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Scouts travel the world, battle snowstorms and drink bad coffee in their pursuit of future NHL stars, and they are the lifeblood of every organization. They deserve some love. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can data predict greatness? Unmasking the challenges of finding the next NFL QB [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three, 2-day hands-on experiential learning workshops were presented in three southeastern United States cities in June 2014, by the Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management (SNIPM) working group. Attendees were provided 4 hours of instruction including hands-on demonstrations in horticultural management, arthropods, plant diseases, and weeds. Participants completed initial surveys for gains in knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as their intentions to adopt various integrated pest management (IPM) practices after the workshop. After 3 years, participants were again surveyed to determine practice adoption. Respondents changed their IPM practice behavior because of attending the workshops. Those returning the survey set aside more time to scout deliberately for pests, plant diseases, and weeds; used a standardized sampling plan when scouting; and adopted more sanitation practices to prevent plant disease. Fewer horticultural management practices were adopted than respondents originally intended. Future emphasis should be placed on using monitoring techniques to estimate pest emergence, for example, traps and pheromone lures, as well as plant phenology and record keeping. However, more work is needed to highlight both the immediate and long-term economic benefits of IPM practice adoption in southeastern U.S. nursery production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aesthetic and economic characteristics of different turfgrass fertility and pesticide programs were compared in an effort to provide a framework for lawn care professionals to evaluate, market, and implement alternative management strategies. Programs included a consumer program (CP), an integrated pest management program (IPMP), a natural organic program (NOP), and a no-input program (NIP). All programs significantly improved visual appearance compared with the NIP, and although the IPMP and CP consistently had the highest ratings, the NOP produced lawns of similar quality on the majority of rating dates. The NOP also resulted in canopy greenness levels similar to or significantly greater than those provided by the IPMP and CP on most dates. Aside from the NIP, the lowest total maintenance costs were associated with the IPMP during both study years. Although the NOP was the most expensive program when white grub (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) populations exceeded treatment thresholds, it was less expensive than the CP when white grubs were below thresholds. Incorporation of scouting into different fertility and pesticide programs resulted in short-term economic benefits without significantly compromising turfgrass aesthetic quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sept. 2, 1912: Arthur Eldred becomes the first-ever Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The former Texas governor cited his time in the Boy Scouts as a qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]