CalicoPenn

I wouldn't be so quick to give up on this boy, nor would I be quick to lay out rules and expectations, or give other responsibilities because something very important was missed here by the Adult Leaders (and it's not your fault either - BSA training is pretty good, but it doesn't adequately prepare us for how to deal with emotional issues). This lad expressed that he hoped to become SPL and get his Eagle Scout. Then a barrier was put in his way. He was NOT elected - by his peers - to become SPL. For many lads, this is a heck of an emotional slam and a set back to one's self-esteem. It's likely that in his mind, he was dismissed by his peers as a leader, and as a friend - he was hurt by the people he was growing up with. Now you or I may not see it this way, but it's very likely that he sees it this way. His making fun of the other boy leaders could be his way of trying to get a handle on the disappointment he's probably feeling. A disappointment that is manifesting itself in lack of effort, lack of spirit, and that feeling of malaise towards the unit you're experiencing. Examine what your, and the other Adult Leader's interactions have been with him for the last year - we read that you've spoken with him a few times to set expectations, but have had limited contact. Has the contact with him been empathetic/sympathetic or more of a "get over it already" contact? It may be time to have a noce long chat with him about his disappointment in not becoming SPL, and in finding a way to help him overcome that disappointment. Those other assignments given - were they just given him or were they discussed with him first? For this lad, it may be best to sit down and come to some agreement together on what he can do to best serve the Troop from this point on - get buy in from him on his next assignments. What I would NOT do is have a "behavior SMC" with him and the CC and the SPL (for one, the SPL should never be involved in a SMC, and the CC should not either - this should be a one-on-one conversation between you and the lad). I wouldn't even have a "behavior SMC" with him in the first place because you shouldn't be focusing on the behavior right now but on his feelings towards Scouting and the Unit. Fix that, and the behaviors will follow. I know, sounds hard - and you're not a trained counselor - but you don't have to be - all you have to be is a person willing to listen and willing to help him over the disappointment. So far, he has only heard what YOU expect of him - and that approach might work for some, but it won't work for all. Has he heard what HE can expect from YOU?? You have a lad on the verge of dropping out - yet something in the past year has kept him from doing so (my guess - he does want to get his Eagle). What are you going to do to prevent him from dropping out? Calico

Sometimes, its a matter of practical considerations - especially with those that not only received their Eagle just in the nick of time, but have also gone off to college before a COH can be held. Have had a couple lads in this situation pass up the COH and for them it boiled down to time. They had no time to plan a COH because they were busy with the new challenges and opportunities of college academics and life, let alone much time to plan a trip home that would be convenient for others to attend a COH. They considered the Thanksgiving "break" a time for family, and were busy working during the winter break. By the time they could even think about holding a COH, it would be nearly a year since earning the award and they felt it would be awkward to have a celebration after so much time has passed, and I suspect they're right. In that time, the Troop can change a great deal, new lads, new leaders. It would be interesting to get Hops or Meamengs (sp? - sorry) perspective on what their home unit feels like after they've been away from it for a year. Having a quick ceremony at a regular troop meeting worked fine for them. Fortunately, the parents weren't disappointed (I suspect if it was an issue for the parents, there would have been a COH come heck or high water). Beavah makes a good point of an Eagle COH being a way to say "thank you" to all those that helped make it possible, but for these lads, a personally written letter served as that thank you, and was well received by the recipients. gwd - encourage the lad who just wants to come by and pick up his award to do so by attending a meeting of the Troop (if he has time). Then you can have a short ceremony and recognize the lad in front of Troop members that may still remember him (and before the influx of new Scouts from Webelos). While I do agree with Beavah that the COH can be viewed as an act of service, I also believe that first and foremost the COH is about recognizing this one person - this Eagle Scout for HIS accomplishments, and that thanking those who helped on the path to Eagle, or providing an example to the younger Scouts are side benefits of the COH. More importantly, don't take it personally. Revel in the accomplishments but remember what a whirlwind life was becoming at that age. Now - if it were a 15 year old Eagle Scout, I might have a different answer. Calico

Blame Canada

My advice will be a bit dated as well - Maine High Adventure, based out of Matagamon Base, is now run by the Katahdin Area Council. When I was on staff, it was a National High Adventure Base (like Philmont). How much time do you have on your trip from the airport to the base (or vice versa)? If you have lots of time, you could drive from Bangor through Baxter State Park from the south gate to the north gate, stopping in one of the campgrounds within the park for the night. Baxter State Park is not a typical state park - it is very very large (209K+ acres). The road through the park is about 94 miles - and is a rustic road (it will take 3 to 5 hours to go from one end to the other). To reach the southern gate (Togue Pond gate), head to Millinocket then drive about 20 miles to the gate. If this sounds appealing, make campground reservations - all camping is reservation only. To maintain the wilderness feeling, cell phones, stereos, i-pods, handheld video games, two way radios, etc, are banned from the park. If you don't have a lot of time to do this, you can drive up to Patten, visit the Lumberman Museum then head to Shin Pond and stay at the Shin Pond Village Campground. Calico

I wouldn't worry too much about terraforming Mars. By the time we're ready to do so, we won't be launching anything into space anymore because with all the junk we're leaving orbiting the planet, it will be too dangerous to attempt to gain orbit, let alone leave orbit. It's inevitable at this point for a shuttle, or the space station, or a vital sattelite to be critically damaged when it impacts with some little bolt thats floating around in orbit. Calico

Pack, I propose that your question, while a good one, is impossible to answer, at this point in time. It's been a bit over 2,000 years and I do not believe that we even have a handle yet on what it means to be Christian, let alone try to determine if a church that follows one set of doctrines is any more or less Christian than any other churches. There are still people out there that don't believe Catholics are Christians (despite one of their most iconic images being a crucified Christ). There are churches that still preach that their church is the one and true Christian church and that all other churches are not Christian. There are people/churches within denominations that claim other people/churches within the same denomination are not Christian. There are people in single churches that claim that people that go to the same church aren't neccessarily Christian. There are people who believe that to be Christian, one must believe in the divinity of Christ, that Christ was the physical manifestation of God. There are others who believe that one doesn't need to believe in the divinity of Christ to be Christian, that one only needs to follow the teachings of Christ. As long as there is no universal recognition of what it eans to be Christian, then no answer to the question can be objective - they will all be subject to ones interpretation of what it means to be Christian - and therefore, no answer is any more, or any less, authoritative than the other. Calico

Though hating the thought of feeding the Merlyn/Ed Road Show, some things I wonder about. Ed says it will now be a tax burden to the City? How?? The property is already City property - and in most jurisdictions, government property is not taxed. I don't believe this property is taxed now (its City property with a Non-profit IRS 501c3 Organization in it). Its not likely to return to the tax rolls unless the City sells the property. Maintenance burden? Yes - but as Merlyn points out, not if they get another person to lease the building. Calico

First the good news - I believe the knife you're refering to is the Two Blade Leaders Classic made by Camillus Cutlery, of Camillus, New York. Now the bad news - Camillus Cutlery shut down their operations for good in February 2007. The workers went on strike in May 2006 and remained out on strike until November 2006 to protest drastic decreases in wages and health benefits. The United Steelworkers (the Union to which the Camillus Cutlery employees belonged) reached an agreement in November 2006. Shortly after the agreement was reached, Camillus went through massive layoffs before shutting their doors in February of this year. At the time it was shut down, Camillus Cutlery, founded in 1876, was the oldest knife manufacturer in the US. It appears that a combination of low cost foreign manufacturers and labor/management conflict with the new management of the firm ultimately led to the shut down of a venerable US firm. Calico

What in the Sam Hill is a "Patrol Advisor"???? The Patrol Leaders have an advisor - his title is Senior Patrol Leader. Part of the SPL's job is to be checking in with his (yes - HIS) Patrol Leaders and making sure they get access to the tools they need to be a successful Patrol Leader. Another advisor for the Patrol Leaders is the Scoutmaster and HIS Assistant Scoutmasters. Patrol Leaders have another advisor to go to for help - I call them "Mom and Dad". Yep - when I was a Patrol Leader and we planned a Patrol outing (campout, hike, etc.) I looked to good ole Mom and Dad to help me take care of the logisitics of getting us from point A to point B, getting us to the grocery store for food shopping, etc. All of the Patrol Leaders in my units have done the same. A unit that has Patrol Advisors has put way to much adult thought into things (in my opinion). I popped Patrol Advisor into a google search and pretty much all of the Troops I found that listed Patrol Advisors had enough Adult positions filled to run a medium to large District! It seems to me these units are creating positions just to give things to people to do. One unit had 11 ASM's and 32 (32!!!) committee members - not just people in specific jobs, but 11 committee members at large - and in a lot of the specific positions, they had co-leaders: co-advancement chairs, and co-activity chairs and co-equipment chairs. Most had a newsletter editor (Huh??? - My troop had a Newsletter Editor - we called him SCRIBE). According to this Troops website, they have 42 boys in the unit - that's right - 42. So they have 44 Adult Leaders (32 Committee Members, 11 ASM's and 1 Scoutmaster (and I'm shocked they don't have a "Co-Scoutmaster")) and 42 Boys - thats a more than 1 to 1 ratio. I'll be blunt (and risk the wrath of Beavah as I don't "know the situation in those units") but those aren't Boy Scout Troops - those are Cub Scout Packs - The Sequel!! You know those discussions lately about ManScouts? These are AdultTroops. GW - I think there can be a thing as too much parent participation, or at the very least, poorly managed parent participation. I look at what Anarchist's unit does and I can see that it takes quite a bit of parent participation - but it doesn't need to lead to some behemoth of an adult committee and of adult program leaders. My unit when I was a Scout did an awful lot of activities every year with about 30 to 40 boys, just like Anarchists - we had plenty of parents participate - but we only had one Scoutmaster, 2 Assistant Scoutmasters, and a committee of 6 people. When they needed parents to chip in, they knew how to pick up the phone and ask for help. If your unit is making up jobs, handing out "co-position" jobs, and designating ASM's as "Patrol Advisors", its time to take a long, hard look at your unit and it's real needs. CalicoPenn

I'm agreeing with LongHaul here, Its Me. I find a dearth of ManScouts (and WomanScouts) on the forum here. Sure, we may be checking the forums and posting a lot, but there is a big difference between the forum posters and the ManScout. As I've read through countless posts, I see one very common thread among all of the posters - those seeking advice, those giving advice, those telling their stories (which are pretty much used to illustrate a point - not just for bragging), those that are regulars, those that are irregulars, those that are occasionally posting "lurkers" - to a one, its all about the Youth and delivering the best possible program to the Youth. For a ManScout - it's about themselves. Everyone here has the youth foremost in mind as they post their opinions or discuss minutia. Even in the Issues and Politics forums, its still clear that everyone is thinking about the affects of things on the program and on the youth. Let's not confuse dedication and committment with ManScoutery. Calico

It's quite possible for a question about the Scout Law or the Scout Oath to become a test in a BOR - it really depends on how the question is worded and what the expected response is. I would suggest the following wording of the question is a test: "What does A Scout is Loyal mean?" The proper way to answer this question is with a rote answer - with the book answer. Now re-word the question: "What does A Scout is Loyal mean TO YOU?" Now the question becomes personal so the answer becomes personal - the book answer isn't the appropriate response (I'd interrupt a scout giving me the book answer to this question to tell them I'm not asking for the book answer, I'm asking for a personal response). As the scout gets older, I'd expect the answer to change. Now the question is no longer a test to see if the scout knows what A Scout is Loyal means, now its a way to gauge where the scout is in putting A Scout is Loyal to practice. Tossing a lad a length of line in a BOR and asking him to tie a bowline is a test, and should not be done in a BOR. If his book is properly signed off that he can tie a bowline, the testing part is done. Instead, asking what knot was the hardest to learn, what knot has he been using most often and what knot does he feel he will rarely use - and why - is more of a BOR type question. I submit that the definition of test above, especially number 4, doesn't apply to a BOR. A BOR's purpose isn't to evaluate the abilities, aptitudes, skills or performance of a scout. All of those should have been completed before the BOR. The BOR is an evaluation - but is an evaluation of the attitude, satisfaction, momentum and motivation of a scout. Two different things in my book. Calico

In the case of merit badges, the merit badge is earned when completed to the satisfaction of the merit badge counselor. It is earned the day the merit badge counselor signs the merit badge application indicating that the work on the badge has been completed.

What is the purpose of the dues and what is the purpose of the fundraising? That's a basic question each unit needs to ask itself. In general, dues are for rechartering, for awards, and for day to day operating expenses (bank fees, office supplies, program supplies, library books (merit badge books, handbooks, etc). Fundraising money is for equipment purchases, outings, etc. I wouldn't apply fundraising money to dues (unless as part of a "scout account"). In cub scouts, the best motivator is the chance to win prizes (and it doesn't have to be the top salespeople either - you can set levels and have a prize for each level - then any cub can earn a prize or two or three). In boy scouts, the motivator should be to help the unit (for example, a troop may need to buy 10 new tents - let the PLC (and even the whole troop) vote on which tents to buy then fundraise for the tents - with the proviso that no tent will be bought until all ten can be bought). To motivate for activity fees (using so-called Scout Accounts) - determine the annual cost of activities (minus food) for the year (ie Summer Camp is $200, weekend trips are $20 each, except the cool trip to (whitewater canoeing, camping in a cave, etc) which costs $50. The determine a prorata share based on the amount of funds raised. Say the total outing costs for the year runs to $400.00. Say everyone gets %50 of their fundraising towards activities. John Scout raised $800 in popcorn and wreath sales - he's paid for all of his activities for the year (a Scout earns his own way). If he exceeds $800, perhaps he receives a credit to be used at the summer camp trading post, or a special neckerchief - or first dibs at "shot gun" on the way to Summer Camp. If Billy Scout sells $400 worth of popcorn and wreaths - his summer camp fees are paid for and he can pay his way through the rest of the year for the other activities. Maybe Danny Scout sells nothing - and pays his way through the year for all of the activities. Sure, he's getting a "free ride" on the equipment purchases, but maybe his father is always volunteering to drive to activities. And if he isn't, don't sweat it, it'll just make you irritable and crabby. I'd avoid judging the motives of parents who are just willing to write a check instead of participating in fundraising or making weekly dues payments. I hear the argument that a "Scout pays his own way" but it may very well be possible that Mom is so quick to pull out that checkbook because David Scout watches over his little brothers/sisters after school for a few hours before Mom or Dad gets home and isn't being paid for babysitting - could be said that David is earning his own way, but just isn't getting any money directly. Just my random thoughts. Calico

I can sympathize with you on the interference, err.. questions by the TC - I'd love to know what your response to them was. My response would have been that I'm not holding those boys up to any higher standards than I am any other scout who has earned the first aid merit badge - anyone who has earned the badge should expect to be called upon to teach the skills to the rest of the troop. Now, I'm not suggesting it be sprung on them the night of the meeting - on the contrary, I'd make sure the boys were given plenty of planning time (ie... Scout Johnny, the PLC wants to have a session on the first two requirements of the First Aid Merit Badge next week and want you to lead the session - don't hesitate to call the SPL or myself if you need some help preparing. Figure on about 20 minutes for the presenation). A little reminder to the TC that this is the way the program works - Scouts learn skills then pass those skills on to other Scouts, should be more than sufficient to silence the nattering nabobs of negativity. If you show that the scout was given plenty of notice and time to study up and plan, then the scout is the only one to blame for any shame or embrassment he feels because he's not prepared. Round 2: Making sure the Scout has done everything required for the rank is not the same as testing the lad on anything he has done for the rank. It means sitting down with the lad and his book to make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. If one of the requirements is that he earns 4 merit badges, one of which must be an Eagle required merit badge, then the Scoutmasters task is to check to see that the scout has earned 4 merit badges and that one of them is Eagle required. If he has 4 merit badges, and none of them are Eagle required, he hasn't met the requirement and isn't ready for his BOR. It isn't to make sure that he earned them to the Scoutmaster's satisfaction. Same for every other requirement - did the Scout complete all of the requirements (does he have the proper sign offs, etc.) Yep, that means no Scoutmaster (or for that matter, BOR) judgement is involved - just a check of the facts. Where the Scoutmasters judgement comes in is in Scout Spirit. Calico

Ok LH - I'm game. I'm going to ask the Scout if he feels he has truly earned the badges, is satisfied with what he learned, and wants me to sign off on them. If he say's yes, I'm going to sign off on the cards and get him his merit badges - a merit badge counselor signed off that the lad met the requirements to the merit badge counselors satisfaction. Note the wording - met the requirements to the merit badge counselors satisfaction. There is nothing in the advancement policies and procedures that state the scout has to meet the requirements to the scoutmasters, or the committees, or the board of reviews satisfaction - the badge is earned when the scout satisfies the requirements to the merit badge counselors satisfaction. In your hypothetical, does this mean the program has been diminished? Yes, I would agree that it has, but its not my call as scoutmaster to deny the boy a merit badge that a registered merit badge counselor has certified that a boy has earned. My next three steps are as follows: 1: I'm placing a call to the Council Advancement Chair to complain about the quality of merit badge work and counselors that were present at this merit badge college and let the council fix that problem. 2: I'm suggesting to the PLC that they make time at the next few meetings for the new First Aid Merit Badge recipient to teach everyone else the skills they need to earn the First Aid Merit Badge (and/or all the other merit badges he "earned" at this merit badge college). 3: I'm having a long talk with the lad at his next Scoutmaster's Conference about Scout Spirit, the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the purpose of merit badges and the importance of completing all the requirements. If he say's no, he doesn't feel he really earned them, I'm congratulating him on his trustworthiness, filling out new blue cards for all of them, getting him lists of the merit badge counselors for them, and encouraging him to truly earn them. Calico

My first question for the lad that brings me six signed blue cards that I have never seen before is "Where did you get these cards?" The answer to that question leads to my response to the lad. He may have gotten them legitimately (as a Scout in another troop, or under a previous Scoutmaster and he hadn't completed the requirements until much later). He should be getting the blue cards from the troop in some way or another in the first place. If mom or dad picked them up at the scout shop, the Scoutmaster and Committee Chair needs to buy the parent(s) a cup of coffee and explain the procedures to them. No matter, though - whether it first means a discussion about proper procedures, trustworthiness, and goals - I'm still inclined to go ahead and sign the Scoutmaster portion of the blue cards and turn them in for the badges. A quick and polite call to the merit badge counselor(s) to request that they make sure that Scouts from your unit have pre-approved blue cards doesn't seem out of order to me either. Quite frankly, if the Scout worked with a counselor and earned the badge to the counselor's satisfaction, I'm not going to hold him up on it - all a Scout would need to do is ask for a signed blue card, bring it to the counselor he worked with to have it re-signed. As far as the original question - the merit badge is earned when the merit badge counselor signs the blue card indicating that s/he is satisfied that the requirements were met. There is no retesting and no board of review for merit badges. After the blue card is signed by the merit badge counselor, the scout turns it in so the badge can be secured (and that means so the troop can go to council office to physically get the badge to present to the scout - it does not mean so the troop can hold a board or review for the badge). In a board of review for rank, it is approporiate for the board to ask a scout what they got out of earning a merit badge (did it meet the scouts expectations, are they interested in learning more about the subject (many of the merit badges are "career exploratory" merit badges), was there anything truly outstanding/memorable about the badge. It is not appropriate to test the scout on "requirement 4A". The Scoutmaster's signature is an acknowledgement that s/he talked to the scout about earning the merit badge, that the scout has done his prep work (ie. has the merit badge book and read the requirments), and has provided the scout with the name and number of a counselor (or counselors to choose from) for the badge. It should be extremely rare for a Scoutmaster to refuse to sign a blue card and provide names for a merit badge counselor. The few times it might be justified is if the scout tries to earn merit badges outside a logical order (or outside a prerequisite order - for instance, trying to earn the Lifesaving Merit Badge without first completing the Second and First Class swimming requirements). As for the aside question on the troop policy requiring the son of a counselor to have another scout there to earn the badge is kosher or not - the short answer is not really - and the long answer is that a Merit Badge Counselor may work with their own son, may work with any other lad - inside or outside the troop, and may even choose not to work with their own son. The MBC is not a troop level position, even for those counselors that choose only to counsel scouts from their own troop, therefore the MBC is not required to follow "troop policy" even if they are counseling members of their son's troop. They are only required to follow the policies as set down by council and national. The G2SS requires that there be no one on one contact between and adult and a youth - there is an exception for parent and child. That being said, in the interest in preserving peace with the unit, most counselors that work with just one unit will follow those procedural requests - however, the unit needs to be flexible enough to understand that a scout may drop out of the process and that scout's decision shouldn't be holding up the advancement of another scout. As long as G2SS is being followed, then the troop should accept the badges.

Except that they may not have actually gotten the ok from the Election Commission to proceed. The Committee Chair claims that they got the ok from the Election Commission on 2 occasions but he hasn't produced any thing in writing from the commission to verify that they received the OK. According to the Election Commission, the units (a Troop and a Ship were doing the drive), contacted the Commission to ask about the project and the Commission told them that the Commission has to get written permission from all of the polling places to use these places as polling places but that this permission didn't extend to a collection drive and that the Commission would have to contact the polling places to find out if it was ok. The Commission also said they weren't sure it could be done in the first place because there are rules about what can be posted within 150 yards of the polling place and they needed to look into it. The Election Commission claims they never gave permission to the Scouts to set up at the polling places - and that after their initial conversation, they never heard back from the Scouts to see if they wanted the Commission to try to get the permissions needed. The Scout unit's Committee Chair claims they (the Scouts) went to the owners of the polling places and got the permissions (except that the Election Commission told the Scouts that the Election Commission needed to get the approvals - seems like that's either a case of being told something and hearing it as something else or being over-zealous and taking on the job oneself without discussing it with the people that would need to do the work). It appears that if they did get permission from the polling places, they didn't tell the Election Commission that they got the approvals from the polling places. Even if they had gotten permission from the polling places, the Election Commission may still have told them no - as the question about whether this could be done at a polling place in the first place was never settled. This does seem like a great project - it unfortunately wasn't processed correctly - part of project planning, as all good Eagle Scouts should know, is making sure all of your permissions are in place and your ducks lined up. The Scouts didn't have those ducks lined up, and this is the result. Right now, in discussion boards with local newspapers discussing this case, the populace is ripping into the Election Commission over this - the Scouts have made the Election Commission look like ogres when the Scouts FAILED to secure proper permissions. Lost in all that hubub is that the Election Commission did not make the decision to pull the boxes in a vacuum, or even on its own - they got a complaint, and went to the City Solicitor's office (that's the city's lawyer) to ask what should be done - the City Solicitor advised the Election Commission to remove the boxes just to be on the safe side. Had the Scouts followed up with the Commission to determine the legality of placing the boxes at the polling places and let the Commission research it before the election day, those boxes may never have been removed. It appears the Secretary of State's Office made an informal determination - AFTER the election day, that this would probably have been ok - its a shame that the Scouts didn't work the process correctly to find out beforehand if it was ok. While we may all agree this is a great, and non-political, project, the Election Commission did the right thing in pulling the boxes at the time. It may still turn out after a formal review (if one is requested) that the Secretary of State's Office could determine that the project violated polling place and election laws. We shouldn't be comdemning the Election Commission, the person making the complaint (that's like a shoplifter condemning Walmart after Walmart files a shoplifting charge against him), or the Scouts. We should look on this as a learning ooportunity to show the Scouts what happens when you: a) act on what you think you heard when you may have been told something completely different without verifying what you heard; b) fail to make sure you have all the appropriate permissions in writing; and c) fail to keep in contact with the people in charge. Calico

I think California would take umbrage at Texas and Hawaii being the only states that were once countries as well. For a period of about a month, the independent California Republic (aka the Bear Flag Republic) before it became part of the US. Granted, it was only a month, but for that month, it was an independent country.

Yes - the equivalent of the red vest would be a patch blanket, though many Scouts continue to use the red vest, at least until it no longer fits them. I'm more likely to see 11 and 12 year olds wearing a red vest - its interesting that they start to outgrow the need to display all of their patches on a red vest about the time they start to outgrow the red vest. The merit badge sash is used for merit badges only - offically, no other patches go on the merit badge sash, and no patches go on the back of the merit badge sash (for those very motivated Scouts that earn a great many, or all, of the merit badges, the solution is every longer merit badge sashes to display them). Of course, the contrarian in me believes the BSA should allow Scouts to use the back of the sash for patches for earned awards (not old ranks, not camporee or summer camp patches) - awards like Paul Bunyan, Mile Swim, BSA Lifeguard, 50-Miler, etc. - but at this time, the BSA sees fit not to allow it. Fleece blankets can be had very inexpensively these days and make a great patch blanket. Sew a sleeve at one end that a dowel fits through so it can be nicely hung on a wall - if being laid flat (as on a bed)the dowel can be removed. It isn't neccessary to sew the patches on the blanket - a good fabric glue can be used - but if you're going to be transporting it a lot, sewing isn't a bad idea, at the very least, glue the patch down and tack-sew the patch in a couple of places. A Scout is more likely to continue adding to a patch blanket than to a red vest as they grow into adulthood. Calico

White bowline on a tan background? I believe that's the College of Commissioner Science knot. I would have loved to have earned the Antarctica Service knot - a white square knot on sky blue background with black border - alas, I wasn't invited to go to Antarctica when I was 18-22 (or any other time, either).

Considering the (now - and not your doing) acrimonius split, don't count on any money or the donation of any equipment to your new unit from the old unit. Each individual parent could ask for a return of pro-rated dues payments but the troop may not be obligated by law to return said amount (depends on the state you live in - in many states, once annual dues are paid, there is no requirement to return any pro-rated amount) or by practice (the BSA National Office doesn't refund money paid for dues - if you pay your annual dues to the BSA at re-charter time and quit two months later, the BSA isn't going to refund you any pro-rated share of the dues - some units might be nice enough to do so but they are taking that money from their operating funds - not getting it from National). As for scout accounts, no matter what a district's or council's gentlemen's-type agreements might be encouraged, there is no legal teeth behind these agreements. While it may be common in some councils that scout account money's transfer - this is by a "gentlemen's agreement" only and is not enforcable by anyone. If the troop treasurer/troop committee say's no, it isn't going to happen - the CO isn't likely to get involved and if they do, it will most likely be to support the folks sticking around. The unit commissioner and the DE (and other professional Scouters) have no power to force a unit/CO to transfer money from one unit to another - and could find themselves facing civil penalties from the State if they tried, depending on the State - most states have regulations on how non-profit funds can be distributed - even extending to "unregistered" non-profits (ie a Boy Scout Troop - not individually registered as a 501c3 but considered a non-profit nonetheless). Quite simply, funds are raised by a unit - not by individuals in the unit. Yes - individuals do the work, but they do so on behalf of the unit (and ultimately in support of the CO who is chartering the unit), not on behalf of themselves. Even in a so-called Scout Account, the funds belong to the unit, not the Scouts. The only exception would be the Scout's own money deposited into a Scout's troop "Scout Account" to be used for the Scout's activities (kind of like a Scouting "Christmas Club Account") - that money needs to be returned. If a unit does accept "deposits" into a Scout Account, don't be surprised if a Unit applies all of the Scout's own deposit amount to activity expenses before they apply fundraising "contributions" in a Scout Account. For example, Scout deposits $50 to Scout Account, and from fundraising, another $50 is added - Scout "withdraws" $60 from account then leaves unit and asks for a refund, figuring they'll get $20 (only fair, that they split the cost in half, right?) - Unit say's there is no money to refund because they apply the $50 Scout's deposit to the activities, and only $10 of the fundraising deposit, returning $40 to the troop funds. Unfair? Maybe - but in the one case I know about in my Council (way back in the early 80's) where this has happened, perfectly legal - the fundraising money was considered "supplemental" funding, the Scout's own money was considered "primary" funding. This is why I've consistently railed against Scout Accounts - most parents don't understand the nuances and regulations regarding fundraising funds and it can become a bookkeeping nightmare for units. What is more important than the money is making sure the transfering scouts get every award they have earned from the old Troop and that you get copies of all of their advancement records. Calico

So what would be the corrective action? Serve another six months to complete a requirement they have already "satisfactorily completed"? Make the Scout do the requirement twice? What's next - make a Scout go earn a Merit Badge twice because the BOR wants him too? This reads to me a way of saying to a Scout "You met the requirement but you didn't meet the requirement". Huh??? It also reads to me "You will never be a Star (Life, Eagle) Scout because you met the requirement but we decided you didn't do a good enough job and we can't make you do the requirement over again since you already met the requirement". I wonder if this is a view point of just this Council's advancement committee or is this universal? Calico

Of the three research projects currently being done by the Center for Minority Health, only one is restricted to a single racial group. As for the other two - the Vitamin D study is open to any child 6 to 12 years old and the other, the Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project is open to any child as well. The brochure (you can download it) for the Pittsburgh Influenze Prevention Project features three children. One black boy, one red-headed white boy and one white or very (and I mean very)light skinned hispanic girl. Looks like whites are more than welcome to take part in their programs. And I'm sure you would be more than welcome to attend any of their symposiums. So much for being discriminatory. Lesson to be learned, be cautious of judging an organization by it's name. In their discussion of their history, they state pretty clearly that they are involved with "addressing health issues among ethnic, racial AND OTHER vulnerable and underserved populations". Other vulnerable and underserved populations is a pretty broad term and could encompass poor white children, single white mothers, etc. Then there's that word "ethnic". That could just as easily mean Polish or Ukranian speaking immigrants (also "white") as it could mean Asian or Hispanic. Anyone else want any pickled red herring?? Calico

Sounds like a good project to me - but then I have a soft spot for nature centers. Sounds like the beneficiary organization approves this project. Sounds like you like this project, despite your reservations on planning time. To get approval to start the project, your Scout should be developing an outline of the plan first. Not walking the trails to determine where signs and maps go (though walking the trails to get an idea of what needs to be done wouldn't be a bad idea)- that's planning - and planning is part of the project itself, and should be done after the project is approved. Its the outline of the project that gives everyone an idea of what the goals and objectives of the project is. Some thoughts I have on the planning - he doesn't need to go out alone to determine where to place markers - he can bring some folks along to help prepare the map (part of leadership). He can bring people along to give advice on the best places to put the markers. He could bring someone along who can help design the markers and maps (he doesn't need to do this alone either). As part of the project, he can remove the old markers and someone can come along on the initial jaunt to help mark out where those markers are on the map. There are a lot of ways he can get people involved in helping with the planning process - too often, I think we look at getting folks to help only with the implementation. But first step - outline the project and get the appropriate approvals - then prepare the plan, based on the outline. Better for him to know if some kindly District Advancement type is going to have serious reservations before he puts in 20 hours on planning. Calico

I don't think it's really about the knots themselves. It's about the recognition. Humans of all ages gain a sense of satisfaction by being recognized for their work and accomplishments. It might even be argued that we have an innate need to be recognized. Recognition is a great motivator - a merit pay increase feels better to us than a cost-of-living increase - we feel that our employer is recognizing and rewarding us for our hard work and we respond by working harder and better. If all you get is a cost-of-living increase, there is no real motivation to do any better, or to keep working hard. We readily accept this is the case with our Cubs and Scouts - we give them badges of advancement and recognition because we know this keeps the scouts interested and active and that they will work hard towards the next advancement. A Cub Scout will beam just as much for an Arrow Point as they will for a Rank Badge because they like being recognized for their work and are proud of it. Same holds true for a Boy Scout - Eagle Scouts will swell up with pride for weeks after their Court of Honor. Don't doubt for a moment that Adults don't feel the same way - we never outgrow that sense of satisfaction and pride on being recognized for our accomplishments. The knot is just an outward manifestation of that recognition, and a way for us to show that we are proud of the work we have done.