Good morning!

“Just noticing…”

I am trying to keep up with the news and make sense of everything that is being said about these two Boston bombers. But as usual I have some comments and a lot more questions. I am wondering if some of you are thinking the same same.

When I listen to all the pundits and MSM shows talk about the bombers, I am disturbed by the fact that the elephant in the room, “gun background checks”  is never mentioned. That fact would be the “lack of” background checks for their purchase of guns, is not brought up.  With all the talk about background checks lately, why isn’t it being talked about in this scenario?

We are constantly exposed to the fact that the FBI  conducted a background check on the older brother because of an alert by Russia. Later he visited an area in Russia, (Chechnya)  where there is a lot of islamic activity going on, but the FBI did not do a second interview.

Yet there is no mention that if the very gun law that was voted down recently – you know the one that said we need background checks on people before they are able to buy a gun – was actually in place, the FBI would’ve been alerted of this person who had just visited Chechnya and was on a watch list. No such luck this time and probably not next time either because that gun law was just voted down. You can thank the Senate for that and blame them too for any future mass gun murders, because with the way our world is today, sadly, there will most likely be a next time.

All we hear is “The FBI dropped the ball in 2011.” They didn’t drop the ball  – there were no balls to drop  – the ball was taken out of their hands when there was no background check to alert them. In my opinion, it is really that simple.

The older brother was firing an automatic weapon – where did he get it? No mention about that. It is almost as if there were no guns involved, at all. All we hear is talk about  “a bomb”…”a bomb”…”a bomb.” But guns were involved too. How did they kill the MIT guy? Because they had guns? How did the get the car? Because they had guns. How did they escape the police? Because they had guns! If we are so concerned about guns, why is no one talking about them?!

Back to dropping the ball…It was the Senate who dropped the ball when just this week they voted down a huge tool that would have enable law enforcement to catch these guys. Wait until terrorists discover how easy it is to just come here and buy guns and use them against us. Will we as citizens have to experience a mass murdering by one or more terrorists using our own easily bought weapons against us before we get those BAPF, by the gun industry, representatives, to understand that we need to prevent the unwanted from getting their hands on guns?

As horrific as this Boston bombing was, we were lucky this time. The older brother was stupid and thankfully he was. By choice, not because he couldn’t, he only had a certain amount of bullets. And because of that, he was caught by the police because he ran out of bullets. If he had  30-round magazine, this story could’ve turned out a lot different. More people would’ve been dead and the brother bombers could still be at large and who knows what plans they had that could’ve been played out. We have no idea how many more lives could’ve been lost. But we can certainly say that the older brother’s stupidity to not carry a larger magazine for his automatic weapon, most likely saved lives – this time. Wouldn’t it be nice if this law had passed so we wouldn’t ever have to contemplate should another killer be smarter next time?  Why is this kind of logic not  being addressed and discussed?

On another note, we are constantly exposed to Senator Graham saying the bomber should be tried as a “enemy combatant.” It seems that the republicans have no problem depriving people of the civil rights to gain protection of the population as a whole, but they refuse to deprive the gun industry of their profits from the sale of guns to anyone for similar protections of the population as a whole. Crazy right? So those republicans refuse to deprive a few of the right to purchase guns without background checks in order to protect the safety of the general population.

Readers: Any comments on your take on why there is no buzz or questions such as these from any in the media? Or discussions on why having gun background checks would have done to alert law enforcement to their situation? Anything else you’re “just noticing?” Since no one is talking about it, let’s get the conversation going here. Blog me.

Peace & Love….

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I have been meaning to post about this for over a week now but somehow it didn’t cross my mind to do so when I began to post every morning. This time it did. And just in time. This movie “Girl Rising,” although has been previewed in many places across the country, has finally hit the theaters, as of yesterday. Once an avid movie goer, I haven’t been to a theater in months, (I still have yet to catch up with all of the Oscar winners!), I am so excited to see this.

Big love and kudos goes to all the writers,  Holly Gordon the producer, the filmmakers, the 10X10 Campaign, and of course, last but not least, the 9 girls whose lives inspired this film, that I feel everyone (yes, you too guys!) should see.

They all deserve the title of Wonderful Women and Girls of the World.

From the Huff Po:

“Girl Rising,” a movie produced by the girls education campaign 10×10, tells the stories of nine young girls fighting for access to education and better opportunities. As the trailer above reveals, it’s not a traditional documentary — each girl’s story is written by a well known female writer from her country and narrated by one of a host of A-list actresses (yes, including Meryl), according to information provided on the 10×10 website. We dare you to watch and not be saddened at how little the world has offered these girls and inspired by their resolve to make better lives for themselves.

Girl Rising: Topping Charts by Breaking Molds

It’s a rare documentary that breaks into box office charts. Most linger longer in the moral conscience than graduate out of the festival circuit onto big screens. Even rarer is the cause documentary that achieves popular success as well as critical acclaim.

One notable exception was March of the Penguins. Magnificent cinematography, heart-warming stories of faithful parents, gut-wrenching odds of survival — and the attention it drew to the impact of climate change — rocketed Penguins to the top of the movie charts. Another rare exception is 10×10′s recently released Girl Rising, a feature film that tells the stories of nine resilient girls in nine developing countries who overcome insurmountable economic and cultural odds — simply to get an education.

Changing the World by Educating Girls

At first glance singling out educating girls as the most effective way to tackle global poverty seems a stretch. Yet the briefest look at the numbers quickly confirms the obvious — that educating girls is indeed the most effective way to address many fundamental economic, political and cultural goals across the developing world.

Consider the direct correlation between educating girls and economic growth. In their Council on Foreign Relations paper, “What Works in Girls Education,” Barbara Herz and Gene Sperling highlight the direct economic impact of educating girls in multiple ways. On an individual level, educated girls at both primary and secondary levels generate 10 to 25 percent higher wages, significantly higher than the relative increase among boys. That wage impact translates directly into faster national economic growth. As the authors note, more equal education of girls in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in particular would have resulted in nearly 1 percent higher per capita growth in GDP over the period 1960 to 1992. Critically, in developing countries, higher education levels among girls leads to more productive farming results.

Then consider the economic multiplier effect of educating girls — given its minimal marginal cost. Not only does doing so dramatically improve health standards, encourage fewer children and discourage child trafficking, but it also drives up savings and small business activity. Not surprisingly, UNICEF reports that educated mothers are twice as likely to educate their own children — girls and boys. Now compound those benefits by just one generation.

But can a narrative documentary attract developed world attention to an issue so patently solvable? Surely noble goals, powerful story lines and chic Hollywood endorsements are a simple recipe for screen success. Not so fast. Many documentaries share similar attributes without making a notable impact. So how did Girl Rising debut at No. 5 on the New York Times Most Popular Movies List, open in 100 theaters, sell 100,000 tickets in its first month and be the signature purchase for CNN Films?

How to Turn Hollywood Upside Down — While Making Friends

Start with content: Girl Rising is an immensely uplifting film spotlighting one of the real success stories in development circles. As Academy Award nominee director Richard E. Robbins notes,

“Educating girls makes such obvious sense. An educated girl will in turn educate her own children — boys and girls — not only in arithmetic and in how to write and read, but also in how to stay healthy, how to work and save. It’s the multiplier effect writ larger by every generation. If you get sick, you might well go back to the hospital. But if you get educated, you never forget that.”

Star power also helps. Each girl’s story in Girl Rising is narrated by A-list Hollywood actresses including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Alicia Keys and Selena Gomez. Having Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Jordan’s Queen Rania on your advisory board certainly lends credence as well. Strategic partners including Intel, Paul Allen’s Vulcan Productions and CNN Films also add impressive institutional heft.

Then add in 10×10′s groundbreaking distribution model. Turning Hollywood’s traditional distribution model on its head, 10×10 promotes screenings by offering any community — however large or small, urban, rural or campus-based — the opportunity to screen Girl Rising through its partnership with Gathr. Launched in 2011, Gathr is among the innovators in on-demand theatrical distribution, empowering audiences to bring films like Girl Rising to their communities, in effect democratizing theatrical film distribution. “With Girl Rising, we took a risk on a new model of on-demand theatrical distribution, and the leap of faith paid dividends,” said Tom Yellin, executive producer of Girl Rising. “We’ve established a new model for impact filmmaking, to build a movement — and an audience — around a film.”

Deft use of social media to promote Girl Rising also proves Facebook and Twitter are infinitely more cost-effective forms of promoting films than traditional sources. With a dedicated social media team that resembles a campaign war room, 10×10 constantly sends targeted alerts to promote local screenings, encouraging individuals to share and share again notices about upcoming screenings, while also circling back to spotlight successful screenings through an ever-widening web of friends and followers.

Translating Awareness into Impact on the Ground

Uplifting stories, star power, and impressive box-office stats without doubt. But can a documentary seen even in several hundred theaters actually translate into making a difference in traditional, and often patriarchal, societies thousands of miles away?

Emphatically yes, say director Robbins and executive producer Holly Green Gordon. Both quickly admit their value-add is in developing awareness and raising funds for the cause of educating girls through the power of film. To that end Robbins and Green established the 10×10 Fund to act as a conduit of all proceeds from Girl Rising – ticket sales, donations, and corporate gifts — to global nonprofits including Care, the UN Foundation’s Girl Up, and Room to Read, selected on the basis of their ability to make an immediate on-the-ground impact. Beyond that, 10×10 effectively pushed these organizations to place an even greater focus within their budgets on educating girls.

Little surprise then that Girl Rising quickly received star-billing nationwide. Barely a month after debuting to critical and popular acclaim as a documentary promoted at the grassroots level, 10×10 just disclosed a week-long exclusive deal with Regal Cinemas, the nation’s leading network of cinemas, to show Girl Rising in over 150 theaters across the country starting April 19th.

Announcing the deal, Amy Miles, CEO of Regal Entertainment Group stated, “Regal recognizes the intense interest by American moviegoers demanding that this film be seen in their local communities.” As she continued, “This movie is making an emotional impact on many of our patrons, me included.”

Fitting praise for a feature film called “one of the hottest cause documentaries in years” by the New York Times. With their drive and determination, these courageous young girls have proven that by striving to get an education, they themselves have the power to truly change the world.

*Y*O*U*G*O*G*I*R*L*S*

Readers: I can’t say much about this film since I haven’t seen it yet, but it is about time, that the world knows how much young girls endure in their lives, and yet still come out courageous, powerful and rising…and for the betterment of all. It is amazing to me the stats that show when women and girls have the opportunity to rise and prosper, families, communities, and countries flourish more. When will men get that? When will they stop trying to prevent women from achieving success, and instead nurture and cultivate an environment for women and girls to blossom? The time is now.

Peace & Love…give it to the girls.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

It has been pretty hectic around here with work. After getting home yesterday I glued myself to the news. Got up early but all I have been doing is reading about Boston. So tragic. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m sure all of you are feeling the same. It seems so many that I have spoken to knew someone that was running in this race. Thankfully none of them were injured. I HOPE that same for you. Again, my heart and healing thoughts go out to the friends and families who were.

I’ve been working on posting something for the last two hours but I keep getting interrupted by work – phone calls mostly, so I apologize that this morning has been challenging.

Now hearing about these letters laced with the poison ricin going out to Obama. And one as sent to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) too - Okay, as much as I am not exactly delighted with republicans, and their policies, and “party of no” attitude (need I go on?), I certainly don’t wish death upon him.

I am just so sickened by all of the horrific things happening of late. What I thought was a state of Chaos for our country seems to be not as random, but venturing toward, (dare I say) normal. Okay…so I know I am stretching it…and this is far from normal, but boy, the death and destruction lately is just getting to me.

What is going on here with the way people are behaving in our society?

I was visiting with girlfriend of mine over the weekend, whose sister-in-law was visiting from the south with her 3 kids – a girl and two boys. The boys who were both young, under 14 years of age, were playing a video game on the television. Typical right? But what I saw wasn’t typical…or maybe it was.

All I knew, was what I saw was shocking. The two boys were glued to the television as if in a trace state. In the game they were playing, they were portraying armed men shooting and killing other men.

The scene took place in a warehouse space where men in hiding would be exposed to shoot at. I never saw the faces of any of them except for one time. And the one time, I did, it was a black man being obviously portrayed as the “bad guy”. “The “bad guy” came from behind and tried to attack a “white guy” and the white guy responded by swiftly killing him.

I sat there watching for a few minutes, with my mouth open not believing what I was seeing. And then I noticed as I started to take a look around the room…and what I saw was even more shocking.  No one in the room was paying attention but me. Wha’at? Do they know what these kids are playing? Well of course I knew they did. But that was what was so hard to take in – They knew their kids were playing games that portrayed them killing people…portrayed “black people” as the “bad guys.”

I felt like I wanted to cry.

This was just a typical day in the life of a family hanging out and the kids “playing.” It felt so “normal.” Yeah to them. But to me it wasn’t “normal.” – It was so disturbing to me.

I had to pull my girlfriend aside and speak to her. Unfortunately, it was not the first time I had experienced this while hanging out with a family. And no doubt it will not be the last.

I think, “Why are these games even being made? What is the reason? With so much ‘real destruction’ in the world, why more?” And then it dawned on me: Because they make money.  Lots of money. The demand is there. I’ve seen it. And all the parents seem to say is that all boys have these games – they all play them. So what! Does that mean it is OK? What kind of crazy thinking is that? But that is the answer I get.

If killing becomes so common do we say it is OK because everyone is doing it? How do we combat racism when it is blatantly portrayed in games that our young boys play? We are headed down a worse path of destruction if we keep teaching our young men that it is okay to kill at will – and that black people are the bad people.

Yet, here we are. We have adults here who see nothing wrong with their kids playing games that portray them killing people, and black people as the “bad guys.” No wonder we can’t get good gun laws passed to protect. No wonder we can’t get any votes for background checks on guns. No wonder racism is alive and strong.

That is all I can say on this right now. I have to go. Blog me your thoughts.

Peace & Love. It is what I HOPE for.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning.

I am left speechless and horrified over the recent news. When will this murder madness stop?

From the Huff Po:

Boston Explosion Coverage: Networks Go Wall-To-Wall With Marathon Horror; Reporter Calls It ‘Worst Thing I Ever Saw‘

Every broadcast and cable network raced to cover the horrific explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

News of the blasts first circulated on Twitter and came just as journalists had their eyes trained on the announcement of the Pulitzer Prizes. That Pulitzer announcement quickly fell off the radar as the scope of the devastation in Boston became clear.

The news played out in the way that all breaking events now do: first on Twitter, then on television, with a dizzying flurry of eyewitness videos, tweets, Vines and photos complementing the coverage.

According to CNN, more than 26,000 people ran this year’s Boston Marathon. The race also fell on Patriot’s Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts. The two blasts went off by the Boston Marathon finish line at Copley Square just before 3:00 p.m.

David Abel, a reporter for the Boston Globe, was 10 feet away from the explosions. Hetweeted about the experience:

“Fine. Reporting. I was 10 feet from explosion. Shaken up. But not a scratch. Worst thing I ever saw.”

Fox News was first to turn to the news, with Shepard Smith anchoring coverage, with CNN quickly following. In the next five minutes, MSNBC also switched to breaking coverage. Fox News was also the first to post chilling video from the scene. A man could be heard offscreen saying, “Oh my god, they’re dead.” The network was later thefirst to say that there had been fatalities. MSNBC kept its coverage rolling through the 4:00 p.m. hour, replacing Martin Bashir’s show with breaking news coverage anchored by Tamron Hall.

CNN was the first to dub the explosions a “terror attack,” which it did just before 6 PM.

All three major broadcast networks also cut into their regular programming. NBC and CBS turned to their evening news anchors, Brian Williams and Scott Pelley. ABC coverage was led by George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer.

Networks then announced their plans for evening and morning news coverage. CNNtweeted that Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo and Poppy Harlow would report live from Boston. Diane Sawyer was set to anchor a special report for ABC News from New York. The 30-minute program was expanded to a special one-hour edition. Terry Moran was anchoring “Nightline” from Boston.

The New York Times’ Brian Stelter tweeted that CBS’ Scott Pelley was to host an extended one-hour newscast. Norah O’Donnell will co-host “CBS This Morning” from Boston on Tuesday. NBC said it would air a special hour at 10:00 p.m. “Today” co-host Matt Lauer tweeted that he would be hosting the morning show from Boston on Tuesday. He added that Fox News’ Smith would continue anchoring the network’s breaking news coverage, skipping the 5:00 p.m. show “The Five.” Bill O’Reilly’s show, which is usually taped, was set to air live at 8:00 p.m. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was headed to Boston.

From out president:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

*******

Peace & Love to the families and loved ones lost and injured. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

It’s hard to switch from laughing at a self-induced sex act (from yesterday), giving us all a break from all of the serious stuff, to a sex act, without consent, that is serious and anything but funny.

Here’s the write from the Huff Po:

Rehtaeh Parsons, Canadian Girl, Dies After Suicide Attempt; Parents Allege She Was Raped By 4 Boys

A 17-year-old Canadian girl died Sunday following a suicide attempt last week. The family of Rehtaeh Parsons said that their daughter never recovered from an alleged rape by four teenage boys in November 2011 that left her deeply depressed and rejected by her community.

Placed on life support last Thursday at a local hospital, Rehtaeh Parsons died on April 7 after her family made the decision to take her off the life support.

In a Facebook memorial page, the girl’s mother, Leah Parsons, wrote that Rehtaeh had been shunned and harassed after one of the boys allegedly involved in the rape took a picture of the incident and distributed it to their “school and community, where it quickly went viral.”

“Rehtaeh is gone today because of the four boys that thought that raping a 15-year-old girl was okay, and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun,” Parsons wrote.

According to Canadian news outlet CBC, the alleged sexual assault happened at a small gathering at which teenagers consumed alcohol. One of the boys in attendance reportedly took a photo of another boy having sex with Rehtaeh Parsons and sent it to friends.

Gawker writes that the bullying got so bad after the photo circulated that the family was forced to relocate.

“She was never left alone. She had to leave the community. Her friends turned against her. People harassed her. Boys she didn’t know started texting her and Facebooking her asking her to have sex with them. It just never stopped,” Leah Parsons told the CBC.

Canada’s Chronicle Herald reports that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police completed a yearlong criminal investigation of the sexual assault, but “there was insufficient evidence to lay charges.” A police spokesman told the newspaper that authorities are now “investigating a sudden death involving a young person.”

In an interview on CBC Radio program “Maritime Noon,” Leah Parsons said that the family was “devastated” when they learned criminal charges would not be filed.

“[The police] said that they would go talk to them and that [the boys] realized what they did was wrong, but [there was] nothing they could do, criminally,” Parsons said. “It was a slap in the face.”

Although Rehtaeh was a 15-year-old minor at the time of the alleged rape, “because she was on the cusp of not being underage” prosecutors thought the accused could claim that they did not know she was under the age of consent, Parsons told Maritime Noon. According to Parsons, the four boys accused of rape were younger than 18 at the time of the incident.

As described by Parsons, the shaming and harassment stemming from the incident had long-lasting psychological and emotional effects on her daughter. Parsons also told Maritime Noon that Rehtaeh suffered from depression and had checked herself into a hospital after having suicidal thoughts last March. A Twitter account that appears to have belonged to Parsons features references to drug culture, as well as what appears to be drug paraphernalia.

********

Readers: When is this abuse of women and girls ever going to stop? First of all this is sickening that the cops know who these boys are and are doing nothing about it. How can that be? I can’t imagine the parents aren’t pushing this further.

Secondly, what I want to know is where are the parents of these kids who kept harassing her on Facebook? You can’t be anonymous on Facebook. We’re these parent told that their sons and daughters were being cruel to this girl in a public venue? Could they not see for themselves? How can a photo of a rape not be evidence? Where is the accountability? Too many unanswered questions.

I am so sickened by this behavior. Young men and boys need to know that this is unacceptable. But when you have the authorities letting them get away with it, of course they are going to think it is okay. And as long as that keeps happening, others will think it is okay too.

If we are ever going to get close to stopping this sick behavior we need consequences to happen when a crime is committed. We need support from women and men, boys and girls. It saddens me that even her girlfriends shunned her. This is when girls really need to support each other. We need to teach our young men to respect girls, and for young girls to support their sisters. It has to be taught at a young age and examples need to be shown with consequences. (sigh)

What are your thoughts? Blog me.

Mac: You are too funny.

Peter: Yes, I felt sorry for the eel too. I HOPE he gets charge with animal cruelty to make this eel suffer like that.

Lisa: I was wondering that myself. I really don’t know. I can’t imagine he would live through a perforated intestine.

Clark: What a story. What one will do to get off. Don’t they have porn shops that sell those kinds of toys that can do the job, and are a little bit safer?

Wanda: Like that would really happen. Ugh..I was naked, greasing up my ass and feel backwards onto this trophy. Yeah right.

Charlene, et al, all the way down to #37: I am laughing my ass off now!…made my Monday morning.

Peace out. And please be careful when choosing what to put up your butt. You’ve been forewarned by many :)

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"