Why I Didn’t Vote & Why I Don’t Ever Intend to….

    Ah-Election Day 2016 has finally come and gone. Thank God! What a mess the 2016 Election campaign was and an even bigger mess with the Election.  Psychologists said it was a very stressful year for those that had to vote. No wonder. There really wasn’t anyone to vote for, which is why I didn’t vote. I haven’t voted for the last several years. Yes, it bothers me sometimes because others may vote against what I believe in or against, but voting doesn’t always come out the way I want. So. Why vote? Proof is in the pudding, they say, and oh-so very true, too. Look at this election as a perfect example. Personally, I believe that it is high time that a capable woman is elected to the officer of the President of the United States. Not any woman, of course. One that is capable and experienced. We certainly have seen with Obama what happens when the Commander in Chief has no experience, and will see again under President-Elect Trump who has even less experience. So, why not a woman this time? Sure, she’s a liar. She’s arrogant and can’t be trusted but that be can said of all politicians. Honest politicians don’t last in the game very long.                                    

                                               

     Frankly, I knew that from the outset Trump would win and he did. How did I know? I just felt it. I also know from being around men so often that for some strange reason, people in American just aren’t ready for a woman President. Most are men that feel that way, but some are women. Anyway, over the years when I did vote, it became obvious that my vote didn’t count. As the years have passed and more and more voters voted for something, someone somewhere would cry foul and then the Courts got involved and overthrew what the people voted for. So, why vote? Why vote when what you voted for suddenly becomes “unconstitutional”? It wasn’t unconstitutional when “the issue” was placed on the ballot. Same with this year’s election.
                                             

      Over a million American’s voted for Hilary Clinton. She won the popular vote. However, she didn’t win the Electoral votes, which really matter. Your vote, my vote doesn’t matter. In the end it was the votes of the Electoral College that mattered more. They voted for Donald Trump. I would have voted for Hilary Clinton, not that I trust her. I just felt she’s be more competent in the position. I get bad vibes about Trump. But why bother voting when the Electoral College would counter my vote. Why vote at all when the Electoral College counters your vote? Besides, any American one out there that actually thinks that any politician, including Clinton or Trump actually care about them is just plain stupid. They care about themselves, their family and their friends. Hence, I no longer vote. I’m a Veteran and I don’t vote. For me, voting is a crock. It’s a movement in futility. Frankly, I believe that Trump is right: the election is rigged. Of course, this is all my humble opinion. You may or may not agree and that is fine with me. That is your right. What do you think? Were you happy with the elections? Do you vote? Why or why not?

                                                     

     That’s it for this time. Thank you all for visiting with us. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey.  One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book. Review it. Share it. Pass it along.

Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad. 

 

                                    Together, you and I can make a difference. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

Regards,

S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers. “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

    My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com  

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419 

 Facebook fan page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325 

                  My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com                                         

          A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com  

                  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com

One for the Animals blog: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com 

Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/  

                 Google Plus:https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j 

                                     

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.                           

Dreadlocks: Whose Braids Are These? Does Simple Skin Color Own This Beautiful Hairstyle of Expression?

Recently, there was a headline on the internet that attracted my attention and curiosity. Perhaps, it attracted yours, too out of curiosity. “White Teen Sent Home from School for Braids, Dad Blames ‘Racism Against Their Own’”
See link to original news story:  https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/white-teen-sent-home-from-school-for-braids-dad-blames-racism-against-their-own-184249801.html
                                 

Do you see a problem here with her hair? I don't.

     It seems that a young woman, Chenise Benson was sent home from school after showing up with her new box braids, which apparently are a violation of school dress code. (Photo: SWNS) The issue? She allegedly broke the school dress code with her new extensions: bright white, waist-length braids that she got on her birthday. Her father, Darren Benson, who tells SWNS that he paid $170 for the braids, which “will stay in her hair for a year so it won’t be coming out.  One of her friends at the school, who has Jamaican heritage, has the same style of haircut but with a red stripe in it rather than white, and she has been allowed to remain,” Benson noted, inferring a double standard was at play for his daughter, who is white. He added, “I’ve read the policy regarding haircuts, and I can’t see what rule she has broken.”

      “The school policy posted to the school’s website says the following: “Please note we do not allow extreme, unnatural hairstyles or coloring. Any hair accessories should be of a practical nature and should not be decorative. If you are in doubt please contact your child’s Tutor at the School. … Please be aware that what is and is not acceptable will be decided by the School in line with this Policy and the School’s decision is final. Please note that in sending your child to George Pindar School that you are agreeing to ensure your child abides by this policy. If you have any queries or questions regarding any aspect of uniform, jewelry, hairstyle, please could you contact the School.” So, I’m guessing here that the problem the school has is that this “white” girl is not “wearing” her natural hairstyle or coloring. But what about the Jamaican girl with a red stripe in her hair? Is that natural? What about celebrating heritage and beauty? What about celebrating individuality? What is the real problem with the white girl’s hair? Who is it actually offending? Her “black” friend isn’t offended by the hair style. Why is the school up in arms? Has the world become so petty and so easily offended that we now deny our children freedom of healthy expression? And what if the girl had it done for religious reasons, would the school deny her the freedom of religious expression? Does this girl's Jamaican friend have more of a right to wear this hairstyle than this girl does? Define natural and unnatural. Is the hair hers or is it artificial extensions? How come the rules apply to just this "white" girl and not her "black" friend, if her Jamaican friend is black? FYI: Not all people from Jamaica is black. That's another assumption.

       The father thinks it’s racism, and perhaps, it is since they don’t have a problem with the girl’s Jamaican friend and her same hairstyle. Personally, I wouldn’t do it to my hair. On many visits to the Caribbean over the years while sitting on various beaches, women would come by, black women, and offer to braid my hair this same way. First, I wasn’t interested because my hair is very fine and it just wouldn’t hold. Second, personally, I wouldn’t like the way they would look on me. Third, I simply didn’t want it. However, I certainly wouldn’t deny someone else to do so with their hair. Someone on twitter called the hairstyle on a white girl “Cultural appropriation.” WTH?!! Come on, now.  Get serious. Do hair braids, extensions, dreadlocks belong only to a minority, one people, one race? No, they don’t, and if you take a look at history, or visit the Caribbean especially Jamaica, you'll see for yourself that it doesn't. As I said, women repeatedly wanted to braid my hair the same way and I don’t look black.  I think that aside from the money point of view, they wanted to share a bit of their heritage, and isn't that a good thing?
                                                    

Stone with Israelis.

     It is important to note that dreadlocks or box braids, do not belong to one particular group of people. History shows us that. In fact, “the roots of dreadlocks can be trailed to the Rastafarians of Jamaica, and further, to Indian sages and yogis, but they have never been more popular or widespread than they are today. It is said that dreadlocks originated with these eastern holy men. Possessing nothing, renouncing the world and possessions (not even a comb) they eschewed even personal grooming, hence the inevitable dreadlocks. Dreadlocks get their name from Jamaican tradition. Those with ‘natty’ locks in their hair were to be dreaded, or feared. When slavery was abolished in the US, it was no longer legal to enslave African Americans. But good ol’ America found a loop hole, no one said anything about not enslaving native peoples of India.”
                              

 Culture Drawing.

    “The Old Testament in the Bible also recounts the tale of Samson and Delilah in which a man's potency is directly linked to 'the seven locks on his head' and according to Roman accounts, the Celts were described to have 'hair like snakes' Germanic tribes, Greeks and the Vikings are all said to have worn dreadlocks too.” (knottyboy.com)
                                                              

Native American.

     “In Ancient Greece, kouros sculptures from the Archaic period depict men wearing dreadlocks while Spartan hoplites (generally described as fair-haired)wore formal locks as part of their battle dress. Spartan magistrates known as Ephors also wore their hair braided in long locks, an Archaic Greek tradition that was steadily abandoned in other Greek kingdoms. The style was worn by Ancient Christian Ascetics, and the Dervishes of Islam, among others.  Some of the very earliest Christians also may have worn this hairstyle; there are descriptions of James the Just, first Bishop of Jerusalem, who is said to have worn them to his ankles. Pre-Columbian Aztec priests were described in Aztec codices (including the Durán Codex, the Codex Tudela and the Codex Mendoza) as wearing their hair untouched, allowing it to grow long and matted.” (Wikipedia)
                                                

Yogi.

     In Senegal, the Baye Fall, followers of the Mouride movement, a Sufi movement of Islam founded in 1887 by Shaykh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, are famous for growing locks and wearing multi-colored gowns.[18] Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, popularized the style by adding a mystic touch to it. Warriors among the Fulani, Wolof and Serer in Mauritania, and Mandinka in Mali and Niger were known for centuries to have worn cornrows when young and dreadlocks when old.”(Wikipedia)
                                              

 Bob Marley.

      Not to forget, that that dreadlocks were made even more popular by singer Bob Marley. “There hasn’t been a human like him ever before, and there will likely not be ’til the close of time. Bob Marley radiated love, peace, passion, and wisdom. He also have the best dreadlocks ever! Bob dedicated his life to praising God in music, and spreading the message of reform and spiritual growth in the world.”(History of dreadlocks)
                                      

      Even Ebony magazine had a say about Dreadlocks and race: “Dreadlocks can be traced to just about every civilization in history,” says Chimere Faulk, an Atlanta-based natural hair stylist and owner of Dr. Locs. “No matter the race, you will find a connection to having dreadlocks for spiritual reasons.”

     Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/style/history-dreadlocks#ixzz4OV4awhSr
     “Dreads have always been worn to make a statement. For many, they’re spiritual and they symbolize the letting go of material possessions. For others, they’re political and a way to rebel against conformity and the status quo. Some just like the way they look. And that’s OK, too.

                                

     What’s not OK? The way mainstream media perceives dreads when they appear on white versus Black folks. It’s upsetting how Giuliana Rancic equated Zendaya’s locs with smelling like weed and oil, but deemed Kylie Jenner’s locs as “edgy….. Every person with dreads is not a smoker who listens to Reggae music, contrary to popular (and foolish) belief. Similarly, you don’t have to be Rasta to wear locs and not wearing locs certainly doesn’t make someone less Rasta. Locs are not dirty, and they’re not something that should be feared. They’re beautiful, bold and regal. The epitome of freedom. Locs are divine.

      They are anything but dreadful.” (Ebony)

      And on that note, this young girl simply wanted to do something different with her hair. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and if that is so, perhaps those that are offended by her “culturally appropriating” the hairstyle should instead be flattered that she chose to wear a hairstyle that many wouldn’t like to get themselves and instead make this girl an outcast now. She meant no harm. Give her a break. Personally, I think that dreadlocks or braids are a beautiful expression of one’s self. In researching this subject, I learned a great deal and have come to appreciate the history behind this hairstyle.  That’s just my humble opinion anyway. What do you think? Do you think this girl did something wrong? Why or why not? How do you feel about the whole thing? Do you find it offensive? Why or why not? I do know that when we all stop looking at things as "black vs. white", this world and all of us will be better for it.
                                      

Ancient Greek Kouros Sculpture.

     Would you like to learn more about Dreadlocks and the history behind them?

     Read more:

     http://www.dreadlocks.org/the-history-of-dreadlocks/

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadlocks
 

     https://www.knottyboy.com/learn/dreadlock-history/
 

     http://ragingrootsstudio.com/the-history-of-dreadlocks/
 

     http://people.howstuffworks.com/dreadlock6.htm
 

     http://www.ebony.com/style/history-dreadlocks#axzz4OV4FoISH


     https://steemit.com/life/@handmade/dreadlocks-from-egypt-to-jamaica-and-beyond




 That’s it for this time. Thank you all for visiting with us. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey.  One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book. Review it. Share it. Pass it along.

Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad. 

 

                                    Together, you and I can make a difference. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

Regards,

S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers. “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

    My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com  

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419 

 Facebook fan page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325 

                  My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com 

                                         

          A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com  

                  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals blog: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com                          

Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/  

                 Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j 

                                     

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.                           

Have U noticed the change to print magazines lately, or is it just Me?

                                                        

   I read a great deal.  Books, magazines, brochures, eBooks, etc. You name it and I read it. Yes. I admit it. I'm a bibliophile. Some of my favorite books are classics, some horror, some contemporary, some academia, and even some romance. I read everything I can get my hands on.
                                                    

At work, at my university I read a great deal of academia and lesson plans. At home and away,  everything is open game. The same is with magazines. Magazines are a big favorite of mine. I personally have a subscription to over a dozen magazine coming to me in the mail. Some I had to drop because they went completely digital. While others I've noticed have begun to simply cut the amount of pages in each issue, as if I wouldn't notice. Really? Come on guys and gals, of course I noticed. AARP, BackPacker, Money and Mental Floss all have lost some weight in their pages. Did you notice, too?

The magazines are all a bit thinner over the last several months and when I count the pages to see why, I see there's at least twenty to thirty pages or more in some magazines that are gone. Where did they go? How come the magazines didn't bother to let their readers know about the page cuts? I mean, hey, I'm still paying the same amount of money for the subscription, but I'm getting less for what I paid for. Is that fair? No. It isn't. Does the magazine publisher care? Evidently not. What do you think of all of that? Have you noticed this trend? Have you lost out on any magazines as they went completely digital? What magazines have you noticed cut pages to their issues without the courtesy of letting you know? I'd love to hear about it. Let's compare notes.
                                                               

     There is one magazine that I really enjoyed reading and I must admit, I miss reading it, but it went completely digital. Ironically, though it is now an e-publication, the price of the subscription costs the same as if it was in print. WTF! Why? e-Publications are cheaper to publish, so why the outrageous prices? There's no postage to spend. Nothing. Nada. That magazine is PC World. It went completely digital a year or so ago without any word to their customers until after they renewed. I know. I had just renewed when a few weeks later I received my last print issue with a general notice on the cover stating that is was going digital and for the price of $19.97 year, I could get a subscription. Funny thing is, I was paying $19.97 a year for a one year to the print subscription or $39.97 for a two year. Why would I want to pay the same price for an e-Pub? Naturally, I cancelled my subscription as I am not a fan of reading e-pubs. As I said earlier in an earlier post, I enjoy holding the periodical or book in my hands, not on an e-reader. I like turning the pages, and for the prices we pay, shouldn't we get what we want? Seems not anymore.

PC World went digital. Good bye and good riddance, it said to its loyal print readers.

Ah! The joys of reading print!

Anywhere. Any time.

  That’s it for this time. Thank you all for visiting with us. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey.  One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book. Review it. Share it. Pass it along.

Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad. 

 

                                    Together, you and I can make a difference. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

Regards,

S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers. “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

    My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com  

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419 

 Facebook fan page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325 

                  My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com 

                                         

          A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com  

                  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals blog: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com                          

Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/  

                 Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104831238907682620486/about 

Good Reads:       https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33550975-s-j 

                                     

And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.                           

Mona Lisa Is Just a Painting. Isn't it?

Mona Lisa is just a painting. Isn't it. Or is it something more? Is there a certain mystery about it that make certain people obsessed with it?

 Photo Wikipedia.

    Do you ever wonder why so many people are fascinated with the Mona Lisa? After all, it is just a painting and nothing more. In fact, it is a painting of a rather plain and ordinary woman. Some say that it is the painter himself, Leonard Da Vinci. If so, so what? Does it really matter? Not to me it doesn’t. I saw the Mona Lisa up close, or as close to as possible seeing how it is enclosed in bullet proof glass to protect it from the masses that visit each day at the Louvre Museum in Paris, potential thieves etc. So, again I ask, why are so many so fascinated with a painting of a rather plain looking ordinary woman from hundreds of years ago? Is it the fascination that no one knows who she was? Is it the fascination that it maybe Da Vinci himself? I don’t get it. Do you? 

 

Mona Lisa behind bullet proof glass at Paris' Louvre Musuem: By Cayetano - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cayetano/2170060100/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10860386

     Today the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world but until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and not the "most famous painting" as it is now termed. “The Mona Lisa is widely considered the greatest portrait of all time. It appears in countless advertisements, has inspired poetry, sculpture, forgeries, and theft. But seriously, why? The painting is small, only 30 x 21 inches, the color is somber, the background seems desolate and eerie, and the subject isn't anyone historically significant.” (You tube video Mona Lisa-Why So Famous?)

    According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Mona Lisa is an oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci, probably the world’s most-famous painting. It was painted sometime between 1503 and 1506, when Leonardo was living in Florence, and it now hangs in the Louvre, in Paris, where it remains an object of pilgrimage in the 21st century. The poplar panel shows evidence of warping and was stabilized in 1951 with the addition of an oak frame and in 1970 with four vertical braces. Dovetails also were added, to prevent the widening of a small crack visible near the center of the upper edge of the painting. The sitter’s mysterious smile and her unproven identity have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination.

    At least a dozen excellent replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, many of them by the master’s students. The proliferation of Mona Lisas reflects, at least in part, the subject’s almost immediate embodiment of the ideal woman—beautiful, enigmatic, receptive, and still just out of reach.

     Over the centuries this quintessential woman has taken on a new life in popular culture. In the 20th century alone, her iconic status was mocked in schoolboy fashion—the addition of a mustache and goatee to a postcard reproduction—in Marcel Duchamp’s readymade, L.H.O.O.Q. (1919). His irreverent defacing of this best known of iconic paintings expressed the Dadaists’ scorn for the art of the past, which in their eyes was part of the infamy of a civilization that had produced the horrors of the First World War just ended. Andy Warhol too took aim at the painting’s status, in his 1963 serigraph Mona Lisa.

     Mona Lisa has also been the subject in music. References in the visual arts have been complemented by musical examinations. La Giaconda’s personality and quirks were examined in a 1915 opera by Max von Schillings. Leonardo’s portrait is also the inspiration for the classic song “Mona Lisa” by American lyricist Ray Evans and songwriter Jay Harold Livingston. There even exists the Mona Lisa foundation which strictly exists for the Mona Lisa, and celebrating Da Vinci’s earlier version of the painting

    Mona Lisa is a painting by Leonard Da Vinci. He has painted many works, but the world remains fixated on this one. True, it is a work of art. But is it really worth all the hype thrust upon it? Don't get me wrong. I'm a big art lover. I love to draw, but I'm not good enough to be called an artist, and never claimed to be. I love going to art galleries and admiring other's works of arts. I just don’t think there is anything special about Mona Lisa, but that is just my opinion. What’s yours? What do you think of the Mona Lisa? Do you feel that it deserves to be elevated to a position of near idolatry, or is it just another painting for you? Let’s talk…. 

For more information about “Mona Lisa”

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa

Mona Lisa: Why So Famous? Watch the YouTube Video:

    https://youtu.be/IitbJszd1kM

Mona Lisa:     http://lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/mona.html

The Mona Lisa - by Leonardo Da Vinci: 

    http://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-mona-lisa.jsp

The Mona Lisa Foundation:      http://monalisa.org/

UPDATE: 3/10/17:

Do you love art? I do. I'm now a proud sponsor of the  Leonardo da Vinci page on artsy. The Leonard da Vinci page provides visitors with Da Vinci's bio, over 15 of his works, exclusive articles, and up-to-date Da Vinci exhibition listings. 

Recognize the Last Supper painted by da Vinci?

The da Vinci page also includes related artists and categories, allowing viewers to discover art beyond our Da Vinci page. Click here to view it: https://www.artsy.net/artist/leonardo-da-vinci

     "Art is never finished, only abandoned"
     -Leonardo Da Vinci

  That’s it for this time. Thank you all for visiting with us. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey.  One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book. Review it. Share it. Pass it along.

Make adoption your first option when seeking a pet. Adopt. Don’t shop. Can’t adopt. Please consider fostering one. The animal will have the taste of home and the shelter will cover the expenses. Can’t foster? Make a donation or volunteer at your local shelter. Please, don’t hunt. Unless you’re starving down in a ditch somewhere, there is no logical reason to do so. Whatever you do, however you do it, please be a voice for the animals large and small. All it takes is one to make a difference, good or bad. 
Together, you and I can make a difference. If you like what you see here, please consider signing up to become a follower. Please feel free to share this post with others.

Regards,

S.J. Francis

    In Shattered Lies: "Good and bad, it's All About Family."  Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at on-line retailers and independent booksellers. “Some secrets should remain that way.” 

    My web page: http://www.sjfranciswriter.com  

                                     Twitter: https://twitter.com/sjfrancis419 

 Facebook fan page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Francis/480058115420325 

                  My writing Blog: http://sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com 

          A Book Review 4 U: http://abookreview4u.blogspot.com  

                  A Consumer's View: http://aconsumersview.blogspot.com 

One for the Animals blog: http://onefortheanimals.blogspot.com

Pinterest:   http://www.pinterest.com/sjfrancis419/  

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.