Attention Pennsylvania Dog Lovers! Help Pass H.B. 2525 Dog Bill Into Law!

H.B. 2524 has passed the House of Representatives and is headed for the State Senate! The law would put stricker standards upon commercial breeding kennels and puppy mills. Last month's shooting of 80 dogs at a Puppy Mill in Berks County Pennsylvania has given headway to the bill. The Puppy Mills owned by Elmer and son Ammon Zimmerman were being investigated for unfit cages, living conditions, and the dog inspectors wanted the dogs checked for flea infestations by a Veternarian. He and his son later shot all 80 dogs, to avoid being prosecuted.

We are allowed to shot our own dogs here in Pennsylvania, it's legal! But I'm sure the majority of Pennsylvanians are appalled at this mass dog murder destruction! They were bred in the Puppy Mill, and murdered there how horrible is that! No quality of life, no love, kisses or arms to hold them! I can't fathom a person can be so cruel without feeling. The laws need to be changed, and the laws can't come soon enough for these sweet innocent dogs! As a lifelong Pennsylvanian, I'm sad to know we are known as the Puppy Mill capital of the world. We need to change that perception, because there're so many, many animal lovers in Pennsylvania.

Here is what you can do:

1. Sign the Saving Puppies.com Petition, to stop Puppy Mill abuse.

2.Oprah has a link on her site: Urge Pennsylvania Legislators To Stop Puppy Mills. where we can write or email our Legislators here to vote for the H.B. 2525 bill.

3. Adopt a dog or cat from your local animal shelter, or trusted breeder!

4. Spread the word about Pennsylvania Puppy Mills, and Bill H.B. 2525!

5. Support your local Humane Society or The Humane Society of the United States.

Have you kissed and loved your animals today!

Photo Credit: The Humane Society of the United States.

Drill Here, Drill Now, Top 3 Videos~ Cast Your Vote! Gas Well To Take Over Wooded Area!

American Solutions has narrowed their contest video picks down to the top 3! They need your help to choose a winner! Loved all the top 3 videos. My favorite is: "It's Time To Drill," by Alfonso Rachel below. I'm not much into rap, but I do like these guys. I think they have a catchy tune, and really speak for the people on how the gas prices are affecting us! You can vote, and view the top 3 videos, until September 27, 2008 at 4:00 pm EDT. The winner of the winning video gets free gas for a year. Good luck guys! Also if you haven't signed the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, petition yet, please do so. 1,484,237 people have signed the petition so far!

Talk about drilling, a gas well is to be put in behind our house. The property is not ours, so we have no say about it. The only thing that bums me out is that this is a wooded area where a lot of wild habitat hangs out! There are all kinds of birds, including huge hawks which were roosting right behind my house this summer. I always thought this area was a bird watchers paradise, along with deer, and all other critters. I got a shot below of my hawk which isn't too clear, but I followed him around a long time to get this shot. He was illusive to me like many lovers in my life! There is a good bit of woods in back of me, some I hope still protected by flood control. I guess there is no stopping progress! My hawk ~

The End of the World ~ Another Cool Video ~ This Could Possibly Happen!

I found another cool video on A Cup Of JO, that I really liked. I can imagine this happening in the future! My husband always says "The big one's gona come and blow us up someday!" Wouldn't it be wild if the governments got trigger happy. I do hope this never happens, but it could! The End of Ze World Video will make you smile here:

My Three Inspirations ~ Tag ~ Rock of Ages!

There have been infinite inspirations in my life, but here are the three listed for another tag meme by Ozy! List the book, the movie, and the music which has impacted you most in your adult life.

The Book: This Is My Beloved ~ By Walter Benton Published Feb 1, 1943 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. This was his first published book, and the paper cover which covers the hard cover is so tattered and torn. I purchased the book at a yard sale in my teens, and still to this day I love his passionate work. The very first entry is one of my favorite Walter Benton poems:

Entry April 28

Because hate is legislated . . . written into
the primer and the testament,

Because our day is of time, of hours --- and the clock-hand turns,
closes the circle upon us: and black timeless night
sucks us in like quicksand, receives us totally --
without a raincheck or a parachute, a key to heaven or the last long look

I need love more than ever now . . . I need your love,
I need love more than hope or money, wisdom or a drink

Because slow negative death withers the world -- and your hands are tender and your mouth is sweet -- and God has made no other eyes like yours.

~Walter Benton~

The Movie: Like Ozy I love the movie Blade Runner. The way our world is headed toward high technology as the movie depicts. Believing love and humanity is still the center of our universe, no matter how technical and inhuman the world becomes. The ending quoted from Rutger Hauer "All those moments will be lost... like tears in rain," by Roy Batty is one of my favorite quotes which I had on my PassionsFlame bio page.

Older movies which influenced me: Love Story famous quote "Love means you never have to say you're sorry," and Born Free ~ I love the movie theme song Born Free, which is the ultimate tear jerker song for the movie sung best by Andy Williams here:



The Music: My favorite all time band is Def Leopard, love all their songs from the Hysteria album. We caught them in Pittsburgh at station square two years ago, awesome concert! Tesla was a great opening band, but Def Leopard was rockin! I remember there was a guy in front of me kept falling backwards onto me! He was pleasantly shit faced, and he told us the concert tickets were a birthday gift from his daughter. His daughter was also going to chaperone him home, which he really needed! He was a trip to watch too! We had a blast, it was an unforgettable concert! Rock of Ages by Def Leopard ~



So there you go my three inspirations from a diverse person ~ Andy Williams to Def Leopard. I am a Rock of Ages! I tag all my blogger friends you know who you are!

Six Unremarkable Things About Moi!

1. I love the smell of coffee, but I've never developed a taste for it!

2. I'm a complete neat freak.

3. I strongly sense I'm from or belong to another past erra.

4. I dance to old rock-n-roll and disco music while cleaning the house.

5. I hate to wear PJ's of any kind to bed.

6. I have such a deep love for animals, that I even go to great lengths to avoid running over roadkill.

7. I did an extra one, because I do everything in sevens, and I love to break rules!

My blog friend Maggie tagged me for this meme. I tag all my blog friends: Jo, Kate, Ozzy, Ochi, Dan, Jose, Joyce, and Patty to write 6 Unremarkable Things About Yourself. Can't wait to read all your posts!

Presidential Campaign 2008 ~ Humor!!

Hilarious I say! If you're tired of all the "I endorse this and I endorse that," commercials -slugging bad tactics from both parties. You'll love this campaignin video! My sister-in-law sent me a link, which I'm dying to pass along to you all! Click the link below. I'm Jo True-Burkholder and I endorse this comical blog post. Guaranteed to bring humorous unity to us all! Love It!!!

http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

9-11 Reflections Forever Changed ~ Poem

The above photo was taken at the flight 93 crashsite in Somerset on our visit in 2003. The wide open fields and treelines are distinctive traits of beautiful Pennslyvania landscapes. We weren't actually allowed real close, but near to the treeline is where the plane went down. I found a site with arial shots which I thought were interesting here: 9-11 Reseach They have since moved the memorial across the street from where it was. A poem I wrote for 9-11 past to present!

9-11 Reflections Forever Changed

September 11, 2001

Not a plane in the sky,
I wipe a tear from my eyes,
I cry.
the nation cries..
I embrace my child,
glued to the TV set,
haven’t found everyone yet.
Part of the world died today,
a part of history,
which will leave us forever changed.

September 11, 2003

A gapping wound which won’t heal.
the lasting effects have rippled down.
Gas prices have shot way up,
big corporations have shut down.
Lives continue to be lost,
in a war which seems endless.
yet we are a proud and free nation.

We remember..
so many broken hearts
so many tears cried.
As our nation grieves.. for those
who gave and still give their lives.
A deep sadness remains..
reflecting on a day...a day,
which left us forever changed.

September 11, 2008

We reign as land of the free -where all
come to capture the American dream.
Great fountain yields equal opportunity,
building upon our own prosperity.

Modern times may appear bleak and gray,
no foreign evil can take our freedom away.
We honor those who give us that right,
surrendered lives in war’s untimely plight.

Citizen heroes we profoundly remember,
perished one bright Autumn September.
Fiery flames persevere on a horrific day,
reflections of tomorrows forever changed.

©Jo A. True-Burkholder 2008

September 11th - 7 Years Later!

We drove 60 miles to visit the Somerset flight 93 crashsite in the Spring of 2003. My favorite monument at the site pictured in my header above. I thought the inscription captured and defined a horrific historic day. I'm unsure if the monument looks the same now, but the carved stone was picture perfect with the momentos left by touring visitors.

I think we can all remember where we were on that fateful beautiful crisp Autumn day. The sky was immaculately clear, and devoid of any planes in sight. It was as if the whole world stopped, paralyzed in the moments of not wanting to believe what truly was happening before our eyes. The raw emotion of it, triggered an emptiness and uneasiness we never experienced as a nation before. Our own individual safety was being jeopardized, and tested beyond new limits. We were now unexpectantly put on guard for suspicious terrorists surrounding our doorsteps. Duct tape flew off the shelves, as well as non-parishable food items. People were scared and worried about the future.

Seven years later, the recession seems imminent upon us. House foreclosures, businesses shutting down, gas prices climbing up even higher causing a domino effect of soaring prices in general, and the war still continues on. The economy slowly crumbling at our feet, and we have no choice but to pay and pay, and try to survive.

Folks are cutting way back, we didn't even take a family vacation this year. Sticking closer to home, and staying by our own pool this summer. We drove around to events in our surrounding area, and eating out has become too expensive. Less spending filters right back down into business profits too. It's come to the point, I don't want to listen to the news anymore to hear what else will be next to rise in the price crunch. They say inflation isn't upon us, but we can all feel the pinch of recession closing in.

If we think times are arduous now, I don't even want to think what the future will bring for our children. What things will cost then, how will they survive? In a technology reliant generation, the me generation. A rude awakening to revert back to basic living, without luxuries. A way of life we are forced into living everyday, and the refusal of so many officials, and econmic educators, to grasp the true reality of families being hit hard with INFLATION -RECESSION!