The "Beagle Freedom Project" - What A Bunch of Total Badasses (and the peeps who rescued the dogs aren't so bad either...)
In the heartwarming video below, a group of beagles rescued from a research laboratory in Spain experience sunlight for the first time. The 72 beagles arrived in Los Angeles last week, after they'd been saved by the Animal Rescue, Media & Education's (ARME) Beagle Freedom Project. On its web site, the Beagle Freedom Project describes itself as a "mission to rescue beagles used in animal experimentation in research laboratories and give them a chance at life in a loving forever home." Huffington Post writer Laura Hibbard spells out the intense deprivation the puppies have suffered: ARME's Beagle Freedom Project spokesman Gary Smith said the beagles, all between ages 4 and 7, had lived in cages their entire lives. "We've been told they lived one per cage in rooms of 10 beagles, but they never had any physical interaction with one another," Smith told the station. "They've been in kennels since they were rescued about a week ago, but aside from that, they've spent most of their lives locked up." (source)
It's good to remember that there are A LOT of good people out there doing good things.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. ~ Abraham Lincoln
(Thanks for the great quote, Don! And Abe, of course.)
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stupid thugs and the silence that allows them
A 15-year-old teenager was caught on video being severely beaten in his high school class room for being gay. The attack occurred at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, and was caught on camera as fellow class members watched one teen wait for the victim to enter the room, push him to the ground, and continually punch him in the face. The victim suffered broken teeth and a possible concussion. The perpetrator was suspended for just 3 days.
Union-Scioto has no policy in place that specifically protects students from being bullied or attacked based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Union-Scioto Local School District does have a policy that prohibits harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, among others, but it does not specifically protect against harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Tell the Union-Scioto School District to protect LGBT students by prohibiting harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to send a message that this beating was unconscionable by expelling the perpetrator!
Our schools and classrooms should ALWAYS be safe. ALWAYS. It should be considered hallowed ground.
As a society, we've allowed this ignorance, this violence, this savagery of decency and rape of civility to happen. We've become use to not just bullies in schools, but guns. Oh... Another school shooting... We shouldn't be used to it. It should be unacceptable. And when it occurs, we, as a community should be swift in our intolerance of such inane behavior. But, more than bandages for symptoms, we should be looking for the cause; the root of the evil.
Silence is compliance.
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Without YOU (If We Only Knew...)
How interconnected we all are. ALL OF US. And everything. There is no space between.
It might appear as though there is...
But, there just isn't. That's all illusion and delusion and thus, seclusion.
We're all in this together. So, we should start treating one another a little better...
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Poppin' A Wheelie
Tenacity over excuses. Passion over pretense. Love over lethargy. You are strong beyond measure... and though you may break, though you may falter, you may fall and flounder, you can never fail, for your heart remains invincible. Never quit. Get up. Get UP. GET UP!
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Look Again
Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.
~ Confucius
Okay. So, even though bish has one tooth and a twin that was originally growing on her chin, is she not FRICKING ADORABLE???
I love her.
And she is indeed, beautiful. Perfect, really. Just the way she is.
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Don't Forget To Look 'Em In The Eyes (That's Where Our Spirits Meet And Recognize One Another)
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Sunday Suggestion: Worship Each Other
And trust me, if we actually pay attention to one another, we'll shine brighter.
And everyone will be better off.
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If You Want To...
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Some Sunday Worship
The presence of absence.
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