VersaEmerge: Behind the Scenes

Jenks hit the road with VersaEmerge as they traveled to five cities in five nights on the Warped Tour.  Missed the Warped Tour this summer?  No problems.  I've added a few music videos of VersaEmerge.  Enjoy!

Jenks Parties Like a Rock Star with VersaEmerge

VersaEmerge

Jenks hit the road with VersaEmerge, a rock band originating out of Port St. Lucie, Florida and fronted by the vocals of 19 year-old Sierra Kusterbeck (center), guitarist Blake Harnage (right), and bass guitarist Devin Ingelido (left).  VersaEmerge were on Warped Tour when Jenks and crew joined them on the road in mid-tour.  Jenks checked his usual composed demeanor at the tour bus door in order to blend in with the atmosphere that comes with traveling with a rock band.  And blend in he did, in true rock star form.  Jenks joined the band as they traveled five cities in five days.

Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge

Normally, Kusterbeck is a rambunctious and energetic performer, but Jenks noticed a change in her when VersaEmerge performed in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.  The usually powerful and confident singer was off-key and seemed like a newbie to a stage.  Kusterbeck, seemingly fearless, finally opened up to Jenks about the loneliness that comes with living her dream.

"Here you are with hundreds of people every single day, you're never literally alone, but you're always alone," said Kusterbeck.  "You're surrounded by people, but you're always just alone."

Despite not liking being alone, those emotions help Kusterbeck write her lyrics, which in turn helps VersaEmerge's fans feel closer to the group and relate to their music.  Loneliness just may be the price Sierra Kusterbeck may have to pay to live her dream, but hopefully she can find comfort in that she's helping her fans through their tough times with the music of VersaEmerge.

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

Remembering The Joys of Poker

In my previous post about Nick Schulman, the 25-year-old professional poker player who was featured in the World of Jenks episode "The Takeover," I touched upon the very well-known dark side of gambling.  A side that many in the poker or gambling business very rarely speak about.

However, it's only fair to remind the audience the joys that come with playing poker or any other casino-style game.  When done in groups, poker and other games can be a kind of bonding event or a way of just enjoying the company of others.  So, to remind us about the simple concept of having a good time with friends while playing a card game, I've included below some videos on how to play poker and how to do tricks with poker chips.  Let's just all keep in mind, when it comes to gambling or anything in life, moderation is key.

Jenks Goes All-In with Youngest World Poker Tour Winner

Jenks and his crew traveled to Las Vegas to meet up with 25 year-old professional poker player Nick Schulman, the youngest person at age 21 to win the World Poker Tour, a televised poker tournament, in which he collected $2.1 million.  A year later after he won the WPT tournament he lost all of the $2.1 million.  Schulman's high-stakes lifestyle and addiction to gambling has led him to the point he's at now where he can't stand being in a casino and seems to always be flirting with the line between being broke and living in excess.

What once was a sanctuary to his depression and anxiety, poker now has become an obsession and adds exhaustion to Schulman's health problems.  Does Nick Schulman choose the shiny allure of fast money that poker offers or will he choose a more traditional way of earning money in his pursuit of happiness?

For more information on:

• The signs, symptoms, and treatment of gambling addiction ... http://helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.htm
• Frequently asked question on gambling addiction ... http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/qna.html
• Personal stories about the destructive nature of gambling ... http://casinowatch.org/addiction/addiction_index.html
• A gambling addiction may lead to suicide  ... http://casinowatch.org/suicides/suicides.html

Fighting for the Demise of Animal Slaughtering in Miami

We were introduced to Animal Recovery Mission founder, Richard "Kudo" Couto when he and his fight to shutdown all slaughter farms in the Miami area were featured in World of Jenks episode "Freedom's Flight."  The episode revealed a gruesome, cruel, and hidden world of slaughter farms in rural Miami.

Horsemeat can sell up to $40 a pound. A 2,000 pound horse can bring in $8,000 to the black market, said Kudo.  Horsemeat is considered to be a magical cure-all in third world countries and a delicacy in European countries.  A new law in Florida called "The Yvonne Rodriguez Horse Protection Law," named after one of the owners whose horse was stolen and butchered alive, makes it a felony to butcher your own horse.  Previously, the law had a loophole in which butchers would claim the horse was their own, therefore making it legal.

Below are videos shot mostly by Kudo documenting the inhumane treatment and slaughtering of horses and other animals at these Miami slaughter farms.

* WARNING : THESE VIDEOS HAVE DISTURBING IMAGES.



TOUR OF A SLAUGHTER FARM



GRAVEYARD ON SLAUGHTER FARM


A SHUTDOWN SLAUGHTER FARM


A COCKFIGHTING RING ON SHUTDOWN FARM


BEFORE AND AFTER ARM INVOLVEMENT


THE STORY OF FREEDOM'S FLIGHT

Jenks Goes Undercover to Stop Horse Slaughtering

  In this episode called "Freedom's Flight," Jenks went to Miami where he met Brogan (last name wasn't given), a 23-year-old animal rescuer.  She's not the throw-red paint-on-you-because-you-wear-fur kind of animal rescuer.  Oh, no, no, not Brogan.  She takes a different approach to her animal rescuing.  Brogan dons camo and wields a .38 caliber gun.  How many animal rescuers do you know who have been shot at twice and lug around a loaded pistol with them in their purse for protection on a daily basis?

  Protection from what, you say?  Protection from the men who have a bounty on her head.  Now, what in the world does this girl do to have all this craziness that sounds like something out of an Angelina Jolie flick, you may ask.  Brogan volunteers at a non-profit organization called ARM, Animal Recovery Mission, based out of Miami.  ARM targets illegal horse slaughtering in the C-9 Basin area, 15 minutes from Miami.  C-9 Basin is home to lots of illegal activity including the slaughtering of horses and other animals.  C-9 Basin has been considered a place of lawlessness, like a Wild Wild West of Miami, if you will.  ARM fights to shutdown slaughter farms and the illegal slaughtering of animals.  So, I guess the men who tried horse slaughtering as a business only to be shutdown with the help of Brogan and ARM aren't too happy with her or the organization, which has also received many death threats.

  Why would people slaughter horses?!  Well, besides for those people who enjoy eating horse meat and encourage it like how this boldly named blog, "Eat Horse," does, apparently, a horse's meat is in high demand on the black market.  In order to shutdown these slaughter farms, ARM volunteers go on surveillances when they try to videotape the horse killers in action or find activity that can be used as evidence in a case.  Missions such as these prove to be dangerous because the men on the slaughter farms are also armed and, obviously as said before with Brogan's price on her head, they don't let go of a grudge very easily either.

  Brogan and the founder of ARM, who goes by the nickname Kudo, introduced Jenks to Freedom's Flight, the horse the show's episode is named after.  Freedom's Flight is grandson to Secretariat, an American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years in 1973.  Secretariat went on to set race records in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes that still stand to this day.  However, Freedom's Flight did not have royal treatment regardless of his lineage.  On the contrary, he was severely abused and undernourished.  With the help of Brogan and ARM, Freedom's Flight had a second chance at life.
                                                                    

Freedom's Flight BEFORE

Freedom's Flight AFTER

Photos courtesy of Animal Recovery Mission

  If you want to help these helpless animals and the organizations that protect them, I found some links that may be useful.

• To find out what you can do ... http://www.stophorseslaughter.com/
• Donate to end horse slaughter ... http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/
• Donate your time or money for the cause ... http://animalrecoverymission.org/?page_id=10

Women in MMA

After watching Anthony "Showtime" Pettis fight on World of Jenks episode "Fifty Fists," I was surprised that women take part in this rough sport as well.  Take a look at some of the videos I found about women in MMA.  This is just a small look into the world of women MMA fighters.  There are many more MMA women than the ones I show you below and the number is growing.  My inner feminist is yelling, "If boys can do it, so can girls!"

MMA for Beginner's

If after watching World of Jenks made you want to be like Anthony "Showtime" Pettis, here are some pointers on techniques and moves for those interested in MMA.

Behind the Scenes: Anthony "Showtime" Pettis

Watch as Jenks works out with Pettis and Pettis' younger brother.  How does he hold up against an MMA pro?

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

Below is video of the big fight, the one which Jenks filmed Pettis preparing for, mentioned in the World of Jenks "Fifty Fists" episode.  Does he win?

Jenks Enters the World of Mixed Martial Arts

In the episode "Fifty Fists," Jenks went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved in with professional MMA fighter Anthony "Showtime" Pettis.  Jenks and his film crew followed Pettis as he intently studied for and prepared to fight one of his biggest matches in his career.  Not only does Pettis' career depend on him winning the upcoming match, but also the financial well-being of his family.  Jenks showed the audience the tough exterior of a man who fights for a living, but also a side of Pettis that many don't see - the tender interior of a man who fights for his community and family he loves so dearly.

'Fighting is about so much more than just punching and kicking.'  Every fighter, no matter what their story, is someone's son and although they're fighting alone, they're never just fighting for themselves. 

- Pat Berry, Pettis' best friend and trainer, as told by Andrew Jenks

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

World of Jenks - MTV Shows

Homelessness in Haight Ashbury District

Following "The Street Queen" episode, I found some interesting Youtube videos that show the young homeless population in the Haight Ashbury district.  I also found a song named Haight Street by musical group Anberlin.  Take a look and a listen.

Homelessness Facts

After watching World of Jenks episode "The Street Queen," in which Jenks lives with 22-year-old homeless girl Danielle, I found some statistics about homelessness that I'd like to share with you.


According to statistics on the web site for My Friend's Place, a resource center for homeless youth in southern California:

• More than 1.3 million children are homeless at some time each year.

• 44 percent of homeless youth report that one or both of their parents had at some point received treatment for alcohol, drug, or psychological problems.

• By the time homeless children are 8 years old one in three has a major mental disorder.

• The prevalence rate for substance use disorders among homeless youth is 85 percent.

According to information on a PBS web site:

• 71 percent of homeless people are in central cities; 21 percent are in suburbs; 9 percent are in rural areas.

According to statistics found about homeless veterans:

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.

• The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that on any given night, 200,000 veterans are homeless.

If you or someone you know would like to donate money or volunteer your time to homelessness relief, visit Covenant House, which has locations in the U.S., Canada, and in South America.  For those of you in my home state of Florida, there are Covenant House locations in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

Jenks Goes 'Houseless' with "The Street Queen"

Jenks and his crew went to San Francisco, California to live with 22-year-old Danielle Earls, who has been homeless since she was 13!  She, as many other homeless folks in California do, prefers to refer to herself as 'houseless' rather than homeless, which kind of makes sense.  They aren't homeless per se because the entire world can be their home, their personal oyster.  However, they are 'houseless' because they don't have an actual house to go to at night.  Get it?  I think it's rather clever.

Jenks got in touch with Homeless Youth Alliance, "an all-volunteer organization founded in 1997 designed by and for the homeless youth of the Haight Ashbury district," to help connect him with someone who wouldn't mind the crew tagging along for a week.  As Danielle pointed out in the beginning of the episode, homeless people do not welcome video cameras.  At all.  To prove that point, a one-legged 'houseless' young man on crutches even chased the crew down a street when he saw them filming.

Heavy D, the name Danielle goes by on the streets, welcomed Jenks and his crew as she tried to get her social security card back from her mom, which would allow Danielle to get a job.  Danielle shared her dream of having a family and working hard to keep a job if she got one.  In order to afford a bus ticket to her hometown in Oregon, Jenks and Heavy D collected recyclable bottles and attempted to gather "spange," spare change, from people on sidewalks.

Sleeping on the ground and facing the dangers that come with living on the street are all better choices for Heavy D than living with her family.  After going with Danielle to Oregon to see her family, Jenks better understood why being 'houseless' was a way of surviving for Danielle.

World of Jenks - MTV Shows