text:
What would you like to know?
Mortgage Calculator
For new mortgages, if the downpayment or equity is less then 20% of the purchase price, the amortization cannot exceed 25 years and the maximum purchase price must be less than $1,000,000.
Mortgage rates are estimates of current rates. No fees are included.
What is your availability for a viewing?
1805 5611 Goring Street, Burnaby
$898,000Calculate Mortgage Calculate Mortgage
1363 Sq.Ft. 2 Baths 2 Beds 2008 Built
Google Maps Map WalkScore Email Us Request a Viewing
Spacious 2 bedroom plus den unit with unobstructed southern city view at the Legacy South Tower! Open layout with 2 generous sized bedroom , huge living area, open kitchen with a large island, a good size den with window that can be the 3rd bedroom and a extra-large balcony . Great amenities including fitness center, steam room, sauna , hot tub & a club house. Walk to Holdom skytrain station, close to Brentwood Mall , easy access to Hwy 1 and just minutes to BCIT, Metrotown and only 25 minutes to Vancouver Downtown area.
Taxes (2018): $3,176.00
Elevator Exercise Centre In Suite Laundry Storage
ClthWsh Dryr Frdg Stve DW


text:
Pillows plus Trains, Trains and more Trains!
Month: December 2018
December News
A small sample (plus lots more) of all the awesomeness coming Friday and Saturday! Don't miss out on our First Annual Holiday Artisan Vendor Sale! Food and drink will flow as well so come out and support your local Artisans at The French Knot 10a-6p Friday and 10a-3p Saturday Dec 7-8
And in other news…….
Look what came in! Koigu Collectors Colorway. 1 color for 1 month only! Limited quantities so hurry in because once it's gone, its gone!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Drama Came BackJanuary 12, 2010 at 12:20 am | Posted in mmorpg, Runes of Magic | Comments Off on The Drama Came Back
Tags: MMO, mmorpg, Runes of Magic
The very next day almost. I know I said there was No More Drama, but apparently Mary J. Blige is on vacation. Guild drama in an MMORPG, who'd have figured?
It all started with the Moriargy bug. He's a bugged boss that has great rewards and is only supposed to spawn every 3 or 4 hours, but spawns every time his corpse disappears. Well as I've said, this causes a lot of drama. People don't get their drop, and things go crazy. Even some of my most respected and popular guildies have lost their temper, quit (only to rejoin later) the guild, over this drop. Fair enough, we all rage once in a while. It was the beginning of the end though.
When our guilds leadership left for Aion, we merged with a guild that was a bit behind us in content to keep activity up. We gave their officers full and equal leadership. Little did we know that every time a problem came up, whether it be loot, or well no, it was always a loot problem. Usually one of their members not taking the time to read our rules, one of their officers interpreting things in the most naive or frustrating way possible, and never really doing anything about the actual problem itself. Rather than just kick anyone from the guild who refused to play by our rules, we were forced to keep them on and be subject to their drama.
When I say forced, I mean, genuinely blackmailed into keeping people, or else their old guild leader, who I will call Plato, would leave and take all his old members with him.
So we held a guild meeting to discuss these problems, and talked about our loot problems for more than an hour. 5 minutes after the meeting ended we had one of their members, Tank 8, roll on a mod that was not for their class. Many of us wanted to kick him, we still ended up being forced to keep him.
Even members of our own guild, members before the merge, who were causing trouble were free to do so. Only when members left of their own accord, because they thought our loot rules were "greedy", and refused to listen to reason, were we free of their constant arguments.
Finally we told everyone to cut the crap. These were the rules, follow them or leave the guild. That seemed to pretty much end it. We managed to lose one of the agitators, kick one and have his friend leave with him, and another stopped playing. We were good for about a week.
Then this Moriargy thing came up. We've warred people over it, seen wars over it, seen world shout flame wars. I actually wish they'd fix this bug. One of the major Drama situations revolved around 2 of our original members (I'll call them Pink and Talksalot) not being invited to the party to kill Moriargy. There's lots of system message spam, but there's usually no excuse for not inviting people to the group, it can always come back to haunt you. The problem was two of our non-original members were in the group. So when our original members began kill stealing Moriargy that was considered slightly rude. I agree actually, it was rude. Pink and Talksalot were out of line, they should have either continued waiting, or left entirely. There is no excuse for deliberately antagonizing members of our own guild. The two merger members had no control over getting them into the group. Damage done though, as another merger member left the guild.
You would think that would be fine though. People leave guilds all the time, and in general we had only lost 2 or 3 members of the merger guild. Pretty good over all. Unfortunately, their guild leader, Plato, goes vast distances for his members. Paying for their gear, rallying to their causes. He treated them like family and you could hear the sadness in his voice for long after they had left. Each member leaving was like some kind of dagger in his heart. Which is why I suppose he held the guild hostage over every problem.
I'm not even sure what the last straw was but a few days later, our Fearless Leader who had been holding things together since the Aion split, just said enough. He lost his temper and told Plato, he was sick of the blackmail and to go ahead and leave. Plato wasted no time, and we've lost around 20 members.
However, this is not bad news. Every day since then has been a blessing. We've even gone on to down the 4th boss in Hall of Survivors. The people leaving are mostly inactive casual types, who hardly ever participate in groups. We actually managed to keep their best priest so far, and we recruited a few people from the #2 guild on the server. I think over all everyone is happier. Our differences in style caused nothing but strife.
The drama came back, but it's gone again for now.
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.


text:
As the Postal Services Act 2011 passed through the House of Commons, the Government amended it to guarantee that the Queen's head would remain on British postage stamps even if the Royal Mail were to be taken into foreign ownership.
As the Postal Services Act 2011 passed through the House of Commons, the Government amended it to guarantee that the Queen's head would remain on British postage stamps even if the Royal Mail were to be taken into foreign ownership.
What a neat example of the cognitive dissonance that troubles the so-called Conservative Party — the discomfort felt by trying to hold two conflicting opinions simultaneously. The Tories want to uphold values dear to their electoral base: tradition, monarchy, national independence, and local community. Yet at the same time, they are committed to a fast-track programme of neo-liberalism and globalisation that is undermining these very values.
The 2011 Act, which made its way onto the statute books without much publicity, therefore pays tribute to both God and Caesar. Its main measure is to allow Royal Mail to be hived off from the Post Office and privatised, while the Post Office remains under government control or else becomes a mutual. The business of moving letters and parcels around the country will be divided up between competing transnational courier companies, whilst the local depots through which the mail service has traditionally been delivered will be retained because they are an important community asset, not least to the elderly population who comprise a large segment of the Tory vote.
The customary sleights of hand have been employed to tenderise Royal Mail prior to its being served up. Proponents of privatisation make much of the fact that, owing to email, the number of letters delivered by Royal Mail every year has been in decline since its peak in 2005. They don't mention that even though much of the business has been poached by private competitors over the last seven years, it is still 50 percent higher than in the early 1960s, when the Post Office paid its way.
In 2012, on the grounds that it had made a loss of £1 billion over four years, Royal Mail jacked up the price of a first class stamp by an outrageous 14 pence. But some easy arithmetic reveals that a rise of less than 2 pence on each of the 16 billion letters delivered per year would have been enough to cover the annual loss. With Royal Mail scheduled for sale by April 2014 it has now gone into profit, surprise surprise, even though the hike in prices has persuaded many more businesses to send their mail through private companies.
This year, prices for delivering letters are remaining stable, but the cost of sending parcels has risen dramatically. Moreover, Royal Mail's postal service is refusing to take anything other than "small" and "medium" parcels — anything over two feet long now has to go by its courier service Parcel Force. Currently Parcel Force parcels can still be sent through the post office, but (as The Land office can vouch) Parcel Force puts pressure on small businesses to bypass the local post office and have parcels picked up directly by their vans.
The intention is clearly to divert as much lucrative traffic as possible from the Post Office to Parcel Force, since this will be more attractive to courier companies seeking a slice of the pie. Sub-postmaster Steve, interviewed about the new charges, commented:
"In the last few years Ebay and online purchasing have been the saviour of Royal Mail and the Post Office. But this year's price rises have targeted precisely the packages that are most commonly used for these purchases. Custom from small mailout businesses that has readily gone to post office counters is rapidly being lost to courier firms."
What is being undermined here is the universal service. If you are an individual or a small business sending a single parcel then Parcel Force will do it more cheaply than TNT, for example. But if you are a sizeable business and get an account with TNT, then they will do it more cheaply than Parcel Force. This is because at the moment firms like TNT can cherrypick — ie focus on lucrative business accounts and avoid deliveries to difficult places like the Orkneys — whereas Parcel Force, as long as they continue to operate through the Post Office, have an obligation to serve everybody, anywhere, daily.
The service provided by couriers is good for business because it means cheaper deliveries. It is not so good for the customer, because these firms do not have the local knowledge that a postman has, in tems of identifying addresses or, for example, knowing that a parcel can be left in the garden shed. When a postal delivery fails, the parcel is lodged at the nearby local post office, whereas if it fails with a courier it can end up at a depot many miles away. It is also an environmental inanity, with a multitude of white vans driving willy nilly round the countryside, when everything up to a certain size could be delivered by a single red van whose driver knows the neighbourhood, and all its addresses, like the back of his hand.
Nonetheless, the universal service has to be maintained, and the commitment to a six-day-a-week universal service is embedded in the 2011 Act. Since it would be inefficient to have two competing companies performing this service, it is likely that one company will be contracted to take this on. Effectively this would mean transferring the postal service from a government monopoly (Royal Mail) to a private monopoly. While government monopolies may not be ideal, they are at least democratically accountable, whereas private companies are, notoriously, accountable only to their shareholders. The ominous precedent for this is the privatisation of British Telecom, another profitable arm hived off from the Post Office, which has bequeathed us a national telephone organisation which it is now absolutely impossible to contact on the telephone.
The company being groomed for this role is TNT. Paul Mills describes his experience working for TNT delivering mail to the doorstep through a pilot scheme in Chiswick:
"I was one of a growing number of workers on what is known as a 'zero-hour contract', in which workers are not guaranteed any hours of work. I was forced to hustle for my next day's work on an almost daily basis. Sometimes I took a gamble to come in as a 'relief worker', arriving at the depot at 7.30am in the hope that someone would have dropped out so I could cover their rounds."1
The number of employers hiring on zero-hour contracts, Mills reports, has risen from 11 percent in 2004 to 23 percent in 2011. Unions blame privatisation of services for this rise. Mills's experience can be compared with that described by Royal Mail postman, Roy Mayall:
"Modernisation for the Royal Mail means spending millions of pounds on a large number of high-tech "walk-sequencing machines" [that sort out the order in which letters have to be delivered] which actually slow down the process of delivery. They do, however, remove any vestige of skill from the job; so while they are considerably less efficient at getting the mail out on time, they nevertheless have the distinct advantage that they undermine the workforce, allowing the company to hire more and more casual workers."2
Meanwhile the Post Office, to survive, will have to find new sources of income. The government has pledged £350 million of new business, but so far not much of this has materialised. The Post Office did manage to renew its contract with the motor licensing authority, DVLA, but only after seeing the price driven down by aggressive bidding from Pay Point, a firm offering financial services, who our subpostmaster Steve suspects were encouraged to bid by forces within government.
But the coalition's favoured strategy is a programme called Network Transformation which involves siting both "Main" and "Local" post offices inside other retail outlets. These Locals will not be separate "fortresses" as they are in some village shops, but part of the everyday counter service, and capable of being staffed by unskilled people. As a result there are a large number of services currently available in most post offices that they will not provide, including:
"Parcel Force Express Services; parcels over 20 kg; international parcels; manual cash deposits and withdrawals; change-giving service to small businesses; post office financial services and insurance products; manual bill payment services; passport, car tax and DVLA services; on demand foreign currency and payments by cheque."
Shorn of all these services, "Local" post offices will be attractive to retailers, not because of the revenue they will bring in, but because of the increased footfall. In her evidence to the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Paula Vennells, Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd, stated that one retailer (later revealed to be Tesco's One Stop) had requested a post office in each of its 600 outlets. She added that multinationals were interested in hosting Locals because "people who see these economics and who are really good retailers have made this work".
In other words from being a public service, local post offices will be relegated to the role of loss leader. We asked Steve what role the post office played in the life of the community:
"It's imperative. Its importance as a social service is incalculable. Well, I say that, but if you got rid of this post office, the estate agent next door would have to knock £30,000 off the price of every house in the village."
In Steve's view, the primary function of the sub-postmaster is to act as an interface with the outside world, with government, bureaucracies and financial institutions:
"People value the knowledge that someone is there who is unbiased and willing and able to help. There is still a historic feeling that the man behind the counter has a magic wand that can sort out problems."
The Royal Mail postman is, or rather was, an integral part of this service — its outreach, its eyes and ears. Much of Roy Mayall's blog focusses around the archetypal figure of "Granny Smith" and the role the postman plays in keeping people in touch and binding the community together. Mayall tumbled on the name when, at at a staff meeting, a postman asked the management what the modernisation of the Post Office meant for "Granny Smith", the little old lady who lives alone and for whom the mail service is a lifeline. "Granny Smith isn't important", was the reply: "she doesn't matter any more."
But the Post Office is more than a social service; it also serves an ontological purpose. Because it is a physical place, staffed by real people, and serving to link individuals with the outside world, it defends the local and the material against what would otherwise be an overwhelming onslaught of the global and the digital. Every post office (like every land line dialling code) represents a real place. One Stop shops, as their name implies, are the expression of a rootless society.
A government that is committed to "localism" ought to recognise and uphold these values rather than turning post office services into just another high street commodity. But people like Paula Vennells, who (in her own words) "see economics", are blind to anything else. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing. These are the people who call the shots in all three main political parties, and they are about to trash one of our most valued public institutions.
Perhaps most alarming is the low level of resistance to privatisation. To get involved, contact Save Our Royal Mail, Centrepoint, 103 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DD or visit http://saveourroyalmail.org/


text:
Cases We Handle
Find Out How We Can Help by Calling (229) 379-3618
At The Shrable Law Firm, our practice focuses on trial advocacy because we are motivated by the prospect of helping others and obtaining justice. Our firm is prepared to take on cases that involve a wide range of accidents, injuries, as well as commercial litigation. Whether your incident occurred at the workplace, on the road, or in a medical facility, you can trust that our team has the knowledge and skill needed to help you pursue a favorable resolution. We are a boutique, local litigation firm with the tools, resources, and experience of a large firm.
Over the last 5 years, our firm has handled over 1,000 injury claims from both sides of the courtroom recovering millions of dollars for our clients. We understand the trial process from both points of view, which helps us build effective arguments and strategies that anticipate the opposing side's case. Our personal injury lawyer in Albany employs tactics learned from the over 100 attorneys he has litigated against. We also know what insurance companies are looking for and what makes them pay – and we will not hesitate to try a case. Rest assured that if we agree to take your case, your case is a priority. We make it our duty to fight for your best interest.


text:
The Norwegian stock market experienced a massive sell-off Tuesday, with the benchmark index tumbling 5,28%, the sharpest drop of the year. More half of the companies included in the index fell more than 5%, seven shares nosedived more than 10%.
"Those who believe in the double-dip have had a little water on the mill today."
Jørn Lyshoel
The stocks at Oslo Stock Exchange made its sharpest drop of the year Tuesday, with share prices falling more than in other European markets. More than half of the shares included in the benchmark index fell more than 5%, and seven companies lost more than 10% of their market value.
According to the Norwegian website DN.no, it's the U.S. Conference Board downward revision of China's leading economic indicator by 0,3% that have put the fear back in the Norwegian investors.
According to the financial news agency, TDN Finans, one of the brokers says that the fear of a double-dip now back with full force. Adding: "And it has not been any news that has managed to calm the market."
"But the market could turn both ways," he points out.
"Both the Oslo Stock Exchange and the S&P 500 index have formed a head-and-shoulder-formation. If the S&P's breaks down below 1050 points can quickly fall further, " he says.
The US Index futures is down about 1,2% at the moment.
"I think it will settle down in a little while, but it is heavy today after the weak leading indicator in China.Those who believe in the double-dip have had a little water on the mill. This has an impact on commodities shares today," Jørn Lyshoel, strategist at Nordea Markets, says according to TDN Finans.
Dropping 5 – 15 Percent
The Oslo Stock Exchange Benchmark Index (OSEBX) ended down 5,28%, at 326,68 points, the sharpest drop so far this year.
Here's a few examples of today's massacre:
Acta Holding (ACTA): -5,78%
Aker Solutions (AKSO): -7,43%
Algeta (ALGETA): -10,22%
BWG Homes (BWG): -8,12%
Eitzen Chemical (ECHEM): -14,62%
Golden Ocean Group (GOGL): -7,66%
Kongsberg Automotive Holding (KOA): -11,55%
Marine Harvest (MHG): -8,74%
Nordic Semiconductor (NOD): -7,41%
Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): -9,51%
Renewable Energy Corp. (REC): -9,18%
Sevan Marine (SEVAN): -14,68%
Songa Offshore (SONGA): -8,44%
Here's the whole miserable list.
Related by the Econotwist:
Norway's Oil Fund Among BP's Largest Shareholders As Bankruptcy Rumors Hit Market
Here's The REAL Norwegian PIIGS Exposure
Norwegian Pensioners Enter Bear Market
Norway: Storebrand Subsidiary Sued Over Insurance Contracts
Norwegian Oil Explorer Files For Bankruptcy
Norwegian Labor Costs At Record High
Norway: A Mutated Dutch Disease
Analyst Predicts Acquisition of Norwegian Paper Giant
Hydro Issue Risk Warning In Vale Takeover Deal
Norway's GDP Fall For First Time In 20 Years
German Banks With More Than 200 Billion Euro In Faul Credits
DnB NOR Finds Markets Participants EURNOK Expectations "Remarkable"
Report Forecasts Shortages Of 14 Critical Raw Materials
Global Economy On Fast Track To Disaster
Related articles by Zemanta
- Deal to create undersea oil giant (news.bbc.co.uk)
- Norwegian IT firms EDB, Ergo in merger talks (ciol.com)
- Noble to buy FDR Holdings in US$2.16B drilling deal (financialpost.com)


text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21968841595551867052019-06-01T01:10:44.242-04:00Nowhere to HideStephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-48037586206645990702013-08-29T13:20:00.000-04:002013-08-29T13:23:40.576-04:00"Let Freedom Ring" indeed

As the nation marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington yesterday, we were reminded that in the struggle for civil rights, laws changed only because people demanded that they be changed. Politicians took action because "we the people" took action first.

It was true then, and it's true now.

President Obama summed it up perfectly when he said:

"Change doesn't come from Washington, change comes to Washington."

It got me thinking about the time and energy we've all spent working to end human rights abuses around the world. We've enjoyed some great successes, and they've been encouraging and energizing. But just like the fight for civil righs continues, the fight for human rights continues as well.

And just like baseball is a "game of 90s," political advocacy is a game often measured and won in small, incremental successes. During the Let Freedom Ring event yesterday, one speaker after another mentioned individuals whose efforts helped ignite sparks that eventually became the fire of the civil rights movement.

The March on Washington was neither the beginning, nor the end, of the civil rights movement. But on that day, 50 years ago, change came to Washington, and Washington had no choice but to respond.

And as we continue our efforts, we ignite small sparks. Eventually, they become a fire that reaches the very doorstep of Congress and demands a response.

During his speech yesterday, former President Bill Clinton challenged the crowd to stay strong in the face of opposition and set back. If changes to the Voting Rights Act mean some people have to wait in longer lines in order to vote, then wait in longer lines - but don't give up, he said.

Similarly, as we face challenges and opposition, I hope we determine to settle in and persevere, encouraged by the victories we've already won, and energized by the knowledge that ours is a good and necessary fight.

I'm proud of all of you and the work you do. And I'm proud to be part of such a committed group of people (even though I've been somewhat 'in absentia' lately).

Keep up the great work, and thanks for indulging me and my ruminations (or 'musings' if you prefer). :)
Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-35580703203591388652013-02-08T20:32:00.001-05:002013-02-08T20:32:38.893-05:00Hi! Remember me?Hey everyone.
I can't believe it's been over a year since my last update.
There have been some changes since last you heard from me.
I'm now living and working in Washington, DC, and I love being here.
I got the incredible privilege of interning at International Justice Mission, and also work there for a summer. Let me tell you, that's an incredible organization!

But, regardless of location or jobs changes, my passion remains the same - to end modern-day slavery and other human rights abuses.

With that in mind, I've got some great news to share - the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is set to be voted on Monday in the Senate! My understanding is that it will be voted on as an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which means both pieces of legislation could pass simultaneously! It's very exciting and long overdue.

Please take a moment to contact your Senators and urge them to support the TVPRA. And encourage your friends and family to contact them as well.

Here's hoping we've got something to celebrate come Monday!Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-4086793473745475102011-11-04T12:17:00.002-04:002011-11-04T13:18:01.958-04:00The Tail Wagging the Dog?This semester, I have two Political Science classes in which the same topics are often being covered at the same time. It's not intentional on the part of the professors, but it does make the conversations much more interesting. This past week, the focus has been on human rights and humanitarian aid.

The picture on the left is of a village in Darfur being burned by a group called the janjaweed - armed men whom many believe have been actively recruited by the Sudanese army to destroy the homes and lives of the people of Darfur. In one of my classes, we watched a movie called "The Devil Came on Horseback," about an American photojournalist who witnessed and documented the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Darfur people. To say the film is disturbing is an understatement.

Despite the overwhelming evidence presented by this man, and our own President's declaration that what was happening in Darfur was in fact genocide, nothing was done. We knew what was happening and let it happen.

When the movie was over, we talked, as a class, about the reasons why the U.S. didn't intervene - and has a history of non-intervention with regards to human rights. There are a lot of theoretical reasons why the U.S. doesn't do more. Most people in power believe (or claim to believe) that the U.S. shouldn't infringe on another country's sovereignty. What they do to their citizens is their business, not ours. Kind of like saying you'll try to break up a fight that happens in the street but you won't call the police if you hear a fight taking place in the house next door.

As I sat listening to all the intellectual reasons, I got angrier and angrier. Theoretical perspectives were develop to offer guidance, but they are not law. Yet so many people in class talked about these theories as though they "tie the hands" of the United States. Rather than using theory as an excuse for non-intervention, shouldn't we stop to consider that the theory is meant to serve the people - not vice versa?

At what point do we stop acting like diplomats, theorists, politicians and intellectuals and just start acting like human beings? At what point do our leaders gain the courage to say "yeah, I know this is the theory behind our non-intervention policy but people are dying and we're gonna do something about it." ?

And how do we, as citizens, facilitate that shift?
Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-60931533386269227952011-06-26T10:41:00.006-04:002011-06-26T11:25:45.886-04:00Very Long Overdue UpdateHello everyone. To those of you who are still following this blog - thank you for sticking around. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything new.

Here's a quick update on both me and current anti-trafficking efforts.

At the end of 2010, I was accepted into the internship program at International Justice Mission. In January, I moved to Washington, D.C. and began interning with IJM's Government Relations Department. My focus was community organizing: communicating with constituents across the country (and around the world), helping prepare for our Advocacy Day in April, and managing the Michigan state campaign.

When the internship began to wind down, I was offered a summer job with the department. So I'm still in D.C., still working with IJM's Government Relations team. It's been an incredible experience! I've learned so much, I feel I don't even know where to start. I'm here until the end of August, and then I'll move back to Michigan to find a job and finish school.

That's the short version of my personal update.

Now, as to anti-trafficking news.

Many of you may already know that the Child Protection Compact Act was not passed last year. It was voted out of committee in the Senate, and put forward for a Unanimous Consent vote. Unfortunately, the bill was put on hold by a couple of Senators who had concerns about the money that would be spent to establish the programs laid out in the CPCA. IJM staff and others worked hard with those offices to try and find a solution, but they simply ran out of time. Needless to say, many of us were disappointed.

This year, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act is due to be reauthorized and we are hopeful that some of the provisions from the CPCA will be rolled into it. We are expecting the bill to be introduced very soon.

In addition, tomorrow the State Department releases its annual Trafficking in Persons report. I'm excited to tell you that I will be there for the event, and live-tweeting from the IJMcampaigns Twitter account. So, if you don't already, follow IJMcampaigns and get live updates tomorrow from me!

Over the last couple of years, IJM's Government Relations team has rolled out state campaigns which are managed by local advocacy leaders. Campaigns are running in several states, including Michigan (woot!), and the leaders are making remarkable progress in raising awareness and getting others involved in advocacy efforts. If you or someone you know would like more information about a state campaign, you can email email@example.com. Since I'm the one who monitors that email inbox, you'll likely receive a response directly from me. :)

Our team is also working with constituents across the country to schedule in-district meetings with Members of Congress this summer. If you'd like to participate, send an email to the above address. Constituents will talk with Members and their staff about the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, and the importance of fully funding the State Department's Trafficking in Persons office (which, as an aside, had its budget cut by more than 23% this year. We'd like to see the budget fully restored).

One last bit of news: check out this wonderful Op-Ed piece written by Holly Burkhalter, VP of Government Relations at IJM.

Thank you, again, to those who are still following this blog. And, again, I'm sorry there's been so little activity. I have some actual free time this summer, so you'll be hearing from me much more often. Keep up the great work, all of you! And thank you for joining the fight to end slavery!
Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-55237514251725196432010-11-19T16:16:00.002-05:002010-11-19T16:17:31.881-05:00Help Protect Kids from Slavery and ExploitationHi everyone.

It's been months since I posted anything. I apologize for the loooong delay. There is actually much to share, and I'll post a more complete update soon, but right now I need your help.

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you've no doubt read my posts about the Child Protection Compact Act. This is a bill that would allocate $30 million for the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons. The money would be used to fund programs in a few key countries that have demonstrated the political will to end child trafficking.

The most exciting thing about this bill is that it's based on a program that has already been proven very effective in the Philippines. Through a combination of police training, and strengthening of the justice system, the availability of child prostitutes decreased by 79% over four years in Cebu. Imagine how many kids could be protected from the horrors of slavery if these programs were established in other cities and countries as well!!

The bill has been introduced into both the House and the Senate, and was voted unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September. Senator Barbara Boxer intended to submit the bill for a unanimous consent vote, but we've learned that Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina has put a hold on the bill. I don't know the specifics of his objections, but he is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee which means he voted in favor of the bill just a couple of months ago.

It has also been brought to my attention that there is now push-back from Senator Tom Coburnof Oklahoma, who wants a budget offset for the funding. I'm all for fiscal responsibility (and I'm not being facetious, I mean it), but at $30 million, the CPCA costs just 27 cents per American family. 27 cents to save kids from being forced to work in brothels, brick kilns, rice mills and garment factories.

OK... that's the background information. Here's where I need some help.
If you know people in either South Carolina or Oklahoma, please encourage them to contact Senators DeMint and Coburn and ask them to support the CPCA. I've included their contact info below. In addition, if you have contacts with media outlets, student organizations or anyone else who could help us build support in these two states, please let me know that as well.

If the CPCA doesn't pass before Congress adjourns, we'll work at it again next year. A year may not seem like much but, for a kid being forced to work in a brothel, it's a long time.

Please do what you can to help us get this bill passed.
Thank you so much!

Senator Tom Coburn

202-224-5754

Senator Jim DeMint

202-224-6121
Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-80871588956718012132010-06-18T14:46:00.022-04:002010-06-21T12:08:35.892-04:005 Weeks - Join the Movement
One of the first stories I ever heard about modern-day slavery involved a young girl named Manna*. She had run away from home and been befriended by a man who said he could help her. What he actually did was sell her to a brothel where she was forced to work as a prostitute.

When she was rescued by a team of International Justice Mission investigators and local law enforcement, she and the other girls from the brothel were found locked away in a sound-proof dungeon.

Think about that.

Nearly a dozen young girls locked up in a room where no one would ever have heard them yell for help.

Every week I hear stories from IJM about sucessful victim rescues, and successful arrests and prosecutions of perpetrators.

On June 28th, IJM embarks on its biggest campaign ever, aimed at raising awareness about this kind of exploitation and oppression. Fifteen ordinary people will spend 5 weeks biking along the Underground Railroad - from Mobile, AL to Buffalo, NY - on a tour aptly named 5 Weeks for Freedom. They'll travel 1,800 miles, and remind us that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.

IJM's summer campaign presents unique opportunities for us to accomplish something extraordinary, too - the eradication of slavery and other forms of violent oppression. One of the most important things I've learned in the 18 months I've been involved with IJM is that our voice matters. I participated, with hesitation, in IJM's first Advocacy Day in April, 2009. I joined several others from Michigan, and our delegation met with legislative aides on Capitol Hill to talk about human trafficking and some pending anti-trafficking legislation. At the time, I wasn't sure that meeting with elected offficials would do any good.

But, to my happy surprise, the aides listened. They asked questions, took notes, and some even encouraged their bosses to co-sponsor the Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA). I was converted that day, and have been a passionate advocate ever since.

5 Weeks for Freedom will hold events in several cities along its route. If you live in or near one of them, plan on attending. Come enjoy live music, hear from IJM speakers, and take advantage of advocacy opportunities. Sign a postcard asking your Senator to support the CPCA. Submit an Op-Ed letter or Press Release to your local news outlets. If you live in Birmingham, AL; Columbus, OH; Louisville, KY; or Buffalo, NY, you can participate in IJM's Advocacy Training and learn how to engage your elected officials in the fight against slavery. If you're skeptical, like I was, I'd encourage you to simply invest a little time and see what happens. You might, like me, be surprised.

Individually, our voices may not accomplish much. But together, they become a collective cry that cannot be ignored. Together, we've helped encourage 8 U.S. Senators and 110 U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor the CPCA. Next, we need to encourage them to pass the bill and have it signed into law. We can, and we must, advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves. We must be the voice for people who have none; people like Manna* whose voices are stiffled and suppressed. We must bring freedom to those who can't get it on their own.

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12338515&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12338515&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object>
Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks For Freedom from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.
Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-65905056324324587722010-04-21T10:03:00.004-04:002010-04-21T10:36:24.726-04:00An Appeal to MichigandersWhile studying for my MacroEconomics class earlier this week, I came across a quote from economist Frederich Hayek. It made me think of the good people of Michigan:

"Society's course will be changed only by a change in ideas. First you must reach the intellectuals, the teachers and writers, with reasoned argument. It will be their influence on society which will prevail, and the politicians will follow."

In Michigan, we proven this statement to be true about a lot of things. We have consistently gotten the attention of the politicians, making sure they prioritize those things which we value most. We have debunked the myth that people are "powerless" to affect change.

This week, my classes at Oakland University are wrapping up. Two more finals, one more paper and I'm done. For eight weeks I'll have no classes, no homework, no tests. Eight weeks. It's not a lot of time, but I'm already making plans. Plans to contact Detroit city leaders and ask for their help in the fight against human trafficking. Plans to contact both state and federal legislators and ask for their support of existing and pending human trafficking laws. Plans to begin (and maybe finish?) production on a Michigan-specific video aimed at raising awareness. Plans to network, connect, and mobilize people around this well-hidden but undeniable truth: modern-day slavery exists in Michigan.

Yep. Lots of plans. And they're good plans. But here's the thing; I need your help. There is a handful of people in Michigan who have taken up this fight, but we need more. A handful of voices against this issue just isn't enough. Hayek was right, politicians will care only when we care. Holly Burkhalter, VP of Government Relations for International Justice Mission, has told me the same thing. Human rights legislation is initiated in response to society's cry for justice.

Will you become an active contributor to that collective voice? Will you help us fight for those who can't fight for themselves?

You may be asking why. "Why should I put my time and energy into defending people I don't know? We have a lot of problems in this state/country. Why pay attention to an issue like human trafficking? It doesn't really affect me."

You're right. It doesn't affect you. Not directly anyway.
I'd ask you to consider this: victims of injustice rarely have the ability to help themselves. They're violently controlled - often physically and/or emotionally abused, may not speak the language, and simply don't have access - even in America - to the systems that are meant to protect them. They're forever trapped in their lives of oppressive, abusive slavery unless someone comes along and helps.

So... will you help? There are so many simple things you can do. Write an email, make a phone call, sign a postcard. Things that take just a few minutes, or a few seconds.

Think about it. Leave a comment or email me if you'd like. I'd love to hear from you.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-45597779722136039462010-04-10T22:00:00.004-04:002010-04-10T23:18:20.107-04:00True HeroesThis weekend, I am privileged to be in Washington, D.C., participating in International Justice Mission's annual Global Prayer Gathering (GPG). This is the second year in a row that I've attended, and - just like last year - there's one group, more than any other, that moves me to tears: the IJM Investigative Team. This is a group of men and women who have committed their lives to investigating violent oppression and abuse, holding perpetrators accountable, and bringing freedom and justice to victims. They go into some of the world's darkest places, and the kinds of abuse they encounter leave no doubt that true evil exists in this world.

The job of the investigative team is to do just that - investigate. When IJM receives a tip or referral, it's the investigative team that gathers the evidence which leads to rescue operations, and the arrest and eventual conviction of the perpetrators. Their investigations often require them to go into the very places where abuse, exploitation and oppression are happening. Their evidence gathering includes hearing stories from the victims themselves - women and children who have raped, men who have been enslaved and tortured, men and women who have been illegally detained and beaten. As you can imagine, those kinds of stories linger in a person's mind. One investigator said he can still see the faces of girls whom he and his team haven't yet been able to rescue.

They face situations more horrible and seemingly hopeless than you or I could ever imagine. Yet they are more hopeful and certain of God's sovereignty and faithfulness than any group of people I've encountered. One of the investigators who was interviewed tonight said that the reason he doesn't lose hope is because he knows God is bigger than the "big shots" who commit abuse and oppression. "We're going to win. It's just a matter of time," he says.

Tonight they shared stories of abuse, exploitation and oppression. They also shared stories of victory, rescue and freedom. These are men and women who continually come face-to-face with people who could do them great harm... even kill them. These are men and women who intentionally come face-to-face with the brothel owner who's subjecting young girls to systematic rape-for-profit; to the slave owner who brags of his ability to deceive, abuse and control his slaves; to the "family" that's kicked a widow out of her home, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets.

They admit that it's hard, scary and painful. "We're not supermen," one of them said. "We bleed. We bruise." One of the investigators put it well tonight when he said that they "walk into a place, covered in prayer," and walk out "covered in sin."

They may not be supermen, but they are heroes. Men and women who daily sacrifice their safety and comfort, and risk their very lives to secure justice for men, women and children whom the rest of the world has forgotten. They are God's hands and feet. They are also His compassion, faithfulness, joy, steadfastness, justice and mercy.

It was an honor to pray for them tonight. It will be an honor to continue praying for them in the weeks and months to come.Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-55966428722212614062010-02-19T10:14:00.010-05:002010-02-22T09:03:38.752-05:00Protecting Our ChildrenThis morning, as I was catching up on the news, I came across this terrible story out of Pakistan. A twelve-year-old girl was raped and killed by the man to whom she was trafficked. Shazia's mother allowed her to leave home with a man who promised her a good-paying job with a rich family in Lahore.

The man who raped and murdered Shazia offered her family $250 if they would keep quiet about her death.

$250. The price of a 12-year-old girl.

Those of you who follow my blog know that I've been working to help pass a bill aimed at reducing or eliminating child trafficking in certain countries. The Child Protection Compact Act (HR2727) would allocate $50 over three years to a handful of "focus countries." The countries would each have to enter into a compact with the United States, agreeing that the money would be used to develop and strengthen programs and systems that have proven effective at significantly reducing instances of child trafficking.

The bill was introduced in the House back in June, 2009, and was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where it still sits.

Today, I'm asking you to contact your Representative and ask for movement on HR2737.

Sadly, Shazia's fate is not an isolated incident. Children all over the world are brutalized by traffickers and slave owners. Our nation can't sit idly by and allow it to happen. If we are idle, we are complicit.

Please contact your representative today. Shazia's all over the world need people like you and me to advocate for their safety and their lives.Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-51285937439338958732010-01-18T09:34:00.010-05:002010-01-18T10:18:57.737-05:00Thank you, Dr. KingIn the United States, today is an official holiday. A day set aside to remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We look back on his life and legacy with admiration. But I wonder if we fully appreciate the price he paid for that legacy.

During his powerful civil rights and abolition work, Dr. King
- was arrested nearly two dozen times
- was physically assaulted at least four times
- had his house bombed during the bus boycott of 1955-56
- was assassinated in 1968

He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Today's civil rights activists continue the work of Dr. King, inspired by his sacrifice and passion. We take some comfort in knowing that, if we suffer abuse of any kind because of our work, we are in good company. Our work is fueled not only by our conviction, but by our gratitude for those who have gone before us.

Most of us have heard bits and pieces of Dr. Kings "I Have a Dream" speech. If you've never read or listened to it in it's entirety, do so today. Let his words move and inspire you. Let his passion stir your own and move you to action. Let his conviction strengthen your own.

Let us, today, in his honor, determine that "..we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters..."Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-30268968853577992212010-01-07T22:52:00.003-05:002010-01-11T13:12:42.834-05:00We can end slaveryToday is National Human Trafficking Awareness day here in the United States. What does that mean?
It means that for one day, the horrible crimes of human trafficking and modern-day slavery get a little more of the attention they deserve.

It means that, for one day, abolitionists around the world have a rare platform from which to educate the public and encourage people to get involved in the fight against human trafficking and slavery.

As I sit down to write this, I can't help but wonder how many more Human Trafficking Awareness days we'll need. How many will it take before this horrific crime is finally part of our history and not our present or our future? How many will it take before the poor and vulnerable of the world are freed not only from the chains of slavery, but of fear and violent oppression?

There are more slaves in the world today than at anytime in history; 27 million by conservative estimates. 27 million men, women and children who are robbed of their freedom, their health, and sometimes their very lives. Generations of family members are born into slavery because a great grandfather borrowed $25 to pay for food, or medical care and agreed to work off his debt. Or because they were tricked into taking "good-paying jobs" far from home, but instead find themselves forced into prostitution or domestic servitude.

Today, on this day that is routinely set aside to remember the victims of human trafficking, let's do more than just remember them. Let's do something to set them free.

There are so many things you can do to help bring freedom to those who don't have it, and protect future generations from being sold or coerced into becoming generations of slaves.

Learn.
Learn more about the realities of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. There are some great resources available including:

State Department Trafficking in Person's Report
Attorney General's Assessment of U.S. Efforts to Combat Trafficking
General Trafficking Statistics
Stories from former slaves

Read one, or read them all. Take some time to look at the faces, and learn the names of people were once brutally oppressed by slave owners. Let them tell you how much they value their freedom.

Tell.
Tell others what you've learned. Tell friends, family members, co-workers... anyone who will listen.

Contact.
Call, email or write your Senators and Representatives. Ask your Representative to support the Child Protection Compact Act. Tell your Senators you'd like to see a Senate version of the bill introduced as well.

Give.
Support local, national or international organizations that work to end human trafficking and slavery. Give your money or time. Give clothes or food to victim shelters. If you're a graphic designer, web developer, writer, social worker or lawyer, give your services.

Check out:
International Justice Mission
Polaris Project
Not for Sale
Rowing Against Slavery
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Love146
Born2Fly
and of course, once our non-profit status is official, you'll be able to support us, too!

Today is not the beginning of a movement. The movement to end slavery and human trafficking began years ago. But today, you can join the fight and help us reach the tipping point that will bring slavery to an end once and for all.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-59822878073968132612010-01-02T10:41:00.005-05:002010-01-02T11:47:41.557-05:00Happy New Year from Nowhere2HideHappy belated New Year everyone!
After a two-week, real-life vacation (my first in a very long time), we're gearing up for the new year. Over the next couple of days, we'll be spending lots of time thinking through all the possibilities that the new year holds. We'll be back on Twitter (and possibly on Facebook) starting Monday.

Before I get too far into our hopes, dreams and plans for 2010, I have to stop for a moment and say thank you. I'm overwhelmed by the response and attention that Nowhere2Hide has received. Our blog has 18 followers, and we have over 900 followers on Twitter. I've talked with many of you, either via email, phone, or (if I'm lucky) face-to-face. Your support and willingness to partner in our efforts to end human trafficking and slavery have been more encouraging that I can explain. From, not just the bottom of my heart, but from my whole heart - thank you thank you thank you.

We have some exciting things happening with Nowhere2Hide. Those of you who read this blog regularly may recall that, in a post several months ago, I said we had no intention of forming a non-profit organization because we felt there were enough of them out there already. Well... after talking with some fellow Michiganders who are very involved in anti-trafficking and -slavery efforts here, we've decided that we are in fact going to start a non-profit. The paperwork has been filed and, barring any unforeseen issues, Nowhere2Hide will be an official non-profit in a matter of weeks.

We've already selected our officers and Board of Directors, and our first meeting is this coming Friday. This is a step I never thought we'd take. But we've discovered that there's a significant need to raise awareness about trafficking and slavery issues in Michigan, so that's what we're going to do.

In mid-December, I had a very encouraging meeting with a woman named Bridgette Carr. She's a law professor at the University of Michigan and runs a human trafficking clinic that provides pro bono legal aide for trafficking victims. She's also a member of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force. Nowhere2Hide will be partnering with the MHTTF to create a video aimed at raising awareness about trafficking issues in Michigan. We're very excited for this opportunity!

At some point, Nowere2Hide will start a fundraising campaign. The money will likely be used for print material, and to help create the video.

On Saturday, January 16th, I'm attending a luncheon hosted by the Michigan Darfur Coalition. It will be a great opportunity to meet some of the refugees who have settled here, and to connect with Coalition leaders.

This year, we will also be talking quite a bit about a woman named Katy. She's in the process of raising money so she can spend a year in Cambodia working with an organization that provides after care for women and girls who have been rescued from slavery. I'm hoping to talk with her soon, and will be writing a post about her story, and ways we can help her get to Cambodia.

In the summer of '09, the Child Protection Compact Act was introduced in the House. It's still stuck in committee, and in 2010 we'll be encouraging you to help move this bill forward.

We will be brainstorming ways to gain media attention regarding trafficking and slavery, and will be paying close attention to accuracy in the media. We will be working to turn the tide this year, encouraging those in the media to investigate trafficking and slavery issues.

And of course, I'll be in Washington D.C. in April for International Justice Mission's Global Prayer Gathering.

2010 promises to be an exciting year, not just for Nowhere2Hide, but for abolitionists around the world. Momentum is building, and 2010 could see us reach a significant tipping point in terms of awareness and public demand for change.Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-40299352203834718752009-12-13T09:15:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:37:16.081-05:00World's Weirdest Brothels? + sex trafficking infoYesterday, a friend of mine and fellow abolitionist, forwarded me a very troubling email.

A reporter from NineMSN in Australia was requesting "leads on bizarre bordellos dotted around the world... The stranger the better." The reporter, David Wilson, is planning to write a "travel" story for NineMSN titled "World's Weirdest Brothels."

I emailed David and expressed my concerns, saying that I felt his story would further exploit the women and girls who are forced to work in brothels. "The women and girls in these brothels are not travel destinations," I said. "Many of them are victims of horrible crimes..." I asked him to reconsider his story, and to -instead - write about the harsh realities of sex trafficking.

David's response was that, he is "100 per cent against trafficking of any kind" and is "only covering licensed brothels."

Unfortunately, even licensed brothels are populated with women and girls who have been trafficked.

Now, if you follow the Nowhere2Hide blog or Twitter account, I assume it's because - like us - you want human trafficking and modern-day slavery to end. You want the sexual exploitation of women and young girls to end. Many of you have asked how you can be involved in the fight against slavery. This is a very simple way.

Please email David Wilson (email@example.com) and ask him not to write this story.

Remind them that this kind of media attention hinders our ability to fight and end the sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls.

Reporters and news outlets have powerful, influential voices that are heard around the world. We need them to be our allies in this fight. The millions of slaves we're fighting for need the media to fight for them, too. Ask David Wilson, and NineMSN, to join the fight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Great suggestion about posting some additional info!
Here are a few statistics:

According a U.S. State Department report from 2005, about 1 million children are exploited by the global commercial sex every year.

The 2007 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons report estimated that about 80% of all trafficking victims are women and children. That equates to about 21.6 million women and girls.

Of those 21.6 women and girls, about 70% are trafficked into the commercial sex industry. In other words, about 15.1 million women and girls are forced into lifestyles in which they are raped for profit every day of their lives.

You can find these and other statistics on a Fact Sheet, created by Polaris Project.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-73557190842682696232009-11-27T19:10:00.002-05:002009-11-27T19:18:29.693-05:00Sex Trafficking in AmericaHuman trafficking is not just an "other countries" problem. It's an American problem.
Bridgett Carr is a professor at the University of Michigan. She also directs the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School.
Her opinion piece on human trafficking in America appeared on CNN's website this past Wednesday.
I highly recommend reading it. Please pass this along to others who may question the urgency with which we need to address human trafficking issues in the United States.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-87195499685919448682009-11-02T18:49:00.003-05:002009-11-02T18:55:38.610-05:00At the End of SlaveryPosting the extended trailer for IJMs new documentary At the End of Slavery.
Organizations, churches and individuals all across the country are hosting screenings of this incredible film. Find one in your area. See the film. Join the movement.
We can end slavery. History is on our side.

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5985149&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5985149&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object>
At The End Of Slavery - Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

"When our grandchildren ask us where we were when the voiceless and the vulnerable of our era needed leaders of compassion and purpose, I hope we can say that we showed up, and that we showed up on time." - Gary Haugen, IJM President and CEOStephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-79450829412865316752009-10-29T09:35:00.004-04:002009-10-29T09:36:55.404-04:00The Real Balloon BoysA week ago, people across the nation (and around the globe) were glued to TVs and computer screens, watching a JiffyPop-like balloon float serenely across the Colorado sky. The gentle image was oddly juxtaposed against the fear and panic felt by many who believed there was an 11-year-old boy trapped inside.

When the balloon landed sans cargo, everyone feared the worst.
Hours later, the boy was found at home, hiding in the attic. We soon discovered that the whole thing was a hoax, contrived by the boy's attention-seeking father who hoped to parlay the incident into a reality TV show.

The nation (and the world) was outraged to learn it had been duped.
But what's more outrageous is that fact that we got so caught up in the drama caused by this little boy, and yet we ignore the very real dangers faced by tens of thousands of boys around the world everyday.

Just this week, the FBI's Innocence Lost Initiative rescued over 50 kids from forced prostitution. A story about 50 kids who were in real danger, who were rescued from serial rape and abuse, was barely a blip on the collective media radar screen. And those 50 are just the ones that could be found, identified and rescued here in the U.S. There are thousands more out there.

In it's 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report, the State Department cited "boy victims of commercial sexual exploitation" as a topic of special interest. Many, if not most, instances of sexual exploitation go unreported by boys because of cultural and societal stigmas. "The beaches of Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Dominican Republic are host to men seeking sexual encounters with boys who are pimped by men or other boys," the report says.

Those who aren't trafficked for sexual exploitation are subject to slave labor. UNICEF's "Manual to Fight Trafficking in Children" cites a 2000 report from the ILO which estimated that the total number of trafficked children, globally, was 1.2 million.

And an April, 2008 report from Reuters quoted a Chinese newspaper as saying that children were being "sold like cabbages" into slavery. Unless something significant has changed between then and now, those kids are still enslaved.

I don't fault the Heene family for trying to use our overly-eager media and 24-hour news cycle to their advantage. I do, however, think we all need a friendly and stern reminder that there are real balloon boys out there to which the media pay almost no attention at all. If the general public, ordinary people like you and I, don't pay attention and advocate for them, who will?

The Hennes have had their 15 minutes (and then some). Let's turn our attention to boys who are in real trouble, and need real rescuing.Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-11482118848290447242009-10-24T12:20:00.000-04:002009-10-24T12:22:04.900-04:00The Sin of OmissionLast Saturday, Detroit news station WXYZ ran a story called "Tricks and Truckers" about commercial sex activity at a Detroit truck stop, across the street from Greater Apostolic Faith Temple. I wish the story was still on their web site, but I couldn't find it this morning.

The premise of the story was this: prostitutes were soliciting truck drivers at a local truck stop, and people from the church were offended and wanted the prostitutes to either be arrested or "chased away." The story, like so many others, vilified the prostitutes but said little about the people who exploit them.

I don't know the individual stories or situations of the women in this story. What I do know is that, statistically speaking, some of them are likely victims of sex trafficking - forced into prostitution by a pimp, "boyfriend", "friend", etc. A vital piece of information that was glaringly absent from this report.

Needless to say, I was disappointed that the investigative reporter, Heather Catallo, didn't use this opportunity to educate her audience about sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and girls.

I emailed Heather a week ago, immediately after I read the story. I expressed my disappointment, shared some statistics about sex trafficking and also shared stories of women who had been trafficked and sexually exploited in the Detroit area. I asked her to run a follow-up story sharing accurate information about sex trafficking in America.

I have not received a response.

The fact that her story has been pulled from the website is a small victory - at least the misinformation isn't out there anymore - but it isn't enough. Reporters have a responsibility to report the truth, and her story didn't do that. As a result, she aided in perpetuating the stigmas surrounding prostitution, and made criminals out of women who may very well be victims of numerous crimes.

Please join me in asking Heather Catallo to report an accurate story about sex trafficking and prostitution in America. One that calls out the real criminals - the Johns and the pimps. Urge her to report the truth about the criminal sexual exploitation of women in this country and around the world.

photo: freespiritteen on PhotobucketStephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-48124609076738028992009-10-01T16:30:00.001-04:002009-10-01T16:37:44.623-04:00Help End Child Trafficking: A Call to Action
Urge Congress to Prioritize Child Protection<o:p></o:p>

In the mid-19th century, novelist Herman Melville, commenting on the wave of immigrants coming to the U.S., was quoted as saying "You cannot spill a drop of American blood without spilling the blood of the whole world."

We can draw two conclusions from this statement: 1) it is more accurate today than ever before, and 2) the reverse must also be true – to spill a drop of foreign blood is to spill the blood of an American. The men, women and children of the world are our brothers and sisters, and to the degree that we are able, we must guard and protect them.

That is the motivation behind House Resolution 2737 – The Child Protection Compact Act. First introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4th), the bill seeks to increase funding for the State Department's Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) and forge partnerships between the United States and other countries that are committed to eradicating child trafficking.

More specifically, H.R. 2737 would:

Allocate $50 million over three years to the G/TIP Office;

Enable the U.S. to enter into formal partnerships (compacts) with 2 - 3 countries that have demonstrated the political will to combat human trafficking, and;

Designate the $50 million for "training anti-trafficking police and investigators, creation of victim-friendly courts, development of appropriate after-care facilities,"[1] and more in those countries.

This is an exciting piece of legislation for those who are passionate about ending child trafficking. It has been carefully crafted to ensure that money is spent on programs that actually work. This isn't someone's best guess. It was written by people who have been in this fight for a long time; people who know what it takes to save and protect children from this horrible crime.

If passed as written, the Child Protection Compact Act has the potential to significantly impact global efforts to combat child trafficking and the exploitation of children by driving resources deep into a select few countries rather than spreading it thinly across the globe.

Though the bill has been introduced, it still has a long way to go. Most bills never make it out of committee because there are just too many bills and too little time. And when I say "most", I mean 90 percent or more. H.R. 2737's chances will increase if we raise our collective voice.

Now that Congress is back in session, I urge you to call your Representative, and ask for movement on the Child Protection Compact Act.

Find your Representative.

Read the Child Protection Compact Act.

[1] Source: Text of H.R. 2737, Section 6.d.2

Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-57438095154496495442009-09-28T09:15:00.000-04:002009-09-28T09:13:40.169-04:00Economic Consequnces of the TIP ReportFor all the fanfare surrounding the State Department's release of its annual Trafficking in Persons report back in June, we haven't heard much since.

We certainly didn't hear (at least I didn't) about the memo from President Obama, which authorizes the withholding of "certain funding" to some countries as a result of the report. And since you may not have heard about it either, I thought I'd share some of the information.

Section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act states that "it is the policy of the United States not to provide nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance to any government..." that does not comply with the TVPA minimum standards and makes no effort to comply. Subsection (d) details the action that can be taken against such countries (I'll spare you those details...)

The memo breaks down as follows:
The State Department is authorized to withhold certain funding from Burma, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Eritrea, Fiji, Iran, and Syria.

Of those countries, a partial waiver is allowed for Burma, Eritrea, Fiji, Syria and Zimbabwe. The partial waiver allows funding to continue for programs that are believed to promote anti-trafficking efforts or are "otherwise in the national interest of the United States."

The President acknowledges that the following countries are not making efforts to comply with the TVPA, but believes that assistance from the U.S. should continue, as it supports programs that promote anti-trafficking efforts or are "otherwise in the national interest of the United States": Chad, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

The memo, dated September 14, accounts for all 17 countries on this year's Tier 3 list.

I, for one, am glad to know that the TIP report continues to get attention and results in actions against countries that are not making efforts to combat human trafficking.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-42055607622034399642009-08-13T09:42:00.002-04:002009-08-13T09:57:09.455-04:00No More WheelsA couple of months ago, I was contacted by a university student who is passionate about human trafficking. She's just finishing up an internship in Washington, D.C. so we've only talked via email and phone, but the conversations have been exciting and productive.

I recently met another university student as well who has a similar passion for raising awareness and getting people involved in bringing modern-day slavery to an end.

My conversations with these two young women have been encouraging and inspiring.

Interestingly, our individual conversations have led us to the same conclusion - we need to get everyone working together. We don't need to start another organization; no need to re-invent the wheel - there are lots of excellent "wheels" out there already, doing deliberate, effective work to rescue trafficking victims, prosecute traffickers and raise awareness.

What we feel compelled to do is get as many of these people and organizations as possible into the same room, and get them talking and networking. So, in an attempt to encourage collaboration, we're planning to host an event in October for any and all people/organizations in Southeast Michigan that are involved in the fight against human trafficking! We're very excited and are hopeful that the event will be well-attended.

There aren't any specifics to post, as of yet, but we're planning to nail down a date and location by sometime next week.

If you know of an organization that is - or would like to be - involved in the anti-trafficking movement in Southeast Michigan, leave me a comment that includes contact information.

I'll be sure to regularly post updates on our progress.
Wish us luck!!Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-27140038751458747502009-08-10T10:34:00.002-04:002009-08-10T11:10:38.110-04:00Help for Trafficking VictimsFirst, my apologies for the long, long, delay in updating my blog. I've been busy with other, trafficking-related things, and the blog has had to wait. The good news is that I've made some great local contacts here in Michigan; people who want to raise awareness and put an end to human trafficking. We're trying to plan an event for September, about which I'll keep you all updated.

In the meantime, I've been reading a lot of reports and articles about human trafficking. One of them, the Attorney General's Annual Report & Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons, has some great information!

To follow is a list of organizations that reach out to and assist victims of human trafficking. If one of these orgs is in your area, I highly recommend checking it out!

This first set of organizations manages local chapters of a Health and Human Services program called Rescue and Restore, the purpose of which is to "increase the number of trafficking victims who are identified, assisted in leaving the circumstances of their servitude, and connected to qualified service agencies and to the HHS certification process so that they may receive the benefits and services for which they are eligible."
If you belong to, or know of, an organization that does this type of work, but isn't listed, it can be registered here.

Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition

Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services (NY)

Opening Doors, Inc. (Sacramento, CA)

International Center of Atlanta

Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

World Relief-Nashville

The Salvation Army of Greater Columbus, OH

YWCA of Greater Cincinnati-Alliance for Immigrant Women

SAGE Project, Inc. (San Francisco, CA)

International Institute of St. Louis

Catholic Charities of Portland

U.S. Committee of Refugee and Immigrants, Raleigh (NC)

Salvation Army Network of Emergency Trafficking Services of Las Vegas

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark (NJ)

International Rescue Committee (Phoenix)

The Salvation Army Family & Community Services STOP-IT Program (IL)

Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence

This next list contains organizations that conduct street outreach services "to help identify victims of trafficking among populations they already serve."

Alternatives for Girls - MI

Breaking Free - St. Paul, MN

Catholic Charities Community Services - Phoenix, AZ

Center for Social Advocacy - San Diego, CA

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking of California

Farmworker Legal Services of New York

Girls Educational and Mentoring Services - New York City

International Rescue Committee - AZ

Mosaic Family Services - Dallas, TX

Polaris Project - NJ

Positive Options, Referrals and Alternatives - IL

SAGE Project - San Francisco, CA

Salvation Army - IL

Southeastern Network of Youth and Family Services of Alabama

Southeastern Network of Youth and Family Services of Florida

Tapestri - GA

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

There's other good information in this report, which I will write about in the days to come.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-17762742990465036162009-06-19T10:15:00.000-04:002009-06-19T10:12:11.587-04:00Countries respond to U.S. Trafficking ReportIt didn't take long for countries about the world to begin responding to the U.S. report on human trafficking. Though I can't possibly mention every story out there, here are some of the highlights:

-----------------------------

The Philippine government called its country's Tier 2 Watch List status "demoralizing" and said it plans to submit a letter to the U.S. government. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the letter would not be a protest but an explanation. According to Ermita, the Philippines currently has over 250 human trafficking cases pending, and intends to explain to the U.S. why the cases have not yet been settled. Justice Undersecretary Ric Blancaflor, head of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking said their biggest challenge is getting victims to testify.

-----------------------------

A story out of Tel Aviv focused on the report's assessment of Israel, which is still considered a destination country for men and women who are trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. In 2008, the Israeli government invested over $1m in an NGO that provides shelter for sex trafficking victims. Israel does not currently have shelters for victims of labor trafficking, however, and this was mentioned in the report. Director-general of the Ministry of Justice, Moshe Shilo said he was satisfied with the report and an attorney from the Hotline for Migrant Workers acknowledged "the great progress the government has made in the past three years..." while also acknowledging that they have a long way to go.

----------------------------

The Times of India also ran a story on that country's listing which, unfortunately, was not good. Having been placed on the Tier 2 Watch list, India now has a limited window during which to make improvements before it is automatically moved to Tier 3.

----------------------------

Two of the more negative responses to the U.S. report came from the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.

The U.A.E. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the government is "deeply disappointed" at being put back on the Tier 2 Watch List, calling it a "subjective and inaccurate" report. According to the story, which appeared on the Maktoob Business website, the U.A.E. recently passed numerous measures intended to clamp down on human trafficking, but there are doubts as to how well those measures are being enforced. The main point of contention seems to be related to forced labor. The U.A.E sees no correlation between what it calls "labor rights violations" and human trafficking. As such, it does little to curb forced labor, as cited by the U.S. report.

----------------------------

The other cry of "foul" comes from the government in Malaysia, which has done more than just protest the country's Tier 3 rank, it is asking the United States for an explanation. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the purpose of the request is to "identify the real allegations and claims" that caused Malaysia to be ranked in the bottom tier. While he says the government is willing to do whatever it can, he also warns that some border security issues are out of their control. One government deputy speaker called the U.S. report's Tier 3 ranking of Malaysia a "political ploy."

More stories are likely to emerge as countries review their rankings and the reasons for them. The good news is that countries are paying attention to this annual assessment, and most seem to be taking it seriously, seeking to address any issues outlined in the report and improve their overall strategies in the fight against human trafficking.

You can read the full Trafficking in Persons Report, including a country-by-country assessment, here.Stephaniehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-8462857583575948182009-06-16T16:02:00.005-04:002009-06-16T17:25:41.706-04:00"So.. how are we doing?"That's the question that ran through my mind as I started sifting through the U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

The TIP Report is one of the most comprehensive available on the state of human trafficking around the world. It is a country-by-country assessment of laws, prosecutions, rescues and other efforts being undertaken by the world's governments and NGOs in order combat and end human trafficking.

It's a thick report (over 300 pages) and some of the information is unpleasant. But it's true that knowledge is power, and the more we understand the better equipped we are to fight.

The TIP report ranks countries by Tiers; Tiers 1, 2, and 3, based on requirements laid out in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Tier 1 countries are doing well. Tier 2 are making a significant effort but aren't quite there yet and, Tier 3 countries are making no effort. In addition, there is a Tier 2 Watch List which indicates that a country appears to be making an effort but still has high instances of trafficking. Or perhaps they're efforts are dwindling.

Though I couldn't find this link myself, Diana Scimone has - on her blog - a link which lists countries by Tier. You can also read through the entire report - section by section - here.

Though I still have a lot of information to sift through, there are a couple of things that I want to comment on right away.

First, there are still - around the world - so many instances of trafficking victims being treated like criminals. Some of them seek help, only to be arrested because they're lacking identification, a passport or visa. Others try to escape and are arrested. They may be returned to their slave owner, or possibly deported, shipped back to their home country where they may or may not have a home to which they can return. And where they certainly won't receive the aftercare necessary for physical, psychological and emotional healing.

The training of law enforcement officials is vital to the effective eradication of human trafficking. Victims need to know that they will be protected and that every effort will be made to help them heal, and live productive lives.

Second, cultural stigma is a significant obstacle which many women and girls must face if they've been victims of sex trafficking. In many countries, women or girls who are raped are not viewed as victims who need help. Instead, they are told they have brought shame on their families, and they are likely to be ostracized by the very communities from which they need support.

These stigmas prevent women and girls from asking for help. Some will not admit that they've been trafficked, as they don't want to face the prospect of returning home. Ambassador DeBaca put it best when he said that "culturally, we need to see through to each individual's humanity and recognize how traffickers exploit their victims..." I don't know how we overcome decades, or centuries, of cultural beliefs, but for the sake of these women and girls we need to figure it out.

In her comments about the Trafficking in Persons Report, Diana closes with the same quote that I had planned to use. Because she posted her comments before I posted mine, I can't say that she stole my ending :)

Rather than trying to write an alternate closing - and because I believe these words are worth repeating - I'm also going to quote Ambassador deBaca:

"This report is their [trafficking victims'] story," he writes. "It is the story of governments, organizations, and individuals who give such survivors a chance for freedom. It is on their behalf, and in the spirit of a common humanity, that we seek a global partnership for the abolition of modern slavery."Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-79599292053199450292009-06-13T11:18:00.005-04:002009-07-22T08:50:08.833-04:00Smuggled or trafficked?Over the past week, I've read several news stories that use the phrases "human smuggling" and "human trafficking" interchangeably, and it has concerned me. I'm not alone. Several people and organizations have contacted me or commented about it on blogs, and even on Twitter.

I emailed those who published the stories, and offered definitions for the two phrases, pointing out why it's so important that a distinction be made between them.

People who are smuggled across borders typically pay someone to take them. They go willingly. Someone, however, who is trafficked doesn't have a choice, and typically ends up working as a slave either in manual labor, a retail establishment, someone's home, or a brothel. Referring to someone who's been trafficked as someone who's been smuggled turns a victim into a criminal. It's these types of misunderstandings that hinder the aide and rescue of trafficking victims.

The co-founder of Project Exodus, Mike Masten, wrote a fantastic letter to the Associated Press and included additional resources that explain the differences between human smuggling and human trafficking. I encourage you to read them. The better educated we are, the more progress we can make in ending this horrific crime.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196884159555186705.post-33538248825838501172009-06-01T15:11:00.003-04:002009-06-02T12:04:31.763-04:00500 Miles in ChainsI love running. I know. I'm crazy.... people have already told me that. :) But it's true. There's something about it that fills me with energy... just makes me feel good.

But the thought of running 500 miles does NOT fill me with energy. And running 500 miles in CHAINS? No thank you.

But that's exactly what a man named Eric Proffitt is doing. Beginning August 1st, Eric is running 500 miles across the United Kingdom, and he's doing it with chains on his hands and feet.

Why?

Here's his reason, in his own words:
"My intention for this extreme run from London, to Bristol, to Liverpool, to this year's FREEDOM FESTIVAL in Kingston-Upon-Hull is to help rescue victims of trafficking, prevent future exploitation, and to stop the demand for Modern slavery.

This extreme marathon event is about awareness, consumer responsibility, and of course funding!

It is about triggering a tipping point whereby people all over the world become involved in the abolition of modern slavery."

Watch his video on YouTube. Check out his website. Get some friends together to sponsor a day or two of his run. He's doing something big, something radical, to raise awareness and put an end to human trafficking. Let's all commit to doing something small: give some money, forward this blog post to friends, buy his song "500 Miles"... to support him.Stephaniehttp://email@example.com


text:
1st newsletter of international research project CUPESSE – FBA VSE a Partner
The CUPESSE international research project is dedicated to the comparative analysis of youth unemployment in Europe. The researchers of the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA), University of Economics, Prague (VSE) such as Assoc. Prof. Martin Lukeš, Vice- Dean for Science and Research take part in the project. By taking issues related both to the demand and supply sides into consideration, the project aims to obtain a comprehensive picture of the causes and consequences of unemployment among young people as well as to formulate policy strategies and recommendations for addressing this ever-growing issue. The project brings together a broad network of researchers and practitioners from the fields of economics, political science, psychology, and sociology.
The CUPESSE e-newsletter will be published every six months and will provide information on project progress, publications, events and latest news to specific target groups. The first newsletter includes an overview of the initial project phase and first developments within CUPESSE. It provides an outline of consortium meetings (past and upcoming) and gives an overview of the events at which CUPESSE members will be participating in an effort to promote the project and to involve a broad community of stakeholders. Furthermore, the newsletter includes profiles of consortium members and an advisor. The next newsletter will be published in January 2015.
To read the 1st CUPESSE newsletter, click here.


text:
This three-level home was built in 2001 and offers an ideal layout for both entertaining and everyday living. The home features high ceilings, upgraded finishes, and a close proximity to downtown Palo Alto.
- 5 bedrooms
- 4.5 baths
- Spacious living and dining rooms
- Expansive kitchen with granite countertops and eating bar
- Light-filled master bedroom with marble bathroom and walk-in closet
- Upstairs features two additional bedrooms and an open playroom or office
- Basement with large laundry room, bedroom with hall bathroom, and generously-sized media room
- 2-car garage
- Paved patio and grass area


text:
Another month has passed and we leave behind us the sunshine mixed with cold winds and sudden snow falls… I say: YEAH! Spring has or will arrive very very soon, if it's not already here and forcing you to drop off this winter jacket. Spring has many shades as well, because it is a new start and an awakening from the dark and grey, but it can also be romantic and slow. Wishing you tones of energy this month ! Tune up to some sounds and enjoy our selection in The April Playlist !
1. John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air (1978)
2. Jain – Makeba
3. Ibeyi – River
4. Marvin Gaye – Sunny (1966)
5. Nina Simone – Here Comes The Sun
6. Adele – Chasing Pavements
7. Elvis Presley – Can't Help Falling In Love
8. Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole – Somewhere over the Rainbow
9. Zaz – Je veux
10. Norah Jones – Sunrise


text:
Copyright © All rights reserved. Bromley IT Services | www.BromleyIT.co.uk
07942 98 2424
IT Services for Businesses
From networking, business setup and PC repair. All aspects of IT in business catered for. more
IT Services for Home
I cover all areas of PC support and all technologies which are found in the modern home. more
Home Page
Truly personal experience for PC repair and IT services for home and small businesses in the Bromley area.
About Me
First name
E-mail Address


text:
Ready for take-off: is Dunlop Aircraft Tyre Ltd (DATL) up for sale?
While the vast majority of the UK's tyre production and retreading capacity refers to trucks and a relatively small amount of car tyre retreading still takes place as well as some specialist earthmover retreading, one of the nation's largest retreaders makes aircraft tyres. Dunlop Aircraft Tyre Ltd or DATL as it is known has demonstrated strong growth in recent years and is majority-owned by private equity. Put the two together and it begs the question – is Dunlop Aircraft Tyre Ltd (DATL) up for sale?
Category: Company News, International News, News, Premium, Product News, Retreading, UK News


text:
Tevo Tornado E3d-v6 and Bondtech
A great printer. Lower price than Creality CR-10.
A great printer. Lower price than Creality CR-10.
A great printer, heated bed, and a large print surface. No complaints. I've had it for over a year and she's going strong!
I give the Tevo Tornado Gold Edition a 4/5. At a lower price than the Creality CR-10, the Tornado is a strong competitor. The mains heated bed makes for a very quick print setup, and most of the configuration is done properly at the factory.
The only reason it doesn't get a 5/5 is because of the spring-mounted bed, and the lack of proper bracing on the frame. However, all Prusa-like large printers will suffer from this, and it's a cheap-and-easy fix. I would highly recommend this printer for the first time buyer and the veteran printer alike. Simply put, it prints really well straight out of the box.
I really like this printer.
I am new to 3D printing. I ordered the Tornado as a Christmas present for myself after reading many reviews and articles about it's value and large build size and it arrived 1/11/19. My Tornado is the Gold colored 2018 version.
After finishing the assembly which was basically adding the Z axis, Y carraige and bed, limit switches and connecting the wiring harnesses it came alive and was printing that night using the supplied SD card. It printed really well to be right out of the box. Since then I have kept it really busy and have several hundred hours on it with only a few problems printing, which are common to all 3D printers such as fails due to poor bed adhesion. I have worked thru those issues.
The Tevo Tornado quick setup guide refers the new user to Facebook and Google for Tornado user groups for help. There is no Tech Support phone number, but you can email them and create a ticket.
I've learned much from those groups, got a lot of suggestions and ideas.
My printer however, has never been able to communicate with my Windows 8.1 desktop for operation and control via a slicer. I could only print via the SD card until I learned of the Raspberry Pi and Octoprint, which gave my desktop computer control. I've tried a different computer and had mine checked out and found it to be working fine. I've read all I can find to try to solve the problem but can't get it worked out. I am no computer technician.
I contacted Tevo's Support site by email and they responded by sending an attachment of a printer driver to try. I couldn't get it to work. After another contact they sent a firmware download attachment which I can't figure how to load without a connection. The printer's control box has the latest hardware and uses Marlin firmware for printer operation. I desire to load a later Marlin firmware that has Filament Change feature but cannot without that USB printer port connection. I've read of other ways to do this but certainly am not fluent in Arduino and code manipulation and am afraid of killing the printer(and voiding the warranty). I can find no one locally familiar with this printer.
In conclusion, I believe Tevo has a very strong product, well designed and made with much quality. What I think would make their printer a far greater printer value would be a technical support department that could be reached by telephone call. I'd be willing to pay for tech support, if I could get it. It appears it's totally up to me to fix this problem, which I don't know how to do.
1st, I am new to 3D printing. I am, however, an ex-engineer familiar with CAD and printing software and hardware, in general. The TEVO Tornado comes with the basic software to re-create the TEVO logo and a 20mmx20mmx20mm test cube, also an XYZ movement commands on an SD card. To print most of the objects available on-line one needs a slicer program that does not come with the printer. Slicers are available free or at cost. I didn't go cheap, and I'm glad I spent the money. All failures I have had so far have all been because I missed something in the print setup, and I've only had three failures total. Mostly I just forget a step. The unit is very quick to assemble. And with the print unit weighing just about 32lbs it is quite hefty. The wiring is all complete and just needs some connectors connected. I have found that when using PET-G, use the highest recommended temps. suggested on the filament roll. The factory distributed print bed, or pad, works very well at the highest recommended bed setting + 5 degrees. I suspect that 5 extra degrees is due to the thickness of the pad. Also, most critical is the bed leveling. They suggest A-4 paper, but mine was too thin. I recommend standard printer paper as a gauge. I can't speak to customer service as I haven't needed them. TEVO has tutorials and blogs on their website, as does my slicer vendor. Very easy really.
Сгенерировано с помощью онлайн-переводчика. Это мой первый 3D-принтер и я никогда раньше не пользовался 3D-принтерми. Все просто и понятно. Возможно, мне посчастливилось купить качественный принтер, потому что он у меня есть, он никогда не ломался. Качество печати довольно хорошее, и я полностью удовлетворен. Он также не вызвал затруднений. Единственная трудность для меня сейчас, чтобы научиться создавать 3D модели для печати)))
printer. I come from an engineering background and do not mind tinkering with something to get it to the point I need it. The initial setup and first couple prints went fairly well. it took me a little while to get the feel for tramming
I took a while to get this printer going but it was my lack of knowledge not the printer. I suggest anyone buying this to look at YouTube about it very helpful the forum is good too.
I like that it connects to a computer via Wi-Fi and USB. I found I could print addons for it too.
I think this would be good for a beginner or someone that wanted a good printer
I picked this up second hand as my first 3D printer. I come from an engineering background and do not mind tinkering with something to get it to the point I need it.
The initial setup and first couple prints went fairly well. it took me a little while to get the feel for tramming the bed correctly, but after that it was pretty smooth with PLA. I haven't explored too much into other materials yet.
Mine came with an Anycubic Ultrabase on it. The nicer glass base was nice, but it also hid for a while that my factory bed underneath it was cracked badly (the joys of buying used), which eventually got worse and resulted issues with print quality and having to replace the bed.
I am a CMM engineer by trade and I took my knowledge of three axis inspection equipment and applied it to 3D printing.
At first, I had issues to get a good print off it. But as I learned more about the firmware, S3D, and CURA I realized that those issues fell on the used (Me). After tuning and running some calibration tests it is running great.
A couple thing I've done to my Tornado is removed the build tach from the heat bed. The other is added a BLTouch.
Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now


text:
If you need to take a calcium supplement, why not take one that actually tastes good? Some calcium supplements are chalky, some are difficult to swallow and need to be washed down with lots of water. These low-carb chocolate-flavored chewy bites are different. In addition to lots of chocolate pleasure, these tasty tidbits come complete with 500 mg of calcium citrate, 500 IU of vitamin D3 in every 15 calorie serving. Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites might just be the sweetest way to meet your daily calcium requirements.
Take as directed by your doctor.