Pledge to Fight Animal Cruelty

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

More Bush?...

The scary thing is people are starting to buy into what McCain is selling them. With the Democrats screwing up their chance of getting someone viable into the White House, it seems we may have another 4 years of Bush-like stupidity!



Maker a donation to help keep McCain out of the White House. Click on the link below:
John McCain = 4 more years of Bush on Iraq

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sunday Morning Confessions...

For those of you religious types, here is "The Automatic Confession Service of the Catholic Church". Since the priest are too busy chasing young boys, you can now make your confessions known only to the automated confessional (and the rest of the church).

It's True...

A Picture is worth a 1000 words, and this picture says it all!!!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Meat Grown in a Lab...

Not sure how I feel about this, but the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has just offered a $1 million prize to anyone who develops a commercially viable "in vitro chicken-meat product." If we can "grow" various parts of the human body and these parts are human, why can't we grow meat for consumption in a petri dish? Would I eat it - not sure. It is grown from a chicken and therefore chicken, but it seems wrong. Where do we lose the "actual chicken" and start to create this meat from modified or genetically engineered embryos. But isn't this what they are already doing? They are skipping the "bird" part and going right to the meat.

Here is an excerpt from Slate:
The idea is simple: Instead of growing a chicken embryo into a bird and cutting meat from it, you skip the bird part and grow the meat directly from the embryo.

If you don't believe this can be done, read up on the blood vessels, livers, bladders, and hearts we've already grown in labs. Check out this month's International In Vitro Meat Symposium. Scan the latest updates on "cultured meat" R&D.

It's no freakier or more far-fetched than what you've been hearing from politicians about stem cells and what they can do for people. Scientists aren't even allowed to try a stem-cell experiment in people till it works in animals. That's all PETA is asking for: "animal stem cells that would be placed in a medium to grow and reproduce."

To put it crudely, if you can grow a hunk of flesh for transplant, you can grow it for food.
I know that this may be a better way, but I still have the fear that people (those who are greedy) will want to find a cheaper way to make this meat. When this happens it is guaranteed that it will once again be unhealthy for human consumption!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Terrier Beaten Accused Dead...

On March 3rd, Rudy the Jack Russell terrier’s body was supposed to be found dead and buried in the snow. The accused, a 61-year-old man, told police that he beat the dog to death and buried it in a snow bank. When the police and the owners went to get Rudy, they found him still alive, but just barely.
According to the police report, the owner called police saying there was a man in the Wells Street area with a firearm, and that he had bludgeoned her dog to death.

Grysko didn't return telephone messages. According to police, Grysko at first denied beating the dog, and then admitted to burying it in the snow bank, and showed officers where he had put the dog.

Grysko is due in Brattleboro District Court on April 1 to answer to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Bemis couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, and Bellows Falls Police Chief Ron Lake said he had no knowledge about the case.

"I'm glad to hear the dog's going to survive," Lake said.

Grysko, the accused, decided that he couldn’t take living any longer so he took his own life.

Edward Grysko, a 61-year-old Westminster man accused of striking a Parson Russell terrier dog and burying it alive in the snow last week, is thought to have committed suicide Wednesday morning, police said.

Grysko decided to end his life, in part, because of his arrest in the highly publicized animal cruelty case, police said.

Grysko was found behind his work place, General Truck and Equipment in Westminster, with a gunshot wound to the head, police said; a handgun and suicide note were left behind.

The type of gun and note’s content were not disclosed. State police did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday evening.

Grysko was “depressed and despondent” over his arrest in the animal cruelty case and the untimely death of his youngest son, which occurred two years ago, police learned through interviews with family and friends.

Grysko faced aggravated animal cruelty charges for beating the 14-year-old Parson Russell terrier early last week; according to police, he said he was angered because the dog “nipped at somebody.”

Walking...

Well one of Grandma's vows when she came to visit was that she would have Mikayla walking before she left. Before grandma and grandpa showed up. Mikayla only took two steps on her own and the last step was because she lost balance. Well grandma held to her vow. Mikayla is now taking up to eight steps. She is a little unsteady and cannot carry anything with her when she walks, but she has progressed more over last week.

Grandma started by having her walk whenever she was going someplace. Now whenever she is going from one place to another she is holding our hands and walking. Below is grandma and Taylor helping little miss thing into a restaurant.



So now we are gearing up for the crazy baby run throughout the house. I remember that I used to wish that she was crawling and when that day came I regretted ever saying that. Now I can't wait until she walks but I know when that day comes and she is walking all over I will regret that as well. Below is some of her first steps.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Saturday Escape...

This is my new favorite Drag Queen. I really didn't have one before, but now I do.

Enjoy:

Jackie Beat - Filthy Whore

Visit...

I forgot to mention that the parents (mine) made a visit this last week. This is why I have not been writing any post. My niece took over the office (where my computer is) and spent a great deal of time on my computer. I also wanted to spend more time with my family, so writing post got pushed to the back burner. Sorry for this, but I have much to talk about and will do so starting tomorrow or Monday. One of the biggest things is that Grandma told us she would have Mikayla doing something by the time she left and she did. I will talk about this tomorrow. Changes a coming daily with the little one - and its all good!!!

Until tomorrow - Make a Memory Every Day!!!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Rights AND Equality...

Once again we visit the reason (one of many) why Mark and I will never live in a state that does not allow (or acknowledge) that there can be a meaningful relationship between people of the same sex. On many occasions my mother (mainly) keeps asking us why we will not move back to Michigan. My father jokes that we should move back to Florida so they have someplace warm to visit during the winter months. The problem is that Florida is one of the worst states to live in if you are not heterosexual. If Mark and I stayed in Florida, yes we would have warm weather (sometimes as bad as Vermont is cold) but we would never had been "allowed" to adopt Mikayla. This is something that many people don't understand.

And its not just about adoption. Its about not being recognized as a "true" family member. Not being able to know what happened to your loved one, your significant other, your partner. That is just what happened to Eric Breidenbaugh when he had to find out that his partner of 6 years and his partner's parents were killed in a plane crash.
His partner and his partner's parents were all missing – hours overdue from a family flight aboard a small private plane.

Eric called his local airport, near Pinellas Park, Florida, to see if they had any information. They did, but they wouldn't give it to him. They said he was "not an actual family member," so they couldn't tell him whether his partner was alive or dead.

He searched the TV news, where he soon saw footage of the plane he himself had ridden in many times. That was how he found out that his life partner of six years, Joseph Bellamy, had been killed with his parents in a plane crash.
Here is the video from Eric:


Why is it OK for people who say they are following the "Word of God" to take away my rights? These people pick and choose what they want to follow from the Bible and ignore other parts. Let's look at some of what people are ignoring from the Bible:

Leviticus, chapter 11

7: And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
26: The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.

Leviticus, chapter 15

19: And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
20: And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
21: And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
22: And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
23: And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

So your telling me that these people that believe the Bible when it comes to homosexuality, don't see anything wrong with the other sins they are committing. If you eat pork, you are unclean. While a women is menstruating she is unclean for seven days. If anyone has sex with her, they are then unclean and this is a sin against their lord! But we all know this. The problem is that people are too attached to a book that was written over two hundred years AFTER their savior, Jesus, died. You cannot pick and choose.

So back to Eric. If you want to help the Human Rights Coalition (HRC) stop bigotry, then donate today. Either your time or money.
It's simply wrong that GLBT Americans should be treated like second-class citizens, denied the right to care for their loved ones. Yet even in Eric's' own state of Florida, anti-GLBT groups won't rest. They're trying to write a ban on marriage equality into the constitution, and get right-wing voters to the polls while they're at it.

We need to strengthen our field program so we can fight this battle and others, including electing fair-minded candidates and passing key legislation. Your activism and your commitment are critical, as is the financial support so instrumental to our efforts.

Help HRC defeat anti-GLBT amendments and advance our pro-equality agenda across the country.

The coming weeks are critical. In Florida, the referendum to enshrine discrimination against GLBT couples in the constitution has officially qualified for the November ballot, and opponents are already gearing up and spending cash. A dirty campaign is likely. And in California, right-wing groups are collecting signatures for a similar measure, with a deadline of mid-April.

If either measure passes, our community could be unable to pass laws preventing heartbreaking stories like Eric Breidenbaugh's. Basic information or access to your partner denied in an emergency. Right-wing extremists that much closer to making inequality permanent nationwide.

Make a difference!!!

Blood Sugar Level...

Hi, again! I decided to write another post, so yeah....

Hi, peeps! ;D Happy Easter!

Well, for the past few days, my blood sugar's been very... odd.......

In the mornings, it'll be low, like in the 50s or 60s, then it'd shoot up to the 200s or 300s by lunch, and THEN it would drop back to normal by dinner. So, I was like, "Well, now... What the heck is up with this?" So my mom called the doctor and we had to monitor my blood sugars for three days (including midnight and 4 a.m. checks... D8 *le gasp*). We still don't know why it's doing what it is..... Odd, huh?

So.... Yeah. I found out that it takes about three hours just to go through and listen to all 43 songs (yes, I counted) on the Rent soundtrack. Since there aren't many speaking parts in the play and it's mainly singing, it's like the entire play on a CD. So I thought that was shweet. X3

Anyway, I decided to post a picture of mine that I did while waiting for the plane to take my family and I to Alabama to go on a cruise to Mexico. _w00t_

Signing out,
Taylor *salute*