Blog posts

Posted on

Human Trafficking – a worker’s rights problem

President Obama has declared January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The problem of forced labor and imprisonment of women, children and men has been increasing globally and nationally. Forced labor decreases the number of jobs available for legally employed workers or adds to the hidden problem of sex trafficking.An article from the Detroit Free Press states that “the number of cases under investigation has skyrocketed in the US — from 300 in 2008 to 2,515 in 2010.”  A 1000 of the 2010 cases were said to involve children. Two million cases globally and up to 18,000 nationally is an estimate of the number of victims involved yearly.

A calico comfort dolly, for a painful problem.

“Eighty-three percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking cases in the U.S. in 2010 were American citizens, though 67% of labor trafficking victims were unlawful immigrants and 28% were legal immigrants.” (the 2,515 cases) [The news article is no longer available.]

“The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hot line gets 1,000 calls a month about suspected trafficking victims. Hot line calls coming from Michigan also have doubled in recent years, from 87 in 2009 to 173 in 2011.”     NHTRC hotline (24/7): 1.888.3737.888

It can seem like a black world, or a blank self.

*hopeless, gray/black – lightless and hopeless, abusers often devalue their victims with negative comments about them and the things they like, mixed with occasional nice or loving treatment – it leads to the victim becoming more obedient, hoping for the nice treatment.

Victims frequently are emotionally abused, lied to about how bad the risks in the outer world actually are and about their own self worth and value. Frequently the victims are invited to a foreign place for a job and then are kept in debt and isolated with limited language or knowledge of the local customs.

Awareness of hot-lines and emergency shelters helped bring domestic violence and child abuse into the light. The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
or for those with Text Telephone service: 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
[thehotline.org/get-educated/what-is-domestic-violence/ ]

The USDA Domestic Violence  Awareness Handbook : [dm.usda.gov/shmd/aware.htm]

The scared person who looks a little different may benefit from a smile and maybe a business card with a few important phone numbers and self worth statements. It is hard to speak up for yourself if you don’t know the language and believe you don’t deserve to learn it.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hot line is part of the Polaris Project which was named after the North Star. Slaves used the North Star as their compass to navigate the dark woods on their journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad. The name is a figure of speech not a train ride – it was mostly hiking more often than kindly hay rides. Many helping hands were involved however and the tradition has been continued since 2002 by the Polaris Project. It is working towards a vision of a world without slavery. [PolarisProject.org]  1.888.3737.888

How to recognize the signs that someone might be a victim of abuse or slavery of some sort: [polarisproject.org]

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Posted on

Fortune cookies – tabulating luck

I have no idea if Fortune cookie statistics were ever tabulated by the authors of Freakonomics but their work suggests anything can be studied more closely and good luck seems worth a closer look.

After a large party there was a giant bag of Fortune cookies left unopened. Over time some of the fortunes were collecting under a fridge magnet and eventually it became a goal to save them for a grand tally (today) and see whether the large number of shoe shopping messages I was getting one day was within normal distribution or not. It did turn out to be the most frequent message – so maybe within the normal distribution for this set of fortunes at least.  I did resist shoe shopping that day and now the desk is practically clean.

A large bag of Fortune cookies produced 66 fortunes once they were all gathered from the messy desk and from under the fridge magnet. The sample of 66 fortunes produced about a twenty percent chance, or one in five, to get the fortune, “Always put your best foot forward” or an eighteen percent chance to get “You will be fortunate in everything you do” or a six percent chance to get “Hand that touches this slip have no more worries.”

  1. Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off!     4
  2. You will be fortunate in everything you do.     12
  3. Always put your best foot forward.                13   —–Shop for shoes or shine them?
  4. You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth.     4
  5. This is a prosperous time of life for you.                                     8
  6. Your business will assume vast proportions.                           1
  7. Good news from afar will bring you a welcome visit            1
  8. You will hear pleasant news.                                                          1
  9. You are always welcome in any gathering.                               2
  10. You will be showered with good luck.                                                                 1
  11. A package of value will arrive soon.                                                                      1
  12. Focus on your long-term goal. Success is soon yours!                                  1
  13. An interesting musical opportunity is in your near future.                           1
  14. You are altruistic and will be involved in many humanitarian projects.    5  – my favorite
  15. Hand that touches this slip have no more worries.                            4   – my second favorite
  16. Rome was not built in a day. Be patient.                             1   – or maybe this is my favorite
  17. You may attend a party where strange customs prevail.                        5
  18. Constant change is a way of life for a small business.                            1

Learning/Speaking Chinese:
Happy          kwi lur                    24 

Funny        Hao xiao                  18
Come in please    qing jin!       8
Small         shau                            1
No                 pu                              1
Sit down please   Qing zu        8
Big              da                                 1
I am an American     Wo shi meiguo ren

Last slip’s lucky numbers:  04, 23, 32, 39, 42, 45

Silly but completed projects are a step towards follow through and a cleaner desk.

*** The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food – a book by Jennifer 8 Lee, “In a compelling blend of sociology and history, Jenny Lee exposes the indentured servitude Chinese restaurants expect from illegal immigrant chefs” [Amazon]

***

breaktheillusion.com – a blog with 12 made up fortunes

/Disclosure: This information is provided for educational or entertainment purposes within the guidelines of fair use./

Posted on

Michael is a popular name for veterans, RIP

{Editing note – This story was not meant to offend or hurt grieving families. I have left the text as it was except for removing  the sections with names. I see now that it made less sense in spots once the long list had been removed from view. I hadn’t changed the text at that time.  At the time I did not realize the implications of copyright infringement or of hurting friends and family. I have always worked from a non-profit perspective and think from an educational view. The original averages were carefully counted and calculated. It was sad information but revealed a little about our heroes. Averages represent the larger group and the veterans who are still working and playing and crying and laughing. These numbers remind of the much larger group that we need to bring home alive.}A magazine article included a list of American veterans who had lost their lives in the war effort during 2011. (U.S. Dept. of Defense as of closing time the day the magazine article was published – People Dec. 26, 2011 issue). Since 2001 more than 6,300 Americans soldiers have lost their lives in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The alphabetized list included ages of the men and women who had lost their lives while working towards our nation’s goals. The article labeled the group as more than 400 soldiers – that struck me as vague. I was curious and retyped the list but with numbers – 468 soldiers names were included. A few more than 400 – thanks veterans.

Veteran’s Memorial Mall, Mqt, MI,

War doesn’t favor 21 year olds. That seems to have been the age to die in 2011 with 58 of them representing the US on the list. No one aged 18 or 42  is on the list, however one name had no age next to it in the People magazine article written by Moira Bailey, Daniel S. Levy and Kristen Mascia. Only 24 nineteen year old soldiers had lost their lives while serving on the nation’s battlefronts. There are a few women but it seems to be primarily male names.

  • 24 veterans aged nineteen years old,
  • 328 veterans aged twenty to twenty-nine years old,
  • 91 veterans between age thirty to thirty-nine,
  • 23 veterans between age forty to forty -nine years old
  • and one fifty year old veteran have lost their lives in 2011.
  • Maybe Douglas Adams was right about 42 being the meaning of life.
  • The reason young educated people are occupying sidewalks may be located on this list as well.

May all the ghosts of past, present and future holidays rest in peace.
“If you close your eyes, you will see far.” – Kenyan proverb (ed. A.Miller)

Carnation

Proud mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends, and coworkers – peace and healing and a few laughs because it is too hard without a chuckle at the funny names to help with the gut wrenching I think I might know that person feeling. {Edit – I cried and still cry over this story, at times laughter helps heal and move on.}

This list grabbed my attention because it was a vague story in a magazine with the line – “more than 400 lives lost so far in 2011” – maybe it was left open ended because we don’t have the final statistics for the year. The calendar year that is, the fiscal year is wrapped up and shelved. Lives are a little harder to wedge firmly on a shelf but Honor the Dead lists are one way to try.
Harlow Park, Marquette, MI, Veteran’s Memorial Mall,

Highlighting a few stories is poignant but noticing how young the mass of them are also seems gut wrenching. There is ethnic diversity standing proud to be an American.

Also traditional moms and dads presenting their loved ones with presidential names or with a Junior for 36 of the loved ones.

The difference between public health education and epidemiology is individual stories multiplied at individual county levels. These 456 individuals could all have a family or friend that is getting WIC services in a county or on a overseas military base. It would have been one of my busier months but I might have seen them all in one month for just one of their four quarterly appointments. I wouldn’t have been alone – I would have had my additional staff,  1.5 FTE’s, minus vacation and sick time, to help.
To me 328 dead young adults in their twenties represents the potential of 328 children without a caregiver to look forward to seeing again or 328 mothers who may not be able to look forward to ever seeing a potential grandchild. I am blessed that only one name truly attracted my personal attention – I will phone a friend. During WWII, small towns would wait for the latest body list to be read on the radio or telegraphed to the post office in order to find out if loved ones were safely not on it. News travels fast now but shrapnel always traveled fast and deadly.  [Youtube -Memorial Day Taps – trumpet]

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

Michael may be an angelic name; twenty nine times as angelic now and Miguel and Rafael are twice as angelic. Thank you soldiers, for serving and protecting.

Understanding ourselves and the patterns in current and past events can help guide change.
One lane bridge in use year round. Marquette, MI, J.Vjada
Bring our soldiers home -yes – but to what jobs?
Conservation Corps type jobs or Debtor’s prison and fatal 911 calls may meet our returning veterans. Renewable energy resource like windmills and bio-engineered bacteria that may be able to grow biofuel out of waste product are investing in renewable futures. Squeezing the last few oily drops of profit from the almost barren planet will only starve the land and the people, rich and poor.
7 Billion is no longer a number – it is a responsibility to the planet that we call home.
.
Remember to honor 468 veterans who were on average only age 26.49 years old
– and who didn’t get a chance to make it to 26 and a half, and all the other men and women who served.
*** The list of names has been saved to a file. Contact me if further detail is needed.
Posted on

On courage and self acceptance – from a child’s face to the world’s eyes, please see

MoveOn.org has a page of resources that included these two videos about two individuals a little distance in years and age but not in shared pain and understanding. Growing up with ears full of negatives can leave self worth in the bucket. Add bullying and crushing shame can lead to believing the negative messages.Rewriting the bad names that are engraved on the inner workings of the mind can take time and maybe even 10,000 hours of practice to master new messages of believing in self and others. (10,000 hour research was summarized in the book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, the mastery part was summarized, not the bad name part).

A problem with bad names is the self doubt that they can turn into. Regularly being told to believe certain things that disagree with more internal messages, can make those instincts and preferences that arrive with growing up even more confusing than they are for “normal” teenagers. A hormonal cyclone – a whether condition, whether surviving teen years with fewer or more emotional trauma triggers may be the question. Storm conditions turbulent, expect a little weather and consider packing an umbrella when traveling with teens, tots or any of the rest of us.

On Facebook
  • [a video response to the second video link- I saw the response first – very powerful – it helped to handle the second one.  Bullying by others can be painful but self bullying can bite deeper yet. Thanks to all courageous survivors and especially to the ones who share the message of change. The bully is fear and doubt and worry and hunger too – magnesium deficiency = irritable and stubborn and impatient  http://front.moveon.org/a-powerful-response-to-jonahs-extremely-viral-video/]
  •  [powerful video jonah, http://front.moveon.org/what-if-this-were-your-child/]
  • Regarding self injury which was an issue for the young adult in the previous link by Jonah, moveon.org, since he was in Second Grade, I’ve since learned of a biological reason that might underlie the urge to self injure in some cases. Hyperparathyroidism can be caused by low calcium levels or by low vitamin D levels. An endocrinologist would likely be the specialist involved in diagnosing the condition but any medical professional able to order lab tests could order a screening lab test for the parathyroid hormone level. A low PTH level may cause feelings of jitteriness, racing thoughts and an internal explosive feeling with an urge to ‘pop’ it open – really weird and scary – in my personal experience with the condition. Bullying is bad and difficult to cope with but add hyperparathyroidism and racing uncontrolled thoughts that include an urge to self injure and the potential for suicide can be hard to control. In my case I needed only add more calcium, as I have a tendency towards excess vitamin D. Vitamin D can affect calcium and magnesium balance and both minerals can affect mood. Magnesium is more relaxing and calcium can cause anger/rage. Having both in balance is important. I discuss the condition and my experience further in this post: https://transcendingsquare.com/2016/04/23/self-injurious-behavior-in-autism-patients-with-low-calcium-levels/
  • TheTrevorProject.org 

Transgender issues are not about choice but about estrogen like chemicals polluting nature and our food and water supply. Transgender is an issue for many species of wildlife these days – not just humans. The issue has appeared in history in societies that were at a stressed and maximal population level.

Bullying, name calling and discrimination are all related issues and are not about making choices or about denying self.   Love one another every day.

MayChy28‘s Youtube Channel: Merry Christmas Africa – I don’t know what the text says but the piano music is lovely and the photos speak volumes, I’ll hope that the text matches. link
Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World” with photo montage  link

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./