OneHour

I would add to AK-Eagle's simple rules: - no QB sneak unless being rushed. - no tackling (sometimes they would tackle and then take the flag out). - p for k (pass for kick) kickoff in small field.

Mountainman, take a look at the thread on Backpacking Tent, there are some recommendation for the tents. I put my review on two, Mountaineering Mystique 2 ($140 regular price, $56 on a manufacturer pro-purchase discount ... I think that I even got a link to the manufacturer in that thread) and REI 1/2 Dome 2 ($159). I have used the Mystique four times now, twice in nice weather, once in light snow, and once in a down pour. It stood up fairly well in all three weather conditions without leaks. It has two side doors with fairly nice size vestibules on each side. As I have pointed out, the Mystique doesn't have a "base" where I can pick up the whole tent and shake loose the dirt and water. It is a very good tent nevertheless. It weighs in about 5 lb - 2oz. I recently bought the REI's 1/2 Dome 2 for my oldest on his b-day (got it when it was on sale $109 two months ago). There are two scoutmasters in our troop who have this tent for the past 2 years and have not had any problem with them. This tent is spacious and has two large vestibules on each side. The tent is spacious enough that one of the scoutmasters use his small cot in it. You can pick up the 1/2 Dome 2 up by its poles and shake loose the dirt. Both tents' poles are made with aircraft aluminum and the seams are factory sealed; however, it would be good to put another coat of sealant (in any tent) prior to use. My son and I both have Coleman's Exponent mummy bag (hollofil) one rated for 0 (his) and one rated for 15, weigh about almost 2 lbs each. They kept us fairly toasty in a couple of 20 degree nights. But together the tent and the sleeping bag already take up 7 precious lbs! But during hot season, a simple blanket is what we bring (reducing the weigh from 2 lbs to about 15 oz.)! Bath tube bottom? I don't know the term. You must have referred to a tube-tent http://www.thru-hiker.com/reviews.asp?subcat=3&cid=60 . That's light-weight backpacking. Down here in East Texas territory, we need all the meshing and cover we can get to fend off some of the mosquitoes.

ditto all of the above ... welcome back, Eamonn ... thought for awhile there that we will have to do without your British accent ... well at least for a week there, we still have ozemu and his Aussie accent!

Unc. Here is a good document on how to capture audio using a microphone (mic) with your pc. http://www.halldavidson.net/R11-SoundOnWindows.doc or http://computing.sscnet.ucla.edu/training/tutorial_capturing.htm Now ... for software, try Nero for software. It is fairly good especially if you can get the recently outdated version 6.0. They have it for $2.99 at http://www.softwareandstuff.com/SWW12205.html . There are many other that you can use to add your Wav recording on to a CD. FOG has the best idea on finding the mic. You can also do well with a store that sells Karaoke machines. They tend to have better mic. I have always shopped with Crutchfield. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-KuCNbzG2sAN/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?c=1&g=16300&s=0&cc=01&search= Don't forget to buy the a mic that has a jack (most are the stereo mini-plug) that can hook up to your audio card or audio port of your pc. Using your audio card or audio port of your pc may not produce the best quality of sound and it depends on the quality of your audio card. So eventhough you may have the best mic, if your audio card can only record mono then your recorded audio will be mono and not stereo. When you do capture the audio, use nothing less than 44kHz sampling rate with 16 bits and 128kbps at a minimum. Since money is no object, then Roxio CD Creator 7.0 is not a bad CD maker at all. It can even do DVD and that's where you can really spice up your story for your nephew. You can take your video camera and use something along the line of Dazzle's Digital Video Creator 150 or Pinnacle's Studio DV Ver 9 (better if you have firewire on your digital camera). Once converted to digital format, the sound quality is not bad at all. I use Ulead's DVD Movie Factory 3 that came with my DVD burner. This software allows me to do chaptering which means that you can skip from one scene to another. Of course, you will need a fairly good PC as well 2.4 GHz with boat loads of disk space, memory, and a DVD burner ($129 nowaday). You can also use the following audio recorders (http://www.mp3-recorder.net/) to record MP3 format which is about 10 smaller in size that you can email easily to your nephew if you and he have broadband Internet (ie. cable modem and dsl). Anyway ... one can write a whole book on this, but the only way is to try audio capture first with a cheap mic and a freebee type of software like Microsoft Media Player (and freeware CD recorder as I have pointed out previously) and try it before you spend good money to buy a mic, a capture card, and the software. Good luck 1Hour ps: it doesn't take 1 hour! To convert my family's video to a 2 hour dvd, editing, converting, and producing it took me well over 10 hours, but then I was very picky and added a whole bunch of stuffs to the video!

Hi dan, You asked: "Who could I look to find the resources I need to try and get a unit on the same page?" I can only speak for myself. I usually look to my good friends in our District and my Executive for the resources when I need to get my unit on the same page. They are fairly good in getting the answer if they don't know it themselves. I guess that I am fortunate to have a great district executive. I, too, look to Bob White, dsteele, and the likes for questions and answers from time to time. Apparently, you have been at scouting for a while and since 2001, you are practically one of the corner stone of this forums. You are probably one of the first ones to join the forums, even earlier than Bob or Eamonn. I'd say, you would be the one of the candidates to share your knowledge. Remember Bob offers out-of-band questions and answers. You can share with the rest of us of your findings. Cheers, 1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

I meant to mention many others senior and junior members, but it will take me quite awhile. So, I hope that ... and etc ... will fill in the remaining names. By the way, I thought that most Brits are fairly stout-hearted ... so as what I thought of Eamonn. Let's get back to the basics. See you all in another thread. 1Hour

dan, Maybe I'm a little bit naive, but I don't see that all is lost. Scouter Terry has created this forum for the all scouters and scouts to help each other. Granted that dsteele, BW & Eamonn's knowledge will be missed, but this is the same as a pack that just lost its Cubmaster and Committee Chair or a troop without its Scoutmaster and Committee Chair. The pack and the troop simply don't fold. The remaining adults step in, roll up their sleeves, and set the pack/troop forward. All the guidelines, rules, and policies have been written down. The only thing that is missing is the experience and by the looks of it, there are plenty still on this forum. If we were to add up the numbers of years of scouting experience that we have here on the forums, it will easily surpass 10,000 years of experience. If I were to ask about what is a good pfd or a stove or a tent to buy for the troop, I'm sure that someone will recommend one based on their experience. If you were to ask about how to deal with an ADHD scout or a great scout or ..., you'll get plenty of responses. Granted that we will not get the immediate answer to the BSA rules and regulation; however, someone will answer and others will verify and validate. Of course interpretation of the rules and regulations is still wide opened. We still have the likes of Barry, OGE, Ed, you, Mike F, LauraT7, fotoscout,txscoutdad, dancinfox, SR540Beaver, scoutmom, KoreaScouter, FOG ... . We also have new names that contribute such as boleta, UncleGuinea, etc. I have been associating with this forums since January 2002 and I have read my fair share of uggliness that this forum has to share. One thing that I do notice is that people tend to take things to the extreme and a lot of times get sucked into the debate that they are realizing that they (themselves) make no sense. We are aware of the fact that we do control our own destiny. Hence, I am still around because I pick and choose what, whom, why I respond in this forum (230 posts since 2002 ... I was an innocent by-sitter for a while)! Hopefully, those resources will return, but in the mean time there are plenty of scouting newbies who are just sitting there reading and learning. This pack/troop must go on for the new recruits. YIS, 1Hour

Go first in the world, go forth with your fears Remember a price must be paid Be always too soon, be never too fast At the time when all bets must be laid Beware of the darkness, be kind to your children Remember the woman who waits And the house you live in will never fall down If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate When youre caught by the gale and you're full under sail Beware of the dangers below And the song that you sing should not be too sad And be sure not to sing it too slow Be calm in the face of all common disgraces And know what theyre doing it for And the house you live in will never fall down If you pity the stranger who stands at your door When youre out on the road and feelin quite lost Consider the burden of fame And he who is wise will not criticize When other men fail at the game Beware of strange faces and dark dingy places Be careful while bending the law And the house you live in will never fall down If you pity the stranger who stands at your door When youre down in the dumps and not ready to deal Decide what it is that you need Is it money or love, is it learnin to live Or is it the mouth you must feed Be known as a man who will always be candid On questions that do not relate And the house you live in will never fall down If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate And the house you live in will never fall down If you pity the stranger who stands at your gate Gordon Lightfoot

This is a good place as any ... I (stating my name) promise to keep my few postings on this forum to the ideals of helping and learning from other scouts and scouters and nothing else. I apologize to everyone whom I may have accidentally insulted, inflamed, or otherwise upset. A friend is all that I am looking for in everyone here on the forum as well as ideas to make our troop better for the boys ... nothing more and nothing less. 1Hour ps: Having said that, I took a look at the 227 postings that I did and I can rightly say that I have only posted one semi-offending comment, but that is one too many for a scouter!(This message has been edited by OneHour)

An early ... Happy 4th to all. May she stand tall and proud forever! http://www.njagyouth.org/liberty.htm 1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

Only mentioned out of respect ... not out of spite. Mentioned it as to be humorous. Granted that it may be perceived as untasteful, but only meant to be light-hearted. Someone described himself to me as being funny, but I guessed wrong. I guess that this scouting thing is a serious business and that there is a serious decorum to be held. As most around here, I'm only help the boys along their way and not claiming to be a leader, not claiming to know all there is about scouting. As a matter of fact, I post to share what we do in our troop and to learn. I am not supposed to be the leader ... the boys are! But I guess that I glad about one thing ... I can still laugh with just about anyone ... until I can't do that any more that will be MY biggest concern and not that I can't be a leader. If I lost all of my humor, I would then have taken this scouting thing too seriously! My Apologies if I intentionally offended anyone!

John ... BW is Bob White. He corrects the misinformed scouters such as myself and he usually goes strickly by the book. I agree; however, I think that BP said it ... for the boys ... by the boys. In our troop case, the boys elected to have the Webmaster position as one of the POR and since this is their game, this is one rule that is not in the book nor by the book that was agreed by the adults as well. We all viewed it as the troop's digital librarian position. (This message has been edited by OneHour)

Our troop made it into an unofficial official position of leadership. The boys voted. It is equivalent to a historian. As a matter of fact, with the amount of information that goes up on our website, he is very busy. We are at a point where there are about 60 hits on our website per week ... so our site is being viewed by the parents and some of the boys. At least the parents are well informed. I purchased the Webmaster patch for him at http://scoutingtheweb.com/webmaster/ 1Hour ps: Okay, BW go ahead ... it's not an official, sanctioned position. I know ... I know ... we can't make up requirements! This one requirment is the one that I'm glad that it was the boys who wanted.

The usual cost for cot rental is $5 in addition to the $150+ in Sam Houston Area Council. I haven't seen a major revolution yet. Of course, we could bring our own. This year we are going out of Council and the camp doesn't offer a choice of having cot rental.

Getting a job is the ability to show that you can sell yourself. About 60% of job interview is about confident but not bragadocious, being knowledgeable but not pretentious, being inspired but not forceful, being friendly but not obnoxious, willing to learn, and being able to show that you have what they are looking for! The other 40% is your actual qualification. Most jobs are ojt (on the job training). Your qualifications will be viewed as the foundation that they can build on. Job interview as everything else requires practice. In my years of interviewing people, I am only impressed when I meet a candidate who is well prepared for the interview. As an example, I recently turned away 2 PhD candidates and several Masters degrees on the last position that we had opened. The candidate who was chosen did not even have a degree and he works out great! His practical experience outweighs any theoretical knowledge that the others brought. Being an Eagle Scout is an added bonus just as winning the American Legion Award, being valedictorian or salutatorian, winning the band award or orchestra, being a winner of the state swim meet or all conference athlete, etc. It depends on what the job you are applying for as well. If I were to look for a manager or a project lead, knowing what I know about Eagle Scouts, I would prefer the candidate who has the qualification and who is an Eagle Scout, because I know that I can give a project to the candidate and it will get done. It is a cliche' to say that look at the vast experience that you have attained and cherish it, but it is so true. There are a lot of scouters whom I know wish that they had gone through to completion of the Eagle Scout (present company included) ... not for the pay, not for the possibility of richness (in experience ... yes), not for the fact that one day it will make us famous, but for the satisfaction that yes I have done it and it was worth it. If you got your Eagle just to get a job or a free pass, then I would have to agree that you have wasted your time. But if you got your Eagle because you want to learn to be a leader and feel proud that you have accomplished something that a very few could do, then that Eagle award has found the right place in front of your heart! Also keep in mind the current state of the job market. This is a seller's market and not a buyer's market! For every position that is opened, there are at least several hundred applicants. There is one tip that I can share with you and that is use the traditional job searching technique ... "hit the pavement and sell your skills!" Forget about online job sites and apply by emails. A couple of years ago, I did the "online" thing and did the knocking on doors. I applied hundreds of places via online (and I'm paying for it right now in terms of viruses and spams) and netted 0 interview. On the other hand, I, personally, dropped off my resume and applications to 20 local firms and placing calls to the hiring managers to personally introduce myself. I got 8 face-to-face interviews with 2 job offers and 18 rejections. As you can see, it doesn't take one shot nor 10 shots ... it takes getting back up and go after it. Good luck and be proud of what you have attained! 1Hour

Last year, I found out that cell phone made one of the boys more homesick than what he was. Of the 23 1st-time summer campers that we took last year, 10 of the them got homesick with the worst being two of the oldest in the group (they were 1st class scouts too!). This year we are recommending for the parents to write the boys a letter for each day to be given out by the scoutmasters during mail-call, but no cell-phone. My son asked me to let him go to the summer camp this year by himself! My wife dropped her jaw (of course ... I was very proud ... inside)! 1Hour

Mike, Our condolences and prayers.

Any advice on the right cot for 11-13 years old for summer camp (for places that do not rent out cots). I'm looking at the Byer's Allagash ($37) cot. We have two Texsport cots that look like the Allagash ($15 each). They are not sturdy or easy for anyone to put together, including adults. Thank you in advance, 1Hour

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040610/capt.mbc10306101040.reagan_funeral_mbc103.jpg

On our District staff, there are about 3-4 gentlemen who are either not married or dink (double incomes no kids) who volunteer in their troops just because they either love scouting or enjoy working/teaching kids. There are plenty of retirees who are ASMs or SMs in our areas while serving the District committee. These gentlemen work tirelessly; as a matter of fact, they are my inspiration when my scouting spirit leveled off. My wife often pointed out to me that she thinks that I am doing this scouting thing for myself and only use our sons as an excuse to have fun! There is a lot truth to that ... however, it's a program that I can relate to and believe in. From my PoV, the only obstacle that I see in your situation is your family. Your wife may not be too thrill about the idea of you spending inordinate amount of time away from the house and family. For me, my excuse is that I have 3 boys . Either I do the scouting thing or she does it. She bowed out! We have been toying with the idea of adopting a little girl, but it takes a lot for me to raise four children and of course it takes even more for my wife to raise five! My PoV ... go for it! Find a troop near your home and see what you can do to help. Hopefully, the troop has people from the neighborhood whom you know and who know you. It would be strange (and if I were in the situation I would be leery) to have a total stranger wanted to help out with the troop. Good luck. 1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

"Do any of you have any experience of dealing with being a SM and helping to organize and run a reasonably active troop, whilst at the same time being out of town, but not out of contact, for several days a week?" I served as Cubmaster for our Pack during the time that I was travelling overseas on projects. It comes down to good set of parents and supporting leaders. Staying in contact would help tremendously and if of course the Pack (in your case the Troop) does not mind. (This message has been edited by OneHour)

Have you tried to Google it? It looks as if there are a bunch of neat places that offer merit badge programs! 1Hour(This message has been edited by OneHour)

The dens in our Pack meet twice each month plus 1 pack meeting and 1 pack/den outing or major activity (pack campout, hike, sleepover, bike rally, pinewood derby, etc...). This means that the boys are "cub scouting" at least once a week (sometimes twice if the Den has an outing as well).

http://www.scoutxing.com/skits/regular/skit470.htm http://www.scoutxing.com/skits/audience_participation/skitap_079.htm http://www.scoutxing.com/skits/audience_participation/skitap_129.htm http://www.scoutxing.com/skits/audience_participation/skitap_130.htm Pirates Songs: http://www.angelfire.com/oh/claremansfield/misc.html Here's my ill-attempt of the "Yo ho, Yo ho, The Pirate's life for me." It could use some refining! Yo ho, yo ho, a Cub Scouts life for me. We're Bears and were the best, we have the nack. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We camp and we hike and even backpack. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a Cub Scouts life for me We cook it, we spill it, we eat them out or our boots. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Dont take naps, run amuck, don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a Cub Scouts life for me. We kindle and char and in flame and ignite. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We light up the campfire, its really a sight. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We're Cub Scouts and Bears and always do-well lads Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Aye, and we're loved by our mommies and dads, Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a Cub Scout's life for me.(This message has been edited by OneHour)

Our deepest and sincere condolences. May time quickly heal your great lost and may fond memories of your mother last forever.