Lioness and her caretaker playing around before falling asleep together 

(Source)

A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust

Saw a tweet saying “This is the first March without a single school shooting” captioned “Postcards from dystopia” like uhhh, I thought we wanted to get rid of those? Isn’t this a good thing? Years of gun control laws put in place did fuckall about school shooters but it turns out the real culprit was the schools.

And I’m not being facetious either. Our public school system is such a mess it’s driving kids to murder. You can bitch all you want about violent video games, 4chan, access to guns, white people, etc. but the minute we shut down public schools, the minute kids weren’t physically stuck in an institutionalized education system designed to suck the souls out of them things improved.

So when I say “It was the schools” I really mean it. We need to trash everything we’ve been doing up till this point in public education and fix it. We need it fixed by the time everyone’s out of quarantine. We shouldn’t be upset there are suddenly no shootings we should be happy and take it as a sign because a fucking pathogen did more for our kids than every gun control law and crackdown on school bullying combined.

Interesting take

There’s no fixing public education, the concept of public education itself is what is abhorrent. It’s one of the most insane things our society does people just don’t realize it because we’re so used to the insanity of it. The idea of farming out the education of your kid to the government itself is stupid, it being legally mandatory is fucking bullshit. The public school system is a useless money pit where people learn nothing but indoctrination, lies and nonsense…in an environment so counter intuitive to learning it’s ridiculous. It’s prison daycare for kids. School shootings are the least of the problems caused by public education. 

Public education should be completely defunded and abolished. The tax savings should be used to allow parents the ability to foster a new culture of homeschooling and small private community schools. 

Fuck public school.

This is honestly the best take OP and I wish I had come across it sooner.

I’ve been screaming about this for years to anyone who will listen. Glad the idea is spreading.

I remember the first time I ever travelled alone. My exams had just ended, and I wanted to celebrate by going on a trip. But none of my friends really felt like joining me at that moment, so I decided to go alone. I was scared as hell in the beginning, but after a few days I started to feel more comfortable. I became more aware of the people around me, and I started making friends. Some of which I still talk to weekly and have met up with numerous times over the years. That made me realise I could have friends on the road and also have the freedom and adventure that comes with travelling alone. That’s when travelling alone changed from a scary thing, to a very exciting adventure for me. By now know the ins and outs of travelling alone and I have fallen in love with it. Here’s why:

1.  I get to do it my way

Travelling alone goes hand in hand with ultimate freedom. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and I don’t have to do anything if I don’t really feel like it. And the best part is that I don’t have to answer to ANYONE. I can be completely selfish and I have no reason to feel guilty about it. The only person that I need to take care of is myself. And that is a wonderful luxury that not many people have, especially not if you’re surrounded by children, friends or a husband/wife.

2.  I can be whoever I choose to be

In normal life, you generally know people for longer periods of time than when you’re travelling around. You have a solid group of friends and colleagues that have probably known you for a long time. This is a wonderful thing to have, but it can also be restraining. Some people, and especially family members and very old friends, think they know every part of you. Because of this, they usually have a hard time accepting change. For example, if you’ve never shown any interest in any creative jobs, but then you discover photography and want to pursue a career as a freelance photographer, they are most likely going to hold you back. Usually this is because they want to protect you. They might think they know you better than you know yourself and that because you’ve never shown interest in photography before, being a photographer isn’t something that you should pursue. This can make it harder to change and reinvent yourself. You can get stuck being the person that others perceive you to be. But when you’re travelling on the other hand, no one knows who you were before the day you met them. You can be whoever you want to be, and no one will be weird about it. People will just accept it, because that’s how they met you, as a passionate photographer. You have complete freedom in creating yourself every day over and over again, and there will be no one that holds you back.

3.  Making friends is easier

When you travel alone, it’s easier to get in contact with people. You’re generally more focused on your surroundings and the people around you. It’s also easier for others to talk to you because you seem more approachable. Usually I don’t even have to ask if I can join fellow travellers when doing something. They’ll just offer it right away when they see I’m alone. And it’s not just the contact with fellow travellers that’s easier. Locals are also more open in my experience. They can invite you to the most beautiful places or give you wonderful experiences that you wouldn’t been able to have or visit without the knowledge of a local. I’ve gone cliff-diving in Croatia, been taught how to weave in South-Africa and cooked Pintxos in Basque Country. All these experiences were because locals approached me for some small talk while I was somewhere alone. I don’t think any of those people would have started a conversation back then if I’d been with someone else already.

4.  I feel it deeper

Travelling alone is the purest form of travelling for me. You get to truly experience everything without the distraction of another person taking up a part (or all) of your energy. You’re more aware of your surroundings and get to take everything in, no distractions. We as humans are the most perceptive when we’re immersed in the unfamiliar. It’s a survival mechanism. You see, learn and feel far more than you would, surrounded by familiar things or people. That is why travelling alone makes every experience so much more beautiful, fulfilling and memorable.

5.  It’s scary.

I’d be lying if I said travelling alone didn’t scare me in the beginning. But I was never afraid to face that fear. Instead I tried to see it for what is was, which is useless, and I tried to turn it into excitement. In my opinion, fear doesn’t necessary mean that you should refrain from doing whatever it is that scares you. Very often, it means quite the opposite. People are most afraid of the things they want most. Because let’s be honest, nobody is truly comfortable in their comfort zone. But you know what? Fear is something you can overcome. And when you do that, it will fill you with so much pride and empowerment that you’ll thank yourself a thousand times for not giving in.

6. It made me love myself more.

Every single day that I’m travelling on my own, I’m proving to myself that I can. I CAN figure out how to solve my own problems, I CAN take care of myself and most importantly, I CAN make myself happy. I don’t rely on anyone else anymore. Whenever I meet cool people on the road or make new friends, I see it as a bonus. Having those people around fills me with gratitude, but being alone doesn’t fill me with insecurity or fear anymore. And as I prove to myself over and over again that I have everything it takes to make myself happy, my confidence in myself and my own abilities only grows. My former weaknesses turn into strengths and my insecurities turn into confidence. And because of that, I love and appreciate myself more every day. The deep knowledge that I need no one else to be happy, is the greatest gift I have ever given myself. And I’m so happy I got to realise that this early in life. Because it has made me so much stronger and happier.

If you have any questions or remarks, please don’t hesitate to send me an ask!  And I’d also love to hear your stories!

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Mohamed Bzeek, a Libyan-born Muslim, has been fostering terminally ill children for the past two decades. Since then, he has buried 10 children, some of who have died in his arms.

One of his foster children is a six-year-old girl who has a rare brain defect. As a result, she’s deaf, blind, and her arms and legs are paralysed. “I know she can’t hear, can’t see, but I always talk to her,” he said. “She has feelings. She has a soul. She’s a human being.” He took this young girl under his wing when she was just one month old. Mohamed’s biological son, Adam, was born in 1997 with brittle bone disease and dwarfism.

The DCFS said that Mohamed is the man they always call when they need to find a placement for a shock child. “He’s the only one that would take a child who would possibly not make it,” said a DCFS coordinator. In fact, he’s the only foster parent in the country that is known to take terminally ill children.

After being inspired by Mohamed’s story, somebody set up a gofundme. Click here to donate. 

Now that….that is a man.

This is beyond incredible.

Building Trust in Relationships

Trust is at the heart of all strong relationships. It allows us to feel safe and secure with one another. Hence, it’s crucial that we know what the key components are so we can actively develop, promote, and honour trust. Some tips to help you here include the following:

1. Be Reliable. Even small things - like canceling an arrangement or failing to follow through on a commitment you have made – will undermine and fracture the relationship. If this happens on a regular basis the whole foundation will crumble and fall.

2. Related to this, always strive to keep the promises you’ve made. Trust requires that people believe you are a person who’s dependable and reliable. If you have to break a promise, then be decent enough to explain face-to-face why you have to let them down.

3. Tell the truth. It’s easy to resort to telling a white lie to protect another person, or to cover your back. But if you tell the truth even when it isn’t pleasant, you will become a person who is known for being trustworthy.

4. Volunteer information. When you have the chance to be vague – don’t take it. Instead be open and transparent, and share important details. Volunteering information says you’ve nothing to hide.

5. Don’t share other peoples’ secrets; don’t be someone who’s a gossip allowed – as we only feel we’re safe with a person who’s discreet. Remember: a confidence … is a confidence … is a confidence.

6. Display loyalty, and be there for that person. That shows that you are caring, dependable and safe.

Small ways to be more eco friendly

Recently I have decided I want to start reducing the waste I leve behind and get a bit of minimalism into my lifestyle. However because I still live with my parents and I’m in highschool there are things I don’t have control over in this household. All I can really change is my room and my lifestyle. So here are few ideas how to start a bit more eco friendly life:

I know it’s not much but it’s a start… I’ve recently started to declutter my room so I can be more conscious about what I have.

Have an amazing day!

Kate (@longestacresfarm)

Wise Advice from a Farmer’s Wife

(by George Steffner)

Whenever you return a borrowed pie pan, make sure it’s got a warm pie in it.

Invite lots of folks to supper. You can always add more water to the soup.

There’s no such thing as woman’s work on a farm. There’s just work.

Make home a happy place for the children. Everybody returns to their happy place.

Always keep a small light on in the kitchen window at night.

If your man gets his truck stuck in the field, don’t go in after him. Throw him a rope and pull him out with the tractor.

Keep the kerosene lamp away from the the milk cow’s leg.

It’s a whole lot easier to get breakfast from a chicken than a pig.

Always pat the chickens when you take their eggs.

It’s easy to clean an empty house, but hard to live in one.

All children spill milk. Learn to smile and wipe it up.

Homemade’s always better'n store bought.

A tongue’s like a knife. The sharper it is the deeper it cuts.

A good neighbor always knows when to visit and when to leave.

A city dog wants to run out the door, but a country dog stays on the porch ‘cause he’s not fenced-in.

Always light birthday candles from the middle outward.

Nothin’ gets the frustrations out better'n splittn’ wood.

The longer dress hem, the more trusting the husband.

Enjoy doing your children’s laundry. Some day they’ll be gone.

You’ll never catch a runnin’ chicken but if you throw seed around the back door you’ll have a skillet full by supper.

Biscuits brown better with a little butter brushed on ‘em.

Check your shoelaces before runnin’ to help somebody.

Visit old people who can’t get out. Some day you’ll be one.

The softer you talk, the closer folks’ll listen.

The colder the outhouse, the warmer the bed.

oh heck (via: @o_train42)

On April 24 2010, during the height of the Mexican drug war, the so called Templar Knights (Caballeros Templarios) drug cartel launched an ambush against the armored car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, of the at the time Secretary of Public Security of the State of Michoacán, Minerva Bautista Gómez, after using a truck to block its path.

The criminals fired over 350 rounds at the car, using weapons like G3 battle rifles, AK-series and AR-15 assault rifles, a .50 Barret anti-material rifle and 40mm grenades, but the car, boasting Level 5 ballistic protection armor, withstood the attack, allowing the survival of the secretary herself, and all but two of her bodyguards, killed after they attempted to return fire, where no complete round managed to pierce the armored plates nor glass, just some fragments.

Two more bystanders died in the attack, and as revenge for failing to kill Mrs. Bautista, the Templarios murdered the mechanic behind the armoring of the car. 

The car now stands inside the company that armored it, as a trophy of the quality of their work.

Source.

I wonder, how many of the weapons used in this attack were supplied by the ATF?

Who here knows how many gun stores there are in Mexico?

i went to the gym today and there was a guy going to TOWN on the punching bags so i asked him “rough night?” and he said “my wife’s on a business trip and i miss her” and if that isnt the most steve rogers thing in the world idk what is

God’s arms are always open for you to run back into, no matter how far you’ve strayed.

Reddit, do your thing.

When a random guy with a saxophone shows up to the club

Too wholesome not to repost

[I made] a seafood pasta dish!