Vicki

Actually, Gunny, he is referring to something I posted. Before we spin off, I'll elaborate, although I'm still not sure what GW meant. As Ed mentioned - no alcohol consumed in front of scouts. In most areas, that seems to be expanded to not consuming alcohol in uniform (I think that unspoken habit is fairly universal based on other threads on this board). In another thread, long ago, somebody mentioned not even buying liquor in the grocery store in uniform - I don't do that either. When it came up in conversation around a campfire one night, other adults said they felt weird doing that as well. That's all I meant. Maybe I should have stuck with "duh, Ed" but that seemed a bit rude:

GW, Oaktree - very often troops will mandate on really long trips that two adults are required per car. No, it's not BSA policy but it's perceived as a safer way to get from Point A to Point B when driving for long periods of time. Just a thought, don't know if that's Greg's troop's reasoning or not. Vicki

Stosh, you didn't say you were a special case:

OK, so the adults are obviously in the wrong in the scenario as presented, but you also said, "he would have another year to mature (his mother's comment, that he was probably not ready.. What boy is ready, until they start training?" Let's play devil's advocate for a second - you live in NM, he lives in NE. How well do you know this nephew? What if he took his name off the list with a real sigh of relief? Do you know for a fact that this wasn't a face-saving measure on the part of the SM for two scouts who didn't want to go in the first place, but were being pushed through adult expectations? Just a couple of thoughts - hundreds of miles of separation can sometimes make for misunderstandings. Vicki

Too late to edit - instead of "duh Ed" read "I think you're preaching to the choir here - I can't even buy a bottle of wine in that brown shirt, much less actually drink anything. It's a weird kind of almost-instinct-level kinda thing." Stosh, if they're not roasted, I could whip up a light-weight roaster in about five minutes that would give you a much better taste...frying is, by definition, not roasting:

Duh, Ed. Yep, GW, a Presbyterian minister named Graham - supposedly would help to suppress "carnal" urges:

Now, GW, OTOH, a finely aged Macallen with a graham cracker and a bit of a slightly sweet white cheese whose name escapes me at the moment is really a treat too! Not at all like old socks. But, back to the question, I would put a tablespoon of grounds in for every eight ounces of water. Depending on the temp of the water will be how long it takes for the water to get hot enough to rise to your small glass top. Once the water is brown in the top, about another five minutes (or so). Careful that you don't let it boil too hard, otherwise it will seep out through the top of your percolator and make a mess. Another rule of thumb is to fill your metal coffee holder three quarters of the way full, proceed as above. Experiment with it until you have it as strong or weak as you like it. Just to clarify, coffee as a caffeine delivery system is unparalleled and I will happily drink just about any swill in camp as long as it's strong. Vicki(This message has been edited by Vicki)

Joni, you take a deep breath and decide whether or not it's worth taking on the SM with the rest of the committee on this issue. From your posts in another thread, I know this is an issue for you and it doesn't sound like your committee would back you up. As Advancement Chair, you don't have the power to hold up advancements that have been signed off. You can educate, but education is best done quietly, diplomatically, and slowly. In your other posts, it doesn't sound like you are willing to take that approach, either. As an old saying goes, if you decide to take on the king, either be ready to kill him, or run. Vicki

Yep, and people like that are like the old adage about anal sphincters - everyone has one. It's the very rare group that doesn't have one and the rest of the group eventually identifies theirs, treats it politely (since most people don't seem to like confrontation), but, for the most part, ignores it. You'll feel better if you look for the signs that people are just politely listening - they're there. And go about your business. Smile at it, even when what it's saying smells bad:

-Yeah, but do they know coffee, which is what this thread is all about? - Actually, point of fact, this thread is theoretically about how to percolate coffee, which I think we handled more than adequately in the first couple of pages:

To answer your point C - as a newly appointed ASM, if you have questions about how to do an SM conference, I would first ask the SM. In the troops I've served or had associations with, the SMs hold on to the right to do SM conferences pretty closely. It's only in the really big troops that I've seen it delegated to an ASM on anything but an emergency basis. If I were the SM, I think I'd do the same thing - it's the one opportunity they get for concentrated one-on-one time. Not knowing your situation, I can only observe that you may have a real opportunity here to step on your SM's toes pretty hard. Vicki (ASM)

Another thing - the condensed coffee reminded me - the best coffee ever was when we were in Peru. Liquid concentrate that was just marvelous stuff. When we first got to our living quarters, they had a hard time understanding that we wanted two of the tiny concentrate pitchers to one carafe of boiling hot water and not vice versa. Marvel of international communications that we managed to arrive at an understanding! We have yet to find a source of that wonderful elixir (sigh). Vicki

I take coffee bags on backpacking trips for the weight value. Drink it fresh ground at home, but troop likes Folger's - have managed to at least get them to buy the higher end Folger's. But there is something about drinking it outdoors that adds a really nice flavor, no matter what kind it is. The stronger the better, the Turks have it right. Tim Horton's, meaning no offense, is brown water. Flavors are nasty whether in coffee or beer. Navy hubby talks about the day some unfortunate newbie cleaned the captain's coffee pot... Vicki(This message has been edited by Vicki)

EC42 - in terms of making changes to your ticket - your ticket and its items are a moving target until either 1) you get your beads or 2) 18 months elapses and you haven't completed them, so you don't get your beads (not the outcome we're hoping for, obviously). Your overall vision probably shouldn't change much but the way you get there is like life - better stay flexible! Vicki

Bob White makes a very good point - when I wrote my ticket, I wrote it up, then sat down with my CC and SM and walked through it with them. With their buy-in I worked it through with my troop guide from WB (in our council your TG is your ticket counselor). Another factor that may be at work here is if you left the impression with the old-timers that they've been doing it all wrong and you're out to set them straight. Can't say that's what's happened here, just that I've seen it before. But good luck! Any learning you survive is good learning! Vicki (C-12-04, C-04-08)

GW, I keep my hair really short and layered - very little of that head size is hair:

Anarchist, any scout shop in our council would turn you down if you walked in asking for a patch without an advancement sheet. Period. If you meant go to another council to purchase patches, that would mean quite a drive. Not how it used to be - my older son's troop had a whole "bank" of rank patches when the policy was put in place so they've been able to continue to award patches when the rank is earned. Whenever new patches are purchased with advancement sheet in hand, they go into the "bank". Younger son's troop does not have that advantage - hence the award of pin, then patch. Vicki

Personally, I think points off a uniform inspection would be enough. There's something wrong with not allowing scouts to participate in a flag ceremony. In both the troops I serve, even if you're not in uniform you participate in flags - you just can't use the scout salute. Is that a standard "punishment" for such a minor infraction in your troop? Don't mean that judgmentally, just asking. Also, if you think about this another way - at least they're "wearing" a current rank badge. Some of our guys don't change their badges from First Class until they're Life - and before you ask, yes, we say something but we don't make a big deal out of it. Vicki(This message has been edited by Vicki)

The link worked fine when I cut and pasted it, but with that waistband I'm sure not wearing them as an underlayer. Guess they just don't look practical to me. Vicki

A slightly different take on this - part of the basic principle of NYLT (at least as our council does it) is that scouts from different troops are separated when they arrive and assigned to different NYLT troops. Our council runs four weeks of NYLT with three troops per week. This wouldn't be possible with female participants so, at least in our council, female venturers wouldn't be able to attend. Unless, of course, you have enough interest from female venturers to form an entire troop of women from different crews - unlikely in our council, don't know about yours. Vicki (NYLT SM)

Slightly different experience here. The troop I serve awards the rank pins immediately upon earning the rank, and the badge at the COH. So the pin is worn on the pocket until the badge is awarded. I've never seen rank badges in a temp holder - I don't think I like that idea. Vicki

I wanna see GW in a group hug! Gern, a honey bear enema? Ewww... OTOH, being a bear (odd symmetry with this thread, eh?), group hugs are a way of life. Vicki (edited for typo)(This message has been edited by Vicki)

Yeah, hamer, I do (call them ALL scouts). Like any other group of human beings, you just have to hang around awhile and learn how to actually listen to what they're saying - often means getting past the tone and the resulting bickering. Not to mention knowing which scout can set the other scout off without even trying! Kinda like a real troop, actually. Keeps it interesting. Stick around. Vicki

I had a situation very similar to Maxwell's. Scout was leaving for a mission trip in Alaska in a few days and would be 18 when he returned. Great scout and all-around guy, BTW. We did the "campfire" in the church parking lot where our meetings were held. He then did a five minute presentation on how to organize a campfire, what resources he used and where he found them. Two birds with one stone AND those who didn't have the badge yet got some tips on how to complete the requirement! Vicki

Good advice here. In terms of recruiting, though, a lot of folks have found it best to do this in the fall when school is starting and everybody is picking up the pieces from summer. Spring, at least for the packs/troops with which I've been associated, is usually the season for crossovers, Pinewood Derbies, and B&Gs. With all that going on, I can't imagine trying to put together a recruiting drive too - although I could see the value in putting out a flyer inviting the kids to, say, the Pinewood Derby (especially if you need to beef up the attendance numbers - a PW for eight is going to be kinda small). But to do a concerted recruiting drive - IMO, keeping cubs over the summer is hard enough without trying to involve new cubs and new parents. Just a thought, Vicki