I've had a post planned here for a while, but after the Boston bombings happened I decided to postpone it because it's a little... time sensitive, I guess? Not really sure what to call it. And now our country is coming together after the Oklahoma tornado, so I'm going to be postponing it again. I just wanted to update that I haven't forgotten about this blog, and I'm just waiting until the time is right.
For now, lets all continue to pray for those affected by the tornado and help them physically and spiritually, however we can.
<3
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Use your words.
If you have a problem.
If you have a political agenda.
If you have a point to make.
If you have an opinion.
If you have a feeling.
If you have anything at all that you need to express,
do it with words. Not violence.
Language is powerful. If used correctly, words can reach the masses. And they can make a difference.
I don't know the motive behind what happened in Boston. But I hope that one day people will learn to turn to words or some other creative and safe outlet to work out whatever turmoil is going on inside of them.
We need to teach people not to hate. Each one of us, individually, needs to abolish hate in our own lives until there is simply none left in the world.
Lead by example. Leave a legacy you're proud of.
I love Boston. I love the Red Sox. I love the Bruins. I love the atmosphere in the city. I love the feeling I get when I go there, and the last time I was there I wasn't at all ready to go back home. Boston is strong, and that same atmosphere that I fell in love with will be back. You can't keep them down.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
In the name of "fashion"
Look at that face! Could you ever justify looking at one of those precious seals and bludgeoning them before skinning the alive? No. The correct answer is no.
I received mail a couple days ago from the Humane Society asking for donations to help them end the slaughter of these seals. Included in the envelope was a sheet of information with some pretty unbelievable statistics:
If you can't read that, what you basically need to know is that two million seals have been killed in the last 10 years. And most of those seals? Younger than three months old.
Cruel. Plain and simple. It's cruel.
The good news, however, is that more and more countries are banning the trade of marine mammal products (which includes seal pelts), and the number of seals killed has gone down nearly 90% since 2006.
But the fight isn't over yet, and there is still more work to be done. So what can we do?
If you can donate monetarily, then please consider giving to the Protect Seals movement. You can read more about them at protectseals.org.
If you can't donate right now, there are still ways to be involved:
- Join the boycott at humanesociety.org/boycottforseals and pledge to stop eating Canadian seafood until the slaughter stops.
- Check out the HSUS restaurant locator to help find restaurants and grocery stores near you that support the boycott of Canadian seafood, and patronize these establishments. You can find this at humanesociety.org/restaurant_locator. I did this and was surprised to see that there were very few, if any, establishments close to me (many were an hour or more away) that were on this list. If you're in the same situation, we can change that:
 |
| Screen shot from the Protect Seals app available from the restaurant locator link above |
We're all capable of doing something to help this cause.
This is not necessary, not funny (you wouldn't believe how many people are making jokes out of this), and not acceptable. And there are people out there who argue that the seals are killed in a humane way, but that is still no justification.
Because really, fur is only cute on animals. You just look ridiculous. It's not fashionable.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
We have a pope!
Just a quick post to say that, although at the time I'm writing this he hasn't even been pope for 24 hours and therefore can't really be "judged," I feel very optimistic about Pope Francis and what he can do for our church. He appears to be a very simple and humble man, a Jesuit who cares deeply for the poor. And I pray that he will live up to the name he has chosen and follows Jesus' words:
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Preventing a tragedy...
I use this blog as a platform to speak about the things I believe in. To raise awareness about certain issues. These issues aren't limited to just those affecting humans. While I definitely have a soft spot for people in need, I also have a soft spot for animals. Domestic, wild, I don't care. Sometimes people need to speak for them, too.
Let me start by expressing my condolences to the family of the intern killed at Cat Haven. An innocent (and young) life was taken while she was just doing her job, and that is truly heartbreaking. The point of this post is not to downplay that at all - it was absolutely a tragedy.
But what was the point of killing the lion? If he was in the process of doing whatever it was that he did to her, and they needed to kill him in order to rescue her, I can potentially justify it. But this happened after the fact. What was done had already been done.
You can't kill a lion for being a lion. You can't kill a wild animal for acting like a wild animal.
And it really does pain me to write this, because I don't want to seem coldhearted or insensitive, and I truly am sad for everyone affected by this, but she should not have been in that enclosure with him.
The Vice President of the Humane Society, Nicole Paquette, said in an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, "These are big cats that are extremely dangerous, and they placed a volunteer in the actual cage with a wild animal. That should have never happened." And she's right; this should have never happened.
Lions are beautiful animals. They're also dangerous animals. If you aren't properly trained to be around them, then you absolutely should not be around them. These are not domestic cats.
Like I said before, you can't kill a lion for being a lion.
I'm sorry for the woman who lost her life, and I'm sorry for her family. But I'm also sorry for the lion who was killed for acting the only way he knows how. His species of lion is already extinct in the wild; let's not kill them off altogether. And does anyone know if Cat Haven had a tranquilizer gun on site? That should have been readily available. I'm sure places like that don't anticipate needing to actually use one, but you need to be prepared.
Take a look at this video; this is the exact same lion that was killed today. He was on the Ellen DeGeneres show when he was a cub:
What happened today, to both the intern and the lion, should have been prevented.
Update: Articles published since this first happened have basically enforced the fact that this is truly was an accident - and a tragic one at that. The parents of Dianna Hanson are asking the public to donate to conservation groups, such as Cat Haven, in Dianna's memory. You can donate to Cat Haven here.
Let me start by expressing my condolences to the family of the intern killed at Cat Haven. An innocent (and young) life was taken while she was just doing her job, and that is truly heartbreaking. The point of this post is not to downplay that at all - it was absolutely a tragedy.
But what was the point of killing the lion? If he was in the process of doing whatever it was that he did to her, and they needed to kill him in order to rescue her, I can potentially justify it. But this happened after the fact. What was done had already been done.
You can't kill a lion for being a lion. You can't kill a wild animal for acting like a wild animal.
And it really does pain me to write this, because I don't want to seem coldhearted or insensitive, and I truly am sad for everyone affected by this, but she should not have been in that enclosure with him.
The Vice President of the Humane Society, Nicole Paquette, said in an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, "These are big cats that are extremely dangerous, and they placed a volunteer in the actual cage with a wild animal. That should have never happened." And she's right; this should have never happened.
Lions are beautiful animals. They're also dangerous animals. If you aren't properly trained to be around them, then you absolutely should not be around them. These are not domestic cats.
Like I said before, you can't kill a lion for being a lion.
I'm sorry for the woman who lost her life, and I'm sorry for her family. But I'm also sorry for the lion who was killed for acting the only way he knows how. His species of lion is already extinct in the wild; let's not kill them off altogether. And does anyone know if Cat Haven had a tranquilizer gun on site? That should have been readily available. I'm sure places like that don't anticipate needing to actually use one, but you need to be prepared.
Take a look at this video; this is the exact same lion that was killed today. He was on the Ellen DeGeneres show when he was a cub:
What happened today, to both the intern and the lion, should have been prevented.
Update: Articles published since this first happened have basically enforced the fact that this is truly was an accident - and a tragic one at that. The parents of Dianna Hanson are asking the public to donate to conservation groups, such as Cat Haven, in Dianna's memory. You can donate to Cat Haven here.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Groundbreaking news!
A child has been cured of HIV.
A child has been cured of HIV.
A child has been cured of HIV.
This is amazing news! Of course, it's far too early to be jumping for joy about an impending AIDS cure, but it certainly is a time to be thankful for how far we've come. First this child, then ideally another one, and another after that, until HIV/AIDS is no longer the threat that it is today. It seems like it's within reach! If you haven't read this story, click here to do so.
While this is great news, it is still a reminder of the fact that there are people who are still suffering, and they need our help. In the United States alone, we lose ~18,000 people to AIDS every year. And in total, HIV/AIDS has affected sixty million people. That's 60,000,000. That's too many.
A child has been cured of HIV.
A child has been cured of HIV.
This is amazing news! Of course, it's far too early to be jumping for joy about an impending AIDS cure, but it certainly is a time to be thankful for how far we've come. First this child, then ideally another one, and another after that, until HIV/AIDS is no longer the threat that it is today. It seems like it's within reach! If you haven't read this story, click here to do so.
While this is great news, it is still a reminder of the fact that there are people who are still suffering, and they need our help. In the United States alone, we lose ~18,000 people to AIDS every year. And in total, HIV/AIDS has affected sixty million people. That's 60,000,000. That's too many.
Keep spreading the word, keep raising awareness, keep doing what you can to help. It's not hard - places like until.org and joinred.com even have stores; buy a few accessories and help a worthy cause in the process. It's a win win situation, and hopefully in the future it's a situation we won't even have anymore.
We're getting there, but we're not there yet.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Prompting & Guiding
My most recent assignment as a Compassion Blogger is to share which Bible verse prompts and guides me to serve others. I really love this assignment because I find Bible verses to be one of my greatest sources of inspiration. So much, in fact, that I recently started my own store (Notes of Faith), which I've dedicated to sharing these inspiring words.
When I read this assignment, one verse in particular stood out to me - Psalm 145:14.
"The Lord supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down."
What makes this so inspirational to me is the thought that maybe I could be one of those people who helps support others. If the Lord can use me to help Him help others, then I will respond to that. And for a while, I really didn't know how to respond, but thats where this blog comes in. It's a small start, but I hope that it will open doors in the future that will more fully allow me to serve others.
When I read this assignment, one verse in particular stood out to me - Psalm 145:14.
"The Lord supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down."
What makes this so inspirational to me is the thought that maybe I could be one of those people who helps support others. If the Lord can use me to help Him help others, then I will respond to that. And for a while, I really didn't know how to respond, but thats where this blog comes in. It's a small start, but I hope that it will open doors in the future that will more fully allow me to serve others.
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