So, I decided to start a discussion on our Facebook page. Here is what I started with:
"What does everyone think of Toddlers & Tiaras? Putting little girls in ten pounds of makeup, the frilliest dresses a mom can find, and prancing them around on stage to be judged on how big they smile.
I personally think this is ridiculous. I think it is a bunch of moms that never had the chance themselves and are living through their children. Yes, there are some dads that do this too. But, if you have ever watched the show, you can see these kids don't even want to do this, or the ones that do have been turned into the most spoiled brats alive! I saw one girl that her mother fed her pixie sticks all day to keep her awake until it was her time on stage! Come on! Let the girl take a nap for Christ's sake!"
Please feel free to leave your comments here, or on our Facebook discussions tab. Feel free to start your own discussion while you are there too!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Update: Ricki's Rant on Juvenile Justice System
This morning my husband traveled down to Edinburgh to pick up our son and take him to court. When they got to the courthouse, our lawyer was there trying to get to the prosecutor before he went into court. No luck. Then, they find out that they are not even on the docket for the day and that they can not get him on the docket....too full. Court started at 9am. At 9:30am, they see the judge walk out of the court room with his cup of coffee, leaving for the day. "Full day", our lawyer says, "don't overwork yourself!"
They find out that our son is to turn himself in at the jail. So, they head to the jail and find out that the Sheriff there is not a big fan of this judge. He could not figure out why the judge put out a warrant for him before the two days we were given to have him in court. When paperwork was found, they read that the warrant was actually issued on Tuesday and, according to what the judge wrote, if our son didn't turn himself in by this morning, my husband would have had a warrant issued.
So, after processing our son and having the warrant rescinded, they are able to schedule court for Tuesday morning. Our lawyer was able to talk to the prosecutor and find out that they are willing to accept the program as part of his punishment. They were going to recommend 21 days house arrest and 4 months probation, but will change that to spending his probation time in the program. If, for any reason, he leaves the program, he will have to serve his house arrest and probation. Okay, fine. One problem. Is the program going to allow him to leave again for another day in court?
My husband called the director of the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy. This time he had to ask for another day away for court. The director was happy to allow it for our son. He said that our son has been doing very well, and knows that he wants to be there and wants to make something of his life.
I can not say enough about this program. I hope that someday every state is able to have this program in place for their at-risk youth. I hope someday that this can be something that the courts can recommend as a rehabilitation program for our young boys and girls that want to get on the right path and out of the system.
I was able to go with my husband this afternoon to return our son to the program. On the way there, I asked him about some of the things they have to do. He said that they are up every morning at 6am. They are in bed by 10:30pm. They are only allowed to drink water from their canteens. They eat what they are given. They do not complain about anything, or they are made to do push-ups until they agree that what they have been asked to do is the best thing for them. They have already taken a CPR class. They wear military fatigues and boots while they are doing their physical training. He knows the proper way to do a push up. He knows the proper way to dress. He knows that what we have done for him is what he needs to do to become the man he wants to become. He thanked us today and that was the greatest thing I have heard in a long time!
They find out that our son is to turn himself in at the jail. So, they head to the jail and find out that the Sheriff there is not a big fan of this judge. He could not figure out why the judge put out a warrant for him before the two days we were given to have him in court. When paperwork was found, they read that the warrant was actually issued on Tuesday and, according to what the judge wrote, if our son didn't turn himself in by this morning, my husband would have had a warrant issued.
So, after processing our son and having the warrant rescinded, they are able to schedule court for Tuesday morning. Our lawyer was able to talk to the prosecutor and find out that they are willing to accept the program as part of his punishment. They were going to recommend 21 days house arrest and 4 months probation, but will change that to spending his probation time in the program. If, for any reason, he leaves the program, he will have to serve his house arrest and probation. Okay, fine. One problem. Is the program going to allow him to leave again for another day in court?
My husband called the director of the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy. This time he had to ask for another day away for court. The director was happy to allow it for our son. He said that our son has been doing very well, and knows that he wants to be there and wants to make something of his life.
I can not say enough about this program. I hope that someday every state is able to have this program in place for their at-risk youth. I hope someday that this can be something that the courts can recommend as a rehabilitation program for our young boys and girls that want to get on the right path and out of the system.
I was able to go with my husband this afternoon to return our son to the program. On the way there, I asked him about some of the things they have to do. He said that they are up every morning at 6am. They are in bed by 10:30pm. They are only allowed to drink water from their canteens. They eat what they are given. They do not complain about anything, or they are made to do push-ups until they agree that what they have been asked to do is the best thing for them. They have already taken a CPR class. They wear military fatigues and boots while they are doing their physical training. He knows the proper way to do a push up. He knows the proper way to dress. He knows that what we have done for him is what he needs to do to become the man he wants to become. He thanked us today and that was the greatest thing I have heard in a long time!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Ricki's Rant: The Juvenile Justice System Is Failing Our Youth
I am the step-mother of 3 teenage boys. One of them is a 17 year old that has been lead down the wrong path. Last year, he came to live with us, by his choice. He had bad grades in the school that he was in, and was hanging around the wrong kids. We enrolled him in school where we live, and prayed that he would turn his grades around since he was not hanging out with friends all the time. Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be. His grades continued to fail, and numerous times we were told by teachers that he was falling asleep in class. He just didn't care. It didn't matter that we had taken most privileges away, he just kept getting worse.
We had found out about a program that is offered here in the state of Indiana. It is called The Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy. Basically, it is a boot camp for at-risk teens, boys and girls. They live on campus for 5 1/2 months and do physical training. They are put through a GED program and offered GED testing at the end of the program. The last week of the program involves meeting with colleges, military recruiters, and they have a job fair. The program is 100% funded by our state and federal government. The facility that we have here in Indiana is at Camp Atterbury which is run by the Army National Guard.
This program only takes in 150 cadets every 6 months. We went through an entire process to get our son into this program. It started with an informational seminar where we turned in the application. He was then chosen to be interviewed. Then we got some bad news.
It wasn't that our son was not chosen, it was that he had gotten into some trouble while visiting his grandmother. He was left at her house alone, though we had told her that he was grounded and not to hang out with any of his friends that live near her. He decided that since he was alone, he would have some friends over. One, or more, of his friends brought alcohol to the party. He made a bad choice and decided to drink with his friends. The party got a little loud and the landlord came over to investigate. The landlord that lives in the apartment attached to this one that these kids were partying in. The landlord that is also a town cop. Yes, stupid teenagers!
Now, we all have been there. You want to be cool. You don't want your friends to call you a pussy, so you partake in the drinking. That is what he did, and he got caught. He got caught so bad that while the landlord was calling for on duty officers to show up and break up the party, all of his friends took off and left him there to take the punishment alone. Great friends, huh? However, he has decided not to be a snitch. He will not give up the names of any of his friends that were there with him. He was taken to the police station, and the landlord called his grandmother to come pick him up. My husband and I were not notified until the next morning. Why? I have no idea. Seeing as we had custody of him, we should have been called before the grandmother, but what do I know?
So, charges were filed and a date in court was set. First, he had to meet with the probation office. By the time his probation meeting came around, we had gotten word that he was accepted into the program. However, one of the rules is that there are not to be any pending court cases when you go into the program. So, we had our work cut out for us to get this court thing resolved. We went to the probation meeting with paperwork in hand. The paperwork outlined the program so we could show them the opportunity that our son was given to turn his life around. You would think that they would take one look at what this program is all about and use it to their advantage that they do not have to put this boy through the judicial system, should he make it through the program. Nope! They still set a court date. January 19th.
Our son was set to start the academy on January 10th. We contacted our lawyer to see what we could do. Time was not on our side. The probation meeting was just a few days before the academy start date. We sent all of the paperwork to our lawyer and he said he would contact the court and see what he can do to get things postponed until our son graduates the program. Great! That is what we want. We aren't asking them not to punish him their way, we just want to give him a chance to go through this program that is not easy to get into.
The date was getting closer, and after numerous calls to the lawyers office with no return calls, we had to make a decision. We decided to take him to the academy. Again, if we have to pull him out, we will. We got him signed in, they whisked him away and got in his face right away. It was like watching day 1 of basic training. Drill Sergeants yelling in the kids' faces as they were trying to enter the building. Kids yelling, "Sir, yes, Sir". It was a breath of fresh air to see our son getting the discipline that he needed. It was also quite humorous to see the moms walking away with tears in their eyes knowing that their son/daughter was getting yelled at and being made to do the right thing like they should have been all along. Mom's wanting to turn around and hug their children and tell them it is going to be okay. No, Mom, it isn't. Your son is about to be made a man. He is about to see that the world is not something he can just spit on and feel like he can get his own way. That is not why you put him in this program. You put him there to make him a better person. Deal with it and walk away. Come back on family day.
So, now our son is in the academy, we are getting letters from him every day. We are still waiting to find something out. Court day arrives and we decided we were going to show up on our son's behalf. We still had not heard back from our lawyer. Apparently they do not approve of this in Hendricks County Indiana. If you do not show up with a lawyer, they don't even want to talk to you. If you do not show up with the accused, they really don't want to talk to you. We gave them the paperwork and neither the judge or the prosecutor wanted to hear about it. They said that they had never heard of such a program and they didn't even believe us that he was actually there. The boys that went before his name was called received, at most, 6 months probation. One of the boys was on his second offense. So, was this going to be the same recommendation that was made for our son's punishment? 6 months probation? We have him in a program that is 10 times that punishment! The judge and the prosecutor weren't hearing it. They gave us 48 hours to produce our son in court or warrants would be issued for our son, and my husband! What?
So, we again try to contact our lawyer....success this time. A little late, but we were able to go meet him in his office. He said that he had tried many times to contact the prosecutor and the probation office but no one was calling him back. The reason we hadn't heard from him......my husband was giving him the wrong number to call back. He had his cell number backwards. Damnit!
So, what do we do now? Our lawyer went to the courthouse this morning to try to talk to the prosecutor again. Again, he was told that we have to produce our son in front of the judge. He has to have his day in court. They will not postpone this case. Now we have to call someone at the academy and let them know that we have to pick him up. But, first, my husband decides that he is going to try to see if we can get him back in after he goes to court. According to the rules, once you leave the academy, you are not allowed back. The director of the academy was very understanding. He said that our son is doing very well in the program and he is willing to work with us. The court's recommendation is 6 months probation. If we can get them to set the probation up so that he does not have to go to weekly meetings with his probation officer, instead have the academy check him in to say that he is still there, then he can go back.
So, what we have here is a program that is out there that works with these kids to keep them on the right track to becoming productive citizens. On the other hand, we have a judicial system that wants to slap him on the wrist and take away his chance at bettering himself. Making him just another high school drop out working at McDonald's, or even scrounging off the system collecting welfare! What seems like the better choice to you?
No wonder these kids that get into trouble are not getting better. There is no guidance from the courts. They just want you to do what they want you to do and that is that. My husband put it best when he said that the judge is just trying to show the world how big his pecker is.
We were never asking that the courts not punish our son, we were only asking that they postpone their punishment until he returns from the academy. Give him 6 months probation, but do it after he returns. He is basically in jail as it is! Stuck in the middle of nowhere Indiana on a military base with someone screaming at him to wake up at 5am everyday, then he has to have lights out at 9:30 every night. All day long they eat what they are told to eat, they do the physical activity they are told to do, they go to class when they are told to. Argh! It pisses me off that the courts do not see this as the better option for him!!!!
Below is a video showing what this program is about. I think more states need something like this, and they need to get the funding to put more kids through it.
For more information on the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, click here.
States that currently have a program in place: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California has 2 facilities, Florida, Georgia has 2 facilities, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Puerto Rico
States that currently do not have a program in place: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont
If your state is on the list of those that do not currently have this program, I suggest that you write as many letters as you can to as many government officials as you can. Try your best to get this program in place for your children. For their children. For your friends' children. This is a program that should be nationwide.
We had found out about a program that is offered here in the state of Indiana. It is called The Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy. Basically, it is a boot camp for at-risk teens, boys and girls. They live on campus for 5 1/2 months and do physical training. They are put through a GED program and offered GED testing at the end of the program. The last week of the program involves meeting with colleges, military recruiters, and they have a job fair. The program is 100% funded by our state and federal government. The facility that we have here in Indiana is at Camp Atterbury which is run by the Army National Guard.
This program only takes in 150 cadets every 6 months. We went through an entire process to get our son into this program. It started with an informational seminar where we turned in the application. He was then chosen to be interviewed. Then we got some bad news.
It wasn't that our son was not chosen, it was that he had gotten into some trouble while visiting his grandmother. He was left at her house alone, though we had told her that he was grounded and not to hang out with any of his friends that live near her. He decided that since he was alone, he would have some friends over. One, or more, of his friends brought alcohol to the party. He made a bad choice and decided to drink with his friends. The party got a little loud and the landlord came over to investigate. The landlord that lives in the apartment attached to this one that these kids were partying in. The landlord that is also a town cop. Yes, stupid teenagers!
Now, we all have been there. You want to be cool. You don't want your friends to call you a pussy, so you partake in the drinking. That is what he did, and he got caught. He got caught so bad that while the landlord was calling for on duty officers to show up and break up the party, all of his friends took off and left him there to take the punishment alone. Great friends, huh? However, he has decided not to be a snitch. He will not give up the names of any of his friends that were there with him. He was taken to the police station, and the landlord called his grandmother to come pick him up. My husband and I were not notified until the next morning. Why? I have no idea. Seeing as we had custody of him, we should have been called before the grandmother, but what do I know?
So, charges were filed and a date in court was set. First, he had to meet with the probation office. By the time his probation meeting came around, we had gotten word that he was accepted into the program. However, one of the rules is that there are not to be any pending court cases when you go into the program. So, we had our work cut out for us to get this court thing resolved. We went to the probation meeting with paperwork in hand. The paperwork outlined the program so we could show them the opportunity that our son was given to turn his life around. You would think that they would take one look at what this program is all about and use it to their advantage that they do not have to put this boy through the judicial system, should he make it through the program. Nope! They still set a court date. January 19th.
Our son was set to start the academy on January 10th. We contacted our lawyer to see what we could do. Time was not on our side. The probation meeting was just a few days before the academy start date. We sent all of the paperwork to our lawyer and he said he would contact the court and see what he can do to get things postponed until our son graduates the program. Great! That is what we want. We aren't asking them not to punish him their way, we just want to give him a chance to go through this program that is not easy to get into.
The date was getting closer, and after numerous calls to the lawyers office with no return calls, we had to make a decision. We decided to take him to the academy. Again, if we have to pull him out, we will. We got him signed in, they whisked him away and got in his face right away. It was like watching day 1 of basic training. Drill Sergeants yelling in the kids' faces as they were trying to enter the building. Kids yelling, "Sir, yes, Sir". It was a breath of fresh air to see our son getting the discipline that he needed. It was also quite humorous to see the moms walking away with tears in their eyes knowing that their son/daughter was getting yelled at and being made to do the right thing like they should have been all along. Mom's wanting to turn around and hug their children and tell them it is going to be okay. No, Mom, it isn't. Your son is about to be made a man. He is about to see that the world is not something he can just spit on and feel like he can get his own way. That is not why you put him in this program. You put him there to make him a better person. Deal with it and walk away. Come back on family day.
So, now our son is in the academy, we are getting letters from him every day. We are still waiting to find something out. Court day arrives and we decided we were going to show up on our son's behalf. We still had not heard back from our lawyer. Apparently they do not approve of this in Hendricks County Indiana. If you do not show up with a lawyer, they don't even want to talk to you. If you do not show up with the accused, they really don't want to talk to you. We gave them the paperwork and neither the judge or the prosecutor wanted to hear about it. They said that they had never heard of such a program and they didn't even believe us that he was actually there. The boys that went before his name was called received, at most, 6 months probation. One of the boys was on his second offense. So, was this going to be the same recommendation that was made for our son's punishment? 6 months probation? We have him in a program that is 10 times that punishment! The judge and the prosecutor weren't hearing it. They gave us 48 hours to produce our son in court or warrants would be issued for our son, and my husband! What?
So, we again try to contact our lawyer....success this time. A little late, but we were able to go meet him in his office. He said that he had tried many times to contact the prosecutor and the probation office but no one was calling him back. The reason we hadn't heard from him......my husband was giving him the wrong number to call back. He had his cell number backwards. Damnit!
So, what do we do now? Our lawyer went to the courthouse this morning to try to talk to the prosecutor again. Again, he was told that we have to produce our son in front of the judge. He has to have his day in court. They will not postpone this case. Now we have to call someone at the academy and let them know that we have to pick him up. But, first, my husband decides that he is going to try to see if we can get him back in after he goes to court. According to the rules, once you leave the academy, you are not allowed back. The director of the academy was very understanding. He said that our son is doing very well in the program and he is willing to work with us. The court's recommendation is 6 months probation. If we can get them to set the probation up so that he does not have to go to weekly meetings with his probation officer, instead have the academy check him in to say that he is still there, then he can go back.
So, what we have here is a program that is out there that works with these kids to keep them on the right track to becoming productive citizens. On the other hand, we have a judicial system that wants to slap him on the wrist and take away his chance at bettering himself. Making him just another high school drop out working at McDonald's, or even scrounging off the system collecting welfare! What seems like the better choice to you?
No wonder these kids that get into trouble are not getting better. There is no guidance from the courts. They just want you to do what they want you to do and that is that. My husband put it best when he said that the judge is just trying to show the world how big his pecker is.
We were never asking that the courts not punish our son, we were only asking that they postpone their punishment until he returns from the academy. Give him 6 months probation, but do it after he returns. He is basically in jail as it is! Stuck in the middle of nowhere Indiana on a military base with someone screaming at him to wake up at 5am everyday, then he has to have lights out at 9:30 every night. All day long they eat what they are told to eat, they do the physical activity they are told to do, they go to class when they are told to. Argh! It pisses me off that the courts do not see this as the better option for him!!!!
Below is a video showing what this program is about. I think more states need something like this, and they need to get the funding to put more kids through it.
For more information on the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, click here.
States that currently have a program in place: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California has 2 facilities, Florida, Georgia has 2 facilities, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Puerto Rico
States that currently do not have a program in place: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont
If your state is on the list of those that do not currently have this program, I suggest that you write as many letters as you can to as many government officials as you can. Try your best to get this program in place for your children. For their children. For your friends' children. This is a program that should be nationwide.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Ragi's Rant:
I was listening to NPR the other morning. This is quite a common occurrence for me while driving alone taxiing one life form or another to their desired destinations.
This woman was droning on and on about how Manhattan, yes New York's own little financial mega-structure, is a racially degridated institution. Stating African American's only account for something to the tune of 3% of the executive population in the big apple. One wall street big wig was quoted to have said he was merely lucky to have had the fortune in the industry that he has had... when Nazi Stat woman claimed it wasn't luck that bought this hard working kid a position in the CEO suite, it was simply because he was white.
Hold on, my dear reader.. Put your ACLU cards away and quit trying to call Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton to run amok over me. I am not prejudice... Had you read our disclaimer you would have learned that I hate EVERYONE EQUALLY. Black, white, male, female... hell, the fucking pigs aren't safe from us with their bastard swine flu shit. If you've existed, then you're open ground for my ridicule.
So getting back to corporate America being racially segregating against the poor African American Community... I say BULL SHIT! If the fucking AAC (short for African American Community... pay attention) would get off their ghetto asses and go to college which I might interject that FUCKING GOV'T WILL PAY YOU TO DO SOLELY BECAUSE YOU ARE BLACK (how's that for racial irony?) and yet here I sit broke and education-less because I am WHITE and not eligible for minority relief??? STOP KILLING EACH OTHER and learn something. Maybe then the big apple would have more black CEO'S to fall back on. As it stands statically, the AAC makes up about 14% of our country... yet they make up 80% of our jails and another 76% of our welfare receivers nation wide. WTF? Stat Nazi claimed that because AAC makes up said 14% then they should comparably account for 14% of our national executive level.
BAH! If they laid off the gangs, crime and drugs, maybe then they would make up a higher percentage of the WORKING CLASS. WORK, you know that thing in which one does to earn a paycheck?
Look, I get no breaks because I am white. In fact, unlike the AAC, I don't even get an all white TV channel to watch. I can't listen to all white music and GOD FORBID I be proud that I am white, just as they have their cultural pride, then I am deemed a racist. Do I get a foundation that ensures me a college education? Nope, that would be racist. To top it all off, I can guarantee that a less qualified or educated black woman will beat me out for a position merely because she is black. I am never going to get a job, and education or a break simply because I am white. If this same said woman that beats me out for a job then sucks at it.. I can't sue the company based on racial segregation. I just have to take it up the ass.
So, in this socialist society, we WHITE AMERICANS will just have to figure out how to rewrite the constitution so that maybe we can get a break too.
This woman was droning on and on about how Manhattan, yes New York's own little financial mega-structure, is a racially degridated institution. Stating African American's only account for something to the tune of 3% of the executive population in the big apple. One wall street big wig was quoted to have said he was merely lucky to have had the fortune in the industry that he has had... when Nazi Stat woman claimed it wasn't luck that bought this hard working kid a position in the CEO suite, it was simply because he was white.
Hold on, my dear reader.. Put your ACLU cards away and quit trying to call Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton to run amok over me. I am not prejudice... Had you read our disclaimer you would have learned that I hate EVERYONE EQUALLY. Black, white, male, female... hell, the fucking pigs aren't safe from us with their bastard swine flu shit. If you've existed, then you're open ground for my ridicule.
So getting back to corporate America being racially segregating against the poor African American Community... I say BULL SHIT! If the fucking AAC (short for African American Community... pay attention) would get off their ghetto asses and go to college which I might interject that FUCKING GOV'T WILL PAY YOU TO DO SOLELY BECAUSE YOU ARE BLACK (how's that for racial irony?) and yet here I sit broke and education-less because I am WHITE and not eligible for minority relief??? STOP KILLING EACH OTHER and learn something. Maybe then the big apple would have more black CEO'S to fall back on. As it stands statically, the AAC makes up about 14% of our country... yet they make up 80% of our jails and another 76% of our welfare receivers nation wide. WTF? Stat Nazi claimed that because AAC makes up said 14% then they should comparably account for 14% of our national executive level.
BAH! If they laid off the gangs, crime and drugs, maybe then they would make up a higher percentage of the WORKING CLASS. WORK, you know that thing in which one does to earn a paycheck?
Look, I get no breaks because I am white. In fact, unlike the AAC, I don't even get an all white TV channel to watch. I can't listen to all white music and GOD FORBID I be proud that I am white, just as they have their cultural pride, then I am deemed a racist. Do I get a foundation that ensures me a college education? Nope, that would be racist. To top it all off, I can guarantee that a less qualified or educated black woman will beat me out for a position merely because she is black. I am never going to get a job, and education or a break simply because I am white. If this same said woman that beats me out for a job then sucks at it.. I can't sue the company based on racial segregation. I just have to take it up the ass.
So, in this socialist society, we WHITE AMERICANS will just have to figure out how to rewrite the constitution so that maybe we can get a break too.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti Earthquake 2010
On January 12th at approximately 5pm, the people of Haiti experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that has left thousands homeless and thousands more feared dead. Many countries have sent volunteers to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Looking through photos, I am sure, does nothing to show us what devastation is actually there. People are walking over the bodies of loved ones to get to those that may still be alive, trapped in several feet of rubble.
The presidential palace, a once beautiful structure, has crumbled to pieces.
I can't even imagine what these people are going through. They are already a poor country. Many of their homes, just make-shift shacks, now lay flat on the ground.
How we can help:
Relief organizations are asking that you do not send items, but instead money. Too many items are sent that are not needed, and only take up space in a warehouse. With monetary donations, the organizations can purchase the items that they know are needed.
Do not just go to any website to donate money. There are already scam artists trying to profit from this tragedy.
Cell phone users can text "Haiti" to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. The amount will be added to the donor's cellphone bill.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.care.org/
http://www.unicef.org/
The end of the world as we know it?
Now, I know there are several of you out there saying, "It's starting! The end of the world is near." Not really. There is a major fault line that rips right through this area. It happens, even though we pray that it doesn't. The largest recorded loss of life from an earthquake was back on January 23, 1556. 830,000 perished in an 8.0 magnitude quake.
As castasrophic as this quake seems to be, with it's estimated 50,000 dead, it is still #25 on a list of deadly earthquakes. Many of which happened before any of us were even alive!
Natural disasters happen. It has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar people. Though we never wish for these things to happen to anyone, they do happen. Earthquakes are very unpredictable. It is the only natural disaster that we get no warning of.
Do your part in helping this nation that will take years to rebound from this. Send your donations, volunteer with the Red Cross, spread the word on how everyone else can help. If you have a rich relative, talk them into giving that little bit more that you know they do not want to part with!
Pray for the people that are affected most by this tragedy. Pray for the people that have volunteered to help with the rescue and recovery. Pray for the families that still have not received word that their loved ones are alive or dead. Pray.
How we can help:
Relief organizations are asking that you do not send items, but instead money. Too many items are sent that are not needed, and only take up space in a warehouse. With monetary donations, the organizations can purchase the items that they know are needed.
Do not just go to any website to donate money. There are already scam artists trying to profit from this tragedy.
Cell phone users can text "Haiti" to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. The amount will be added to the donor's cellphone bill.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.care.org/
http://www.unicef.org/
The end of the world as we know it?
Now, I know there are several of you out there saying, "It's starting! The end of the world is near." Not really. There is a major fault line that rips right through this area. It happens, even though we pray that it doesn't. The largest recorded loss of life from an earthquake was back on January 23, 1556. 830,000 perished in an 8.0 magnitude quake.
As castasrophic as this quake seems to be, with it's estimated 50,000 dead, it is still #25 on a list of deadly earthquakes. Many of which happened before any of us were even alive!
Natural disasters happen. It has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar people. Though we never wish for these things to happen to anyone, they do happen. Earthquakes are very unpredictable. It is the only natural disaster that we get no warning of.
Do your part in helping this nation that will take years to rebound from this. Send your donations, volunteer with the Red Cross, spread the word on how everyone else can help. If you have a rich relative, talk them into giving that little bit more that you know they do not want to part with!
Pray for the people that are affected most by this tragedy. Pray for the people that have volunteered to help with the rescue and recovery. Pray for the families that still have not received word that their loved ones are alive or dead. Pray.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Welcome to the new Ricki and Ragi Rants and Raves site!
Good evening all you former members of the BS.
Allow me to introduce ourselves
"Ricki and Ragi" are the former co-writers of Sean Krause's illustrious website TheDailyBS.Com.
You may remember our high jinx on line or on air. The three of us had a chemistry together that formed an internet family relaying everything from serious, hardcore news to the insane side of media. From Caylee Anthony to various forms of feces we entertained, educated and otherwise raped the innocent minds that existed before the BS.
In February of last year, our sweet creator and instigator lost his battle with cancer. We tried like hell to keep the BS going for him, for his memory but alas.... it wasn't the same without Dr. Krause. So we let it die, with him.
Knowing that we couldn't keep quiet for long we decided to revamp the site, a whole new look, a whole new feel so that Ricki and Ragi could continue to entertain and deliver the news but without feeling like we were letting him down.
I believe Sean would be proud of us now, for making it our own. For not having the essence of the BS leave us, but only the name.
You'll still find the world's most bullshit titles here. You'll still find The American Custody Battle Series. You'll still find the wacky humor and intense investigative journalism that Sean brought to it... But you'll find just the duo now.
This site will always hold honor and memory to he who built us.
But it will spin in a way that only Ricki and Ragi could twist this cycle we call life.
Welcome to Ricki and Ragi's Rants and Raves. We encourage your comments, we applaud your word of mouth advertising and promotion of us, and we support all life forms that want to do something ridiculously idiotic so that we (and our readers) may insult and injure your pride for it.
And yes, we are still "No holds barred". We do not discriminate against race, color, creed, social class, no class, or anything of the like. If you fuck up, we'll nail you on it.
Welcome to Rick and Rags house.
~RAGIannie
Allow me to introduce ourselves
"Ricki and Ragi" are the former co-writers of Sean Krause's illustrious website TheDailyBS.Com.
You may remember our high jinx on line or on air. The three of us had a chemistry together that formed an internet family relaying everything from serious, hardcore news to the insane side of media. From Caylee Anthony to various forms of feces we entertained, educated and otherwise raped the innocent minds that existed before the BS.
In February of last year, our sweet creator and instigator lost his battle with cancer. We tried like hell to keep the BS going for him, for his memory but alas.... it wasn't the same without Dr. Krause. So we let it die, with him.
Knowing that we couldn't keep quiet for long we decided to revamp the site, a whole new look, a whole new feel so that Ricki and Ragi could continue to entertain and deliver the news but without feeling like we were letting him down.
I believe Sean would be proud of us now, for making it our own. For not having the essence of the BS leave us, but only the name.
You'll still find the world's most bullshit titles here. You'll still find The American Custody Battle Series. You'll still find the wacky humor and intense investigative journalism that Sean brought to it... But you'll find just the duo now.
This site will always hold honor and memory to he who built us.
But it will spin in a way that only Ricki and Ragi could twist this cycle we call life.
Welcome to Ricki and Ragi's Rants and Raves. We encourage your comments, we applaud your word of mouth advertising and promotion of us, and we support all life forms that want to do something ridiculously idiotic so that we (and our readers) may insult and injure your pride for it.
And yes, we are still "No holds barred". We do not discriminate against race, color, creed, social class, no class, or anything of the like. If you fuck up, we'll nail you on it.
Welcome to Rick and Rags house.
~RAGIannie
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Under Construction
We currently have the blog under construction, but don't worry, we will be up really soon!
We look forward to sharing our views with you once again!
We look forward to sharing our views with you once again!
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