second to the moon.) We took our lumps with all of the childhood diseases. Polio was sugar cubed away. Milk was cancerous only for a short period of time and we worried for years about not having a Fall-out shelter. Fake sugar did kill but only after bucooo rats died to save us all. Typhoid was not seen as much of a threat as tetanus and we had shots for both after every nail in the foot. We sanded the jellyfish stings. We avoided dogs that foamed at the mouth but bats have smaller mouths, so we are not as aware today. The killer toys fell by parental dictate and societal pressures one by one. We survived no seatbelts, no front and side airbags and chrome thingees but statistics will show that many didn't. Broken arms are still around but far fewer incidents because we no longer have playground equipment that is 20 feet off the ground. We now have anti-bacterial soap and doctors filling kids so full of anti-viral drugs that even the germs are immune. The priests were not even counseled to stop molesting children until the 90's. The things I listed earlier have no known cure and the disease process have long term effects that includes both parents working full time and child molesters that are repeatedly set free. These "excuses" should be a concern by any thinking person in the new century because parents and kids are more informed, remember it is the Information Age not the old Milk and Toast days of the 50's. I still believe the Scout program is the best answer and it uses care to avoid these problems. It also helps kids to become physically fit, as well as a couple of other goals that are important. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

Here are but a few of the things that have taken the outside world away from kids. Both parents working West Nile virus Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Lime Disease Skin Cancer Child Molesters So, things really have changed. FB

When people think they have lost their sense of humor it might really only be that they have lost their sense of timing. FB

kraut-60, Think and Grin. FB

The date of the BOR is what will be cataloged at National headquarters in Irving, TX not their pride. The ceremony is courteous way of including those that had meaning along the way. The SM and/or the CC should have let him and his family understand how important it is to include others on his accomplishment. This sets an example for all to follow. His method lacks the expected level of maturity of an Eagle Scout. FB

"Your troop may also be able to let you use uniforms that older Scouts have outgrown." Page 567 OBSHB The way I read this, it doesn't say anything about e-bay. The UP

Recruit one person at a time. Recruit a person that has people skills. Recruit a person that you can be friends. Help them get trained. Go with them a couple of times to get them started. Make sure that they know what you expect. Communicate with them. Have monthly meetings. Have updates on possible problem areas. Help to correct a unit problem when it is identified. Be appreciative of their service. FB

PS has mentioned the clean sense of humor. It is true that is our goal. I want to use a Day Camp analogy to demonstrate. We used water bombs from a safe distance, mostly to protect the smallest from harm from possibly the biggest or the strongest. The Scouts would lob their water balloons and some would get wet, making for a fun activity. The problem came when one or two would cross the line and get closer to their victim and then everyone ran at each other. Retaliation was swift and the fun escalated exponentially. The point was to have a little bit of fun but the boys failed to control it until someone was hit up close and personal, then it was no longer fun. Boys sometimes cross the boundaries of fun without thinking that someone will get hurt. Skits likewise should always be checked by the leader prior to the presentation at the campfire. Hopefully, the leaders are aware of the boundaries.

This discussion is not proving out the original 00 rumor but has stepped into a pile of us versus them and boy run versus adult run discussion that I find interesting. Since I cant elaborate on the OA rumor and I dont know much about Mannaseh or MOS, I would like to propose an alternative view. How about starting another group that is adult run but also has a boy-lead side as well? The boy side could be full of mush heads with adult advisors. The boys would be part of a mutual board of directors and have a 49% vote on all projects. There wouldnt be anything secret about the organization because the goals would be about Scout camp improvement. There still would be teepees, feathers, beads and tribal councils and levels of dedication. A person could move up with either gifts of money/things and/or work/time. A boy could not enter until he recognized his worth as a participating citizen, then his initiation would be a work week-end at a local camp. During the first year, he must attend and be part of six planning meetings, two camp project weekends and one tribal celebration/honors/rededication . The second year, he would become part of one of the lower boards of planning and/or fund raising for the same as his first year. There could be several alternate goals that the boys would determine and enact each succeeding year. This structure would support a list of increasingly more difficult goals to be achieved, until he graduates into the adult program where he could assume a role similar to his previous one with the same set of goals. Adult goals would remain foundational and parallel, so that the original boy-lead goals of camp improvement would be met and surpassed. Boy involvement would be equal to their ability as they are in training to take on an adult role with ever increasing physical and mental fitness as well as good character development. I have observed both uses and abuses of the OA as well as those that simply ignore it as something that is less than supplementary and more than irritating. I have long hoped for a rumor that would support the Brotherhoods goals instead of its increasing diminished role in Scouting. (*as I have witnessed it) FB

Humor has grown, changed and matured over the years. Dragging a cowguy across the cattle ranch behind a hoss is no longer seen as amusing or funny but unkind and frankly rather dangerous. We must be continually on our guard. I collect Boys' Life magazines and am continually reminded about the ever changing winds of humor by reading "Think and Grin" or any of the cartoons. It is surprising how funny some things are even 50 or more years later and how much some of it isn't. Maybe I just don't "get it" or one would have had to been there to understand and appreciate it or maybe humor has changed for me or humor has changed me. Humor should make people laugh. If instead, it makes somebody feel bad about themselves, then the point is abuse, anger or bullying and that is not demonstrative of good Scout behaviors.

In the past, I have taught Troop and Pack committee training using the Committee Guidebook with varying degrees of success. I added my own notes and resources based on personal experiences. Two years ago, I was given the TCC curriculum prior to our district wide training and had five participants, four from different units. I copied most of the notebook and made handouts. The group was excited about the program, so I wrote down their email addresses for follow-up. I sent out a few bulletins but didn't get any responses. To the District Committee's amazement, I volunteered to teach any unit committee in our district the TCC. I never heard from anyone. I am kind of amazed. FB

Lbob, A man relieving himself in full view of a woman is not how men are made but more along the lines of how men are made to answer for sexual harassment. Such antics have long been relegated to the courts. It has nothing to do with humor. FB

Most of us have a sense of humor but having a sense of judgment about what one finds as being funny is derived from ones ethical background. Such as, being considerate of others could be the imperative but joking about being overly cautious about such things might lead one into the making of a skit. Something like this might be the setting: A Patrol of Six Scouts in a room trying to figure out how not offend anyone while all of the time alienting each other over several perceived slights about such things as bisquit dough, water, and rice. They all have on various costumes (*costuming is the essential foreground of any good skit, especially hats of varied sizes and shapes, color is also good). Each time one idea is put forth, another Scout becomes distraught, until they chase and throw things at each other and then run screaming off the stage (*Slapstick is the all important ingedient for youthful mirth but this also has a twist of satire for the adults in the crowd.). Humor training should be the next big push in Scouting. I want to see an experimental program at Philmont to develop what has to be a real low in Scouting at this time, a lack of vital humors. FB