With Ray Rice and his spouse headlining the sports and national news circuit this last week I thought it be best to support a viewpoint and article that I believe in. Most regretfully due to the amount of support I’ve seen for Ray from a surprisingly large faction of Facebook “friends”. I can’t come to terms with a single opinion of theirs on the issue.

A few things:
*There should be zero tolerance for domestic violence, EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE.? Charges should not be up to the spouse, that makes absolutely no sense. Force the charges and the SPOUSE will not feel as trapped having to make a choice.
*Any comparison of Ray to any other criminal, other than one who was caught on video tape knocking out their spouse or significant other, is outrageous and inconsistent. Ray should not be held to any other standard of criminal charges except for the crime he committed.
*The NFL and Raven’s Organization have handled this in the most INEPT manner. Whatever the outcome – I believe they should be charged and should be required to support a United Front against Domestic Violence. After all, the NFL is an entirely MALE DOMINATED sport, with the MAJORITY of positions being held by MEN. Cheerleaders exist, but what women hold position of responsibility and regard within the NFL and NFL teams? I’m serious, you tell me because I can’t think of one that has any say in team activities other than maybe the influence of owners spouses (interestingly enough).
*I hope Ray bounces back and I believe he deserves a second chance. I believe in rehabilitation. I pray he works his issues out with his family. He has an uphill battle to fight (no pun intended) as the history and evidence shows that this story fits the same script as any other domestic violence abuse case. Just switch out the spouses names, it’s the same old sad story.

I’ve attached a great article and really the only one, IMHO, worth reading in regards to Ray Rice’s week in the news. It’s a sobering perspective on Domestic Violence in America. To all those, especially those women, who have said “Why is it our business, she took him back…”, “The media ruined their lives…” I quote this article, “Of all the women murdered in 2010, nearly 40 percent were killed by a spouse or someone they were dating, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This number has been 30 percent or higher since 1996.“

With the overwhelming response to the ALSA.org ‘Ice Water Bucket Challenge’ I thought it beneficial to share some information that has and continues to help me when it comes to supporting charities that I don’t know much of, along with a few other informative articles.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides “Wise Giving Reports” for all known charities which can be found here. “The BBB Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability were developed to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations. The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitation practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy.”
BBB’s Standards for Charity Accountability

The Federal Trade Commission has also provided plenty of good information on it’s website as a guide to “before giving to a charity“. Give it a look if you receive phone calls or want to look into a charity.

Fortunately for us, both LLS and ALS meet all of the standards of the BBB and other Charity/Philanthropy Researchers! You can breath your sigh of relief now.

However not all do, so without further delay I present to you “America’s Worst Charities“! (Last updated 11/15/2013 ) The results may shock you, protect yourself and do your research! “Cancer Fund of America” Ranked #2 on the list; 0.9% SPENT ON DIRECT CASH AID, you can’t make this stuff up folks. Please give it a read, seriously. Not all charities, regardless of what name or cause they piggy back off of are what they appear to be.

And in closing, an intriguing article from April 2013, “Why the Rich Don’t Give to Charity“. The article dives into how wealth affects how much and to whom/what charity is given, it also touches on the fact that Charity in the US differs from most of the world due to our tax system. If you’re interested, give it a go. (spoiler alert: the wealthy DO give to charity)

The more you know 😉