Xapa to the World

Author: xapatotheworld

  • Nat’l Human Trafficking Awareness Day

    Today, January 11th, is the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.  If I had been better prepared, I would have had this post ready to publish first thing in the morning, but I did not, so here it is.

    You can call 1.888.373.7888 any time, day or night, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year to report a case of human trafficking.  Human trafficking can take the form of slave labor (including domestic servitude) or forced sex labor and can involve adults and children alike.  The average age of a trafficked child is 12 years old.  Victims of trafficking find themselves there by methods of force, fraud, or coercion.  They might be paying off “debts” with enormous amount of interest.  They may be threatened with violence or abused as well as their families.  They can often be taken across national borders to a country where they don’t speak the language – their paperwork could be forged or missing entirely and they often fear the police as much as their captors.  This fear is usually justified as when the crime is found, they are lumped in with the criminals instead of treated as a victim – many times they are sent back to their own country to live in their shame and risk being trafficked again.

    This modern-day slavery is more heinous and comprehensive than the form of slavery fought over in the Civil War.  It is the fastest growing organized crime and second only to drug-trafficking (which is estimated to be surpassed very soon).  If you think that the United States is exempt from this, you are sorely mistaken.  Cases of human trafficking have been reported in every state.  The US has been found to be a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked individuals.

    I’m going to list quite a few organizations/people/businesses I follow, either on Twitter or Facebook or whatever.  I would really recommend checking them out.  This is something that burns in my heart – as children of God we are called to loose the bonds of those who are held captive.  Educate yourself and then take up the banner – become an abolitionist.

    *and really, these are just a few of the newly blossomed organizations ready to fight human trafficking.  If I’ve left out anyone note-worthy, let me know and I’ll see about adding them!  Thanks!

    Organizations

    Beauty From Ashes

    (Fort Myers, FL)
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: BeautyFrmAshes    

    Cincinnati Union Bethel

    Social service agency: early childhood education; the Anna Louise Inn (housing for women) and Off the Steets (services for prostituted women. (Cincinnati, OH) ***Not only for trafficked individuals, but they deal with it enough to be included***
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: cinunionbethel

    DACS United

    Designers Against Child Slavery
    website  ·  facebook   ·  twitter: dacsunited

    DNA Foundation

    founded by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher – to eliminate sex slavery worldwide. “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls”
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: dnafoundation

    FAIR Fund

    Preventing human trafficking of youth worldwide (Washington, DC)
    website  ·  twitter: FAIRFund

    Free Generation International

    committed to eradicating human trafficking in Africa (Africa/US)
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: FreeGeneration

    Forsaken Generation

    leading a national movement to end youth homelessness and child sex trafficking in the US. (New York)
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: forsakengen

    Hagar International

    organization restoring exploited women and children’s lives in Cambodia, Vietnam & Afghanistan
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: HagarIntl

    Hookers for Jesus

    Destiny Houses are a SAFE haven for ladies in sex slavery (Las Vegas, NV)
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: hookersforjesus

    International Justice Mission

    Head Quarters (Washington, DC)
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: IJMHQ

    Justice Campaigns
    website  ·  twitter: IJMcampaigns

    International Sanctuary

    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: isanctuary

    Love 146

    end child sex slavery and exploitation
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: OfficialLove146

    Rob Morris – President and Co-founder
    website  ·  twitter: ROBLOVE146

    Adam Young – of the Dayton Ohio Love 146 Taskforce
    blog  ·  twitter: youngadamc

    Made By Survivors

    fights human trafficking and slavery with empowerment & education
    website  ·  blogs  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: madebysurvivors

    National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

    Not only are they concerned with Cincy’s history in the fight against slavery, they are seeking to build up modern-day abolitionists (Cincinnati, OH)
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: FreedomCenter

    Not For Sale

    campaign for all justice seekers, united to fight human trafficking
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: Not_For_Sale

    Polaris Project

    a leading non-profit organization committed to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery. (Washington, DC) **They even have an office in Japan now!**
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: Polaris_Project

    RedLight Children

    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: RedLightCC

    Restavek Freedom

    ending child slavery in Haiti
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: RestavekFreedom

    She Shall Go Free

    To break all these sufferings, all these fetters of slavery.
    blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: sheshallgofree

    Stop Child Trafficking

    (New York, NY)
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: SCTNow

    Stop Modern Slavery

    Washington, DC
    website  ·  blog  ·  twitter: DCSMS

    Survivors Connect

    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: survivorconnect

    Unbound Movement

    A Modern Day Movement to end Modern day Slavery – in all it’s forms! (Cincinnati, OH)
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: unboundmovement

    Vision Abolition

    dedication to prevention, rescue, and restoration (Arizona)
    website  ·  blog  ·  twitter: VisionAbolition

    Shopping

    *Made by Survivors, mentioned above

    Night Light Bangkok

    business as a mission offering employment to women formerly in the sex industry.
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: NightLightBKK

    Nomi Network

    leveraging the marketplace, fashion, and film to eradicate sexual slavery (New York)
    website  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: nominetwork

    Stop Traffick Fashion

    a boutique about restoration and change for survivors of human trafficking. (Cincinnati, OH)
    website  ·  blog  ·  facebook  ·  twitter: stoptrffckfash

    Individuals

    Amanda Kloer

    – writer on Change.org
    twitter: endhumantraffic

  • Boys Books List

    I tutor a 5th grade boy and the main thing we focus on is reading and comprehension.  There are a ton of really great books out there for boys – full of adventure, courage, and honor.  We started off reading the Chronicles of Narnia and are currently somewhere in the middle of Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  That means we have two more to go and then we’re done.  We’ll probably finish them by the end of the school year.  The books I see him come in with from school are fluff and nonsense, and the reading level is much lower than I know he’s capable of.  So, I pillaged a few summer reading/school lists online and came up with my own list.

    I would love your input if you can think of any other really great books for boys.  I have read more than half the books on this particular list.  The others have a strong reputation.  I’m leaving off the Harry Potter series on purpose, not because I don’t like it, but because the whole idea gives him nightmares.  I promised him I wouldn’t make him read them.

    Here goes!

    ———————————————————————————————-

    Treasure Island

    by Robert Louis Stevenson

    Artemis Fowl

    by Eoin Colfer

    James and the Giant Peach

    by Roald Dahl

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

    by Roald Dahl

    Bunnicula

    by Deborah Howe

    Hatchet

    by Gary Paulsen

    The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)
    and the rest of the series

    by Lemony Snicket

    The Indian in the Cupboard

    by Lynne Reid Banks

    The Redwall series

    by Brian Jacques

    (this series in itself could keep us busy until he’s in high school.  There are upwards of 14 books, if my memory serves me!

    The Whipping Boy

    by Sid Fleischman

    The Swiss Family Robinson

    by Johann D Wyss

    (if I remember correctly, this has a lot of really descriptive paragraphs that could get boring quick for a boy with a short attention span)

    ———————————————————————————————

    What else have you got for me?

  • Review: Virgils Café – Bellevue, KY

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    710 Fairfield Ave
    Bellevue, KY 41073
    859.491.3287

    Website
    Facebook
    Twitter

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    Per Cincinnati Magazine:

    Virgils feels too fancy to qualify as a burger joint.  Clean and crisp black linen tablecloths covered with butcher paper and overly polite waiters just don’t scream out “Burger time!”  But don’t let that fool you: the modestly named “beef hamburger” – grilled, succulent beef topped with sautéed mushrooms and caramalized onions on a multigrain kaiser roll – equals hamburger heaven.  And do not miss out on their sweet potato fries with a side of ancho-mayo.

    Why not hit two birds with one stone?  Christmas Eve Eve, I got to hang out with my bff, the lady half of Bearded Lady Pics, AND check out another restaurant in the greater Cincinnati area.  We snagged my Burger Edition of Cincinnati Magazine and flipped through until we settled on Virgils.  Being on the Kentucky-side of the Ohio River, it was one that I was looking forward to visiting and meeting up with Lans was a perfect excuse.  We called the restaurant around 6:15 to make our reservation, arrived at 6:30 and were seated immediately.  I understand that it was a Thursday night and Christmas Eve Eve, so I’m not sure if that makes a difference in the speediness of their reservations/seatings. I was majorly pleased.  FYI: Parking is on the street, but it’s in historic Bellevue which is just about the cutest place on earth.

    I cannot vouch for the hamburger that is mentioned above, but I will say that the descriptions match the dishes we ordered to a T.  Our starter was, in fact, the sweet potato fries with ancho chile mayonnaise.  I was never a fan of sweet potato until living in Japan (they have a way with potato and squashes) and I have only seen sweet potato fries in the last two years.  I LOVE them and these were no disappointment.  I do not usually eat mayo, but the ancho was irresistible.

    As CM’s review says, the restaurant does feel fancy but it’s still comfortable and intimate.  The lights are dimmed and there are so many nooks and crannies that you feel you can be off by yourself.  We were seated to the right of the entrance, on a platform featuring the bar and the entrance to the kitchen – where the magic takes place.  There was a lot of activity around us, being so close to the kitchen, but we didn’t mind it at all.  I’m sure that the other end of the restaurant is more subdued, but we enjoyed being close to the action.  Our waiter was Ben, who I found out later (through Twitter) was tending the bar for the first time that night.  He did a great job of keeping tabs on us and the one other table as well as holding his post behind the counter.  His back-up/co-waiter was Darius and between the two of them, our glasses were kept full of drink, our plates full of food and our mouths with laughter. (This isn’t a hard thing for me and Lans, but it helps to have really fun waiters) The other thing I’d like to note is that there is a whole hip-vibe in the place, but it’s not so trendy as to exclude a princess coloring book on the counter next to our table.  We enjoyed that touch.

    Our meals were the Fresh Pasta – with seasonal veggies, beurre blanc, and chicken and the Étouffée – chicken, homemade andouille sausage, dirty rice and garlic bread.

    I know my étouffée looks awful, just blame it on my you-, I mean, camera.

    This was my first time eating étouffée and I loved it. The sauce was a mix of sweet and spicy and the sausage had a lot of kick to it.  Rice is always a winner for me and the chicken broke apart when I began to cut into it.  The only negative I have about this dish was the overly-crunchy garlic bread.  I managed two bites into the center of it and then had to discard the rest, but I’m chalking this to personal preference.

    There is no dessert menu and the options are sort of limited…but if you hear your server say the three most beautiful words – Chocolate Bourbon Torte – place your order right away.  Lans and I shared a slice of it and, though I missed the proper “before” shot, I’m sure this one gives you an idea of the deliciousness.

    It was like a rich waterfall of burning ice and decadence cascading down your throat. (how’s that for descriptive?)

    This is definitely on my list of top fave restaurants now.  I think what I like the most about it is what I learned after eating there.  On their website the owner, Matt Buschle, talks about how they seek out locally-grown ingredients and work to build relationships with local farmers.  Most of their furniture, equipment and a plethora of other items are reclaimed from other places and forgotten warehouses.

    The food: excellent
    The help: awesome (in the words of our waiter)
    The parking: on the street, but there’s a ton that you can find.  It’s a really nice area.
    The accommodations:  I’m not sure I would go there with a group of more than 6.  It’s intimate and cozy.
    The price: Between the two of us, the meal was close to $50 (sans tip).  That was with one starter, one dessert, and two entrées, oh, and one Coke.
    Returnability: For special occasions – 100%. For casual “I’m hungry tonight” dining – maybe 35%.

    Find more reviews and promos by clicking on the links to the right.  Go ‘head, you know you want to.