RememberSchiff

Update: Blind Eagle Scout triplets wear Aira glasses allowing them to see through other's eyes. As Nick Cantos slid on a sleek pair of glasses, a voice spoke out to him through his iPhone. I see the George Mason statue, a woman voice said. It looks like a bronze statue, standing tall, with a scroll in his left hand. Nearby, Nicks brothers, Leo and Steven, were also busy putting on their glasses, making adjustments here and there. The three of them, aged 18, are triplets from Arlington, Virginia, who are completely blind. And the glasses they have on are no ordinary spectacles. They are glasses from Aira, a San Diego-based company that has developed smart glasses to help the blind and visually impaired with everyday tasks. The glasses are equipped with a camera, which feeds a video stream to a remote agent who then narrates what they see in real time over the phone for the user. The woman speaking to Nick was Erin Cater, one of Aira network of about 100 agents across the United States. From about 2,700 miles away in San Diego, she served as Nicks eyes, describing for him everything that came within the camera field of vision. It is like an audio description of life, Nick said. ... On a recent warm fall morning, Nick, Leo, and Steven took a tour of George Mason University with their father, Ollie Cantos, and the university assistant director of admissions, Lauren Wagner. The brothers, who were born blind, last month became the first blind triplets to make the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. For now, they got a taste of the college campus experience in all its sensory glory. They smelled the autumn leaves, heard the leaf blowers in the distance, felt the energizing bustle of students. And with the Aira glasses, they experienced a slice of daily life at a level of detail that they never had before. ... Suman Kanuganti was playing around with a pair of Google Glass in 2013 when an idea hit him: What if his friend Matt Brock, who had lost his vision several years before, could put these glasses on, stream video captured through its built-in camera, and use it to see with the help of a seeing person - himself? Kanuganti dove in, experimenting with the technology. He co-founded Aira in January 2015, began large-scale trials in mid-2016, and officially launched the service in April. Aira has hundreds of users, said Kanuganti, 37, who also serves as the company chief executive. The service works on a subscription model, with a basic plan costing $89 per month for 100 minutes with a trained agent. The agents, who are mostly contractors, work on an on-demand model like that of Uber, logging on to take user calls and being paid for the hours that they work. They have to learn how to think like eyes, not brains, said Kanuganti. The magic in all of this is in the simplicity of the solution, he added: A missing sensory input, sight, is replaced with someone else - the agent. They become one, Kanuganti said. He shared stories of how the glasses have helped a mother read bedtime stories to her child every night; a user who wanted to assemble Ikea furniture; and a woman who went grocery shopping. She literally cried when she picked out her own produce, he said. Chris Danielsen, the director of public relations for the National Federation of the Blind, which is an investor in Aira, said that the new glasses have the potential to enhance the lives of blind people and to increase their independence, but added that it is important to be realistic in our expectations of how the new technology will address challenges faced by the blind community. We are very cautious with saying that technology like this is going to transform peoples lives, said Danielsen. But what it does is it provides another layer of information to which we did not have easy access before.†more here http://www.houmatoday.com/zz/shareable/20171116/surprisingly-simple-technology-is-helping-these-blind-eagle-scouts-see-through-other-peoples-eyes

Welcome to scouter.com

If only there was a Guide to Safe Family Scouting....

Why we are always friendly to the new guy who immediately volunteers to plan our scouter.com Patrol Method Camporee ....

I like the idea of a usage/enforcement agreement between the town and camp. $10K for a survey? I would have settled for a $2K usage fee to the camp. I believe state law allows passage by foot to an inland waterway but not vehicle access over an owner's road. IMO this boat ramp has become a "thrifty" alternative to public boat ramps for a fee at nearby state parks.

@ welcome to scouter.com

With increased vandalism and public use almost to the point of squatting, should the common policy of allowing public access when the camp is not being used by scouts be reconsidered ? Three years ago, Nobscot Scout Reservation was vandalized causing an estimated $20K damage . A press release from Council stated, “The Knox Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America provides public access to hiking trails at the facility,†... “This is an outstanding community resource and should be treated with respect.“ The ownership of a lTreasure Valleys boat ramp is now disputed. After Council allowed "public access" for years, the local town believes it owns the ramp. The town is now funding a $10K land survey to clarify ownership.

Okay then. Let's get back on topic.

Okay then.

I issued the "Okay then" to move on, but you and only you ignored the warning. Your post was deleted.

IMHO, this is powerful commercial to attract volunteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm-ZMB3kzaw

Less bickering , thank you.

Okay then. I think we agree this membership decision was made before the polls were conducted which makes the polls, flawed or otherwise, irrelevant.

@@Nicademus welcome to scouter.com

Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders course organization and resources. https://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-336.pdf

True everywhere - schools, government, business. The question - are there enough qualified leaders to deliver on the Promise of Scouting. My unit, yes and please take the surplus away. Other units are less fortunate. P.S. Capping the number of leaders or the number of scouts is an idea that has not been considered. Difficult with other time commitments.

Another example of one person who made a difference - North Dakotan, Silver Buffalo awardee* Herman Stern who saved over 120 Jews from the Holocaust. There's a new 32 minute documentary "The Mission of Herman Stern," the website below has a trailer. https://www.themissionofhermanstern.org/ http://www.inforum.com/entertainment/movies/4358612-man-mission-how-herman-stern-saved-more-120-jews-holocaust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Stern *Herman Stern started Boy Scout Councils in Fargo, Valley City, Wahpeton, Grand Forks which later merged into the current Northern Lights Council. Boy Scout Camp Wilderness created an award named after Herman Stern, in recognition of his funding and creation efforts for the camp. The Herman Stern Honor Troop Award is given to troops at the end of each week of camp during the summer season. The award is given to Boy Scout troops for camp participation, and adherence to the twelve points of the Scout Law .

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brownies-volunteer-shortage-young-girls-thousands-leaders-activities-a8054591.html There are half a million Girl Guides and Brownies across the UK, but not enough volunteers Tens of thousands of girls and young women are unable to join the Brownies and Guides due to a chronic lack of volunteers. Around 70,000 young people are missing out on the chance to make friends, have adventures and improve skills such as confidence, because of a shortage of people willing to give their time, Girlguiding said. The charity has launched a new national campaign urging the public to sign up and join in, with the message that a woman’s place is “wherever she wants it to beâ€. Girlguiding already has around 100,000 volunteers across the UK, working with its half a million members, but more are needed, the charity said. Volunteering roles vary from helping out at a meeting once a month, to supporting weekend events or running sessions with different groups. It said that while record numbers were signing up to help out, many have a limited amount of time to give, at a time when more young people are joining the organisation. The plea for volunteers to help the Guides and Brownies follows a similar request from the Scout Association earlier this year. In April chief scout Bear Grylls urged more people to help the association, regardless of their ability to light a fire or erect a tent.

Okay we should all get back on topic. A local pack is planning a Parent & Daughter invitation to their Pine Wood Derby as a possible January recruitment.

Man up or call in sick and watch The View. Some of my scouts have lost more than their "self-esteem"? in service of our country.

Say I have a wall to sell you.

The BSA is not a democracy, so the powers that be are just that. Opinions of the members may be asked or not, considered or ignored, followed or forgotten. Your analogy is wrong, it should be Why would you trust anyone who has damaged his car three times not to damage his car a fourth time.

That's the name on the checks. Maybe larger schools here? With clubs and teams here, teachers follow their interests, e.g., the AP Physics teacher mentors the debating club.

Semantics. Sure the taxpayer pays. Here the school district decides if there is a band, chess club, outdoor club and "funds" accordingly, the taxpayer has no say. But look at that funding, is it less or more per person than what scout families are paying. It is lower. If the schools decided participants pay their own way, the costs would be upfront and still less. And unlike Scouts, activities would be within their financial means!!!! Anyway,look at what our competitors are doing.