https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66719859

Who is Ruby Franke, the parenting influencer jailed for child abuse?

21 February

By Mattea Bubalo
BBC News

A woman who sprang to fame giving controversial parenting advice has been sentenced to at least four years in prison for child abuse. What happened to Ruby Franke and her family?

On a late August morning in Utah, a 12-year-old boy covered in open wounds knocked at the door of a neighbour's house asking for food and water.  He had escaped a nearby home moments before, by climbing out a window and running away with duct tape still on his ankles, police say.  The boy was taken to hospital suffering from malnourishment and "deep lacerations from being tied up with rope," according to the arrest record.  In total, four children were taken into care and Franke, a parenting influencer and mother of six, was arrested.  On Tuesday, 42-year-old Franke tearfully apologised in court as she learned her sentence, saying: "I was so disoriented that I believed dark was light and right was wrong."

She previously pleaded guilty to starving and abusing her children.  She appeared along with her former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, who received the same sentence. Each woman was jailed for four terms of one to 15 years each.  How did it come to this, for a woman who imparted parenting advice to two million YouTube subscribers?

Breakthrough and backlash

For some, Franke's arrest was no surprise, given the hundreds of videos over a number of years that had sparked criticism of her strict parenting style.  She was behind the 8 Passengers YouTube channel which launched in 2015, during a boom in popularity for an array of family vlogging channels - a genre in their own right - that were making money on the platform.  A year later, her videos had gained tens of thousands of views. She told local news at the time that filming herself with her family helped her "live in the present and just enjoy the kids".

The videos she edited were a window into her life, showing a typical Mormon suburban family home-schooling, cooking, eating and chatting away together.  But some moments raised eyebrows.  In one video, she could be seen telling her sons they would "lose the privilege to eat dinner" if they continued play-fighting. In another, she said that her six-year-old "needed" to go hungry after forgetting to take her lunch to school.  "Hopefully nobody gives her food and nobody steps in and gives her a lunch, because then she's not going to learn," she told the camera.

They had been trying to teach their children to "live responsibly" as "masters of themselves", her now-estranged husband Kevin Franke later said of the incident.  Despite the criticism, the Frankes' authoritarian parenting approach continued and the audience kept building. Experts believe her success reflects a modern anxiety among parents that can lead them to seek out radical and harmful solutions.  "For parents who feel lost and desperate, particularly when it's dealing with problematic behaviour, extreme techniques become appealing, particularly if they see results," parenting psychologist Dr Maryhan Baker told the BBC.

The success of family vlogging channels like Ruby Franke's can play on people's fears about their own parenting skills, child development specialist Dr Siggie Cohen explained.  "Parents are scared to make mistakes, and look for someone that seems to them to be fully in charge and in control."

Beanbag sleeping

An off-the-cuff comment made by Franke's teenage son brought her parenting style to the attention of more mainstream audiences outside of the family vlogging sphere.  In a 2020 video, he revealed that his bedroom had been taken away for seven months and he was instead sleeping on a beanbag, after playing pranks on his sibling. According to Franke in the same video, her son had shown he was unable to manage a bedroom and was offered alternatives such as a guest bed or inflatable mattress.  The tone of their discussion was light, with the story drawing giggles from Franke and her other child. But many viewers were disturbed by the incident.  A petition started by one demanding an investigation brought in thousands of signatures and child protective services were called.  The outrage led to some YouTube and TikTok users making their own videos about the family, gaining millions of views. Older clips, such as those showing Franke describing withholding meals as a disciplinary measure, resurfaced and made headlines.  In response to the controversy, Ruby and Kevin Franke told the news website Insider some accounts had "malicious" intentions and purposefully took the clips out of context.  "They were purely seeking to throw hate. That was their only objective. A reasonable person would not have seen that video and thought: 'She is a child abuser,'" Ruby Franke told the site.

Kevin Franke's lawyer later distanced him from the abuse allegations, saying he had no role in them.  "He is a good person," Randy Kester told Good Morning America, claiming that the Frankes had been living in separate homes for the past 13 months.

Kevin Franke later filed for divorce from his wife and asked for the maximum sentence to be imposed on her calling the abuse suffered by his children "horrific and inhumane".

End of channel

The controversy effectively marked the beginning of the end for the 8 Passengers YouTube channel. Daily videos were whittled down to two or three videos per week, and then none at all before it was deleted.  But Franke remained active on social media, forming a new advice channel in June 2022 called ConneXions with Hildebrandt, her business partner and counsellor.  The content they made together had a small fraction of the audience that 8 Passengers had in its prime. Franke once claimed that venture helped her make millions. She left that lucrative world, she said, to save her children.  Recent posts on an Instagram account that the two share, called Moms of Truth, offer parenting guidance, urging followers to avoid "coping strategies" to distract from the "pain and discomfort of Reality/Truth".  It is not clear what this reality or truth looks like, but the coping strategies they list include social media, exercise and socialising.

'Long road ahead'

On 30 August, the two women were arrested after Franke's malnourished son made his escape. Days later, they were charged with six counts of child abuse.  "Justice is being served," her eldest daughter wrote on Instagram, claiming she had been trying to raise concerns about her estranged family with police and child protection services for years.

Franke's arrest "needed to happen", her sisters wrote in a joint statement, saying they had previously kept quiet for the sake of the children involved.  Neither Franke nor Hildebrandt responded to a BBC request for comment after they were charged. The law firm representing Franke told the BBC that they would not make a statement.  Franke's children are now safe, according to her sisters and estranged daughter, who said they have "a long road ahead" to recovery.

KING ARTHUR'S UNKNOWN KNIGHTS

It is a little-known fact that King Arthur had more knights than is usually believed. They included:

~ Sir Face - the devastatingly handsome, but disappointingly shallow knight.

~ Sir Pass – Arthur's best knight of all.

~ Sir Port - a great help to all the other knights.

~ Sir Culation – a knight who got around, especially popular at parties.

~ Sir Prise – the knight who could always be relied on to do the unexpected.

~ Sir Vey – a watchful knight.

~ Sir Cuitous  - a knight who approached his duties in a roundabout way.

~ Sir Pose - a knight who stands by wild predictions.

~ Sir Cumvent – the evasive knight.

~ Sir Reen – a calm and cheerful knight.

~ Sir Spicious – a paranoid knight.

~ Sir Real – a vague and insubstantial knight.

~ Sir Cumstances – a knight whose fault it never was.

~ Sir Cumference - invented the round table.

~ Sir Plus - that extra knight.

~ Sir Cumference - the obese knight.

A New York man was forced to take a day off from work to appear for a minor traffic summons. He grew increasingly restless as he waited hour after endless hour for his case to be heard.  When his name was called late in the afternoon, he stood before the judge, only to hear that court would be adjourned for the rest of the afternoon and he would have to return the next day.  "What for?!" he snapped at the judge.

His honor, equally irked by a tedious day and the sharp query, roared, "Twenty dollars for contempt of court ten dollars for each word. That's why!"

Then, noticing the man checking his wallet, the judge relented. "That's all right. You don't have to pay now."

The young man replied, "I'm just seeing if I have enough for two more words."

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/07/10/you-are-known-and-loved?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ofygZJ1Y3V0_uB1rhEGau_FZnXgCYqm7zWncwzt4xPk6eMlac3RYf8Il8H2JaO-w6-FauF_67ldxD4Z74OE2WouQpZg&_hsmi=263307313&utm_content=263307313&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

You Are Known and Loved
July 10, 2023
by Tracie Braylock

“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1 (NIV)

It was during the very first course of our nursing program that we were given one of our most important exams. We were tasked with demonstrating how to do a head-to-toe assessment, an evaluation of all of the body’s systems, which would give us a picture of a patient’s health status and potential problems.  For weeks, I studied for this exam, learning the steps of the assessment, what to look for in each body system, and questions to ask the patient throughout the process.  It seemed like so much information to retain, so many steps, and so much room for error. But as exam day approached, I knew I was ready.  Still, completing this examination and gathering as much information as possible about a person’s body and its current condition can only give a glimpse into the totality of the person.  Even with all of the notes I had taken, the hours of studying, the instruments in my nursing bag, and the support of classmates and professors, my assessment was limited. Because just like the proverbial “tip of the iceberg,” what we can see and measure about a person is only a fraction of all there is to know.  I passed the exam and was grateful that I did. But what will always be more gratifying is knowing that there is One the Great Physician (Mark 2:17) who knows me, and every patient I care for, inside and out.  If you’re struggling with not feeling seen, heard or understood.  If you wish you could share your stories, your secrets or your shame.  If you’re questioning whether anyone knows all of the parts that make you who you are or if it even matters.  I want to remind you of what Psalm 139:1 says: “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.”

Yes, my friend, God knew you before you were ever formed in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5), has numbered the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7), and knows your words completely before they’re on your tongue (Psalm 139:4). There is no part of who you are that is hidden from God or is a mystery to Him.  So when it seems like the doctors just can’t find the problem, or your spouse or friends don’t seem to understand you even though they’ve been right by your side, or all that you’ve been through feels like more information than even you can retain, remember your Creator sees it all. God is aware of every condition you face and each detail about who you are. You can turn to and take refuge in the One who knows your every body system, every potential problem, every thought, desire and care. He is familiar with all your ways, and you can trust that you are thoroughly known and loved by Him.

edify

start

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/07/03/finding-courage-in-community?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-86SAnp3coq0lCWBPWMK2J2wvXTiLy122hh89Eda-Mxsc0ocwfTzkdmQ2iTT550OmtzjbQlvWoEWxqrYnYCyqQrCmzAHg&_hsmi=262567430&utm_content=262567430&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

Finding Courage in Community
July 3, 2023
by Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

“So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD said to him, ‘What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.’” Numbers 27:5-7 (NIV)

Recently, I gathered with a group of women leaders in my city. These women head up nonprofits, work as teachers and administrators in local schools, run businesses, and lead in churches. Many of them were feeling run down and overwhelmed by needs in their circles of influence.  Maybe that describes you today: run down, overwhelmed, and ready to throw in the towel. No matter where we lead whether in our city, church, workplace or home we all reach a point where we’re not sure how to keep going. Loss, obstacles and opposition wear us down and wear us out.  The women leaders in my city were hungry for some encouragement in their various leadership roles. So I opened up my Bible to the book of Numbers and read a story about five sisters who were part of the nation of Israel: the daughters of Zelophehad.  These women in Numbers 27, who are called by name Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah (Numbers 27:1) walked a journey of grief. Their father died, and they were left without provision. Together they went to Moses and appealed to his compassion and subsequently the compassion of God.  They posed a respectful yet pointed question: “Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son?” (Numbers 27:4a, NIV).

In essence, they asked for the rights to their father’s property, which is not something women were usually granted in this ancient context. Fathers gave their daughters a dowry or gift upon marriage, but daughters did not inherit property. Still, Moses heard their case and brought their request to God. I love God’s response:  “So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD said to him, ‘What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them’” (Numbers 27:5-7).

This story teaches us a lot about God’s heart for women. The word translated “case” here is mishpat in Hebrew, which can also mean “justice” and is used throughout the Bible. The women made a personal case for justice, which affected the entire community. The law was changed, and all women who were left without fathers and brothers would benefit (Numbers 27:8-11).

These women stepped out in community with courage. They serve as examples to all of us today. God gives us intelligence, agency and creativity to move in our respective spheres of influence. And because He goes with us and provides others to bolster our courage, we don’t have to do it alone.  Who can you link arms with to go with them courageously toward change?

Maybe God is calling you to go with your daughter by offering her wisdom and encouragement.  Maybe He’s calling you to lead your organization and go with your team in a new direction.  Maybe your husband needs you to go with him by praying over him.  Maybe you can go with your sister in Christ who is learning to rise up and voice her story.  Let’s pray about ways we can move forward in faith and community like the daughters of Zelophehad who changed history.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13330347/Max-Azzarello-dead-fire-Trump-trial-NYC.html

Max Azzarello DIES just hours after setting himself on fire while protesting outside Trump's hush money trial in NYC as friends reveal the heartbreaking moment that triggered his spiral into self-destruction

    Protester Max Azzarello has died after setting himself ablaze in Manhattan Friday
    The 37-year-old doused himself in accelerant before igniting himself with a light
    Flames engulfed the conspiracy theorist, who has now succumbed to his injuries

By Alex Hammer For Dailymail.Com

Published: 04:51, 20 April 2024 | Updated: 07:46, 20 April 2024

The man who set himself on fire outside Trump's hush money trial in New York has died from his injuries, as his friends and neighbors said it was the death of his mother two years ago that made him increasingly unstable.  Max Azzarello, a 37-year-old from St. Augustine, Florida, died Friday night hours after the shocking display, said to be 'an 'extreme act of protest [against] a totalitarian con, and our own government' on his own Substack.  The Florida native was a graduate from Rutgers University, where he received a master’s degree in city and regional planning in 2012, friends said.  He was rushed to a nearby hospital’s burn unit where died just before 11 pm, sources familiar with the matter added Friday night hours after was seen throwing a stack of pamphlets that included a link to his conspiracy-laden Substack seconds before igniting.  In interviews carried out within that span, several who knew Azzarello described a different sort of man from the one responsible for a slew of rambling, paranoid posts plastered throughout his social media.  'He was super curious about social justice and the way things "could" be,' fellow Rutgers alum Katie Brennan told the New York Times Friday of the self-professed 'investigative researcher.  He was creative and adventurous.'

An friend from high school, Steven Waldman, remembered Azzarello who had a job in marketing, sales, and tech before becoming unemployed at some point in 2021 or 2022 as one of the smartest people he knew.  'He was a good friend and person and cared about the world,' he told the publication.

Both talked up the confirmed conspiracy theorist has decidedly normal, as did his neighbors in historic St. Augustine, where he lived in a small apartment near the Matanzas River.  '[He was] an extremely nice person,' recalled the property manager of his apartment building, Larry Altman.  He went on to add: 'He had political views that I would not consider mainstream.  He called our government and the world government a Ponzi scheme,' Altman remembered, before disclaiming those views were hardly a cause for concern.

'If you met Max, he’d shake your hand, and you’d have a nice conversation,' he told The Times. 'He’d treat you with respect.'

His oldest friends were left even more surprised by his sudden act, with Carol Waldman, the mom of his childhood friend, recalling: 'He was kind and a gentle soul.  A real wonderful, terrific young guy. Who had his whole life ahead of him.'

But things quickly changed after the death of his mother, Elizabeth Azzarello, on April 6, 2022 almost two years to the day before his self-immolation.  After the loss spurred by a bout with pulmonary disease  his friends in St Augustine said they saw a change, one that culminated with Azzarello secretly traveling to New York City at some point this year, without his family's knowledge.  'That was around the time when he became more outspoken,' Waldman said of this period, referring to the last eight or so months of 2022.  They were close, and they had a good relationship. He was heartbroken.' he recalled.

By the next year, Azzarello and his writings after penning a beautifully worded memorial following his mother's death were almost unrecognizable.  'This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery,' Azzarello wrote in part of his online manifesto, titled The Ponzi Papers.  We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup.'

He added how this supposed regime 'is about to hit us with an apocalyptic facist world coup,' just months after a series of arrests in his home state for incidents that took place in August, including hurling a drink at a photo of Bill Clinton.

Oddly, the alleged research investigator is seen smiling in an undated photo with the Democrat seen on his still-up LinkedIn, where he wrote, 'we have a secret facist problem.'

In March 2023, he changed his profession on LinkedIn as 'Research Investigator,' self-employed, and in June reportedly tagged Brennan and others to make sure they had seen something he had written.  Speaking to The Times, she framed it as a 'manifesto', and remembered how she called him to intervene.  When that didn't work, she said she wrote to one of his relatives to make sure they were aware he was not in the right state of mind just over a year before he woudl set himself on fire as Trump's criminal trial entered its fourth day.  Eight months before this, though, Azzarello posted to Facebook to tell his online friends he had visited a mental health treatment facility, writing, 'Three days in the psych ward, and all I got were my new favorite socks.'

He was also spotted outside the courthouse both Thursday and Friday, where he reportedly told The New York Times, 'Trump's in on it.'

Trump is facing allegations he falsified business records related to payments made to ex-porn star Stormy Daniels.  Again framing himself as a 'research investigator', Azzarello told the paper his beliefs were influenced by research he had carried out into Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist whose seed money helped start firms like PayPal and Facebook.  Photographed holding a sign that read 'Trump is with Biden and they're about to facist coup us', he said: 'It's a secret kleptocracy, and it can only lead to an apocalyptic fascist coup.'

The day before, he reportedly held a sign critical of New York University before heading to the courthouse, while handing out literature on the subject.  On Friday, the self-employed 'investigative researcher' suddenly tossed a stack of pamphlets into the air that included links to his manifesto, seconds before suddenly setting himself ablaze.  After the self-immolation, cops descended on the area just before 2pm, after which he was brought to a nearby hospital’s burn unit. He died shortly before 11 pm, sources familiar with the matter confirmed.  In an article authored hours before he spewed unfounded theories about the 'elites', COVID, and Clinton, who appeared to have become a source of fascination for Azzarello over the years.  The post bore the startling succinct headline: 'I have set myself on fire outside of the Trump Trial', as other social media posts provided more insight into the college graduate's fragile state of mind.

DailyMail.com gained more insight after learning the activist just week ago completed a six month probation sentence - handed out following a string of incidents in Florida involving either disorderly conduct, destruction of property, and overall erratic, 'rambling' behavior.  DailyMail.com obtained criminal complaints for each, which all place within a matter of days in August.  In the first of three, cops wrote how Azzarello threw a glass of wine at a framed and autographed photograph of President Clinton displayed in the lobby of the Casa Monica Hotel in his hometown of Saint Augustine the evening of August 19, 2023,  The complaint, which lists him as unemployed, notes the incident took place as Azzarello had just finished dinner at the hotel restaurant.  He went on to launch the glass at the image, breaking the glass on the framed photograph and damaging it with wine in the process.  Then, two days later, Azzarello was arrested again at the Case Monica, after he was reported for 'standing outside, stripping his clothes off and yelling at customers.'  When cops arrived, they noted how the suspect was 'wearing nothing but his underwear, standing on the sidewalk [, and] holing [sic] a speaker blasting music and yelling', officers wrote eight months ago.  The hotel manager, meanwhile, was said to have told officers that customers were 'scared for their safety', and that many were unable to enter or exit for fear of being caught up in the then-suspect's episode.  On August 24, he was arrested once more for graffitiing property and rifling through a woman's belongings in the flatbed of her truck, after allegedly being seen yelling in someone's yards after 'misinterpreting' an exterminator's sign warning people to keep their children and pets off a lawn that had just been treated.  Cops, at the time, wrote how the conspiracy theorist was convinced the pest control company was 'there to exterminate children and dogs', as all the events occurred within walking distance of Azzarello's apartment.  In a discovery that provided more insight into the man behind the incident, DailyMail.com found Azzarello had posted to Facebook earlier that month, this time to tell his friends that he had just spent three days in a psych ward.  'I was handcuffed, shoved, and put into a psych ward,' he wrote in the update, in which he described how cops suddenly showed up at his St Augustine pad necause he had tipped a Starbucks barista $200 and wrote 'Go F*** Yourself' on the receipt.

'I was given no information about why I was there until after my discharge,' he said, as another post a few weeks later indicated her served jail time for the alleged stunt.

Less than three months later, a suit he filed against Clinton and 100 other influential figures was tossed when he failed to follow up with required court filings, after claiming Mark Cuban, Richard Branson, the country of Saudi Arabia, and more were carrying 'an elaborate network of Ponzi schemes' dating back to the 1990s and continuing through 2023.  Other defendants named in the 2023 suit included 1992 Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, who died in 2019.  The case filed by Azzarello without a lawyer was tossed this past October.  Then, in an Instagram story posted a little over nine weeks ago, Azzarello shared a picture of Taylor Swift donned in Super Woman apparel.  He wrote in the caption: 'Super Bowl LVII Forecast: 100% chance of broflakes melting down and whining across the nation.' 

Azzarello wrote: 'Why are we all so divided? Because the people who stole the American Dream are shouting 'You're divided! You're divided!' in all directions.'

In another post from this time period, Azzarello appeared to show support for the Eras performer, commenting on a photo of her flashing the peace sign while delivering a commencement speech at New York University.  'Still her best picture,' Azzarello wrote over the May 2022 image, held in front of the same school would go on to slam two months later days before setting himself ablaze.

'NYU is a mob front', the headline of literature being passed around by the activist in Lower Manhattan not far from the courthouse Wednesday read.  An accompanying tagline added that the pamphlet was 'a brief guide to[the school's] most criminal secrets.'  Reporters with the Times, meanwhile, confirmed the suspect was holding a sign on Wednesday critical of the school at Washington Square Park Wednesday, before moving on Thursday to the park where the incident occurred.  A link to his Ponzi Papers Substack was provided.  On Wednesday, he also posted an Instagram highlight saying he would be 'spending the week at Washington Square Park airing out all of NYU's dirty laundry', a day before a final Instagram story just minutes before the blaze.  'I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you,' it read.

At 1:37 pm, law enforcement responded to calls reporting the fire, before rushing Azzarello to a city hospital where he is said to be in critical condition.  The New York Police Department said an investigation is ongoing, as other recent social media posts show how Azzarello recently praised 'martyrs' like the former U.S. military member who also lit himself on fire, but died during protest.  'Heroes and martyrs, folks,' Azzarello posted on his Instagram after the February death of US Air Force Active Duty Member Aaron Bushnell, adding 'God f****** bless you, Aaron Bushnell.'

Bushnell, 25, died after self immolating outside the Israeli Embassy this past February in Washington, D.C., in protest of Israel's war in Gaza.  'My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,' Bushnell is heard saying in video of the incident.  '

'I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all.  This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.'

Like Bushnell, Azzarello released his own manifesto before his act on Friday.  However, unlike the late servicemen, his motives appear a bit more muddied with most of his pages attacking facism and the supposed complacency of the general public.  In his Substack, he again states he is an 'investigative researcher'.  The rest of the profile amounts to a rambling diatribe ageist the establishment, which Azzarello appears to be the authors of 'totalitarian con'.  He also warns of a 'an apocalyptic fascist world coup', and in fliers posted to his social media, he flaunts other self made pamphlets centered around the 'dipshit secrets of our rotten world'.  'When the economy collapses and it feels like World War III overnight, you'll know exactly why,' Azzarello warns in the flier.  His profile claims he has been self-employed since March of 2023. In one post, he claimed to have served 40 days in jail for one of the incidents back in August.  The NYPD investigation into the incident, as of writing, remains ongoing.