Blissful blue living rooms

I am now fully in dream mode about how to decorate the apartment I move into next fall. While I'm still disappointed about the cancellation of Domino magazine, here are many inspirational images I saved from their website. For a living room area, I love mixing traditional furniture with eclectic patterns and colors. A living space should be inviting, approachable, and energizing.

I love the international art and eclectic, unmatched pillows. Geometrical patterns on the pillows and wall paper keep the living space's look cohesive.

I simply love a white couch, especially made casual with earthy tones and electric blue walls. A tribal-patterned accent pillow beautifully contrasts the classic vase above the couch.

White versus dark blue: I love this look. The dark painting anchors the table and chair to create an inviting reading or sitting nook. The gray-painted wall deepens the space and softens the contrast between the light and dark elements.

Prosecuting Men who Pay for Sex Might Reduce the Trafficking of Girls

Today I found a great resource for anyone interested in the fight to end human trafficking: 

www.humantrafficking.org

The website provides current news and studies related to human trafficking in all parts of the globe; you can search for news by region or country, as well as access NGO, government, and academic resources related to human trafficking. 

The following article about recent legislation pushes in Britain to prosecute the demand side of the trafficking problem reminds me of our own recent efforts in Georgia through Senate Bill 91 to start making those contributing to the trafficking industry pay for the externalities of their choices.

Prosecuting Men who Pay for Sex Might Reduce the Trafficking of Girls

December 21, 2007

Men will be prosecuted for paying women for sex under plans backed by ministers, which are to go before the Commons soon.

A former Labour minister today calls on “laddish male” ministers to help prevent Britain becoming the “sex slave” capital of Europe and stop women being exploited. Under proposed legislation tabled by Denis MacShane, the former minister for Europe, and two other former ministers, councils and police chiefs will be given powers to put men before the courts if they pay women for sex.

The idea is to extend successful action against kerb crawlers to brothels and massage parlours where the majority of trafficked sex slaves in Britain are forced to operate.  The MPs’ campaign was boosted yesterday when Harriet Harman, the women’s minister, said that such a move was necessary to stem the flood of sex workers being trafficked into Britain. It was time to consider such moves as governments tried to tackle international human trafficking.

Ms Harman, Labour’s deputy leader and the Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think we do need to have a debate and unless you tackle the demand side of human trafficking, which is fuelling this trade, we will not be able to protect women from it. My own personal view is that’s what we need to do as a next step.”

She added: “Do we think it’s right in the 21st century that women should be in a sex trade or do we think it’s exploitation and should be banned? “Just because something has always gone on, it doesn’t mean you just wring your hands and say there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Government is also studying the law in Sweden, where paying for sex has already been made illegal. “The time has come to tackle the demand side of the ever-increasing exploitation of women and that means making men accept that they have responsibility for the sex-slave industry,” Mr MacShane said.

He and Fiona MacTaggart and Barry Gardiner have tabled amendments calling for local authorities and the police to be given powers to identify zones in town areas where men caught paying for sex may be charged and put before the courts.

Mr MacShane led the campaign to get the British government to sign the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention. Tony Blair rejected Home Office objections that helping women trafficked as sex slaves would encourage more migration to the UK and signed the convention last year.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has now pledged to ratify the convention, which gives support to girls trafficked as sex slaves if they escape their pimps and helps the police to identify traffickers. Britain has an estimated 25,000 women – some under the age of 16 and many under 21 – who have been trafficked into the UK to work in brothels and massage parlours.

Mr MacShane said: “These are ruthlessly exploited girls and women who are not willing sex workers but who are beaten, raped and held as prisoners to satisfy the demand of British men for paid-for sex. Most of the women working in brothels are there in connection with drugs or debt.

“This is seedy, international crime and the men who pay for it should be made to accept their responsibility just as laws to stop kerb-crawling have seen an average 900 convictions a year since 2001 and helped reduce that part of the sex trade.”

“There are still some laddish male ministers who do not see this in terms of supporting women against men using money-power to exploit defenceless trafficked girls,” Mr MacShane said. “In 2007, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of abolishing the slave trade so I hope William Hague, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will make 2008 the year when we got serious about the sex-slave trade,” he added.

“This is an empowering amendment which leaves the decision [to prosecute] in the hands of local councillors, local communities and local police. “It is not Government deciding to abolish prostitution from on high. This is about local communities deciding if they want to slow down and reduce the sex slave business.”

The recently created All-Party Group on Trafficking is expected to generate cross-party support on the issue. The tabling of the amendments follows talks with newspapers to stop the publication of small advertisements offering services at brothels believed to be linked to human trafficking.

The Home Office is not seeking to deport foreign criminals given a jail term of less than 12 months unless the court recommends removal or proceedings are already under way. Prison governors have been told that the Border and Immigration Agency as a rule has “no interest” in pursuing such offenders.

The disclosure comes after the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said in July: “I want a message to go out. If you come here, you work and you learn our language. If you commit a crime, you will be deported from our country.”

Since the 2006 scandal when it was found that foreign national prisoners were being released from jail without being considered for deportation, ministers have given the impression that foreign criminals will be removed.

Adapted from: Philip Webster, "Prosecuting men who pay for sex ‘will reduce the trafficking of girls’."http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3080509.ece 21 December 2007.

Innocence Atlanta and Senate Bill 91- Please sign the petition!

"Georgia's efforts to combat child sexual exploitation will be featured in a four part CNN series on domestic sex trafficking airing this Sunday in honor of International Women's Day."

 Innocence Atlanta, an organization working to raise awareness about and end forced child sex labor in Atlanta, pushed through a Bill 91 in the Senate for an adult entertainment surcharge(the bill is on the adgenda for tomorrow- Thursday!); this $5 fee is taken from those who frequent places such as stripclubs; the revenue from this fee goes toward recovery programs for child sex trafficking victims. Please click on the link in the e-mail to sign this petition:

http://weurgeyou.com/

"Senate Bill 91...

Greetings  Advocates:

Many thanks to the volunteers who hand delivered white roses at the Capitol today. You did a tremendous job raising awareness about the prostitution of children in Georgia. Over 300 roses were delivered to legislators bearing a handwritten note, "Provide for the victims- support SB 91."

Your visibility and persistent refusal to take NO for an answer got results! By the end of the day our top legislative priority, an adult entertainment surcharge (placing a $5 fee on those who frequent adult entertainment venues) to assist child sex trafficking victims (SB 91) was placed on the Senate Finance Committee agenda for Thursday! Fiscal conservatives in opposition to the bill call it a new "tax" but this proposal will NOT cost taxpayers ONE cent.

To maintain the momentum we've launched an  online petition tonight so advocates from Dalton to Valdosta can stand with us. This virtual aspect of the campaign will show our elected officials #1 the advocates visiting the Capitol today are just the tip of the iceberg in support and #2 we will NOT take no for an answer.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://weurgeyou.com%2F <http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://weurgeyou.com%2F>  to sign the petition.

Please limit circulation to people who live within the state of Georgia of voting age. One signature per person.

Forward the link widely and help make this the biggest grassroots effort in Georgia history. Thanks for everything you are doing!


Janice Barrocas

Prestigious Russian Choir comes to UGA

On Friday the Male Choir of St. Petersburg gave their first US performance at the University of Georgia's own Hodgsen Hall. The choir has not just one basso profundus but four men who can sing some of the lowest notes humanly possible. One of my favorite soloists, however, was a tenor with a very high-reaching range for a male. 

The first part of the performance consisted of Russian sacred music. A few secular songs comprised the second section of the performance. My favorite of these was "Stop Singing, You Nightingale" by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857), a haunting and memorable song about "the time when the lively warbling of the nightingale does not inspire the person anymore" (from my program). Here is a video of the Male Choir of St. Petersburg performing it at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki:

I enjoyed the variety of the third section of folk songs the most.   

Although I had never before heard the Ukrainian folk song "Schedrik," which is about a cheerful little bird who predicts a good new year for a family, the tune was already very familiar to me: a new English text made this song into "Carol of the Bells." Originally, the Ukrainian New Year celebrated the coming of spring in April, but with the advent of Christianity the celebration was pushed back to January. To me, the story of the bird is much more rich and interesting than that of bells. 

If you ignore the incorrect imagery of bells and angels floating about the video (imagine a bird that brings spring to Ukraine's families), this is a wonderful version of the original song sung by a female group: 

 

I also enjoyed hearing "Black Raven," a tune I first encountered in the film "Chapayev" for my Russian Cinema class. Quoting directly from my performance program, the black raven is "a symbol of death, circling in the air above a wounded Cossack."

 Every song performed was rich and astounding; I encourage everyone to see the Male Choir of St. Petersburg if opportunity arises!

Big News!

I have two very exciting announcements, more information will follow this quick post. 

Firstly, Invisible Children at UGA raised enough money last semester for the Ugandan Schools for Schools program that we can send one of our members to Uganda this summer! Along with a few (about 8) other students in the US, they'll get to visit the areas, schools, and people we've been helping and caring about. Tonight we announce who won the vote!

Also, we've launched my new blog, www.speakchic.com. With this website I'm writing product reviews and giving advice to help people live a chic lifestyle within reasonable means. Check it out, and if you're interested in becoming a writer for us, feel free to suggest articles or columns in the comments section. 

Adios for now!

Not for Sale

To learn more about human trafficking, I read Not for Sale by David Batstone this summer (08). This book helped give direction to my life, and is still working to shape the career and educational paths I want to take. For many years I've held an interest in Eastern Europe, it's struggles, its culture, its languages. First I learned about the terrible condition of many Romanian orphanages, which sometimes feeds into human trafficking. My mission in life is to help end the cycles that feed into the human trafficking industry; trafficking spans the globe, and even happens in my own backyard of Atlanta:

http://media.www.gsusignal.com/media/storage/paper924/news/2007/09/19/Metro/not-For.Sale.Campaign.Exposes.Sex.Trafficking.In.Atlanta-2977508.shtml

Right now I am pursuing a degree in International Affairs and am learning Russian. I already have a background in Latin and classical culture. I'm starting to plan ways that I can help raise awareness of this modern slavery. I'm a member of the group Invisible Children at UGA; we help raise awareness about the crisis in Uganda, and to educate people about the LRA and child soldiers. I think want to start my own group, just I don't enjoy speaking and organizing meetings, generally I am introverted. Now is the time to bring awareness to Atlanta, which the above article reports the FBI lists as the "number one" destination for traffickers in the US.

I like the idea of movie screenings, not sure about benefit concerts. I'm also concerned with the risks of exposing and possibly angering traffkers, who are likely mob-affiliated and very dangerous.

About 2008

Here's my first and last post of 2008. This first semester of college has been an interesting ride; I've been afflicted by a new various ailment every week, discovered that picking up Latin after a 1.5 year lapse is indeed possible (I came out with an A), and that I can potentially succeed at my chosen major. I've conquered the fear that I'm not tough enough or cut out for an International Affairs major; I've gotten over the paranoia that my roommate secretly hates me (ok mostly). I went to church at least half of the Sundays I've been in town (I had thought that college meant I was done with church, but I suppose that faith was not done with me) and met wonderful new people there.

I've devoted myself to the ongoing process of purging my room of unnecessary, outdated items. It's unbelievable the items that I hoard in plastic bags, in boxes: 6 plastic spoons, an address book from 3rd grade, a robot keychain, ticket stubs, brochures, event programs. I no longer have to collect paper evidence to collect memories, although I do want to continue "scrapbooking" some of the more important items. That's more of a summer project in my opinion.

I've bought a couple of pairs of good shoes, a step up from always choosing from the best of Ross's pickings. I feel more stable in terms of my emotions, and I feel more confident that I can choose greatness and success, that these things aren't just ascribed to the lucky. More things seem possible to me; I'm not "doomed" to the same life circumstances I was raised in.

2008, the year I was 18, had more rocky transitions than I had expected. Going to college was not entirely a smooth or graceful process for me, but it was rewarding and, although I can't judge this entirely, has caused me to grow. My tastes are more my own, less childish and more refined. Apartment living is possible, which is tremendously exciting for me.

I am also very happy to be soon entering into the fourth year of my partnership with David. Over time I learn more about the wonderful person that he is; he has become more modest over time, but I will say these things without censorship: he is extremely kind and giving of himself; he almost never declines to help somone who asks; he is so sweet and caring to me, I don't know how he puts up with my craziness sometimes. I love him for everything, because he cracks me up. I'm glad we're based on laughter and smiles, it's our relationship's best medicine.

So there was 2008, my year I spent worrying, debating, sick, happy, more free and more confined. Ironically, at home I was more free to play really loud music and run around wearing whatever I pleased. Yet overall good outcomes came from even the worst situations. I'm looking forward to 2009, and I will now go back to cleaning my room in order to make room for breathing space.