SWScouter

Ok, I'm curious. How does the District Advancement Chair get a blue card to look at? There are three pieces to the blue card. The Merit Badge Counselor keeps one, the scout keeps another and the unit keeps the third. No piece of the blue card is supposed to be turned in to council/district. What is turned in is an advancement report. My understanding is that there is no place for listing the merit badge counselor that was used on the advancement report either. SWScouter

P.S. C.C. is my wife so it makes things very easy to control. I'm trying to decide if you are a very lucky man, naive, or just a fool. No matter which, I wish you and your wife great happiness. SWScouter

Please do talk to your District Commissioner. The DC probably thinks the lady would be a great fit for your unit since she already knows several of the leaders, etc. The DC probably learned all this from her too. Let your DC know how you and the unit leaders feel about her and that her past association with the unit is a hindrance, not an advantage and that she is not a good fit for the unit's UC. State this in no uncertain terms. If at all possible, meet with the DC in person, perhaps over a drink somewhere. Perhaps with an ADC and the Cubmaster too. I wouldn't meet with more than four. At any rate, talk, don't write. This should be a pleasant meeting and a good thing for both you and the DC. Establishing a good relationship with the DC will be a real benefit for you and the unit. I'm a DC and I can see how this type of situation can arise. If I assign a UC to a unit that is a bad fit, I would certainly want to know about it and be able to correct things. I certainly wouldn't want the situation to pester and cause problems. I can't imagine your DC thinking otherwise. I have to disagree with Its Me. If things go right, your UC should be a great asset for your unit. The UC will be your unit's friend and advocate. The commissioner staff's sole purpose is to provide unit service and help ensure that all units succeed. Unfortunately, things don't always work the way they are supposed to and the service part of commissioner service may be lost, but if unit service is there, why not take advantage of it? Good luck, SWScouter

I have this book and have read it. I'm not an Eagle Scout but found it enjoyable and interesting. I think it would be a great gift for any new Eagle Scout. SWScouter

Ok I found it. Salaries were listed on an attachment. Guidestar has two form 990s for 2004 one had the complete attachment, the other didn't. The SE for Grand Canyon council (one of the largest in the BSA) made 170K in 2003 and 180K in 2004, no data for 2005. For 2004, it listed 54,455 youth so the SE's salary is about $3.30 per youth. SWScouter

Taking a deep breath... Ok, I admit it, I am Form 990 challenged. Where abouts on the form do you find the breakout for executive salaries? I looked, I didn't find it. Yeah, I know, I always miss seeing things, just ask my dear wife. SWScouter

Hey OGE, next time you have a session, why don't you tell your therapist all about this great new device, the boat stretcher.

Oh, the wikipedia link includes '(cannabis_culture)' so you'll need to paste that into your browser.

A new troop is being started here in a juvenile detention facility/school. It was chartered as Troop 420. Turns out 420 is part of the dopers' subculture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture) Not the best unit number for this troop considering the background of a lot of the members. The unit number is being changed. Just for fun, what other numbers should avoided when assigning unit numbers? SWScouter

A few years ago there was a solo hiker that got his arm stuck in a rock. He made it out after cutting his arm off to get free. I imagine he could have made good use of a PLB. His two mistakes, being alone and getting his arm stuck. He was experienced and knowledgable. A PLB would be helpful if one was somehow incapacitated. Knowledge and experience are important but sometimes having the means to get someone to come to you is better than you trying to get to them. I have a GPS, I like using it. Mostly I use it to keep track of where I've been. When I get home I overlay my tracks on the TOPO map program I have. It's nice to build a record of all my hikes and be able to easily see where the trail is on a topo map. I have several books that describe lots of hikes near where I live. Most of those hikes are discribed in words and have some hand sketched maps that show the trails. Usually I can transpose the hike unto a topo map without too much trouble but other times it is very difficult. Other times I know where the trail starts and ends, it would be nice to know where the trail goes in between. A database of GPS tracks from people hiking the trails would be very nice. I know how to use a map and compass. I know how to orient the map, look at my surroundings and figure out where I'm located. It can be very difficult if not close to impossible at times if there are no distinguishing geographical features near by. Is that mesa two miles away or twenty? Where do I go to get out of this dark timber so I can see anything? This plateau is pretty flat for several miles around me, what now? Pulling out the GPS and getting my current coordinates really is helpful. We all know the scout motto, "be prepared." There are times and places where a PLB and/or a GPS will certainly help us be prepared. SWScouter

I wasn't very clear was I; how inconceivable. Assuming all guards are male, my question is, "Will the other guard say his path leads to safety?" If the guard says yes, then the queried guard's path is the path to safety, otherwise it is the path to certain doom. Note that the way I stated the question is opposite of Acquila Calva's and the answers are switched too. Anybody seen any large rodents? SWScouter

The question to ask either guard is, "Will the other guard say their path leads to safety?" If the guard says yes, then that is the path to safety, otherwise it is the path to certain doom.

Have the SM sit down with each potential OA candidates and interview them. Explain to them if elected to the OA what is expected of them (ie: attend 1.)the chapter meetings, there is always a ride, being held with the round-table, 2.) the lodge functions, Ceremonies, fellowships, conclaves, service projects, etc.). I'm sorry, but I completely disagree with the above. The expectations for OA membership are for the scout to continue to serve his unit in a cheerful and helpful manner. There should be no expectation for the scout to serve the chapter above or beyond him serving his unit. Remember the obligation that the scouts pledge in the ordeal; it says nothing of serving the chapter or the lodge, but of keeping the OA traditions alive and serving others. When a scout takes the Brotherhood challenge, then maybe the above is appropriate, but I don't see this for a scout to be put on the OA ballot. SWScouter

I'm looking forward to the replacement sending all the Scouts a pod-cast message outlining his plan of action Do you mean something similar to the podcasts our National Commissioner Don Belcher is producing? See http://www.scouting.org/commissioners/podcast/index.html SWScouter

OGE, The way people complain of hare in their stew is mutten like when they find lamb in it. Moxieman, since cavemen were pre iron-age, what did they use for dutch ovens? SWScouter

I'm going to throw out another scenario to think about. Consider the scout who just never advanced. He was a member of the troop for a long time and went on campouts and attended troop meetings. The opportunity was there but he just never got past second class. When he turned 18, he signed on as an assistant SM for the troop. Should he suddenly be eligible for the OA just because he turned 18? SWScouter

LongHaul, Thanks for advertising my question For everyone else, it's titled "Yardsticks and Whips" and I will value all help I get. Perhaps the moderators relay forum requests to Scouter Terry. I don't know. I do think a Commissioner forum would be nice but like Eamonn, I don't really have feelings either way. Now if it would help get answers to my questions then... Thanks again, SWScouter

Mikeb, I have not run into this dilemma before though I have previously thought about it. As CalicoPenn, points out, the Guide for Officers and Advisors covers the election procedure fairly thouroghly. I just don't follow CalicoPenn's other "possible scenario". The number of eligible youth has no limit and there is no limit on the number of youth that may be elected. In his scenario, there is nothing prohibiting all five from being placed on the ballot nor from being elected. Nldscout was right on with his response. There is, however, limits on how many adult scouters a unit can recommended to the nominating committee for induction into the OA. That limit is one scouter for every 50 active scouts. and only if at least one scout is elected. SWScouter

Last May, the BSA presented its current strategic plan. This plan is made up of five "pillars," each with its own objectives. These are: Every eligible youth has an opportunity to be involved in a quality Scouting experience. Every local council is fiscally sound. The number of engaged, accountable volunteers is dramatically increased at all levels of Scouting. Local, regional, and national chartered organizations and strategic alliances are identified and engaged. Enough of the right professionals are identified, developed, and retained in the right positions at all levels, with a focus on diversity. I recently became District Commissioner for a large district. We have around 188 units. If I go by BSA standards, that means I need a staff of about 63 Unit Commissioners, 4 Round Table Commissioners, and 16 Assistant District Commissioners. This brings the "ideal" commissioner staff to 83; I have nowhere near that much staff. The units are categorized into two groups, LDS and traditional. About two thirds of the units are LDS. For the LDS, each ward (church) has four units (pack, troop, team, crew). There are about 8-12 wards in an LDS stake. Here, the COR for a ward is also the UC for its four units. The LDS stake also assigns ADCs for its wards. I'm just figuring this out but as far as I can tell, I'll have little, if any, input on selecting the commissioner staff serving the LDS units. I'm getting a crash course in the organization of the LDS church; thank goodness the District Chairman is a past bishop of an LDS stake and can guide me through this maze. Back to the pillars My immediate concern is the third pillar, to increase the number of engaged, accountable volunteers of the commissioner staff. To me, there is two parts to address. One is recruiting the staff, and the other is to make the staff accountable. If you have any suggestions for recruitment please let me know, but here I'd like to discuss accountability. It seems that in order to have accountability, then a way to measure performance is needed. How can we hold someone accountable for something if we can't measure how well they are doing that something? That's the basis for the title to this thread, "Yardsticks and Whips." From what I've seen, there has been little if any measurement or accountability with the service staff here. So what things are useful for me and the service staff to measure and how can the service staff be held accountable? Or perhaps it is better to ask what should I, as DC, hold the service staff accountable for? So without offering any answers myself, I'd really like to hear your suggestions, especially from those of you that are or have been a District Commissioner. Thank you, SWScouter

All OA youth need to have earned 1st class. The 18 year old SA, unfortunately hasn't earned, nor can he earn, first class and so is ineligible for being elected. He will just need to wait until he is 21 before he may have an opportunity to join the OA. Don't forget though, that this 18 year old SA is eligible to vote for those scouts in the troop that are on the OA ballot. On the other hand, consider the 17 year old lad that just earns 1st class before his 18th birthday. Once 18 he becomes an SA for his troop. Now, even though he is 18, he finally has an opportunity to be elected into the OA by the rest of the troop's youth (including those SA's under 21). SWScouter

Sunny, upper 70's, low 80's...

Realize that the youth are trained after they have completed TLT. They don't need NYLT to be trained.

Thanks for the responses! One scout I'm thinking of is 16, served as SPL a year ago, and is just finishing up his Eagle Project. I feel he wants to provide leadership to the troop but doesn't want to step on the SPL's toes and also doesn't want to be SPL again. He really is a great scout and has a lot to offer the other scouts. So more specifically, how has troops you've been involved utilized JASMs? Has that worked well or not. What are the lessons learned? Thank you, SWScouter

Well it's been awhile and I have yet to see a llama add. But llama tell ya, I just saw an add for a front closing Playtex 18 hour bra with flex back. Ooh la llama.

The first reference to it in these forums can be seen in http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=138786 A thread was started to discuss this. Nobody seemed to excited. See http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=140342 More was discussed in the fund raising black mail thread. See http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=141025&p=2 Also, there was some discussion about the Unit Self Assessment forms it utilizes. See http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=139185 I hope this helps, SWScouter