It breaks my heart every time.

Last week I read an article on CNN.com about human trafficking. The story, "Recession Boosts Human Trafficking." Apparently the bad economy is actually increasing human trafficking, which I guess is no surprise but it's so disheartening to me.

"The report cites the International Labor Organization, which estimates that at least 12.3 million adults and children are victims of forced labor, bonded labor and sex slavery each year."

Did you know that there are only 525,600 minutes in a year? This means that about 24 people are trafficked every minute of every year. That's incredible to me. I am shocked by the amount of people who think that this isn't a problem, that think slavery is dead. Slavery is alive and well today, and it's probably a multi billion dollar industry when you think of how much work these poor people are subjected to.

The report released by the State Department rates countries on a Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 scale. Tier 3 countries are black list countries, countries that have a severe human trafficking problem.

"...six African nations -- Chad, Eritrea, Mauritania, Niger, Swaziland and Zimbabwe -- were put on the report's "Tier 3" blacklist of countries whose efforts to combat trafficking are inadequate.

Most of the countries are "source" and "destination" countries, the report says, meaning trafficking victims both come from and are sent there. Most are trafficked throughout Africa, but many end up in the Middle East, it says.

Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria remain on the blacklist for another year, with the report saying they often become a destination for trafficked persons who are sold into domestic servitude. Other repeat offenders on the list include North Korea, Myanmar and Fiji.

The State Department also put Malaysia in the Tier 3 list, because of its trafficking of Burmese refugees.

The report cites information that Malaysian immigration officials sold refugees to traffickers operating along its border with Thailand. When the victims were unable to pay a ransom demanded by the traffickers, the report says, they were sold for labor and commercial sex exploitation."

I don't understand how people can exploit another human being this way. Take another person's mother, wife, husband, child and force them into work or worse force them into sexual exploitation all for their own financial gain. It's disgusting. Whether you are religious or not most cultures seem to teach "treat others as you'd like to be treated" in one way or another. And if you are religious, Christian in particular, I think human trafficking is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught us, "love your neighbor as yourself." I don't think I even need to get into how human trafficking is not loving.

I guess there were some promising parts of the article, "African countries Nigeria and Mauritius are praised in the report for making strong efforts to combat trafficking." And if you're wondering how the US does on this list we currently don't rank ourselves however "The US will rank ourselves on the report for the first time next year." There were 132 trafficking investigations opened in the US in 2008 resulting in 139 arrests and 94 convications. All I can say to that is, it's a START. I guess we have to start somewhere.

If you'd like to read the article you can do so here.

If you'd like to look at the report it is provided on the US State Department's website, http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm.

Also, there is a great organization called Stop the Traffik and you can check our their website for more information.

My first Tweet

Apparently this is the first thing "I" twittered:

"im black, im beautiful, and im on twitter!"

haha, at least my impersonator got 2 out of 3 right! ;)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?

I got this email this morning.

from Mark Stickney
to Nicole Guthary

do my eyes deceive me???????

welcome, i won't judge


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Twitter
Date: Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 9:11 PM
Subject: Nicole Guthary is now following you on Twitter!

Hi, Mark Stickney.

Nicole Guthary (NicoleGuthary) is now following your updates on Twitter.

A little information about Nicole Guthary:

0 followers
0 updates
following 64 people

You may follow Nicole Guthary as well by clicking on the "follow"
button on their profile.You may also block Nicole Guthary if you don't
want them to follow you.

The Twitter Team


The funny thing about all of this is that I didn't join Twitter! I still don't have any desire to be on Twitter so please let me know if I say anything funny, offensive, or noteworthy.

Today's fortune.

Jason's crazy bowling DJ setup.

"It looks like I'm flying a spaceship" - Jason

Tagged by Brenda

Music Shuffle

Once you’ve been tagged… (1) Turn on your MP3 player or I guess your music player on your computer if you don’t have an MP3 player. (2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode. (3) Write down the first 25 songs that come up–song title and artist–NO editing/cheating, please. (4) Choose 5 people to be tagged. (I don't really have anyone to tag that hasn't been tagged already so I kind of just did this for fun.)

1. Grey Dawn Breaking - Tiger Army
2. Ask the Lonely - Journey
3. I Would Never Want to be Young Again - Gogol Bordello
4. Nothin' - Reel Big Fish
5. Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
6. Little Moments - Brad Paisley
7. Stir In Me - Todd Proctor
8. The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3
9. Three Days - Janes Addiction
10. Baby I Like It - Slightly Stoopid
11. Blue - The Julies
12. Why Can't I Be You - The Cure
13. Teenagers from Mars - The Misfits
14. She has a Girlfriend Now - Reel Big Fish
15. All the Way - Frank Sinatra
16. Shout to the North - Delirious?
17. Intro - India Arie
18. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
19. Hot Line - The Bomboras
20. Nasty Girl - Notorious B.I.G, Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Avery Storm
21. The Best Day - George Straight
22. Oh No - Gogol Bordello
23. Night of the Living Dead - The Misfits
24. Our Last Night - ABBA
25. Smackwater Jack - Carole King

I just watched Mean Girls and now on to The Sweetest Thing

Ok, I know, I'm a total woman. This blog was supposed to be titled "Sex and the City and The View" which also makes me a total woman, but I figured it was imperative to point out what I am currently watching.

I've been thinking about writing this blog for over a week now. I guess I just haven't gotten around to it or maybe I've been marinating on the topic...anyhow...here's how it all started.

I was watching The View, which I do everyday now that I work from home and for the most part I really don't pay attention to it but sometimes a topic or guest catches my eye. This time it was Edie Falco, she played the wife on The Sopranos, they were talking to her about some new show she's on but that wasn't what caught my attention, what caught my attention was the fact that she has adopted two kids, a boy and a girl. Then after Edie the next guest, Nia Vardalos, (you know the girl from My Big Fat Greek Wedding,) was on. She talked about her 3 year old daughter who she just adopted from foster care.

Then that was when it hit me, these two women both very famous with lives that are successful by many standards both felt like they were missing something, children, and they both chose adoption. Nia Vardalos tried for 10 years to have a child when she and her husband decided that adoption was what was best for them. I think it's even more inspiring that she chose to adopt a 3 year old from the foster care system because so many people won't consider foster children. With Edie Falco it was a little bit different, she isn't married. She just really wanted children, so she adopted two.

I wonder if I could ever adopt children alone. I mean if I were married I would love to adopt. I personally have no desire to have a child that carries my DNA, I would gladly do it for my husband if it was something he really wanted but I just feel like there are already so many kids out there that need parents. But could I do that alone, would I want to do that alone? I don't know. I think about it a lot, if I continue to live a single life then at what point do I say to myself that I want children badly enough to adopt? I don't know the answer to this question. It's definitely not now or any time soon but I often think about whether or not I could raise a child alone.

Then there was the Sex and the City movie. That movie hinges on the fact that some relationships are unconventional and the second we try to place societal norms on these relationships then often times you lose the magic. Evidenced in the movie by Carrie and Mr. Big's wedding, or lack therof, and then their later wedding.

This also got me thinking. I have unconventional views of marriage. Maybe that's because of my life; divorced parents at 3, mom divorced again at about 19, my dad refusing to marry again but having the same girlfriend since I was 13. I just wonder sometimes if a conventional marriage relationship is right for everyone, I'm not talking biblically just more socially I guess. I wonder often if I will end up married or single or something in the middle...but I guess I do know that I won't end up in the typical movie romance. I'm just not the typical movie romance girl.

Idk, a lot of things have been swirling around in my head lately. I'm 99% sure that it all comes from the fact that nothing in my life is stable and change is sure to be coming in every part of my life. Which is exciting and scary and makes me think about everything even more than I would normally, which is a lot since I over analyze EVERYTHING.

BTW, if you've never seen The Sweetest Thing you really should, it's fantastic.

AND...Clueless just started. I'm never going to sleep...

It may have been hell...

But it was totally worth it to see Liana graduate. My sister is an amazing person, student and mother. I'm so proud of her for making a better life for herself and Analee.

Congrtulations Ana Banana!

And...still here...

Nicole

Stuck in high school graduation hell

Nicole