Scouting magazine bowdrill article

[Mang]

I’ve got a bit of a cloud hanging over me at the moment and I want to start a thread on here to explain why. In the previous issue of ‘Scouting’ magazine I did a bowdrill article which attracted some correspondence concerning one of the pictures. I don’t want to reproduce the said pic but if you *really* want a look you can go to the Scout Association website and find the online magazine or look in your hard copy if you get it.

It was a shot which was used to show the base board having the circular depression made to receive the business end of the drill in, I had a great deal of trouble with this particular shot for some reason; shot after shot was either blurred, wasn’t clear or had light shining off the knife blade.
I was turning the base around in my hand figuring out how to get a decent shot and my wife (who was taking the pics over my shoulder) took one and showed me...the depression was in sharp focus and the knife wasn’t reflecting light so I said ‘That’s it’ but unfortunately my hand wasn’t in the best position as regards holding the base. So many shots had been taken that the depression was carved and the pic was only ever going to be a posed one but unfortunately a little style crept inadvertently into the substance.

I was mortified when I was emailed and asked for a reply for the magazine letters page and the for the last two months I’ve been scoping the bushie forums & Escouts to see if this picture generated a thread with one ‘piece of correspondance’’ actually causing me to lose sleep one night...now that the next issue is out with the letter in I feel compelled to put this thread up if for no other reason than to say that this has been a hard time for me, I’m sad that this has made work for the Scouting magazine and probably the Info Centre and to say to anyone who’s seen the pic that it’s not reflective of me as a bushcrafter or indeed as a writer of articles...it has made me a bit nervy when writing new ones.

I’ve had a brilliant bushcrafting 2011 and this year I’ve done stuff with Essex Wildcraft, Woodland Ways, Woodlife and Mike Ashton from Tamarack and I don’t believe I’ve done anything to cause the said players to suck air through their teeth.

I’ve done just short of half a dozen articles which have all been in the Cub supplement, I’m doing some more in the future for both the supplements and main magazine and the pic aside I was actually pleased with the bowdrill article, despite the fact that it had to be edited down in size and that I’d got this prized skill featured in the main magazine...the coal I knocked out was huge!

 

[udamiano]

Hi Mang,

I fail to see the problem, from my understanding, and reading some of the previous threads, it was well written and a good read!
peoples comments good or bad are just personnel views, and as the saying goes 'opinions are like a**oles, everyone has one!! Anyone who has ever written anything that was published had both good reviews and bad, them's the brakes kiddo!!
If you want to write an article, and someone wants to publish it, then you go ahead, do it; As long as it doesn't bring harm or cast a person in a bad malicious light, all you've done is put into words how you have done something, nothing more. You don't need to justify yourself, at least you had ago. Critics there are many.... but writers there are few.

 

[SussexRob]

I've seen the article, and also the letter and responses mate, and honestly, don't loose any more sleep over it.

It's a great article, and one that I intend to take with me and use on a camp next weekend with my Explorer Scouts. I just wish i hadn't thrown out the magazine now though, I'll have to copy it from the e reader on the website!

OK, so it was perhaps a minor slip up with the shot, and the really pinicity leaders around may have picked up on it. Don't worry though, both the editors response, and yours were perfect, and in my mind should put the matter to bed no problem.

Rightly or wrongly, I'm not entirely convinced that a 12 year scout wrote the letter, but who am I to say!

 

[Elines]

.............................. Don't worry though, both the editors response, and yours were perfect, and in my mind should put the matter to bed no problem..............................

Quite agree.

And speaking as someone with only a tangential involvement in Scouting I would have thought that Scout Leaders etc would be more concerned about some of their Chief Scout's TV programmes than one picture in one magazine.

 

[PeterH]

Compared with some of the photos used in officially commission and professionally produced SA material it was trivial. Some people should get a life ...... have any of the holier than thou actually contributed something to the magazine or supplements? When they have they can constructively add their opinion, until then they should join Mr Angry corresponding with the Daily Mail!

Adults ... pah ... being a Cub Leader was so much better.

Peter
(ex DC)

 

[drewdunnrespect]

austin man egnore the w"""""r cos thats what he is there is nothing wrong with article or yours or the editors responce so end of, game other
forget about it

drew

 

[Paganwolf]

What you need to do is jump out of a helecopter into a blizzard or off a cliff with a boyancy aid on then haul your self out of the water in the next shot with out it on or drink the juice out of elephand dung or bite the head off of live animals or.. oh hang on the cheif scout does that and no one says anything!! lol .
Mang I looked at the article and the pictures buddy, dont loose any more sleep eh anyone can point fingers and pick holes in others when they know nowt or very little, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

 

[SussexRob]

Quite agree.

And speaking as someone with only a tangential involvement in Scouting I would have thought that Scout Leaders etc would be more concerned about some of their Chief Scout's TV programmes than one picture in one magazine.

At the risk of starting a BG debate, I am a huge fan of him as far as his role of Chief Scout goes. He has done wonders for the movement and shows a genuine passion for scouting.

Having seen him around the kids at the Jamboree, he is fantastic. Adults don't get a look in when kids are around, and he has no interest in fancy scouting titles such as CC etc. He is all about the kids, a personification of scouting at it's best.

Ok, some of his tv stuff is questionable perhaps, but, for me, in his role as Chief Scout, he's been the injection of life we needed after the epic failure of Peter Duncan.

 

[silentbob]

I'd just like to say thanks for going out of your way to actually produce an article for the magazine in the first place. It is a shame more people don't actually put the effort in and help share knowledge about something they love and are good at. Saying that, I've never written an article for the magazine! Keep writing and rest easy in the knowledge that you are sharing your experience and if, along the way, you give the pedants something to bluster about, well, it will keep them happy in their own way for a while!

 

[ged]

... speaking as someone with only a tangential involvement in Scouting I would have thought that Scout Leaders etc would be more concerned about some of their Chief Scout's TV programmes than one picture in one magazine.

I'll second that. In fact I've written to the Scout Association about it, and I've been completely ignored.

 

[SussexRob]

Really? What is so bad?

Like I have said, watch him in action with the kids and you can start to see why he was picked as Chief Scout.

 

[ged]

Really? What is so bad?

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62633&pagenumber=

 

[Tadpole]

Really? What is so bad?

Like I have said, watch him in action with the kids and you can start to see why he was picked as Chief Scout.

Which one? The ex part time porn star, or the Liar, and cheat, Mr “I stupid things for money” , great example to show impressionable kids.

 

[SussexRob]

I wasn't aware of the Bat issue, but it looks to have been apologiesed for, etc etc. Doesn't make it right though, granted. Ex time porn star, so what? Liar and cheat, I preume your refering to some more incidents with his shows, I don't know. Stupid things for cash, again I presume you mean his tv shows. Well, if people didnt watch them, he wouldn't make them I guess.
With anyone, list only negatives and sure, they look bad. But, as Cheif Scout, lets look at what he does for scouting a moment.

He is constantly promoting it, and since he has become CS, there has been an increase in membership, I did read the figures, but can't find them at present. He inspires the kids, not through his TV programs, but through his visits, talking to them etc. Check this video out, there are a lot of adults in scouting that could do with taking on board the way he listens and interacts with the kids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLA39YGUYl8

He is extremely good at public speaking. I was at the WSJ in Sweden, and the speech he gave there was truly inspiring and really made every one of us proud to be in scouting. I can't find the full video, but will keep looking.

I agree that at times, he has been in the firing line for various wrong doings, but, you can't deny that he has far far more than our previous CS, Mr Duncan. Bear has made scouting look "cool" to those outside, and that positive effect has been seen through the membership.

I think it's a marmite type debate i gues, but, as far as what i have seen when he is with kids, and talking about scouting to the public etc, he has been a great role model.

Apologies for the thread hijack though, I'll not deviate again!

 

[GordonM]

Hi Mang,

I fail to see the problem, from my understanding, and reading some of the previous threads, it was well written and a good read!
peoples comments good or bad are just personnel views, and as the saying goes 'opinions are like a**oles, everyone has one!! Anyone who has ever written anything that was published had both good reviews and bad, them's the brakes kiddo!!
If you want to write an article, and someone wants to publish it, then you go ahead, do it; As long as it doesn't bring harm or cast a person in a bad malicious light, all you've done is put into words how you have done something, nothing more. You don't need to justify yourself, at least you had ago. Critics there are many.... but writers there are few.

+1!

I saw the article online and I can say well done, Mang. In all my years of Scouting there is one thing I have learned...Someone always has something to say! Buck up, mate, and move on.

YIS,

Gordy

 

[Mang]

A big thankyou to all who have commented.

I really just wanted to start the thread about it as I was scoping several forums looking 'Just in case...', I wasn't enjoying forums as a result! I was doing a bit of Youtube research and whilst I would, with hindsight, have used a different image I noticed Uncle Ray holds his hand close to the action whilst making this pot hanger.