RememberSchiff

How about a little Christmas present for our post-sudden-fee-increased, membership-stressed units? Not uncommon these days. A troop is below the 5 scout recharter minimum. Current options: recruit more scouts. Yeah, like they have not been trying? An extension would be helpful. disband, leave town, and join another troop 5, 10, 20 miles down the road. I would sooner stay in my town with another youth group, likely parents would prefer less shuttle-duty. Why not keep your Smallville troop and occasionally join the Metropolis troop down the road on outings? become Lone Scouts in your community leave BSA From our Tulsa,Oklahoma office: https://www.tulsaworld.com/communities/wagoner/news/coweta-boy-scout-troop-needs-members-to-keep-charter/article_6a1372c7-5340-5aaa-b4d2-71fd831b53d3.html My $0.02,

Well said. Same here.

I have recently revisited this civics lesson during a town mandated residential water meter upgrade (inside house) and a state mandated property assessment. Lost one, won one.

More of the same except copies might use less toner? Changes: Less color ink (easier to copy) , and alert ! icons. "DOB" replaced with "Date of Birth" Part A: Added following permission : California's BB gun (device) law - Penal Code 19915. Every person who furnishes any BB device to any minor, without the express or implied permission of the parent or legal guardian of the minor, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (California Penal Code Section 19915[a]) My signature below on this form indicates my permission. I give permission for my child to use a BB device. (Note: Not all events will include BB devices.)  Checking this box indicates you DO NOT want your child to use a BB device. old two page part B is now Part B1 and Part B2 - same content except, as @mashmaster noted fields for epipen and rescue inhaler added. Part C: same content except added Skin Issues and dropped "For high-adventure participants, I have reviewed with them the important supplemental risk advisory provided."

While I was grousing about this, a couple of scouts reminded me to get with the program . Their points - Video games merit badge - video games are advertised by Boy LIfe. There are even Boysie Video Game Awards and they showed me the nominees. Huh? I looked at BL nominees which was ike a list of Democrat candidates that no one wants. No Minecraft, No Fortnite, No Call of Duty,, No Civilization ...actually none of games my sons play. So where's the BSA Oculus with 20 nights of virtual camping? Source: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/04/01/vr-scouting/ Note: Above was a April Fool's joke in 2014, but ...

Good Grief https://www.scoutshop.org/playstation-4-pro-641270.html Sigh....and already Out of Stock...Santa Plan B outdoor gear?

Have Gramma's old Erie and newer Lodge skillets. Bottoms are a little rough, insides are smooth. I would be wary of sliding over a glass ceramic top but maybe that's just me.

Jamboree on the Air 2019 Results report https://k2bsa.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Jamboree-On-the-Air-Report-2019-Final.pdf

What kind of stovetop? If a smooth glass ceramic, I would be concerned about cast iron scratching it.

In a SAR training event, Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts troops volunteered, posing as missing persons. They rubbed gauze over their face and hands, and placed the gauze in a bag to be used as a scent article for the dogs to track. How dogs track scents differ, and search dogs fall broadly into two types of scent tracking. Some dogs work in “trailing,” or following scents of a person left on the ground. Other dogs work scents in the air. After finding the subject during the training, the dogs are rewarded with their favorite game. Weeko likes to fetch a yellow ball that her handler, Debbie Wickersham, keeps hidden until the subject is located. Gruys’ German shepherd Diesel likes to play tug-o-war. Border collie Angus likes his handler Wyman Bontrager to throw a Frisbee. “To them, it’s a game,” handler Wendy Wampler said. “But there’s also a work ethic. They learn that it is truly a job, and when it’s time to go to work, it’s time to go to work.” More at source: https://www.aspentimes.com/news/on-the-trail-with-garco-search-and-rescue-dogs/

Or go STEM or is it STEAM or is it STREAM with a 3D printer https://www.yeggi.com/q/boy+scout+neckerchief+slide/

Followup: People in the community are stepping up to help them out. Western Rockies Federal Credit Union is giving the troop $1,000 dollars to help cover some of the money lost. https://www.kjct8.com/content/news/Local-company-gifts-Boy-Scout-troop-with-1000-dollars-after-they-lose-money--565754452.html

How often do we advise a frustrated parent or scouter that their only recourse with a recalcitrant unit is to transfer? That there is no quality control by Council?

The only problem that I see is an unwillingness by Council to confront and use their authority. Our CO has not provided us a meeting place for years but Council ignores our concerns, surely the unit can find a meeting place in the community.

In my old Council, I think the change occurred with the Improved Scouting Program so early 70's. I believe @TAHAWK and some other members here were Neighborhood Commissioners. Their recollections are likely more accurate than mine.

Starting to see a new version posted at a few Council websites. It still does not mention the CRA by name or its contact information, nor that it supersedes the above form if that form was already signed, no copy of report to members who paid for it, no linked privacy policy, and still short (or wrong) on specifics? "Boy Scouts of America and/or its subsidiaries, affiliates, other related entities, and/or successors (the “Company”)..." er no, BSA folds and the agreement and membership ends. https://nhscouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Additional-Disclosures-And-Background-Check-Authorization-NOT-CALIFORNIA-112519.pdf

12/2/19: Dozens of new allegations of sexual abuse against priests and scoutmasters have surfaced after New Jersey opened a two-year window granting victims a second chance to pursue court claims that had been barred by time limits. The Boy Scouts alone were hit with more than 20 suits before courts had even opened Monday, most of them from one firm representing dozens of plaintiffs. Because the organization was based in North Brunswick, N.J., from 1954 to 1979, sex abuse claims from across the country during that period are eligible to be heard in New Jersey’s courts. More than a dozen states have considered similar bills, spurred by the #MeToo movement and the 2018 grand jury report outlining decades of abuse and cover-ups in six of Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses. Efforts to pass a window law in Pennsylvania have been met with fierce opposition from Catholic leaders and the Boy Scouts, who have argued that lifting the statute of limitations would subject them to a flood of lawsuits with allegations too old to defend against. https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey-sex-abuse-lawsuits-dioceses-camden-philadelphia-mccarrick-fortney-boy-scouts-20191203.html https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/courts/2019/12/03/nj-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-boy-scouts-america-named-14-accusers/2586906001/

Over the weekend boy Scout Troop 303 posted on Facebook that credit card sales between 10:45 AM and 5:45 PM on Friday, November 29th were not processed, and about 20 trees ($1650) were taken off the lot without the payment going through. It’s still not clear what exactly caused the credit card malfunction, but now they are hoping that anyone that walked away with a tree for free will come back to pay. There is some good news...Amanda says there has been a handful of people that have dropped by to get their card processed, and even donated a little extra. Source: https://www.nbc11news.com/content/news/565714821.html

Self-inflicted. Local Councils once had Neighborhood Commissioners whose job was just that and they had the power to make corrections with no reluctance about confrontation.

There is still no official posting of a revision to the ill-considered 9/30/2019 https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/se-packet/2019-09-30/Additional-Disclosures-And-Background-Check-Authorization-NOT-CALIFORNIA.pdf @Eagle1993 found a document referenced on FB in a zip file in an unofficial dropbox. A poster on another scouter forum gave a link to another new form on an unofficial website. Neither form has a BSA document number, addresses all the member concerns, or states it supersedes the above form if that form was already signed. Our recharter is scheduled for the end of the week. We stand to lose several adult leaders over privacy concerns.

After creating bird-enrichment toys, the Scouts met Juneau Raptor Center education ambassador birds Phil and Justice, a "very social" gyrfalcon and fish-head-loving bald eagle, on Nov. 22. The toys give Phil and Justice something to do with their idle time, explained JRC manager Kathy Benner. Unlike in the wild, there's not a lot preoccupy the birds while in captivity. (Neither bird can be released due to injuries.) The toys were essentially shish kebobs made of rope and repurposed materials such as egg cartons, scrap wood and Popsicle sticks. "Even having a radio playing is considered enrichment," Benner said. "It's just something different in the birds' environment that gives them something to focus on besides just sitting there on a perch like this all day." Den Leader Shannon Seifert leads the Lions (kindergarten) and Bears (third grade). The dens will have completed two different adventure studies on wildlife with the toy-making project. More at source including photos of scouts, toys, birds: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/Juneau-Cub-Scouts-make-toys-for-education-birds-14872304.php#photo-18687872

Well there is the Boot Monument to Benedict Arnold . "Benedict Arnold is not mentioned by name on the Boot Monument; the monument thus serves as a form of damnatio memoriae."

With today's BSA, it seems the following historical references are to be avoided? - Native Americans - historical figures and events after War of 1812 with exception of Lincoln No Alvin York Council, No Eisenhower Council, No Neil Armstrong Council, ... dullsville only please. My $0..02,

Why? We cannot help if the line of communication is cut. From your profile, you have worn many hats in Scouting. Which hat brought you joy?

To answer my own question, from the 2017 Annual Report page 19 Assets page 4 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements($ stated in thousands) Note 5. Land, Buildings, and Equipment At December 31, 2017, land, buildings, and equipment comprised the following: National office, less accumulated depreciation of $19,212 9,301 High-adventure bases, less accumulated depreciation of $30,383 60,300 National Distribution Center, less accumulated depreciation of $6,948 3,409 Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, less accumulated depreciation of $39,273 370,994 Furniture, equipment, and software, less accumulated depreciation and amortization of $79,066 39,375 Total land, buildings,and equipment, less accumulated depreciation and amortization of $174,882 483,379 Depreciation and amortization expense was $21,634 in 2017. High-adventure bases include Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida Sea Base, and Northern Tier If I read the financial statement correctly, it appears a $446 million line of credit mortgage would be the full value of Philmont and then some . Going for broke?