Good news at the end of the line.
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,090
As this particular Moving Train reaches the end of the line, why not finish off with some good news stories?
Here's a good one:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/g ... ories.html
A baby in a runaway stroller was saved by a quick thinking garbage truck driver.
Jeff Blackburn was behind the wheel of his Seattle garbage truck when he saw the infant's mother lose control of the stroller on a steep city street.
"Almost immediately when she turned the corner the stroller started to turn and roll down the hill," Blackburn said.
Blackburn started honking his horn and sped up to catch the stroller.
"Luckily when I was honking the horn a Fedex truck was going through the intersection and stopped because he heard the horn honking," Blackburn said.
He parked his truck in the middle of the road to block traffic and ran toward the runaway baby boy, who was smiling when Blackburn finally caught up with him.
The panicked mother was relieved and walked away with her son, who was unharmed.
Blackburn is being hailed as a hero, but insists he was "just in the right place at the right time."
Here's a good one:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/g ... ories.html
A baby in a runaway stroller was saved by a quick thinking garbage truck driver.
Jeff Blackburn was behind the wheel of his Seattle garbage truck when he saw the infant's mother lose control of the stroller on a steep city street.
"Almost immediately when she turned the corner the stroller started to turn and roll down the hill," Blackburn said.
Blackburn started honking his horn and sped up to catch the stroller.
"Luckily when I was honking the horn a Fedex truck was going through the intersection and stopped because he heard the horn honking," Blackburn said.
He parked his truck in the middle of the road to block traffic and ran toward the runaway baby boy, who was smiling when Blackburn finally caught up with him.
The panicked mother was relieved and walked away with her son, who was unharmed.
Blackburn is being hailed as a hero, but insists he was "just in the right place at the right time."
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
Democracy Dies in Darkness- Washington PostPost edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
An animal one....
"For fox sake! Male cub rescued after getting trapped between walls for two days
A specialist used a drill, hammer, bolster and chisel to remove bricks from inside the garage wall to reach the fox
All that for a little fox! He's so cute.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news ... ays-854908
Sweet! :thumbup:
Still, keeping in line with the much-welcomed don't-it-make-me-smile theme, I give you - big cats with toys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9WsyKDF ... AC9C3104C0
ps...either way, here's to happy endings
--by Laura Simpson, Original Story, Nov 19, 2011
As founder of The Great Animal Rescue Chase, I have the pleasure of meeting hundreds of incredible heroes, but this one caught me off guard. Your hair will stand on end as you read the story of this man and this dog who picked one another up time and time again. Be sure to look for the link at the end of the story to see more photos. May we all one day have the chance to love this deeply….
By Don Hill of Georgia
I was in Augusta, Georgia where I had been for several weeks cleaning out my mother’s home following her recent death as a result of numerous health issues and complications. On this Sunday, my final day there, as I was just about an hour from leaving to return to the foothills of the northeast Georgia mountains and my five rescue dogs almost four hours away, I walked out into the front yard to take one last look at the home of my parents and I saw in the front yard what appeared to be a very old dog that was in obvious distress. He would walk in a semi-circle, then fall to the ground, then struggle back to his feet and do it again. I saw him do this same thing at least three times as I walked over to him.
This was to be by far my easiest rescue because this poor old boy was in no shape to run from me, but also the most heartbreaking. This sad, unneutered male was in just the worst shape of any dog I had ever seen in my many years in animal rescue. He was emaciated, dehydrated, his right eye was swollen shut and draining puss, both ears were severely infected and draining as well, his body was covered with open sores, he was infested with fleas and his front nails were almost four inches long. All his teeth were worn down level with his gums, I assume from years of chewing at a cable or chain used to confine him and the pads on his feet were extremely worn and cut.
When he saw my shadow he flinched and fell to the ground as if he were about to be beaten
As I got close to him, he didn’t appear to hear me approaching but when he saw my shadow, he flinched and fell to the ground as if he were about to be beaten and he cowered. I sat on the grass with him and stroked him and talked softly to him until he stopped cowering, trying to assure him that no one was ever going to hurt him again and that his suffering was going to end. I wanted to show him that he had nothing to fear from me.
I estimated his age at 10 plus; the vet that treated him later determined he was close to 15. I picked him up in my arms and carried him into the carport where I had a small utility trailer packed with things from my mother’s house I was taking with me. There was some dry dog food and some stainless steel dog bowls in one of the boxes as well as some old blankets and towels so I made him a bed then put him on it as I mixed some of the dry food with water to soften it, knowing he would have a hard time eating it otherwise with his teeth in the condition they were in. For several hours I gave him food and water in small quantities due to his condition, not wanting him to eat or drink too much too fast but trying to build his strength some and get him home where the following morning I could take him to my vet and end his suffering humanely.
Bringing Roadie home – he laid his head across my thigh
Leaving him was never an option once I had found him. I made him a bed on the front seat of my Jeep, picked him up and laid him on it. I hitched up the utility trailer and began the drive home wondering if this now soundly sleeping old boy would make it back to the farm. Just a few miles down the road, he lifted his head and looked at me with the one big brown eye he could open as if to say thank you, then laid that head across my right thigh where it stayed the entire ride home and he went back to sleep.
He made it back to the farm with me where I bedded him down comfortably in an empty stall in the barn, wanting to keep him isolated from the other dogs there until I could take him to the vet’s office first thing the next morning. I carried him into the vet’s office and laid him on the examination room table, fully expecting to allow the vet to send this poor sweet old man on to a better place. He opened his one good eye and reached out and touched me with his paw and I knew right then and there that this poor old boy was going to break my heart.
The veterinary exam. What would they find?
My vet examined him and when he was done he told me that the ear infections were the worst he had ever seen and he was almost positive this old guy was totally deaf as a result. We discussed all the heath issues and he asked me what I wanted to do. He told me that right now he couldn’t see anything wrong that couldn’t be treated and that he felt the dog could fully recover without too much stress or pain and have a good quality of life but he warned me that because of his advanced age, even if we decided to treat all his issues, this old boy may only have six months or maybe a year left and it was up to me. He saw me hesitate as I looked down on this poor old man I had found and then he said “Let’s test him for heartworm. He’s way too old to go through treatment. Let’s see if he’s positive or not and then you can decide.” I said okay. I had named him “Roadie” because that day I found him it was obvious he had been on the road a while.
As I waited for the results of the heartworm test, I was trying to figure out where I was going to get the money to treat all his other problems should he be heartworm negative. I picked up my cell phone and called a close friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous. He had founded a disaster response animal rescue group in the wake of Hurricane Katrina called Kat 5 Animal Rescue. I told him everything about Roadie and he said he would help me with the expenses to treat Roadie if the vet and I determined he could be restored to a good quality of life.
Roadie wants to live
My vet came back in and said “Roadie has a lot of problems right now but heartworm isn’t one of them.” He obviously knew I was concerned about the costs involved and he told me if I wanted to treat this sweet old man he would give me every possible discount. I asked him to leave me alone with Roadie for a few minutes so I could try to make the right decision. As I stood there stroking Roadie’s matted dirty coat, I realized that he had been put in my path for a reason and be it only six months or maybe a year, I was going to do everything in my power to show this old man who had suffered a lifetime of neglect and abuse that somebody loved him and cared about him before he left this world — full well knowing that when that time came, I would be crushed with grief.
So Roadie was going to be treated. He stayed at the vet’s office for five days where he was put on IV fluids and antibiotics, his flea infestation was dealt with, his draining infected ears were cleaned, and he was given a medicated bath. All of his issues were addressed and it took almost two months, but he recovered fully.
The best months of his life…even playing ball at his old age
Roadie lived on the farm with me and my other dogs and the horses for seven months happy and full of life . He played with his favorite ball and slept in my bed every night until that morning I had been dreading came. I awoke that Friday to take Roadie and the other kids out but he couldn’t get up and stand on his feet and I thought well he is just having a bad day, so I helped to his feet and outside to do his business and continued to do so over the weekend. By Monday, his legs couldn’t support his weight even with my assistance, so just as I had seven months earlier, I carried him into my vet’s office and my vet told me it was time. I held him in my arms and cried as Roadie left this world, but as he looked at me just before the lights went out behind those big beautiful brown eyes, I knew in my heart that Roadie knew I loved him as I knew he loved me.
I took Roadie back to the farm and my friend who had helped with the vet bills for Roadie then helped me bury him on the farm with his favorite ball. I went to the house and sat with my other dogs for comfort and cried for days just as I am now, telling his story. I can honestly say knowing everything I know now that I would do it all over again. You see, just weeks before I found Roadie, I had lost my mother, and Roadie, without me even knowing it at the time, had helped me through some of the darkest days of my life focusing on him and not the recent loss of my mom. I will never forget him or the special gift he gave me and rarely a day goes by that I don’t think of him playing with his ball or my other dogs and walking as fast as he could to try to keep up with them that I don’t smile or sometimes still shed a tear. I have a magnet on my Jeep that looks like a dog’s paw print and it says “Who Rescued Who?” I’ll let you decide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlJJt1BEZA
frickin awesome story
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
Tenderness, loveliness.
I'm now gonna go plant a big fat sweet one on my honey.
(he may be an angel when he sleeps, but fuck me if he's not a devil when awake. god I love him)
and ps - go Maricor! and go, Pearl Jam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up3RhktOTDo
PJ Forum Back Up and Running/ Train Still on Track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LzgoRyx ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBAuaJKMOTg
*(Tried to anyway. It's changed on this post but not on the AMT topis list.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmF7n6KUfto
Love this era (and prior) of theirs.
Good news will always come
Poor mom though. The horror she felt for those seconds must have almost killed her!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47812743/ns ... 9oJ6cVXk3w
http://www.11alive.com/life/Community/h ... y-of-hope-
yes out of the very worst can come the very best
Great story! :thumbup:
PJ -- "Look for love & evidence, that WE'RE worth keeping.
This song is oftentimes on my mind but also, I just used over in Divide or Unify thread.
Well, this song has emboldened me for the past 2 years; kept my drive alive enough to finish writing Dancing Partners and without it -- I'd never have made it so yeah, seems only logical I ended here at AMT. (Stick with me, there's a reason I bring this up on this thread.)
Obviously, I know this song by heart, and so also, it seems only logical for someone passionate enough to write about pureform humans are worth keeping, to alter most I's to WE's when singing my rendition.
I fill my lungs to proudly declare 'DREAM THE DREAMS OF OTHERS THEN - WE'LL BE NO ONE'S RIVAL".
Anyway, I don't have a heartwarming clip to provide for this thread though I hope others will keep doing so, but I see heartwarming examples each and every day and make this point several times in the DP series because I think this reminder is THAT crucial.
Every day, just take the time to notice and then you will see: average, ordinary you and me, not just the rich & famous or the glamorous and righteous, not just the ones abducted by u-tube, but ALL of us (other than subhumans) constantly provide "love & evidence, that we are indeed -- worth keeping."
Happy Thanksgiving. If you can, invite someone without. I usually make my away-from-their-own home co-workers come and suffer my family dynamics!
Enjoyed the comments too....
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates and Happy Thursday if you don't.
x
(FYI, NatGeoWild will be showing similar fare on this "Friendsgiving" Friday
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... race.html#
Happy Thanksgiving. :wave: We already did ours in Canada, but it's all the same thing.
This was my favorite part - "Hank, who was reported to "be sleeping" on election day itself, also managed to raise $60,000 during the course of his campaign. The money is to be donated to a number of animal welfare charities."
Paws up to Hank! :thumbup: