A senior black Labrador retriever hasn't had a very pampered life so far, and her luck doesn't seem to be getting much better. Now at Chautauqua County Animal Shelter in Sedan, Kansas, Ma Kettle has been here before.

Ma Kettle's story goes back to the fall of 2012 when her owner died and no one wanted her. Luckily she was adopted and was living happily until a small dog came into the family and Ma Kettle couldn't adjust. And we all know what happens far too often with old dogs - they get sent to animal shelters.

Several weeks ago she was given to a lady in Independence, Kansas, but Ma Kettle's desire to come home was overwhelming. The dog escaped from the yard and walked almost 30 miles back to Sedan to return to her home. The owners will not take her back.

A volunteer writes:
"The senior Lab walked nearly 30 miles to come home. Her "family" can not take her back because of the little dogs. Is there anyone out there who can give this girl a home? She may not have many years left. She is spayed, house broken and leash trained, mellow, having problems walking (so her travels back to Sedan amazed me.)"

Contact the Chautauqua County Animal Shelter in Sedan, Kansas. at 620-725-3561. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Only one person is there, and if he is cleaning the outside kennels, he will not be able to hear the phone so don't give up!
<snip>
http://www.examiner.com/article/senior-labrador-retriever-walks-30-miles-to-return-home-owners-say-no

I hope she finds one last furever home that makes her very comfortable and feel overwhelmed with love.

For-profit late-stage cancer treatment company pays for FreedomWorks to fight making early detection affordable
For five years, FreedomWorks has proclaimed itself a leading tea party group fueling the conservative grassroots and fighting establishment Republicans. The organization touts its small-dollar donations from everyday activists, but it also has received substantial funding from corporate donors and one-percenters, most notably Richard Stephenson, a FreedomWorks board member who founded the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Documents obtained by Mother Jones—including emails, financial records, and fundraising pitches—show that CTCA, in addition to Stephenson, gave money to FreedomWorks, and that Stephenson's son, Shawn, a Switzerland-based businessman, had a central role in overseeing the Stephenson family's support of FreedomWorks. The goal, Shawn Stephenson noted in a September 2010 email, was "creating a tsunami of change directed at DC that is and will be historic." But the documents also reveal that the Stephensons and CTCA expected real returns for the money they pumped into FreedomWorks.

In numerous emails, CTCA officials said they anticipated their FreedomWorks donations would produce tangible benefits for the company. For example, they hoped that FreedomWorks would help CTCA hone its online marketing and outreach skills. (CTCA is a privately held chain of hospitals that treats advanced-stage cancer patients. It reaches new customers largely via TV commercials and digital advertising.) As Shawn Stephenson put it in 2010, "I know there will be benefits that all of CTCA will gain through the work that Freedomworks is pursuing."

A spokeswoman for CTCA declined to comment for this story. FreedomWorks and Shawn Stephenson did not respond to detailed requests for comment.
<snip>
http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/freedomworks-switzerland-richard-stephenson-matt-kibbe

There's a euphemism that says 'He needs killin.' That means he is so nasty he has no good use on Earth.
I don't believe in making this statement literal, but at times my patience is stretched.........

MONROE COUNTY (July 29, 2014) – Two women narrowly escaped death after facing down a train earlier this month.

On July 10, the women were walking on the railroad tracks on the Shuffle Creek Trestle, a bridge over Lake Lemon about ten miles northeast of Bloomington, when they noticed a train was coming toward them.

The engineer of the lead locomotive spotted them as the train came around a curve at 30 mph. The bridge is about 500 feet long and 80 feet high, and the women had nowhere to go.

Video from the locomotive shows them trying to run away when they see the train. It’s clear that they won’t be able to make it to safety, and they can’t jump off the side because it’s too high. Meantime, the train horn goes off repeatedly.

One woman lies down on the tracks; the other soon follows suit.
<snip>
http://go.fox59.com/1kkW4aF

Lawd!
Lucky!

@BBCBreaking:
Missing flight #AH5017 from Burkina Faso to Algiers has crashed, Algerian aviation official tells Reuters
http://bbc.in/1rbKkFV

50 French citizens aboard.

Map of probable crash cite:


@AntDeRosa:
Air Algérie flight AH5017 from Burkina Faso to Algeria has been missing for 10 hours
http://cir.ca/news/air-algerie-loses-contact-with-plane

Sigh......

Unconfirmed:
@mpoppel: China's CCTV and S. Africa's EWN are reporting the missing airliner has crashed near Niamey, Niger

@mpoppel:
Reuters quoting Algerian official: Contact was lost when aircraft was over Gao, Mali

@WxNick:
And the infrared satellite at the time contact was lost with the plane (0155 GMT per @AP report): #AH5017

@KiritRadia: (ABC news Moscow correspondent on scene)
Anywhere else, a plane crash site would be roped off & crawling w investigators. Not here. Just us, rebels, & local emergency workers #MH17

@KiritRadia:
Maybe the light is better this morning, maybe we dare look more this time, but we're seeing body parts everywhere today. Horrific. #MH17

There needs to be a massive effort to properly recover the bodies and the property at the least. It CANNOT be done by the local 'government.' A tragedy of this size requires a response by groups that handle these events.

The plane debris also needs to be collected quickly and in place in order to reconstruct the event. There are trained groups that also carry this out. There is no telling what is being removed by accident or on purpose.

It is beyond the pale that enough trained people are not allowed in to take care of the bodies. They rained down on villages and at least one crashed through a roof. I have no idea about the reports of the locals doing any looting. That is who will be blamed though. Convenient.

There were reports that locals were gathering passports and other effects into piles. Some are trying to help. I can imagine that this has been traumatizing for many of them. If there are those looting, the material should be found and returned.

While people argue about who shot the plane down, there is one irrefutable fact. The rebels are in control of the site and are allowing few people in. This is squarely on their heads. It is a barbaric way to respond to the deaths of hundreds of people and beyond traumatizing for their families to know how little is being done.

So go ahead and defend these actions by the rebels. I'm sure some will. I want to know who shot it down. If it came from Ukrainian forces, the rebels, or some other unknown entity then so be it.

IMMEDIATELY ALLOW THE BODIES TO BE TREATED RESPECTFULLY AND IN ACCORD WITH SET PROCEDURES TO DO SO.

@obk: (Moscow news correspondent from the Netherlands)
This probably hurts the most. In between the debris in the field.

Errand Frazier got quite the surprise when he heard purring coming from his truck. He immediately started to try to figure out where it was coming from, even putting out some food and setting up a camera to see where the cat was coming from. The next morning the food was gone, but the footage showed no cat capers. Deciding there was no cat, he went on a fishing trip, and when he reached his destination he heard the purring again.

Without hesitation he got out his tool box and cut a hole in the side of his truck, and there he saw a kitten! The stowaway was lodged under the frame of his truck, so he cautiously drove to the humane society and asked for a little help.

The employees worked together to safely dislodge the little kitten, but not before they marvelled at the big hole Frazier cut through his truck. The kitten has been adopted to a family, and is reportedly safe and happy.

This animal lover has been known to rescue strays and ensure their safety, but this goes above and beyond!
See more at: http://moderncat.com/articles/good-news-man-cuts-open-truck-save-kitten/70375#sthash.dxnpfYJ7.dpuf

Good on him!
Some good news for a change.

Open Carry Texas, a gun rights advocacy group, announced that they have scheduled their march through the Fifth Ward in Houston. The march, which was initially scheduled for Juneteenth but postponed at the last minute, will feature open-carry enthusiasts marching through the streets of the predominantly black Houston neighborhood carrying long assault rifles. The group has gained notoriety in recent months due to their publicity stunts which have featured members entering restaurants and stores with their assault rifles on full display. Apparently, the group has decided to up their game.

CJ Grisham, the founder of Open Carry Texas, decided to address the criticism his group has encountered regarding this planned march. When the march was first scheduled, Grisham and the group came under intense criticism for a variety of reasons. Even after OCT postponed the march, the group was under fire due to the appearance of racial insensitivity. OCT posted the following late Monday evening on the group’s website:

“We are not going to be marching through 5th Ward,” said OCT Founder CJ Grisham, “we’re going to hopefully be marching with 5th Ward.”

Open Carry Texas believes that Texas’ gun laws continue to be rooted in racism. In order to obtain a concealed handgun license in Texas, one needs to shell out over $250 in fees and requirements to do so. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate in Texas was 14.4% in 2010, the date of the last census. In the African-American community, the poverty rate was 27.1%, nearly twice the state poverty rate and almost three times higher than non-Hispanic whites. In other words, the extreme cost to obtain a license in Texas – over $250 – disproportionately prevents African-Americans from getting one.

Texas law prevents anyone convicted of a Class B misdemeanor or higher from qualifying for a concealed handgun license for at least five years. The convictions do not need to be related to violence or even involve a gun. Some examples of “crimes” that will cause you to lose your CHL or fail to qualify for one are littering, writing a hot check, or even certain traffic infractions not involving another person.
<snip>
Read the rest. Find out who they got to march with them.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/07/15/open-carry-texas-schedules-date-armed-march-black-neighborhood.html

I hope the Fifth Ward doesn't march with these fools. They have people with ties to white supremacist organizations.
They are also beyond patronizing in believing that having an African-American march with them makes it hunky-dory no matter who it is.

Original post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025198650

Because of the generosity of people here at DU, I was able to get the exhaust system on my car fixed before it blowed up or whatever.
I was truly humbled by the outpouring of support that I received through all the replies. I never expected that.

I had some extra and I used it to pay 2 adoption fees at the local shelter. I could have used it for my physical needs, but this helped me in a lot of ways too. I didn't specify the use for just cats. I just wanted 2 sweet baby animals to find forever homes. Mousie and Scat would approve as would Tater and Moonpie if they ever slowed down enough to listen.

Thank you again!

Never would have thought of that, but he obviously knew how to handle that extension.
Good on him!

(This is a long and confounding story. I have no idea what really happened.)

On a Monday afternoon in late March, 12-year-old best friends Melody Coffey and Julia Young sat in Melody's room, mulling the latest message from their tormentor:

wanna play a game ?

The girls recognized the sender's Instagram account as belonging to a girl we'll call Danielle. She and Julia were friends briefly earlier in the year. Since their falling out with Danielle, Melody and Julia had been receiving disturbing threats from her social media accounts.

Let's switch passwords

The oddly punctuated messages had grown more sinister, more perverse. Though Danielle denied they were from her — she suggested her accounts were hacked — the evidence was not in her favor. The attacks referenced the girls' families and their friends from school and even now, above the latest message, was a selfie of Danielle, phone held up to the mirror.

I have a guy who takes photos of you guys . My mom helps me . Don't think I'm weird though . Everyone does it . … I know you guys will like call the cops because you guys are insane , but thats what I find sexy about you guys .

In Melody's room, avoiding yet another day of gossip at school, the girls considered their options. Sometimes, Melody said, it seemed Danielle could hear them talking, as if she were watching them. She'd even convinced her mom to climb up and check the attic once. It was empty.
<snip>
Much more:
http://mashable.com/2014/07/13/cyberbullying-stalking-leander-texas/

WTF? smh.....
Just WTF?