No Bull Phil

Troop 1445, “Born to be a Scout”

Phil Keithahn — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:55:11 +0000

Today marked our seventh day at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. We have less than 2 days left before we return to Minnesota. Tonight before dinner, our Scouts were rocking and bopping to the sounds of “Born to be a Scout” from the movie, “Scout Camp.”

As you can see, even though we are fully wired for the Jamboree, we still have to work on our line dances! I hope you enjoy the dancing, as much as we enjoyed filming the Scouts!

Click here to view the embedded video.

2010 Jamboree Arena Show Rocks!

Phil Keithahn — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 15:01:36 +0000

The information in this post was obtained from the official Boy Scout Jamboree website at www.bsajamboree.org. Troop 1445, representing Twin Valley Council in South Central Minnesota, had 32 Scouters at the largest arena show in Scouting history. The program rocked! The following summary of last night’s show is an understatement of the fun we had!

PS – Check back for more updates and links to photos about Troop 1445’s Jamboree experience.

“A Shining Light Across America” Celebrates 100 Years of Scouting

Record numbers gathered in Fort AP Hill, Va., to watch the spectacular Centennial Celebration show. It was the best ever at a national Scout jamboree with the largest fireworks display ever to be staged on a military post. The show included a message from the 44th President of the United States – and the Honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America – Barack Obama, a presentation from Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca, a return appearance from Eagle Scouts Alex Boylan, winner of CBS’s The Amazing Race and Burton Roberts from CBS’s Survivor, a performance by the popular band Switchfoot and an appearance by Mike Rowe from Discover Channel’s popular television program Dirty Jobs.

Many more gathered in venues large and small across the country to watch the first ever broadcast of a jamboree arena show made possible by the special 100th anniversary celebration program, “A Shining Light Across America.”

From Times Square in New York to the Crazy Horse Memorial in Rapid City, S.D., nearly 150 participating councils, districts and units held more than 200 local viewing events across the country. The local celebrations were as diverse and distinctive as their locales – each truly shining a light on the unique personality and culture of the council and its Scouts.

A total of five councils from across the country landed a spot in the show: Greater New York Councils (New York, NY); Black Hills Area Council (Rapid City, SD); Anthony Wayne Area Council (Fort Wayne, Ind.); North Florida Council (Jacksonville, Fla.); and Occoneechee Council (Raleigh, NC).

The show was broadcast nationwide via satellite, and thousands more were able to tune in online at www.ustream.tv//shininglight . BYU-TV, available in most basic cable and satellite television packages, also broadcast the event and streamed it live over its Web site, www.byutv.org .

Did you miss it? Never fear. Visit http://www.ustream.tv/shininglight the archived videos from the broadcast under the Videos section, or tune in to BYU-TV’s rebroadcast of the show at 9:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Aug. 3 and at 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 7.

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all who joined us for ‘A Shining Light Across America,’” said Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive, Boy Scouts of America. “It truly was an awe-inspiring event that allowed us to gather together to shine a light on our rich heritage, our core values, our role in shaping America’s youth, and the launch of our second century of service!”

Text of President Obama’s Speech

Hello Everybody,
I wanted to send my greetings to everyone taking part in the national Scout jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, to congratulate you on the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. I hope you’ve all enjoyed this year’s festivities. You know, for a century, Scouts just like you have served your communities and your nation in ways both large and small. During World War II, Scouts played a vital role in supporting the war effort at home by running messages and selling war bonds. Some our nation’s greatest heroes have worn the Scout uniform, including 11 of the 12 men who have walked on the moon. Today, Scouts across the country continue the tradition of collecting food for those in need, improving our neighborhoods, and reaching out to those less fortunate. That service is worth celebrating, but there is still more to do. Even though we face a different set of challenges today than we did a hundred years ago, they are no less important. Into the years ahead, we’re going to depend upon you, the next generation of leaders, to move America forward. So I hope that all of you will carry the lessons you’ve learned in Scouting with you for the rest of your lives. And I hope that when you are called upon to help write the next great chapter of the American story that you’ll uphold the best of the Scouting tradition and respond with enthusiasm, skill, and determination. Congratulations again on your first hundred years. I’m sure the next hundred will be even better.

ATT Connection Zones at the Jamboree

Phil Keithahn — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:30:51 +0000

For the first time in the history of Scout Jamborees in America, there has been a conscious effort to be “connected” via cell towers, cell phones, email, blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other means. Thanks to ATT, there are portable cell towers, cell phone and laptop charging centers throughout the Jamboree.

On behalf of all Scouters, I want to thank ATT for providing this service to us. Their donation of these towers has been of immense help as we communicate with each other, especially during times of severe weather. The presence of cell towers and good cell phone coverage helps us keep track of our Scouts, communicate with other Scoutmasters, talk with parents, and remain connected with the world outside our 10-day community of 45-50,000 people in 10-12,000 tents!!

When people are using laptops and cell phones and rechargeable batteries in cameras, electricity, access to power outlets, and the safe ability to recharge electronic devices is a challenge. That’s where charging centers become important. Thanks to ATT, we have those centers are available to Scouts. But as with many things in life, the first time you try to do something, you learn more about what you will do differently the second time.

When we arrived at the Jamboree, we were told that we would be able to recharge our batteries at ATT Connection Zones throughout the site. However…many times when a new service is being provided, the reality of delivery does not always match the expectations of customers. The following short video is my first attempt at a humorous observation on…

“Telling the Truth…When Marketing Messages Do Not Match Service Delivery!”

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hope you see the humor in the signage at the ATT Connection Zones at the Jamboree. And for those of you who might think I am criticizing ATT, I am not…just thought this was worthy of sharing for those of us who also fail to live up to our customer’s expectations!!

The bottom line is this…If you are going to provide a service…clearly let people know what they can expect to receive…and deliver on your promise.

Creative Laundering at the Jamboree

Phil Keithahn — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:03:12 +0000

The 2010 National Scout Jamboree is my 7th Jamboree since 1975. During this time, many parents have asked me how Scouts get their clothes clean during a Jamboree. This has been especially important during the past two National Jamborees (2005 and 2010), when we have been gone for 21 days and we have camped and toured in 100 degree weather.

For most Jamborees, Scouts will bring 2 Class A Scout Shirts, which are the official Scout shirt with their badge of rank and other badges sewed on the front and both sleeves. They will also bring 3-5 pairs of shorts, 5 pair socks, and 5 Class B T-Shirts, bearing the official patch of our troop.

So the obvious question becomes…How do they wash their clothes in the middle of the woods? Thanks to the marvels of technology, you can now watch an instructional video that we completed on July 29, 2010. In this video, Scoutmaster Jeff Adams works with two Scouts to wash, rinse, and ring out clothes prior to hanging them on the clothes line in our camp.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While we are travelling, we look for an all-night laundromat to do laundry. The “travel laundering” is done by two Scoutmasters, who ask each Scout to number their clothes and put them in a mesh bag. We then combine the mesh bags into a large commercial washer/dryer. It’s amazing, but the clothes do get cleaned and dried, even though they are lumped together into individual bags for each Scout. It might not be cleaned and pressed like home, but the Scouts end up with clean clothes for another 5-day period.

Troop 1445 Photos, 2010 National Scout Jamboree

Phil Keithahn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:22:06 +0000

I have now uploaded photos from our first week of touring from July 19-25 before the start of the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. The photos are located on Flickr and include over 700 views of our Scouts as they toured Washington DC. Since we have many unofficial photographers, I am only updating photos I have taken as part of this blog post. I will also be uploading photos from other Scoutmasters and Scouts during the next few days.

Here is the link to my Flickr account for the photos through July 26.

When you click on a photo, it should bring up a larger image for you to view.

You can also check out the Troop 1445 blog.

The official http address for the blog is at http://jambo2010tvc.blogspot.com for current photos and our online diary.

Troop 1445 Videos, 2010 National Scout Jamboree

Phil Keithahn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:07:54 +0000

This blog post will contain links to various videos about Troop 1445’s trip to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. We are joining with 40,000 other Scouts and 10-15,000 volunteer support staff to celebrate 100 years of Scouting in America. We left Minndesota on Sunday, July 19 and have toured Washington, DC, Gettysburg, the Flight 93 Memorial for 9/11, and even spent a day at the beach in Rehoboth, DE. The Jamboree officially started on Julty 26, when we moved into Subcamp 14 in the Central Region.

Given the heat and humidity, not to mention a full day of activities that typically start with wakeup (reveille by buglers!) at 5:30am and taps at 10:30pm, I have not had time to provide descriptions of the YouTube Videos shown below. Howevecr, this will be updated once I return to Minnesota. Please share these videos with your family and friends, as our Troop has done extraordinarily well in handling the stresses of camping, touring, and travelling with record high heat!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why Did God Create Socks?

Phil Keithahn — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:54:16 +0000

Several years ago, our family was on vacation…driving in our minivan across the South Dakota prairie on Interstate-90. As with many families on vacation, conversation, games, and music helped make the 500-mile trip seem shorter. But an all-day drive is still a long ride with young children.

After another great lunch at Al’s Oasis along the Missouri River in Oacoma, SD, our family headed west. Unfortunately, the chocolate chip cookie that I was eating for dessert had partially melted in my hand. Lacking a napkin, I asked my wife the obvious question:

Why did God create socks?

Seeing the puzzled look on her face, I reached down and said…

“So men would have a way to wipe their hands!”

…and sure enough, my hands were clean while the melted chocolate chips were on my socks!

Why did God create socks?

While my wife and family don’t always understand my “fatherly” sense of humor, this Q&A is a parable of life.

Sometimes life does not make sense.

Sometimes life is not funny.

Sometimes we cannot find a “traditional” way to clean up after a mess.

And yes, sometimes life presents more questions than answers.

We live in a world that often appears to be dominated by negative news, by technology, by stress, and by fear. And yet, when we are on vacation it sometimes feels as if the time does not go quickly enough. Boredom sets in and we forget how to laugh, relax, and enjoy time with family and friends.

Vacations are the times when we have the greatest opportunity to recharge our batteries. When we relax, we become more aware of the world around us. When we laugh, we release stress and connect with other people. When we ask the simple childlike question of “WHY?”, we remain open to learning. And when we look at the world differently…by using socks as napkins…we become more appreciative of others…and less focused on our own needs.

Ever since that vacation, I have continued to discover new ways to laugh at myself, to help others enjoy the humor in life, and to ask simple questions that begin with WHY.

Monty’s Mantra: Why not start asking questions today, so you can laugh and learn with your family and friends?

Related Quote: You see things; and you say Why? But I dream things that never were; and I say Why not? George Bernard Shaw

The Cost of Kid$

Phil Keithahn — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:30:49 +0000

While I do not know the author of this story, it reminds us that money cannot measure our investment in children, let alone the returns they provide to us. I hope you enjoy reading this story. If you know the name of the original author, please let me know, so I can give appropriate credit where credit is due!

The Cost of Kid$

Author: Unknown

I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn’t so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That’s a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don’t have children if you want to be “rich.” It is just the opposite. What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights. First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God every day.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Pooh and watching Saturday mo rning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s Day, and cards with backward letters for Father’s Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.

You have all the power to heal a booboo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRAND KIDS.
The only blessings in life are family and friends!

Five Simple Rules

Phil Keithahn — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:30:03 +0000

The author of these Five Simple Rules is not known to me, so if you know who originated these Rules, please let me know.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred.
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply.
Give more.
Expect less.

John Wooden’s Seven Point Creed

Phil Keithahn — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:25:19 +0000

Coach John Wooden passed away on June 4, 2010 at 99 years young, after serving as one of the world’s greatest coaches of all time.

John Robert Wooden (born October 14, 1910, in Martinsville, Indiana) is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (Class of 1961) and a coach (Class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories. John Wooden’s Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

For more information on Coach Wooden, please visit the following website at http://www.coachwooden.com/ .

You can also click on the following YouTube video to hear Coash Wooden’s thoughts on caring. Coach Wooden was most widely known for the accomplishments of his UCLA college basketball teams. However, his core values, as expressed in the Seven Point Creed he received from his father, can be applied by all of us as we seek to make a positive difference in the world. I hope you enjoy this video by Coach Wooden.

Click here to view the embedded video.