Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A Saturday night in the city –buffalo, bass, beats and more...







For the first time since we moved here three weeks ago, we were able to get away and have an afternoon and evening in the city. Jordan, Sam, and I left HMB around 3:00 in the afternoon for a fun filled night.

Here’s what I saw, smelled, tasted, and felt:

First stop: Golden Gate Park

We were lucky and saw…..a running buffalo!

Yes, there are buffalo in the park in a small-gated area…and we were fortunate enough to see one gallop from one side of the field to the other….Before you scoff, answer the questions: have you ever seen a buffalo run?

Second memorable sight: Sam not only falling down a slippery grass incline, but doing a back flip!

After the park we drove into the city and parked near Chinatown.

We entered through the infamous gate and ambled along the streets, under red lanterns, past shops selling t-shirts for two bucks and necklaces and earrings, and even fortune cookie change purses. We passed noodle shops and sushi shops and tea tasting houses. We walked from one end to the next, and ended up on Columbus street, where we ate dinner at E Tutto Qua …across the street from “fancy” topless show clubs with thugs outside the door charging twenty bucks entrance, yet where lap danced where on sale for only five bucks! What a bargain- I can only thank our pitiful economy.

Our most delicious dinner was served to us by real Italians (as opposed to story book Italians), who shouted across the dining room at each other in EYE-talian! The Maitre’ D had a most impressive beer belly and tats lining his arms with not one, not two, but multiple piercing. Can you say mafia?

Jordan and I both ate a potato crusted oven roasted succulent Chilean Sea Bass. Sam savored her saffron gnocchi with clams. After tiramisu and espresso, we went across the street. Not to the titty bar – but to the Jack Kerouac museum. They charge $5 for tickets, but I was hoping to sweet talk them into letting us in for free, as it was late, and we were the only customers. But low-and-behold, lady luck was by our side that night. Not only did we get free entrance, but we were invited to the poetry release party. It didn’t start for an hour, so we explored the streets. First we worked off dessert by climbing a mini city- mountain and enjoyed a glorious nighttime view of the city. We walked up and down streets and even stopped in a candy shop where Sam bought too many different kinds of taffy to name. Then on to the poetry reading…

In a dark room in the Beat museum we listened to modern day beats twist and tangle their words into perfect rhythms and imperfect rhymes to a spattering of perfectly timed “snaps”. It was my first time at a poetry reading and I felt...encouraged, inspired, creative, saddened, deceived, enraged, engaged, and more, more, more. I guess that's the point though of poetry - to transform mindless words into meaningful words that cause the reader to feel....

It was at the poetry reading that I watched a grown woman lick every last trace of dip off her paper plate.

The night was too young to end, and we were hoping to listen to some live music or karaoke, but, alas, yours truly was truly tuckered out.

A sweet drive home along highway one with the ocean always accompanying us on the left…

Thursday, January 21, 2010

beauty in the rain

As I was letting the eggplant weep, several things happened simultaneously. Jordan ran an errand, I let Tank out to pee, and Sam came over. Which meant I was outside and saw the most beautiful rainbow ever! Jordan called from the road to say he could see the entire thing - beginning, arc, and end. Sam and I were so very tempted to run across the street to the field to find the end - it was that close! But I couldn't let my aubergines weep alone.

Weeping Eggplant

I have begun attempting to cook. So far I have made roasted corn chowder with lime cured shrimp and lentil soup.

This week my goal is eggplant parmesan. I made my own sauce with capers and black olives and garlic yesterday. Today I am letting the eggplant weep - which is when you sprinkle salt over the eggplant in order to allow the bitter juices to "weep" out.

For some reason, I absolutely love the fact that in order for my dish to turn our fabulous, I must make the eggplant weep.

It's a great life analogy - sometimes salt must be poured on us, allowing our bitter juices to weep out...the end result is a delicious dish...

just ask greg, ame, sam or jordan. they ate it and loved it!

Monday, January 18, 2010

the end of week 2 updates/shout outs and blessings

Thank you to Jenn for getting on me to post an update!

Wk 1 was an intro to the organization as I attended the NFS Investigator Academy in SF.
Wk 2 Sam and I were thrown into work! On Monday we had an ALL DAY 8.5 hour meeting in HMB where we heard updates from the rest of the staff and were given our projects for the next few months. I am coordinating the Stop Paying for Slavery Tour - similar to the Backyard Abolitionist Tour that came through Ohio last year and how I got connected with this cool organization.
A brief word on that -
Jesse invited me to hear David Batstone speak a few hours before the lecture began. I had just found out that UD closed their admission process two weeks early, therefore Jordan and I would not be moving to Denver. I was upset and confused and remember talking to Jesse about WHAT'S NEXT. I remember telling him that I fully believe God has a plan for my life, and that the Denver door closed for a specific reason. When God says no, it's because there is a better yes around the corner. I was just waiting for that yes. But how long do you wait, and and what point do you start knocking on doors, and how do you know which doors to knock on? That was our conversation prior to listening to the Backyard Abolitionist Tour.
At the end of the event, David Batstone told the crowd how they could get involved -
join our cause on facebook, host a chocolate campaign, attend an academy, - or be a fellow for 6 months.
I had six months to spare.
I went home and talked to Jordan about it - requested information, applied, and a few months later we moved to Half Moon Bay, CA.
God works in mysterious ways. :)

So back to the Stop Paying for Slavery Tour (SPS) and my never ending to do list. Monday we were given new company email addresses. By Wednesday morning I had over a hundred emails. Sink or swim, right?
In addition to the SPS tour I am also coordinating our sponsorship with SoulFest 2010 which will take place in early August.
I work on website content, review contracts, create new contracts, make contacts with people across the states, coordinate a 44 city, 5 country tour, and am the point person for all things even tangentially related.

But I don't want to talk about my to do list. I want to talk about the people that have brought us so much joy in these first few weeks. The first is Sam Fagan, the other fellow. Sam is one year older than I, and from Arkansas. She loves music, food, and all kinds of activity. We are super excited to cook gourmet meals together, host pot lucks, check out new cafe's, explore the hills on foot and bike, experiment with surfing, attend Erasmus classes and check out jazz joints and music festivals in the city, and on and on and on! She is a girl who loves life and is excited to live in a new place and check out all that place has to offer. Sound like someone else you know? She loves Jesus, loves meeting new people, would give you the shirt off her back if you asked, and has a heart for trafficking victims. Needless to say, I feel very blessed to be working with such a cool girl. As soon as I figure out how, I will connect her vlog with my blog.

My second shout out is to the Caravalho's, our fabulous neighbors that live directly across from us. You might remember from an earlier post that I mentioned them. They have been praying for Jordan and I months before we arrived. They learned about our arrival through a member of their church/home group. John is a pastor of a church that meets at his house on Friday nights. They have 4 kids, three that live at home and have taken a strong liking to Tank. They love to take him on walks and play with him. Both John and Jenn are excellent cooks and love to share with us, which makes me the most grateful neighbor ever! Last weekend Jordan was over three days in a row watching football games with John, and eating their homemade french onion soup. This weekend they made us couscous and sole and we watched 24. Jordan and John have had in depth conversations about God and religion. Both John and Jenn are passionate about stopping human trafficking and are always asking me about my work. They are loving, caring, and giving - and they live right across the street! Grateful is an understatement.

They have been such a blessing to us. Running back and forth across the street reminds me of my little neighborhood in Nekemte, Ethiopia. Across from our house were the life-saving Swedes, who helped us in everything little and everything large.
Having people so close who know you and care about you gives one the sense of living in a community. I believe that we all have an innate desire to belong and to be a part of a community.

For the first time in a really long time, my days are filled with a deeper purpose and meaning. I am strategic about my time, not wanting to waste any minute, any day. There is so much to be done, and we are only here for a short time.


As always, I want to thank you for reading, thank you for your prayers and your support, your love and encouragement.





Monday, January 11, 2010

first official NFS meeting

Today was my first official NFS meeting. From 9-5:30 we talked and strategized and analyzed and discussed and made lists and goals, and typed and emailed, and wow! It feels to good to be a part of such an amazing team - a team that thinks before doing, a team that is passionate yet purposeful, a team that is goal oriented and task oriented and so dynamic and inspiring! I am overwhelmed at the moment and will write more later, but just wanted to send out an update.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

How you may be contributing to the Conflict in the DRC

Government troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), helped by UN peacekeepers, have launched an operation to pacify the mountain region in the east of the country. The aim of the security operation Amani Leo, or Peace Today, is to eradicate armed groups in the volatile region, which is at the centre of one of the world’s deadliest conflicts.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from Masisi district, says the conflict is not about power or politics. "The natural wealth that lies beneath Congo’s soil is the fuel that keeps the conflict burning and a reason why the killings, rape and forced displacement continue at such an appalling rate," he says. "The rebels use income from the mineral to fund the conflict.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/01/201018628273118.html

The abduction of children by militias which then force them to work as soldiers, porters and sex slaves has been a long-term and widespread problem in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

But in the past few months, fighting between the DRC army and Rwandan Hutu rebels and other militias has intensified, deepening the crisis for the country's youth.

Aid agencies describe the present situation as "catastrophic", warning that child recruitment is on the rise.

Reporting from Goma in the eastern DRC, Mohammed Adow has found that the children are being put through terrifying ordeals; they are trained to kill almost as soon as they are recruited.

One tactic favoured by the militias is to force the child to kill a member of his own family.

In a 2006 report, the UN children's agency, Unicef, listed DRC at the top of a list of countries where armed forces and militia fighters use children as soldiers.

It estimated that as many as 30,000 children may be fighting or living with armed groups.

An estimated 30 to 40 per cent of that number are girls, the report said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/10/2009102410921830912.html

There are many resources and minerals being exploited, including (but not limited to):

  • Water
  • Diamonds
  • Coltan
  • Cassiterite
  • Tin
  • Copper
  • Timber
A number of major human rights groups have charged that some multinational corporations from rich nations have been profiting from the war and have developed “elite networks” of key political, military, and business elites to plunder the Congo’s natural resources.

Yet, a number of companies and western governments pressured a United Nations panel to omit details of shady business dealings in a report out in October 2003. As reported by the British newspaper, The Independent:

Last October [2002], the panel accused 85 companies of breaching OECD standards through their business activities. Rape, murder, torture and other human rights abuses followed the scramble to exploit Congo’s wealth after war exploded in 1998.

For example the trade in coltan, a rare mineral used in computers and mobile phones, had social effects “akin to slavery”, the panel said. But no Western government had investigated the companies alleged to have links with such abuses. Some, including ones from the UK, US, Belgium and Germany, had lobbied to have their companies’ names cleared from the “list of shame”.

“Many governments overtly or covertly exerted pressure on the panel and the Security Council to exonerate their companies,” Ms Feeney said. Some companies gave legitimate explanations for their business in Congo, or pulled out. But lawyers for others challenge the panel’s findings, often capitalising on errors in earlier reports as proof of unreliability.

Declan Walsh, UN cuts details of Western profiteers from Congo report, The Independent, October 27, 2003

The above-mentioned coltan has been the source of much controversy lately:

Hidden Cost Of Mobile Phones, Computers, Stereos And VCRs?

The ore, Columbite-tantalite, or coltan for short, isn’t perhaps as well known as some of the other resources and minerals. However, the demand for the highly prized tantalum that comes from the refined coltan has enormous impacts, as highlighted by a recent U.N. Security Council report where an expert panel was established on the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Given the substantial increase in the price of coltan between late 1999 and late 2000, a period during which the world supply was decreasing while the demand was increasing, a kilo of coltan of average grade was estimated at $200. According to the estimates of professionals, the Rwandan army through Rwanda Metals was exporting at least 100 tons per month. The Panel estimates that the Rwandan army could have made $20 million per month, simply by selling the coltan that, on average, intermediaries buy from the small dealers at about $10 per kg. According to experts and dealers, at the highest estimates of all related costs (purchase and transport of the minerals), RPA must have made at least $250 million over a period of 18 months. This is substantial enough to finance the war. Here lies the vicious circle of the war. Coltan has permitted the Rwandan army to sustain its presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The army has provided protection and security to the individuals and companies extracting the mineral. These have made money which is shared with the army, which in turn continues to provide the enabling environment to continue the exploitation.

Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Nations Security Council, April 12, 2001.

The report also mentions Ugandan and Burundian rebels being involved in looting and smuggling of coltan, using illegal monopolies, forced labor, prisoners and even murder. According to the Industry Standard, “[t]hese accusations have not been taken lightly; several members of the U.N. panel that prepared the report have since received death threats. Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi have issued protests to the United Nations over the report, claiming it to be inaccurate and unfounded.”

A follow up report in October 2003 also noted that:

In 1999 and 2000 a sharp increase in the world prices of tantalum occurred, leading to a large increase in coltan production in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Part of that new production involved rebel groups and unscrupulous business people forcing farmers and their families to leave their land, or chasing people off land where coltan was found and forcing them to work in artisanal mines. As a result, the widespread destruction of agriculture and devastating social effects occurred, which in a number of instances where akin to slavery.

Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Nations Security Council, S/2003/1027, October 28, 2003

What drives the demand for this mineral? Most of modern computer-based technology:

It [Tantalum, which is refined coltan] sells for $100 a pound, and it’s becoming increasingly vital to modern life. For the high-tech industry, tantalum is magic dust, a key component in everything from mobile phones made by Nokia and Ericsson and computer chips from Intel to Sony stereos and VCRs.

Kristi Essick, Guns, Money and Cell Phones, The Industry Standard, Jun 11 2001

For more information on the resources and minerals and other backgrounders, you can start off at the following links:

Saturday, January 9, 2010

creation in the chaos



right moment, right time, right sun...smiling flower

t

connecting the squares

a 2 minute walk from our new house is the coastal trail. Jordan and I have been walking it as much as possible. on friday i was there with my camera as the sun was setting and the light was soft and sweet and the waves were monstrous and inspired. a lot of these pics are a succession of just one wave - sometimes i took 30 shots of one wave as it formed far out at sea, then peaked, then lost control and crashed. i tried to capture the purpose in the power, the creation in the chaos, and the reverence in the rawness.



this saturday night i am alone in the house, cleaning, running errands, and catching up on world news. i'm reflecting on this week - on what i learned. i am trying to connect the dots, somehow knowing that there is a connection, oftentimes thousands of connections, yet some are just so impossible to see, to feel, to know.

jordan is over at our neighbor's house watching the cowboys game. our neighbor's name is John. He and his wife have invited us not only to dinner but also to their church- which meets at their house on Friday nights. John told me that he has been praying for me for a while - he learned that i was coming through a member of his small group who attends a Vineyard across the hill. i have no idea who this random person is, or how they know me, but i am so thankful for the prayers. it makes me stop and smile and realize that God had this planned oh so many years ago. so I have been thinking about God and the dots, and the connections and prayers, and trafficking and slavery.

and i realized- what must be so simple for so many others, but is revelatory for me- is that slavery and trafficking cannot be stopped by humans alone. God must be involved, He must be at the forefront - He has to be the one leading the battle and sounding the horn. And He also has to be in the middle, giving encouragement to us. somehow telling my neighbor across the street to pray for me months before i even arrive in town. and he has to be at the rear - the rear guard. Isaiah 52:12
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Hemming us in, front and back. Cradling. Protecting. Saving.

And for some reason, all of this reminds me of the waves crashing down on the beach. I am spending my Saturday night trying to connect the dots...thinking about the waves and the slaves and God and man and life and purpose and chaos as i fold our laundry....

Jordan and I took a walk along the trail on Friday...



Thursday, January 7, 2010

more details about this week at the Investigator Training Academy

Aight - so I left off talking about the Investigator Training Academy. On Monday I met people from all around the world who are interested in combating human trafficking. We spent the morning learning about NFS's internal mapping system (slaverymap.org), and in the afternoon, guest speaker API-Legal Outreach presented the legal framework of fighting trafficking cases. On Tuesday we learned about the supply-chain and Free2Work.org. In the afternoon we visited Global Exchange (globalexchange.org) - an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic, and environmental justice around the world. There we listened to Chie Abad speak - a former sweat shop worker in Saipan. She spoke about sewing "Made in the USA" labels on university sweatshirts, t-shirts, and running shorts. She talked about the squalid living conditions and the exploitation of workers. Chie also told us about several sweatshops located in SF, only a few blocks from the Global Exchange office. Learn more about their sweatfree campaigns at www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/
On Wednesday we spent the morning in Pescadero, CA. I drove 20 miles south from our house along Highway 1- along the coast, over hills, always with the ocean and cliffs on my right. It was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Just living in the midst of this beauty inspires, ignites, and excites me!
We visited MyPuente, an NGO that works with migrant workers. In the 165 sq mile region there are over 5,000 people, yet no medical, dental, or police facilities. Puente serves the community through mental health counseling, ESL classes, public benefits, and most importantly, by creating a community that suffers from isolation, ignorance, and oppression.
Carrie, the head of MyPuente asked us, "How do we create public spaces in which people come together as a community?" Puente means bridge...bridging the gaps. In the ten years since MyPuente's inception, they have given away over 600 bicycles - the first step in fighting isolation and empowering migrant workers. http://www.puentedelacostasur.org/
After a tour of MyPuente's facilities, we took a short tour of the region. We passed a modern goat farm, and several failing substance farms. One of the biggest problems in Pescadero is the overly inflated cost of land - and rent. Twenty single persons living in a two story house, each paying 250 a month in rent. $900 a month to rent a vacant lot with a portapotty. Migrant workers are supposed to be paid the minimum wage (which everyone knows is not a LIVING wage) - but oftentimes their contracts are cut short, or the ranchero cheats them out of their pay, citing recruitment fees, payment for clothes, water usage, etc.
Hopelessly, Carrie told us the town was dying. It is such a complex issue, I do not have the time or energy to delve into it.
After our tour, we ate lunch at "the best taqueria between Sf and San Diego". It was located in the gas station. Then we went to the local market and I bought handmade organic salsa and artichoke bread.
I am hoping to return soon with Jordan to photograph the drive, the cliffs, the tiny town of Pescadero, and hopefully, a few locals.

The day ended early and I was able to walk along the Coastal Trail for the first time. A mere two minute walk from our house is a trail head. I headed north while talking to mom on the phone. I can't wait for my family and friends to visit and walk this trail with me. It is a trail filled with beauty around ever turn that inspires! I was kicking myself for forgetting my camera at home. The sun was just beginning to set, the light was soft and round, a stillness in the wind that I felt could be tangibly captured, bottled, and sold as "peace in the midst of the storm's fury"....

Thursday January 7th
Today we resumed our talk about supply chain and free2work.
A few cools things -
Free2work.org is an awesome website that seeks to inform consumers about products. Basically, one cannot guarantee that any product they buy is 100% slave labor free. For example, over 80% of the world's coffee is farmed from the Ivory Coast in Africa. Less than 5% of the farms that harvest cacao use slave labor. However, when the product is sold, the raw material from various farms are combined. Therefore the chocolate bar that you are eating most likely contains beans that are harvested by slaves. Even though 5% may seem small, what is to keep it from growing to 10%, 20% 50% or more? Your voice! Buy only fair trade certified chocolate...
Chocolate, cotton, tantalum ( the metal in your cell phone), and so many more products are being made using slave labor and child labor. There are an estimated 211 million child laborers in the world. Check out 60 Minutes "Congo's Gold", or Harper's Jan 2010 issue, article entitled, "The Human Cost of a $2 T-Shirt" by Ken Silverstein. You will learn that 1500 people die every day in the Congo as a direct and indirect result of conflict minerals.
So how do we know if the t-shirt we are wearing is made by child slaves in Uzbekistan? Or if the diamond ring we are wearing cost thousands of lives? Check out brands at Free2Work. org....
The good news is that there is finally a website devoted to helping consumers identify companies that do not use forced or child labor in their production. Over 14,000 companies have signed the Free2Work pledge and have agreed to be transparent and allow themselves to be investigated, and graded by NFS. The problem is training a massive workforce to go interview and grade these companies. So Free2Work is still a work in progress, but check it out - check out the articles listed, the companies graded, etc.
Another cool thing I learned is the NFS is working with Apple to develop a program/app that allows you to scan an items barcode in the store and see their rating! So cool!!!

Kique Bazan, the International Investment Director has been taking me too and from SF this week. In the 45-75 minute car ride he has been filling me in on all the projects that Not For Sale is working on. The more I hear, the more excited I am to be a part of this campaign! Today Kique told me that he is leaving for Nepal next week to check out border posts. As I was on twitter, I read the recent post from One Day's Wages - "ODW is partnering with Not For Sale to raise the funds to establish a border crossing between Nepal and India. This border crossing will include safe houses, monitoring programs, and services at the border town. Each border center can be established for $25,000." That is what Kique will be checking out next week. He told me the most important part of his mission is to talk to the women and discover their hopes and dreams and strive to make those come true. I told Kique I wanted to go with him to Nepal, and he said maybe. HA! I would be tickled PINK if I left next week for Nepal. But even if I don't go, there are many more trips coming up that Jordan and I would love love love to partake in.

In the meantime I have been thinking a lot about graduate school. It seems that the more I learn, the less I feel that I know. All week we have been posed numerous questions that I wish I knew the answer to - or even knew where to begin. How do we break the cycle of poverty? How do we protect the vulnerable? How do we create sustainable socio-economic systems? How doe we create revenues for shelters?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

This is where it all began - where we said our vows, and promised to live an adventurous life together. Our vows have led us from Zanzibar, to Ohio, to California.

The beginning of a new adventure:

Jordan and I moved out to Half Moon Bay, California on January 2nd, 2010. Tank was supposed to join us, but due to inclement weather, he had to stay in Ohio with his grandparents. It just doesn't feel the same without him here! After almost 12 hours of traveling, we finally walked into our new home!
On Sunday we unpacked and ran errands, trying to stock up the fridge and plan meals for the week.
Monday was my first day with Not for Sale. This week we are in San Francisco at the "Academy"/"Urban House" (so much new jargon to learn).
Not For Sale rents a beautiful Victorian home in the heart of SF that Westmont College owns. Westmont uses it during the year to house interns working in SF on social justice issues, and during the breaks, NFS rents it to host their Academies. Monday was the first day of the second week of their Investigator Academy, which is: an in depth two week training session for those desiring to become Abolitionist Investigators of modern slavery. Attendees will be educated on how to properly record, document, and map all of the various types of human trafficking through hands on education, training, and meetings with experts in the field. They will learn how to identify probable cases of human trafficking, how to properly record cases of human trafficking, and how to effectively confront slavery in supply chains. By certification, attendees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to become investigators of modern slavery in their own backyards. (www.notforsalecampaign.org)
Monday, my head swam with information. Tuesday, my head is still swimming and by Wednesday, (today), I kinda feel like I am drowning a little. Hopefully, tomorrow I will be buoyed in knowledge. I must sign off now, but will fill in details tomorrow.