Photo credit: Cover Image Source: Members of the Boy Scouts participate in the annual Memorial Day Parade on May 31, 2021, in the Staten Island borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) – Array
Inclusion fosters opportunities for everyone to thrive. Embracing this principle, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has decided to rebrand as ‘Scouting America.’ This change “reflects the continuing efforts to welcome everyone to experience the benefits of Scouting.” With this announcement, they are opening their doors to LGBTQ+ individuals, girls, Black youth, and anyone eager to join.
Image Source: Boy Scouts of America present the colors during the national anthem before the Los Angeles Rams and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on October 31, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
For over a century, the Boy Scouts of America has trained young people to make ethical and moral decisions, guided by the Scout Oath and Law. In their iconic tan shirts, green shorts, and neckerchiefs, young scouts prepare for life’s challenges. The organization’s insignia embodies its rich tradition and moral values.
On May 7, 2024, the 114-year-old organization announced its name change at a meeting in Florida. The official transition to ‘Scouting America’ will occur on February 8, 2025, aligning with BSA’s 115th birthday. “The move to Scouting America showcases a commitment to represent the next chapter of Scouting,” stated the organization. The announcement has received mixed reactions from the public.
The Boy Scouts of America today announced that it will rebrand to Scouting America, reflecting the organization’s ongoing commitment to welcome every youth and family in America to experience the benefits of Scouting. Learn more:https://t.co/EiE1iasb2xpic.twitter.com/D11RkvCr45— Scouting America (@boyscouts) May 7, 2024
The name change is another step toward enhancing inclusivity within the organization. In recent years, BSA has made several efforts to include all students. In 2013, it began allowing gay youth to join scouting programs, according to the Associated Press.
BSA is composed of more than 1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and more than 628,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. Earlier, it was an all-boys organization, but in 2017, it started accepting girls in the Scouts’ core program. At present, more than 176,000 girls and young women are enrolled across all BSA programs, as per WFMJ. In the same year, it also announced transgender children would be allowed to join.
Image Source: Sign with logo for Boy Scouts of America in the Silicon Valley, Foster City, California, April 11, 2020. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
“Scouting America provides a welcoming, safe environment where youth can become the best version of themselves by learning from and respecting each other,” said Roger Krone, the President and Chief Executive Officer of BSA, in the recently released official statement, “I encourage everyone to join us and experience the benefits of Scouting.” He added, “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life.”
The name change also addresses challenges BSA has faced, including bankruptcy and sexual abuse allegations. Over 80,000 men reported being sexually abused as children while scouting, according to the Daily Mail. Additionally, the pandemic led to declining membership. The past few years have been tumultuous for BSA.
Image Source: Boy Scouts carry pictures of veterans during the Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A mom was relaxing poolside reading a book when her son spotted a massive tree falling toward her and yelled “Run mom!” and the video is absolutely wild.
Shocking footage taken in Alpharetta, Georgia shows a mother relaxing by a pool while her two sons play in the water. The peaceful scene quickly turned into a terrifying near-miss when one of the boys noticed something alarming overhead: a massive tree about to fall in their direction.
According to the video, the mother was lying poolside in a lounge chair, reading a book, while her sons splashed in the pool nearby. Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed through the yard.
“I was sitting at the pool relaxing and reading a book while watching my two sons swim, when I heard a tree cracking and then my son yelled ‘Run mom!’ so I bolted out of my chair right before a huge tree fell right on the chair I was sitting on,” the mother said, according to Viral Hog.
The tree crashed down with enormous force, splintering the chair and narrowly missing the spot where she had been seated just seconds before. Footage captured the dramatic moment, showing how a child’s quick thinking likely averted a tragedy.
A fallen tree against a destroyed roof after a storm. Photo credit: Canva
The source of the falling tree wasn’t immediately clear, but heavy spring rainfall in the region may have weakened its roots or trunk. Incidents involving falling trees are more common during storms or after long periods of moisture saturation, especially in areas with older or unmaintained trees.
An uprooted tree after a storm. Photo credit: Canva
The boy’s awareness and ability to respond so quickly stunned viewers of the video. Many praised him online for noticing the danger and warning his mom without hesitation—an instinct that proved life-saving.
The family has not released additional details, but the video has since gone viral, viewed thousands of times on social media platforms.
This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.
Commander Reid Wiseman’s photo, taken from Artemis II as it pushed away from Earth and races toward the Moon, reveals the majestic blue planet we all call home. NASA released the image shortly after liftoff, instantly turning it into one of the defining visuals of the mission so far.
It’s been more than 50 years since man last traveled to the moon on Apollo 17 in 1972. For younger generations, the Artemis II flyby and the eventual Artemis IV landing, might be the first time space exploration feels less like science and more like a shared human experience.
Artemis II has a simple yet extremely complicated mission to fly around the moon. Expected to take around 10 days, the crew of 4 will fly aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
After orbiting twice around the Earth to ensure everything is working properly, they will perform a propulsion move called the transluna injection burn. This will send the Orion 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the moon. During the rest of the journey, the crew will test emergency procedures, conduct some science experiments, evaluate the radiation shelter, and observe the Moon.
For the return leg home, the Orion spacecraft will rely on Earth’s gravity to pull them back. Orion is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10th. There, it will be picked up by the U.S. Navy.
NASA shared in their Mission Overview, “Through Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before and create an enduring presence in deep space, while simultaneously preparing to land the first astronaut – an American – on Mars.”
For many Americans, this is the first time humanity has ventured this far from Earth in their lifetime. The Artemis II mission feels less like a run-of-the-mill space mission and more like the return of a dream we had quietly abandoned.
A 2025 study in Frontiers showed that experiencing awe about space can make people feel more like “science people,” sparking their curiosity about learning more science in the future. During the total 2024 solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun, people remained in awe and felt inspired even 6 months later.
Nature Reviews Psychology shared a 2024 study that showed experiencing awe can make people feel smaller in a good way. Individuals become less focused on themselves and more connected to the world. Awe has a positive influence upon thinking, motivation, social interactions, and well-being.
This most recent mission by NASA proves that humanity can still commit to projects bigger than the daily news cycle. Some achievements are worth pursuing not for immediate gratification, but because they expand the young minds that will shape our future.
Image from Artemis II window looking back to Earth. Image Credit: NASA
People are inspired to talk about Artemis II
A Reddit post, First photo taken from Artemis commander Reid Wiseman had people excitedly sharing on the momentous achievement. Several people seemed inspired, others tried to be funny, and many seemed appreciative of the experience itself. These are a small collection of thoughts from the comments:
“In outer space you develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it.’
“You think any astronaut at one point did the finger pinchy thing where they’re crushing the planet?”
“Unlike watching from near-Earth orbit, this image has not been seen by human eyes in over fifty years. Mankind is able to do great things, when we all work together!”
“Lot of water/earth in front of me on that photo”
“That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.”
“HELLO WORLD !!!”
“Flat-earthers gonna be upset. Lol”
“That beautiful silver line of the atmosphere the shines across the border of the globe is so surreal. Literally looks like a magic border in fantasy novels…”
From right to left, NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Image Credit: NASA
10 days to bring our astronauts home
NASA’s 4 astronauts are only beginning the long journey that carries hope, wonder, and promise of future space discoveries. Mission specialist Christina Koch, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and fellow astronaut Jermey Hansen are already gathering information that can lead to eventual Moon landings and even a trip to Mars.
Weisman’s photo so beautifully captures the fragile yet powerful planet we live on. It’s a spectacular image that highlights so much of a planet most of us will see far too little of in our lifetimes. Mission specialist Koch expressed the effect of witnessing Earth from space, saying,
“… you see the Earth as it exists with the whole universe in the background. You see the thin blue line of the atmosphere, and then when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see this very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is. What you realize is every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike than we are different.”
When Jourdyn Koziak got a phone call saying her lost dog had been found, she thought it was a sick joke. After all, her pit bull, Forty-Cal, had gone missing 11 years earlier, back when she lived in Philadelphia. Since then, she had gotten married, had another child, and moved to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Yet when she took a chance and drove to the Philly shelter, there he was.
“I am overwhelmed. I am shocked. I am in disbelief,” Koziak told Fox 29 News. “I had tunnel vision of him walking down that hallway.”
How the lost pit bull was found
Back in 2015, Forty-Cal and another of Koziak’s dogs went missing from their backyard, presumably stolen. While the other dog was found, Forty-Cal never returned home. Despite this, Koziak never stopped putting up missing signs and kept Forty-Cal’s microchip information up to date.
“I never gave up hope because, obviously, I’m relentless,” Koziak told CBC Radio.
Apparently, Forty-Cal walked up to a little girl in Philadelphia and befriended her. The girl and her parents took him home, fed him hot dogs, and called Animal Control. The shelter then used the information from Forty-Cal’s microchip to contact Koziak and reunite them after more than a decade.
The shelter warned Koziak and her family that Forty-Cal might be overwhelmed and that it could take time for him to recognize them. However, it took only moments for Forty-Cal to realize he was back home.
“We put our hands out, he sniffed us, and then proceeded to pull us towards the door, like, ‘Let’s go,’” said Koziak.
While what happened to Forty-Cal over the past eleven years remains a mystery, Koziak is just grateful that he appears to have been cared for. When Forty-Cal was found, he was clean and well-fed. He was also friendly enough to approach the young girl who found him.
“He acts like he’s a puppy again,” she said. “He wants to go for a walk. He’s wagging his tail…I had other animals in the house, as well, that were family pets, but Forty was my dog. I paid for him with my own money at 16 years old.”
Now that he’s back home, both Forty-Cal and Koziak are making up for lost time.
“I’m over the moon,” she said. “It’s like Christmas morning every day.”
Tips to prevent lost dogs
This reunion wouldn’t have been possible if Koziak hadn’t had Forty-Cal microchipped and kept the information up to date. It’s important to have your dog microchipped and registered for this reason, among others.
There are other ways to help prevent a dog from becoming lost, as well as simple ways to find them should the worst happen. When outdoors, keep your dog leashed and within your line of sight at all times. Make sure your pup is also well trained and responsive to your commands.
Along with microchipping your dog and keeping their tags up to date, there are additional collar options to consider. A bright, vibrant collar can help your dog stand out in the dark and among trees and bushes. A Martingale collar is also recommended, as it stays secure on a dog’s neck without choking them. Lastly, there are collars with built-in GPS systems, as well as devices like the Apple AirTag, which you can attach to a collar to track and pinpoint your dog’s location.
This story is a reminder that sometimes a reunion between a lost pet and its owner takes determination, community, and patience.
