NBC29 News Story on Cat Dissection—Thanks to our Petition-Signers!

Tamira Thayne
Amissville, VA
Jan 14, 2016 — Thanks to the overwhelming support of Americans on the petition against cat dissection in the high school classroom—now at 103,000 signatures—Brynnan and I were invited to discuss our position on a Charlottesville, VA NBC 29 news station.

We are grateful to our signers who have made this possible—on behalf of those cats who cannot speak for themselves, and the students who are too afraid to speak out against this kind of traumatic experimentation in our school systems.

As I made clear in the TV interview, “This [cutting up of cats by high school students] engenders a lack of respect for companion animals, and that’s the complete opposite of what we should be telling our students.”

My daughter Brynnan further drives home the point in the interview: “We can’t dissect these cats, they are our companions…they are what we love, what we come home to, what we care about.”

In speaking to a reporter from Culpeper County, VA yesterday, I was asked how many signatures will be enough to create change? I told her that was exactly the question, isn’t it?

If 103,000 people are telling a school district that the practice is morally wrong, yet the school district is still passing out rhetoric like “We are following all guidelines set forth by the state of Virginia” instead of taking the concerns of parents, students, and citizens across the world seriously and making a plan to end this archaic practice, just how many people standing up WILL it take?

I guess that remains to be seen.

Let’s keep sharing the petition and gathering signatures. I hope you’ll help. Remember that even though this particular petition is directed toward Culpeper High School in Virginia, the more signatures we gather the more influenced other school districts will be to end the practice, too. Even though some counties local to us still continue this practice, others told the reporter that they ended it years ago.

This in and of itself reveals that some schools already acknowledge the inhumane message sent by this practice; if we all stand together, we can make sure cat dissection is ‘off the menu’ all across America. Thank you!

Here’s the TV interview: http://www.nbc29.com/story/30949320/mother-protesting-dissections-of-cats-at-culpeper-public-schools

Here’s the petition again (Also note, along the right hand side you can contribute a small amount to change.org to share the petition to a wider audience if you’d like, but it’s not required. Share and reshare again! Thank you.) https://www.change.org/p/don-t-force-our-children-to-skin-cats
Mother Protesting Dissections of Cats at Culpeper Public Schools
A central Virginia mother and daughter are challenging their county’s school system over an…

http://WWW.NBC29.COM
Share
TweetEmail

I subscribe to The New England Journal of Medicine to stay informed with projects and successes. The link takes you to The Most notable document. I smiled seeing the number of projects dedicated to Mental Health.
I think you will find a topic of interest

Xx M

Click to access NEJMNotable2015.pdf

Thru music I celebrate the life of David Bowie. He was “far out” in earlier music. David remained current thru the years. His music crossed all borders.

I think of his wife Iman and his children.

Xx  M

https://youtu.be/YoDh_gHDvkk

Spam  is continues to devastate individuals and corporations  daily. I have seen several horror stories on the news. Seniors are an easily target. I think we’ll all learn something about spam and what happens after you click the link.

Xx  M

Change.org

Melinda –

Happy New Year!

As we ready ourselves for the year ahead, we’re taking stock of all that you changed in 2015.

More than 22.8 million of you were a part of the more than 4,500 victories that enacted new laws, overturned unjust convictions, and made life better for people around the world. This video shows just a handful of the amazing things our community accomplished in 2015:

http://blog.change.org/feed/you-changed-the-world-in-2015?

Didn’t contribute to one of these victories? You have more than 350 days to make your mark on 2016.

So, as you’re making your resolutions, take a moment to think about what you want to see change in the world this year. Then, start your own petition!

Starting and promoting your campaign on Change.org is simple:
Write your petition, address it to the relevant decision maker, and start sharing your campaign with family and friends.
Send your petition to your local media to get public support.
Deliver your signatures to the decision maker and urge them to take a stand on your campaign.
Change.org is a powerful tool for those who want to see change in 2016.

Make it your resolution to make change today. Start your petition now.

The Change.org team

*I found the article interesting and will validate with The Quran. The article is the opinion of the writer. Opinions are just that, an opinion. I’m not a hater declaring a Religion is bad. Have an open mind, it’s a diverse world and we have to adapt. My opinion is  terrorist misuse passages in the Quran, a Holy Book as a front for their cause not for Allah. * M

The article

Tensions in the Muslim world have risen even further in the wake of a mass execution of 47 men by the Saudi Arabian government, among whom was a prominent Shiite cleric named Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy led by a Sunni Muslim family, while nearby power Iran is a theocracy led by Shiite Muslim clerics.

In news coverage from the region we often hear of tensions between Sunni and Shia Islam, but find that few people in the Western world have been truly exposed to the differences between these two interpretations of one of Earth’s most influential faiths. What is the difference between Sunni and Shia

Islam Around the World

For starters, most Muslims (more than 85 percent of them) practice Sunni Islam. These form the majority of the population in most “Muslim” nations (the two most notable outliers from this trend are Iraq and Iran, where Shiites form the majority).

Because these two sects must account for nearly 1.5 billion individuals around the world, it is also important to note that the spectrum of ideas within Sunni and Shia Islam is incredibly wide. There are more fundamentalist and more secular individuals in either group. Some people have argued that the differences between these two groups is analog to the difference between Catholic and Protestant Christians – among which you see a similar ideological spectrum.

History of the Sunni/Shia Split

The initial split between the two groups actually took place nearly 1,400 years ago, when the prophet Mohammed died. The sect that would become Sunni Islam argued that Mohammed’s best friend, Abu Bakr, should succeed him as the next leader of Islam. Those who would come to form the Shia sect of Islam believed that Mohammad’s son-in-law, Ali, should succeed him.

The Sunnis would eventually win that debate, but the rift never really closed (Sunni troops would later kill Ali, an event commemorated annually by Shiites). Tensions have remained high between the two groups – one Pew Research poll revealed that 4 out of 10 Sunnis don’t believe that Shiites are ‘real Muslims’.

What is the Difference Between Sunni and Shia Islam?

Both Sunni and Shia Islam share most of the core values of Islam and largely believe in maintaining similar practices. The rift between the two, at least from an outside perspective, definitely appears to be more historical/political (much of the political upheaval that has taken place in the Middle East over the last ~30 years can at least partially be attributed to Shia/Sunni conflict) than it does theological.

What’s Next for Islam?

Especially in the wake of the recent uproar in Iran, it appears unlikely that tensions between the two factions will ease anytime soon. At this point, unfortunately, it appears as though the religious conflicts we’ve seen around the world (particularly over the last year) will only increase in quantity and severity.

We want to know what you think: How can we close rifts and built peace?

*Comment Left for the Writer*

All the information that I have received over the years on Islam has led me to develop a zero tolerance for Islam. Mostly provoked by the jihad they have waged on Western culture.

The beheading of Christians and the current hostile take over of our culture and religion has put me on guard. While it is nice to know the difference between the Sunni’s and the Shi’ites it is immaterial as long as the jihad and threat to me and my family exists.

Just the fact that we 47 terrorist training camps in the United States is enough to keep us all in guard. The Federal government checks into everything else that poses a threat and have allowed these camps to exist. As long as the jihad exists and the government remains complacent I will have zero tolerance for Islam.

Xx  M

I’m excited because the music came from request this week. Please the request coming, I love to hear what you like.

Xx  M

Sheldon requested Queen, Here’s your surprise.

Van requested James Taylor, You’ve Got A Friend

Daniel @ Hyperion Strum requested The Stones Wild Horses

https://youtu.be/l0QATz8aEAc

NEW CHANGE.ORG PETITION

CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS!

When my daughter Brynnan transferred to Culpeper High School in Virginia this year, she was excited that they offered an anatomy class. She wanted to learn more about the human body and how it worked, but her excitement quickly turned to shock and distress.

“Mom, they want me to skin and dissect a CAT,” she told me. “The teacher told us if we have a black cat at home, pick a white cat and vice versa. Like the color of their fur changes how I feel about ripping the fur from a cat who—no matter what—will remind me of my baby Sparta!”

I was horrified. We discussed how to handle it, and she begged me to let her home school instead. As a new student, she already felt alone, and the thought of taking a stand in a class full of strangers was something that caused her more anguish.

Whether she silently took part in skinning and dissecting a companion animal—something that would cause her immense psychological pain—or stood against the practice and further alienated herself from the other students, she was facing trauma either way.

Eventually, I decided it was best to pull her from the high school. As her parent, it is my duty to protect her, first and foremost, and I didn’t want my daughter to go through such a traumatizing event. Now, I want to make sure that other children don’t have to experience something so traumatic as dissecting a pet. I will start with Brynnan’s school district, but I won’t stop there. Will you join me in asking the Culpeper County Public Schools (CCPS) to ban cat dissection in their classrooms?

Cats are the most popular companion animal in the United States, outnumbering dogs by some 15 million. To expect students to skin and cut up the very same animal that they may sleep with at night is cruel and inhumane, both to the cats and to the students forced to maim them.

There are many alternatives to dissection, including online or computer simulations and 3-D models. It’s time for CCPS in Virginia to put into practice the humane message they should be sending to all students. Please stand with Brynnan and myself to demand an end to cat dissection in the classroom.

Thank you!

Sign Tamira’s petition

https://www.change.org/p/don-t-force-our-children-to-skin-cats?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=482498&alert_id=WDnuSdowjI_AXKyJ%2FT2xtW3aGiPHkralYqDO2R%2B%2Be77J55fCLPm4yk%3D

Thank you for the participation. These petitions do make a difference.

Xx  M

NEW CHANGE.ORG PETITION

READING MADE ME WANT TO WORK HARDER ON WOMENS RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD.

After having lived for seven years with an abusive husband, I decided it was time to leave. I didn’t think I would survive another year if I stayed, so in 2011, I walked out the door and broke the crippling silence and isolation the abuse had made me feel. I felt empowered and free, and finally looked forward to my future. But because I left my marriage, my husband considered me “disobedient” and, therefore, worthy of punishment. So one day, when he called me to pick up my children at his house and suddenly acid was thrown at my face and body.

The next thing I knew, my face felt as if it were on fire. My skin was literally melting away.
He thought he would break my spirit, but he only made me stronger. Since my attack, I have been fighting to put an end to this horrific practice in my country of Uganda, and I need your help to do it. Please support our petition by asking H.E. President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta to sign the Toxic Chemicals Bill into law.

That is my story, but there are many more, each one as harrowing as the last. Acid violence occurs around the globe and isn’t specific to race or religion. My country, Uganda, has some of the highest rates of acid violence. In fact, since 1985, there have been nearly 400 reported cases of acid attacks here, and in just one hospital alone, they have reported 8 attacks and two deaths this year. And those are just the ones that were reported. The real statistics are likely much higher.

My name is Hanifa Nakiryowa,and my fellow acid attack survivor Gloria Kankunda and I have founded the Center for Rehabilitation of Survivors of Acid and burns Violence (CERESAV). We founded CERESAV because of our personal experiences, and because of the stories we were told by fellow victims. CERESAV’s ultimate goal is to address the issue of acid attacks and gender violence on a global level, but today we have a chance to make a difference in Uganda by helping to pass legislation that would classify products like acid as controlled substances. Cutting off easy access to acid has proven to drastically reduce the rate of attacks in other countries.

Research indicates that the most effective ways to reduce acid violence are through regulation of the sale of acid, tougher jail sentences for perpetrators, and raising awareness of the devastating impact that acid attacks have on individuals and their families. Step by step, CERESAV hopes to make all of these things a reality, but we can’t do it alone.
With collective efforts, we can end this devastating act and save the next potential victim. I know we can make a difference. When strong women and fellow victims of female-directed violence, like Jaha who fought to end female genital mutilation, or Malala who is a champion for girls’ education started Change.org petitions, great things happened.

Please join me in asking H.E. President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta to sign the Toxic Chemicals Bill into law.

Sign Hanifa’s petition

https://www.change.org/p/urge-ugandan-president-museveni-to-pass-the-acid-attack-bill-now?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=481998&alert_id=kKonevTcai_7yqcov%2Bbi4RaihvGVshGQn7%2FjBy1oOyyYoJ1mD6KY%2BA%3D

You have to see her photo to begin to understand her pain.

Xx  M