Nike

Hi! We're practically neighbors! Where are you in Austria?

Pants #1: Very cheaply sewn. My son ripped out two crotches just running around and doing 13 year old boy stuff at camp. Pants #2: Son prefers the feel of this fabric and the new belt which goes with them. Pants #3: Dry faster.

From somewhere in my GS life I remember reading that boys 10 years and older may not participate in or attend any GS event. I pretty sure that was a Council rule. So, no. Scouts (of the Boy type) generally may not volunteer with GSUSA. Now, there is no prohibition on your son from organizing something and inviting Girl Scouts to participate or help out as event staff/leaders.

Thanks, Merlyn. Gay parents should absolutely be allowed to volunteer at least on Troop and Pack Committees. At the CS stage, I don't see where having a lesbian den leader would be a problem. It's not like DLs have time to make out in front of the boys. However, don't forget that it is the local Charter Organization that signs off on Adult Volunteers. The Pack Leadership may have had no problem with Mom & Mom, but the IH might have.

I always, always tell new parents that watching the boys reinvent the wheel every six months is the most painful thing in the world. It's a learning experience for the boys, and it is a slow uphill slog. I would advise you to hang out with the adults and talk about non-scouting things. The local weird happenings, price of tomatoes, whatever. You may never be a died in the wool, bury me in my Jack-shirt Scouter. But, do try to put forward a smile and positive attitude about and around Scouting.

Are they truly Bears, or did they just never progress beyond Wolf? Are they special needs scouts? Details???

Life in Dallas, or MD, isn't so boring as to drain every last ounce of creativity out of a person.

I see a lot of references, mostly negative, to Urban Scouting and 1972. Can y'all fill me in? I assume there was a really big program change but don't understand how it resounds to today.

Our best B&G had the local Reptile Man wth lots of snakes and huge spiders. One hundred cubs and sibs rivetted. One hundred fifty parents freaking out.

AHA! Political ads in the guise of news stories! Sneaky little *******. But, seriously, invasive plants and animals are a danger and should be dealt with in a deliberate manner, not frivolously.

I was pretty surprised by GAHB's quality descriptions and quantitative assessments of BS troops. I think most of the troops that I've seen, and all the troops we've been part of are definitely in the "Top 10%". I don't know if it's a case of "Birds of a Feather" or if GAHB is being somewhat cynical and/or unfair. Makes me wonder what goes on in his neck of the woods.

brodiew, Can you absolutely, positively say that no one will ski slightly off-piste and straight into the trees, which happen to line the slopes? My husband got his first concussion that way in college while skiing in VA. My son fell backwards onto a concrete floor in our own house and concussed himself. Wear the ski helmets.

These are special moments in a young man's life. The least the adults can do is recognize that and dress decently.

The GS troop leaders, probably 2 or 3 parents, need to get with thier Service Unit Manager, the "District" administrator, and someone from the Council office to go over the physical layout of what is being proposed. If the Council decides they don't want the potential adverse situations, then they need to help the troop locate a new meeting space as well as still assist the outreach mission of the church so there are no hard feelings. I think most priests and vestries can put themselves in the shoes of the girls' parents.

My Pet Peeve is neckers with the slide all the way up and the top button fastened. I don't know why we insist on making childhood longer and longer. Maybe there are just a lot of parents out there whose lives would be totally empty if they didn't have 26 year old Junior and Juniorette still dependent on them. No lone likes to be upstaged, but then, old dogs can learn knew tricks, if they want to.

If I could interject... My husband has a red Jac-shirt with a huge Eagle Scout Emblem on the back. Should he wear it as is or have the big emblem (size of a dinner plate) removed?

http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts%202010.aspx I received info over e-mail about the changes coming to CS in 2010. I can't tell if this is a serious revamping with a concerted effort to replicate the exact same CS experience nationwide or just a rewriting/refocusing of the CS Helps Program. I tried to watch the presentation, but was having severe buffering problems. Does anyone out there have any knowledge to flesh this out?

"Why track this?" Because earning Quality Unit now requires that certain adults be trained for certain positions. Plus, YP training helps fend off lawsuits and nagging DEs. "I don't wanna..." Well, those are the requirements for this position. You won't be able to do X unless you are trained, and since you are refusing to be trained then I am going to have to appoint a replacement. I think you have to adjust your spiel to the individual. Some people respond to "Do it or you lose your position," and others are better wheedled or guilted into stuff.(This message has been edited by Nike)

Ein frohes Weihnachten und alles Gute zum neuen Jahr!

Try bandolier bag. It is a very simple construction of a pointed rectangle folded into about thirds, depending on how long you want your flap (two seams) and a shoulder strap (two more seams). Good quality felt from a fabric store will do you for fabric. The boys can decorate it with fabric paint or use it to sport some patches. http://www.berrybeadwork.com/bandoliers.html (This is Martha Berry's web-site. She is one of the foremost modern Cherokee beadwork artists.)

Caravaning also increases the odds that one troop driver will rear-end another. On highways at hig speeds, caravaning mini-vans or SUVs piling up with one another also increases the odds that many troop members will be involved in a fatal accident.

As the mother of two boys, I would really, really discourage you from having them sew a bag that isn't useful as a piece of outdoor equipment. (My oldest just muttered "Man purse, man purse," when I asked what he thought of this project.) If you want to include useful sewing projects, try finding mendable garments at home and show them how to sew a button, patch a rip, resew a seam, fix a hem. You could probably find mendable clothing at the Salvation Army or Goodwill which they can't put out on the floor. You could even turn fixing these minor problems into a service project. Some of your pack parents or a nearby troop may have outdoor gear that needs repair (or is beyond it) that can at least serve as a model of how to fix gear and make it through the trip. If you want to do a personal project, the polar fleece scarves with a nice blanket stitch would be the easiest, and you could offer the boys the option of giving these to a shelter if they didn't want to take them home. Boys and men need to learn to fast and simple repairs. If a boy has a bent toward the textile arts or engineering gear, he'll probably discover it later in life.

What do the Scouts think about having girls in thier troops? Some boys want a "guys only" place. I remember how the few gay students in my high school of 3100 were treated. They were usually popular with most of the students, yet the nasty sniggers were truly nasty and rather common. I'm wondering how that can be managed without gutting boy led and less rather than more direct adult supervision.

Warmistas (Pro-AGW) want us to immediately cripple our carbon based economies with huge reductions in carbon based energy usage caused by enourmous tax loads while no technology with equivalent massive energy output is available, EXCEPT nuclear. Yet, the warmistas are not behind a huge surge toward nuclear while we develop much, much cheaper and near 100% efficient solar technology which would be a boon to much of the third world. (Ditch the windfarms. They are bird killers and visual pollutants.) Makes me wonder what the warmistas really want.

Shirt color by rank? Oh, where does that rate on the nerdiness scale? Somewhere around 11+? Why not just call Boy Scouts Web 3-10 and be done with it? Jeez.