Good People Doing Good Things — Austin Perine

Posted on March 20, 2019 by jilldennison under Good people doing good things, Social commentary

I have vacillated over today’s ‘good people’ post, and I opted not to do the one I originally wrote. I feared it might stir controversy, and that is not what my good people posts are intended to do. Right decision? Wrong decision? I don’t know, and you may yet see it here later this week, but for today I do have one awesome ‘good people’ to introduce you to! It is a little good people with a huge heart!

Austin Perine of Birmingham, Alabama, is only four years old, but this little guy has won my heart! He knows, better than most adults, I think, the value of helping others. What were you doing when you were four-years old? The entire focus of my life at 4 was my dog, Shadow. I slept, played, and sucked my thumb at age 4, and that’s about all I can remember. Austin, however, leads a much different life than many 4-year-olds, for he is helping feed the homeless!

Here’s how it all started, according to Austin’s father, TJ Perine …

“This whole thing started when we were sitting at home watching Animal Planet and a baby panda was abandoned by its mom. Just to give him an answer, I told Austin that the panda would be homeless. Then he asked, ‘Well, are people homeless?’ and I said yes. That sparked an idea for him to want to come and feed the homeless, so here we are just a few months later.”

A few days later, TJ took Austin to one of the city’s homeless shelters to give him an up-close-and-personal view of what it means to be homeless. Not quite expecting Austin’s response …

“He said, ‘Can we feed them?’ I didn’t expect to feed homeless people that day. But when a 4-year-old asks you, what can you say?”

So, they headed to Burger King and picked up a batch of chicken sandwiches. Austin agreed to use his allowance to buy food instead of a weekly toy. And later, Austin told his parents he wanted to use all of his allowance from now on, plus any money they would spend to buy him a toy, to feed the homeless. As word of his mission spread, Burger King offered to give Austin an ‘allowance’ of $1,000 per month for a year to help him achieve his goal.

Austin wears a superhero cape when he goes on his feeding outings with his father. At Linn Park recently, the little guy handed sandwiches and drinks to the homeless. Every time, he exclaimed, “Don’t forget to show love!”

Birmingham’s mayor, Randall Woodfin, calls him “the city’s ambassador” …

“It’s one of our younger generation that gets it and understands the importance of helping others. And it’s one that we all want to cherish and make of importance which is showing love.”

Now, at age 4, Austin is definitely a ‘good people’, but Austin had some help, I do believe. I think we should also shine a light on TJ for helping show Austin the way, for himself being possessed of a big heart. Caught up in Austin’s enthusiasm, TJ started a GoFundMe called Show Love Fight Hunger, and he has plans to expand on Austin’s good works …

“We’ve gotten a lot of support from the country, and what we want to do is expand from more than just giving out sandwiches.”

His vision is to build a facility that addresses the many causes of homelessness.

“Mental illness, drug abuse, addiction, and things like that. Austin and I want to build a facility and get some specialists in there that can actually help these people get back into the workforce.”

I think that the apple has not fallen far from the tree.

A few of the homeless at Linn Park knew little Austin with his superhero cape, and exchanged hugs and fist bumps. Those who did not know him were flabbergasted. One homeless man said he’d never seen anything like this. Austin explained how doing this makes him feel inside …

“When I feed the homeless it makes me really happy and I think what I do is very special. When I grow up I want to be president. My jobs when I become president would be to feed the homeless and to chase the bad guys out of schools.”

I don’t know about you all, but I really, really want this little guy to grow up to be president!!!

Now, Austin has one last good deed I want to share with you that has nothing to do with feeding the homeless. Austin’s older brother, Taylor, 16, has severe autism. Austin … well, check out the tweet for yourself …Now, isn’t that the pinnacle of brotherly love? Big kudos to Austin Perine, his dad TJ, and also for Burger King and everyone else who has so generously helped Austin in his quest to be a good people and feed the homeless. Here’s to the future President of the United States, Austin Perine!

Jolly C-c-c-old Monday!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Hello friends … quick, come in and close the door … that wind is brutal! 24 hours ago the temperatures were in the 60s (F) and for just a few short hours, there was this big, bright circular thing up in the sky … it was both mesmerizing and scary!

So tell me, how was your weekend? Too short, you say? Yes, weekends tend to be that way, don’t they? And now it’s Monday and time to get back to the routine. I love weekends, but I thrive on routine, and if my routine is thrown off, I get tired and cranky, just like a toddler. Well, I found some things I hope will make you laugh today, and, I made a special treat … churros! What? You’ve never had churros? They are a fried-dough pastry, typically sprinkled in sugar, and then you can dip them in … well, anything. Dulce la leche (caramel sauce), chocolate, strawberry jam … whatever floats your boat! Try one … you’ll like it. And yes, Benjamin, I have sprinkled donuts for you, but try a churro anyway, okay?

Burger King gone to the dogs?

The press release reads …

MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The BURGER KING® brand knows that dog owners often deal with their furry friend begging for food when they order delivery. Many dog owners have even admitted to sharing part of their meal with them. That’s why BURGER KING® is providing a solution for customers who want to enjoy their order at home without interruption from their pets.

The BURGER KING® brand is launching the DOGPPER, the first flame grilled bone offered at BK® for your best friend. This dog-friendly alternative to the WHOPPER® sandwich is a bone-shaped treat with flame-grilled beef taste for the dogs of these generous owners.

The DOGPPER is available for free exclusively through DoorDash when you order a WHOPPER® sandwich*. Plus, new customers can get a $0 delivery fee with your $10+ order at DoorDash. To redeem the $0 delivery fee offer, use promo code DOGPPER from November 28 through December 4th.**

Now, I get them making a special treat for ‘man’s best friend’, but … who knew that Burger King delivers??? And what the Sam Heck is “DoorDash”??? And why would the ‘flame grilled bone’ be available only for delivery orders??? They even have a promo video featuring some adorable mutts and Willie Nelson’s You Were Always On My Mind …

A Freudian slip?

Picture it … you travel from your home in the UK to New York City, pick the special place (Times Square), drop on bended knee to offer a proposal of marriage to your one and only, and just as she says “YES!”, you get so nervous that you drop the ring … into a sewer grate! Oh, the shame! Oh, the embarrassment!Well, hats off and thumbs up to New York’s finest, the NYPD, for they noticed the incident when reviewing their surveillance footage, found the ring, and put out the word to try to find the couple via Twitter.

“WANTED for dropping his fiancée’s ring in @TimesSquareNYC! She said Yes – but he was so excited that he dropped the ring in a grate. Our @NYPDSpecialops officers rescued it & would like to return it to the happy couple. Help us find them?”

The couple turned out to be John Drennan and Daniella Anthony and through the magic of the information age, they have successfully been reunited with the ring. The police even cleaned it up for them! Well, I guess it will make a good story to tell their kids someday.

Kanye has a biggggggggg head!

Kanye West has gone from a life-sized water bottle on Saturday Night Live to a 315-pound pumpkin.Jeanette Paras has an annual tradition in Dublin, Ohio where she transforms pumpkins into your favorite celebrity according to who’s hot. And who was a better choice than Ye himself, who has been making countless headlines this year since he broke his social media hiatus.

The pumpkin started off with a sketch then took seven hours to paint. The hardest part of the entire project was putting together the giant “Make Pumpkins Great Again” hat for Yeezy. The hat took nine hours to sew.

Paras has been transforming pumpkins for 30 years. Every year, she teases, “Who will it be?” In the past she has created a Donald Trumpkin, Hillary, Kim Jong Un, she even did Kanye West before sporting a pair of glasses. “It’s just fun,” Paras said. “Who doesn’t like giant celebrity pumpkins?”

Further proof that stupidity is real …

Payless Shoesource filled a fake luxury store with its discount footwear and sold to “fashion influencers” for hyper-inflated prices. The chain said it took over the former Armani store in Santa Monica and labeled it “Palessi” before filling it with Payless shoes with inflated price tags and inviting social media fashion influencers to a party at the store.

Partygoers shelled out hundreds of dollars for shoes that normally retail for between $20 and $40 at Payless. Payless shared video of the party-goers reacting to being told the shoes they had just splurged on were actually discount stock.

The store said it was aiming to show its products are more fashionable than their regular prices might indicate. The “Palessi” customers were refunded for their purchases, while their testimonials are being used for online and TV advertisements.

Sigh.

Let’s get our smiles back in place with this …

Now, off you go to your jobs and leave me to mine! I’ve enjoyed our time together so much! Please share those gorgeous smiles … they last longer that way. Keep warm, keep safe, and have a lovely week! Hugs ‘n love from Filosofa … and Jolly (even though he contributed nothing this week!)

Monday Morning Trivia

Posted on April 18, 2016 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Do you know what to do in the case of gas buildup in a building you are in? What if you were working in a fast food restaurant, say Burger King or Wendy’s, and a member of the Fire Department or Police Department called and told you that your building is filling with pressure from gas that must be released, else the building will explode? What would you do? Well, in restaurants in Minnesota, Oklahoma, California and Arizona, the employees smashed every window in the restaurant to “release the pressure”. In California, the manager even rammed his car into the building to make absolutely certain that all that “pressure” had a place to go. Personally, I like to think that I would question that phone call before causing $10,000-$35,000 in damage. First, I would wonder how somebody not in the building with some testing equipment could possibly know about pressure in the building. Second, even if I believed there was an excess of pressure in the building, I think I would just open the doors … that should be enough to equalize pressure within seconds. But no, the employees of these fast food restaurants and their managers just went right on and smashed those windows! The callers, by the way, were just pranksters. If I had to guess, I would say they were probably nearby, watching and laughing until they cried! I know I would have been.

Coming soon to a neighborhood near me … the Cat Café! A local entrepreneur is opening a new coffee shop and cafe in my neighborhood where patrons can enjoy espresso drinks, tea and sweets while surrounded by cats. (So, what is different between this and my home, which I share with 7 cats?) The front of the Kitty Brew Cat Café would be a traditional cafe setting, while a separate room in the back would house up to 16 cats along with seating and furniture for both felines and humans. “We’ll have interactive furniture the cats can jump on and play, but also things like bean bag chairs (I have to wonder how long those will last?) for people to be level with the cats and engage with them. We’ll have Wi-Fi so people can come and work like they would at a regular cafe, just surrounded by cats,” said the owners of the café, Ken Molnar and Jenni Barrett. Barrett is also planning to obtain a liquor license to hold wine tasting events. All cats will be obtained from the local Humane Society and will be adoptable. I am considering calling them and asking if they would like to have one of ours, Tiger Lily, who is the meanest darn cat I have ever known! It is an interesting and fun concept, but personally I will not likely go there. When I go out, I rather like to enjoy a fur-free environment for a change. Also, if I went there it would be with my family, and then we would end up with an 8th cat, I fear, as they are incapable of passing up a kitty.

This past weekend was devastating for so many people in Japan and Ecuador. Two earthquakes hit the Kyushu region of Japan, one on Thursday and another on Saturday. As of this writing, the death toll in Japan stands at 41, with another 968 injured. On Saturday, an earthquake also hit Pedernales, Ecuador, where the death toll currently stands at 246, with more than 2,000 injured. In both countries, rescue workers continue to race the clock in hopes of finding more survivors. “You can still hear people calling for help — we can’t get to them,” said Luis Flores, a rescue worker in Pedernales. It goes against my grain to end the Monday post on a sad note, but I think it is a good thing sometimes for us to stop for just a minute and realize that in spite of all our daily trials, in spite of the political mania, it could be so much worse. My heart and thoughts go out to all who were affected by these tragedies over the weekend.