Torchwood

Stosh- Nicely put!

Nicely done. Apparently helicopter parenting is frowned upon outside the US.

FWIW, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) has a parents guide for every movie in the database- includes violence, sexual content/references (if any), language, smoking, drug references, etc. I have the app on my iPhone and iPad just to quickly ID actors and where else I have seen them (usually a Doctor Who episode) while we are watching movies at home.

We use p-slips for every outing, for informational purposes. As for medical forms, we have all of them in paper form in a briefcase that goes where we go 9in the outing leader's possession), and an additional pair of USB sticks that 2 other leaders carry, just in case.

Start here? http://www.macscouter.com/Scoutmaster/BoR_Guide.asp

Your District Chair is absolutely correct. The Pack Committee is supposed to plan the progam and make all the arrangements. The Cubmaster's job, and his only job, is to execute that plan. I have seen a Pack or two where the CM acts more like an emcee. He gets to have all the fun with the boys, while the Pack Committee does all the heavy lifting behind the scenes. Looks like it is time to get with the program (pun intended), and have a sit down with the CM over a cuppa joe and go over roles and responsibilities. I ws CM in a Pack without a well-functioning committee. I did most of the work, and it was NOT a great experience.

The Merit Badge pamphlet will have all of the required info.

Qwazse has a great idea- not just for learning skills, but also as an open forum on how you are doing as a Troop. I would also remind you of one more item- T21 can be worked on concurrently, so there is no reason that the boys should hold up their advancement while waiting for a SMC or BOR to happen.

The SM suggests candidates, and the Troop Committee votes. If the Ayes have it, you still can't put the patch on until you are fully trained- YPT, Scoutmaster Basic and IOLS. We currently have 4 ASMs, one being the former SM- he is a wealth of information and Scout lore, and is our regular Roundtable attendee. We currently have 34 active Scouts, and just got handed 6 applications from the Webelos/AOL Den of the Pack that we generally draw from (6 for 6, actually). We don't have a set number, but try to keep it to a small number, as our function is to assist the SM. We have a very active committee and other parents that we count on to support our outdoor program.

1. The wrong person is trying to lead the Troop- you are the Scoutmaster, and he serves as ASM at YOUR pleasure. 2. If you are teaching all the skills to all the Scouts, you are doing it wrong. Teach the SPL or PL (depending on the size of your Troop), and then let the boy lead and teach the other boys. 3. You can't retest them, but you can tell them that you feel that they are not ready to advance (you know, being trustworthy and helpful). A SMC is not just for advancement, they can happen for any number of reasons, including just checking in with the boys to see how they are doing, and how you are doing too. Taht being said, if the book is signed off (and who is doing the book signing?), then your hands are kind of tied. I agree with qwazse that you should do the T21 SMCs yourself, even if you have to spread them out over a couple of nights. 4. Ask your ASM just how good a Scout Troop he wants to be associated with. His answer should guide you about his motives and committment to either the BSA program or just pencil whipping the boys (likely mostly his own) to a fsat finish. FWIW, my son earned Life a couple of months shy of his 14th Birthday, but not one item of his advancment has been signed off by me (I am an ASM), nor have I had to push him to finish anything. He is a PL right now, but all of his Rank advancement was signed off by his previous PLs, and when he is ready for a SMC or BOR, he makes those arrangements himself (the Troop holds BORs during the last Troop meeting of each month). That is part of the Adult Association method. 5. Just a question, but have you and this ASM taken Scoutmaster Training? A well run SM Basic is an enlightening experience for a lot of Leaders, and I highly reccommend it, even for Committee members (and the CC, of course).

The cost for my son to go in 2017 is $1950 from our Council in MA. That includes coach transportation, and a day side trip on either end (Gettysburg on the way down and Hershey Park on the way back). Given that you are including a whole extra week of food and housing (plus entrance fees for whatever activities are planned), and airfare from CA, it probably isn't a bad deal.

+1 on the ALPS stuff through HikerDirect!!!

Krampus- The MA CORI form is pretty universal. It is required by State law for the background check. I can't even volunteer to help out in my kids' schools without them running a CORI on me. Schiff- While these parents can do what they feel is best, I think they are copping out. I am not sure if they had diffeent expectations of the BSA program, and if so, how those expectations were not being maanged by the Troop Leadership. Going forward, you may want to have an Orientation program for new parents that directly talks about how advancement works, what the Troop expects from the parents of their Scouts, etc. We don't allow ANY parent to attend any outing without completing YPT, even if they are not otherwise registered with the BSA, but they certainly can't be a MBC without doing the paperwork. We send out an email inviting all parents to Troop Committee meetings every month, as that is how we keep the committee well rounded out. We also do run an orientation night for new Scout parents, as this helps us manage expectations and answer any questions that the parents may have on how Boy Scouts works, and is different than Cub Scouts. Also, in my son's Pack, only the WDL signed off on Webelos Advancement. This was our way of moving the parents slowly out of being responsible for this proces in advance of joining a Troop.

There is nothing that I can find in the insignia guide to limit what ranks can and cannot wear a Merit Badge sash.

The online stuff doesn't make them trained. In our Troop, no one is allowed to be a direct contact leader without the TRAINED patchj for their position. For SM or ASM, that means SM basic and IOLS. That is where an experienced group of SMs will beat the boy led into them.

I'm with JoeBob on this one.

My son's Troop makes a trip out there every 2 or 3 years. The fare for the ferry isn't bad if you are only taking bikes. We were last there in June of 2014. We sent the gear as cargo, and had a couple of minivan taxis cart it to the camp for us while we rode our bikes. I wasn't in on any of the planning- other than my wife and I being the grubmasters for the adults, so I don't know who we paid for the use of the camp. I don't believe that they run a regular summer camp program, but don't quote me on that.

I am very happy to hear that the Judge in this case did the right thing. Now we just have to hope that the CC&I Council does the right thing as well. I was at Camp Richard for the first time just a few months after the Blizzard of 78 as a Scout, and then again in June of 2014 as an ASM with my son's Troop. It is a beautiful place to spend a few nights, and I hope that we return there soon.

I am an Audio/Visual Technician at a Federally Funded Research & Development Center (DoD Lab run by a big University).

Juvenile Bald Eagles do not have white heads.

Thanks for that- got that stuff updated. I was adding info to complete my profile, and it wouldn't let me add my company name- apparently if it isn't in their database, you can't enter it.

Bad Wolf- The only editable fields I see are to change my password and security questions. Ther is no other info there- no contact info to change at all. It is very odd. But again, par for the course... dfolson- All of my other training seems to be there, but IOLS is completely missing.

Anyone know how to update profile info on the new site? My profile has an old and obsolete email address as the primary. My training is also missing little things like IOLS... Typical of BSA IT, I suppose.

My Anker (without using the solar panel) kept my iPhone 6 charged for the entire week of Scout Camp, and still had volts and amps leftover. This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5T3QK4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage I haven't looked at the Jackery packs, so I don't know how they compare.

BadWolf- Yes, you are accurate, to a point. The ability of a small solar panel to generate the power needed to let the device know that it is being charged is not there (yet). However, having a battery pack connected to the solar panel to get this trickle charge while the sun is up does allow you to use your device(s) untethered during the day and charge them from the battery when the sun is not overhead (ideally, while you are sleeping). Of course, there are many limiting factors- the ability of the panel to turn sunlight into voltage, the ability of the battery to absorb a charge, and even the amount of sunlight available at any given moment, just to name a few. I am waiting for the next revolution in solar panels- lighter. more efficient and less expensive. Elon Musk is working on the next generation of batteries, and rightly so, since he has such a vested interest.