Published on Jan 30, 2013
A song I wrote when I visited the site after 9/11; always thought a little heavy, but it is time to get it out there. All photos taken from the web, if there is any infringement, please contact me, I will include credits. Included on my CD “Renegade of the Light Brigade” during the remix and urging of the late, great Steve Burgh.
My mom found Scamper during the summer of 2007 when he was only a few weeks old. He and his siblings were hanging around a bush by the side of a road. He was the only gray kitten in the litter, and he was also the only one who begged for my mom’s attention. So she brought him to our house that we were actually in the process of moving out of at that point. He immediately made himself at home, exploring, sleeping, and getting to know all of us. He was such a cute, scrawny little kitten, and he definitely knew how to play. He also knew how to make himself comfortable. One of the first things I noticed about him was that he liked to stretch out and even lay on his back while he slept, which I had never seen a cat do before. He was obviously very comfortable in his new home and we liked him a lot, so we decided to keep him. Despite our already having a very dominating, territorial female cat who had scared off all other cats who entered her domain, Scamper decided to stay. He didn’t get scared off. Not ever. We brought him with us to our new duplex that we moved into, and we’ve had him ever since. Of our two cats, he is definitely the house cat. The other one stays outside for the most part. Scamper prefers to sleep most of the time, either on my bed, my MOM’S bed, or the couch. But he also loves to play still. He also loves attention, as is evident by his frequent meowing at me to get it. He is definitely not scrawny anymore, he has a pretty good belly on him. But he’s definitely not fat. He’s just a healthy house cat. Scamper and I have become very good friends since the day my mom brought him to our old duplex. In my humble opinion, he is the greatest cat who ever lived. And he is definitely the greatest furry friend I have ever had 
Bo was the neighbors cat. He was named Bo since he walks bow legged. He wasn’t being taken care of. He was skinny and sometimes he would have injuries. At Thanksgiving in 2008, he came to my house limping. He couldn’t step on his front foot. I took him to the vet. He had a bite which got infected. I had him treated and took him home. I was concerned he wouldn’t be taken care of. I talked to his owners. They thought that I had adopted him. They moved and I got Bo. My husband jokes that I stole him. My story is that he stole my heart so I stole him. He appreciates us so much. He likes to be with us. If we watch TV, he sits on the couch with us. He does like sitting on the laptop. I guess it is warm. He knows he is loved and he is one happy cat now. I can save all the animals but I’m glad I got to save my Bo.
Mecca is named for the place she was discovered, the Mecca Hills of Palm Springs, CA in late April, 2013. She’s believed to have been abandoned there to die. The kind people that found her knew they couldn’t take her in, but didn’t want to drop her at a shelter either. I spotted a listing for her online one day and my heart went out to the poor girl. I decided to take her in and try to find a rescue for her. Shortly after changing hands, the one year old Mecca weighed in at 60lbs. She was scared, bony, dehydrated, and showed signs of past injury. She’s had xrays, shots, and bloodwork done all in one scary day. Her first few days were frightening for us all, not knowing what could be wrong with her. But her xrays and bloodwork came back clear and she grows stronger every day! After weighing our options, we decided to keep her. I was planning on adopting a rescued dog after my move to Milwaukee in August 2013. I had no place for her in my home in California. But with a lot of help, she was able to be boarded and I can take her out daily for any length of time. She begins her obedience training in two weeks and in three months, she’ll be road tripping from California to Wisconsin where we’ll get the new beginning we both hoped for. The last few years have been hard on me, but just one week with Mecca has made me the happiest I’ve been in such a long time. I’m so thankful this beautiful dog came into my life. <3
Greta was intended as a breeding bitch in an effort breed extra-large pit bulls by crossing them with Saint Bernards. During her second heat, she escaped from her owner and came to my farm. We all knew what she was and most people were afraid of her because of her size and lineage. She was hungry, wormy, flea-ridden and didn’t know even basic commands, having been kenneled her whole life. I didn’t want to return her, but knew I couldn’t legally keep her.
I thought about surrendering her to the shelter as a “stray”, fully knowing her louse owner wouldn’t pay to reclaim her. I was counseled against that. Given her breeding, any questionable move during evaluation could send her to EU. I didn’t want to support the puppy mill by purchasing her. I didn’t know what to do. I just couldn’t take her back. Long story short, she is huge and eats a lot, and her owner is “frugal”. He knew where she was and knew I was feeding her. He waited six weeks and when he could see she plainly wasn’t pregnant, he deemed her useless and ceded her to me.
Now we have Greta. She is kind of a lunkhead but is so eager to please and has learned most everything I’ve tried teaching her. We have a Basset and a collie cross and all visiting children are directed to play with the big dog as she is gentle and has a ridiculous amount of patience with them. She picked out her own cat from our six gingers and believes that his name is “your cat”. Her greatest accomplishment, however, has been changing the hearts of the people around her. Fear has been replaced by love, making her a true ambassador for her breed.
My wife and I live in Milwaukee. In August of 2012, we were visiting my family on Sand Mountain in Alabama. I was driving, about to go off the mountain, and suddenly I noticed this white pit bull right in the middle of my lane. Thanks goodness there were no cars coming as I swerved to avoid it.
We went back and she hurried away from us toward the trees. We have three dogs ourselves, two pit bulls and one beagle mix, so we always keep dog treats and water in the car, as well as dog bowls, so we tried to coax this starving little girl close enough to catch.
It took three hours but she finally let me walk up to her as she was eating. She was still very young and had no aggressive tendencies at all, so I was able to lift her up and put her in the car. We took her to the vet and got her shots and medicine. The pictures are of her as we were first feeding her, and then as we got her to the vet. You can see how skinny and frightened she was.
Then the hard part. As we always travel with our dogs, we had no room to bring this beautiful little girl back with us, much less know how she’d react to a 12-hour drive with a stop-over at a hotel room. So we began trying to find a home for her in Alabama, and we were successful. And old friend who has an eight-year-old boy and a Blue Healer puppy took her in and she immediately bonded with everyone.
We named her Carson and she’s a happy, healthy girl now.
I can’t take full credit on this one. A wonderful woman named Maureen rescued my Hootie at 3 weeks old. She was down south visiting her sister and the neighbors were on their way to the pound with my little guy. Their purebred collie had gotten knocked up by a great pyrenees, then dried up after the pups were born, and this was the sole survivor. Afraid he’d get parvo at the southern pound (or worse) Maureen took him back home to New Hampshire where she had another pup and several large Coon cats. Apparently taking in strays and finding homes for them was a hobby. How cool is that!? Maureen let me take Hootie at 7 weeks for the cost of his vet bills. He was barely 9 pounds but has maxed out at 100 pounds of fluffy love. He guards my chickens, sleeps with my cats and lets my collie be in charge even though he’s 12 years old and 30 pounds lighter. Hootie loves people, and especially kids, and has a regular cookie route through town.
Hootie slowly developed unpredictable aggression problems with some new dogs and a few local dogs. It took us a while to figure out, but we think its because he missed out on weeks 3-8 with mom and siblings. He was literally missing key skills in how to meet and greet another dog. He compensated by trying to scare them away. Now, through clicker training and positive reinforcement, he’s learning to relax and even make some fun new friends. And each time he looks to me instead of lunging in anger my heart melts because I know he is happier. He is my best friend and has taught me the value of patience, and trust and confidence when it matters the most. But most of all with Hootie, I have learned that oftentimes friendship is hard work, but its good work, and every dog deserves the chance to be a best friend. He sure is mine.
My mom has always had a big heart for animals in need. One day, a lady came into the boutique where she works and said her family was struggling financially and they were trying to find some pets a good home.
Blueberry (as she was then called) was a cat with a lot of pain in her background. She had been an outdoor cat, but had been attacked by a coyote and had undergone extensive surgery. She’d survived, but had become a recluse. She would not associate with other animals, even other cats, and stayed in one room of the house where they kept her food and litter.
Mom agreed to take Blueberry and brought her to our house where she, upon seeing our lab/retriever mix (who wouldn’t harm a fly), bolted under the bed in my parents’ room. When I came home from work that night, it took some coaxing (and food bribes), but she finally came out from under the bed and laid in my lap, letting me pet her. Though cats have never really taken to me, Blueberry bonded with me and we’ve been close ever since. It’s apparent to anyone who visits that she’s definitely “my” cat (or I’m “her” human – one of the two, haha).
Fast forward a couple of years and my lovable purr-machine has completely come out of her shell. She and the dog even coexist nicely. She (eventually) comes out when we have company and will even perch in someone’s lap, depending on the person. It’s clear that she thinks she owns the place, so I renamed her Queenie – it just fits perfectly with how she carries herself and the personality that she has. She is regal and not afraid to let you know that she wants attention NOW! Several times when I’ve been at the computer for awhile, she will jump onto the desk and lay in front of the keyboard as if to say, “Excuse me, but did you not notice I was here?”
She’s sassy, she’s loving, and she’s my baby. I’m SO glad we adopted her!
My mother’s dog Cody had passed away from old age and medical problems, and our family was devastated. We wanted to wait until our hearts had healed a bit before adopting another dog, yet I began browsing Petfinder.com just in case (the same site we found our beloved Cody). I came across a beautiful young yellow labrador retriever named Heather (at the time). The site listed her at 3 months of age and showed pictures of a young, sad and sleepy-looking puppy in a crate. I began to read her story. “Heather” was rescued after being hit by a car in the middle of a street in Indianapolis, Indiana. She had a rope tied around her neck (Poor baby!) and had been running loose prior to being hit. The individual that rescued her ended up making calls, and the poor pup was placed in a rescue organization called Luv A Dog, who then began rehabilitating her. I showed my mother her picture, and she too fell in love. We called Luv A Dog the following day to set up a time to come visit. The poor thing was limping over to us as we walked into her foster’s home! She was the sweetest and most playful puppy, despite her predicament. Not to mention she was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! We decided that we had to have her, but we learned that there were several other applicants for her, waiting for a decision to be made. Her foster mother could see that “Heather” was meant to be with us though ; ), so we brought her home that evening. We renamed her Phoebe, because she is absolutely goofy like Phoebe from Friends! She has been such an amazing addition to our family. She is spoiled rotten, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! : )
Chica came from Amigos de las Animales in Mazatlan where I was volunteering one winter (2007). I knew I would be bringing one of the dogs back to the States in the spring, but until she came in, I didn’t know which one. One look and I knew she was it.
She was dumped there by her owner (which, as I think of it, was at least decent of him considering some of the other options). She was terrified of everything and bullied by the other dogs. The director of the shelter figured she had either been in a cage or locked up somewhere the entire six months of her life. It took weeks of going into her cage every day to get her past her fear of me. She went from trying to run away (not easy in a small pen) and peeing all over herself, to wagging her tail while she was peeing herself (and me in the process), before I thought I could take her out on a leash for small, scary experiences in the big world. If she’d ever gotten away from me, I never would have seen her again.
I finally brought her back to my boat where she immediately felt safe and at home. The photo on the left is her in her kennel when she was still afraid of me and my camera. The one on the right is a happy dog who has discovered she is in a good place with love and security. Those pictures were about three weeks apart. She remained spooky and easily frightened for many months, but little by little she has grown into her surroundings and loves people (when she gets to know them anyway). She’s happy and races around like a crazy girl when she’s excited.
She, like Eloise, is now with my friends in Washington. We all spend a lot of time together as I am down there several months every year. I’m still traveling a lot, so it works out very well, and my friends are awesome doggy parents.
Delilah was a small emaciated and sickly cat that appeared out of nowhere and started hanging around with the feral cats I care for. She seemed aggressive, but only when I fed her. One day I noticed her sitting in the laps of the neighborhood children. We all wondered where she came from, because she clearly wasn’t feral. Then we trapped her during a TNR program for our neighborhood, but she was immediately returned to me because she was too weak to undergo surgery. At just 3 lbs, she was quite sick, and I feared the worst. However, she tested negative for FIV and leukemia, and I decided to try to nurse her back to health indoors, then find a home for her. Then her true colors emerged…she is sweet beyond sweet, a hugger, loves to be carried around, and purrs like a motorcycle. The vet says she’s mostly toothless and pushing 20 years old! Now at 4 ½ lbs and hopefully still gaining, and despite several chronic conditions we are treating, she’s happy and loved, and has become the fourth unexpected member of my feline family. Delilah, the Divine Miss D, will spend the rest of her days indoors enjoying how ever many lives she has left!
Jake was at a farm protecting goats for a friend of ours when I first saw him and thought he was just a gorgeous Great Pyrenees puppy. A month later when we were there, he was no longer with the goats, but in a pen with another dog and his beautiful white fur was orange from the red clay dirt in the pen. I was told he did not like the goats anymore and the farmer really had no use for him either, so I offered to take him. At 10 months old he had no name and zero manners. We named him Jake, gave him a bath, and taught him everything he needed to know about being an inside dog. Today, at 4 years old, he is most loving 120 lb dog. He no longer counter surfs, and would rather protect humans than goats.
While picking up cat food at Petmart they had the Humain Society there with pets that needed a new home.
Pricillia came from a home in Bremerton that was a horder 90 cats were picked up and she was one of them. They
spade her, micro chipped, and doctored her for a cold. She was skinny, full grown, and thin hair. She is a long haired tabby.
So shy for the longest time but hungry all the time. Now she is a little butter ball and breets around the house when she is happy and crys when she feels abandoned. My two toms are finally used to her and she will let us pick her up now and then for a little cuddling. So glad I rescued her:)♥
She finally looks beautiful and healthy. Still shy but such a sweet kitty:)♥
Xavi was a puppy when we rescued him from a shelter in 2010, infested with fleas, he was abandoned in the snow with his brothers and sister who were already adopted. He has been with us for over three years. We moved to Tunisia, North Africa in 2011 and my husband and I brought him with us. He enjoyed the Mediterranean Sea and he goes wherever we go. After we came back to the USA, we wanted d to have another rescued dog to give Xavi some company and save another life. Nena (white and brown in the pic) was in the shelter for her third time. The guys at the pound even said “we hope this is her forever home” when I asked why, they gave me her documents … it was so sad. She had been pregnant, neglected, someone tried to tattoo her belly, she even lost some teeth due to a malnutrition. She was scared to even look at us, she ate with fear as if it wasn’t “OK” to eat, she was scared of men mostly. Now, it’s a sweet little 4 year dog who eats for two LOL has gained 8 pounds and is healthy, spoiled, and happy. She loves car rides, run with her brother, but above all, she loves to cuddle with us. I love my rescued dogs!!!
About 18 months ago, I adopted Riley, a 5-pound Maltese, from a rescue shelter in South Florida. He was four years old, but had no birthday and no real information about where he came from. All I know is that he was neglected. I was going through a really hard time when I adopted him, and I have to say that Riley was truly a gift. He was very scared when I first brought him home. He wouldn’t look anyone in the eye and would be constantly shaking. Now, he is a completely different dog. He is energetic, lively, playful, and happy. He has become my baby and my best friend. I do not know what I would do without him.
In September 2012 my boyfriend and I were on our way through a tiny town and just happened to stop at a gas station. As we pull in I notice cars going around a black dog eating trash off the ground. No one even bothered to stop and help her. 
my boyfriend and I got out and approached her. She was very scared and had the most pitiful eyes. He said to me “Well, what do you want to do?”, even though he already knew. She was skinny, scared, tail tucked, head down, hairless along her back and back legs, infested with fleas, and smelled so bad. She was afraid of us and our leash (which I keep a spare in my glovebox) so we bought a lunchable at the gas station and threw her pieces to get her close to us. Long story short, we got her in the car. We took her in to the vet and got her all fixed up! We got her vaccinated, heartworm test, fecal test, DNA test (she’s a German Shepherd/ Finnish Spitz mix), allergy test (she’s allergic to dust mites and mugwort), every test we could think of! Poor girl had a rough day but she did very well. She has food allergies and is on a special food, is on immunotherapy injections for her allergies, she has arthritis in her knees so she takes joint supplements and medication. She has a full thick haircoat and is a beautiful girl! It has been 7 months and she loves life! She goes camping with us and loves to play in creeks and go places. She is the best, sweetest dog! So loving and just seems so thankful. When she gets her picture taken she smiles and every time she smiles it makes me so happy! We just got back from camping this past weekend, she went to the beach for the first time and got to play in the water. Love this girl so much!!! So glad we made the decision to stop at that gas station that day.
I was cruising on my sailboat in Mexico when I first saw her sitting in the street In La Cruz. She was gazing at us in a restaurant, hoping someone would toss her some scraps. I couldn’t resist that sad little girl and went out to her several times. She was afraid at first but got over that quickly. She started waiting for me to come ashore every day in my dinghy. I bought dog food for her. She had mange, fleas, ticks, infected eyes, huge bald spots on her skin that were so sunburned, they were raw. I slathered 50 spf on her every day while she was eating. A friend helped me give her mange & flea baths.
I bought a small kennel, and the same friend helped me get her in it. She got her shots, and I brought her on board “temporarily” so I could try and find her a home. No luck. My friends laughed at me, because she was obviously meant to be mine.
She stopped eating and got sick. Back to the vet to learn she had ehrlichia. Antibiotics and prednisone took care of that. Then soon after, I noticed her fat tummy with very prominent little pink nipples that I hadn’t noticed before. Ultimately we had eight adorable puppies on board my boat for 12 weeks…they all got homes except two runts who didn’t make it. I cried over those babies.
I brought her back to the States. I was still traveling a lot, so my go-to doggy co-parents kept her. We shared, but finally they said they were too miserable whenever I took her away. We worked out a deal. They are brother and sister to me now, and I go hang out with Eloise and them and one more rescue I brought back later on whenever I’m in Washington. (I spend a lot of time there these days.) Eloise is happy and loved and has the best life in the world. Spoiled rotten, and that’s just great!
Maybe I’ll send you Chica’s story later (rescue #2).
My children rescued a CAT That came to our home for food they begin feeding her and named her Bella. After a few weeks we found out she was expecting a litter. As the weeks went passed she had her l itter of cats she had 5 beautiful kittens. Two days after she had her kittens my dos whom i had for 1 yr had puppies and i did not know she was pregnant to make a long stories short my dog neglect feeding the puppies so my cat Bell took over. She has been a mother to 8, 5 KITTENS AND 3 PUPPIES. It is a beautiful thing to see her being a mother to them all.
About a year or so ago I began thinking of finding another dog to add to my furred/feathered family. I looked around online for several days before I came across Billy’s picture. His little face seemed so confused and frightened, and my heart went out to him. Billy had been sold like so much farm equipment with the property when his first owners left. His second owners ignored him completely and eventually they too put the farm on the market, left the state, and abandoned Billy along with a flock of chickens.
When the shelter brought him in he was filthy, starving and desperate for company; so desperate that rather than eat the chickens he was left with, he slept near them for company. The shelter said he was a boarder collie mix, about five, but he had never had a bath, been inside or even been through a door, never ridden in a car or worn a collar or leash. Bill had a scar about two inches wide and ten inches long from his spine around towards his belly, possibly a burn. The vet at the shelter doubted they had even taken him to the vet for the wound. When I first laid eyes on him he just looked silently into my eyes and put his paw on my knee. I knew this was my dog.
I expected to have my work cut out to house break him, but it took less than a day; he is a bright boy. I bathed him and discovered that he was shiny black and not fuzzy brown; but mostly what he needed to be held and talked to. Many hugs later he is a gentle charmer, a beautiful dog, who loves to travel, loves people and all other animals. He looks at the world with a wise little face and smiles. I made a very good decision to let you into my life, Billy.
Lilly was only 6 weeks old when she lost the use of her hind legs suddenly. The vet still to this day doesn’t know why she suddenly lost the ability to use them, however they suspect a brown recluse bite. We took her to the vet immediately, they started her on antibiotics, vitamins, and fluids. She was at the vet for over a week and I visited her every day after work. She was so happy to see me, she would pull up on my shoulder and perch there like a bird and just purr so loud with joy to be held rubbing her little tiny head against mine. Her desire to be loved was so strong it made me strong for her. She had to be cleaned after going to the bathroom because she couldn’t hold herself up to go and she was not so fond of this but she would let me do it anyway. After about 2 weeks of treatments the vet didn’t have any other ideas of how to help her and recommended euthanasia but I just couldn’t give up on this tiny sweet loving baby. So I brought her home and we did kitty rehab every day. Her back right leg did have to eventually partially amputated because it began rotting at the joint from what they believe was poison from a spider bite. The healing process was long and difficult for her but she eventually regained the ability to use her hind legs and learned how to maneuver with her nub. Now she runs jumps and plays with the other cats like nothing ever happened to her. She is a remarkable example of what love and persistence can do for an animal that has the will power to keep going if they have the love of a human behind them. NEVER GIVE UP on an animal that has will power and love to give.
On May 11, 2012, my husband and I drove 12 hours round-trip to pick up a young Havanese who had been dropped off at a veterinarian two months earlier. Reportedly a stray, the vet was sure someone would claim the little guy but no one did. Lido Monster, named Mop at the time, only wanted to be loved, learn to play and trust. He has a genetic knee issue and his spine was broken sometime in the first 4 months of his life. None of this has dampened his spirit. He quickly adapted to his home by the Pacific Ocean, car rides and beach runs. He loves obedience and agility training. Next Thursday, we will earn our certification as a Therapy Team and begin our work in pediatric oncology wards. Monster, yes, that is his name, is our blessing from God.
On a cold winter day while taking my daughter to school, I found my little 3 month old care “Bear”. After making several calls and contacting animal control office(s), it was apparent that this little guy was abandoned. Bear is now over 6 months of age and thriving. I have to report that our other dog, a 13 pound min pin, was not too happy at first to share his attention, but he has warmed up to the idea of having a brother. I and my family absolutely adore Bear, he is great at agility, he will go down slides, jump over makeshift fences and even play tug of war with “Sucre”, our chocolate/tan min pin. My daughter calls Bear and Sucre her brothers, as she is an only child. I cannot imagine our lives without these two animal souls, they have brought joy, laughter and love to our home/family. I don’t feel that I rescued my little care bear, I feel like he rescued me, because he has taught me patience and what is truly important in life.
Monday was the first time Boston College sophomore Corey Leonardi ever participated in a marathon. In previous years, Leonardi, who grew up about 50 minutes west of Boston, usually spent Patriot’s Day grilling or watching the marathon with his family in Framingham, Mass., a quarter of the way into the route.
“Patriot’s Day to me is similar to the Fourth of July,” Leonardi told The Huffington Post. “We celebrate with family and friends, usually in good weather, in honor and pride of our state and country.”
Leonardi ran the Boston Marathon with a group of BC students raising funds for the Campus School, an institution for students with special needs. Leonardi said he was close to the final stretch of his run when the explosions happened, but wasn’t harmed. Two days after the bombings, the mood on campus is somber, Leonardi said, but there’s something that is helping: the outpouring of support from students around the Boston area, and indeed, around the country.
“Seeing people off campus support Boston is really comforting to all of us at BC,” Leonardi said. “Knowing that we have the whole country behind us is such a great feeling and really allows you to feel the unity in the United States of America. At a college with students from all 50 states, you could really see the personal concerns coming from all across the country.”
One example of local college support was Lambda Chi Alpha at Boston University. The sorority changed the focus of a fundraising laser tag tournament scheduled this weekend, designating that money raised would now go to benefit the Mayor’s Fund, which will help those affected by the bombings.
Meanwhile, far away from Boston, students at the University of Kansas started an online fundraising campaign to benefit Boston Marathon bombing victims.
Many college students are also arranging their own runs to help raise money for families in Boston who need help after the explosions.
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The University of North Carolina-Charlotte will hold a run this weekend to raise money for the family of Martin Richard, an 8-year-old who was killed in the Boston blasts.
This undated photo provided by Bill Richard shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)
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(Credit: Facebook)
William Campbell says his daughter, who worked at Jimmy’s Steer House in nearby Arlington, was “very caring, very loving person, and was daddy’s little girl.” He says the loss has devastated the family.
He says the friend was seriously injured in the explosion.
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Lingzi Lu, a young Chinese graduate student of math and statistics at Boston University, originally from the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, was one of three killed in the blasts. The Chinese consulate in New York confirmed Tuesday that a woman from China had died in the bombings but did not reveal her name.
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Zhou Danling, Screenshot from Sina Weibo
One female student from China is in a coma after suffering serious injuries in the Boston Marathon bombings, China’s official Xinhua News Agency has reported quoting an unnamed official from the Chinese consulate in New York.
The woman, who was named by Xinhua as Zhou Danling, is a graduate student at Boston University, the American Chinese-language newspaper Qiaobao reported. Her mother had asked for the consulate’s help in facilitating her journey to the US.
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This story will warm you better than a coffee in a cold winter day:
"We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend of mine and give our order. While we're approaching our table two people come in and they go to the counter -
'Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended'
They pay for their order, take the two and leave.
By JG Vibes
Intellihub.com
March 15, 2013
Months ago I wrote about how Occupy Wall Street was raising money so they could buy up debt at random and pay it off, in a brilliant campaign of radical agorism.
The effort that I am talking about is called “Rolling Jubilee” and the stated mission on their website is to:
“Buy debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, we abolish it. We cannot buy specific individuals’ debt – instead, we help liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal.”
This idea has brought about many success stories. The group recently announced through their website that they erased over $1 Million in debt from emergency rooms in Kentucky and Indiana.
The average debtor owed around $900 and we will be abolishing the debt of over 1,000 people! We are sending the letters to the debtors as we type this. We are very concerned with the privacy of debtors, but if any of them come forward and want to share their stories, we will make them public. This will be the second in a series of purchases of medical debt. For each one, we will announce it on this blog with extended details.
We’ve also been working long and hard to make sure our finances and operations are as transparent as possible. The all-volunteer Board of Directors, along with the RJ sub-committees (tech, messaging & debt buying) and countless activists throughout the Strike Debt and Occupy Wall Street networks have been working diligently to ensure the Rolling Jubilee accomplishes its mission with dignity, transparency and political effectiveness.
As a friend, supporter and also a critic of the occupy wall street movement over the past year and a half, it has been exciting and interesting to see the loose knit, decentralized movement transform and grow into many different branches that are taking a more local and decentralized approach than we saw from the protests last year.
I hear your voice on the wind
And I hear you call out my name
"Listen, my child," you say to me
"I am the voice of your history
Be not afraid, come follow me
Answer my call, and I'll set you free"
I am the voice in the wind
and the pouring rain
I am the voice of your hunger and pain…
Now let’s be honest. We all know that unless something goes extremely wrong we will not be seeing any zombies like the ones in the Hollywood Horror flicks B or otherwise. The CDC claims they are using the term tongue in cheek to get younger people interested in preparedness. Ok, I can deal with that. However, more than just the CDC are referring to zombies. So what exactly are they referring to if they are not talking about the brain eating , gnaw on your entrails kind of zombie?
Well in most instances they are referring to those who have laughed when approached with the concept of preparing for a potential disaster. Neighbors, Co- workers, family members, people that we run into in our everyday lives You know who they are , we have all run into them now and again. Some maybe more than others. Or the multitude that will become ill from lack of medicine, water, hygiene as well as accidents.
Now I really think that referring to these people as zombies is a bit over the top. However, I think we can agree that in a disaster scenario where despair , hunger or perhaps injury of themselves or a loved one will propel anyone of these individuals to an act of violence in the grips of fear .
All one need do is watch a video of the Black Friday Madness, or what happens during a blackout to understand what the potential for violence and lawlessness can be. Think Hurricane Katrina and the scenario in New Orleans. Think Hurricane Sandy and the multitude of people who were unprepared. How many resorted to dumpster diving because they had nothing to eat in their homes and there was nothing available in the surrounding area. If Occupy had not taken it upon themselves to start helping when FEMA and the government failed to do their job, what could have developed?
Now let’s go a bit further and imagine with all the people affected by Hurricane Sandy. What happens if there are neighbors that they are aware of had been storing food and water. The government is not helping. FEMA is not helping. Occupy had not been a factor. Their children are going hungry, they have elderly that must be cared for and they neither have food nor supplies. Now please understand I am an eternal optimist and I believe there are a lot of good people out there. However, if there is something life has taught me is that there are not so good people out there as well. This is what you must prepare for. The good people, the ones that understand that violence is not the answer will not be an issue.
What do you do about the ones who are?
Have you considered it?
Have you prepared?
Can you tell me aside from the fact that zombies are dead and out to eat you rather than your supplies what the difference would be? In either case they would threaten the survival of your loved ones and yourself. And , well there is always the possibility that the development of mutant and killer virus’ in government and military research labs should be a concern to everyone.
As we already know things will be difficult enough with the sheer amount of people that will be sickened and dying in a scenario such as this lasting an extended period of time especially in a collapse , as the following article details……
Lizzie Bennett
Medically Speaking
via The Daily Sheeple
March 6th, 2013
Electricity hasn’t been around all that long. For most of our history mankind has managed very well without it. Large numbers of people around the world still live without an electricity supply. If the grid goes down does it really mean the end of the human race?
On June 3rd I did a post about pandemics. I said in the introduction, that in my opinion only two things could be serious enough to put an end to humans. Pandemic and grid failure. Looking at the figures for the 1918-1920 pandemic, and using those percentages with current population, it seems I may have been wrong in my assumptions about pandemics.
So, onto grid failure, which to cover all the things that would be affected, and the speed at which they would be affected would need a large book, it is way too big a subject for an article. This article is based the things we have all heard, that 99% of the population of the United States would be dead within a year and that the world population will plummet. Let’s see.
I have chosen 2010 as the year all of the figures relate to, as that is the closest year that has a full set of statistics available. Figures are taken from World Health Organization records, love them or hate them they are very good pen pushers and compile statistics about anything and everything.
Okay, we all know that if the grid goes down, so does everything else in short order. Food supply chain, large scale agriculture,hospitals, traffic lights, everything that we regard as part of the very fabric of our lives. We have come to rely on electricity to such an extent that should it vanish from our lives it really would mean the end of the world as we know it. The question is though, would it be an extinction level event?
In 2010 there were 133,000,000 million births and 57,000,000 deaths from all causes. The WHO records the following for 2010:
34,000,000 known type 1 diabetics world wide.
64,234,000 known COPD (chronic obstructive airways disease sufferers)world wide.
22,800,000 known cancer sufferers world wide.
These conditions are considered to be those that contribute most to the mean global death rates. Now I am not a statistician, and it is impossible to know the life expectancy of the people suffering from these conditions, so, for the purposes of the exercise I am going to assume they all die in the first year.
This would add 120,000,000 deaths to the 57,000,0000 ‘usual’ deaths giving us 177,000,000 deaths for the first year. On top of this there would be a rise in the murder rate, the death rate from heart attacks would soar, mainly due to unfit people having to engage in hard physical labor, and deaths from lack of medication and medical intervention would skyrocket, as would deaths from malnutrition and disease.
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Then we have those in the Prepper and non Prepper community usually at odds with the way one or the other chooses to prepare . As well as their outlook. Not to mention those who outright ridicule and insult those who seriously prepare for a future unseen disaster scenario. Anyone who has seriously embarked on preparing and have tried to explain to family and friends why they should as well, have experienced this. So you are well aware of what I mean when I say this…..
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Uploaded on Sep 10, 2011
Why is there such a chasm between preppers and non-preppers? It’s because of ignorance on BOTH sides.
1. Preppers look down on non-preppers.
Many seem to be thinking that non-preppers are silly, ignorant little children.
2. Non-preppers think that preppers are insane.
They think that preppers are focused on ridiculous problems and wasting money on solutions that they will never use.
Both are wrong.
Most people ARE preppers.
You might be a prepper if:
*you check your car’s spare tire
*you keep bandaids in your house
*you are saving money for a rainy day
*you keep a can of Fix-a-flat in your car
Those are preps!
There are more preppers than either side is willing to admit.
WE aren’t arguing apples and oranges. We are arguing about how many apples we need. It’s a matter of scale.
It isn’t a matter of intelligence. It’s a matter of having different priorities.
Edit: forgot the link for the Risk Assessment Chart: http://www.gotprep.com/downloads/?did=5
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And then we have those unprepared neighbors that you spoke to early on and tried to get them to think seriously about prepping. All they would do was kid you about your preparing for the end of the world. Laugh a little at you , shake their heads and walk away always turning your concerned advice into jokes and an opportunity to poke fun at you. If not just outright call you nuts?
The following is an episode from the Twilight Zone. Yes it is just a show , it’s not real. However, if you watch it , you will see in the developing drama that everything that happens is indeed plausible. If you watch it you can see how a scenario like that can easily develop even among people you thought you knew well. One never knows and can never be sure how any one individual will react or behave in a situation such as this. Watch the videos and think about it….. I bet the possibility of it taking place won’t seem so crazy then…..
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Uploaded on Jul 5, 2010
A Twilight Zone episode called “The Shelter” illustrates one scenario in being surrounded by people who are unprepared yet know you have been preparing and scoff at your efforts. I thought I would share this with everyone and thank DEMCAD for bringing it to my attention
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Uploaded on May 5, 2010
This MC-TV documentary tells the story of one homeless person in rural Western Illinois. Thru her story we see the special challenges that confront those individuals who find themselves homeless in area with limited services.
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Published on Jun 25, 2012
A feature documentary about homelessness in the Seattle and surrounding areas
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I know there are quite a few people who have been preparing for quite sometime. Just as I know there are people who recently started or are starting now to prepare. Please, please take this to heart and understand what the possibilities are so that you can properly prepare and survive whatever may occur. Please know that I am not trying to belittle anyone. This has been on my mind for quite sometime and I simply did not know how to present it . Ready or not , presentable or not here it is . Please accept it in the spirit in which it has been given. A heartfelt wish that all who read this may prepare , be safe and help as many people as they are able.
Blessings to you and yours …….
Desert Rose
The myth of altruism and generosity surrounding Mother Teresa is dispelled in a paper by Serge Larivée and Genevieve Chenard of University of Montreal’s Department of Psychoeducation and Carole Sénéchal of the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education.
The paper will be published in the March issue of the journal Studies in Religion/Sciences religieuses and is an analysis of the published writings about Mother Teresa. Like the journalist and author Christopher Hitchens, who is amply quoted in their analysis, the researchers conclude that her hallowed image—which does not stand up to analysis of the facts—was constructed, and that her beatification was orchestrated by an effective media relations campaign.
“While looking for documentation on the phenomenon of altruism for a seminar on ethics, one of us stumbled upon the life and work of one of Catholic Church’s most celebrated woman and now part of our collective imagination—Mother Teresa—whose real name was Agnes Gonxha,” says Professor Larivée, who led the research. “The description was so ecstatic that it piqued our curiosity and pushed us to research further.”
As a result, the three researchers collected 502 documents on the life and work of Mother Teresa. After eliminating 195 duplicates, they consulted 287 documents to conduct their analysis, representing 96% of the literature on the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity (OMC). Facts debunk the myth of Mother Teresa
In their article, Serge Larivée and his colleagues also cite a number of problems not take into account by the Vatican in Mother Teresa’s beatification process, such as “her rather dubious way of caring for the sick, her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of the enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce.”
At the time of her death, Mother Teresa had opened 517 missions welcoming the poor and sick in more than 100 countries. The missions have been described as “homes for the dying” by doctors visiting several of these establishments in Calcutta. Two-thirds of the people coming to these missions hoped to a find a doctor to treat them, while the other third lay dying without receiving appropriate care. The doctors observed a significant lack of hygiene, even unfit conditions, as well as a shortage of actual care, inadequate food, and no painkillers. The problem is not a lack of money—the Foundation created by Mother Teresa has raised hundreds of millions of dollars—but rather a particular conception of suffering and death: “There is something beautiful in seeing the poor accept their lot, to suffer it like Christ’s Passion. The world gains much from their suffering,” was her reply to criticism, cites the journalist Christopher Hitchens. Nevertheless, when Mother Teresa required palliative care, she received it in a modern American hospital.
Mother Teresa was generous with her prayers but rather miserly with her foundation’s millions when it came to humanity’s suffering. During numerous floods in India or following the explosion of a pesticide plant in Bhopal, she offered numerous prayers and medallions of the Virgin Mary but no direct or monetary aid. On the other hand, she had no qualms about accepting the Legion of Honour and a grant from the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti. Millions of dollars were transferred to the MCO’s various bank accounts, but most of the accounts were kept secret, Larivée says. “Given the parsimonious management of Mother Theresa’s works, one may ask where the millions of dollars for the poorest of the poor have gone?”
By Beth Greenfield, Shine Staff | Financially Fit – Thu, Feb 21, 2013 2:04 PM EST
Fellmer with Alma Lucia, left, and Nieves Palmer. Photo courtesy of Raphael Fellmer.A Berlin family of three has been living on practically nothing but love and the goodwill of others for more than two years and counting—not as a victims of the rough economy, but as activists who are on a money strike to protest what they call our “excess-consumption society.”
More on Shine: German Grandmother Lives Money-Free and Has Never Been Happier
“As consumers, we support the system, and we are all responsible for making a wasteful society,” Raphael Fellmer, 29, told Yahoo! Shine. “This strike is to inspire other people to reflect about our other possibilities.”
Fellmer, who said he’d held jobs since he was 12 years old, began his protest after years of working in hotels, bars, restaurants and various offices. In 2010, after graduating from college in the Hague as a European Studies major, he and two friends embarked upon a 15-month “journey of humanity” to raise awareness of environmental destruction and of society’s many wastes, including estimates that about one-third of all food produced worldwide (valued at about $1 trillion a year) gets wasted.
More on Yahoo!: German Bin Divers Get Connected to Wage War on Food Waste
That trip involved hitchhiking from Europe to Mexico without cash, simply depending on the goodwill and excess resources of others. It carried them over more than 19,000 miles on more than 500 vehicles—including a sailboat that took the trio from the Canary Islands to Brazil in exchange for crew duties—and soon led Fellmer to meet his wife, Nieves Palmer, who became pregnant along the way.
Now the couple, along with their 18-month-old daughter Alma Lucia, are continuing to live nearly money-free in Berlin, where they do odd jobs and organizing work in exchange for living space, with roommates, in the Peace House Martin Niemöller, which contains various non-profits. (Though Fellmer uses no money, he said Palmer does use a little, mainly in the form of child support she receives from the government, which is granted to all children.)
Posted: 04/17/2013 4:54 pm EDT | Updated: 04/17/2013 6:30 pm EDT