UCEagle72

In case you missed it ... knee socks arrived about two weeks ago: http://goo.gl/dJigx No red tops, but I find them to be very comfortable and seem to wear well.

Sax -- "All badges and insignia of the Boy Scouts of America shall be used exclusively by members of the Boy Scouts of America, registered and in good standing according to the records at the national office, who qualify in accordance with the provisions herein..." So - are you saying that WB Beads belong ONLY to the BSA - and NO other Scouting Association may use them?

The link to the forums was taken down mid-February. It needed a bullet to the brain anyway.

Here are some additional options: http://www.nextag.com/serv/main/buyer/OutPDir.jsp?search=campaign+hat&m=7201216777494910768

The whole move to more "muted" colors was in response to comments that the US scouts stood out too much at International events. So I doubt you will see the move back to the R&W numbers.

For approx $50 you can pick one up from the ScoutStore that is part of WOSM http://goo.gl/BHEdp

And it depends on how many Stakes are located within a District. My district only has one (three wards in our district, the rest in the district to our South) - the district to my immediate west has three! But we have a couple of leaders in the stake who have served as District Chairman, and District Committee members in our District.

It wouldn't take much for a good jeweler to gold plate some beads -- you wouldn't need to use anything but 10K gold, which would keep the price down (and remember, price is based on the type of gold - and the thickness of the plating). Many, many, many moons ago, I worked as a jewelers apprentice and that was one of the many odd-jobs that I did. Another option would be to buy some gold leaf and apply that. Either would work (and gold leaf would be much less expensive). (This message has been edited by UCEagle72)

When my son crossed over to the Troop, I stayed behind to finish my third year as CM (and earn my CM Key -- yes, a few years back!) I think the best gift I ever gave him was a year in Scouting without me! Of course, it was already set, that when I did come to the Troop, I would be SM. (My son did not need to know that -- it was my 2nd time as SM.) So I spent that first year be a "scout parent" -- helping with transportation, attending CoHs, going on a camp-out here and there as needed. Then when I did come to the Troop, he had already established himself, had his set of friends (some in his patrol, others not), and he did not have to worry about me looking over his shoulder.

Beavah -- As you requested, I spun this off of the CO/CoR thread. Aside to UCEagle72... much as I think UC visits are fine and havin' good UC assignments are fine, da struggle I have with the "numbers emphasis" on such things is that generally speakin' the quality of commissioners and commish contact is pretty low. Yah, yah, I know Irving loves da numbers games. But that push to fill slots like as not means that some Cub Scouter becomes UC for a crew, and doesn't know beans from turnips. I'm curious how you're addressin' da quality issue, or if you're even lookin' at it. UCs are only effective if they have some real depth of knowledge and wisdom beyond da trainin' courses. That's really a key part of the DC's role. And that is why I spend time at roundtables, camporees, courts of honor, and even unit meetings, chatting with unit leaders to ensure that they are getting the "proper" help they need. Sometimes that means changing out UCs. Sometimes that means they need to be replaced. But I try to match my UCs to their strengths -- I don't have any folks who only have experience in the cub program working with crews -- now ... I keep tabs on the numbers, only because I need to ... self-defense you might say. What I learned from the scouter who mentored me on commissioner service many, many year back, was that we need to ensure that all units are getting the appropriate level of service, and the appropriate "personality" of service. "Good Commissioners need both Head and Heart" as one of the Master of Commissioner Science courses say. How do others approach the "management" of their commissioners' staff?

Telling people to go to the UC may be less productive than going to the CO. At least every unit has a COR on paper. How many times have we heard of nonexistent UCs here? While this may be true in some locations - we have worked very hard to ensure that is not the case here! I have made sure that all our unit leaders know who their Unit Commissioner is -- and I frequently check -- Roundtables, Camporees, etc. -- just to make sure our Commissioners are there to assist. Plus, we have developed a system for Units to be able to check that information: http://www.rbb.me/who.html And any unit currently listed as "Not Assigned" is handled by me (as DC) -- and they are each contacted once or twice a month just to ensure they are having no issues. But, we have 40 registered unit commissioners -- and conduct a continuous recruiting campaign. We currently have three "prospects" and two leaders who have committed to being a unit commissioner, but cannot start that position until June. Plus, we have added 5 new active Commissioners in the last two months. (We have more than 12,000 scouts and scouters in our district, so yes, we have a lot of people we can recruit from -- but we also actively contact NESA members, adult OA members, and former Scouters to see if we can get them to be active.) We only have three commissioners with more than 2 units (including myself) and our goal is that by Dec 31 we have 0 commissioners with more than two units. And just to show how well this is working - we already have 42% of our "traditional units" (Packs, Troops, Teams, Crews, Ships) that have 6 or more contacts in the Unit Visit Tracking System (UVTS) -- and we should reach the District JTE Gold level for Unit Contacts (50%) this month. (BTW - our goal is 10+ contacts for 100% of our units.)

I wonder how they would do here -- where you need to be fully trained by recharter in November -- that means "This is Scouting", YPT, "Fast Start", SM Position Specific and IOLS ... Don't get me wrong, as I said before, there is a way YPT can be done in a class -- but will this person ever become a "trained" leader -- and do you want direct contact leaders who are not trained?

Yes ... YPT can be done in a classroom form. We did them extensively last year to get all of our volunteers trained for re-charter. Check with your Unit Commissioner, District Training Chairman, or District Executive.

Bart - Just wear your medal like you normally would - no need to remove the square knot.

We've had our 2011-2012 calendar published since early January. That is the normal process down here in our district. We try to limit any last minute "surprises" -- normally, they come from Council!

I received this from National HQ: "The next update is scheduled for spring 2011. Angela Elliott | Senior Program Assistant"

There are two "official" patches that may be worn on any OA sash -- however, they both needed to be earned, and only during two specific years. The 50th anniversary patch, and the 60th anniversary patch. I was an arrowman under 21 when the 60th anniversary was held (1976-1977). In fact, I still have a scorecard (yes, that many years ago) with the tasks that needed to be completed by June 14, 1977. You needed to complete 11 of the 15 requirements including the 6 mandatory requirements. If I have time this weekend, I will scan the scorecard. I still proudly wear my 60th anniversary award just above the top bar on my sash. I was the only member of my Chapter to earn the award, and I believe there were only 5 of us who earned the award in Mi-Gi-Si O-Paw-Gan Lodge No. 162. Here is a picture: http://www.rbb.me/OA60thAward.jpg ( BTW - you will find a thread on beaded sashes and legends - http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=176696 )

SP -- http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Commissioners/Journey.aspx At the top of the page under the heading "Spreadsheet Beta Test"

Neil -- I was working with this early this morning - very interesting, and seems to work great! I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Contact Wayne Brock -- he'll have none of that nonsense.

Guess I was thinking of accepting CC's for popcorn sales vs GS cookies. Now, I bet that if a Council were to contact a company like SquareUp they could get a better rate as a non-profit. ( and if we could get the BSA to do this ... )

I suggest you follow the standard BSA 12-step process: http://cflscouting.org/Joining/StartingAUnit/tabid/66/Default.aspx Units that I have worked with who followed this ended up being far more successful in the long run than those who didn't.

There are other options as well. Square has been around for a while - and has readers that work with iPhones/iPad/iPod Touch and several different Android devices (https://help.squareup.com/customer/portal/articles/11845-is-my-device-supported-with-square-). Their service fee is 2.75% - and for those of us who have had small-business CC processing work, that is a decent rate. I would think that a Troop or Pack with a savvy Treasurer could do the same thing as this GS Troop in LA. And, no, I do not work for them, or have an investment -- just something I have been researching for a while.

Welcome, sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the virtual campfire. Skeeters ain't too bad -- and the temperature is always perfect!

819 -- Not quite. Even if the online is done, you have 60-days from the end of last charter period to turn in the signed affidavit, and pay the monies due -- otherwise, you are not a registered unit and are dropped.