EAST WINDSOR — The cookies have arrived.

The three young boys in blue shirts paid tribute to the flag. Then the lanky kid patted his smaller comrade on the shoulder and said, “You did a good job.”

Camarillo Junior Girl Scout Troop 60981 is hosting the S.A.M. & Me Valentine's Candyland Dance for Girl Scouts and their SAM (special adult male) at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

The Girl Scouts suggest you make this Valentine’s Day extra sweet and treat your loved one to a box of Girl Scout cookies.

When Girl Scout cookie season starts up in your neighborhood, those earnest young saleswomen bearing boxes of sweets may be armed with a new secret weapon: a mobile credit-card reader attached to their smartphones.

, the Scout Association launched the My Badges App for the iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad. This app has all the requirements for all badges, from the Beaver’s right through to the Queen’s Scout Award. And very useful it is too.
At the time, I was not too impressed that it was just for the iDevices and not for the Android platform. The Scout Association said an Android version would be coming soon, er later in the year, no early in the new year, when pigs fly etc.
So today, you can imagine that I’m not overly impressed to read that the SA are releasing a game app for both iDevices and Android called . Now why are they releasing a game for both platforms when they have yet to release the badges app on android? I’m guessing the game app won’t be free.
The badges app, I would buy for my phone (when it eventually comes out), but a game? An app that will be very useful seems to be being ignored for the sake of a game. I do wonder sometimes……
On a happier note, after last between me and , we were both keen to do another, but we both got a bit distracted by additions to our respective families! However, after Kiff has done a little housekeeping on his site this weekend, he will be publishing our next discussion. Watch this space!

After she saw the photo posted by a Boy Scout leader with comments that she considered sexually suggestive, Cowley said it made her wonder whether Scouting provides a safe environment for her son, 10, who had been a member of Cub Scouts Pack 319.

Do you know what this is? It's plastic, less than an inch across, and weighs hardly nothing. But, without it, I'm unable to complete my current sewing project. It's a top vertical gear from my sewing machine. Actually, it's a replacement that's on its way. Mine currently has a crack in it. The gear still works, but that small crack makes the gear a bit wider which causes the needle and bobbin to get out of sync. The sewing system is broken until a new gear shows up.Every system is made up of individual parts. Without just one of those parts, sometimes ones we don't appreciate or even consider, the whole system collapses. We pay attention to the obvious parts - the needle, presser foot, bobbin, spool in a sewing machine; the key, gas pedal, turn signal, speedometer in a car; the SPL, ASPL, and Scoutmaster in a troop. It's all those other parts that really need some attention occasionally.A good system can last decades if it is maintained. My 1989 Mazda 323 refuses to die. I've cared for it for over 20 years by changing oil, checking fluids, and keeping the unseen pieces in good shape. My sewing machine is also over 20 years old. Once I replace this broken gear, I'll lubricate it and expect it to work another decade.It's important to pay attention to all the parts that keep a system running. If a minor piece stops working, the system may struggle along for some time until you fix it. Or, worse even, you may just get used to that squeek, rattle, or misfire and do nothing about it until it all falls apart. In most mechanical systems, you monitor, lubricate, and replace parts to keep the system running.A scout unit is a system, too, isn't it? By paying attention to all the pieces the risk of catastrophic failure is minimized. So, how can we keep all the pieces working well? Here's a few ideas, I expect you have more:Monitor Regularly ask for feedback. Find out from each person, individually, what's going well and not so well. Use the BSA monitoring tools, such as Journey to Excellence, to track performance. Lubricate Regularly thank every person for their contributions. In a large group, a list of names with date and reason you recognized them helps ensure no one is missed. It doesn't need to be a big deal; just a "Hey, Bob, thanks for that great flag raising" counts. An occasion celebration of the group's accomplishments also helps the whole group stay satisfied. Replace Regularly switch people in roles. Having different scouts, and adults, take on roles reduces wear and tear on individuals, gives more people experience, and gets new ideas into the unit.Similar to a machine, monitoring, lubricating, and replacing can help keep a scout unit in top performance for decades. If you have the same people in the same roles year after year after year, something's bound to break.Scout On

Sens. Carper and Coons and Rep. Carney joined over two dozen Girl Scouts from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Girl Scouts of the USA in the U.S. Capitol.

Girl Scouts in Enterprise are having the annual cookie sales at area businesses beginning this weekend.

We have heard and practice that defined leadership is simply that Leaders provide Purpose, Direction, and Motivation.  To accomplish those three things, leaders MUST clearly set and enforce expectations.  They need to be able to clearly communicate those expectations to those they lead.  The leader must paint a picture of what the result should look like.  The picture should be clear enough that the people you lead know exactly what they are supposed to do and accomplish.
Before we go on.. the first step in this process is to set the BEST example.  Not a Good example.. the BEST example.  Good is not Good enough when it comes to leadership.  With your BEST example you will then be able to set expectations and achieve results.
What Great Leaders Do to Set Expectations
Great leaders set clear expectations and standards for the people they lead.
Great leaders clearly communicate these expectations and standards to the people they lead.
Great leaders constantly reinforce the expectations and standards they have set for the people they lead.
Great leaders lead Great organizations.  Mediocre Leaders lead Mediocre Organizations.  Do not be satisfied with “Good enough”.
How Great Leaders Set Expectations
Great leaders develop clear expectations and standards for every position that reports to them.  They make sure that they understand, in their own mind, the output they expect from that position — regardless of the individual who fills it.
The SPL must expect Patrol Leaders to lead their Patrols with the understanding that they are assisting in achieving the Goals of the Troop.  At every level, everyone needs to be aware of what it is that the organization is trying to accomplish.  This is true for the very big tasks or goals and the small steps that get you there.
Great leaders use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Specified) tool to clarify their expectations and set goals.

Specific – great leaders set expectations that are targeted, not broad and general.  Good expectations are focused and explicit.  They should be easily understood by everyone.
Measurable – great leaders are able to tell quickly and easily if an individual that they lead or a task by the group has met their standards and expectations.  They develop a set of criteria that will demonstrate success or failure in meeting the expectation or standard.
Achievable – great leaders set expectations and standards that are challenging, but not to difficult to achieve.  A challenging expectation is motivating, an impossible one will lead to set backs in your goal.
Relevant – great leaders don’t get caught in the activities.  Their expectations focus on the results they expect the team to achieve, not the activities they will do to get there.  For example, “improved knot tying skills” is a result; “participating in Pioneering merit badge class” is an activity.  It’s possible to complete activities and not achieve the desired result. Keep your goals relevant to the task or goal.
Time Specified – great leaders know people need to know the deadlines associated with expectations and standards.  If you give a team 6 months to achieve a goal they will take 6 months to achieve that goal.  Do not allow for this to happen.  Set a time line for your goal or task and then hold yourself and the team accountable to get the goal or task completed.  Never leave a goal or task open ended when it comes to time.

Once great leaders have a clear picture of their expectations for the positions reporting to you, they communicate them to the people they lead who are in these positions.  Great leaders explain three things:
What needs to be accomplished and Why.
The deadline for accomplishing it.
What successful completion of the goal or task looks like.
Finally, great leaders never miss an opportunity to reinforce their expectations with the people they lead.  Repetition is a great tool for reinforcing expectations.  The more you keep your expectations in the forefront of the minds of the people you lead, the more likely they will be to focus their attention and efforts on achieving them.
Skills and Habits are formed and reinforced by clear expectations that come with clear expectations.  As a leader you must “Inspect what you expect”.  Never be satisfied by mediocre results.  The Scout Oath says that we will do our BEST.. not our “Good enough”.  Clear expectations will lead to higher skill levels and good habits.
Note- This is the First block of instruction for our Troop Junior Leader Training.  Once expectations are clear to everyone, it is easier to move on and expect the Junior Leaders to then learn in a practical way why leadership is important and what it takes to lead.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

Ethan proudly displays his knotting board. Thank you for putting such hard work into this and making it look so good! Tarzan always had to keep an eye out for elephant hunters.... Cubs stand in the circle. Hunters are nominated and must catch the elephants by hitting them with a ball below the knees.When Tarzan felt that the animals were in danger, he would encourage them to go up river.We played some lovely circle gmes with the cubs.It was then time for Instruction and we broke into Caracals, Cheetah, Leopards and Lions. While it was safe in Tarzan country, the animals would gladly sing:"I like bananas, monkey nuts and grapes (x3 times)That's why they call me Tarzan of the Apes" He loved the way the animals played with each other...Cubs line up in two rows - on opposite sides. Name each team. One faces away whilst the other creeps up on them. As they are approaching, Akela claps her hands, The 1 team turns around and chasing the second team creeping up... Tarzan always made sure the river was safe to cross.Cubs have to only cross on safe circles and not those with "x" in them.We handed out many interest badges tonight - so well done to all our cubs for doing so well. A reminder that the Cub Fun Day takes place next week Saturday - 11th February at Gilwell - from 14h00 to 19h00........ see you all there!Till next TimeKeep CubbingAkela Joy

Girl Scouts of the USA is the premier leadership organization for girls. With a rich one-hundred year history of building girls of courage, confidence and character, it is no surprise that people from coast-to-coast come out in support of Girl Scouting when critics seem eager to discredit everything from badges to cookies.In an article for , Nicole Pasulka writes that "the Girls Scouts marks its 100th anniversary this year, with 2.3 million troopers and 880,000 adult, mostly volunteer mentors across all 50 states. It's a remarkably cohesive organization, and Girl Scouts have often been ahead of the curve, if just by a hair, on hot-button cultural issues."Pasulka is not alone in that sentiment. In 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. called Girl Scouts a “force for desegregation”.In New Orleans, LA, James Gill, a columnist for , writes that there is no reason to flee the Girl Scouts based on the membership policies of out-of-state Girl Scout Councils. Girl Scout Troops referenced in Gill's article did eventually disband, while a video posted online, called for a boycott of the annual cookie sale to protest a perceived betrayal of membership ideals.As a beloved American institution, the Girl Scout cookie program is a natural target for those seeking to draw attention to themselves or their cause. It’s important to know that nearly one-hundred percent of the proceeds from these sales stay in the local market and are used to fund programs for girls. In a column for the , Robert McCartney asks readers not to fall for smears against the Girl Scouts. "The culture wars in this country have grown so acute that we can’t even agree to support a patriotic, faith-affirming, achievement-oriented group like the Girl Scouts," writes McCartney. "This is complete insanity," writes Petula Dvorak in a separate column for the . "And all of it threatens things that are good."In Houston, TX, the city where Girl Scouts declared 2012 the , the ’s Patricia Kilday Hart writes that "someone had to look long and hard to find a reason to vilify an organization whose chief reason for existence is to help its 2.3 million members become girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place in a setting usually overseen by their mothers."On Tuesday, January 31, 2012, Girl Scouts of the USA launched , the largest, boldest advocacy and fundraising cause dedicated to girls’ leadership in the nation’s history. The multi-year effort will seek to create balanced leadership — the equal representation of women in leadership positions in all sectors and levels of society — within one generation.

Warren Cub Scouts Pack 182 is hosting its annual Pinewood Derby car race on Saturday, Feb. 4, 11:30 a.m., at Watchung Hills Regional High School. More than 100 boys are expected to send cars down the track in one of...

 is a great resource for researching and sharing outing information. EveryTrail is free and useful for a variety of trips – including road trips, sight-seeing tours, sailing trips, hiking, cycling, flying, hang gliding, geocaching, skiing, kayaking trips and more. EveryTrail has trips from over 80 countries in all corners of the world.
Users can download GPS information and create trips that others can use to plan their own outings. Tracks nd maps can be annotated with trail descriptions and photos.
iPhone and Android smart phone apps are available  to map your trip route while you move, add trip photos and videos to your map instantly, share trips right from your phone, and find and follow trips from other travelers.
I don’t have a GPS but I manually added one of our favorite backpacking routes:


EveryTrail – Find the
Here’s another trip from Troop 224, Oak Ridge, Tennessee of their hike at Standing Indian Campground in Nantahala National Forest. 


EveryTrail – Find the