What did we learn, if anything today?
MORNING JOE l Photo by Anthony J. ScutroMy television is NOT broke on the Cable News Network (CNN) 24/7. Other networks -- ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS -- all have fine public affairs and journalistic review shows (what I refer to collectively as "talking heads" shows), and I watch them as often as I do the "Network of Record," the "Best network in the Universe -- CNN." My Sundays are spent in part watching... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-30
African Drum
These drums are the perfect way to celebrate and learn about African heritage. We based these drums on the Djembe drums from West Africa. Djembe drums originated during the reign of the Malian empire in the 12th century. These drums were traditionally made by blacksmiths and played by well-respected musicians known as griots. They play an important part in storytelling and the passing down of the oral history of west Africa. The base is made... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-29
(A Scout's) Toolbox
Image provided by Settummanque (Mike Walton) Our pioneers had one (well, kinda...didn't really fit into a pocket, but the concept was the same). Rambo had one, and so did similar characters portrayed by Steven Segall, Arnold (do I have to type his last name *smiling*?), and several others. Harrison Ford had a version of one in a couple of his movies. My personal hero, Angus MacGyver, not only had one but during the first four... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-29
Clorox 2 ®
(From "Patches and Pins" (or "The Quest for the Silver Beaver...."), by Mike Walton (c) 1988) You want to get my mother going?? Bring up George Wallace, the symbol for most Black Americans of the *worst* parts of being an American living in the South!"Do you think he's changed? God musta' really touched that man", my mother asked me. We were sitting at the dining room table, the air conditioner making a loud starting... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-26
Dreamcatchers Native American Art Project
Dreamcatchers are an iconic Native American symbol. It is unknown exactly when and where they originated. They were first documented in 1929 with the Ojbwie tribe and spread to other tribes during the pan-Indian movement of the 1960s and 1970s. They are traditionally made of all-natural pieces, such as willow bark for the ring and sinew for the webbing. They are said to protect the user from bad dreams. According to Native American legend, all... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-22
Gates Foundation. Please Help Us
Shutterstock Image used under Fair Usage Guidelines See those smiling faces? I wish I had an image of smile Scouting youth and adult faces, but this will have to do for now.On 12 August 2020, the BSA's National teams working under the "Churchill Project" made some recommendations to the National Executive Board, the guiding group within the BSA responsible for all decisions on behalf of the national organization. While these recommendations are not binding, the... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-19
Scoutness
Original home of Earl Hamner, creator of "The Waltons." photo from WaltonsMountain.com I cannot remember if I saw this on as part of a television show or if this was one of my silly "television show dreams." All I know is that the show or dream is based upon Scouting heritage and lore and that I remember it being "true" in the application.So the backstory is that a guy gets hired to work for a... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-10-12
Scouting Circus Skit ideas
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay I remember when I was a young boy, and the circus would come to town. Posters would start appearing all over town, and they would tell us about the circus that had come to town that was going to appear in the arena downtown. The circus would usually be there for three days…Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I would take a city bus on a Saturday afternoon and spend a few... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-05
Some Dinosaur Skits & Songs & Story ideas
When I was a younger boy, one of the things I used to enjoy doing was going down into the #8 Woods and going rock hunting with my dad. He got me interested in looking for Indian arrowheads and also looking for fossils among the stones as we looked around the woods. There was a place at the edge of the woods that had been excavated a little bit, and the turned over soil was... [More]
By: InsaneScouter On: 2020-10-01
Hey You! What's Next?
"So," the questioner asked me while I was sitting at the Starbucks. I had stopped by after attending a Troop's Court of Honor -- a quarterly awards ceremony and celebration event -- and I was "Jonesing" for a cup of coffee. At this Court of Honor, beverages were not served afterward, so after I spent some time talking with some Scouts, their families, and some Scouters who wondered why was I there (because, I said,... [More]
By: Mike Walton (blackeagle) On: 2020-09-28