From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Fri Jul 25 07:04:08 1997 Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 07:04:07 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: Carol Kelley cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: Girl Scout Knot In-Reply-To: <3.0.32.19970723133437.006e57d0@172.16.1.5> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Carol, Your question regarding a knot for GSUSA's Gold Award (and earlier highest awards) was excellent. In answer I agree with Mike Walton's advice but would go just a little farther. You may want to ask whether any other members of the list would be willing to go in with you on the design, initial purchase of patches, and consultation with Council Scout Executives. If several Scout Executives approve the patch for local wear, there is greater likelihood that it will ultimately be adopted Nationally. Several months ago we also talked about recognizing a Scout or Scouter that had received the highest Scouting award in another Scouting Association; e.g. as a youth the individual earned the Chief Scout's Award, later moved to the USA and is now a leader. Perhaps what we should be talking about is a "knot" for any adult who received the highest Scouting award of his/her youth serving organization (other than BSA). My suggestion would be for a khaki knot with purple border and purple symbols for WAGGGS and WOSM to make it more universal. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Wed Jul 30 22:21:25 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 22:21:24 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: "Robert Carswell, Sr." cc: "'Hendra, Gary'" , "'Marsey, Chris'" , "'Nelson, Bill'" Subject: Re: To deny, or not to deny In-Reply-To: Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: On Thu, 24 Jul 1997, Robert Carswell, Sr. wrote: > If a board feels that a scout is not ready for advancement, does the > board have the right to deny advancement? > Robert, Though in general terms I am tend to agree with Chris, I would add the following thoughts: Subjecting a Scout to what a Board of Review "feels" is not fair to either the Scout or the unit. And the reasons why a BOR "feels" a Scout is not ready for advancement may well have nothing to do with the requirements for rank and could in fact include reasons that are totally invalid. The BOR is not there to test or retest the Scout, rather it is there to assess whether the Scout has met the requirements for rank and to LEARN about the Scout's views on the Troop's programs and operation. This a threefold review. The first part of the review is fairly perfuntory - seeing that every requirement has been met is a matter of verification of paperwork. Not much more. It also should include some assessment of the Scout's progress and growth. The only time this part of the review would become critical is when the Scout's paperwork does not show he completed his rank requirements or the Scout makes statements that indicate he in fact did not do work required to complete the requirements or the Scout clearly evidences an attitude clearly opposite to the Scout Oath and Law. In those cases, the BOR would not truely deny rank, but instead counsel the Scout and provide an opportunity for additional effort to complete the work needed. If in a follow-on review it was clear that no progress had been made, then I would say a denial of rank at that time would be appropriate, provided the reasons are given along with instructions on what to do to rectify the situation. My one exception would be where it is clear that a Scout is failing to live the Scout Oath and Law in daily life (Scout Spirit), if the BOR is aware that a Scout is for example in trouble at School for drugs, etc., then it may determine that the Scout is not yet ready to advance based on a failure to meet the Scout Spirit requirement - not a retest, but acting on independent information that may not have been available to the Scoutmaster. And even here the Scout should be givent he opportunity to correct the problem. The second part of the review is the BOR self-evaluation phase, where questions are asked to assess how well the unit is meeting the needs of its members, what programs are working/not working, what things are fun, what things are inspiring, what can be done better, etc. The third part of the BOR is a time for reflection and personal growth for the Scout - a time where questions can be asked to stimulate thoughts about the future; e.g., how do you plan to live the Scout Law in the next year, at college, later in life? Questions that have no right or wrong answers, but provoke thought and an opportunity for discussion aimed at helping the Scout grow further. How a BOR "feels" is way too subjective a criteria to be realistic. What happens when you use this standard and the next BOR decides it feels a Scout isn't ready for advancement because he is too young for the next step, or in too much of a hurry, or whatever. Where do you draw a line? In reality you can't. Much better to stick with the functions of a BOR outlined in the Troop Committee Members Guidebook. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Mon Aug 4 00:57:30 1997 Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 00:57:29 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: "Ronald W. Fox" cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: Courts of Honor In-Reply-To: <1.5.4.16.19970803130357.1aafb606@pop.mindspring.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: On Sun, 3 Aug 1997, Ronald W. Fox wrote: > Troop 69 of Des Plaines Valley Council will be holding it's first ever > Court of Honor. We have Tenderfoot awards and a few Merit Badges from > Summer Camp to hand out. I would like suggestions on how to run it. Ron, congratulations on getting your Troop going and to the point where you can have a Court of Honor. Start with a tone-setting opening - flag ceremonies and recitations of the Oath/Scout Law are frequently used, though other openings could easily be used; e.g., something inspiring or something to establish the seriousness of the Court of Honor. The presenations of awards should be the climax, but before you get there you can take some time to do patrol cheers, enjoy a skit, have a Scout demonstrate a skill or something made at camp, pass on information to adults (announcements). Once you've reached the point of presenting awards, try using a ceremony that the PLC has scripted - much better for the Scouts to take an active part in planning and learn from this experience how to recognize the achievements of friends. Coach them, but allow them to play a roll in developing the ceremony. After the awards of been presented you can use a Scoutmaster Minute approach to cap it off nicely. Pick a SM Minute story that you can fit with the achievements of your Scouts. In your time on stage try to reinforce the advancements by taking a short period of time to say a few positive things about each Scout and how proud you are of their progress. The following SM Minute can be used: Scouts, I'm sure you've all seen a diamond. It's very hard, very bright and very beautiful. Most of you have probably seen coal, too. It's dull black and it crumbles easily. Now a little chemistry lesson. Who can tell me how coal and diamonds are alike? That's right - both are made from the element carbon. But a diamond has great value because it is rare. I compare the diamond to a man of sharp mind, hard body and shining bright spirit. The coal might be compared to a man who is not mentally sharp, physically tough or spiritually bright. Someone once said that a diamond is just a piece of coal that stuck to it. Over many millions of years, its brilliance was caused by the heat and pressure inside our earth. My hope is that like that diamond you will stick to it by following our Scouting ideals. If you do, you will become an example of what a man should be. Following this SM minute you could take time to point out some positives for several of the boys and let them know that in your opinion they are diamonds in the making. Try a friendship circle closing with the Scouts singing the Scout Vesper. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Mon Aug 4 01:14:46 1997 Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 01:14:45 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: Benjamin Pharr cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: Clinton's Silver Buffalo In-Reply-To: <33E4F35C.536B@geocities.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Ben, The Silver Beaver (Council level), Silver Antelope (Regional level), and Silver Buffalo (National level) are presented to individuals based on three criteria - service to the community, service to youth, and service in Scouting. Each is weighed and a weakness in one area may be given less attention, if there is strength in the others. In the case of the Silver Buffalo service to the community is service to the nation. Awarding a Silver Buffalo to a sitting President falls within those criteria; e.g., Regardless of politics, serving in the Office of President is regarded as the highest level of service to the nation/community. Previous awardee-Presidents have frequently been strong supporters of youth programs or service to youth including education programs. Finally, by virtue of serving as Honorary President of BSA, the President lends the support and prestige of his office to BSA, which has an incaluable goodwill value. I can remember how proud I was of my Eagle card as a Scout because it had the President's signature on it (yes it was reproduced, but to me at 14 years old that was good enough) and how I thought I must really belong to something special the first time I saw in Boys Life that the President was the honorary president of BSA. Regardless of politics and/or personal likes/dislikes, awarding the Silver Buffalo to a sitting President is entirely appropriate. And it also has the salutory effect of encouraging the President to stregthen his support. Mike Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Sun Aug 10 19:15:51 1997 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 19:15:50 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: "Rick L. Covington" cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: cooking skills In-Reply-To: <00091ADD.3370@ccmail.dsccc.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Rick, You mentioned that in a Troop you used to be associated with the Troop added a cooking requirement to each rank. This is a definite no-no. No unit has the authority to modify the requirements for ranks. However, the idea of trying to introduce the boys to cooking is a good one. I've seen many Troops have cooking contests, have totems with awards for cooking, and even a special chef's patch on a neckerchief. While we can't make it a rank requirement we can create other recognitions and awards for mastering this fine art. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Sun Aug 10 19:30:32 1997 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 19:30:31 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List Subject: In Quest of the Worst Meal Ever Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Reading the comments on cooking made me think back to the "good old days" of the 60s when cooking was a requirement and to be sure there were good memories of really great dutch oven feats and culinary delights. But, in truth I can remember some really horrid meals served up in our patrols. I remember one cold November Saturday morning in particular. We were getting ready for a 20 mile hike and breakfast was definitely important. As luck would have it the patrol roster rotation had run its normal course and it was Len's turn to cook. Now this always brought about a certain bit of religion in the campsite - we all prayed we'd be able to eat what was being fixed, but were mostly sure that we were about to get what we deserved in atonement for past mischief. Len was excited. He had something special he'd thought of all by himself. We couldn't bear to watch so busied ourselves in other camp duties, prepared for the worst. And it came. He cheerfully announced that he had finished a perfect hiking breakfast. Our hearts sagged and slowly we appoached the cooking fire. Nickie started looking green without even tasting the special preparation. Dan started to gag, a sure sign that he was about to hurl his cookies. Sid was a bit braver and took a taste. In a flash he was swearing loudly enough to get the Scoutmaster's attention. Len had prepared the most unusual looking mess I have ever seen. The fying pan had a mixture of scrambled eggs, pan cooked oatmeal, shreaded wheat, dandelion greens, macaroni, and something brown and gooey (we think it may have been raw sorhgum) all stirred in together. Len was apologizing because there hadn't been room to put the toast in with the rest. We decided that Len had made the best dang toast ever and ate every piece of it. His special mix - well it was decided to donate it to the local wildlife. Anyone else out there have a favorite story of cooking gone wrong? Or an amusing tale of cooking surprises? Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Sun Aug 10 19:39:17 1997 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 19:39:16 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: Thomas Brown cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: new scouts In-Reply-To: <970809083328_-587624949@emout19.mail.aol.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Tom, Sometimes simple is best. Often a new Scout is called in front of a Troop and standing behind a single candle repeats the Oath and Law after the Senior Patrol Leader who presents him with a handbook, the Troop neckerchief and his Scout badge. All are encouraged to come and shake the hand of the new member. Some units embelish the same root ceremony to add a charge read by the Scoutmaster to encourage the new Scout to do his best always to be prepared. Some go further to develop a theme for the ceremony like a hiking theme where the Scout is welcomed to the trailhead. He is told that the trail is long and hard, but the journey made easy by all the help he'll have from his fellow Troop members. From there attention is given to previewing a little of what is to come in the life of the Troop to encourage the new Scout to be active. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Sun Aug 10 19:43:20 1997 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 19:43:19 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: Bob Knudson cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: unit patch In-Reply-To: <9708091537.AA25962@odin.cair.du.edu> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Bob, For a patch to be official it must bear either "BSA" the words Boy Scouts of America" or the fleur de lis. And before an offical patch can be issued it must be approved by the Scout Executive in your Council. Approval means that the patch is one that is approved for wear as a temporary patch on the right pocket of the uniform. Otherwise, you may go ahead and make your own patch, but not as a uniform item. Such a patch might be used on a patch vest or blanket. Or given as an award mounted on a small plaque. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia From mfbowman@CapAccess.org Tue Aug 12 02:56:07 1997 Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 02:56:06 -0400 (EDT) From: "Michael F. Bowman" To: Barry C Runnels cc: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Subject: Re: In Quest of the Worst Meal Ever "Unfair" In-Reply-To: <9707118713.AA871316789@mmacmail.jccbi.gov> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Barry, Don't read this one until after lunch. ;-) I've been absolutey in tears amid chortles, roaring laughs, and snickers reading the responses so far in this quest for worst meal experiences. They are priceless and well, just downright funny. - - Never under estimate the resources of this group to come up with some good ones. :-)) And keep 'em coming. As I read through these a few more stories came to mind. Seems in serving many years on camp staffs, you get exposed to a lot of cooking adventures. ** About mid-season at one of the camps, we had a newly formed Troop from a very urban area on its first ever camping trip. We marveled at their bagage - it seemed that some of them must have taken nearly their entire household with them with multiple packs and trunks. I assigned a seasoned staffer to act as their cooking advisor and every morning he came back with reports that the boys were complaining that during the night other Scouts from other Troops were raiding their food box (the one with all the snacks from home). We had a lot of racoons and critters known to feel at home borrowing from the unwary, so we didn't take much notice and just attributed it to lack of experience. Their advisor's coaching was received well, but ignored or so it seemed. Anyway, after a few days the SPL decided enough was enough. He volunteered to contribute a box of Ex-Lax his mother had sent with him just in case. After supper this intrepid group made some of the best looking brownies you ever saw. I know as I happened along about that time. I was politely warned off from sampling as it was well known I liked to sample. I thought it odd, but went on to the next campsite, not yet in on the secret. The next day we had an entire patrol of kids in the kybos and infirmery. We finally did the math and put two and two together. The kids in this patrol were taking turns playing commando raid and enjoying the fruits of victory each night. Seems their enjoyment was somewhat diminished by their last catch. ** When I was a cooking advisor with a new patrol I realized about midway through the meal that preparations for clean-up had not been started and suggested to the patrol leader that he might want to think about how he was going to do the dishes. He had a blank look, so I went on and said well don't you think you should put some water on the fire, thinking they ought to start heating the water to wash with. He signalled one of his mates to come over and whispered a few words to the new Tenderfoot, who grabbed a bucket and headed for the campsite's wash stand. A few minutes later our dinner conversation was interrupted by a loud hissing sound. We all turned at once. The Tenderfoot had poured the entire bucket of water directly on the fire. :-( ** We had a near catastrophy at one campsite. The cooking advisor was watching the preparations for stew and noticed that one of the Scouts was using two rocks to pulverize a couple of tablets. The advisor asked what was going on. The Scout confidently explained that they were a little behind schedule and had to make sure that their cooking gear was clean before they could go to the evening activity. He reasoned that it would help things if in the process of cooking, the food could somehow be made to be self-cleaning. And he'd heard that Tetrox was good for cleaning. Ergo he was going to use it. He'd gotten a bunch of Tetrox tablets from the commissary and figured they'd do the trick. Anyone who has experienced the Tetrox Trots will know that having a large concentration of Tetrox in food is a bad idea. Fortunately, the Scout was persuaded that direct consumption of Tetrox was something to be avoided. We had little doubt as to what would be cleaned out. ** During an evening campsite visit after one of the hottest days on record at camp, I saw the remains of two eggs dribbling down the sloping roof of a tent. They were perfectly place and obviously with some care. This ruled out the normal mischief. So I couldn't resist asking the Scoutmaster what gave. He got a little red in the face and mumbled that he'd told the boys at breakfast that it was going to be so hot that day they'd be able to cook an egg on any exposed surface like say a rock. He regretted this deeply he said. Hmmm. Seems that two of the Scouts hadn't been listening particularly well, but got the tail end of what he'd been saying. And it also seemed like a dream solution to avoid having to make a cook fire, so they careful placed eggs on the canvas and waited for the miracle. And waited, and waited, . . . I can assure you that the eggs didn't do much for the aroma of the tent. Whew! ** Where I grew up having a frog in your pocket when you were young wasn't all that unusual. Seems like it was one of those things young boys did - catch a frog and jam it into a pocket. A patrol was cooking up a muligan stew in the evening. One little fellow sitting close to the fire - obviously hungry and anxious to be there when the stew was pronounced done - started squirming. Seems he had caught a frog and stuffed him into his pants. And as luck would have it the frog was in the pocket closest to the fire. Well Mr. Frog apparently thought things were getting unhospitably warm, so did his best to get some attention. The Scout finally came to Mr. Frog's rescue and pulled him out only to be stunned by the frog's efforts to jump free. Somehow the frog succeeded in jumping and nobody saw him land. A quick search ensued, but old Mr. Frog was nowhere to be found. All eyes turned on the bubbling stew. Heads dropped down in disappointment. They reckoned that the frog had made a bad calculation on his landing zone and had landed in the middle of the stew. The stew was taken off the fire and put to the side. After it had cooled, it went down the kybo. Seems they had lost their appetite. A little later in the evening the Scout who'd lost his frog was shouting excitedly. They all gathered. In his hands was a frog. The Scout explained that he'd found his friend - see here how this spot is shapped and this leg is just so. Well he convinced them it was the same frog and it might have been. Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org Visit: ftp1.scouter.com/usscouts U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area) Helping to deliver the promise of Scouting from Alexandria, Virginia