DancesWithSpreadsheets

I also had problems accessing the site on Tuesday, both from home and work. The error message said something about a server reset. DWS

ScoutLdr, that is not my understanding of how the CFC works. Contributions designated by the donor are supposed to go to the designated charity, period. Contributors who do not specify who their contributions are to go to I think end up giving to a designated "lead agency" usually the local United Way, then those funds are divvied up according to pre-established percentages, but contributions to a specific 501©(3) are supposed to go there, period. I looked at the CFC section on OPM's website to see if I could clarify this, it did not directly address the question, but did clearly indicate that if an org was included in the campaign but did not receive any designations, it would not get any money; that to me seems to suggest that there are not pre-established funding levels. Unless there is a pot of money in addition to employee contributions to be allocated along with CFC funds, I don't see how it could work the way you describe. Regards, DWS

I know when I was a youth we... disliked the necker (hate is such a strong word) but it was mandatory with the collarless shirts, so we did the obedient thing and wore them, at least until collared short-sleeve shirts came out. But what if neckerchiefs were to become a restricted item, say that only scouts who were First Class or above and had 15 days of camping experience, basically OA eligible, in order to wear the necker. Do you think that would increase its cachet any? Regards, DWS

So is it just the loops you folks don't like, or the epulets too? To my mind epulets would look pretty odd on a shirt without a collar. While we're making a wish list can I add one thing? A small D ring on a sewn in loop on the inside top seam of the front pockets to secure keys, pocket knives, etc to. Regards, DWS

Personally I'm a fan of freeze-dried backpacking foods, after a full day of hiking boiling water and pouring it in a puch is about all of the culinary activity I'm in the mood for. But I do agree about the educational aspect of it. The only problem is that with s stove like the jetboil you're a little limited in the kinds of cooking you can do. I've never used one, but from what I've seen they're pretty much set up to do one thing, boil water. So I don't really have a recipe for you, but here's a suggestion: get a cooked chicken breast or tuna fish packaged in a foil pouch, some veggies that don't require much in the way of special handling, like onions and carrots, and some spices and seasonings, cumin, coriander, curry powder etc. Chop up the veggies (the smaller the better) and meat, mix it all together in a bowl, pour boiling water over it, cover and let it soak for maybe 5 minutes. A little dried fruit like raisins might be a good addition too. Hope this helps. Regards, DWS

Well, I didn't think you were totally serious, but I do think you raised a good point about how CS could be setting up it's participants for a rude awakening when they cross over. Regards, DWS

I don't think we're setting them up for failure, it's more like a gradual progression from spoon feeding them to having them cook for themselves. Webelos Scouting in my view is the critical phase in the transition; this should be where the boys learn that they need to take at least some of the initiative for managing their own advancement. Boys that have been through Cub Scouting at least have a better understanding of how the advancement process works, meet the reuirement, get the badge. Webelos is the perfect opportunity to get them in the habit of planning what they need to do to get to where they want to be (presumably AOL) then doing it. If they have a little help from the adults, that's fine, but it should not be like Tigers-Wolves-Bears where its all planned out for them, they just walk into the meeting, do an activity and get their book signed. Regards, DWS

Congratulations Ken, to you and your son. DWS

No not at all, I'm sorry if I gave that impression. My point (if I have one) is that avoiding one-on-one contact will only protect a scouter if he or she can produce at least one witness, youth or adult, that can say, with some degree of certainty and credibility, that the Scouter was never alone with the accuser, and did not engage in inappropriate conduct. Under the circumstances described in the original post, I don't see how the ASM could do that. DWS

Yes, there may have been hundreds of other people around, but if the scout in question made an accusation, say the next day, would you be able to round up all those potential witnesses to find out what really happened. If you did would they remember one scout and one ASM among so many? Would you be able to reconstruct a timeline to show that they were in the public the whole time and never out of sight of the group? This may not be a technical violation of the YPT, but I for one wouldn't want to put myself in that position. DWS

I think that the Eagle Rank is not one or the other, but has aspects of both. It is a rank, just like Tenderfoot and Life, and if you meet the requirements (including the subjective ones like living the Oath and Law) you should get it. There are no quotas or limits, every boy can earn it, if he puts in the effort. But it is also a recognition that the boy has gone above and beyond, both in acheivement and service and is rightly celebrated as such. But I think to many outside the movement, it is thought of more like a diploma, it means that you went all the way through and "completed" tha program, just like a HS or college graduate has. And I think that this aspect of completeness is what makes the Eagle stand out above the scout who "only" got to Star or Life, as significant as those accomplishments can be. If I'm looking at an employment application (as I have had occaision to do) and I see that a boy (or man) has indicated that he is an Eagle, it tells me a lot about his ability to accomplish things, in the same way that completing a course of study at a university would. Anyway, that's this Eagle's (who was not a NHS member)POV. DWS

Math and science are not necessarily exclusivly indoor activities or incompatible with traditional Scouting. Celestrial navigation comes to mind as an activity that involes quite a bit of math and science. The science of botany has numerous applications in the area of wilderness survival. Geology, hydrology and other sciences are very useful things for an outdoorsman to know. And having someone trained in civil engineering would be a definite plus on your next pioneering project. Do you really want to discourage young scientists and mathematicians from your program by denying them recognition for their expertise? DWS

Then it has met its intended purpose, you're welcome. DWS

Which workbook are we discussing here? Just for grins I went and downloaded the Eagle Project Workbook linked to from the NESA site. I tried typing in the narrative areas and it word-wrapped and started new paragraphs just fine for me. This was using Acrobat Professional ver 8. URL for the form I looked at: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-927.pdf

I stand corrected, thanks for the reference OGE.

Way back in the dark ages (the mid-70's) the uniform shirts that I had did not have a collar. The neck hole was finished with a wide hem. The neckerchief sat on top of that and was a required uniform item, as the shirt looked rather silly withhout it. I think collared shirts were available for adults, but for youth the official uniform was the collarless shirt. Later, say about 1978, collared shirts for youth became available, and when you wore a collared shirt you did not wear a necker, and if you did I believe it was a rule that the collar be turned under. That may be the origin of the practice you cited. It appears that the current insignia guide allows them to be worn over or under the collar, but with no mention of turning the collar under. To my eyes it looks like a compromise either way you do it, since the shirts aren't made the way I'm accustomed to seeing them worn with a necker, but I guess I'm just showing my age. At any rate, I'd say it's the boys decision how they want their uniform to look, just be happy they're in uniform at all. Regards, DWS

Not sure if this will work, depending on the adobe version and how the form was set up, but try hitting ctrl-enter to start a new line. DWS

Well, I've been lurking around the edge of the campfire listening to all the interesting conversations, and I think it's time I stepped into the glow of the burning e-logs and introduced myself. I'm a scouting alumnus who aged out in the (very) early 80's who hasn't had much to do with the movement since then. I'm an Eagle Scout and Brotherhood OA member who can't remember the admonition well enough to get into the restricted section of this forum. I have a six year old son who recently joined Tiger Cubs. After trying one pack that recruited at his school and then deciding to switch we've settled in with a small pack in our neighborhood. I think there are about 20 boys registered based on what I saw at last week's pack meeting. At that meeting the Cubmaster indicated that they had committee slots that they were needing to fill, so this week I pulled her aside and told her I was willing to help out. "Wonderful" she said, "will you be the Chairman?" My response was something like, "er, uh, do you think, I mean I've never..." She proceded to promise me that she handles most of the duties of running the pack, and that I would mainly be doing record-keeping for advancement "and stuff". Record keeping I can handle (for my day job I have a CPA credential) but the "and stuff" part concerns me a bit. But since I had offered to help and that's what was really needed I agreed to at least try the role on for size. Ultimately I'd like to get with a troop as an ASM or other capacity that gets me outdoors some, but for now I see the need to devote most of my energy in this area to making my son's experience with scouting at least as good as mine. So I'll be a Cub Scouter for a while and see how it goes. I;m sure I'll have questions and I'm looking forward to the support it is obvious this group regularly provides. Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to the adventure. DWS