A rope walks into a Starbucks. The barista says, “We don’t serve ropes in here.” The rope walks outside, ties a knot in the middle of his body, brushes out the strands at the bottom and heads back into the bar. The bartista says, “Aren’t you the rope I just threw out of here?” The rope replies, “No, I’m a frayed knot.”

Only YOU can help prevent frayed knots! Always whip or fuse your rope to prevent unraveling!

Learn the right way to whip a rope by watching the video below.   You can also find the same info in your Scout Handbook.

Thanks to JD of fusionknots.com for posting this. 

Ever wonder what all those funny symbols are on a map?  Can you tell the difference between a footbridge and a train bridge?  How about a swamp versus a pond? 

If you need to learn, or just need a little refresher, The US Geological Service (USGS) has a great guide for you.

USGS Topographic Map Symbols

There are 135 merit badges available today (& 133 available last year).  Bryan on Scouting, Scouting Magazine's Blog, published a list of merit badges that shows how many were earned in 2013. There are some surprises in there, so be sure to take a look.

Do you have any of the most popular or least popular merit badges?  Why not help out some of those less popular ones move up a rank or two by earning them?