Stop Child Trafficking NOW walk...

How could I not know about this walk? I just found out about it tonight and I would do it in a heartbeat if it wasn't on Sunday. But I have to be in Relief Society on Sunday for my calling. So I'll be donating since I can't walk.

I'm encouraging everyone that reads this to find your local walk and if you can walk on Sunday, September 27, then sign up and get out there and gather pledges. There are walks happening all over the world on Sunday so there is bound to be a walk in your area. Or if you can't walk then please donate, if you can, to your local area walk.

New York City is lucky enough to have a Stiletto Run (I find that awesome.)

I just found out about this site tonight from the radio and I'm appalled by the statistics:

• 300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation. - U.S. Departent of Justice


• 600,000 - 800,000 people are bought and sold across international borders each year; 50% are children, most are femail. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. - U.S. Department of State, 2004, Trafficking in Persons Report, Washington, D.C.


• An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. – U.S Department of Justice Report to Congress from Attorney General John Ashcroft on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons


• There are open sex slavery cases in all 50 States. An estimated 10,000 sex slaves exist in New York City. – Red Light Children Campaign


• An estimated 2.5 million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited in the multibillion dollar commercial sex industry – UNICEF


• Investigators and researchers estimate the average predator in the U.S. can make more than $200,000 a year off one young girl. – NBC Report by Teri Williams

This is disgusting and horrible, who in their right mind would do such things to children?! If we don't stand up and protect these kids, who will? And the spokesman for SCTNOW.ORG said something I completely agree with, it all begins with pornography.

Some may argue that pornography isn't dangerous but it is. It will twist your mind and you will do or act out things that you may never have imagined before. And it's so easily accessible, basically at our fingertips. It's an evil that will suck you in and corrupt you. I'm just saying.

This Sunday is their innagural walk and I hope to be able to walk next year, this is a cause I will be helping out with.

Tomorrow is September 11

And I'll be heading off to Washington for a fun girls weekend. I'm SUPER excited, but I noticed something as I was planning this weekend.

When I first said "We're leaving September 11th..." I paused and I had a little moment of silence in my head. I didn't realize I did that, but I now realize that every time I say or think that date I have that moment of silence.

I wonder if this is what the people felt like after Pearl Harbor and the anniversary would approach. Or is it with me because I watched everything (and for several days or was weeks that they kept broadcasting the images). But that day is definitely burned into my memory. I can tell you where I was. I can tell you about the eerie silence in a crowded room that I experienced. I vividly remember September 11, 2001.

I haven't posted any of my pictures from my recent trip so I thought today would perfect to post pictures from Ground Zero.They're working on construction, they have pictures of what they're building and it's going to be very nice once they're done.

This church has been around for a very long time. George Washington was inaugurated here. And this church is very close to Ground Zero and was used as an somewhat of an HQ for the rescue workers.

The church has become a museum as to speak. The items people left along the fence, the photos for those missing, and scuff marks on the pews are some examples. It's very emotional walking through this church. The pews are scuffed up from the boots of the firemen laying on them.

If you ever make it to New York and visit Ground Zero make sure you check out the church nearby it's very moving. Of course I can't remember it's name... but it has a cemetery in front of it the middle of wall street / financial district. You can't miss it.

See ya Tuesday!

I have found another place...

... that I'd love to visit. Again it's in England.

Bath, Somerset.

No it's not because it's always mentioned in Jane Austen novels. I came across this webiste that had readers rate places in the UK as the best place to live. Most of the posts are crap, but someone actually took it serious and placed Bath as their #1. I thought to myself, "Self if someone thinks it's a great place to live wouldn't it be a great place to visit?"

So I researched.

There really are hot springs there. Same as last time so far my only research is Wikipedia, so if you go and look up make sure to look at the photos they have posted, can we say GORGEOUS!

The climate is very temperate and is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. July and August are the warmest times which is around 69.8 degrees F.

I don't think I need to mention the immense amount of history located here. And I sure do love my history.

I need a new challenge...

This past February my sister and I did a self-portrait challenge and I had a blast. I must say we had some amazing photos!

One of the photos from the self-portrait challenge - I'm not really THAT white.

My friend Kim and I periodically go on photo-walks and the last one we had a scavenger hunt which really helped our creativity.

This is one of the photos from my last photowalk

And I want to do another photography challenge. There still so much I want to experiment and learn with photography and these challenges will help me be more creative but will also allow me an opportunity to experiment. So now I need to decide....

What to do? That is the question.

Here are ideas found I found in an article from DPS

1. 365 Days / 52 Week Project
The most common one is a self-portrait, but since I've already done a self-portrait challenge I'd want to figure something else out. If one self portrait a day is too much then instead do one a week for 52 weeks.

2. 52 photowalks
I kind of already do this one but it's sporadic so we'd have to make a schedule. And I really like how Kim and I try to go somewhere different for each walk. (Kim remind me to tell you that Institute is changing to Wednesday nights so it's a bad night for photowalks. Belly dancing classes are on Thursday... so how does Tuesday work for you and anyone that wants to join us?)

I think I'll continue doing the photowalks but I want a different challenge... maybe a challenge within the photowalks.

3. 100 strangers
This one sounds cool yet SO out of comfort zone. The idea is to join the group on flickr... or do it without joining. Basically walk up to someone you have never met, ask them if you can take their picture, and talk to them a bit to get their back story.

4. A - Z
This is one I've already decided I wanted to even before I read this article.

You can find actually "letters" or something that represents the letter.

5. Pick-a-something
You pick something and try to get a collection of photos to represent. For instance I'd pick the color green and all of my photos that day would be of something green. Or you can pick a shape. Pick whatever you want and then photograph a collection of your selection.

6. Go Mono
I sure love black and white photography. But this can easily be added to any of the other challenges.

7. Scavenger Hunt
When we did the scavenger hunt we tried a combination of literal, conceptual, and technical. This is a good one to be combined with the photowalks.

Any suggestions for challenges?

Anyone want to do a challenge with me?