Bridging The Gap

Last week, in the space of a day, I came across the following two articles, the first from Stop The Traffik, and the second (a little bizarrely) from the IMDb blog. A third follows on from the second, and I actually only spotted it because I was writing this blog, so there you go.

Article one:

"Baseball is not a thing that I know much about, or have ever really paid much attention to. I remember playing it a few times in PE lessons at school and recall the teacher instructing me to “swing really hard in case I hit it”.

I feel that this teacher may have failed to provide me with the thorough grounding in the game which would have allowed me to fully appreciate it.

I am reliably informed, however, that a World Series has recently happened, and a team called the Giants won. Presumably they had a size advantage.

Anyway, one of these Giants, Jeremy Affeldt has committed to donating $100 to support victims of trafficking every time he makes/does/scores (delete as appropriate) a strikeout. He’s encouraging fans to donate to the anti-trafficking cause for each Affeldt strikeout.

It’s always great to hear about high-profile individuals using their fame or ball-hitting skills to help knock trafficking for a home-run (sigh)."

Taken from STOP THE TRAFFIK Global News, 04/11/2010, http://stopthetraffik.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/global-news-04112010/

Article two:

"Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have launched a new campaign with the bosses of Twitter and Google in a bid to stop human trafficking online.

The stars, who formed the Demi and Ashton (DNA) Foundation to stop the practice, met with staff at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on Thursday to speak out about "modern day slavery" on the internet.

Kutcher says, "The truth is slavery globally is a dirty little secret. It is happening everywhere, right in front of our eyes and we ignore it.

"There are more slaves in the world today than ever before in world history. (It is happening) behind the closed doors of the Internet. Behind those closed doors you can make a purchase on the Internet and feel completely anonymous."

Moore and Kutcher also revealed they have set up a new scheme with online giants Twitter, Google, Facebook and Microsoft to put up obstacles in a bid to prevent online trafficking.

The actress said the initiative would enable investigators to identify and pinpoint the location of those buying sex online."

WENN News, via IMDb.com, 04/11/2010

Article three:

"Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore continued with their crusade to end human trafficking and slavery on Sunday by taking to the stage to host the annual Freedom Awards.

The couple, which formed the Demi and Ashton (DNA) Foundation to stop the practice, fronted the awards in Redondo Beach, California for the second year running.

The event honoured selfless heroes who liberate victims trapped in modern slavery, including some who are sold in the sex trade.

And the stars used the ceremony to promote their latest initiative through the DNA Foundation.

Kutcher said, "We've launched a campaign to spread the message that real men don't buy girls.""

WENN News, via IMDb.com, 08/11/2010

So, there we are. Now, obviously because they're celebrities doesn't mean that their support and input is any better than yours or mine, but it's certainly not a hindrance, is it? Good work, famous people!

~J.R. and the cashew nuts