March 1999 Firelite

	The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe Firelight Magazine Province of Matabeleland Being a Scout in Matabeleland is fantastic The views and opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe. March OPINION The movement as a candle-light at night Observe what happens around candlelight as it tears the darkness and all kinds of insects are attracted. The behaviour of insects vary, some will rejoice and have fun till the sun shines, some will keep a distance from the light and watch things happen from the darkness, some just hang around to pass time, others come to bully and stamp their authority, and power which they don’t have in their families. Some fly on to the flame to test the strength of its source and in the process get their wings burnt. If the Boy Scout movement is the candle light, then which of the insects are you? FRANCIS ZVIGO 66^TH ST COLUMBAS SCOUT LEADER FROM THE EDITOR Make the most of What Scouting has to offer Greetings brother Scouts, we at Fire-Light hope that you are still holding on to your New Year resolutions, or have they gone the way of the pie-crust, made to be broken. Well our resolution was to inform you through this magazine and we have stuck to that. In our Scouting life it is imperative to make the most of what Scouting has to offer. Many times in our lives we take so many things for granted and fail to appreciate them until they are no more. As Scouts let us make the most of events that are organized for us. Let us use them to develop and better ourselves in terms, of commitment and interpersonal skills. Baden-Powell once said ""happiness only comes from making others happy." So let us strive to bring happiness to the communities we interact with. For it is through Scouting that we can achieve world peace. So as we reminisce on the life of Baden-Powell, let us help our young scouts realise the most from what Scouting has to offer. Scouting should be organised such that the boys will play a leading role in the changing environment. Finally a word of advice to all "it is those little things that we do as scouts that make us great". As this is the Annual General Meeting edition of FireLight, the annual reports have taken priority. Other articles sent in will be published in the April issue. Ed. The Commissioner, Leaders, Scouts and Cub Scouts of the Province convey their sympathies to Bekezela, Editor of Fire-Light, and to the Ndebele family on the death of Lutho Ndebele. FIRE-LIGHT – MARCH 1999 TRAINING Pollution: There are several types of pollution, I am going to be talking about air pollution but here is a challenge for the Cubs. If you can write and let me know about three other types you may win a small prize. The layer of air around the earth is only about 15 km thick. Of this, only the first 5 to 6 km contains enough oxygen to be of use to human beings. The layer of air into which we dump so much of our waste is only a few kilometres thick. If we continue to pollute it, this thin layer of air will soon be filled. It is already so polluted that our lives are at stake, and the lives of countless living things. You have heard of the Ozone Layer. On top of Mount Everest the air is so thin (lack of oxygen) breathing is difficult without special equipment. What are the main causes of air pollution? Factories - fill the air with a great variety of dangerous substances. Motor cars, - other road vehicles especially buses! Trains, aeroplanes Oil - used for heating, cooking, power Coal fires - in London England, 4 thousand people died in one week, in December 1952, caused by particles from coal fires used to heat their houses. Grass and forest fires – burning household waste and of course cigarette smoking If the radiation from the sun is diminished by particles in the air, by just 1% we could have another ice age! Plants are the Earth’s "oxygen factory". Plants produce oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. Every leaf is an oxygen factory. Plants are also Nature’s Air-Fresheners. When we breath out a kind of gas called Carbon dioxide it is absorbed by plants and turned into oxygen. A 15 x 15 metre area of grass produces enough oxygen for four people. You can do some very simple experiments to detect air pollution. Find two strips of sticky paper or stiff paper smeared on one side with Vaseline. Fix one strip outdoors, exposed to the air but protected from the rain. Keep the other strips indoors. After one or two weeks compare the two strips with the aid of a magnifying glass. I hope you are lucky enough to have a magnifying glass, every Cub should try to own one. You can study so many interesting things with the aid of a magnifying glass, flowers, bugs, beetles, even your own hair or finger print. Instead using your pocket money on sweets and buns save up for one. We can help to keep the air pure by planting trees, shrubs, grass and flowers and perhaps making a compost heap from our garden waste instead of burning it. Thus we will be improving our soil at the same time. This information comes from BATA ‘Care For Your Country". Do you have copies in your schools? Perhaps you can write and tell me . R MOODY ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL SCOUT COMMISSIONER [TRAINING]
		NOTICE BOARD MARCH Seeonee Pack Meeting 5.00 pm PHQ Sports Day Swimming Gala (Bulawayo East) Gordon Park Service : 12.00 noon Uniform Competition (Bulawayo West) St George’s Day Service : St Columbus Church : 12.00 noon 31 Schools close

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