Sold #1

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures, like raising her black-and-white speckled goat, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy woman in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns that she has been sold into prostitution. An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt – then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.  The reason I chose to read the book "Sold", is because it has a lot to do with my marketplace of ideas project and that is human trafficking. Through my project I learned what these girls go through who are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Just like Lakshmi, these women are promised jobs in other countries and are fooled into leaving home and becoming trapped in the world of prostitution.

Phil Jackson's last game an embarassing one; Mavs sweep

While watching the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks- LA Lakers game, I couldn't help but yell at the TV in disgust with the Lakers play, while they crumbled and were embarrassed in a 36 point blowout.  When you think of the Lakers you think of excellence, class, a great organization filled with winners. The Lakers are a classy organization, in that fourth quarter they were classless. Starting with the ejection of Lamar Odom. As Nowitzki comes down the court to set a ball screen, Odom givesa forearm shove that pushes Dirk to the ground. It could have been frustration from being down 30 points, he could have been embarrassed because they were about to be swept, he could have been upset that he had played a terrible game. It could have been all three of those things. But as Odom gets tossed the game ends up becoming more out of control. You could see it in the way they played defense. No pride. Not rotating on defense, leaving 3 point shooters wide open to score. Smart? Mavericks made twenty 3 pt FGs. They didn't even care that they were about to lose in a playoff game by forty. Minutes later Bynum decks JJ Barea in a layup attempt. A dirty play by a player who earlier in the series stated tot he media that there is a trust issue amongst the players. As he left the court accompanied by a roar of "boos" Bynum took his jersey off. A sign of disrespect to the organization. Zero class. You have to feel bad for Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant. Guys who have been winners and always very classy. To be embarrassed like this in the last game of the series is one thing, but to have your team look like a bunch of thugs is another. As Hubie Brown said during the game. When you are a winning team like the Lakers " You win like winners, and you lose like winners. Always play with class, pride and respect for the game".

Get to know Human Trafficking

Trafficking is a lucrative industry. It has been identified as the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Globally, it is tied with the illegal arms trade, as the second largest criminal activity, following the drug tradeThe total annual revenue for trafficking in persons is estimated to be between USD$5 billion and $9 billion. The Council of Europe states, "People trafficking has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade, with a global annual market of about $42.5 billion." The United Nations estimates nearly 2.5 million people from 127 different countries are being trafficked around the world.,
However, many of these statistics are grossly inflated to aid advocacy of anti-trafficking NGOs and the anti-trafficking policies of governments. Due to the definition of trafficking being a process (not a singly defined act) and the fact that it is a dynamic phenomenon with constantly shifting patterns relating to economic circumstances, much of the statistical evaluation is flawed.
Human trafficking differs from people smuggling. In the latter, people voluntarily request or hire an individual, known as a smuggler, to covertly transport them from one location to another. This generally involves transportation from one country to another, where legal entry would be denied upon arrival at the international border. There may be no deception involved in the (illegal) agreement. After entry into the country and arrival at their ultimate destination, the smuggled person is usually free to find their own way.
While smuggling requires travel, trafficking does not. Much of the confusion rests with the term itself. The word "trafficking" includes the word "traffic," which we often equate with transportation or travel. However, while the words look and sound alike, they do not hold the same meaning. Human trafficking does not require the physical movement of a person (but must entail the exploitation of the person for labor or commercial sex). Additionally, victims of human trafficking are not permitted to leave upon arrival at their destination. They are held against their will through acts of coercion and forced to work or provide services to the trafficker or others. The work or services may include anything from bonded or forced labor to commercialized sexual exploitation.The arrangement may be structured as a work contract, but with no or low payment or on terms which are highly exploitative. Sometimes the arrangement is structured as debt bondage, with the victim not being permitted or able to pay off the debt.

The Evil behind the Smiles

If you have ever seen the movie "Taken", starring Liam Neeson, then you get a sense of what human trafficking is like.  When I first saw the film I was amazed at what I saw. I strongly believe that the hollywood version of sex trafficking in the film is very similar to what it's like in real life. In the movie you see hundreds of girs drugged out of their minds, and selling their bodies for sex. If the issue is such a huge deal, then why aren't their stronger relief efforts to stop this. This is a viloation of women's rights. And it's not as if these brothels and sex trafficking go on in the desolated areas of eastern Europe. Women being kidnapped and sold for sex is being done all over the world. Websites such as "End Modern-Day Slavery" are doing all they can to spread awareness on the subject but its not enough. Until people in the United States and all over the wold are exposed to the world of human sex trafficking and are able to see what these women go through, only then will the support be strong enough to stop the slavery of women once and for all.