Len's News, Notes, and Stuff

International Justice Mission (IJM) – Fighting Injustice in the Developing World

Early last week, I found out about a unique non-profit, humanitarian organization called International Justice Mission (IJM). I was invited to an info session and, though I knew nothing about the organization other than a basic premise of helping people in developing countries, I attended with an open mind.

What I found out about IJM impressed me.

IJM is a humanitarian organization unlike any other. Yes, there is a critical role to play in ensuring that people can grow food & feed themselves, have access to clean water, children are educated for a better future, and families have access to microloans to build small businesses to better their lives. However, all the good that these works do can be undone through violence, abuse, and exploitation imposed by others on those in need. IJM is a legal & social support agency that fights injustice in developing nations, helping those in need one case at a time, and changing the legal systems in those nations by building a precedence base one case at a time.

There are 27 million slaves in the world right now. That’s more than the number of slaves traded across the Atlantic during the colonial slave trade between Africa & the Americas. Modern slavery includes both forced labor and sexual slavery. Human trafficking is a business that generates over $32 billion in profits for those who enslave, abuse, and exploit others for labor or sex. It’s big business. It thrives because the weak cannot help themselves, or do not know how to help themselves.

IJM fights injustice along 4 routes.

First, they help individual victims. IJM works with local investigators to help victims get out of immediate danger.  Cases where slaves are forced into physical labor or sexual labor are freed.  Widows & orphans forced by violence to cede their property & livelihood are guided to the legal support that will enable them to reclaim and/or protect what is rightfully theirs, and upon which their very livelihood depends. Victims of rape are supported to bring evidence & their cases to the authorities.

“We lift our voices on behalf of those who are voiceless.”

Second, IJM works with local lawyers to fight the victims’ cases using the laws that already exist in the countries in question. The laws exist, but as you know, without knowing what the laws are, how they protect you, and through what mechanisms they protect you, they are of little value to you when you are in danger. The lawyers secure the property rights of the weak, from whom others wish to take their property & livelihood. The lawyers ensure that rapists are punished and prevented from offending again, and that the victim and her family see that justice is done. Slavemasters are incarcerated and prevented from opening slave-driven businesses again.

Third, IJM provides the social support – or, as they call it, “aftercare” – for those who have been freed. It’s all well and good to free someone who has been trapped in forced physical labor or forced sexual labor, but how do they then build a future for themselves? They need the support, care, and education to be able to lead normal lives once again and to bloom to their full potential.

Finally, IJM changes the legal systems in the countries by building a precedence base. Our own lives here in North America are built on a legal & justice system that operates on the notion that judgments rendered in court must be in line with prior legal precedence. Without that precedence base, laws have much less protective power. However, once that precedence base is there, it becomes easier for the law to protect others in the future.

“If you’re not safe, nothing else matters.”

I have been a supporter of World Vision Canada for a number of years now, as I believe that helping families and communities build solid foundations in terms of sustainable agriculture, fresh water, childhood education, and basic medical care is absolutely critical to creating long-term change and improvement for others. That’s why it really hit me when the speaker from IJM told us that beyond all that, safety and protection is what makes it all work.

If you are not safe, nothing else matters. If your child is being educated in a school, how much will that really benefit her if she is being raped by the principal or her teacher and the family cannot do anything about it? If a family has started a small business thanks to a microloan, but they are being shaken down by local authorities who extort money from local businesses, how much has that really helped them? If a slavemaster profits from the forced labor of slaves, which includes physically punishing them as he sees fit, how much does the fresh water really help the people?

Physical security & safety, through the application & edification of the law, is just as important as food, water, education, and medicine.

Four words sum up the key elements of IJM:

1. Christian
2. Legal
3. Local
4. Individual

IJM is a Christian organization. They tell you that up-front, and you hear individuals talking about prayer and being compelled to act through the God’s Word in the Bible. However, they aren’t aggressive evangelicals, and never in the official presentation was Christianity or evangelism given the spotlight. The folks at IJM are Christian, but the organization helps anyone and everyone, regardless of race or faith.

IJM is built around its legal expertise and legal ability. IJM’s lawyers uses local laws that already exist to protect those who cannot defend themselves.

IJM is local, using locals to investigate slave operations, rape cases, and injustice against widows & orphans. IJM uses local lawyers to fight their cases. IJM uses local social workers to provide aftercare.

IJM is individual, fighting on behalf of one individual at a time, breaking up one slave operation at a time, helping one family a time. IJM’s goals are lofty, but their impact is at a very individual level.

“Poor people do not get the benefit of law enforcement unless someone stands up for them.”

Yep, IJM could use your money to help their cause. No question about it. More than that, though, IJM wants more people to know about the plight of those whom they are helping, and to know that something can be done to help them.

“Oppressors count on the complicity of others.”

Support them financially if you can. Spread the word about them if you cannot. Perhaps you’ve heard the quote by Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

If the thought of child labor in slave factories turns your stomach, do something about it. If the thought of young girls forced into sexual slavery gets you angry, do something about it. If the thought of all the good work done by countless humanitarian organizations being undone by the evil of others offends your sense of justice, do something about it.

Visit the the IJM or IJM Canada websites to learn more.

Spread the word and let others know that slavery still exists and that the fight against slavery continues even now.

Help those who are in the fight, however are able to.

Words Define Perspectives: The Security World’s Black & White View

Many movies, particularly blockbuster action movies, are very simplistic in their portrayals and characterizations. Good guys vs bad guys – that’s it, that’s all you need to know, that’s all they’re telling you. That’s fine when it’s for entertainment, although even then my opinion is that more nuanced and complex characters make for more interesting movies.

It is, however, somewhat disturbing to hear the world of security & policing to make such simple distinctions. “Good guys go here, bad guys go there.” I can concede that such simplifications make things easier, and in that regard, they are necessary. However, the choice of words changes the way people behave and think from that moment onwards once the labels have been slapped on.

I was attending an exercise about two weeks ago that involved the physical separation of casualties for medical treatment. It really was presented in words very much like “Good guys go over there, bad guys go over here, and we’ll make sure the two don’t mix.”

The “bad guys”, by the way, are arrested and detained protestors. We’re not talking about rioters & looters, we’re not talking about murderous hooligans or captured prisoners of war against a fascist nation. No, we’re talking protestors in a democratic society who have, in some way, disobeyed police orders.

Some protestors get way out of hand, that is true. However, to actually use the words “bad guys vs good guys” really skews peoples’ thinking. Words have power. By saying the security forces the good guys & the protestors are the bad guys, you are already prejudicing the audience into thinking that there must be conflict, and that the protestors do not deserve your cooperation and respect. It also prejudices the audience to think that everything the security forces do will be justified, even though it appears quite widely acknowledged by those on the other side of the line that some police officers truly are bullies.

Words have power because they encapsulate meaning, values, beliefs and correlations. Most words are not neutral, and even those that are neutral in some respects carry other meanings and values with them. They key as a speaker or writer is to choose words and labels carefully, consciously taking into account those meanings and values that come along with them  As members of an audience, it’s important to note what words and labels are being used, and to be consciously aware of the meanings and values that go along with them as part of the message.

If the presenter in question had said “Our guys go over here, detainees go over there,” his message would have a completely different feel and meaning.

Unfortunately, that’s not what he said. As a matter of fact, many of those in the audience seemed to accept the “good guys vs bad guys” labels without issue. I met once with an individual who, while not a police officer, was certainly on the security side of the fence and he was very obviously dismissive of protestors in general.

I cannot and will not say that this simplistic, disturbing worldview is shared deeply by all individuals in the security & policing world. I know, for example, that some have been working to actively engage protest organizers in order to head off problems and make sure that both the protestors and the security forces meet their objectives.  However, there are enough individuals in the security & policing community who see the world as purely black & white that one cannot dismiss the notion that the “good guys” may be gradually moving themselves into something less-than-good.

Words and labels have power. When police agencies start defining a situation as “good guys vs bad guys”, I think it indicates that something is amiss.

A Look at 2 Tanaka Petty Knives

In the world of Japanese knives, Tanaka is one of the oft-mentioned names for newcomers and those looking for solid value. They are very affordable knives that perform very well. You will easily find people on the various knife and cooking forums saying they perform as well as knives 2 to 3 times the price.

That’s why I bought my first Tanaka, the VG-10 stainless steel 150mm petty knife that I present in this post. Based on my experience with this knife, I ended up buying a Tanaka 240mm VG-10 gyuto chef knife and 180mm aogami carbon steel deba fish fileting knife. They are indeed very nice knives.

I’ve recently been getting more into carbon steels, thanks to the great cutting experience I’ve been having lately with my Takeda 270mm gyuto with its marvelous aogami super hagane cutting core. With that bug in my ear, I decided to buy another Tanaka petty knife.

At $40 for the aogami carbon steel petty knife, I feel like I got a tremendous deal. Far better, in fact, than the $80 I had paid for the VG-10 one that started me down the Tanaka road to begin with.

The two knives really are fantastic little performers. Between the two of them, there really is a difference in feel: with the same sharpening skill (me!), the carbon steel version gets a keener edge.

The VG-10 stainless steel blade is great to use. It’s comfortable, agile, sharp, and more than gets the job done. The aogami carbon steel blade is fantastic, taking the performance just one notch higher. It really is just that little bit sharper.

There are slight physical differences in blade profiles, but they are trivial differences. The difference in performance is from the different hagane cutting cores.

As I said in the video, both are great little petty knives. If you search diligently enough on eBay – buying from either metalmasterjp or 330mate – you will find Tanaka blades at a great price, and you’ll have a great little petty knife in your hands.

Ferrari 458 Italia – Carpornstar of the Year, 2010

I love Ferrari racecars, and the 458 Italia is the new “production model Berlinetta” (aka “cheap” Ferrari) in the elite stable from Modena, Italy. Watching videos of cool racecars that get your heart racing, but which you aren’t likely to own or drive anytime soon, is the very definition of watching carporn. This year’s star, in my opinion, is the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The 458 follows in the footsteps of the great 355, 360, and 430. Each step of the way, Ferrari has upped the ante and created a car better than the last. Considering that in each generation in the series, the Ferraris have arguably been best-in-class, this is an extremely admirable and enviable achievement.

If you haven’t seen anything about the 458, here’s a great little intro – an official intro, as a matter of fact – from seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher.

7-speed paddle-shift F1-based transmission. 9000rpm. 500+ horsepower. All for the price of a freakin’ house. If I’m going to have a house on 4 wheels, I’d much rather have a Ferrari than an RV.

The following video is, for anyone who is a racecar fan or for the diehard tifosi, pure carporn:

Michael Schumacher has been a phenomenal addition to the Ferrari family, not only on the racetrack, but also for his contributions to the development of Ferrari’s road-going thoroughbreds. The 458 is, unfortunately, the last Ferrari with which Schumacher will have lent his influence. It is the end of one era in the Ferrari saga, but this venerable and formidable marque will certainly continue to produce more gems.

But, for the moment, the 458 is Ferrari’s production model. There will be plenty of time in the future to be nostalgic about eras past. For now, the real question for those of us who wish we owned one of these 4-wheeled gems is “what’s the car like on the road?”

Someone wrote that Ferraris aren’t necessarily the most powerful cars on the road, nor are they necessarily the fastest, but they have soul and are fun to drive.

I certainly “buy into” the Ferrari mystique, as it were. Not having owned and driven a Ferrari or other comparable sportscar to compare against, I can’t say whether that’s true or not. Maybe it’s just something we Ferrari fans tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better. True or not, though, a sportscar this expensive, owned for pleasure and not for pure competition, will never be put to its paces at the very edge of its performance envelope. The pleasure of owning the car is all about the emotion and the experience sitting in the driver’s seat.

Just to finish off nicely, here’s a video clip of the Ferrari 430 accelerating. However impressive this is, the 458 performs even better. That gets my heart racing and puts a smile on my face!

Okay, I can’t help it, here’s some F430 carporn to really finish you off – and hold you over until I find some more cool videos of the 458 itself

Salsa @ Chimera Lounge – Variations on Turning the Lady

How many ways can you turn the lady in salsa dancing? Quite a few ways, and after learning at least 5 ways during the group lesson at Chimera Lounge, my friends here demonstrate them for all to see.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll dance this well after just one lesson, but come on by to take some big steps towards getting to this point!

As always, the lesson was fun this week, and I learned new elements to add to my dancing. I’m gonna need to convince more of my friends to join in so that I can practice more after class, though. No additional practice means stuff just leaks right back out my ears by the following week