- Live Fearlessly, Compassionately and Honestly
 
Whether it's old paint on metal, rubber, or wood, the way it peels and cracks can leave a beautiful abstract image worthy of framing. 
Picture
photo by Betsy Seeton -- A rubber hose off an old orange tractor
Add Comment
 
 
This is Marvin. He's in Denver, Colorado. He was transported from Arkansas where he had been left for dead in a ditch with a broken leg and had been severely beaten. Since then he has been neglected by his new human owners after some rehab and was later in foster care for 3 months being nursed back to health. He is around 3 years old. 
He was placed with me February 22, 2012. He had never seen snow and was at first frightened by it. Gradually, he began to explore and is now fine with it. Because of his abuse he tends to scare easily. Sadness is in his eyes, but I see hope in there too. 
I took the photos below at the park where he had a great time greeting other dogs and walking around the pond. He has so many experiences to catch up on! I loved seeing his sad eyes turn curious and fill with wonder as we walked. He likes dogs, children, and cats.   
Tonight Marvin is going to his forever home. Nikki, Marvin's facilitator, is excellent at re-homing dogs and finding mutually good matches. Marvin is inspiring. He's full of love and sweetness even though he has experienced the darker side of humanity and suffered greatly. 
Add Comment
 
 
Please be sure to read what the soldier in this 
clip wrote about this video. You'll appreciate it all the more.
This is what the soldier (Andy) wrote about this post:

I'm uploading this for family. This was the day I came back from Kandahar in Sept. 2005. Life has changed since then. But Gracie is still a good dog.

UPDATE: (11-13-2009) - This is crazy. I posted this years ago along with three other clips of my wife in Haiti for my parents to see (Jen does medical missions in Haiti and runs a clinic in Cap Haitien). They still have like 400 hits a piece.

This clip had like 30,000 hits two days ago. I'm not quite sure where this attention is all coming from. [EDIT: It appears to have started at Mentalfloss.com]
Oh, and it was filmed by my wife Jen in our front yard in Springfield, VA.. Gracie is six now. She's asleep at my feet as I'm typing this.
Take care, all - A.S.

UPDATE (11-14-2009). O-kaaaaay. This is getting crazy. They ran this on the Today Show today. I'm not a public person ... this is getting a little intimidating.
I'm glad that this clip of Gracie has made so many people happy. If it makes you smile, it's a good thing. But please remember the men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. My buddy Steve Taylor who is in Iraq wrote me to say that it bummed him out, because it reminded him of how much he missed his dog ...

FINAL UPDATE (11-15-2009) Again, thanks for everyone's kind words. Yes, we did a short (2-min) spot on the Today Show this morning. They were nice, but I didn't get to say what I wanted to say about my friends deployed or the many Guardsmen overseas right now. But it went well (do a Google for Capt. Andrew Schmidt to see it).
We were contacted by another news outlet, but we declined. We're 17 minutes into our 15 minutes of fame. We're private people, and these things can get out of hand. For one, I am a staff officer in the Air Guard (even though I am past enlisted) ... there are tens of thousands of combat arms soldiers and Marines on their third+ 12 month deployment down range; I'm only gearing up for my second. I don't want to be made a symbol for something that I don't deserve to be. You have to be careful, because you have no control when you go on TV unless you are very, very savvy (I am not). Or you get crazy and end up building a UFO weather balloon in your back yard.

Take care. This was a fun week, but it's over now. I have to go change a diaper, then walk Gracie.

Andy and family.

FINAL FINAL UPDATE (11-16-2009) -- I forgot to say this earlier, but if you ever want to get a dog, go to the pound. Pound dogs will always appreciate what you did for them. Save a life, adopt a mutt. Mixed breeds rule (Gracie is half Corgi, and a bunch of others, I'm sure). Gracie was on doggie death row -- she had been there for four months -- when we got her. She was days away, and she's been the best dog and a vital part of our family for the past five years. It's funny that a little dog that was found abandoned in a pen in West Virginia, completely neglected, could put a smile on so many faces.

FINAL, FINAL, FINAL UPDATE (11-18-2009) I wanted to point out two things that have happened as a result of this. First, Kong Toys, which makes those wonderful little rubber dog toys with the peanut butter, reached out to me so that they could send a basket to Gracie (spoiled). That's nice, but I give the plug because they asked for my friend Steve's parent's contact info so that they could send a ton of stuff to them to help them look after his dog Maxine, since he's overseas. We had some talks about how we could build a program where when Guardsmen get deployed the company can do something for the pets left behind. Hopefully more to follow that.

Second, I reached out to the Alexandria, VA, animal shelter to let them know that Gracie is one of theirs. They saved her in 2004. They were elated -- those people have a tough job, and if it picks up their morale, then great. I also told them that they could use it in any way for marketing or promotion purposes, full rights. Hopefully more to follow on that as well.

DECEMBER UPDATE (12-30-2009): Thanks to everyone who clicked the ads. This week I received a check for $602.23 from Google Adsense, which I am donating to the Alexandria Animal Shelter today (already spoke to them via e-mail). Obviously, the attention on this clip has come and gone, but it still gets some hits from time-to-time. Have a happy new year everyone.

[Money made from the ads running on this page were donated to the Alexandria, Va, shelter where I got Gracie. $602 the first month. I later donated about $250 from money made from click-thrus - Andy] 
Add Comment
 
 
This 12 x 12 hard cover book is filled with inspiring quotes 
from some of the greatest minds in our history. This 
beautiful book makes a terrific addition to your home library 
or a lovely gift for the nature lover to treasure for a lifetime.
Picture
back cover
Picture
COVER
View inside the book below:

                                        I dedicate this book to my dear, sweet mother ...

She always, always has my back. She's my biggest fan, my mentor, my confidant, my hero, my turn to person when my world comes crashing down, and the first person I call to tell when things are going great. The comfort that comes from our friendship, the confidence that her faith in me instills, and her unquestioning support of whatever I do, is priceless. The kind of there-for-me that she is, is the essence of what makes her a remarkable mother. I wear her unconditional love and support around me like a big hug every single day. I love you mom. Thank you for being such a blessing in my life. You are my angel on earth.
Add Comment
 
 
"Bodies" Fill Underwater Sculpture Park
Picture
Photograph courtesy Jason deCaires Taylor
"More than 400 of the permanent sculptures have been installed in recent months in the National Marine Park of Cancún, Isla Mujeres, and Punta Nizuc (map of the region) as part of a major artwork called "The Silent Evolution." The installation is the first endeavor of a new underwater museum called MUSA, or Museo Subacuático de Arte. " source: National Geographic
"Created by Mexico-based British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, the Caribbean installation is intended to eventually cover more than 4,520 square feet (420 square meters), which would make it "one of the largest and most ambitious underwater attractions in the world," according to a museum statement.

(See "New Artificial Reefs 'Grow' From Mideast Peace Deal.")

In doing so, Taylor hopes the reefs, which are already stressed by marine pollution, warming waters, and overfishing, can catch a break from the approximately 750,000 tourists who visit local reefs each year.

"That puts a lot of pressure on the existing reefs," Taylor told National Geographic News. "So part of this project is to actually discharge those people away from the natural reefs and bring them to an area of artificial reefs." source: National Geographic

—With reporting by Fritz Faerber

Add Comment
 
 
This is very interesting and gives you an inside view of who mines gold in Africa, how it's mined and who profits. It also introduces you to many of the dangers facing the young and adult miners, such as mercury poisoning and cave ins. What's especially noteworthy is the introduction to Greg Valerio and his efforts to bring Fair Trade to the jewelry industry in the UK and the United States. Learn how you can help.
Picture
click to go to Greg's website
CLICK THE LINK ABOVE OR BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT FAIR TRADE IN GOLD JEWELRY
Picture
click to go to the website
Add Comment
 
 
"Om has only a mystical meaning — suggesting primordial reality. Mani means jewel, while Padme means lotus. Hum, like Om, has no conceptual meaning. Overall, the mantra is suggestive of the bringing together of the qualities of wisdom (the lotus) and compassion (the jewel).

Just as the lotus can exist in muddy water without being soiled, so wisdom can exist in an impure world without becoming contaminated.

And the Dalai Lama points out that just as a jewel can relieve poverty, so the compassionate mind takes away the poverty of unhappiness that exists in the world and replaces it with the wealth of wellbeing." source: http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/avalokitesvara
Picture
I got this on the Everest Trek in Nepal. It reads: Om mani padme hum.
"Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect -- it is often carved into stones, like the one pictured above, and placed where people can see them." source: http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/meaning-of-om-mani-padme-hung.htm
The Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum

The Mani mantra is the most widely used of all Buddhist mantras, and open to anyone who feels inspired to practice it -- it does not require prior initiation by a lama (meditation master). The six syllables of the mantra, as it is often pronounced by Tibetans -- Om Mani Padme Hum -- are here written in the Tibetan alphabet reading from left to right the syllables are:

         Om (ohm)  Ma (mah)  Ni (nee) Pad (pahd)  Me (may)  Hum (hum)

The vowel in the sylable Hu (is pronounced as in the English word 'book'.) The final consonant in that syllable is often pronounced 'ng' as in 'song' -- Om Mani Padme Hung. There is one further complication: The syllable Pad is pronounced Pe (peh) by many Tibetans: Om Mani Peme Hung.
Add Comment
 
 
"The EPA has been relying on Monsanto to monitor the development of rootworm resistance, and—surprise!—Monsanto has been doing a lousy job of it," writes Tom Philpott.
This is Tom's first article 9/8/11:
Picture
click image to read full article
Here's Tom's follow up article (below) December 8, 2011:
Picture
click image to read full article
"With this document (pdf below), the EPA is tacitly acknowledging that its independent advisory panel was right, and Monsanto was wrong." 
Add Comment
 
 
We must always keep peace in our hearts as we try to bring the changes we believe this world so desperately needs. Here's to peaceful activism! A call for World Peace PEACE TODAY music by Faith Rivera From the CD "Maluhia ~ Everyday Peace" 
Add Comment
 
 
I've been writing about the chocolate industry since 2008. With the holidays here, it's very timely to shine a spotlight on this issue and help you purchase chocolate that is not made by child slaves. 
Picture
click to go to their website and get the most up to date information
As consumers demand more ethical products, some companies rise to the challenge, while others try to associate themselves with "fair practices" and "free trade" but not all are being truthful. Big corporations sometimes choose a path that aligns them with a marketing plan that is all talk and no walk. It's very challenging for consumers to know what they can buy that is truly slave free and traded fairly. 

Stop Chocolate Slavery is a watchdog of sorts and does a good job trying to get consumers honest information with no hidden agenda. The advice they offer is this: If you want some chocolate, but don't want to exploit people, Fair Trade chocolate is probably your best bet. "Fair trade" was a term coined fairly recently, apparently in contradiction to so-called free trade.
STOP CHOCOLATE SLAVERY ADVISES:

"In the Fair Trade system, purchasers of products like coffee and cocoa beans, bananas, and sugar typically agree to pay an above market price for the products. The extra money is intended to help the small farms and co-operatives selling the products to make lasting improvements in their communities, by going towards schools, hospitals, and other improvements in infrastructure. The purchasers of the products, meanwhile, who are typically companies intending to import and sell the products yet again in another country, can then label the products as "Fair Trade certified", which lets the end consumer know that he or she isn't colluding in exploitation against some poor third world farmer. And thus, in theory, everyone is happy.

It sounds good to me, and, as I write, I've yet to hear any claims that the Fair Trade system is somehow corrupt, or phony, or any other adjective that might mitigate its goodness. Of course, the higher price paid to the Fair Trade farmer is usually passed on to the end consumer, but it seems a small price to pay, indeed, to know that you aren't colluding in the exploitation of poverty.

The markets for Fair Trade products, including chocolate, are small but growing rapidly, and I think we should all do what we can to support them."

IS MY CHOCOLATE SLAVE FREE?
CLICK TO SEE A FULL LIST OF CHOCOLATE COMPANIES RATED
Picture
GO TO THE WEBSITE BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE
Add Comment