RememberSchiff

One month away... http://nam.scouting.org/ Meetings: http://nam.scouting.org/NAM/Activities/Events/Meetings.aspx I have not heard if another National Strategic Plan 2016-?? is coming or if local councils will be pressed to produce complicated plans and meet certain metrics (mergers?) or maybe National will refocus on Jamboree or STEM or ... No Council needs more of this crap http://www.scouting.org/filestore/NationalMeeting/2015/engage_alumni/NAM_2015_Whats_New_in_Council_Strategic_Planning.pdf

Not hard at all. The weight/height chart on the often revised medical form over the past 10 years. Remember it started out as weight/height only and excluded hefty football-playing scouts from activities, not to mention scouters. Regularly ignored locally. A lot of negative feedback followed in this forum, that this was the wrong metric. A couple years later weight rules changed with BMI added... Another common situation is when a rule/requirement is re-intrepreted, e.g., Emergency Preparedness MB requires that a scout have First Aid MB. To me that mean prerequisite, but word has come down that co-requisite was intended. "A nod and a wink" is still alive and well when it comes to following BSA rules.

Digital sashes... More of my scouts regularly carry smartphones than pocketknives or anything else. I could see a Merit Badge Sash app or a Uniform app which could display his earned badges. Weird but it might be the future and make uniform police disappear.

Thanks for the suggestion, been using the black Sole inserts. I would feel safer walking barefoot down the street than in a house with Legos.

http://patch.com/massachusetts/chelmsford/boy-scout-create-install-solar-powered-irrigation-system-0 Tyler Fleming's Eagle Project is a solar-powered, computer controlled irrigation system for a community garden of hos own design. He hopes to raise $1000 thru Gofundme. https://www.gofundme.com/xjtbasek I am impressed!

Well since the scout uniform is optional and assuming you do not call it a "scout uniform" etc , I see problems only at Council/National activities. - attending a Jamboree, Philmont, other BSA HA with a Council. Councils are usually insistent upon uniform. No uniform no go. I would not buy the new Centennial uniform and Council would not accept my old Made in USA uniform. I did not go to Jambo. - Council "leader" training NYLT, Wood Badge this is where the uniform police nest. I think a scout without official uniform will be allowed at NYLT, but his patrol will be punished at uniform inspection and it will be downhill from there. - Some summer scout camps are strict about "official scout uniforms" for photos, colors, dinner. - You will not be popular at RT, boo-hoo. There are Congressional Charter restrictions on Scouting uniforms resembling military uniforms, yet the Sea Scouts have done so. Explorers too. Ironic, as scout uniforms were derived from military uniforms. Oh your hand-me-downs would be limited to just your troop members. Wish you success. My scouts would like just a UnderArmor T, cargo pants, ball cap, no necker.

I think he did fine. He is probably the envy of all scouts. Next stop, how about a Boy's Life cover with Thor and Eagle Tristin Budzyn-Baker! 15 minutes of fame and a lifetime of service ahead. I predict more good turns by this young man.

Decline or accept the reward? This would make an interesting EBOR question. I thought he was already an Eagle but some reports say not yet. He and his family may need the money.

If he be worthy, a scout is worthy in trust.

When Australian actor Chris Hemsworth left his wallet in a Los Angeles restaurant, 17-year-old Tristin Budzyn-Baker came to his rescue. "I looked up at my mom and was like, 'ma, do you know who this is?'" he recounted Monday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (H/T Mashable). "We found Thor's wallet." Instead of pocketing it, Budzyn-Baker tracked down Hemsworth and returned the wallet full of cash. "I expected it was going to be empty, and all the cash was in there" Hemsworth said on Ellen, sitting beside Budzyn-Baker. In return, the teen scored his family some tickets, a stack of wash (typo? for cash) from Hemsworth and a $10,000 reward from the publishing service, Shutterfly. Budzyn-Baker, a boy scout, also got a letter of recommendation from Hemsworth for the Eagle Scout award. "Thank you for being such an honest guy," DeGeneres said. Thor's brother, Loki, could not be reached for comment. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/04/20/teen-returns-chris-hemsworth-wallet-gets-10k-reward/83267728/ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/ellen-teen-10-000-finding-chris-hemworth-wallet-article-1.2607514

Well if you are suspected of wearing sandals and are stopped, say you are on the way to the showers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e-ZM-NXKOU

"Higher headquarter types" fare worse as they attempt to replace firearms, vehicles, weapons, blimps (loved that loose Army JLENS blimp in PA only the Amish were unaffected), aircraft, ships, ...software

Backwards, Navy gets their new stuff from Old Coast Guard. The Navy is dumping their "blueberries" (NWU, the blue digital cammies) for the CG ODU. http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/06/14/navy-downsize-nwu-utility-coveralls-frv-cnp/26235269/

Wait-a-minute. I thought servicemen bought their uniforms at base exchanges. Those base exchanges are for-profit so there must be a mark-up?

Wow "A full Army combat uniform costs $102.04, according to the Army. That includes coat, $41.86; trousers, $42.43; patrol cap, $7.41; riggers belt, $3.73; T-shirt, $4.48; and drawers, $2.13." Made in USA http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/army-combat-uniforms-camouflage/28314895/

Spot check on Scoutstuff for "Made in USA" Nalgene bottles Moccasin kits Lodge pans, skillets (some Lodge like LId Lifter is not USA, IMO scouts should blacksmith and sell lifters at camp!*) Thorlos hiking socks Thermarest sleep pads, pillows I would like camp Scoutcraft to step-up and add making your own outdoor gear. "Make a useful (temporary) camp gadget" is getting old. Our scouts love to make "keepers" - knives, arrows, poncho (Clint style), add zipper pouch to their pack,... Back in the day, camp had a "shop" for woodcarving, woodwork, and artsy-fartsy. Busy place on rainy days. Hmm marketing, yeah marketing, we probably can't just call it a "shop" or "workshop", maybe call it a "makerspace" or "makerlab". My $0.02,

US military uniforms are required by federal law (Berry Amendment) to be 100% domestic material with all manufacturing done in US. Not that the Defense Logistics Agency has always followed the law (some apparel orders were made in China until publicized) or spirit (manufacturing done by low wage US prison labor). https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL31236.pdf http://www.ncto.org/industry-facts-figures/textiles-and-our-military/

US Postal workers uniforms are Union-made in USA. http://www.skaggspostal.com/scripts/items.asp?itm=ELB+270&next=1&allot=0 and ... they are less expensive! But let's drink the KoolAid that no US manufacturers can be found for button shirts, pants. US made t-shirts still can be readily found, lets go with that until a US manufacturer starts making scout uniforms again.

If those "standards" exclude a subset of Catholic kids - public school, home-school from the start, then those standards need tossing and not those kids. My $0.02,

Well some progress anyway. Back in the day, public school Catholics, like myself, were not permitted to join the church troop or play CYO basketball.

School sports is a conundrum for home-schoolers. Most states have "Equal Access" to public school activities but then many state/regional sports conferences are private groups with their own rules (sounds familiar) and yet practice and games are on public school property. So far, state courts have mostly ruled in favor of school districts/sports conferences setting eligibility requirements. Seems discriminatory to me, I see more legal and legislative action ahead. Meanwhile kids showed up for town Little League. No one cared what school they attended or their grades as that is still a parent responsibility, we just check DOB. Play ball.

Congratulations. Where, when, where, how often are your meetings? I like the "real" scout neckers.

New Executive order? http://talkobamato.me/synthesize.py?speech_key=4063dd2f306d4726a17ce93082991dea

Would that the BSA treat ALL of us who are over 18 as adults!