Interesting Boy Scouts of America Facts

Scouting - Photo: Pixabay

Are you the parent of a young male child who would like to join the Boy Scouts?  Or, is your child already a member of a local Boy Scouts Den who is looking for more information on the organization that they are a part of?  If so, you may find some of the following Boy Scouts facts interesting and well worth the read.

The Boy Scouts of America welcomes participation from all boys, typically between the ages of seven and twenty.  This is done through different membership levels, such as Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing.  In addition to welcoming school aged boys of all ages, the Boy Scouts of America also welcomes those with disabilities, including mental and physical disabilities.  While the goal is to treat all boy the same, some Den Leaders may make special accommodations or adjustments for those with disabilities.

While a large number of Boy Scouts do so through local groups and councils, not everyone is provided with the same luxury. There are a number of boys who wish to join this well-known organization, but can’t.  Whether that reason is for transportation issues, weather, or isolation, the Boy Scouts of America has a plan. That plan is referred to is known as the Lone Scout Plan.  Loan Scouts will be updated on nearby activities, which they may wish to join in on. They will also be provided with, through mailings, a list of at-home activities that are ideal for Lone Scouting. 

Boys’ Life is a magazine that is commonly referred to as the main publication for the Boy Scouts of America. The Boys’ Life Magazine comes in three different versions, ideal for Boy Scouts of different age groups.  If your child would like to learn more about the Boy Scouts, as well as fun activities that they can do on their own time, you may want to get your child a subscription to Boys’ Life.  All Boy Scout members receive a discounted subscription price.

Robert S. Baden-Powell, Ernest Thompson Seton, Daniel Carter Beard, William D. Boyce, and James E. West all had a hand in founding and organizing the Boy Scouts of America.  This is according to the official website for the Boy Scouts of America, which can be found with a standard internet search. In 1914, Robert S. Baden-Powell developed the Cub Scouting program, which is designed for younger boys. Today this division is one of the most popular and active ones!

Merit badges have become a staple of the Boy Scouts.  In fact, merit badges are one of the first things noticed on a Boy Scout uniform.  Merit badges are awarded to all levels of Boy Scouts, including those in Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting.  There are over one hundred and twenty merit badges that can be earned by Boy Scouts overtime.  These merit badges often require the completion of specific activities, such as camping, home repairs, or nature.

The above-mentioned facts are just a few of the many that you may find interesting, concerning the Boy Scouts of America.  In fact, there are so many interesting facts that you could examine that it could take you hours on end to do the research. With that in mind, if you do have a few hours, you and your child may want to visit the online website for the Boy Scouts of America.  Your child may enjoy learning more about the organization that they know and love.

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How to defeat terrorism

Photo: Pixabay

Stopping terrorism is not like gambling, in poker, there are different variables that can affect the outcome but it fighting terror the only way to win is to fight to the end.

Many people think that the terrorist feels they have been wronged by something or someone and that giving them something will end the fight be it land or money, but history has repeatedly shown us that by appeasing the terrorists we are only giving them what they want and prolonging the fight. They will continue to take everything they are given but they never stop wanting more.

An example of this is clear in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Israel allows the PLO to return to the west bank and Gaza and form the Palestinian Authority, Israel supplied weapons and the Americans provided training to the Palestinians so they could start an army to fight crime and terrorism.

Israel was repaid by the terrorists by suicide bombings in malls, restaurants, clubs, and busses. 

More recently Israel pulled all Jews from Gaza and gave all the land to the Palestinians. The Israelis left behind infrastructure and greenhouses, which could have been used for businesses by the Palestinians. The moment the last troops were out of Gaza the terrorists destroyed what the Israelis left behind and again repaid them with rockets on Sderot and Ashkelon, two Jewish cities bordering Gaza.

Many of you are thinking that these problems were brought on by the Israelis stealing Palestinians land, but what was it that the United States did that angered Al Qaeda?

Many will say it is because America has troops in Saudi Arabia where the two holiest locations to the Muslim people are, these people are wrong. This fight is not about the terrorists wanting America out of the Middle East. 

This was is about the pride of one individual. Osama Bin Laden, and that’s all it is about. 

In 1991 when Saddam Hussein Invaded Kuwait, Saudi Arabia was worried and was looking to get help to protect its oil fields. Osama Bin Laden offered his assistance to help protect his homeland with the help of his Mujahadim, who had helped protect Afghanistan from the Russians in the 80's.

But rather than gamble on Bin Laden's holey warriors, the Saudis asked for help from the United States, and this wounded Bin Laden's pride. Now Bin Laden is on a quest to show the world that he is the true protector of Islam, do not be fooled this is a war of religion.

The only thing that has ever worked is not to try to negotiate with these people but to fight them with force. You will find that with any military action against terrorists once you start to make some headway they will start to yell about a Hudna or temporary cease-fire.

When you are in a poker tournament in Casinos Online or land-based and your opponent is almost out of chips, do you back off and let your enemy regroup or go all in and force him out.

The Only way to defeat terrorism is to fight terrorism whenever and wherever it shows its head and to never let up on those who would use terror to forward their goals.

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Enjoying Paris Travel

Paris - Photo: Pixabay

Taking tours to Paris can be very educational and enjoyable as well. When taking a tour they are already planned out for you and sometimes you will have a guide to tell you about each stop you make along the way.

One of the most important stops you may have on a tour is the La Louvre. Take a walk around the outside and you will see as much as you would when going inside. Notice the fountain standing at the front entrance with the walkway going around it. Inside the La Louvre, you will be able to see the one and only La Pyramid. Check out the shape. At night when it is, all lit up you will see the beauty you will never forget. Looking out of the Louvre you can see the Buran Statues in the Paris Royal. 

Go inside the Pyramid and you will see the winding staircase going straight to the top.  Get a haircut while inside at one of the many salons.

Visit the Palais Royal and see most beautiful fountain Le Jardin des Tuileries. The Place de la Concorde is in the same area. Visit them at night and see the beautiful lighthouses and fountains all around them. Another great place to go is the Les Champs-Elysees at night where an archway stands with trees lining both sides of the street to the entrance; ride a train or drive through the arch.

Want to see the famous Montmartre Cabaret of Moulin Rouge. It is a huge building with the great windmill sitting on the rood.

You can also visit Paris from the sky by flying over the Seine River. See the fantastic view over the rooftops. Take a boat ride down the River and see the Passer Elle des Arts known as the Lover’s meeting place. The view down the River is out of this world with everything lit up drawing everyone’s attention. The Eiffel tower is located on the Seine River as well and when passing you can enjoy the many fountains all around it. 

When taking your tour down the river noticed the water level, it is 30 feet below the street.  The river is lined with walls of stone with ivy growing through in places; the walls have iron rings hanging on the walls to represent the past ages.  On each side of the river, it has many trees and shrubs and up on the street more trees looking over the river.  There are 32 bridges crossing the Seine River with old buildings and riverboats between them.  Look at the water while taking your tour down the river and notice the beautiful colors coming from the buildings and trees with some gardens here and there.

Paris is the capital of France and is over 2,000 years old sitting on an island off the Seine River. The island is 233 miles from the English Channel.

Have you ever wanted to see the L’Hotel de Cluny in the Notre Dame area? The hotel was built to house the monks when coming from Cluny to visit the capital. The L’Hotel de Cluny was turned into a museum in 1844 representing Medieval France.  

Stand outside and look at the beautiful cross-windows in the front and the others are all done in Gothic style. Inside the hotel, you will see many tapestries done in the 15th and 16 century

Visit the great Chapel while on your tour of the Seine River. Inside the Chapel, you will see more tapestries of the Lady and the unicorn of the 16th century, which will inspire you to learn more about Paris.

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All About GERMAN BEER

This is a beer stein from a gift shop in Meersburg.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Throughout Germany, beer is very popular with the culture. Germany contains well over 1,000 breweries, which is more than any other location in the world. All beer that is manufactured in Germany must follow the purity law, which lets manufacturers know what ingredients can and can’t be used. Basically, the only ingredients allowed to make beer in Germany are water, hops, and barley malt. 

Due to the strict purity requirements, you can easily notice German beers by their overall level of quality. They have a distinct taste, with little to no aftertaste. Some styles of German ale include Koelsch, Weizen, and Altbier. Some types of German lagers include Bock, Pilsener, Dunkel, Helles, and Maerzen. Keep in mind that the taste, aroma, and color can vary, although all can be identified as being true German beers.

The German beer Altbier is a very common dark ale, that is top fermented in the lower regions of Germany. The beer proposes a yellow color, with a taste that is rich in hops. Another ale, Rauchbier, is known to have a smoky flavor with a smoked color. These beers taste great and happen to be very popular throughout the regions of Germany.

German lagers are also very popular and happen to be popular in other areas of the world as well. Pilsener is one of the most popular and most familiar of all German beers, providing you with more hops and less malt. Pilsener can be found for sale all over the world and happens to be very popular throughout North America as well. Several bars serve it as well, as it happens to be one of the most popular dark lagers out there.

Throughout Germany, there are several different companies, produce over 4,000 different brands of beers. Some of the more well known and larger companies of north Germany are Beck, St. Pauli, Warsteiner, and Krombach. In the southern region of Germany, there are more breweries, although most of them are smaller, as they are locally owned and operated. Southern Germany also contains the Benedictine Abbey, which is one of the oldest breweries in the world. This brewery started producing beer in 1040 - very impressive indeed!

Germany is also home to Oktoberfest, which is held every year in Munich. Oktoberfest starts in late September and carries on for two weeks, ending in early October. During Oktoberfest, beer drinkers from all over the world will travel to Germany and celebrate German beers. Each and every year, over 5 million people attend the event, making it one of the biggest beer celebrations in the world.

During Oktoberfest, local breweries in Munich are the only breweries allowed to serve beer in the bigger tents. There are six breweries in total, producing a variety of different beers. By attending this yearly event, you can learn more about German beer, sample the different varieties, and enjoy the rich bold flavors that make German beer so very popular.

Due to the success, Oktoberfest gets each and every year, other cities around the world try and mimic this event. Even though they have success, their level of success isn’t near as much as the original Oktoberfest - Germany. German beers are very popular around the world, with Oktoberfest helping to prove that very claim. If you drink beer but have never experienced what beers from Germany have to offer, you really should give them a try. Once you do, you’ll quickly realize why German beers are so very popular - and why the taste simply can’t be duplicated with any other beer.

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Cell Phone Stun Guns

Taser Cell Phone - Photo: Wikimedia

The Pretender is a 950,000-volt cell phone looking stun gun. It looks just like a camera cell phone but offers discreet protection to the person carrying it.

You have an edge over your attacker because of its simple appearance. And also, the power punching stun gun has a small 12 LED flashlight for added safety.

With 950,000 volts, a cell phone stun gun is one of the highest voltage guns on the market. It is also the most realistic looking cell phone stun gun available, giving you an edge over your attacker if you need to defend yourself with it.

In fact, just test firing this powerful cell phone stun gun may be enough to ward off any would-be attackers. A bright electric current crackles across the top of the cell phone stun gun and it creates an intimidating electrical sound that would scare off anyone with any sort of sense. If the sights and sounds don’t scare them away, then the jolt of 950,000 volts definitely will.

In place are safety measures that prevent an accidental discharge. The safety switch must be in the on position which causes the LED warning light to come on and then the trigger button needs to be pressed before the stun gun cell phone will work.

This stun gun works on 3 CR2 lithium batteries. But remember when purchasing this, it does not work as a cell phone, only as a stun gun. And this particular one will set you back about seventy dollars.

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The American Cowboy

Cowboy - Photo: Wikimedia

Americans have a unique vision of themselves and their role in the world.  Unlike perhaps any other peoples in history, Americans see themselves as people of destiny and a people who were put here to do something phenomenal and something significant for history and for all peoples of the earth.  This unique self-concept, sometimes perceived as arrogance, is deeply grounded in a set of archetypes that Americans use to form their vision of themselves in the world.  And no other archetype is as powerful in the American psyche than that of the cowboy.

The actual American cowboy was indeed a unique individual.  While probably not as noble and ruggedly handsome as the images created of him in the movies, they were unique types of men who carved out a civilization from the rugged wilderness that was the American West in the years before the turn of the last century.

Some of the reasons that the image of the cowboy sometimes includes elements of the outlaw and the loner is that much of the legend of the cowboy came from stories of refugees from the broken southern army who took to the life of the cowboy rather than attempt to integrate into a society that included making peace with “the Yankee”.  And that type of individual certainly did account for many of the outlaws who went on to become the stuff of legend and stories even to this day.

The renegade and loner image combined with the rough life of an actual cowboy whose job it was to guide those huge herds of cattle along trails such as the historic Cumberland trail where they could be sold to become the steaks, leather and other goods that were sold in rustic American stores of the time.  This was a difficult life and the stories of the trail make up many history books for sure.  But far more of the stories of the trail are glorifications of that lifestyle that must have been difficult indeed.

But the image of the cowboy was also something that grew larger than what the actual lifestyle of those simple but rugged men must have lived in the American West.  It was an image that pulled together heroes as far-flung as the Australian Gaucho cowboy, the Japanese Samurai and a knight in King Arthur’s court.  It was an image of a man who demonstrated the rugged individualism that all Americans consider to be one of the central unifying traits that make America great. 

The cowboy image is one that even has its influence as high in the social strata of America that it influences the presidency.  It is said that there is a tradition for any president when he first is elected and comes to Washington to begin learning this big new job.  Tradition holds that each president has as part of their early duties to sit down and watch the movie High Noon.  They say that President Clinton watched it dozens of times in his early years.  If this is true, it accounts for how often a new president seems to grow and change in the office and becomes his own version of the great American hero that is depicted in that movie.  The American cowboy defends the virtue of the weak and helpless.  He is a staunch defender of families and those in society who are trying to carve out a home in a difficult world.  As such, the American cowboy fits with the “superhero” image that also appeals to the American system of justice and morality and values.

Even the star wars epic films were fundamentally grounded in the legend of the cowboy.  The cowboy concept grew up from a history of our country that included the settling of a big land and the settling of a wilderness that pit the god given will and intellect of man against God’s creation.  And it was the will of man that prevailed.  That is why American’s admire the cowboy because he represents their own struggles for greatness, for success and to be a heroic figure at least for their families, hometowns and churches.  And that desire so deeply rooted in the culture of American history will always be what makes America and Americans great.

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Introduction To Radio Controlled Helicopters

Helicopter - Photo: Pixabay

Nobody is truly complete unless they have a hobby they are passionate about. Having a hobby will give you something to spend your time on, and something to enjoy when you have free time. If you are trying to find what hobby you can stick with, you should think about experimenting with radio controlled hobbies. You can build models of almost any vehicle, from boats to cars to planes to helicopters. Many hobbyists will get their start with helicopters. Helicopters are very complicated, but using the right kits you can get started without a problem. Once you fly your helicopter, you will feel that the entire experience was very rewarding. Flying the helicopter is a blast.

The most important part of flying a model helicopter is to be proficient in controlling it. You should understand exactly how to fly the helicopter, otherwise, you run the risk of crashing it and ruining your entire investment, which is never good. Borrow a flight manual from someone who you know has a radio-controlled helicopter. Take that chance to read through it and find out about all of the different terms, and the many knobs and levers that are required to maneuver the craft through the air. After you have read through it, take someone’s helicopter out for a test flight to see if you have what it takes to control one of your own. If you crash it, be prepared to pay up!

After you have decided that you will be able to handle a helicopter and that you even want a helicopter, you can start looking for your own kit. You can buy radio controlled helicopters that come completely assembled and ready to fly right out of the box. However, there is not much fun in this, and they will probably only allow for a few hours of entertainment. The real fun comes when you buy a model that has to be constructed from hundreds of small plastic pieces. It may be frustrating while you are in the middle of the process, but at the end when you have a great looking helicopter that flies smoothly, you will be glad you spent the time.

Your helicopter building experience doesn’t have to be limited to the simple kits. There are many different options for extremely advanced helicopters that have different shapes and features. You can find these in specialty shops all over the internet, and even in some brick-and-mortar locations. You shouldn’t buy a helicopter just because it looks interesting. Do research before you commit to building a particular one so that you can find out what all it has to offer. You can find reviews and customer experiences all over the internet, on many different commerce sites. Find out about how well it flies, how easy it is to maneuver, the ease of assembly, and anything else that may matter.

So once you get everything built, what are you going to do with your radio controlled helicopter? It seems pretty boring to just take it out for a flight every weekend. If you’re really passionate about it, you should look for ways that you can interact with others who are equally interested. This can be in the form of clubs where you just go flying every month or two, or large conventions with hundreds of remote control enthusiasts crowded in, talking and exchanging ideas. Getting involved like this will give you a chance not only to have an outlet for your passion but also to find out more about it and become better at building and flying helicopters.

If the thought of flying a toy helicopter seems at all exciting to you, then look into getting a kit today. It is a great feeling to discover a new hobby that you are good at and enthusiastic about, so don’t hold yourself back if you think it could be a positive addition to your life.

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