Live Life… A Poem

January 18, 2013 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

Life is crazy,
and totally unpredictable…
It’s going to push you over,
kick you while you’re down
and hit you when you try to get back up.
Not everything can beat you.
Things are going to change you,
But you get to choose which ones you let change you.
Listen to your heart,
Follow your dreams,
And let no one tell you what you’re capable of.
Push the limits,
Bend the rules,
And enjoy every minute of it.
Laugh at everything,
Live for as long as you can.
Love all,
But trust none.
Believe in yourself,
And never lose faith in others
Settle for nothing but only the best,
And give 110% in everything you do.
Take risks,
Live on the edge,
Yet stay safe,
And cherish every moment of it.
Life is a gift,
Appreciate all the rewards,
And jump on every opportunity.
Not everyone’s going to love you
But who needs them anyways.
Challenge everything,
And fight for what you believe.
Back down to nothing,
But give in to the little things in life,
After all, that is what makes you.
Forget the unnecessary,
But remember everything,
Bring it with you everywhere you go.
Learn something new,
And appreciate criticism.
Hate nothing,
But dislike what you want.
Never forget where you came from,
And always remember where you are going.
Live Life to its fullest,
And have a reason for everything,
Even if it’s totally insane.
Find Your purpose in life,
and Live it!

The stories of eight amazing dogs

January 18, 2013 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

Here are the stories of eight amazing doggies….

1. CAIRO THE SEAL DOG

Cairo the military dog was born and bred for the job. He is a Belgian Malinois, a shepherd breed that few were familiar with, until Cairo’s story became news. After Cairo trained to be a Military Working Dog at a young age, he advanced to Navy SEAL training. Cairo was the only dog to accompany Navy SEAL Team 6 as they raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Cairo was strapped to his handler as they were lowered from a helicopter, and wore special body armor while bursting into the compound. The dog is the only member of SEAL Team 6 to be publicly named.

2. DOZER THE MARATHON DOG

Dozer, a three-year-old “goldendoodle,” saw a bunch of people run by his home in Fulton, Maryland. He became so excited that he crossed his invisible fence and started running with them. Seven miles later, Dozer crossed the finish line of the Maryland Half Marathon, a fundraising event for the University of Maryland’s Greenebaum Cancer Center. The runners did not know Dozer was alone. He returned home the next day, looking so tired that his owners took him to the vet. Word got around, and they realized Dozer was the dog on the marathon’s TV coverage. Marathon organizers gave Dozer a special award. Now he has his own runner’s page and Facebook fan page -and he’s raised $21,000 for the cancer center!

3. LADA THE LOYAL BABYSITTER

Olga, a 22-year-old woman in Saratov, Russia took her dog and her baby son Vadim to a park and met up with friends. After a few drinks, Olga went home and left her baby behind! Luckily, her dog Lada was with the baby. Olga woke the next morning and realized the child was missing. She thought Vadim had been abducted, but her father went to the park and found the baby in his pram, with Lada still beside him. The rottweiler had stood guard over him all night long. Vadim was wet and hungry, but unharmed, and was placed in the care of his grandmother.

4. BELLE CALLS 911

Kevin Weaver has diabetes. He also has a specially-trained beagle named Belle who can sense when his blood sugar levels are off. She licks his nose, and then paws at him to signal that he should take a reading. In the summer of 2006, Belle put another skill to work. Weaver suffered a seizure and collapsed. Belle grabbed the man’s cell phone and bit down on the number 9, just like she had been trained. The number was programmed to dial 911, and emergency workers soon arrived. Belle was later given the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award for those who use cell phones to save lives. Belle was the first dog to ever win the award.

5. DORADO THE BRAVE GUIDE

Omar Eduardo Rivera is a blind computer technician who uses a guide dog. On September 11, 2001, Rivera was working on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center when a plane hit the building above him. His dog Dorado was under Rivera’s desk, as usual. As the building evacuation began, Rivera smelled the smoke and heard the chaos in the stairwell. He took the Labrador retriever’s leash off, so the dog could escape. Dorado ignored Rivera’s order to go ahead, and escorted his master down 70 flights of stairs. They were separated by the rush of the crowd for a few minutes, but Dorado found his way back to Rivera and continued down the stairs. They reached the ground about an hour after they began the descent, only a few minutes before the building collapsed.

6. CHASER THE DOG OF MANY WORDS

Border collies are known for their intelligence. Chaser is a border collie that belongs to a retired psychology professor. John W. Pilley read about a dog who learned to recognize 200 German nouns, and decided to see if Chaser could learn words as well. Working with the dog for around five hours a day, Chaser learned to recognize the names of a couple of new objects every day, to a current total of 1,022 nouns! Along the way, Chaser got the idea that learning words is her job, so now the 82-year-old Pilley has a hard time taking it easy, as Chaser demands her lessons! Pilley is now teaching Chaser verbs and basic grammar.

7. ROWAN THE ECHOLOCATOR

A German spitz named Rowan was born without eyes, but gets around almost as well as a sighted dog. Rowan learned to use the reverberations of his bark to determine where objects are in the great outdoors. This is a version of echolocation, in which a blind person (or dog, in this case) creates a mental map by comparing the way sound bounces back in an echo. Rowan was not taught to “see” this way, but his owners noticed how his behavior outside changed when the trees filled out with leaves. Most people who meet Rowan don’t even realize he is blind -they just wonder why he keeps his eyes shut.

8. DEXTER THE WAR HERO

Dexter’s full name is Military Working Dog Dexter CO67, but he is now retired after service in Afghanistan. Dexter served for six years, during which time he detected a garbage truck filled with explosives and saved at least a thousand military personnel and civilians. After his tour, he was scheduled to be euthanized because of hip problems and the fact that military dogs are hard to place for adoption because of their aggressiveness. His handler, Kathleen Ellison, went to work to save Dexter through the organization Military Working Dog Adoptions. Veteran Danny Scheurer, who worked with dogs during his military service, agreed to adopt Dexter and bring him home to Spring Grove, Illinois. Dexter also became the first canine member of the American Legion when he was accepted as a full member by Fox Lake American Legion Post 703.

How many other things do we miss?

January 9, 2013 JoJo Bayvel2 Comments

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.

The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”

A Prayer for the New Year

January 4, 2013January 4, 2013 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

Holy Father,

God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.

We praise You for Your unequaled greatness.

Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.

Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.

To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.

To teach others to love by loving them.

Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for us.

So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.

That we could share Love with others.

Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,

in the chriping of sparrows in our backyards,

in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.

Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,

so that we may know You better and better.

We rejoice in the world You loved into being.

Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.

We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.

Forgive us for falling short this past year.

We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.

We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what’s ahead, depending on You to help us do exactly what You want..

I say it again, we rejoice!

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Morgan Freeman Connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Statement a HOAX, Actor’s Bogus ‘Sensationalist Media’ Post Goes Viral

December 16, 2012 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

Reports confirm that a recent statement released by Morgan Freeman, where the 75-year-old actor supposedly blames the media for “sensationalizing” monsters such as 20-year-old Adam Lanza (the gunman involved in the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut), is a hoax. Reddit users recently discovered that the bogus post was actually initially posted on Facebook by a man named “Mark” from Vancouver. The school shooting response has since gone viral on popular social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter. Read on for further details.

Here is the post allegedly written by Morgan Freeman, where the Oscar winner blames these types of violent tragedies directly on CNN, Fox News, and other popular media/news outlets. Reports now confirm that the statement isn’t necessarily “fake,” but it was not actually released by Freeman:

“You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here’s why.
It’s because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities.
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way.
Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours.
Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I’ve seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you’ve just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man’s name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news.”
The above quote was never actually associated with Freeman or any reputable news/media outlet, which prompted initial rumors that it had to be a hoax.
The man who actually wrote the post on Facebook (identified simply as “Mark”) later commented, “If I know the Internet, someone will attribute the quote to Morgan Freeman or Betty White and it’ll go viral.”
As Reddit notes, everything does sound better coming from the actor’s smooth and deliberate voice.
Even though Freeman didn’t write the response, do Mstarz readers agree with what “Mark” has to say about the tragic shootings?
Mstarz earlier reported:
Reports allege that Adam Lanza (from Hoboken, NJ) killed his mother Nancy and father Peter at their home before heading to the Sandy Hook school, where he shot and killed several faculty and young students (between the ages of 6-7) that Nancy may have worked with at approximately 9:40 a.m on Friday (Dec. 14). He then died of an alleged self-inflicted gun wound. Authorities first named the gunman as Lanza’s 24-year-old brother Ryan, because the gunman had Ryan’s ID on him at the time of the shootings. Apparently Adam had gotten into an argument with his mother Nancy which prompted him to go off on the morbid killing spree. While some initial reports had it Nancy was actually one of the victims found among the carnage at Sandy Hook, new reports confirm that she was shot in the face by Adam at the family’s home in Newtown. He then used her car to drive to the school.
Little else is known about Adam Lanza other than that he was wearing a “black battle fatigues, military vest, and bullet proof vest” at the time of the shooting Family members insist Adam was emotionally disturbed and “not well.”
An updated report on Yahoo! provides more in-depth details on the gunman as well as his mother, Nancy (Adam was supposedly an honor student at Newtown High School, and Nancy had divorced her husband Peter back in 2008).
The names of the 26 Sandy Hook shooting victims have since been released (with further details here).
Thoughts and condolences go out to those affected in and throughout the Newtown community during the sorrowful aftermath of this tragic event.