Human Trafficking Cases

A few days ago I read an article in CNN.com about human trafficking cases taking place in Mexico. A Mexican federal judge has sentenced four people to a minimum of 16 ½ years each behind bars for human trafficking. One of the offenders was sentenced to 18 ½ years because he was also found guilty of possessing a firearm licensed exclusively to the military. Four women were rescued in Miami, where they had been forced to work as prostitutes. Their children had been held in Mexico, and if the women wanted to contact them, they had to send money to their handlers. After the offenders were caught, the children were sent to be with their mothers again.

The US State Department released its annual report on human trafficking in which countries are ranked in three tiers according to the number of cases of human trafficking.  Mexico was put in the middle tier.

The report says that the most vulnerable people are children, women, indigenous people, and undocumented migrants. The situation is very complex because the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences is low; and the government funding to victim services is inadequate in comparison to the magnitude of the problem. About 27 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide, and around 100000 of those victims are in the US.

Kite

Achill Island

    Achill is a beautiful island on the west coast of Ireland. It is a very attractive place connected to the main land by a bridge since 1887. Because of its natural beauty, which has inspired many writers and painters, today it is one of the most touristic places of the world.

    What is amazing about the island is its changing weather. People say that it sometimes can have four seasons in an hour, however, most of the time clouds and mist move across the hills.

   Another attractive thing, is that there has been many archeological investigations on the island. Because of its archeological field, many students find it an extraordinary place for doing their internship. Besides, researchers have showed that it has been inhabited since neolitic times.

   Those people that have visited  the island, have claimed that it is quite spectacular. They have stayed there for quite a while looking at the sky, the surrondings, and the big montains.  They also have claimed that while you are walking along the coast, you can gaze the high cliffs which are really astonishing, too.

  While I was reading, I felt really motivated to find more information about this place and

 I hope to have the opportunity to visit it one day. As it is a peaceful place, I think you can relax there and also give your mind a break!

          Abby

Thoughts

There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.                                                        

William Frederick Halsey, Jr.

The other day, while reading the reviews I saw this quotation on the right part of the Web page. Immediately I thought how great it was and I kept thinking about it all day.

It´s true, sometimes we think that people who are born with certain capacities or perhaps economic possibilities are the only ones who succeed. Although this may be a possibility, I believe that there are incredible everyday people who go against big storms, against every single problem that comes across them, just because they have the determination and a positive strength to move on. I think this citation is really motivating and I would recommend you to read it and analyze it deeply. 

Bloo Star

The Obedient Wives’ Club

  The Obedient Wives’ Club is an article published by BBC News. It is about a Muslim Women’s Club in Malaysia and it’s controversial because in that nation many Muslim Malaysian women hold high posts in the government and the corporate world.
  The founders of the group say that domestic violence and prostitution could be cured by keeping their husbands happy, especially in the bedroom.
  On the other hand, Human Rights groups believe that the club is an insult to both men and women. According to the minister of women, family and community development, these sorts of activities give the Islam and the country a bad name. And the local journalists, who are concerned about women’s rights, wives are probably being turned into slaves by their husbands.
  On the other hand, the organisers were not surprised at all by this type of reaction. What’s more, they hope to expand the membership across South East Asia.
  I really was shocked when I first read the article because I heard that the same group launched a polygamy club two years ago. However, we should not judge people from cultures and religions different from ours without being well-informed about their situations.

Victoria

Sunday Bloody Sunday

All Argentinian means of communication showed today the violence that unleashed minutes before River Plate‘s relegation to National B. Before finishing the match, the riots had already started inside and outside the Monumental Stadium. Violent fans lit fires, destroyed and sacked shops.

Those violent incidents started inside the stadium when thousands of River´s fans threw a variety of hard and sharp objects. What´s more, they even set off flares. That is why, River´s football players remained in the centre of the pitch with private security and Belgranos´s fans waited for the footballers to celebrate their victory more than two hours inside the stadium.

The riots continued outside when the fierce fans lit tyres, destroyed windows shops and everything that was in their path. Outside the police officers tried to disperse the crowd; however, the multitude threw iron bars and stones to them. The results of these riots were more than seventy casualties- including police officers, reporters and supporters- many of them still stayed in hospital.

I think that violence in sports is growing rapidly these days, especially in football matches. There is no excuse for what happened last Sunday, not even the admiration or fanaticism about a football team. In my opinion, security laws in sports events should be changed  or modified as soon as possible.

Melman

John Carpenter’s Halloween

 “Halloween” is a low-budget independent horror film written, produced and directed by who is thought to be the master of horror, John Carpenter.

The story takes place in Haddonfield, a small and quiet town in Illinois. On a Halloween night, a disturbed child named Michael Myers brutally stabs his 17-year-old sister to death with a large kitchen knife. After this murder, he is sent to a mental institution and undergoes medical treatment, but his condition doesn’t improve at all. He just gets worse, for he wears masks to hide his face, he doesn’t say a word, and he doesn’t even want to eat. His dark side has consumed him completely, and there’s nothing left of him but pure evil. Many years after, on a Halloween night, adult Michael Myers escapes from the psychiatric hospital and returns to his town to finish his job: to kill his younger sister, who was a little baby when the crime took place, and every one that stands on his path.

This film was released in 1978, and it became one of the most profitable independent horror films of all times after grossing $60 million worldwide, equivalent to over $200 million as of 2010. The success of “Halloween” resulted in many sequels that followed it with a mixed reception, and countless horror films that imitated it.

In my opinion, this is the best of all slasher films and one of the greatest horror movies that has ever been made. So, if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you grab some popcorn, turn off every light, and enjoy John Carpenter’s greatest creation.

Kite