TAHAWK

A rolled closed cell foam pad can create some stiffness in the main compartment of rucksacks live ALICE.

I see it, and have described it repeatedly, as less a matter of a deliberate "departure" from Bill's Patrol Method than the result of poorly written materials and lack of knowledge of the subject.. For example, some at B.S.A. seem to think that the Patrol Method is a "component" of the "boy-led troop," when the boy-led troop is a component of the Patrol Method. But there are others who know better, and a push to educate about and encourage use of actual B.S.A. methods is being made. The substance of everything Bill said about the Patrol Method is still there - somewhere. If BSA didn't like Boy Scouting as defined by Bill, why don't they eliminate the words? B.S.A. still says, for example, that a troop is composed of patrols, rather than Scouts; that a patrol is to have a separate life; that learning is to be centered in the patrol and only "sometimes" take place in the troop setting; and that the troop's program, including the annual program, is to be planned by the elected PLs, under the leadership of the elected SPL and then led at the troop-level by the SPL. I do not believe that Boy Scouting suits everyone any more than any program suits everyone. It would suit some to have the baseball be larger - say 12" in diameter - and pitched underhand. They play "softball" and don't pretend it's "baseball". Anyone is free to try to start his or her own youth program. As you doubtless know, current B.S.A. rules allow the SM to define a leadership project as a POR. Titles don's have to matter if the SM takes this opportunity. So what's the issue? .

Extensive review: http://sectionhiker.com/osprey-packs-volt-75-backpack-review/ Another extensive review: http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Packs/Internal%20and%20External%20Framed%20Backpacks/Osprey%20Volt%2075%20or%20Viva%2065/Test%20Report%20by%20Steven%20M%20Kidd/ These are actual reviews.

Yup. All the rights mentioned in the Constitution are said to be ours at birth (or some at conception in the view of some)

The Constitution creates no rights. To a greater or lesser extent, the Constitution protects rights from government. Rights have been found to exist that are not even mentioned in the Constitution ("right" to "privacy") This language seems to clearly recognize that citizens of the U.S. have a right to vote: Amendment XV, Section 1: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Or so the argument goes.

Being informed is a responsibility that ought to be a duty. Voting is a right, often exercised in near-total ignorance. Of course, no right is absolute (yelling "fire" in a crowded theater and all that). "The success of democracy presupposes an informed electorate."

Ah yes. Details. But the Devil is in the details. The C.Y.O does fine things. So do school crossing patrols. Even organized sports. But they do not do Boy Scouting, The words I quoted, while current from B.S.A., are fully consistent with what has been said for over eighty years. - Bill Hillcourt's Patrol Method, an adaptation of B-P's Patrol System to a more democratic and less class-stratified society, is described in the quotations above - and in others because the Patrol Method has details, such as "patrol spirit" and a job for everyone. That fewer and fewer adults supply Boy Scouting to youth does not mean they are not "doing good." What they are not doing is supplying Boy Scouting as originally defined here in the U.S. by Bill Hillcourt. They tend to ignore the express promises made to Scouts in the literature B.S.A. publishes for them. They are not called on their behavior, and the Scouters who follow the program are not recognized. But the Scouts notice. As for the "why" of such behavior: Some few know they ignore the rules and policy, at least to some extent. They have given the topic some thought and decided that they know better. Mostly that leads to the adult-run troop method so popular today. However, that behavior seems a bit more than ignoring "details. It's ignoring the most important aspects of Boy Scouting - Boys primarily Scouting in the patrol context and boys planning and leading the program. Maybe they behave this way becasue they are so darn "helpful; maybe they always wanted to be the platoon leader; or maybe they just believe they get better results with Dale Scouting or Ralph Scouting. Then we have the great majority, I believe, who go astray because they don't know any better, They do not make a decision that this or that aspect of Boy Scouting should be ignored. They just don't know what they are honor-bound to do. They are surprised to read words like those quoted above and the other words. Surprise is hardly shocking given that B.S.A. stopped delivering coherent training on the Patrol Method some fifteen years ago. B,S,A, still tells the adults to use the Patrol Method, but fails to present one list, one article, one chapter, or one training session that lays it all out - or even the most important aspects. One result is that many well-meaning Scouters think "the Patrol method" is no more than the "boy-led troop," missing the whole "patrol" thing in the "Patrol method." We need some of those "capable" people writing - and capable writers who actually understand the Patrol method, which some at B.S.A. clearly do not. Yes we have patrol-sized troops. That makes it easier to use the Patrol Method. (And we once had the registered "Neighborhood Patrol.") Can it a "pickle method " and use the Patrol Method and you are well on the way to Boy Scouting. NSP/mixed-age. Both are allowed, so those are details by definition - unless the adults dictate who is in which patrol. Another "detail" : patrols are supposed to be self-selected according to B.S.A for eighty years -- groups of friends. Strange that B.S.A spends so much energy on what most here think are details - squirt guns, using paint rollers, pulling little red wagons, wearing one of the several, disparate B.S.A.- branded trousers or shorts -- and so little energy on Scouting's "Most Important Method." But pretend Boy Scout Troops fit the metric definition of "success," so no pressure to do what is promised the Scouts or recognition of those Scouters and troops that do use it. (And some at National are well aware of this state of things, and they are trying to change back to Boy Scouting. Look, we have a troop defined as patrols, instead of Scouts. The longest journey begins with the first step, and we are past that.)

There are many paths to wisdom. Convincing the group to support/own the job is one excellent definition of "leadership." Historically, convincing MAY involve threats and all those other eeeevil things you list, Stosh, but it need not. I'll bet you don't use threats when convincing Scouts to do things contrary to the Handbook and B.S.A. policy. Hard sell or soft sell, you're selling. There is nothing contrary to Boy Scouting in someone, adult or Scout, influencing decisions by giving information, asking questions, or even making suggestions, so long as the leaders are free to make the decisions in the end. So says B.S.A. for over eighty years, mainly through the words of Bill Hillcourt. By the buy, the Scouts are supposed to learn about politics -- pretty essential to informed citizenship. Few "servant" leaders on the ballot these days.

Giving "The Speech," as my SM called it, helps get the electorate in the right frame of mind, When they hear that whomever they elect must convince the PLC to include that patrols' ideas in the program or must convince the Troop Committee to support the PLC's program, the tend to elect someone within the Range of the Acceptable. If they do not not, they have the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson about electing someone not in that range - a lesson well worth learning before the stakes get real high. 0___0

Ill bet you a Snicker's Bar that "-32F" = below 32 ºF .

Metrics. For decades, BSA taught that "advancement comes out of good program." "Program" meant activities - service projects, hiking, camping, backpacking, exciting meetings that built towards outdoor activities. Now I hear about the "advancement program" - even from B.S.A. Many parents, and many Scouters, believe advancement is a goal of Scouting. Summer camps become merit badge mills, and districts run mass merit badge events without complying with Guide to Advancement requirements for even having such a disfavored activity. Some of the best Scouts I have known just were not excited about advancement, but they had the skills and great character. One of the troops in my old district got tired of hearing they were "under-performing," won the district Advancement Award by a huge margin (157% of the nearest troop - which had won the award three of the previous four years), and then went back to tent camping or backpacking every month of the year in Ohio and PA. It was quite some time before they were again accused of "under performing." Their unit number stayed on the top place on the trophy as the record-holder for twenty-seven years - until the district was consolidated out of existence.

"It is important thus, to remember that in the end, a badge recognizes what a young man is able to do and how he has grown. It is not so much a reward for what he has done. It is instead, more about the journey" Guide to Advancement "Cub Scouts—even those of the same age—may have very different developmental timetables. For this reason, advancement performance in Cub Scouting is centered on its motto: “Do Your Best.†When a boy has done this—his very best—then regardless of the requirements for any rank or award, it is enough; accomplishment is noted. This is why den leaders, assistants, and parents or guardians are involved in approvals. Generally they know if effort put forth is really the Cub Scout’s best. In the same spirit as “Do Your Best,†if a boy is close to earning a badge of rank when the school year ends, the pack committee, in consultation with the den leader and the Cub Scout’s parent or guardian, may allow him a few weeks to complete the badge before going on to the next rank. Earning it will give him added incentive to continue in Scouting and carry on and tackle the next rank." Scouting.org

The cushion and not the frame?

One of the ladies at the Service Center has some sort of better access to the app than us rank-and-file types. She say's she will mail me a certificate. Also says she has been doing a lot of that lately. I would hardly be surprised to learn that someone(s) with better skills can solve this problem, but it should not be this hard. Ending the online app should result in a big button: "PRINT CERTIFICATE" No to mention the substantive errors in the app.

Nope. Have never seen the certificate - if it exists. Here is as far as I have gotten in six hours today. In the old world of MyScouting,org, there was a way to print a "replacement" certificate. Those directions are still on line from Scouting.org, but don't work in the new environment. The tab they tell you to click no longer exists. In the new world of My.Scouting.Org [note period between "my" and "Scouting" ] it is assumed that you complete the training app and print out a certificate. No way to print a "replacement" has been provided - at least not yet.. So if you finish the app and it simply congratulates you and closes without ever giving a chance to print your certificate, as happened to me and at least three others I talked to Tuesday, the only way to get a certificate is to -- WAIT FOR IT! - retake the training. Oh joy; oh joy. I could have taught eight YPT courses in the time I've wasted today and Tuesday.

I am told the YPT on-line app is being changed repeatedly. Change, as always, is not the same as improvement Apart from needing six tries to get into the application and complete all steps, the following problems appeared. 1. Policy 9 of 21 There is no basis to conclude that the small illustration excludes a second adult from being "on the trip or outing." Eventually, I guessed that is what the builder of the app was after (violation of the two-deep policy), even though there is no logical basis to select that answer. That answer was the least incorrect answer. 2. Policy 13 of 21 On the "logic" of 9 of 21, a correct answer is that the two-deep rule is violated. Only one possible adult appears in the illustration. Since one of the figures shown as involved in cliff-climbing is wearing no safety gear and is bare-chested, a correct answer is that the Appropriate Attire policy is being violated, but the app does not accept that correct answer. The builder of the app was looking for another answer - proper preparation for high adventure. That answer is less correct as one must assume facts not given to decide that proper preparation has not taken place. All the proper preparation in the world does not guarantee 100% proper performance. 3. Policy 14 of 21 This question exhibits the same error as 13 of 21. The same improperly attired figure is shown, but that answer is not accepted. Nor, on the "logic" of 9 of 21, will the App accept the answer that the Two-Deep rule is violated. Instead, one must answer that the policy implicated is proper youth leader training and supervision. The facts that would allow one to conclude that such a policy has been violated are absent. Indeed, none of the figures shows any evidence of holding a leadership position. 4. Policy 18 of 21 For the third time, we have a figure involved in cliff climbing with no safety gear and bare-chested. NOW the answer that the policy implicated is Appropriate Attire is accepted. 5. When moving to the next part of the app (at least using Explore and Windows), a black window "scoutnet.com" covers the screen. It must be closed to continue. This same error occurs at each move to a new part of the app. 6. When asked what to do when it seems apparent that a child is being physically abused at home, the only answer accepted is to contact the Scout Exec. According to BSA policy, as taught previously in the app, the correct answer is to contact the appropriate government agency AND the Scout Executive. 7. 4 of 5 The only answer accepted is based on the facts that: a) The Scout accused the SA of abuse; and b) the Scout broke down and admitted his accusation was false. However, neither of those dispositive facts was disclosed before an answer was required. One only learns those facts in the explanation language after one has answered. 8. I scored 100%, and should since I teach YPT and words were my profession. When I clicked the button to finish, the app disappeared without an opportunity to print out the paper validation required due to the failure to automate validation. 9. Told to go to MyScouting.org to get my certificate, I found that the "print" link supposedly present under Training Validation did not exist - at least for me. I use Chrome and Windows 7. Programming can be challenging. Here, the challenge has defeated the BSA IT people. I can't get a certificate. Not one of the three councils where I Scout will accept a screen shot of the Training Validation page showing I finished YPT. When we need more help, BSA is making it harder to help. Anyone have an emoticon of rolling heads?.

The design included two wooden struts that angles from the rear corners of the back bottom to fit into pockets at the hips of a broad belt just behind opposing cartridge pouches. No threat to a proper modern pack, but a big improvement on anything that puts all the weight on the shoulders. One good feature of the shoulder-borne sack - few people in the back country.

Don't know, but pediatric orthopedic types have, and they don't like them one bit. They strongly suggest that the bag carry no more than 10-15% of the child's body weight. The Army rejected waist belts to take the weight of backpacks (developed by a Union Army surgeon) during the Civil War. It took over a century to "get it."

Re" PORs You could well have verbalized the rationale of whoever created the POR list. Has BSA ever said? Re: troop activity Since you asked. A troop activity would seem to be one of the supposedly less common activities involving all of the patrols. The troop meeting should primarily consist of "patrol break-outs" "“[T]he Patrol must have a genuine life apart from the Troop.†"[Patrols are] “. . . small groups of Scouts who camp together, cook together, play together, and learn together.†“[The patrol members] interact in a small group outside the larger troop context, working together as a team and sharing the responsibility of making their patrol a success.†“[The patrol is] the place where boys learn skills together, take on leadership responsibilities, perhaps for the first time . . . . †"Patrols are where Scouts learn citizenship at the most basic level. . . . †“Patrols need to meet regularly to get their work done.†“Patrols will sometimes join with other patrols to learn skills and complete advancement requirements. [emphasis added]†“At other times they will compete against those same patrols in Scout skills and athletic competitions “Your Boy Scout troop is made up of patrols, with each patrol’s members sharing responsibility for the patrol’s success.â€

ALICE was obsolete when first issued. It offers the opportunity to injure young adults, not to mention children whose bone ends are still soft. The Surgeon General of the United States Army noted in WWI that weight should be carried on the pelvis, not the shoulders, for a number of sound medical reasons. Given the forum, I will not complete the statement on Post 10. It would begin "a."

ALICE is a _____________________.

My oldest council has combined SM position specific and IOLS into a single weekend course. The outdoor stuff helsp break up the classroom stuff. The only District Training Chair in that council (and it's been that way for over four years - just the one) was the main leader and creative force behind this approach. It has been very well received. One and done. Why can they go year after year with key positions open? Not a priority for council. Other sorts of positions are always filled.

"Patrol Method"?

Our DEs average slightly over six months as "professionals," typically were not in Scouting as youth, have a BA in liberal arts, and are about 23 years of age. So, typically, "not a clue." Whatever their job in theory, in practice it's fundraising, and then getting new units and then growing membership For example, last rechartering round, since our district had no Commissioner, we imaging one of our two district "professionals" would help sort out the typical confusion. Nope. See above three functions in practice.

Re: nonfunctional PL If one has a Boy Scout Troop, the Scouts are most certainly in charge. The SPL, as chair of the PLC, or any other member may raise the problem in the PLC. A PLC member may suggest the solution of a new election in that patrol. If the votes are there, there is a new election and the non-performing PL may be replaced by the performing former APL. Or we can think its an adult problem and wring our hands or, worse, take over the Scouts' role in an effort to be "helpful." Absolutely nothing in "the book" fixes unalterable terms of office for any leader or Scouter. A suggestion of six months is made. Thereafter, some talking head may act like it's a rule, but it's still a suggestion. Absolutely nothing in "the book says a leader cannot be reelected. - over and over. That might be limiting to that Scout and others, but it is not barred by any BSA rule . If one is too busy ignoring "the book," one may miss these facts. RE: "The answer is yes." The problem is the question, If you ask, "Was the traffic light red, green, or amber," the answer by someone being precise is "yes." The traffic light (normally) is red, green "or" amber (not purple or blue). The SPL leads the troop level activities with the support of the PLs (It's part of the PL job description to help lead the troop.) The PLs lead their patrols (and are free to ask for help form whomever). So the better question is, "Is this a troop activity?" If "yes," the SPL leads. If "no," the PLs lead.