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I spend my last afternoon in Albania roaming the streets of downtown Tirana.
As I was driven there I could see a more modern side of the country. The road became a serviceable two lane highway, with cars zooming by us at considerable speed. The closer to Tirana we got, the more billboards and signs greeted us. We entered the city and I was taken to the same hotel where I spent my first night upon arrival. I was given an extra large room which indeed seemed palatial, and the larger bathroom
Updated 09-21-2019 at 11:47 AM by ponchi101


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We are so pleased to have Lily J. Lee back with us again for Part 2 of our interview with Lily. She is originally from Korea, and is the founder of the Blasian Family Channel, which is the leading Blasian oriented YouTube (YT) channel today with about 20,000 subscribers. The first part of our interview – see this link for Part 1 – covered her Blasian couple relationship, now marriage with James Woods (Kenyan) and it was really well received with lots of great insights for anyone either already in a Blasian couple relationship or anyone thinking about entering one. Between, Lily's YT channel and her blog, Korean Mom Lily's Life Style, she has a ton of great experience that can help other Blasian couples. Today in part 2 of the interview, we will cover Lily's experience with her YT channel, the Blasian Family Channel.
ABC: Thank you Lily so much for being with us again! Today we will focus on your YT channel, the Blasian Family Channel. You started your YT channel 7 years ago in 2008, and since then you have uploaded nearly 800 videos which in total have been viewed over 5 million times. Your subscriber count is steadily growing at nearly 20,000 subscribers now. Those are all impressive numbers. So what made you start the Blasian Family Channel and has it always had the same name and focus or has it changed over time?
Lily: Yeah, the channel has changed over time. The name of the channel originally was just my name Lily Lee55. 55 is my birthday – sometimes people ask me, what is 55 – yeah it's just my birthday, May 5. I changed the name of the channel about two years ago when I decided to be more serious about youtubing and I wanted a name that could describe my channel better. I mostly upload videos about our family, so I decided to change the name to Blasian Family Channel.
So I started my YT channel seven years ago when I still was dating James. I was just looking for some storage to store my videos that I took on my cell phone. I had taken several videos and my cell phone didn't have much storage, so I thought I should transfer them to somewhere else so we could keep the videos for some time. So I decided to put my videos on YT and I wanted to surprise James, by telling him that "Hey you're on YT and it's public! (laughing) Now anybody can see those videos and everybody will know that we are together." I kinda wanted to scare him by having the videos in the public, but obviously nobody was watching the videos back then. If people don't really know about you, the videos don't really get hits. I uploaded like 3 or 4 videos where we were just really goofing off. If you check out those first 3 or 4 videos, you will be able to see the true James, how he can just goof off and isn't really camera shy, cause he was really just being himself. We were just really goofing off and he probably originally thought the videos were just for my phone. So I uploaded them and I showed James and I was like, "Ha, ha, ha." (laughing) I never really cared about the videos back then and I never really got any hits, but once in a while I got some comments. It was weird because I was like how can anybody even find us. So I thought maybe I should just change the videos to a private setting or something, but I kept getting comments from people saying things like "Oh, you guys are so cute together." Then I started to kinda get scared. I didn't know anything about YT at that time. I was like, "Where do these people come from?"
Then one day I watched a video of a White girl who was dating an Asian guy, and she was asking questions about Asian parents. She was telling her story about her interracial relationship and she was saying that her boyfriend's parents were very much against their relationship, and that they really hated her. One day she said they were walking past the boyfriend's parents house and the parents started yelling at her, "Don't even think about coming close to our house" or something like that. It was kinda bad, and she was saying that it was getting out of control. She said she didn't know what to do and she was asking if this was normal? Are a lot of Asian parents like that? She just wanted to know why? Why were the Asian parents so against these interracial relationships. She also wanted to know other people's experience. So I just made a video to answer her questions. I don't know why I wanted to make a video, but I was prompted by her video. I had never made a video like this before, but I just wanted to answer her question. I didn't have anything to record myself, so I used my laptop to record a video sharing my story and how my parents were really against my relationship with James, and I uploaded it. That was actually the first video that I consciously decided to upload to YT to let people see. I don't know if I was really ready to let other people watch the video, but I just wanted to help that woman. It was not just to let other people watch the video, I really just wanted to answer the question that she had and help the poor girl, who was in a similar situation to James, I thought. I told her about my situation and how my parents were not ok with my relationship. I don't know why I was scared for other people to watch it. My parents were still not accepting my relationship and they didn't want me to tell anybody, so I guess I just didn't want other people to see my relationship at first.
ABC: So the first couple of videos were just you guys goofing off and your first real video was when you responded to the White girl and you wanted to help her.
Lily: Yeah, and then this White girl, she never really responded to my video. She never really commented or said anything about my video, but other people for some reason, they watched my video and they started commenting and telling me how they were cheering for me, how they were rooting for me, and all of that. The video started getting lots of hits. Then another girl who was one of my very first subscribers, she had a lot of her own subscribers, she really liked my video and she wanted to help me. She wanted other people to watch my video and encourage me. So at that time, on YT, you could put any video from anybody on your channel wall, so she put my video on her channel's front page and that's how a lot of people got to see that video. Lots of people started encouraging me with positive comments and subscribing to my YT account which I didn't really expect. So I was like, "Ok…. now my relationship is kinda out there. My parents don't want me to tell other people about the relationship, and people who I don't even know online, now they know about my relationship and they are cheering for me." It was really weird at first, but I kinda liked how people were cheering for me, because nobody was there for me at first. Nobody was for my relationship. Everybody around me was against my relationship, so I really enjoyed how the YT people loved me and James and our relationship. That was just really new to me.
ABC: So you were getting support from people online that you weren't getting in real life. Did that help your relationship.
Lily: A LOT, really a lot. If I had not done the YT videos, we may not have made it as a couple because I was really stressed out. I felt like I was the only one in this type of interracial relationship. And I couldn't really find any other Blasian couples on YT at that time. I might have been the first person who actually put my Blasian relationship out there. Back then, a lot of people did not publicize their own relationship, but now a lot of people show their relationship online or show their own life on YT. So that made people start watching me more I guess. Viewers were definitely helping me and supporting me. I never really had that kind of support in real life.
ABC: That's very interesting. I didn't really think about YT being able to help people like that. That's an important message for people to realize that their support online can really make a big difference in people's lives. So when did you change from being scared about putting the videos out there to being ok putting the videos out there.
Lily: Hmmmm…….. I guess at first after I uploaded the video response to the White girl, people kept emailing me and putting comments below the video saying, "Don't break up, you guys are just so beautiful." So the viewers found my other videos of me and James goofing off and they started commenting on those videos with lots of encouraging and supportive comments. So then I started communicating with them through videos. So I would put one video on YT and people would comment on that video. I loved how people were supporting me in their comments, and then I would communicate with them. So I would make another video in the response to their comments. After a while, James started to participate with me in making the videos, and that's when I really started feeling fine because James was also participating. James was deciding to be in the videos actually realizing that they would be put on YT. Also I could feel that James was ok with our relationship being in the public and it made me feel like James' love was quite strong in order for him to feel like the videos could be in the public. Then I started feeling much better.
ABC: That's great. So what do your viewer demographics look like.
Lily: At first I had lots of male subscribers, but over time, I now have a lot more female subscribers, so now it's about 50/50. Maybe a few more females than males like 51/49. This is actually a little surprising because at first it was like 80 or 90 percent male, so I'm really happy that I have more female viewers now. Maybe it's because we have babies now. Women love babies (laughing). So maybe that's why I have a lot more female subscribers now. But I'm really happy that it's about 50/50 male/female mix today. Also, most of the viewers come from the USA and my subscribers are also mostly American – almost 70%. Then about 7% are from the UK, 4% from Canada, 3.5% from France, and then 3% from South Korea. Actually at first, I didn't want any Korean viewers. I didn't want other Koreans to watch my videos because then they might say, "This woman is crazy." Actually that happened. One of my Korean guy friends told me one day that my video, Why I love Black Men, was on one of his game websites, and that it was getting a lot of bad comments. When I went to that website, the post had been deleted before I could even check out what kind of comments they were making, but he said the comments were very bad and he said he frowned a lot reading those comments. My friend, he just told me to be strong, and that I was doing great, but he said Korean men were just criticizing me for complimenting Black men.
Anyway, after my top five countries, then it's #6 Germany, #7 Australia, #8 Netherlands, #9 Malaysia, #10 Trinidad & Tobago, #11 South African, #12 Spain, #13 Japan, #14 Indonesia, and #15 Philippines.
ABC: One of the things that impressed me about your channel, but also made me afraid for you at the same time is how open you are about your life and how much you share. I think it's very helpful for people to be able to see so many details about you so they can learn and apply applicable things to their own relationship, but it also made me a little afraid for you, because you know, there are just a lot of crazies out there. Any concerns about being so open?
Lily: I guess yes and no. So I was not that concerned about it really until I started having babies. Before that I thought that as long as I don't tell people where I live, it's ok to be pretty open. Even though there are lots of crazy people out there, I'm not that famous (laughing), so I don't think that people would try to find me or hunt me down, so I was thinking it's ok. But then when I started having kids, I started wondering if I should put my babies' videos up there and show people, cause that's a totally different thing. For me, I can show my life or my face because I chose to do it and I know it's ok for me, but for my babies, they don't know, and they never really agreed to be in a publicly available video. So I had to think about it for a long time. After I had Yuri, my first daughter, I waited about 2 or 3 months until I felt like I was actually going to show her on YT. It took some time for me to decide whether or not to do that, but viewers knew that I was pregnant and they wanted to hear about what was going on. I know there are a lot of crazy people and haters, but there are a lot more people who love us and support us, and they wanted to see our babies, and they are happy for us, so I decided to show them my babies.
Yeah, still there is some concern, especially James. He's a very private guy and doesn't want to disclose a lot of stuff. I don't really have that much concern about our family life being out there. I'm not really putting ALL of our life out there like some people might think, but that's the whole point of our channel. People want to see other people's life and learn from it.
ABC: Yes I'm sure that was a tough decision about the babies. Yuri seems to really love the camera every time she is in the videos.
Lily: Yes, I think so. She loves to take pictures of me and she loves to have her pictures taken, she loves it.
ABC: So you mentioned all the support that you get from your channel and how that has helped you make some decisions in your relationship. What is the percent positive vs. negative comments that you see on your channel overall.
Lily: Mostly positive, although I get lots of negative hatred comments. At first when I put a video out, I normally get a lot of positive comments initially, because most of my first viewers are mostly my subscribers. After that, once the video gets a little more famous and popular, then haters come in. They are talking about how I shouldn't be with a Black guy, I'm a race betrayer, or James is a race betrayer, stuff like that. But mostly the videos get positive comments. There are a lot of negative comments, but they don't normally affect me. I don't normally give them that much attention. I'll say maybe only 5% of all the comments are negative, but even 5% is a lot because I get so many comments.
ABC: Wow, so about 95% positive comments. That's pretty good. So do you end up deleting the really negative comments or do you just let them post.
Lily: Well now YT does a pretty good job of flagging the really negative comments for me to review and I can either delete them or let them post. Unless I approve these flagged comments, they don't post. If I decide that the comment is not so bad or not spam, I'll approve it to show in the comments, but YT does a pretty good job of keeping the really negative comments and spam off the videos. Actually even before YT started flagging the comments, I never really deleted the negative comments. I just let them stay there. They are people's comments, that's their comment, and also my supporters would normally reply to the negative comments and help me by saying things like "This couple is going to make it, they're strong." So the bad comments made my supporters comment even more with more positive stuff. So that also made me feel good. I felt like people were always helping me and they had my back. They really protected me in many ways and supported me.
ABC: That's great. So do you see a difference between the type of people who support you versus the type of people who give you hate in the comments.
Lily: I really have no idea what kind of people hate me because they can be anybody I think, but mostly they are racist I can say (laughing). They just judge us by colors. They are very pessimistic about interracial or international couples. So mostly they are just racist. I'm not gonna say that they are mostly White men or Black women or Asian men – some people think the haters are mostly White men who are angry but I don't think they are mostly White men. I wouldn't say that really. Sometimes I see a lot of angry women, like one time a Latina lady said Asian girls are not pretty and other mean things about Asian girls, that kind of stuff. So the haters can be anybody. They just want to pick on any little thing and they troll and just want to agitate people by saying mean things. Even some Asian women make negative comments on the videos. I'm like rolling my eyes and just saying "Fine!" when I see it, so yea the haters can be anybody. Mostly they are just racists.
ABC: That's interesting. So I think the first video of yours I ever saw was the Why I Love Black Men video which ended up going viral. What really inspired you to make that video?
Lily: I wanted to make a video to compliment Black men. I was kinda searching on YT to see if anybody was complimenting Black men and at that time I couldn't find any, there were none. But there were lots of videos complimenting other races. So I thought maybe I should make a video to compliment Black men. There are so many negative images that the media portrays about Black people, not just Black men, but Black women also, and I thought that it was just really unfair for Black people to have all those kind of negative images. So I wanted to tell Black men that they are beautiful, handsome, attractive, and all the features that are portrayed negatively, I wanted to say that's not true. For instance, like full, big luscious lips, I think they are beautiful! So I wanted to speak out against the negative images of Black people and help change those negative images to a positive image and show people how all features can be beautiful. We are all beautiful. That's what I wanted to get across actually. Not just because I only love Black men, and not because I'm trying to make other races look inferior. I was not trying to make Blacks superior to other races, I just wanted to say that we are all equally beautiful. Black men have very great features.
ABC: Were you surprised when that video went viral? What was your reaction?
Lily: Yea, I was quite surprised. I was happy that a lot of people watched that video and were spreading the message of Black people being beautiful. That was very important to me. I was really surprised. A lot of Black men were commenting, "Thank you and thank you for complimenting us." And after that I realized that there are a lot more people who started making videos about how they love Black men. It was all after my video, so I was really happy about that.(laughing) People started recognizing the beauty of Black people. (laughing)
ABC: So the other video of yours that I really remember is when you had your mother in the video explaining her perspective on your relationship. I knew your mother initially was not supportive of your relationship and I know that Asian culture often keeps private matters private, particularly the older generation, so how were you able to get your mother to make that video with you.
Lily: Well, when I had my first baby Yuri, I put lots of videos about Yuri on YT, and at the time I was in the US and my mom was in Korea, so she really enjoyed my YT channel. Watching Yuri on YT, she was really happy to read all the positive comments my subscribers would leave on the video. So I guess she was really just feeling positive about my YT channel, she was like "Wow, you are getting lots of support and love from lots of people all over the world. People really love my granddaughter!", so my mom just really liked my YT channel at this time. So when I visited my mom after I had the baby, I was thinking maybe I wanted to interview her and share her side of the story. So I asked her, "Hey mom, do you want to share your story with my viewers, because a lot of my viewers want to know your feelings about my relationship", and she was ok with it. She was like "Sure, why not." (laughing). My mom is very much like me. She is a very outgoing person and she wouldn't really feel shy talking about anything.
ABC: Would you ever do a video like that with your father?
Lily: I don't know…. I might, I might not. I don't know about interviewing my dad. He is a bit more reserved than my mom and there were some negative comments on the video with my mom and I don't know if I want to show people my whole family. I mean my dad is on my channel every once and awhile. People basically know that he approved of my relationship. Maybe one day I might, I might not.
ABC: I understand. I mean even just showing your mother was a huge step particularly in the Asian culture, so I understand. Any other top or favorite videos that come to mind for you.
Lily: Our video of me with Jungwon Jo, who is engaged to Tre, they are a Blasian couple, and Jessica, another Korean girl who prefers to date Black men. We made a video of what it is like to date Black men and that video is getting lots of views actually. I remember one Black man who is married to a Korean woman living in Korea, their whole family lives in Korea. He messaged me after watching that video and told me that I should make some Korean subtitles on that video so that a lot of Korean people can watch that video. He thought it was really worth them watching it and he really liked the video. He felt like a lot of Korean people would be educated by that video. It's been getting lots of good comments and views. That's one video that comes to mind.
Another video with my friend, Angelina, we made a video together called Do Asian Women Like Black Men. I visited her when we were on a cross-country US trip, and we just decided to make a video together. That one is also getting lots of views.
Also one day, when I was dating James, he was escorting me home, and my parents saw James in front of my house. They were very, very angry and they didn't even want to say hi to him, they just ignored him. This made me really sad and I didn't even know who to talk to, I was really sad. There was no one to pour my heart out to and I was really sad. I really didn't know what to do at that time. So the next day I made a video to share my sadness with my YT subscribers, and I talked about what happened and how my parents ignored James. I also explained how my parents were worried about me and if I ever got married and had babies with him, how much the babies would have to face discrimination, and how their life might be miserable. My parents were worried about me and maybe my future children. They didn't want me to go through that hardship and have that kind of experience. So they did that because they loved me, but that really made me sad. I mean I understood them and I understood why they felt they had to do that, and where they were coming from as parents. Basically they didn't want me to marry James, so I was really sad. My video said how sad I was, but that I was going to stay strong. That video really touched a lot of people's hearts. That video was a big step for me and for the subscribers as well. We all really became connected through that video. I felt like they were really my friends. When there was no one that I could turn to, and no one that really understood me, my subscribers were really there and giving me supporting comments and they understood how I felt. They were really supporting me in many ways really. I remember that video and the comments the subscribers made and that really, really helped me. If they were not there, I don't know if I could have made it through that period.
ABC: That's awesome. Yeah I can tell from your videos that you have a special connection with your subscribers.
Lily: I wish I could reply to all of the comments. I'm sad that I can't reply to all of the comments, but it's just too many of them now. At first I could reply to many or most of the comments, but now its just impossible, I get so many comments. But the positive comments really help me be strong.
We actually met our best friends through YT. One African American guy who was dating a Vietnamese woman contacted me after he watched our videos and we became Facebook friends. Later they got married, and when we moved to the US, we visited them. James and this guy just really hit it off. In fact James and him became best friends, and now they are our best friends in America. So yeah, we even met our best friends through YT.
ABC: I also remember when you did the videos about your 41 day cross-country US road trip and your subscribers in every different city helped you with housing in every city you visited. Tell us more about that trip.
Lily: I'm not even that famous now, but when I first had my YT channel, I never thought I would have as many subscribers as I have right now. And I never thought I would be youtubing this long, because after we got married, I wasn't sure what else I could share with my viewers. We had a love story and we struggled, but at the end, we got married and it was all good, so I thought maybe I would stop doing YT. Also, as soon as we got married, we moved to China, and in China they block a lot of internet sites like YT, so I couldn't really upload any videos. So I was thinking that I would just lose all of my YT subscribers due to the inactivity on the channel when we were in China. But when I would visit Korea periodically, and I was able to check YT, there were still people waiting for me to post more videos about my experience in China, so I was quite impressed. I was really happy that people kept waiting for me and they didn't leave me. So when we visited Hong Kong – James and I visited lots of different places when we lived in China – people wanted to hear about us and know our story when we were travelling. So I was really surprised when people wanted to keep hearing about us. So I decided to tell people where we were planning to travel whenever we had trips. I remember when I went to Malaysia, I told people on the YT channel that I was going to Malaysia, and some people in Malaysia contacted me and said they wanted to meet me in person. The same thing happened when I went to Singapore. So it was just kinda strange to me, I mean my subscribers were just located everywhere. So we met several of the subscribers in our travels and James was at this time kinda skeptical about my YT channel, but when we met our fans in their country when we were traveling, James was really surprised by how much people were just loving us and our stories. James was surprised and impressed by the impact that we had on their life, and most of the people that we met back then were Asian women who were in a relationship with Black men.
So then we thought that maybe we want to meet more people, because maybe we can meet other people, and at the same time we can travel. So James and I decided we would meet our own fans when we were travelling. We made a video saying we want to visit you guys and all we want is one night on one of your couches and we won't bother you. We want to come and meet you and we will just keep traveling from there. So we made this video and posted it. We had lots of people invite us to visit them, but most of them were in America and at that time, we were in China (laughing). So we were like "Ok, I don't know if we can really afford to go to America and just travel around." The people who invited us to visit them were everywhere, from like New York to California. We really wanted to do that, but we didn't have enough budget, so we couldn't do it at that time. But then later, we ended up moving to America (laughing) because of James' school. So we started thinking that maybe we should do the US road trip then, but I had just had a baby, so we couldn't really do it then. But then when I became pregnant with Dasomi, I told James, this is the only time we can do it. I don't think we can do the road trip after having two babies. Maybe we could do it with one baby, and visit people and crash on their couch (laughing). We're not rich, James was still a student, so we just wanted to save money. If we could avoid hotels, we could save a lot (laughing) and we could meet our subscribers.
ABC: So you guys were finally able to complete the 41 day cross-country road trip that covered the entire country from California to New England with lots of housing help from your subscribers. That was great.
Lily: Just think about it. Who would just let someone from YT stay in your house? We drove all over the US on a 41 day cross-country road trip, and every day of the road trip, we stayed in our subscriber's houses. One guy even let James and I sleep in his own bed and he slept on the couch. It was really just like one humanity. I am moved by people's kindness and love and the support that they give us. They were telling us how our videos had such a big impact on their life. When they said that, it just really touched me as well. It was just unbelievable how we made that trip. All of the subscribers were all just really nice people. We never met any strange people on that trip. People were feeding us and they let us stay in their home, or they paid for our night in a hotel if they didn't have room at their house. Actually it's a miracle when you think about it. We made it, not just us, but with our baby Yuri as well. It's a miracle how we managed to finish the trip by sleeping in our subscriber's places. We didn't even spend a single penny on a hotel for that whole 41 day trip. It was a miracle for us.
When we were on the US road trip, we even had a meet up in New York city, and there were many people who came to our meet up event. They were sharing their stories of how our videos impacted their lives and things like that. It was just unbelievable how our story could touch people's life.
I think that's another thing about me being open on my videos, because it makes people feel like they can trust me. My subscribers always say "I feel like I know you really personally", so they trust me and that's another reason why they probably let us stay in their homes. That US road trip was just proof to me that humanity still exists. People connect even through YT. We met so many great people on that trip. We were blessed with lots of good people along our way. I guess some people might think we were crazy, but it was really a proof of humanity.
ABC: Sounds like you met a lot of really good people on that trip. Were you ever concerned that you might run into some crazies along the way.
Lily: No…. well maybe, but you can pretty much know when you talk to them on the phone or in email. You will probably know whether the person is crazy. Yeah, I was a little concerned, but I was not really that concerned, because I had James and he's a big Black man (laughing), so I didn't think anybody would try to do anything harmful to us. I was not that scared I guess (laughing).
ABC: You keep saying you are not that famous, but actually you have more subscribers at about 20,000 than any other YT channel devoted to Blasian topics today. Did you ever do anything to grow your subscriber base or did it just happen? Why do you think you have so many subscribers?
Lily: Well at first, I never really thought about growing my channel. I never thought that I could be a big YT star or YT celebrity or anything like that, I was just happy with my own group of subscribers who were just supporting me and loving me. Then I started thinking that if I could reach more people, I could share my message, which is love, and that would be nice. So I made some videos that I thought could reach lots of people like the videos about dating and interviewing other people. You need to have interesting videos to reach people and I thought these videos would be interesting and fun videos.
I really think though that most of the growth is due to the fact that there are just more people who are interested in Blasian relationships now than any other time. Before, Blasian couples were very rare, and still we are quite rare compared to other interracial combinations today. But now there are more Blasian couples and they want to know if there are other Blasian couples out there, so they run into my video or my blog. I think the number of Blasian couples is growing, so that is maybe the reason why I keep getting more subscribers. And people are more interested in Blasian couples. That's my fan base. I also interview people. I interview my mom, other Blasian couples I know, and share other people's experience and views on my channel. So I'm not really trying to do anything. I guess the growth is just happening. It's just a phenomenon (laughing). Yeah people are more and more interested in Blasian couples and Blasian relationships and interracial relationships, and people just keep looking for videos like mine and we just keep getting more viewers and subscribers.
ABC: So have you ever been recognized in public from somebody watching your videos?
Lily: Well we used to live in China, and then in the US, really in more white dominated areas, so we didn't get recognized that much. Actually though, when we were in Korea, when I had just started my YT channel, there were a couple of people who recognized us in Seoul, in the Itaewon area. There are lots of foreigners that hang out there in Itaewon. Not all, but several people recognized us from the YT videos there. That was a long time ago. It was weird. We felt weird, because at that time we didn't have a lot of subscribers, but I guess we had a big impact. One of the guys was a Black guy who had a Korean girlfriend, and he was saying, "You guys are doing a good job. Just keep being awesome." He was really happy to see us and he bought us some juice drinks. If we go back to Korea, I think a lot more people will recognize us there now.
ABC: LOL – Yeah, I have heard the same question sometimes. Maybe Blasian Family Channel and Asian Black Couples should collaborate on a dating service or something. I wonder what our respective viewers and readers would think?
Lily: Yeah lots of people ask me to make introductions, so maybe there is something there. Let's see if people comment about a potential dating site collaboration between BFC and ABC. That would be interesting. (laughing)
ABC: So what comes next for you, for your family for the channel?
Lily: I want to keep sharing my message of love. Maybe I can help people find their love. I really want to keep doing what I do, and help people be strong in their relationship and fight for their love. It's nice being able to do what I love to do.
ABC: That great Lily. Well I certainly appreciate your time with us today. Any closing thoughts for our viewers and readers?
Lily: When I started my YT channel, I was very stressed out and very sad, and I looked for other Blasian couples on the internet and nobody was there, seriously no one. I couldn't find a single Black and Asian couple on YT or anywhere. But now it's quite interesting. Maybe it's just me, but I see more Blasian couples online now, and I see more Blasian couples coming out of the closet (laughing). People are just coming out more and they are showing their true feelings about being in a Blasian relationship. I remember meeting a lot of Asian women who told me they had never told anyone that they liked Black men, or dated Black men, or maybe even had Blasian kids. Some people were afraid to tell people that they had a Black boyfriend or were in a Blasian couple relationship, but now they are way more open about their Blasian relationships. That makes me happy to know that I might have helped them to be more open about their relationship and their real feelings. It's nice to see all the Blasian couples coming out these days!
Also people say I'm a trooper and they appreciate what I do, but actually, I really appreciate my supporters who always really help me stay strong so I can also keep sharing the message. Without them, without their support, I don't think I could do it, but because they keep supporting me, I keep spreading this message of love and it's just great! I truly appreciate my supporters and fans! I remember there were some subscribers who just wanted to send us some gifts, and they just did that because they loved us, our family. I was really amazed how people could just do that without wanting anything back. I never met them, they never met me in person, I thought it was maybe just an online thing (laughing), but these relationships are very real! For me, YT and the Blasian Family Channel is love! I really love what I do! (happy)
If you missed it, check out part 1 of the interview in this link. As always, your comments and thoughts are welcomed in the comments section below. Also feel free to share your comments below.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
La Casa Suiza has fallen from its pedestal. Although still a place for gringo travelers to gravitate to, most find the rooms and bathrooms on the untidy and uncared for side. More often than not, guests move to My Friend down the street for friendlier service and cleaner rooms. Hot water is not reliable. Casa Suiza provides free Internet, WiFi, surf equipment for rent, a book exchange and TV area.
Los Pinos 451
This Hotel is: Budget
Hotel Amenities, Services and Facilities , 24-Hour Hot Water, Book Exchange - Free, Internet Facilities - Free, Restaurant, Wifi
Currencies accepted
Peruvian nuevo sol
Getting There:
Located in town up the street with the gazebo on the beach.
Room Prices:
Price Description:
Contact Information:
Phone: 461-285
URL: www.casasuiza.com
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text:
Which Ooni Pizza Oven is for you?
Key Features
- AUTHENTIC: cook with real wood & charcoal
- PORTABLE: take it with you to any outdoor space, it's only 26.4lb
- POWERFUL: epic flames & heat retention, ready to cook in 15 mins
What's in the Box
- Ooni Karu Pizza Oven
- Stone baking board
- Ooni Karu Manual and Ooni Essentials Guide with tips and recipes
Technical Features
- Unboxed dimensions: 31.4 x 15.7 x 30.3″ (80 x 40 x 77cm)
- Unboxed weight: 26.4lbs (12kg)
- Boxed dimensions: 19.6 x 13.3 x 29.1″ (49 x 33 x 73cm)
- Boxed weight: 41.2lbs (18.6kg)
- Cooking surface: 13″ (33.2cm)
- 0.6″ (1.5cm) cordierite stone baking board
- Brushed 430 stainless steel, glass-reinforced nylon
Delivery and Returns
*Free mainland US delivery on orders over $35 (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). For orders under $35 or delivery outside of mainland US, see shipping cost and options at checkout.
Orders are normally dispatched on the same day if placed before 2pm. The estimated shipping time is 1-5 business days to the US and 3-5 business days to Canada.
Orders shipped outside of the United States may be subject to import taxes and customs duties. Please check your country's import fees before checking out.
We accept returns within 60 days. Read our returns policy here.


text:
Relief comes to the unemployed and to homebuyers
Unemployed workers facing the loss of their benefits have a little less to worry about. On Thursday, a bill passed by lawmakers in the House of Representatives allowed for an extension of those benefits. The legislation also expands an $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and gives business owners affected by the economic downturn a tax credit.
The measure passed the House by an overwhelming margin -- 403-12 -- and now goes to President Barack Obama to sign, which he has said he would do as early as Friday. The Senate passed the bill 98-0 on Wednesday. It extends a lifeline to jobless Americans who would otherwise see unemployment benefits disappear starting next month.
The nation's unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent last month and the number is expected to edge higher when the Labor Department reports fresh data from October on Friday. Nationwide, the bill provides a 14-week extension, but allows for as many as 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits for residents in 26 states hardest hit by the recession, where jobless rates top 8.5 percent. Under the new legislation, workers could qualify for up to 99 weeks of assistance.
The home-buyer tax credit will be expanded to include those with higher incomes than under than plan's current iteration, which allows individuals to earn up to $75,000 to claim up to a $4,000 credit, and couples to earn up to $125,000 to get up to an $8,000 credit. The new legislation allows for singles who make up to $125,000 and couples to earn up to $225,000.
The bill also allows current homeowners who have been in their homes for five years to claim a credit of up to $6,500 if they purchase a new home as their primary residence. Homes priced higher than $800,000 are ineligible.
The beefed-up home-buyer tax credit was praised by the National Association of Realtors, an industry trade group. In a podcast, President Charles McMillan called the legislation a "major victory for consumers, realtors and the housing market." The group, which holds its annual convention next week in San Diego, lobbied hard for the program's extension, which has been credited for boosting homes sales during the summer and reducing the inventory of unsold homes.
In recent weeks, wannabe home buyers have hurried into the market hoping to secure a deal before the current programs Nov. 30 expiration date. The new bill extends the deadline to April 30.
Another provision of the bill will allow businesses to apply losses incurred last year or expect to incur this year to previous years' income, allowing them to qualify for tax credits up to $33 billion. Language in the $787 billion economic stimulus package that President Obama signed into law in February created the tax credit, but restricted it to small businesses.
In addition, the bill allows smaller investors who lost money in the Bernard Madoff scandal to claim losses against taxes paid on previous years' income.


text: Spring 2018 Newsletter On behalf of Kenney & Medina, P.C. | Apr 16, 2018 | Firm News Our Last Segment of Articles on Car Insurance: How do insurance companies make money? As a general idea, it's pretty simple. They get money from premiums that you and I pay. Then they invest that money and generate investment revenue from our premiums. In fact, most insurance companies pay all claims which are made each year out of the premiums they take in from you and I. The investment returns create profit for the insurance company. See the following links for background on how insurance companies make money. Learn more by clicking HERE Why is how insurance companies make money important? Well, we don't need to feel like we are doing something wrong when we make a claim. They have plenty of money to pay claims. And if some natural disaster occurs, they have easy ways to increase their rates without much supervision or legal protections to consumers. (See the earlier article in the installment of articles on insurance rates). Secondly, if we ever get to sit on a jury in a case where the insurance company is responsible for paying the claim (you probably won't know because whether there is insurance coverage is available is not admissible evidence in many states) we should NEVER be concerned with how our decision as jurors might affect insurance rates. Most civil claims are covered by insurance. In Georgia, most lawyers and judges will tell you specifically not to base your decision on speculation on such issues that are not part or the evidence in a case. Almost as important, a jury verdict will not cause problems for the financial health of an insurance company. Article source click HERE Some folks might say…" well our rates will go up if the verdict is too high." Again, you would be violating your oath as a juror if you considered non-evidentiary matters such as the impact on insurance rates. But for purposes of this article, we need to understand that the facts don't support the idea that jury verdicts or claims cause an increase in insurance rates because the premium revenue is almost always enough to pay the claims. Insurance companies employ hundreds if not thousands of actuaries whose sole purpose is to make sure the revenue from premiums cover the claims/jury verdicts. As we discussed in earlier newsletters on this topic, tort claim filings have actually gone down according to well regarded studies from the National State Courts. ( See full articles linked to the Wall Street Journal , the National Center for State Courts, and the ABA. ) Additionally, in a worst case scenario for an insurance company, the revenue from investments can be used to cover any shortfalls. In that case, the insurance companies shareholders might not get as big of dividend or their share value might not appreciate as much. It seems to me to be more important to make someone whole (reimburse them for their losses) than ensure that an investor gets a bigger dividend or large appreciation in their stock portfolio. Or perhaps insurance executives might have to reduce their multi million dollar salaries if they come up short on the premium side. In 2014 and 2015, the State Farm CEO made 12.86 and 13.34 million dollars. ( See link https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/state-farms-rust-got-raise-in-final-year-as-ceo. ) I am not picking on State Farm which I consider to be a well-run insurance company. And I fight with them all of the time. However, I could not find public disclosures of how many insurance executives earn more than $500,000 per year. Nor did I find how much insurance companies spend on advertising dollars competing with each other for business. Perhaps a reduction in these expense categories would be more appropriate than not making the regular people who suffer real injuries, damages and losses whole in those situations where people rely upon the insurance companies to reimburse them for their losses. How much insurance should you carry? Georgia law requires that everyone purchase automobile liability insurance. However, the minimum level of coverage imposed under the law is often not adequate to cover the losses or protect us from claims. Purchasing the right amount of coverage protects you against a loss to your dwelling, personal property, and vehicle. It also provides protection from claims made by third parties for any negligent acts committed by you, someone in your household, or permissive users of your car. The higher your liability insurance limits, the less likely your personal assets are at risk due to your negligence. The coverage limits listed below are higher than the minimum coverage the law requires and is a good starting point for most households: $100,000 per person Bodily Injury Liability $300,000 per accident Bodily Injury Liability $100,000 Property Damage Liability $ 25,000 Medical Payments Benefits $ 10,000 Loss of Income Benefits (If available) $100,000 per person Uninsured/Under-insured Motorist Bodily Injury Liability ADD -ON coverage $300,000 per accident Uninsured/Under-insured Motorist Bodily Injury Liability ADD-On coverage $ 50,000 per accident Uninsured/Under-insured Motorist Property Damage Liability If you can afford higher overages, you should consider increasing your coverage as much as reasonably possible. You can also purchase $1,000,000 in personal liability umbrella coverage and $1,000,000 of additional uninsured/under-insured motorist bodily injury coverage for very little cost, relative to the coverage provided. Liability coverage is important to protect you from any claim that a third party may make against you. Uninsured/under-insured motorist liability coverage is important because it allows you to make a claim against your own policy if a defendant does not have insurance coverage or may not have adequate insurance coverage. There are two types of UM coverage available under Georgia Law, typically known as "add-on" or "set-off" UM coverage. Under add-on coverage, your UM limits of coverage are added on to the coverage available from the at fault party. Under set-off UM coverage, the at fault party's liability coverage is subtracted from your UM limits to calculate the amount of available UM coverage. Add-on UM insurance provides the best possible coverage for you. Medical Payments coverage will pay for any treatment costs related to injuries you suffer in a motor vehicle accident as a driver or passenger. This coverage is very important, especially if you do not have health insurance, or you have high annual co-pays or deductibles under your Health Plan. Loss of income benefits are important because it allows you to recover for loss of income immediately, rather than having to wait until the time of settlement or judgment against the at fault party. If you own a home or you are renting a home or apartment, you should purchase liability insurance coverage with your homeowner's/renter's policy and attempt to consolidate with your auto coverage to achieve discounts. Also, I suggest that you insure the structure and contents to 100% of replacement cost. You may require other types of insurance coverage not mentioned in this letter. To make sure that you are adequately insured, you should consult with an insurance agent and you should review all of your policies and their coverage limits at least annually. Client Testimonial: " I want to thank everyone who helped me at Kenney and Medina. They were very friendly and helpful. They explained all the different options I had and the pros and cons of each which helped me decide what was right for me. I highly recommend them. Thank you for providing great service and advice." Paul M. Case Updates/Results: Three new premises liability cases: Shooting death of motel guest – investigation stage Trip & Fall at well known franchise restaurant where disabled patron tripped on a hidden stair riser under table the hostess directed him to. – Filed suit Slip & Fall at a specialty restaurant resulting in surgery. – Filed suit We have a great record of successfully handled premises liability cases in the State of Georgia! NEW LOCATION COMING SOON! Be on the look out for our new Old Town Suwanee location coming in May 2018!


text:
Goblin Ring
From Vechno:
The Goblin Ring is part of the Suspiria collection, hand-crafted from vintage sterling silver and a 1.85 carat white opal.
The Suspiria collection is inspired by the film of the same name directed by Dario Argento.
Please note due to the hand made nature of this product inconsistencies are expected and revered.
Vechno is part of the slow fashion movement. Every piece is handcrafted in their studio in Moscow, Russia. Please allow up to 14 days for crafting before delivery during busy times.
Any questions or want to know your size? Email us at email@example.com or Message Us
Show us how you style Vechno #ErebusStyle


text:
BRW780907FGM - 1.55 Yota LC Classic Front Beadlock Wheels (2) with 3mm Wideners Gun metal
39,90 €
Boom Racing 1.55 Yota LC Classic Front Beadlock Wheels (2) with 3mm Wideners (2) Gun Metal
Each set of wheels has two designs; remove the front cover, put the 6 nuts and bolts in for the classis Yota look. This also serves as a platform for future wheel designs.
Each set of wheels include two beadlock wheels (front or back), a multi tool to tighten and remove the face cover of the wheel, and all hardware.
Designed for RC bodies like the Killerbody Toyota Land Cruiser LC70 body.
Realistic scale design
One set - two designs
Includes wheel platform for future wheel designs
6 lug design
1.55" scale wheels
25.5cm wide
Fits 12mm hex
2x 1.55 Yota LC Classic Front Beadlock Wheels
2x 3mm aluminum wheel wideners
10x M2.5x10 Flat Head Screw
12x M2x6 Socket Head Cap Screw
12x M2 Nut
2x M4 Wheel Nut
2x 5x8x2.5 Spacer
2x 5x8x1 Spacer
2x Spring Washer
1x Multi Tool


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The small and large intestines are in the lower part of the digestive tract and are where the major portion of nutrients are absorbed into the body. Some diseases and conditions impacting the intestines can be treated with medications and dietary modifications, but in certain cases, surgery to remove part of the intestines may be necessary.
WakeMed's gastroenterologists have the expertise and training to accurately diagnose and treat the full spectrum of intestinal pain and conditions — whether it's chronic constipation, acute intestinal pain or a condition that requires lifelong management.
Some of the intestinal conditions WakeMed gastroenterologists treat include:
If you have chronic intestinal pain or issues that don't seem to be getting better, call your doctor. You should also make an appointment with a gastroenterologist if you're experiencing symptoms including:
Our gastroenterologists start by taking a detailed patient history and a review of symptoms. Tests we may use to diagnose intestinal conditions include:
Treatment varies depending on the specific intestinal condition. Some, like intestinal blockages, require immediate surgical attention. Inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis can usually be treated with prescription medication, but they may also require surgical intervention. Colon cancer requires an individualized approach to treatment.
Whenever possible, WakeMed offers minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgeries to treat intestinal disorders.
Many intestinal conditions can be impacted both positively and negatively by diet, and we offer our patients nutrition counseling to help them manage their conditions and make smart nutritional choices.
If you or someone you care for is experiencing worrisome symptoms, we encourage you to make an appointment with one of our adult gastroenterologists, pediatric gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeons.
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text:
For days, a 14-year-old girl walked around a Fayetteville motel on Skibo Road wearing nothing but a tight shirt and shorts that barely covered her bottom.
She didn't have shoes or any personal belongings. She didn't talk to anyone.
But she hoped a hotel employee or patron - anyone - would speak to her.
She walked around the hallways, up and down stairs and into common areas.
Her quiet pleas for help went unanswered.
When the person who had brought her there returned, she was in one of the motel's rooms, forced to have sex with dozens of men, some soldiers, for money she never kept.
After Fayetteville police rescued her, Kelly Twedell, director of the Fayetteville Dream Center, asked the girl why she didn't tell motel employees, or anyone else, she needed help.
"Because no one would have believed me," she said.
She didn't run because she didn't have shoes or proper clothes.
Her story isn't unique.
She was a victim of human sex trafficking, a $9.5 billion industry in the U.S. that awareness groups say is happening in more places than people realize - including Fayetteville.
Victims struggle to get out while law enforcement struggles to get in.
Awareness, law enforcement training and more effective legislation are increasing.
But while society struggles to keep up, this cottage industry churns on, with lives damaged, profits made and no sure decline in sight.
Demand fuels the cycle
In the destructive cycle of human trafficking, removing "normal" is the first step to understanding. Victims' backgrounds and subsequent police investigations do not follow conventional routes.
Traffickers groom their victims, advocates say. They buy them expensive gifts, take them on trips and tell them they're beautiful. Slowly, their victims find themselves in hotel rooms having sex with upward of as many as 50 men a weekend on "dates," say those who have helped victims following their escape.
Sex with strangers at the hands of a pimp becomes a way of survival, a way to keep their secret private and a way to keep themselves and their family safe, Twedell said.
Self-identification is lost. Most don't understand they're victims. It's an enslavement of the body and mind.
Sex trafficking is a revolving door where justice and freedom struggle to enter. The door has three parts keeping it moving: victims who are groomed, police training that hasn't caught up with the growing problem, and the overwhelming demand for people to provide sex in exchange for money.
"If you don't have a demand, then the whole process will decrease," said Dr. Sharon Cooper, a developmental and forensic pediatrician based in Fayetteville. She's considered an expert on human trafficking.
It's a dark topic that many avoid, but local advocates say it's important to understand human trafficking is happening in Fayetteville and the Cape Fear region. Many of the victims Twedell has worked with attended Fayetteville high schools.
"(Victims) are from your neighborhood, right next to you," said Fayetteville police Sgt. Carl Wile, supervisor of the department's human trafficking unit.
Advocates say it's also important to talk to young girls about the topic.
"This should be common dinner table talk," Twedell said. "By age 14, if we're not reaching out to girls and educating them, we're too late. Eighth grade is too late to talk to girls about human trafficking."
The Dream Center worked with 23 victims of sex trafficking in the last year. All were girls who grew up in Fayetteville, and they hit all socioeconomic levels: upper, middle and lower class homes.
It's also important to understand there's a difference between prostitution and trafficking, Cooper said.
"Prostitution is when you have the exchange of sex for money or drugs or something else involving two people: the person exchanging sex and the person who is buying it," she said. "Trafficking is when you have a third party involved."
In 2013 and 2014, the Fayetteville Police Department handled 37 cases of sex trafficking involving 39 victims and 49 suspects. This year, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office has already made nine human trafficking arrests, leading to 27 charges.
The number of victims still left in Fayetteville is unknown, and the number of cases could rise as area law enforcement agencies become more qualified to handle trafficking cases.
An estimated 300,000 children nationwide are at risk of being prostituted, according to the Polaris Project, an organization that runs the call centers for the National Human Trafficking hotline.
It's unknown exactly how many of those victims are in North Carolina, but the project estimates North Carolina to be the fifth-worst state for trafficking based on the number of calls it's received to the hotline originating in the state. In 2014, there were 563 calls, 21 emails and 19 online tips made to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center from North Carolina.
Reusable product
Investigators say sex trafficking is an easier business to run than drug dealing because its product can be sold over and over. Pimps even tag their victims like an item on a store shelf, often by tattooing a barcode on the body.
Victims are normally targeted between ages 12 and 16, according to a February study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics authored by Dr. Jordan Greenbaum and Dr. James E. Crawford-Jakubiak. The study says it is unknown exactly what percentage are girls, but higher proportions of females have been identified as victims.
"The average girl is 13 to 14 years old when she becomes a victim," Wile said.
In 2014, one in six endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was believed to be a sex trafficking victim.
"If you have runaways in your community, you have trafficking," Wile said. "I would say (one out of six) may even be too low."
Advocates say becoming a victim of sex trafficking is easy.
"(Traffickers) watch bus stops," Wile said. "They want to see who doesn't look like they want to go home. They're looking for the kid that stands alone. All it takes is for parents to not care or to not pay enough attention. Traffickers want to fulfill those needs the kids don't have. They give them a belonging. They pull them in nicely and give them a hook."
Most are fooled into thinking they're taking legitimate jobs.
In March, Robin Applewhite, 38, of Spring Lake was charged with human trafficking after a woman he held against her will in his basement managed to escape and run for help, according to court documents.
Spring Lake police Capt. Billy Tharpe said Applewhite and the woman met in Fayetteville but did not know each other. Tharpe wasn't sure how they arranged the meeting.
Tharpe said the woman willingly got into Applewhite's vehicle and went to his home. Applewhite told the woman he wanted her to work for him. At the house, an affidavit says, the woman was introduced to two other women who Applewhite said worked for him as prostitutes. The women's ages were not released.
Many of the young girls Twedell has helped met their future pimps at parties or at the mall with no supervision from adults and consider the man who's trafficking them their "boyfriend." For most, it's the first time someone with power has given them attention, she said.
"These are guys in their 20s or older who are with girls as young as 14," she said. "They buy young girls food and clothes and get their nails done. They build this boyfriend, girlfriend relationship."
Cooper said there are two types of traffickers: finesse pimps and guerilla pimps. Finesse pimps act like boyfriends and spend a lot of money on the victim initially.
"Then they finally say, 'I've run out of money and this is what I need you to do, and it won't make me love you any less,'" Cooper said. "They make a princess a worker, but the only person who gets the money is the offender."
A guerilla pimp, Cooper said, uses brute force to gain control. He may sexually assault his victim, then steal her wallet and cellphone and threaten her family's life if the victim doesn't cooperate.
"The whole point is that both of these types of offenders have power and control through physical violence," Cooper said. "They manage to keep people afraid. This is an entire subculture and many normal people don't understand this."
The grooming of victims makes it difficult for police to bring charges against pimps, because victims are unwilling to talk to investigators either out of fear of their guerilla pimp or the feeling of love for their finesse pimp.
Glimmer of kindness
Pam Strickland of Eastern North Carolina Stop Human Trafficking, an organization that provides training to spot trafficking victims, including to hotel employees, said awareness and understanding by the public is key in ending sex trafficking.
"It's really going to take a change of attitude with the public in general," she said. "Some law enforcement jurisdictions have pretty much stopped arresting women for the crime of prostitution, understanding that regardless of what they say, at some point they were probably manipulated into it."
But it's hard to help someone who doesn't always want to be helped, Strickland said.
"It's a lot like domestic violence in that the perpetrator is abusive and treats them horribly, but every once in a while shows them a glimmer of kindness and love," Strickland said. "Then the victim goes, 'Oh he really does love me.' So she stays there."
One girl Twedell helped talked happily about a time her trafficker took her to a hotel near the beach. The girl, Twedell said, was excited she got to spend a weekend on the coast for the first time in her life, even though at night, she was sold for sex.
Some pimps will sexually assault victims to blackmail them into staying.
"They take pictures of the assault and use that as blackmail," Cooper said. "Then (the victim) agrees to exchange sex."
On May 14, two teenagers were charged with trafficking a student from a Hoke County high school. Deandre Spivey-McLean threatened to post sexually explicit pictures of a girl on social media if she didn't perform sexual acts on him and several others, the Hoke County Sheriff's Office said. JeSean McPhaul provided transportation for the girl between the school and the locations where the acts took place, the Sheriff's Office said.
"Traffickers will look for the girl's weaknesses and use that against them," Wile said.
Other victims begin using drugs to get through the long nights and become addicted, staying for their next fix, Twedell said.
For nearly three weeks in 2014, a 20-year-old trafficking victim had been threatened, forced to take cocaine and an ecstasy-like drug called "Molly," which causes psychedelic effects. The woman told The Fayetteville Observer in 2014 that she began taking the drugs "just to take my mind off stuff."
A 2014 study done by the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy said out of 102 trafficking survivors who were surveyed, 84 percent of them developed some form of substance abuse.
Of those victims, 95 percent of them received some form of physical abuse from their pimp.
"(Victims) are typically told how much money they have to make a night and if they don't come back with that much money, they'll be beaten," Cooper said. "It's a life of oppression."
Another tactic used by traffickers to keep girls is to create a need for themselves.
"We've seen cases where (the trafficker) will get her robbed or beat up," Wile said. "They show the girls they need (their pimp) for protection."
'Something's not right'
Those planned robberies can sometimes lead investigators to the trafficking ring.
"We've had (trafficking) cases that start as shootings or robberies," Wile said. "But then you look at them closer and you see something's not right."
It could be how a girl is dressed, her health or how she responds to police.
"Some investigators will see those human trafficking clues and a case begins to develop," Wile said. "Then we need to break down the idea to (victims) that they need (the pimp)."
An understanding of sex trafficking is relatively new and has developed over the last few years, Twedell said, which is why many law enforcement agencies aren't properly trained to handle cases.
"It was easier to look at the surface of a case and call it drug possession and prostitution," Twedell said. "But what (investigators) realize now, is that if they dig deeper, it's trafficking."
In 2000, the first federal law regarding trafficking passed in the U.S., which provided funding for trafficking victims, Cooper said.
"Another big change is that we, as a country, decided it was wrong to arrest juveniles for what we would call prostitution," Cooper said. "... We didn't recognize that juveniles weren't selling themselves."
For two years, Cooper said Dr. Richard Estes, a sex trafficking expert, traveled across the country to interview minors who had been charged with prostitution.
"The overwhelming majority were sold by someone else," Cooper said.
The difference between prosecuting cases of adult victims is that investigators have to prove that either force, fraud or coercion took place.
Much of that falls upon what the victim says and the investigator's training.
"Cops don't know how to spot a trafficking victim," Wile said. "And if they do, they don't know how to interview them. Typical interview procedures won't work in these cases. These girls are brainwashed to protect their pimps. You have to show them their victimization.
"Cops don't know how to dig it out of people. They don't know how to spot (a victim). There needs to be more training for officers."
Police aren't alone. Most research indicates doctors, teachers, youth leaders and coaches also do not recognize signs of possible trafficking.
Making strides
In 2012, North Carolina made strides to help law enforcement better handle trafficking cases.
"Human trafficking finally became a piece of the basic law enforcement training," Strickland said. "It's a two-hour block of training . it's not enough, but it's better than nothing."
The BLET course is divided into 36 blocks totaling 620 hours. It takes 16 weeks to complete.
Officers trained before 2012 who haven't taken trafficking classes have the option to take them during their yearly continuing education hours.
"The problem is that if you have the chief or the sheriff of these communities who themselves don't really know what human trafficking is, then they're not having their staff go to that training," Strickland said. "That's been an issue across the state."
The Fayetteville Police Department has a dedicated team to work trafficking cases, which includes two detectives, a sergeant and one analyst. The department started training officers on human trafficking about a year ago, Wile said.
He and Twedell also applied recently for a grant that would create a human trafficking task force using multiple jurisdictions in North Carolina, including Cumberland County, Raleigh and Wilmington. The task force would help jurisdictions work together to catch traffickers who sell in multiple areas of the state.
Cumberland County Sheriff Moose Butler implemented an undercover operation called Operation Save Our Children 2015 to combat trafficking in the county.
"In light of the larger anti-human trafficking campaign, I wanted to make sure we conducted a specific type of operation, which was undercover and which would net arrests of those who are prone to engage and want to engage in human trafficking to take advantage of minors," Butler said.
The operation has run once and six men were charged.
"Given its success, I intend for it to continue," Butler said.
Next year, human trafficking training will be mandatory for all law enforcement officers, new and old, in the state.
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers also is taking steps to help find trafficking victims.
Ellmers' Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act, which will be an amendment to the Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act, will focus on helping those in the medical community learn to spot victims. The bill will begin by adding trafficking training to medical and nursing schools.
The Beazley Institute study says 87 percent of 107 trafficking survivors who were surveyed had been in contact with a health-care provider while they were being trafficked. Of those, 63 percent went to a hospital or emergency room and 30 percent were seen by medical professionals at Planned Parenthood.
"This is important because the majority of those being trafficked are going to our hospitals, the same hospitals where you and I go," Ellmers said. "Those traffickers want them to be treated and back out on the street."
Ellmers said she did a lot of research on domestic trafficking and learned the medical community doesn't receive training on how to address victims or spot the signs of trafficking. Getting professionals trained will help victims get onto the path of recovery more quickly, she said.
"I think as this plays out, we'll see a significant difference," she said. "The medical community may be the only contact those individuals have."
The legislation is heading to President Barack Obama's desk now, Ellmers said.
"This has had overwhelming bipartisan support," she said. "It's very important to so many. (Trafficking) is very prevalent in our own community and it's something we all need to be aware of . I think this (legislation) is just the starting point. There are many other sides to this issue I think we can all work on."
Help in the end
New laws and more training will only do so much if the victims can't be kept safe after their rescue.
There's a great need for better resources to keep the girls from being trafficked again, Twedell said.
"It's all in the follow-up," she said, explaining one girl she rescued was contacted by her pimp through Facebook after being saved. He offered her more clothes, shoes and money if she worked for him again.
She didn't accept.
"It's easy to fall back into the trap when someone starts paying attention to them again," Twedell said. "So we need to be giving them positive attention."
Agencies like the Dream Center compete with traffickers to keep girls safe. The revolving door struggles to stop.
"(Survivors) are always being offered something new," Twedell said. "(Advocates) need to provide them services that are better. There's a lack of self-esteem and it's not easy to go forward with work or school. I'll show them the used clothes closet and they're like 'Spsh, you should see the new clothes he bought me.' They're not impressed."
Twedell also faces setbacks when she tries to find the girls places to live.
"A lot of these girls don't want to go to safe houses because you have to give up your cellphone and they don't want to stop talking to their friends," she said, explaining many girls still have the mentality of someone much younger.
Girls who are able to breach the line between seeing trafficking as a way of life and seeing themselves as victims, have an easier time being introduced back into normal life.
"We have girls that come through and are very successful in their detox or counseling and they have jobs and are working hard to rebuild their lives," Twedell said.
But too many, she said, remain in the revolving door.
Article from: http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/human-trafficking-victims-caught-in-cycle-of-deceit-abuse/article_e61bf885-48cf-5a82-91e8-ec7be9095851.html


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I wanted to let all of my readers know that I have become a sponsor of the awesome cottage company "Black Rock Gear", makers of the absolute best UL/SUL down hats, gloves, vests, and more.
For a numbers of years I have been using Black Rock Gear and have been a huge fan and supporter. Both here at HikeLighter.Com and my previous website, RedwoodOutdoors.Com, I have had the honor of announcing a few of their products to the hiking world.
To me, Black Rock Gear is at the very top of the list when it comes to the finest made specialty gear for hikers and runners. I have, honestly, never seen any clothing products made to such exact detail, precision, and quality. It is for this reason that BRG makes up such a large part of my gear lists in both the summer and winter hiking seasons. As a long distance hiker I demand high quality gear that can endure and be as light weight as possible with today's fabric. A few years ago when I bought my first BRG hat I did not think a down filled hat could be any lighter weight, yet they have continued to push the edges and have been willing to invest the money in buying the leading edge material in order to keep producing even lighter weight hats and vests. Their cuben fiber rain mitts are the pinnacle of what it is I am talking about.
To me, becoming a Sponsor of Black Rock Gear means a great deal. Those who follow my articles know that I care a great deal about the hiking cottage industry. In my sponsorship letter to Black Rock Gear I made the point that the type of sponsorship I am after is not the type where I am asking for free gear, discounted gear, or gear of any kind. Sometimes sponsorships should not be about a hiker getting free gear and a company getting PR in exchange. The relationship and respect that I have had for Black Rock Gear has always been one where we drive each other to build the best that can be built (on their part) and I am out there on the trail using the gear and providing feedback on the gear. I value this type of a sponsorship more than any other – the type where a company is willing to listen to their customers and work with them to find ways to make their products better.
Over the last few years Black Rock Gear has sponsored a number of hikers, athletes and trips on Everest, K2, McKinley, the PCT, the AT, the Grand Canyon, the Machu Pichu trail, and trips to China, Pakistan, Patagonia and on both North and South Pole. A true testament of both their gear and their value to the cottage industry!
I would like to thank Black Rock Gear for trusting in me, for allowing me the honor of becoming a sponsor, and for being out there making the kind of gear that ends up in the backpacks of hikers such as myself.


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Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru, a North Dakota State University (NDSU) James A. Meier Jr. professor of chemistry and biochemistry, recently received a three-year, $440,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop environmentally benign, green strategies for performing chemical reactions with light.
The funding also provides research opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students. The research program in the Indian American professor's group focuses on using light for special photochemical reactions.
"Harnessing the power of light to synthesize chemical compounds during light-induced transformations is very challenging. Our methodology has the ability to provide an opportunity to develop sustainable strategies with minimal impact on environment," Sivaguru stated in an NDSU press release.
Based on the NSF funding, his research group will evaluate the use of visible and ultraviolet light to synthesize complex molecules. One of the research goals is to gain a fundamental understanding of interaction of light with photo-reactive substrates.


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Is Pronography the Fuel that Fires Human Trafficking?
By Sharon Anderson (guest post)
Feature Photo by Wendy Hibbard
Human trafficking is not just something that happens in third-world countries, said Yvonne Williams of Lecanto.
"Familial trafficking is huge in the U.S.," she said. "It usually starts with abuse by the father who then passes the child, or pornographic photos of the child, to others for money." Williams and her husband, Marion, co-pastor the new Ascension Hill church in Inglis, Fla., and have been on an anti-human trafficking crusade for 14 years.
Because the sex trade is an underground industry, it is difficult if not impossible to calculate the number of victims and illegal revenue generated from the trafficking of children and adults in the U.S. or globally.
Even so, according to a 2014 report issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO), at least 21 million men, women and children worldwide are trapped in the industry of modern-day slavery. That industry has been estimated by ILO to generate around $150 billion-a-year in illegal profits for traffickers.
More than half the victims of human trafficking are women and girls who are used primarily in commercial sexual exploitation and for domestic work, the report states, while men and boys are primarily used in agriculture, construction, and mining.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports human trafficking is the largest and fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world today — right up there with drug- and arms-dealing. The Florida Department of Children and Families (FDCF) reported the number of human trafficking reports made to its Florida Abuse Hotline has been on the rise since 2010. In FFY 2015-16, the hotline received 1,892 human trafficking reports — up 54 percent over the previous year. Additionally, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reports that, in 2016, it received 550 reports of possible human trafficking in Florida. Of these, 401 involved sex trafficking and 59 of those involved hotel-based operations.
In Florida, Williams said, most human trafficking occurs in large cities such as Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Even so, she said it's tentacles are reaching more and more into less populated areas.
Lindsay Blair, public information officer (PIO) and official spokesperson for the Citrus County Sheriff's Department, said, so far, to her knowledge, "There has never been a human trafficking problem in Citrus County."
The gateway to human trafficking
The same cannot be said concerning pornography. If there is a so-called gateway "drug" that opens the mind to cross the proverbial Rubicon into the rabbit hole of human trafficking, Williams said it's pornography, aided by its widespread availability via the Internet. Indulging in porn creates the appetite for sex, while the ability to buy sex, courtesy of human traffickers, satisfies that appetite, she said.
A survey published in Men's Health Magazine in 2012 (http://www.menshealth.com/health/smut-census), found Florida to be the most salacious state in the U.S. and Orlando to be the porn capital of America.
Williams said, "Mass media through corporate America is fueling this thing. Like pornographers, the organizers of sex trafficking have created a business model that targets the male population. After all, who is it that pays to rape women – as well as men, and children averaging 12 to 13 years of age?
"We are dealing with an epidemic of modern day slavery due to a hyper-sexualized and violent culture," Williams said. With the prevalence of cell phones and computers, pornography is accessible nowadays to anyone anywhere 24-7 via the internet.
According to a study by the University of New Hampshire and published in 2007 in Pediatrics, 42 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 said they had viewed porn online during the previous 12 months. However, 66 percent of those who did so said they weren't looking for it but saw it accidentally.
"The FBI's statistics show that pornography is found at 80 percent of the scenes of violent sex crimes, or in the homes of the perpetrators," Williams said. "Only child pornography is prosecutable in America," she said. Unless bodily fluids are exchanged, she added, "all adult porn is legal, with little to no room for policing or prosecuting criminal or trafficking-related issues."
Williams said, "Across the world, the countries where porn is illegal have the lowest rates of sex crimes." So why hasn't pornography been outlawed in America?
It all boils down to supply and demand, Williams said. There are so many Americans who indulge in pornography, creating a huge demand, and meeting this demand is so highly profitable that many opportunists are more than happy to meet it — abundantly.
Williams said pornography and human trafficking have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. and the world for one basic reason: "Many people have accepted certain behavior as normal and can no longer see who we are – dead people walking in bodies, with little concern for our human brothers and sisters."
Williams noted the porn industry has its own lobby group called The Free Speech Coalition. Its mission statement is posted on its website, at https://www.freespeechcoalition.com/, states:
"As the national trade association to the adult entertainment and pleasure products industry, our mission is to lead, protect, and support the growth and well-being of businesses and workers in the adult industry, as well as the communities to which they belong."
In 2013, Williams said she went to Washington, D.C., and met with five legislative aids to discuss an attempt at making pornography illegal based on the overwhelming proof that it detrimentally impacts so many lives.
"Of the five, four were completely silent, asked no questions and only said, 'Thank you for coming and sharing your concerns,'" Williams said. "The fifth one was completely engaged and outraged at what we shared. She promised to convey the information to her legislator."
Williams said pornography and human trafficking have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. and the world for one basic reason: "Many people have accepted certain behavior as normal and can no longer see who we are – dead people walking in bodies, with little concern for our human brothers and sisters."
Cynthia Oswald, PIO for Citrus County, said the county commission has been proclaiming January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month for the past several years in support of the national effort to increase public awareness and educate citizens on how to identify the red flags of potential human trafficking operations.
On Sept. 25, 2012, former President Barack Obama said of human trafficking: "It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I'm talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name — modern slavery."
As pastors, the Williamses concern goes beyond people's physical and mental well-being to that of the soul – of both victims and perpetrators, from the souls of individuals to the collective souls of individual nations, and ultimately to the soul of humanity as a whole.
"After working in this darkness for 14 years, our hearts kept coming back to one thing: We have to work to change hearts if we are ever going to make a difference in this issue and all of the other ones the nation is facing," Williams said.
"I'm all about prevention," she said. "If we just educate and do not tell people how to prevent human trafficking, that education is no good. The cost of restoration is far more expensive — in dollars and human talent — than the cost of prevention."
Sharon Anderson uses her gift of writing as a freelance writer. I would like to thank her for her concern about this issue and for doing such a great job in researching for this article!


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As part of Liverpool University's Guild of Students Sustainability lecture series, Dr Jenny Hodgson from the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, in the Institute of Integrative Biology, and two PhD students, Vinnie Keenan and Jamie Alison recently hosted an innovative and engaging event on the topic of 're-wilding' which was attended by thirty staff and students from across the University.
The event started with an activity to get participants to reflect on how much they individually value the natural environmental – this included a fun activity of drawing our favourite place in the UK for a holiday!
Jenny then presented a summary of current research on the historical impact of humans on the natural world, particularly since the introduction of agriculture, and specifically on the impact of the British landscape. For Britain, a very large percentage of the country is either urban or agricultural, with only small areas of nature reserves and other protected areas that tend to be very disconnected and fragmented. Because of the significant impact that man has had on this country's landscape, it's problematic to define what exactly 'natural' means. 'Re-wilding' was introduced as an approach to re-establishing natural landscapes for a range of purposes that include nature conservation and sustainability of habitats, re-introduction of large mammals and other wildlife species, climate change migration, flood protection, local tourism and farm income diversification.
In groups of five or six, we then were given the scenario of developing a re-wilding strategy plan for an area of the Lake District using information from a range of stakeholders; local farmers, residents, The National Trust, and the National Farmers Union etc. Each group gave a one minute 'elevator' pitch for their ideas. What was notable from this activity was how engaged most students were with the process. They developed a wide range of practical, innovative and imaginative solutions to the task in a very short period of time – often utilising their different subject expertise and perspectives on the issues involved.
The Sustainability lecture series is a new initiative that provides an open and innovative forum for students to explore complex global issues outside of their own subject areas. These events also provide staff with an opportunity to promote their research to non-technical and public audiences, and for research students an opportunity to engage in learning and teaching. The series so far have covered a wide range of social, economic and environmental issues including the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP), media reporting of climate change, green spaces strategy for Liverpool, food security, and post-crash economics, and forms part of the University's objectives for promoting greater inclusion of sustainability into our learning and teaching.
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology: Rewilding and Ecosystem Services report
Guild of Students Green Guild Team
Education for sustainable development at the University of Liverpool


text: 'Red Amnesia' ('Chuangru zhe'): Venice Review 3:14 AM PDT 9/4/2014 by THR Staff FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Biennale di Venezia A slow-starter that evolves into a haunting account of damages endured, inflicted and forgotten TWITTER 'Beijing Bicycle' director Wang Xiaoshuai reflects on a generation whose confused relationship with the past gives them awkward footing in China's present VENICE – As the title suggests, Red Amnesia considers the selective memory that erases past stains as contemporary China continues its frantic sprint to become a social and economic superpower. Wang Xiaoshuai's latest is somewhat bipolar, beginning as an unhurried mystery about the harassment of an elderly widow before abruptly switching gears more than halfway through to take an unsentimental plunge into the past. Combining elements of melodrama and thriller with a strong political subtext, this is a challenging work that guards its secrets closely but builds cumulative power. The film represents a return to complex territory for the Sixth Generation director who first turned heads with the underground feature The Days in 1993 and then had his biggest international breakthrough with the neorealist homage Beijing Bicycle in 2001. Wang considers the new film the completion of a trilogy about the legacy of past social and political movements, following Shanghai Dreams and 11 Flowers. The story's central character is the stubborn, elderly Deng, played with cantankerous charm and fragility by stage veteran Lu Zhong. Her complaints of receiving anonymous phone calls are initially dismissed by doctors and by her grown children as the product of an aging mind. Determined to remain useful and reluctant to give up her role as the traditional caregiver, she barges uninvited and without warning into the home of her gay son Bing (Qin Hao) to cook for him, although she makes no secret of her disapproval of the way he lives his life. The casual establishment of his relationship with a male lover, and Deng's refusal even to acknowledge the other man's presence, are beautifully handled. Time spent with her elder son, Jun (Feng Yuanzheng), is made equally tense by the irritation of Deng's daughter-in-law (Amanda Qin), sparked by the old woman's intrusive manner. At home in her shabby apartment, Deng complains to the ghost of her recently departed husband about her children's eagerness to shut her out of their lives and that of her grandson. During a visit to her dementia-afflicted mother at a crowded retirement home, she learns that new and future patients are signing up in droves as an entire generation shrugs off responsibility for their aged parents. Those scenes give the false impression that the film is about the sidelining of the old in the new China, a theme widely addressed elsewhere. But Wang has more interesting tangents to explore. Both Jun and Bing defy expectations by urging Deng to come and stay with them when the mysterious prank calls persist, even more so when a brick is thrown through her window one night. Her pride and independence keep Deng in her own home, but her disrupted routines no longer bring her comfort. She's rattled at first when she catches an intense-looking young man (Shi Liu) staring at her on the bus and in repeat encounters in her neighborhood. But when he helps her on an errand, she invites him in and cooks for him, and the stranger sticks around, both physically and in Deng's dreams. Wang keeps the audience guessing about the presence of the unnamed boy, and about the motive for Deng's continuing harassment. While the director blurs the lines between reality and imagination, it's obvious that the stranger represents a threat, and Deng becomes convinced he's a ghost there to remind her of an unpaid debt. The pieces of the puzzle become clearer when Jun relays to his brother the tough choices their mother made to get the family out of factory-worker housing in the province of Guizhou and into the city at the end of the Cultural Revolution. But while Deng appears to have consigned those memories to the deepest recesses of her mind, a suspenseful journey of atonement in the film's concluding section brings the past vividly back to life. Red Amnesia demands patience and close attention, but the well-acted drama's enigmatic spell creeps up on you as it transitions from portraying an obsolete generation, forgotten by its children, to excavating the complicated history that same generation has chosen to forget. Production companies: Dongchun Films, Inlook Media Group, Herun Media, Edko Films, Gravity Pictures Film Production Company, Chongqing Film Group, 21st Century Media Cast: Lu Zhong, Shi Liu, Feng Yuanzheng, Qin Hao, Amanda Qin Director: Wang Xiaoshuai Screenwriters: Wang Xiaoshuai, Fang Lei, Li Fei Producer: Liu Xuan Executive producers: Wang Xiaoshuai, Chen Xiangrong, Wang Qian, Bill Kong, Li Ruigang, Huang Xiang, Shen Hao Director of photography: Wu Di Production designer: Lou Pan Music: Umeit Editor: Yang Hongyu Sales: Chinese Shadows No rating, 115 minutes FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME THR Staff firstname.lastname@example.com THR


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Another game we have started playing together is that of telling the time. The same concept as the game Shopping List, it's great for encouraging memory and observation skills. After picking a board, Maximus must pick a faced down card. If the time and activity on the card does not match one on his board, he must put the card back on the table faced down again. He must try to remember not to pick that particular card. The game is over once he completes his chosen board.
One the box, it has the following educational guide:
- Reinforce time telling skills
- Encourage observation
- Develop personal & social skills
Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to take a photo of his facial expressions, but believe me, they are quite funny!


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Pluto (confused yet?). Notably, only the Driftwood will support UMA -- important for T-Mobile -- while both the Onyx and Magnum are lined up for AT&T, so this is a pretty wild situation developing north of the border here. Downmarket, it seems that the Gemini isn't just a single device but a whole series of lower-cost models in the same vein as the present-day Curve. Doesn't really matter to us what they're called -- can we just get them rolled out on the double, please?
[Image via CrackBerry]


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Apples cooked on a waffle iron make a delicious and healthy dessert or snack for kids!
Last month Sage kindly sent me one of their waffle makers to try out and I have to admit that I have definitely caught the waffle bug! But as much as my family have loved the sweet and savoury waffles we have been mixing up, I've been eager to try out the waffle iron in making some non-traditional waffles.
I've been experimenting with cooking lots of different foods in my waffle maker but my favourite concoction so far has to be these Waffle Iron Cinnamon Apples!
They are ridiculously easy to make; simply cut the apples into slices, add a bit of coconut sugar and cinnamon and cook them for 2 minutes. They are perfect when you need to whip up a snack or dessert for the family in super quick time.
They are also really healthy too and a great way to get kids enjoying apples this Autumn!
If you give this recipe a try please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I'd love to see your creations!Print
Waffle Iron Apples
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: European
Apples cooked on a waffle iron make a delicious and healthy dessert or snack for kids!
- 2 Apples
- Coconut sugar or brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Heat the waffle iron and grease lightly with some spray oil.
- Cut the apple into 1/2 cm slices and sprinkle each slice with a little sugar and cinnamon.
- Place the apple slices in the waffle iron for approximately 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately with greek yogurt and berries.