Boy holding garage sale to buy dad a headstone

KINGSTON, Ont. – A Kingston, Ont., youngster is holding a special garage sale this coming weekend, hoping to raise enough money to buy his father a gravestone.

Blake McGinness, 9, lost his father, Rick Lees, to a stomach aneurysm in March 2009.

His dad is buried in Wilmer Cemetery, where he was interred without a headstone.

Blake visits the grave regularly with his mother, Linda, and recently decided that he wanted his father to have a marker at his grave.

“My grandmother has a headstone and my grandfather has a headstone, and I want my dad to have a headstone, too,” the youngster said with great seriousness.

“I was originally thinking I’d have a yard sale and use the money to buy an iPod, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that this was what I wanted to do for my dad.”

McGinness has ruthlessly winnowed his toys and games, filling a room of his house with the items he plans to sell Saturday morning.

“We’re going to fill the driveway,” he said with confidence.

Click the image to read the article.


Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Animals in the news

Today we have a recent roundup of animals making the news - from the study of newly identified species to genetic modification, to racing, hunting, play, rescue and preservation. From a minuscule frog to an albino whale, fluorescent fish to a deep-sea Chimera, collected here are a handful of recent photographs of animals and our interactions with them, as companions, caretakers, observers, hunters and stewards. (57 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.