Photos Of The Week

Cambodia Sex Trafficking

Everyone knows that debts are a real pain in the butt. Especially when living in a third world country where money is already hard to come by. Three mothers in Cambodia found themselves in such predicaments like many others. Rather than finding odd jobs and working hard to earn their money they turned to a choice no mother should make. They sold their daughters bodies for long periods of time to bring in the cash needed to pay off their debts.

One daughter, Kieu, was 12 at the time her mother betrayed her trust and sold her into sex slavery. The young girl didn’t know what “job” her mother had asked her to take until it was too late. The crimes against the young girl are endless. Kieu finally made the decision to run away from home when she revealed her mother’s plans of selling her for the sixth time. Neoung, Kieu’s mother, blamed her decisions on their poverty and debt.

“Selling my daughter was heartbreaking, but what can I say?” Neoung said to CNN reporters about her decisions to gain money (quote taken from a CNN report).

Kieu’s story is sickening and sad, but she is now safe from the tragedies that plagues Cambodia’s children. She is currently in a safe house away from her mother, but nothing will erase the past or the memories that haunt the young girls life.

-Briana Griffin

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram! @perksofbriana

Outbreak - Briana

            It seems my relationship with Trystan has resulted into one where we are constantly saving each other. We don’t talk about the terrible thoughts that fill our heads and cause us to weep at night. I don’t try to comfort her when her eyes become distant and I know she is somewhere trapped inside her own mind. It’s no wonder we haven’t gone crazy yet, but maybe we have and crazy is just the new sane. We are not the same people we were when this whole apocalypse business went down. The light in our eyes has been snuffed out as easily as the wind extinguishing a candle. We are not the same people we once were, but we still need each other more than we are willing to admit.

I immediately regret driving away angry. A ball of lead settles deep inside my stomach as I pull into the driveway. How am I supposed to face her? I left her alone when I should have stayed and talked it out. I had never been good at confronting my problems. Abandoning my car I head towards the house. I hear Oliver barking nearby probably trying to chase a squirrel up a tree. The door of the cabin was cracked open, which was not something we did. Again I felt like I was in a horror movie. The wood was rough against the palm of my hand as I pushed the door open. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as my eyes darted through the room. I didn’t see anything, but I did hear banging coming from the bedroom.

I kept my footsteps light as I made my way back there. A sense of urgency washed over me when I heard Trystan’s muffled groans of pain. A Treader was atop her as she struggled to hold it back from her. My hands gripped the back of its ripped shirt and yanked hard pulling it back. It stumbled slightly but regained its balance quickly. I glimpsed its face and I felt the hand on my sword loosen. Standing in front of me was what I assumed to be the only surviving family member I had left. His clothes were ragged and ripped. He wandered around the room like he was lost. It was like he was somewhere else.

I felt my sword ripped out of my hand as Trystan turned towards him. Adrenaline poured into my veins as I lunged at her. We hit the ground with a loud thump but my eyes never left my uncle’s form. He flinched slightly but kept where he was as he looked around. He didn’t seem to be all there.

“Do you want to kill us both?!” Trystan shouted in my face. I barely heard her as I stared at my uncle’s swaying form. I cocked my head to peer at her. My voice was shaky as I said, “That’s my uncle.” 

Quote of the Day: Week 14

Monday:

“No such things as an original thought. We are shadows of the stars that burned before our time.”

- Tom Hiddleston.

Tuesday:

“Always tell someone how you feel, because opportunities are lost in the blink of an eye but regret can last a lifetime.”

- Unknown.

Wednesday:

“I was tired of pretending that I was someone else just to get along with people, just for the sake of having friendships”

-Kurt Cobain.

Thursday:

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

- Bob Marley

Friday:

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.”

- Stephen Chbosky.

Do it Yourself: Week 14

Materials:

Christmas lights, tacks, clothing pins, and Christmas cards.

Step one:

choose a spot to hang your Christmas lights up. Whether around your bed, or over your window, whatever you choose to do with it.

Step two:

Grab your tacks (if you’re using them to hold the lights up) and nail them into the wall wherever you want to hang the lights.

Step three:

take your card and clothes pins and pin the cards to the lights to display them within your room.

Step four:

Enjoy the cards and lights!

Top Ten Manliest Sports

Riley Dyer

In today’s world, there are many, many different sports. Just like people, some sports are better than others, and some sports are manlier than others. I have compiled a list of the top ten manliest sports in America.

10. Soccer- many people do not realize how physical of a game soccer really is, and so they believe it be for girly-men or “foot-fairies” and nothing could be further from the truth.

9. Wrestling- Many people might say that wrestling should be higher on the list, but I find it to be very weird. The outfits that wrestlers wear make me uncomfortable.

8. Motocross- simply put, riding dirt bikes is awesome. These guys fly over hills and around sharp turns, and the wrecks are pretty awesome too.

7. Baseball- America’s pastime. Any real man should know how to throw a ball and swing a bat.

6. Nascar- these dudes FLY around the racetrack at speeds of over 200 mph. That is every man’s dream.

5. Boxing- Two men going toe-toe, and beating the fire out of each other. A classic sport that has been around for ages, and will never get old.

4. Hockey- these guys are TOUGH. They fight, knock each other around, and send pucks flying at speeds of over 100 mph. Simply put, these guys get bruised up.

3. Rugby- Rugby may not be one of the biggest sports in the U.S., but watch one game and you will realize why this is so high on the list. It’s brutal.

2. Olympic Weightlifting- what could possibly be manlier that picking up a crap-ton of weight and throwing it around like it’s nothing?

1.MMA- The only thing manlier than Olympic Weightlifting is the wonderful sport of MMA. Two men, literally beating each other into submission; how could it get any better?!?!

So there you have it. My top-ten manliest sports. If you disagree, well, you’re wrong.