DLChris71

yes edit: Of course he would have had to done his POR.(This message has been edited by dlchris71)

My den uses a cord that can be tied to a belt or made into a necklace then we add a plastic arrowhead, bear claw or bead to it.

I agree with the article too. Too often I've seen Scouters that stay for one reason or another, sometimes because they tell themselves that no one else wants to do the job or that they are the only ones capable of doing it. Then after a while their superiority complex starts to breed resentment and pessimism toward other volunteers and participants. I also see times when volunteers do not receive enough training, reinforcement of training, and then begin to free lance. Without supervision and peer pressure they continue to free lance, sometimes resulting in negative events. So yeah everyone should have term limits, and everyone should receive on going training. I really think CM, SM, and Committee Chairs should be required to take at least 4 hours of focused annual training at the district level. ASM, DL, and Committee Members should be required to take at least 2 hours at the unit or district level.

East Carolina University man...hail purple and gold!

Wayne Brock http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/05/21/boy-scouts-of-america-names-its-next-chief-scout-executive/

perdidochas, You don't say. Well preach on then. I would hope that, yeah, you would be able to swim before you try the lifesaving mb, duh. On the SM side, given the requirements, I would be hesitant to allow anyone under FC take the class anyway.

You can look up US Flag Code on google. I couldn't find a rule against raising a flag inside a structure.

In theory a scout should be able to work/test out on all requirements, even if they haven't been able to complete one requirement. Then return to the failed requirement later. I would counsel my son to be aware of that.

IMO belt loops, Family Member pin, Fitness pin, and all Character Connection requirements can still be completed and signed off on by (helicopter) parents.

If our unit does popcorn I think I'm going to push us to do more military donation sales than anything. If you can avoid handling inventory and help out the Council and service people overseas then so much the better. Our council has said that it is okay to accept donations for military popcorn. But Scoutnut has excellent suggestions on running show and sell.

It's not I&P without an argument. I don't buy flashlights anymore that use disposable batteries. I'm purely with hand crank and solar power LED flashlights now. They tend to be lighter, can be brighter, and just as durable.

Try it out. But me personally I use a pillow to do that "whole align my spine with my head" thing. In a hammock the ends tend to be higher than the middle so your butt is swinging lower to the ground anyway. So I've always been comfortable in a hammock without a pillow. Sort of like napping in a recliner.

We have both internal and external frame packs. What I have found is that the external frame works better if you have some bulky items. The internal frames tend to weigh less. The main thing that I have seen is that the internal flames allow more flexing in the torso, so possibly they can allow you to maintain your balance a little better on rough terrain. The external frames, being more stiff cause you to balance them and your body. I personally go with the external frames or frameless just because that's what I've always used.

When I'm running a station I don't start until the boys do their yell.

Absolutely and I'd recommend going lighter in gear and I'm trying to do that also. With a heavy load or poor conditioning a higher boot like the OP is looking for may be needed. Of course that's just my biased opinion.