The Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. The Girl Scout program developed from the concerns of the progressive movement in the United States from people who sought to promote the social welfare of young women and as a female counterpart to the Boy Scouts of America. It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and is based on the Scouting principles developed by Robert Baden-Powell. The GSUSA uses the Scout method to build self-esteem and to teach values such as honesty, fairness, courage, compassion, character, sisterhood, confidence, and citizenship through activities including camping, community service, learning first aid, and earning numerous badges that can teach lifelong skills. Girl Scouts are recognized for their achievements through rank advancement and various special awards. GSUSA has programs for girls with special interests, such as water-based activities. Membership is organized according to age levels with activities appropriate to each age group.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Scouts_of_the_USA

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1268: Conradin, the last Duke of Swabia, was beheaded in Naples after failing to reclaim Sicily for the House of Hohenstaufen from Charles of Anjou. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conradin)

1787: The opera Don Giovanni, based on the legendary fictional libertine Don Juan and composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered in the Estates Theatre in Prague. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni)

1923: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first President of the Republic of Turkey, a new nation founded from remnants of the Ottoman Empire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk)

1956: The Suez Crisis began with Israel invading the Sinai Peninsula and pushing Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis)

1998: After more than three decades, 77-year old John Glenn returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-95, to study the effects of space flight on the elderly. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn)

_____________________ Wiktionary's Word of the day:

moribund: Approaching death; about to die. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moribund)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

This is a terrific outburst. And since it doesn’t have a tail right now, some observers have confused it with a nova. We’ve had at least two reports of a new star. -- Brian G. Marsden (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_G._Marsden)