The Bloggers
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Rule No. 87 • When you're actually right you can count on one or two folks hearing you; when you're wrong you can count on everyone hearing you. ________________________________________ Seems like my August 1st column about earning Eagle Scout rank by age 14-15 at the most rang some bells…especially my final comment about the benefits of being…
• EAGLE – It's a No-Brainer! ________________________________________ This is for all Scouts; especially those destined to become Boy Scouts in February 2013. Here's the big idea: EAGLE'S A NO-BRAINER! That's right! Who says you have to earn Eagle just in time for it to be another 18th birthday present, and you never get to wear the Eagle badge…
Rule No. 86: • Keep your eye on the heavens and your feet close to the ground. ________________________________________ U.S. Army Captain John Green (photo above) is one of the most dedicated Soldier-Scouters it's become my honor to know. He's served our country in multiple tours in Iraq.
Rule No. 86: o Opinions are never substitutes for facts. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, About the question posed of caravans and convoying on Scouting trips, I was also surprised to not find this in the GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING. But I teach a BALOO course and the no caravan rule is part of the curriculum.
Rule No. 85: o Opinions are never substitutes for facts. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I'm the Advisor for a Venturing crew. Our council us to start this crew with a group of 13 year-old girls, and we were told that they could do anything Venturing-related so long as they had a parent along with them.
Rule No. 84: • If God is indeed watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, Thanks for all the great information you provide. My question's about BSA trek safety. Reading the GTSS information, it seems to say that all activities now require two adults: one at least age 21, and one…
INDEPENDENCE DAY The usual day we make resolutions for ourselves is January first. I think today-Independence Day-may be even better. Here are my Independence Day resolutions… o As Scoutmaster, I will train and guide the Scouts in my troop to lead themselves.
Rule No. 83: o A boy kept from making mistakes is likely to be kept from making anything else. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I really appreciate your piece on "Working for Pay." I've been getting flack from lots of good people who say I shouldn't do the NAPS newsletter for free, or go to denominational conferences to…
DOING A GOOD TURN… OR WORKING FOR PAY? In addition to Scouting, I'm also a Rotarian; been a member of our local Rotary Club for a half-dozen or so years. Our club's regularly on the lookout for ways we can help our community.
Rule No. 82: • Some volunteers are sort of like Slinkies… not really good for very much, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumbling down the stairs. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, This is more of a comment rather than a question; however, I'd like your thoughts on the matter… The BSA's Activity Consent Form (permission…
Rule No. 81: • It takes just one careless match to start a forest fire, but it'll take a Scout the whole box to start a campfire. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, May I use your Memorial Day piece at an upcoming meeting? (Gary Marquardt) Any number of Scouters like you have asked about this, and the answer is…
________________________________________ Rule No. 80: • Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, One of our Scouts is under a time crunch to earn his Eagle. He made First Class on January 30th and will turn 17 in June. The active and leadership requirements for Star are both four months, so I called for a…
For those of you who wanted a copy of the Readers Digest Version of How a Troop Should Operate, it is now online at http://netcommissioner.com/2012/06/how-a-scout-troop-works/ . If you want a print version click on the orange plus sign and select print at the top of the article.
Rule No. 79: Ready, fire, aim isn't always the best way to tackle a problem. Dear Andy, I noticed in one of your recent issues that you were sending a fellow Scouter a "Reader's Digest" version of how a troop should operate.
WE ARE AMERICA One hundred million of us, for over a century, have honored our God and served our country in the mercantile and the military, as authors, accountants, and astronauts, as country doctors and congressmen, surgeons and senators, generals and governors, business leaders and barbers, stay-at-home parents and stalwarts of our communities, cooks and…
________________________________________ Rule No. 78: • When tempted to fight fire with fire, consider that firefighters usually use water. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I'm a Scout. In my troop, we have an annual combination banquet (potluck) and court of honor every January. It's a nice evening, but we have no courts of honor in-between.
Rule No. 77: • A clear conscience is usually the sign of a faulty memory. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, First off I'd like to thank you for all your hard work and the great service your columns provide. Many times, your advice and clarifications on BSA policy have kept me "on track" in my troop.
Rule No. 76: • You can tell some Scoutmasters there are four billion stars in the universe and he believes you, but tell him the Senior Patrol Leader is supposed to be running the troop meeting and he looks at you like you've just had frogs leap out of your mouth.
________________________________________ Rule No. 75: • You can fix the blame, or you can fix the problem; take your pick. ________________________________________ Do we have great readers here? You bet we do! Here's a note by Chris, from the BSA's National Advancement Team: Thanks Andy, Our Twitter followers increased by about 50% thanks to you, and there were lots of…
Rule No. 73: Learn a subject or skill so well that you can teach it; by teaching it you'll understand it and it'll stay with you for life. Rule No. 74: Commissioners: If you want to learn a unit's greatest weakness, listen to what they brag about.
Rule No. 72: • The BSA trainer's motto: "Look Prepared." ________________________________________ Dear Andy, Some of the finest leaders in Scouting are female, and we want to find more! I'm a male District Commissioner; one of our district's best Unit Commissioners is female, and together we're trying to create a course for this fall's University of Scouting.
Rule No. 71: • Procrastination can always be solved…eventually. ________________________________________ SHOWDOWN TIME! Here are the answers to Sunday's quiz, and the BSA sources behind the answers. How did YOU do? Did any surprise you? 1. Packs and troops can decide how much of the uniform they want to wear.
________________________________________ Rule No. 70: • Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people look intelligent…until you hear what they have to say. ________________________________________ GOOD NEWS! That little email hack problem I had a while back has been solved. Feel free to send to [email protected] ________________________________________ OK, Folks, here's a little quiz for you.
____________________________________________ Rule No. 69: • First Law of Guides, Manuals, and Handbooks: The topic you need the most is always absent from the index. ________________________________________ Hi Andy, Youth Protection guidelines state that a Scout "can't sleep in a tent with an adult who is not his parent or guardian?"
Rule No. 68: • When contemplating the replacement or removal of a volunteer, make the decision with surgical precision, then carry it out with compassion. ________________________________________ The 6 Inescapable Phases of All Projects: 1. Enthusiasm 2. Disillusionment 3. Panic 4. Search for the guilty 5.
Rule No. 67: "No" and "Let me think about that" have identical meanings. Dear Andy, I'm a pretty new-out-of-the-box Assistant Scoutmaster for a troop that's been around for some seven decades, with a Scoutmaster who acts like he's been around even longer.
NEWS FLASHES PACKS, TROOPS REBEL AGAINST BSA "UNIT UNIFORM" POLICY. In a remarkable display of solidarity against the BSA's new policy that jeans, Dockers, cut-offs, and "baggies" can be worn at all pack and troop meetings, and outings too, Scouts and leaders alike refuse to give up their Scout pants.
________________________________________ Rule No. 66: • Anything told to you "for your own good" isn't. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, We have a Scout whose Eagle project is re-building an animal enclosure that was destroyed during winter storms, for a petting zoo at a local day camp.
Rule No. 65: • Anyone who must tell you he always tells the truth, is lying. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, On merit badges, I can't find anything written by the BSA about how long a Scout has to complete a merit badge once he's started it.
Rule No. 64: • The length and complexity of PowerPoint presentations are most often in inverse proportion to their value. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I just read your column about the unit with adults "allowed" able to carry sheath knives and pepper spray without the Scouts being able to do either.
NYLT Leadership Academy Special Issue Rule No. 63: "Co-leaders" who agree to share 100% of the responsibilities will each accomplish 10%. Good morning Andy, The BSA National Leadership Development Committee has approved the national promotion of the Northeast Region's NYLT Leadership Academy program (formerly YSDC-Youth Staff Development Camp-designed to provide the same youth staff development…
Most of you know Andy through his columns here. I thought you might like to have a peek at Andy in real life. Earlier this month, Andy was the featured guess on a program of the Hunterdon County Internet Radio, sponsored by the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce.
Rule No. 62: • Beware what a new acquaintance tells you he's best at… This usually turns out to be his Achilles' heel. ________________________________________ Hi Andy, About that Scout who was kicked out of his troop for mouthing off… Our troop used to have some hard-and-fast rules about suspending Scouts who misbehave.
Special NAYLE Edition Rule No. 61: When called upon to speak to any group or audience, resist the urge to describe the thoughts that ran through your head before you figured out what you were actually going to say. The three most important elements of a good speech or talk are (1) a "wake-up" opening…
Issue 293 – March 1, 2012 ________________________________________ Rule No. 60: • The extent of "politics" in any organization is inversely proportional to its ability to show results. ________________________________________ MARLINSPIKE SKILLS A marlinspike is a tool used in rope-work, to unlay rope for splicing, untie knots, form a toggle, and more.
Issue 292 – February 24, 2012 ________________________________________ Rule No. 59: • When your good work speaks for itself, don't interrupt. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, You noted, recently, that the new EAGLE SCOUT SERVICE PROJECT WORKBOOK allows for a project proposal to be presented as an overview, instead of (previously) a full-blown work plan, and commented that this was both a…
Rule No. 58: • If "the fine print" were your friend, it would be printed in large. ________________________________________ Hi Andy, I'm starting work on my College of Commissioner Science doctoral thesis. One idea I got from reading your column… In Ask Andy Column 281, a Scouter asked about Roundtables for Senior Patrol Leaders and Brent Bomer of…
Issue 290 – February 14, 2012 ________________________________________ Rule No. 57: • One troop in town will constantly struggle to stay afloat; two troops in town will both succeed. ________________________________________ HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Scouters, today's a special day to thank your own Valentines for their understanding, as they watch you trot off to all your Scouting events!
Rule No. 55: In phone conversations with fools, say whatever will make them pause; then hang up. Dear Andy, Do the Scouts themselves need to raise whatever funds may be needed for their Eagle Scout Leadership Service Projects? (Name & Council Withheld) For projects that require funding of some sort (for materiel, etc.), there's no BSA…
TROOP-SPOTTING" Your son's soon going to receive his Arrow of Light badge and graduate from Cub Scouting into the real adventure of BOY SCOUTING! He and his den have already visited at least one Boy Scout troop meeting and one Boy Scout outdoor activity.
Rule No. 54: The more logical and simple the Scouting procedure or policy, the more it will be ignored. Dear Andy, I'm a pack Committee Chair struggling with the definition of an Arrow of Light Scout visiting "a troop meeting with his den."
Rule No. 52: • Conscience is what you do when nobody's looking. Rule No. 53: • The Scouting units that actually thank their commissioner are often the ones for whom he's done the least. ________________________________________ "SUPER 8" Every now and again a movie comes along that fits closely with one or more of the values or fundamentals of…
________________________________________ Rule No. 50: • Beware excess enthusiasm. It often masks incompetence. Rule No. 51: • It's lonesome at the bottom, too. It's just more crowded. ________________________________________ Hi Andy, About the signature now required by the Scout himself, in his Eagle project workbook, while unfortunately it's true that one of the main reasons the process was changed had a…
________________________________________ Rule No. 50: • Beware excess enthusiasm. It often masks incompetence. Rule No. 51: • It's lonesome at the bottom, too. It's just more crowded. ________________________________________ Hi Andy, About the signature now required by the Scout himself, in his Eagle project workbook, while unfortunately it's true that one of the main reasons the process was changed had a…
Rule No. 48: Want to create half-hearted Scouts? It's easy: Just wear a half-hearted uniform. Rule No. 49: No boy can be saved from his own parents. My "Winter Tale" must have struck home for many readers… Thank you for your responses!
As we begin this New Year, here are some thoughts at random for us to consider as we continue to move Scouting forward into this millennium: Scouting Versus Sports The teams of John R. Wooden (1910-2010), head coach for UCLA basketball, won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period, including seven in a row…
So here I am, sitting on a fence again. I'm only two steps from my Arrow of Light and then I can graduate from my pack and be a Boy Scout. I've wanted to do that ever since I was a Tiger, when my big brother Max made Eagle in Troop 5.
On Christmas Day, look for a special issue and consider it my gift to you. Thank you, every one, for your interest, inquisitiveness, helpfulness, sharp eyes when I mess up, and most of all your loyalty and inspiring Scout spirit!
Rule No. 46 : Despots can't be cured; only overthrown. Before they hurt yet another Scout, rise in overwhelming force and throw the rascals out. Rule No. 47 (for Scouts): The probability that your Scoutmaster happens to be looking your way is directly proportional to the stupidity of what you're doing at that moment.
Rule No. 45 : The question, "Will you promise not to get mad when I tell you something?" is a guarantee that you will. Well folks, you've figured out pretty fast that I'm not in Scotland and don't need any money!
