At Between Homes we have some very talented residents. Two of those residents immediately come to mind.
First is Bird Thor. I have known Bird for a very long time. In addition to being a good friend, Bird is also a very talented writer. Bird's mother tongue is Swedish, in which she has written many articles about Vikings and Viking history. Bird can also express herself quite well in short, eloquent poetry written in English.
Here is one sample of Bird's poem:
A child is born -By Bird Thor
A child is born in joy A mother smile at the little baby pink skin and small feet joy for a family But they grow up so fast One day they’re out
At Between Homes we also have very talented graphic designers. One of them is Rogers Albatros. Rogers has contributed many posters and photos to BH. Here is a sample of Rogers's work. (I really love the subject of this particular poster. OK, I can be just as vain as the next person!)
In the aftermath following the deaths of two Southern California young women, Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, there has been renewed focus on the issue of violence against women, especially young women.
Human trafficking is a particularly egregious form of violence. Unfortunately, human trafficking is on the rise. I have previously written on the issue of human trafficking and its pernicious effect on its young victims - be they male or female.
At a recent public forum, held in Oxnard, California, expert Susan Bissell spoke about human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Ms. Bissell is intimately familiar with the subject of sexual exploitation; she survived sexual abuse by a family member and ran away as a teenager, only to be sexually exploited by an employer.
Speaking in front of an audience of about 65 people, Ms. Bissell said, “Sexual exploitation and abuse of children is becoming more common.” Ms. Bissell then added, that the Internet is partially responsible for the increase number of incidents of sexual exploitation of children.
I have stated it before, and I will repeat it again: as a society we simply cannot stand idly by while our society’s most vulnerable members are being used and exploited. Children are our society’s our future. If we continue to turn a blind eye to the abuse, exploitation and mistreatment of children we will be contributing to the destruction of our species.
For more information on the magnitude of the problem and on ways that you can help children, please go here: Silver Braid Project
Let’s make this a safer and more joyful world for future generations.
In the article, I documented the slaughter of dolphins that occurs every year in the Japanese town of Taiji. The town of Taiji is located at the tip of the Kii peninsula, south of Kyoto. During the slaughter season, which runs from October through March, more than 3,000 small whales and striped, bottlenose and spotted dolphins have been slaughtered for meat that ends up on the tables of local homes and restaurants and in vacuum-packed bags in supermarkets. According to environmentalists, this is probably the single, largest annual cull of cetaceans – about 26,000 year-round around coastal Japan - in the world.
The dolphin hunts are notoriously brutal. Local dolphin hunters erect blue tarpaulin sheets to block the main viewing spots overlooking the cove where the killings take place to prevent picture taking. The hunt starts just outside the cove, where a small fleet of hunting boats surrounds a pod of migrating dolphins. The hunters then lower metal poles into the sea and bang them to frighten the animals and to disrupt their sonar. Once the panicking, thrashing dolphins are herded into the narrow cove, the hunters attack them with knives, turning the sea bloody red before dragging the wounded and dying animals to a harbor-side warehouse where the surviving dolphins are slaughtered.
In my article, I also mentioned a wonderful documentary film titled The Cove. In that film, the filmmakers document the terrible cruelty of the hunt, how these intelligent mammals are herded into a small cove and then beaten to death by the Japanese “fishermen.” The documentary is a powerful reminder of man’s cruelty to the animals that share our planet with us.
Tonight, during the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, The Cove, won an “Oscar” for best documentary film. Winning an Oscar will undoubtedly bring additional exposure to the plight of the Taiji dolphins. Maybe now Taiji’s residents will be persuaded to end the cruel and needless practice of the dolphin killing fields.
This song was made popular by the movie Donnie Darko.
The movie Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies. It touches upon many themes. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it.
The song, Mad World is a melancholic little tune, but it somehow fits my mood as of late.
Enjoy!
MAD WORLD - GARY JULES and MICHAEL ANDREWS
MAD WORLD - Lyrics
All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere Their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow No tomorrow, no tomorrow And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very Mad World Mad world Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday And I feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson Look right through me, look right through me And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very Mad World Mad World Enlarging your world Mad World.
The man who will now be charged with the kidnapping and murder of 17 year old Chelsea King has a previous history of predatory assaults on young women. Back in 2000, John Albert Gardner III was convicted of the kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old girl.
News accounts of Gardner’s 2002 assault serve as a chilling reminder that our society needs to do more to identify and lock away rapists, especially child molesters. Available scientific data shows that these criminals will continue to re-offend – they have the highest recidivism rate of all convicted criminals.
Back in 2000, the psychiatrist who examined Gardner recommended that Gardner be sentenced to the maximum term allowed by the law – 30 years. The psychiatrist found that Gardner showed no remorse, whatsoever, for the rape and beating that he inflicted on his 13-year-old victim.
Instead of the maximum sentence, however, the judge sentenced Gardner to serve only 6 years. After serving 85% of the sentence, Gardner was release on parole where he was free, once again, to re-offend.
To read the full story of how Gardner’s 2000 crime affected one young girl, go here:
Parents, tonight when your child goes to bed, go to her bedroom, hug her very tightly and tell her how much you love her and how much she means to you.
If your child no longer lives at home, call her tonight and tell her that though she may be physically far, she is still close to you in your heart, your thoughts and your prayers.
Our children are our most precious resource love them and hold them in your hand.
To Chelsea’s parents and family and to the parents and families of all missing children we send you our love and support.
A sadness creeps into my room Walking on silent cat’s paws It crawls on my bed Wrapping itself around me Like an old, warm blanket.
I look out my window Outside lies a world Where all the colors have been removed By a sadness that covers me Like an old, warm blanket.
In another room A clock tics and tocs away the minutes But for me time is made still By a sadness that covers me Like an old, warm blanket
I close my eyes And I can see a world that I once knew Where colors and sounds Danced in my head Before a sadness covered me.
Go away, I whisper at the sadness Go away and let me But the sadness wraps itself around me Like a purring kitten So I hold my sadness for one more day.
Two Southern California families are going through a parent’s worst nightmare: the disappearance and possible murder of a beloved child.
On February 25, a 17 year old California girl, Chelsea King went missing. Chelsea King is a straight-A student, who plays French horn for the San Diego Youth Symphony, runs on the school cross-country team and actively volunteers in a peer-counseling program.
Chelsea was born in Poway, a well-to-do suburb of homes and office parks northeast of San Diego. Chelsea is taking four Advanced Placement courses and applied to 11 colleges, with an eye toward a career that would combine her interests in writing and environmental protection. She has been accepted to two schools, University of Washington and University of British Columbia, Canada.
"She is one of the most driven, personable, caring people that you could ever meet," her father Brent King, said. "Her goal in life is to brighten everyone's day. That's what she does, and when she walks into the room, you know she's there."
Chelsea often stays up studying past midnight, working so hard that her parents urge her to ease off and spend more time with friends. Long-distance running was her escape.
On Sunday, San Diego police arrested John Gardner III, 30. Gardner remains in custody, without bail after his arrest outside a Mexican restaurant in suburban Escondido (San Diego). The police were led to Gardner by the discovery of DNA on some articles of clothing belonging to Chelsea and which were found next to the running trail near where Chelsea was last seen.
The police reports that Gardner, of Lake Elsinore, pled guilty in May 2000 to molesting a 13-year-old female neighbor and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is now a registered sex offender.
Gardner is now a primary suspect in the December 2009 attempted sexual assault of a female jogger in the same park. Police are also looking into the possibility that Gardner may be linked to the disappearance of another young San Diego area girl, Amber Dubois.
Amber Leanne Dubois, a 14-year-old San Diego, California girl, has been missing since February 2009. On February 13, 2009, Amber Dubois disappeared while walking from her home in Escondido, California, to her nearby high school. At approximately 7:10 a.m., someone saw Amber walking hurriedly toward her school in the direction of the school's athletic practice field. Shortly thereafter, Amber was seen walking about a block further at a normal pace.
Like Chelsea’s parents, Amber’s parents have been devastated by the disappearance of their daughter. In the days following Amber’s disappearance, her father wrote her the following letter:
March 06, 2009
Amber,
Hello my sweetheart, this is Dad. It's late Friday night and I wanted to write you this letter since you are not here with me. This was supposed to be our weekend together and this afternoon at about the time I should be picking you up from the train station, I was thinking about what I could do to talk to you like we would be doing right now. So I decided that tonight I would write you this letter and get it out where you might get a chance to read it.
One of your friends brought over a CD with pictures of you and your friends at their birthday beach party. Some cool pictures of you guys, one is of you running in the water at night by the pier with a cool sunset behind you. It reminds me of our midnight grunion run while camping last summer and all the fun we had that night catching all those darn fish with our hands. I guarantee on our next run, I will catch more than you!!!
Your Teacher Mr. Reyburn is keeping your lamb, ( Nénette ) for you till you get back. You can bet your Mom is looking as hard as she can for you since she will be doing your barn clean-up duties until you return.
This is still my weekend, so I will be waiting to hear from you so I can come get you. Next Friday is the 13th again and it will be a month that you have been away, I don't want to wait that long before I get my next hug from you. Well, I really just wanted to say we all miss you and love you very much. I hope you get to read this, or better yet I hope you are back in my arms soon, so I can tell you in person. Don't lose hope in our finding you. I will never lose hope in our search for you.
The incidence of violent attacks, including sexual assault, kidnapping and murder, against girls and women is on the rise. Scientists now agree that there is a direct link between violence against girls and women and hard core pornography depicting explicit acts of violence against women.
Our society would never stand for the graphic depiction of violence, including rape, humiliation, mutilation and murder against a specific ethnic group. Yet, society turns a blind eye towards the depiction of those same acts against females.
Pornography, of all kind, objectifies people. When persons cease to be seen as humans then it is just one short step away from turning those persons into objects of abuse. The 19th century slave trafficker turned Africans into chattel by robbing them of their humanity. More recently, Adolf Hitler and his henchmen attempted to turn Jews into objects (they even branded Jews with numbers) to better justify the genocide of a race of people.
To find out more about Chelsea King, please go here: Find Chelsea
To find out more about Amber Dubois, please go here: Bring Amber Home
If you have any information about Chelsea or Amber, please contact your local law enforcement agency, or contact the San Diego police departments (619.531.2000). You may also contact the FBI’s unit on missing and exploited children.
Thank you.
SAD UPDATE:
SAN DIEGO— A body found in a shallow grave Tuesday is believed to be that of 17-year-old Chelsea King, whose disappearance led to the arrest of a registered sex offender, authorities said.
The remains were found buried in a park about 10 feet from the shoreline of Lake Hodges, San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said.
"Although positive identification has not been made, there is (a) strong likelihood that we have found Chelsea," he told reporters.
Gore said he had informed the teen's parents.
"Obviously they are devastated and I ask that you respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you have children, please read and follow the following “25 Ways to Make Your Kids Safer” for protecting your child. There are no guarantees in life, but if parents are prepared (and if they prepare their children) perhaps the odds of a horrible tragedy occurring will be minimized.
25 ways to make kids safer
At Home
1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.
3. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
4. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
5. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.
On the Net
6. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
7. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child’s bedroom. Also, monitor their time spent online and the websites they’ve visited and establish rules for Internet use.
8. Know what other access your child may have to the Internet at school, libraries, or friends’ homes.
9. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
10. Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.
11. Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online.
At School
12. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
13. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.
14. Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.
Out and About
15. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
16. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
17. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving home.
18. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
19. Teach your children to never approach a vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult.
20. Practice "what if" situations and ask your children how they would respond. “What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Who would you ask?”
21. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change of plans.
22. During family outings, establish a central, easy-to-locate spot to meet for check-ins or should you get separated.
23. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who they can ask for help, such as uniformed law enforcement, security guards and store clerks with nametags.
24. Help your children learn to recognize and avoid potential risks, so that they can deal with them if they happen.
25. Teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, they should make a scene and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.
