Has your cell phone gone for a swim?

It does happen; your mobile phone goes into the drink and now what. This advice comes from a young friend who is sometimes careless with his phone. Rice is the answer. Put your phone in a bowl of uncooked rice for about a week. Uncooked rice is great at pulling the moisture out of the phone. My young friend's wife swears by this process.

Desiccant also works, but be careful because it's powder and might cause additional damage. The most familiar form of desiccant is the little packets that come with electronics to absorb moisture during shipment. The label says "do not eat". Also silica gel packets work well and can be purchased on-line.

However most of us don't keep any desiccant or silica packs around the house. So if your mobile phone hits the drink, head for the nearest Chinese market and purchase a bag of uncooked rice.

Real men don't buy girls

Real men don't buy girls is a great campaign to help stop human trafficking of women and girls for the commercial sex trade worldwide.


Ashton Kutcher can be seen holding up a sign that says: "Real men don't buy girls" on his website -

www.demiandashton.com/dna-in-action  

Ashton and Demi Moore have a Foundation to help stop human slavery and human trafficking. I applaud celebrities like Ashton and Demi who take the time and energy to fight for a cause like human trafficking.


www.demiandashton.com

 
Check out their website

The difference between human smuggling and human trafficking

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. It's a criminal business that profits from enslaving people for sexual servitude and forced labor. Victims of trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims are young children, teenagers, men and women.

Many people don't know the difference between human smuggling and human trafficking, there are major differences.

Smuggling
Is a crime against the national boarders
It requires illegal crossing of the U.S. border
Smugglers are paid and their business relationship with immigrants terminates at the boarder
It can become trafficking, once a person is forced to provide labor or services

Trafficking
Is a crime against a person
It involves compelled labor or service
Traffickers may use smuggling debt as a means to control victims, even after they cross the border.

Please help stop human trafficking.

National Human Trafficking Resource Center - 1-888-3737-888


http://nhtrc.polarisproject.org/

Recognizing the signs of human trafficking

Victims of human trafficking can be found in our neighborhoods. They are living amongst us but are hard to recognize. There are two types of victims: commercial sex victims and forced labor victims.

Finding and helping victims is all about recognizing the signs and indicators. Some of the indicators of forced labor are:

People are living on their work premises
There is restricted or controlled communications and transportations
There are a large number of occupants for the living space
There is a lack of private space, personal possessions or financial records
They have a limited knowledge of the community
Security is intended to keep victims confined


Victims can be working in: domestic servitude, sweatshops/factories, construction, farming or landscaping, hotel or tourist industries, panhandling, janitorial services, and restaurant services.

Victims in commercial sex can be resistant to help because they may be physically or emotionally coerced. They may be coached to have a fear of law enforcement, a fear of deportation or a fear of retaliation. There may be indicators like injuries from beatings or self-inflicted injuries. There may be branding, scarring or tattooing to indicating ownership.

If you recognize any of these indicators please contact your local law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

National Human Trafficking Resource Center - 1-888-3737-888

http://nhtrc.polarisproject.org/

Human trafficking back in the news in Los Angeles

News reports: "The LAPD seeks other victims of alleged child pimp"

www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/04/lapd-seeks-other-victims-of-alleged-child-pimp/

Police say there may be dozens of victims of a man they suspect of kidnapping two teenage girls and forcing them into prostitution.

According to San Diego Deputy District Attorney Gretchen Means," human trafficking is the new crack". Gang members are jumping into the human trafficking of minors because it's safer than drugs and very profitable. Human trafficking is just behind the drug trade for profits worldwide.

Means says, "a gang member is much safer driving around with a couple of girls and a laptop in the back seat as opposed to driving around with drugs". This is a growth business for gangs and they are recruiting young women and teenagers from local neighborhoods. This is not the importation of women from other counties but children recruited from our own communities.

Children are extremely vulnerable to recruitment and victimization. They can be runaways, escaping from abusive homes. They can be homeless living on the street or just looking for work.

Minors can be recruited by other victims, friends, family, employment agencies and modeling agencies. They can be recruited on the internet, by romance or seduction and even by gang members. Children are often recruited from juvenile camps, shelters and foster homes

Raising awareness of human trafficking and the trafficking of children for the sex trade is the key to helping these children.