week 3- PIMP as my Vice Principal??

"San Francisco Assistant Principal, Milpitas woman arrested on Prostitution Charges

August 8, 2008

The assistant principal of San Francisco's Galileo High School and a Milpitas woman have been arrested on pimping and prostitution charges by San Jose Police. Gerald Courtney, 57, the assistant principal, and Hsiu Hwa Chou, 41, were arrested for allegedly running brothels at 1550 Technology Drive and 80 Descanso Drive in San Jose. The arrests came after search warrants were served at the homes of the suspects in Milpitas and San Francisco.

"The San Jose vice unit served several search warrants, one in Milpitas and one in San Francisco, regarding an ongoing investigation of the past four months," said San Jose Police Sgt. Michael Sullivan, spokesman for the department.

Neither Courtney nor Chou could be reached for comment today.

Sullivan said Courtney had used his name to obtain apartment leases "where prostitution was being run." He also created Internet postings for the prostitutes, Sullivan said."

Gerry Courtney was my vice-principal in High school. Even though this is what you read in the newspapers, I've heard speculations that Mr. Courtney was used by this Milpitas woman for help, when really, she was running a brothel. Who knew? I thought this would be interesting for everyone to read, since we've been spending a lot of time on human trafficking and sex trafficking.

Week 3- Commodity, Chickens and Choices.

Chickens are both, commodities AND voiceless victims of cruel commodification.

If I had to catch, kill, clean and cook my own chicken or any other meat, I admit that I would be a vegetarian. It makes a HUGE difference of being honest with ourselves and killing our own chicken than buying them in sterile packages. Especially in our day in time, technology in our agriculture and way of producing our food- it is easy to ignore the process of the food that we eat. I am a perfect example of buying sterile packages that allow me to ignore the circumstances of the production of the foods that I buy. It is easier to buy the frozen chicken than to actually catch, kill, pluck, clean, cook my meat. Although meat is delicious and high in iron and other things, it would honestly be hard for me to kill a chicken. If I had to take the life of the animal in my hands so that I can eat, I wouldn't do it. I don't think I could. It just makes me think of how Native Americans did it, or how in some traditions, people pray for the animal that just killed, or in other traditions, killing the animal and eating it, when you eat it, bad spirits enter your body because you consumed that animal thats dead... or something like that. We are after all meat eaters-- but it IS possible to be vegetarian. We've just become accustomed to eating meat. Its like if a vegetarian doesn't eat meat for a long long time, and they start eating meat again, their bodies aren't used to it, and it makes them sick. So it is possible. As for right now, it crosses my mind every time I eat meat. I don't have the endurance to become vegetarian.. yet.

Week 2-Columbus and the World before...

Columbus and the World before...

After reading Chapter 14 or Ways of the World, it painted a picture in my mind of how it must have been seeing Christopher Columbus for the first time, inspecting the homeland. To see someone more civilized, someone dressed, seeing guns for the first time, tasting alcohol for the first time, hearing a different language for the first time.

I remember traveling to Italy for the first time, not knowing the language and also trying to make my way around. It was difficult! A simple smile was our way of communicating-- if you were open to smiles, this worked magic.. but it you were closed off and bitter, there was NO type of communication exchanged. I can only imagine the people from the mainland to be welcoming, with open arms and smiles. I believe the society that was here before us, was a laid back, simple society. A society that was giving and humble. The Europeans had a few things in mind, and non of those things consisted of giving or being humble. Maybe the Europeans should have learned more from the Native Americans.

This link between the Americas and Europe opened so many new things such as food, people, ways of living, views of life, morals and not to mention diseases. Small pox, measles, Typhus, influenza, malaria and yellow Fever... In many cases, up to 90% of the Native American population died within 50 years of Columbus' arrival.

Back when I was in Elementary School and every year around Thanksgiving time, the teachers would make such a big deal about Christopher Columbus and how he was such a hero and looked at as someone of high stature. They left out the part how he enslaved the native americans or killed them off with the diseases the Europeans carried. This idea of slavery always makes me question weather power over things, greediness and selfishness are just natural qualities. I say this because these traits are possessed in animals as well. The difference between us humans and animals, besides the obvious is that us humans have the power to communicate and understand right from wrong. We have the ability to choose weather to live in the 'right' or 'wrong' and to choose what is right or wrong in the first place. We have the power to shine light and understanding-- insight, information-- Truth.

January 19, 2010-Response to January 11, 2010

-- It is hard to imagine living off of $1 to $2, a day. It is also hard to imagine living in that type of environment, being illiterate and barely getting by, day-to-day. We are so fortunate to be able to go to school and learn about these conditions that occur around the world and for everything else that we have that others dont. I can see how it could be so appealing to young women who want to help their families by traveling or being sold so that they can help their family. It is a dirty trick that sex-traffickers do, they know they are poor and need all the help that they can receive, along side, being young and pretty too.

Prostitution is the oldest occupation around. Since the beginning of time, however you perceive that is, sex has always played apart in our history. For example, texts such as Gilgamesh or even the Bible-- Sex is involved in the story.

I feel bad for the young women who don't know any better, but merely just trying to get by and help their families out.. In return they are just taken advantage of and raped. Their lives are changed forever. Especially being illiterate, how can they read tabloids or warnings of these events occurring? This just reminds me of how important education is. Reminds me a lot of Malcom X.

I did some youtube research on some videos. Here is one (2links) in which I thought were very educational.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG89oL_keVs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyIpOCeYSIw&NR=1