https://twitter.com/wspd8pio/status/837837600337453056
Sometimes no link is needed – this tweet says it all. As the person who shared this added: “Yay, passersby!”. You saved a life today. Well done. Respect.
More people are adopting old dogs — really old dogs
…a growing number of animal organizations focusing on adopting out older dogs, or “senior dogs” that are typically 7 years or older. Their age makes them some of the hardest-to-place animals …
It’s hard for me to overstate the respect I have for people that take on older animals. It seems like our pets are never with us long enough, and adopting one with “a few miles” already means that time left it just that much shorter. We’ve been long time supporters of a local organization – Old Dog Haven – that’s been doing this for years. I love that this story has been picked up by a major new outlet or two.
Full story at MSN (who also credits The Washington Post).
This 100-Year-Old Woman Got ‘Arrested’ To Fulfill Her Bucket List
A Dutch woman approaching her 100th birthday persuaded local police to fulfill an item on her bucket list.
Source: This 100-Year-Old Woman Got ‘Arrested’ To Fulfill Her Bucket List
This one just cracks me up – in part, of course, because it comes out of Holland. While it’s not something on my bucket list, I love that she’s still going strong and having fun as she nears the century mark; that is something I aspire to. That the local police helped … well, I actually know a Dutch police officer or two (totally legit, honest!) and I can see it happening. 🙂
Family honors grandma’s memory by displaying all of her quilts at her funeral
Margaret Hubl used her quilts to communicate her love for her family, and her family used them at her funeral to honor her memory.
Source: Family honors grandma’s memory by displaying all of her quilts at her funeral
The picture really says it all. it’s hard to believe that all those quilts were made by a single person – they represent an incredible amount of work. Clearly a labor of love. Displaying them this way was a wonderful memorial to Ms. Hubl.
Lego to Make ‘Women of NASA’ Minifigs, Including Sally Ride, Katherine Johnson
“Women of NASA,” a fan-created Lego minifigure set, will be the next set to officially be made as part of the Lego Ideas program.
Source: Lego to Make ‘Women of NASA’ Minifigs, Including Sally Ride, Katherine Johnson
You know you’ve made it when … you get honored with your own Lego minifig! I’ve had Legos since before Legos were cool (seriously, my grandmother would send them over as gifts for me from Holland back in the 1960’s). Their current rise in popularity has me tickled, of course, but that they’re now becoming educational in other ways is simply awesome.
I raise my coffee cup in honor! 🙂 Everything is awesome!
Largest grid-tied lithium ion battery system deployed today in San Diego | Ars Technica
CA Public Utilities Commissioner: “We are far in advance of where we expected to be.”
Source: Largest grid-tied lithium ion battery system deployed today in San Diego | Ars Technica
I love this. I think of it as a 4-hour uninterruptible power supply for 20,000 homes. Not mentioned in the article but it’s also a way to “time shift” power consumption from other sources. Not unlike Tesla’s powerwall, which is primarily intended to make solar more practical, and yet also serves as a kind of UPS as well. Oh, and this came in cheaper, and earlier than expected. 🙂
‘Sometimes people change’: Maryland shop covers up racist tattoos for free – The Washington Post
The Brooklyn Park business is on a mission to hide racist and gang designs.
Source: ‘Sometimes people change’: Maryland shop covers up racist tattoos for free – The Washington Post
I think my favorite quote from this article is this: “Sometimes people make bad choices, and sometimes people change, . . . We believe that there is enough hate in this world and we want to make a difference.”
Indeed. What’s cool is that he is making a difference – both at the individual level, but also at a larger level, using a GoFundMe to make it possible for tattoo artists elsewhere to also help folks who’ve come to regret (or is that regert? 🙂 ) their decisions.
San Francisco firefighters rescue dog who tumbled off cliff – SFGate
A San Francisco dog survived a brush with danger Wednesday after it tumbled down a cliffside at Fort Funston in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and had to be rescued by firefighters, officials said. After falling down the cliff while exploring the area off leash, the pooch got stuck on a ledge, said to Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesman for the San Francisco Fire Department. […] we recommend people remember that animals need to be within range for verbal commands, and people need to be responsible and keep their animals away from the cliffside, said Baxter. The dog was not injured, and his adventure could have had a much more tragic end, said Baxter — likely a relief for the caretaker, who was dog-sitting when the accident occurred.
Source: San Francisco firefighters rescue dog who tumbled off cliff – SFGate
Today’s story speaks to me not because it’s so unusual – it’s actually more common than you might think – but because I also happen to volunteer for a local organization that specializes in exactly these types of rescues: WASART (Washington State Animal Response Team). Let me add two pieces of advice, if I may: when hiking make sure your dogs paws are up to the sharp rocks you may find as your primary path (another common rescue are dogs that can no longer walk back down on their own due to paws injured by walking on sharp rocks on the hot sun), and when walking cliff-side a leash might be a very good idea.
Sharp vision: New glasses help the legally blind see | The Seattle Times
Suddenly, Regan could read a newspaper while eating breakfast and make out the faces of his co-workers from across the room. He’s been able to attend plays and watch what’s happening on stage, without having to guess why people around him were laughing.
Source: Sharp vision: New glasses help the legally blind see | The Seattle Times
This is another of those cases where technology many of us might even take for granted is being combined and extended in ways that actually, tangibly, improve the lives of others. Yeah, it’s expensive, but then almost everything is at the start. The real news here is that there’s progress down this path that could eventually make the lives of many, many people significantly better.
#notallnewsisbad
How Man’s Best Friend Is Helping Cancer Treatment | IFLScience
“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart… Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
Source: How Man’s Best Friend Is Helping Cancer Treatment | IFLScience
Today’s item strikes close to home, as we currently have a dog (Dagmar) who’s been in remission from lymphoma for 13+ months. We’ve noted several times throughout the process that parallels to human physiology have been striking. The experiences in canine oncology (and, in fact, other diseases as well) do make their way back to human treatment. We can learn a lot from our dogs, in so many ways.
#notallnewsisbad