(Photo: George McNish/NJ Advance Media)

Julio Balde of Newark, New Jersey first got involved in scouting 80 years ago. He fell in love with it and, a few years later, in 1942, founded Troop 102. Since then, he's taught hundreds of boys in several generations to grow up into the virtuous manhood that the Boy Scouts teach. New Jersey On-Line reports:

In the troop's heyday, there easily were 40 to 50 Boy Scouts. Troop 102 even had a drum and bugle corps and a color guard.  There were 43 Eagle Scouts among its ranks, and eight of them earned scouting's highest honor in one year.

Now at 95, Balde is ready to retire and disband the troop. There are 6 Scouts in his troop and 4 of them are graduating from high school this year. And even if they weren't leaving, he finds that he can't keep up with the physical demands of leading the troop anymore. Now he's shutting down his office in a local Catholic church. His Scouts are stopping by to express their appreciation for everything Balde taught them:

Just as Balde finished talking about all the scout items, Bryan Llerena, 14, walked in from the other room where the celebration was taking place.

He's a former member of the troop and he came to say goodbye.

"Thank you for everything,'' Llerena said, shaking Balde's hand.

-via AP

(Photo: Scott Davidson)

A man in Naples, Florida suddenly found himself in peril. He had consumed vodka but, sadly, an insufficient amount in order to accomplish his biochemical objectives. His girlfriend refused to buy more. So he called 911 to report the situation to emergency services dispatchers.

By the time that sheriff's deputies arrived, the alcohol deprivation victim realized that he may have made a mistake. He told the deputies that it was a prank. The Palm Beach Post does not report on whether the officers laughed in response, but it does say that they arrested the man for misusing 911.

-via Charles C.W. Cooke

Crossword puzzles can be quite challenging, and getting stuck on a word without an answer key can make the rest of the puzzle really damn hard to finish.

Heed this illustrated warning by Pain Train Comic, fellow word puzzlers, and be careful who you ask for help with your crosswords or you may have "a four letter word for the Devil's domain" to pay!

-Via Geeks Are Sexy

Game of Thrones is hardly a children's show, but that doesn't mean it can't inspire adorable creations. In fact, artist Kaleb Leigh did a magnificent job translating the house sigils from the story into Pokemon, complete with their evolutionary processes.

They look cute, but I sure wouldn't let my kids collect them all or even watch the resulting battles. 

Via Nerd Approved

I Choose Blue by Taylor Rose

Many families have a yearly tradition of going to the county fair, and even though they tend to see the same things year in and year out it's a tradition that few familes are willing to give up.

In fact, every member of the family loves going to the fair, and they always manage to have fun in that old familiar place so long as they get to do what they've been looking forward to for the last year.

If you're heading out to the fair this summer you'll want to look good, and there's no better place than the NeatoShop to buy a shirt guaranteed to get you lots of love!

When you wear a geeky t-shirt to the fair people are sure to check you out

I'd Pug Me by Hillary White

And it's up to you whether you keep your geeky style tasteful

Melts In Your Mouth by Vincent Trinidad

Or declare your allegiance to the delicious dark side

Meat Skull by Andrei Verner

Everyone knows that lions and tigers and bears (oh my) are cute but dangerous, but there are a lot of critters out there that seem entirely harmless but are actually every bit as deadly as those previously mentioned beasts.

1. Squirrels

Squirrels are adorable little fuzzballs that just want to eat nuts and play all day right? Well, for the most part, yes. But there have been stories of rogue squirrels attacking people and pets. In Florida, a three year old boy was attacked by a squirrel and he had to be hospitalized after receiving nine bites. In California, an elderly couple was sent to the hospital after being scratched and bitten by a crazed squirrel that had previously attacked at least six other people. While no humans have been killed by squirrels (that we know of) but in Russia, eight of them worked together to kill a stray dog that was barking at them -according to the newspaper report, "they are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh." If that doesn't leave you with a whole new image of the fluffy-tailed rodents, I don't know what will.

Sources: Wesh, Daily Mail, BBC

Image Via Nathan Rupert [Fllickr]

2. Giant Anteaters

You probably wouldn't be intimidated just looking at one, but giant anteaters can defend themselves surprisingly well. The large mammals have powerful , sharp claws that they use to dig up termite hills. These claws can kill humans. When they feel threatened, the animals stand on their hind legs and extend their arms in what looks like a hug -but you do not want to take them up on a cuddle.

Source: Live Science

Image Via Allan Hopkins [Flickr]

3. Swans

Back in the simpler days of “science” people often believed maladies were inflicted upon their bodies by witches, who used evil spells to terrorize the good Christian folk on behalf of Satan.

Belief in witchcraft was extremely common in the 16th century, and yet the Scientific Revolution was making people seek more concrete explanations for their afflictions.

German physician Georg Bartisch attempted to provide these answers with his illustrations, and he spent his whole life studying eye diseases and their cures and became a pioneer in the field of ophthalmology. 

Georg also believed witchcraft was often the cause of eye disease, and thought horoscopes and astrological charts were an important part of diagnosing and curing these diseases.

See Jeepers Creepers: Surreal Illustrations Of Witchcraft-Caused Eye Diseases From The 16th Century here

The world can be a wondrous and terrifying place for toddlers, as they start to explore on two shaky legs and learn to approach that great big world full of adults with caution.

But there's one lesson many little tots don't learn until it's too late- don't come running every time your mommy calls.

Little Jack learned this lesson the hard way, and during the filming of this video he also learned to watch out for grandpa's gruff side.

(YouTube Link)

I hope Jack grows up to be a prankster and gets his grandpa back good!

-Via Mashable

There are lots of different games based on the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, games that allow players to participate in classic battles from the books, such as the Battle of Five Armies from The Hobbit.

But there's nothing like the smell of nerdiness in the air as you and your costumed compatriots battle it out in live action, and LARPers in the Czech Republic don't mess around when it comes to re-enactments.

They staged an epic Battle Of Five Armies in a forest near the town of Doksy, Czech Republic, but this wasn't your average duct tape and cardboard LARPing crowd- these guys came to fight hard in detailed costumes and full makeup.

Photographer David W. Cerny was on the scene when the most epic battle in LARP history took place, and a good time was had by the several hundred who took part in the event, although it proved to be a bit too much fun for some.

See more from The Hobbit's "Battle Of Five Armies" Re-Enacted In Czech Republic here

You probably know that Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp are actors who also perform in bands, but did you know Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis, Leonard Nimoy, Scarlett Johansson, Mr. T andd Seth MacFarlane all have their own records? It's a little surprising how many celebrities have recorded albums and I imagine most of the records aren't exactly great either. 

If you're on the internet, chances are you see cat pictures every day. If you're one of the people who shares pictures of cats every day, you might want to find your way to CatConLA on June 25 and 26.

(Video Link)

This glorious celebration of all things cat features such major feline stars as Lil' Bub, Nala Cat and Pudge, as well as human-turned-cat star Julie Newmar, who played Cat Woman in the old Batman TV series. There will also be cat makeovers, manicures, a feline-inspired fashion show and a room escape game played from the point of view of a cat in a cardboard box. There's even a cat film festival in the evenings. And if you have space in your home for a new kitty friend, there will also be an adoption center on site.

If you can't make it, don't feel too bad because I'll be covering the event, taking lots of pictures to share with all of you Neatorama readers when I get back.

Via LAist

Looking for something to do this summer? Tired of all the same old rehashed celebrations you do every year? Then you won't want to miss this great new Thrillist article with some of the strangest festivals you've ever heard of. From the Testicle Festival to the National Hobo Convention, there's a whole lot to do in these great United States for anyone open to something a little bit different. And who knows, you might meet someone cool, like my mom who attends the yearly Mooning of the Amtrack in Laguna Niguel, CA.

(Video Link)

If you're familiar with even the most basic Japanese dessert, you're probably familiar with mochi, the sticky, sweet cakes made from rice flour. What you probably don't know is that the most traditional way to make mochi is also horrendously dangerous -one person whacks the paste with a mallet while another person folds and mixes it with their hands. It's easy to see what could go wrong here, but that's precisely what makes it so fascinating to see the fastest mochi maker in the world smash and fold in record time. Watching him makes me want to flinch and my hands are nowhere near a giant wooden mallet.

Via Eater 

Prom is considered a right of passage for many human teenagers, but what about our obedience school students? Don't they deserve a night of fun frolicing in formal wear?

The Washington Washington Humane Society-Washington Area Rescue League thought so, which is why they've arranged a yearly Bark Ball for furry, formal-dressed youngsters. The black tie event celebrated its 29th year this Sunday at The Washington Hilton.

As is typical with these events, the female's stunning dresses and accessories really stole the show, but in this case, the apparel of the humans was largely overlooked in favor of the fashionable pups -except in rare cases where the human managed to wear a dress that matched their date.

Via Gothamist

Coders get a swollen head when they start using their coding skills to save corrupt files from the brink of digital destruction, but some corrupt files should simply be left to Rest In Pixels.

For as this comic from CommitStrip shows us- if a file can be rebuilt from scratch in a tenth of the time needed to recode it back to life then there's no need to call in the coders.

Of course, all of this could have been avoided if the artist simply used a staggered save system... Save often people!

-Via Geeks Are Sexy