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The Economics Behind Labor and Sex Trafficking
The taking and enslavement of individuals has occurred over centuries and is a pressing issue to this day. Although slavery dates back to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the exploitation and brutality of humans increased dramatically during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Once the Portuguese colonized Brazil, they found a dependency for cheap labor – African slave labor – for their sugar plantations. Soon, the French and British colonies joined in spreading slavery into the Caribbean Islands, Central and North America. By establishing racial divisions that characterized Africans as “both inferior and a slave,” the white European masters justified taking around 12 million Africans from their homelands to work on plantations in foreign lands (Aronowitz). By the late 19th and early 20th century, a new issue of slavery emerged: the prostitution of white – particularly foreign – women in the United States, typically referred to as “white slavery.” Thus, slavery escaped the bounds of race. These women were often “obtained through deceit, force, or drugs, were coerced or tricked into prostitution” and at times, they were “forced to work in brothels” (Aronowitz). In response, the United States enacted the White Slave Traffic Act in 1910 to prevent men from forcing women into any form of prostitution, acts in relation to immorality, and human trafficking. With Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 1948, slavery was properly defined and condemned stating that “no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms” (“Universal Declaration”).
Today, a new form of slavery exists: human trafficking. Article 3 of the United Nations Trafficking Protocol states:
“Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of
coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of
vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent
of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that nearly 20.9 million people in the world are human trafficking victims, where “more than one-third” of exploited individuals come from forced labor and the remaining two-thirds of victims come from sex trafficking (“About the Problem”). Due to the high number of sex and labor trafficked individuals, the costs for care of sex trafficking victims, the economic output of labor trafficking victims, as well as the lack of proper law enforcement and prosecution has proven to have a strenuous impact on the world. The ILO found that labor trafficking generated $51 billion and $99 billion from sex trafficking (de Cock). With $150.2 billion in illegal profits worldwide, human trafficking poses not only a physical, mental, and psychological threat to individuals, but an economic devastation to society.
Review of the Literature
The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines forced labor, commonly referred to as labor trafficking, as “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily” (de Cock). The National Human Trafficking Hotline explicitly states that labor traffickers are able to “use violence, threats, lies, and other forms of coercion” to manipulate individuals into working against their will (“Labor Trafficking”). In 2012, the ILO estimated 14.2 million individuals around the world were being exploited for forced labor, particularly in sectors such as “agriculture, construction, domestic work, manufacturing, mining and utilities” (de Cock). According to a study conducted by the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, approximately 234,000 adult victims of forced labor reside in the State of Texas alone (Busch-Armendariz). As a result, traffickers in Texas are able to “exploit approximately $600 million per year from victims of labor trafficking” (“Study Estimates”).
The United Nations Trafficking Protocol serves as an international protocol that defines the trafficking of persons. More importantly, the protocol aims to prevent, suppress, and punish human trafficking. Article 3 of the Protocol establishes sex trafficking as “the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation” (“Protocol”). The National Human Trafficking Hotline further defines sex trafficking as the involuntary performance of commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion. Oftentimes, sex traffickers use forms of debt bondage, violence, threats, lies, false promises, or other manipulative scenarios so as to profit from the victims involved in the sex industry (“Sex Trafficking”). In 2005, the ILO divided forced labor into three subcategories, one being forced labor imposed by private agents for sexual exploitation for the purposes of “commercial sexual activity, including pornography, exacted from the victim by fraud or force” (de Cock). Another 2012 report by the ILO estimated that nearly 4.5 million people around the world are victims of forced sexual exploitation. In the State of Texas alone, nearly 79,000 minors and youths are victims of sex trafficking according to the study conducted by IDVSA at The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work (Busch-Armendariz).
Human trafficking victims generally share characteristics that could be placed into separate categories: their country of origin, race, immigration status, gender, and age. A research report by Northeastern University found that the top four countries of birth for forced labor trafficking victims in the United States of America included Mexico, the Philippines, India, and Thailand. The majority of victims working in agriculture came from Latin America, particularly Mexico; however, others in the forced labor workforce had greater variance in the country of origin (Owens). The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found there to be a correlation in the race of sex trafficking victims: the majority of victims were black at 40 percent; 26 percent were identified as white; 23.9 percent were Hispanic; and 4.3 percent were Asian (Human Trafficking). The same study by Northeastern University that examined the immigration status of victims concluded that a high percentage (69 percent) of labor trafficking victims were unauthorized to be in the United States by the time they received victim services, while 28 percent of victims held nonimmigrant visas, such as a temporary work visa or special status visa (Owens). The ILO estimates that women around the world are generally underrepresented in the labor market with an employment-to-population ratio of 72.7 for males and 24.8 for females as of 2012 (de Cock). A report found that 32 percent of labor trafficking victims in the United States alone were male and 68 percent were female (Human Trafficking). The ILO found 4.5 million victims of sexual exploitation currently exist in the world; the majority composed of women at 98 percent (de Cock). The United States shares similar statistics for females. They compose the greatest number of sex trafficking victims (83.9 percent), most frequently entering the commercial sex industry at ages 12 to 14. Nearly 31.6 percent of the victims were minors (Gonzalez).
Today, Houston serves as one of largest hubs for human trafficking in the United States and is the leading city of the trafficking of persons in Texas. The U.S. Department of Justice found that the city of Houston operates over 200 brothels, with approximately two new brothels opening up each month (Boney). As the most diverse and fourth largest city in the nation, citizens are highly susceptible to the trafficking in persons around the Houston metropolitan area. Moreover, easy entryway into the city also allows for the trafficking of victims to occur as it owns two large, international airports – the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport – and the Port of Houston, which is “the largest international port in the United States and the thirteenth busiest in the world” (Boney). However, the city of Houston has initiated a plethora of steps into eliminating human trafficking in the region. As of 2005, the Houston Task Force, a federally-funded program, has “investigated 68 cases of human trafficking and prosecuted 38 cases, resulting in 31 convictions” (“Texas Human”). Similarly, the Shared Hope International also released a field assessment on sex trafficking in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area that takes a look at the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) (Penry). Since its founding, the HTRA has successfully been able to rescue nearly 200 victims of human trafficking, while also educating and “training over 4,000 law enforcement officers” about human trafficking, and prosecute “over 50 individuals with human trafficking related charges” (Penry). Even more so, the City of Houston passed the Executive Order: Zero Tolerance for Human Trafficking in City Service Contracts and Purchasing. This executive order was primarily implemented for the purpose of informing the public and its corporate citizens, as well as to encourage contractors to not violate human trafficking laws by simply following the legal and ethical employee recruitment and labor practices (“Executive Order”).
In the State of Texas, human trafficking has become an increasingly important issue as it pertains to the modern-day enslavement of individuals. Through the use of force, fraud, and coercion, many individuals around the world are victims of sexual and labor exploitation to illegally benefit human traffickers. Despite identifying over 300,000 trafficked persons in the State of Texas, victims often go unnoticed by the public and government due to a poor understanding of the issue. Although billions of dollars are spent by the state to prevent human trafficking and provide care for victims, not enough progress has been made to eliminate what is known as modern-day slavery.
Victims of Sex Trafficking: Cost of Care
Sex trafficking is an incredibly heinous act that affects nearly 4.5 million individuals around the world. Victims are often pressured into performing acts of commercial sex with other adults or even forcing minors to engage in commercial sex acts as well. Commercial sex acts usually range from pornography, prostitution, or any other forms of sexual acts in exchange for valuable benefits, including money, drugs, shelter, or food for the held victims. Sexually exploited victims never receive any form of payment from clients. Instead, clients pay the victim’s pimp or brothel owner directly. As a result, the total profits traffickers make annually around the world are approximately $99 billion from the commercial sexual exploitation of their victims. Traffickers in developed economies, including the United States – and countries of the European Union (EU) generate up to $26.2 billion annually from sex trafficking victims, where the annual profit per victim was $80,000 (de Cock). Due to the unethical, illegal, and underground trading nature of commercial sexual exploitation, society is greatly impacted economically, leaving them at a disadvantage.
With a traumatic sexual experience comes the need for special care. Once victims are identified, many forms of treatment are made available for them, including psychological therapy, recovery, and rehabilitation. In the State of Texas, the lifetime cost for minor and youth sex trafficking victims are expected to be approximately $6.6 billion. A study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin states that Texas provides financial care for the victims’ “mental and physical health costs, burdens on the public health system, and law enforcement” (Busch-Armendariz). This includes, but is not limited to, housing and legal assistance, physical and mental health services, counseling for psychological trauma, substance abuse treatment, education, and job training. Although these forms of care are all a necessity for victims, psychological treatment is the most important aspect of rehabilitation in the path to recovery. Sex trafficking victims often develop mental disorders such as “depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other psychiatric conditions” that are only repairable through governmental assistance (Gonzalez). For true recovery to occur, victims must receive services for at least two months, generally visiting rehabilitation centers five to seven times in order to fully recover. The sad reality is that most victims fall back to victimization several times before breaking free from their situation – if they are even able to escape.
Aside from mental and psychological care, sexually exploited individuals often require professional health care due to the development of physical problems or inflicted abuse from their trafficker. As a result of engaging in unsafe and unprotected commercial sex acts with various clients, many sex trafficked victims “are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and unsafe abortions” and are therefore at an economic disadvantage to take care of their own health (Gonzalez). Even more so, domestic abuse from traffickers often leads victims to suffer from “genital trauma” resulting “in lacerations, tears, and injuries to the internal reproductive organs” (Williamson). In the United States, healthcare is treated as a luxury and is therefore extremely expensive for victims to recover physically. Only through government assistance are victims able to potentially find a cure for any possible diseases or improve their physical health problems. Sex trafficking presents an economic complication for the State of Texas, as well as the United States and the rest of the world, due to the heavy amount of health expenses, the cost of needed psychological and physical treatment.
Furthermore, victims of sex trafficking often become susceptible to poverty due to their previous owners or traffickers holding any profits that they once possibly made. Consequently, a generation of youth and minors is lost due to years of abuse in the sex trafficking industry (Lillie). The suffering that victims endure from severe trauma both psychologically and physically along with illness inevitably causes the generation of youth and minors to become incompetent adults. A high dependency on governmental welfare systems to survive, as well as consumption and addiction to drugs and alcohol, and possibly a lack of legal immigration status in the United States, creates a massive economic barrier for victims and society as they are not contributing, but rather taking away from the state and the country.
Labor Trafficking: Value of Economic Output
According to the ILO, labor trafficking implements tactics of force, fraud, and coercion to manipulate persons for the purpose of debt bondage, involuntary servitude, forced domestic work, forced labor of migrants in many economic sectors and work imposed in the context of slavery or vestiges of slavery. Forced labor occurs through various economic sectors, including industries such as agriculture, construction, restaurant and food services, manufacturing, retail, domestic work, mining, and herding to benefit the victims’ trafficker. In a 2014 report by the ILO, worldwide profits for construction, manufacturing, mining, and utilities were estimated to be $34 billion, $9 billion in agriculture, including forestry and fishing, and $8 billion dollars was saved annually by private households that employ domestic workers.
In the State of Texas alone, the estimated annual value of wages lost is $598,127,942 due to labor trafficking. According to a 2016 study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, there were 36,970 migrant farmworker victims that generated an estimated annual wage of $94,314,906 for their traffickers – in other words, wages that were lost for the state (Busch-Armendariz). Other economic sectors included cleaning services, with 84,100 victims generating $214,549,192 to their traffickers, 35,438 construction work victims bringing in $90,406,591, 60,925 kitchen workers in restaurants producing $155,426,986, and finally 17,024 landscaping and grounds keeping workers generating $43,430,267 (Busch-Armendariz). As indicated, victims of forced labor often have their entire wages stolen or are only given a small percentage of their earned wage back. Consequently, labor trafficking victims become exceedingly dependent on their traffickers on a survival basis. Moreover, because most victims are undocumented, many were once promised the fruitful benefits of the American dream but were instead betrayed by possibly having their “immigration documents stolen, forged, [or] withheld” and manipulated into performing involuntary, forced work (Owens).
Sadly, as companies continue to seek cheap labor, the most vulnerable groups – including the impoverished and undocumented immigrants – become highly predisposed to forced labor. As a result, a decrease in growth for the labor market in the United States and Texas further impedes economic growth at the hands of labor trafficking. The illegal use of labor trafficking not only affects the individual victims but causes the loss of domestic jobs and massive wages in the State of Texas and leaves the unemployed and the government at an economic disadvantage.
Law Enforcement and Prosecution
The United States currently holds the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) provision that mandates “victims be paid restitution, funded assistance programs for victims, and authorized ‘T’ Non-Immigrant Visas (T Visas)” – a visa that gives human trafficked individuals the possibility to remain in the country if they were trafficked into the United States (Gonzalez). However, the mandate lacks effectiveness due to poor law enforcement training, sentencing, and punishment for traffickers, as well as bleak responsiveness through prosecution. Without an informed justice system, no amount of money can help the thousands of exploited individuals across the State of Texas.
In regards to the fraudulent and coercive nature of human trafficking, law enforcement generally lacks the resources, knowledge, and adequate training to properly handle the given situation. Oftentimes, the justice system has a difficulty in distinguishing prostitutes who are voluntary commercial sex workers with sex trafficked victims. On the other hand, most labor trafficking victims never report their conditions to law enforcement as they are afraid it would “result in arrest and/or deportation” rather than an opportunity to receive help (Owens). As a result, forced labor and commercially sexual exploited individuals are treated as criminals rather than as victims. According to the U.S. Department of State, out of 40,000 identified victims worldwide in 2013, only “7,000 human trafficking cases were prosecuted for a crime” (Busch-Armendariz). With little to no data in regards to prosecution at the federal and state level, it is evident that much work is left to improve how Texas and the United States handle prosecution, sentencing, and punishment for traffickers.
Human trafficking is an odious, black market business that affects societies around the world. Through the use of force, fraud, and coercion, sex and labor traffickers are able to illegally profit by exploiting individuals into working against their will. Today, labor trafficking generates approximately $51 billion and $99 billion from sex trafficking across the globe. Although sex and labor trafficking pose a physical, mental, and psychological threat to individuals, it also affects society economically due to the extended costs to care for victims, finding suspects and victims, legislation, law enforcement training, job loss, and much more.
Many efforts, however, are being made in the State of Texas and the City of Houston to fight and prevent human trafficking. With the current mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, new provisions such as the passing of the Executive Order: Zero Tolerance for Human Trafficking in City Service Contracts and Purchasing as well as the Houston Task Force have allowed for progress to be made in regards to suppressing the illegal trafficking of persons. In fact, the City of Houston is the “only municipality in the United States whose mayor has appointed a dedicated special advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking,” an incredibly important step in anti-human trafficking efforts (Turner). The city also launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan on May 9th of 2016 that has helped improve institutionalized responses, including that of strengthening the ordinance of massage establishments to “help law enforcement crackdown on illicit establishments” as well as instituting a municipal court diversion program that will “connect potential victims and those engaged in prostitution with civil legal service providers” (Turner).
Although there is an immense need to improve on the justice system in regards to human trafficking throughout the city, state, and country, it is important to note that there has been significant progress in the fight against human trafficking.
“About the Problem.” Human Trafficking Center, Human Trafficking Center,
Aronowitz, Alexis A. Human Trafficking: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO, 2017.
Contemporary World Issues Series. EBSCOhost,
Boney, Jeffrey L. “Sex & Human Trafficking: A Vicious Evil In Our Own Backyard.” Houston
Forward Times, Houston Forward Times, 5 Apr. 2017,
Busch-Armendariz, N.B., Nale, N.L., Kammer-Kerwick, M., Kellison, B., Torres, M.I.M., Cook
Heffron, L., Nehme, J. (2016). Human Trafficking by the Numbers: The Initial
Benchmark of Prevalence and Economic Impact for Texas. Austin, TX: Institute on
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, The University of Texas at Austin.
de Cock, Michaëlle, and Maame Woode. “Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced
Labour.” Human Trafficking Search, International Labour Office, 2014,
“Executive Order: Zero Tolerance for Human Trafficking in City Service Contracts and
Purchasing.” Greater Houston Community Foundation, 19 Oct. 2017,
ghcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/EO-1-56.pdf. Accessed 20 Apr. 2018.
Gonzalez Bocinski, Sarah. “The Economic Drivers and Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the
United States.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Institute for Women’s Policy
Research, Sept. 2017,
Human Trafficking. National Center for Victims of Crime, 2013, Human Trafficking,
“Labor Trafficking.” National Human Trafficking Hotline, Polaris,
Lillie, Michelle. “The Dirty Economics of Human Trafficking.” Human Trafficking Search,
Human Trafficking Search, 22 Aug. 2017, humantraffickingsearch.org/the-dirty-economics-of-human-trafficking/.
Owens, Colleen, et al. “Understanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of
Labor Trafficking in the United States.” Urban Institute, Urban Institute, Oct. 2014,
Penry, Kendra. “Rapid Field Assessment of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking In Harris and
Galveston Counties, Texas.” Shared Hope International, Houston Rescue and Restore
Coalition, Aug. 2011,
“Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and
Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.” Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. United Nations. 5 Nov. 2010. https://www.osce.org/odihr/19223?download=true.
“Sex Trafficking.” National Human Trafficking Hotline, Polaris,
“Study Estimates More Than 300,000 Victims of Human Trafficking in Texas.” UT News, The
University of Texas at Austin, 24 Jan. 2017,
“Texas Human Trafficking Fact Sheet.” Center for Public Policy, Jan. 2013,
Turner, Sylvester. “1 Year Progress Report.” Human Trafficking Houston, Houston Area Council
on Human Trafficking, 17 Apr. 2017, humantraffickinghouston.org/year-end-report/.
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations. 10 Dec. 1948.
Williamson, Erin. “Human Trafficking.” National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence,
Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center, 2009,


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Is the Association between Vitamin D and Metabolic Syndrome Independent of Other Micronutrients
MetadataShow full item record
The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been increasing globally and it is recognized as a major public health problem because MetS is associated with increased risk of diabetes, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Recently, MetS has been linked to vitamin D deficiency. However, the evidence on the association between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of MetS remains inconclusive. This review therefore aims to depict the existing evidence related to MetS and vitamin D deficiency, and examined some of the possible confounders which may affect the association between vitamin D status and risk of MetS. Earlier studies on the association between vitamin D deficiency and MetS have adjusted for the effect of some confounders including, age, sex, body mass index, race, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and energy intake. However, these studies failed to consider other potential confounders. There is evidence that vitamin A, zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg) play important roles in the activation and function of vitamin D and interact with gene expression. Furthermore, these micronutrients are also related to several components of the MetS including glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Thus, there could be an interaction between these micronutrients, vitamin D, and MetS. This review highlights the possible interactions of vitamin A, Zn, Mg, and vitamin D with MetS and its components. The findings reinforce the need for further well-designed studies that take into account all potential confounders, including other micronutrients such as vitamin A, Zn, and Mg status, to investigate the independent association of vitamin D status with MetS and its components, and also to scrutinize for possible interactions among other nutrients which may have similar confounding effects.
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research
© 2016 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in European Journal of Psychological Assessment. It is not the version of record and is therefore not suitable for citation.
This publication has been entered into Griffith Research Online as an Advanced Online Version.
Nutrition and Dietetics not elsewhere classified

domain: literature


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Manchester United have made PSG ace Marco Verratti their number one transfer target according to reports today.
United’s desire to land at least one new midfielder is no secret, and the likelihood is that Jose Mourinho will probably add two new faces into the heart of his side.
It is thought that the first signing through the door will be the dynamic Brazilian international Fred, who, as we reported yesterday, is expected to have a medical next ahead of completing a £52 million transfer.
With United set to lose Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick from their side this summer, they have also been linked with a whole host of other midfielders in recent months. The likes of Toni Kroos, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Jean Michel Seri and Jorginho have all being mentioned as potential targets for Jose Mourinho.
According to the Sunday Mirror, United’s number one target is PSG ace Marco Verratti.
United were linked with the Italian international last summer, and were quoted a price of £100 million when they enquired about his availability last summer. It is thought that a similar fee would be needed to prise him away from the French Champions if United were to resurrect their interest in the 25-year-old.
Jose Mourinho is desperate to add more quality to his midfield which would help get the best out of £89 million signing Paul Pogba, with the Frenchman having struggled for form this season, despite scoring six goals and providing 10 assists in the league.

domain: news


Pet care service demand increases since 2007
April 7, 2020
Pet owners are spending more than ever before on their pets, according to newly released data from the United States Census Bureau.
Half of U.S. households own pets and doubled the amount of money they spend on their four-legged friends’ pet care services since 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
From 2007 to 2017, sales of pet care services doubled, to a total of $5.8 billion, according to the latest Economic Cencus statistics.
The pet care services industry includes services such as grooming, boarding, training and pet sitting. It does not include veterinary services, boarding horses, transporting pets, pet food or other pet supplies.
With over 100,000 pet care service businesses, this industry increased its number of establishments by more than 60% since 2007.
Among the 211,000 pet care service workers, just under half, 47%, are self-employed and about half, 49%, work for companies with fewer than 50 employees.
“On average, each U.S. household spent just over $500 on pets,” according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statictics.
Pet grooming makes up 42% of the pet care service and 28% provide pet boarding services, according to the 2012 Economic Census.
Not accounting for operating expenses, on average pet care services make $393,000 a year while animal training is roughly $373,000 a year. Annually, each pet sitting and dog walking business averages about $236,000.
Close to 60% of households with incomes of more than $80,000 a year.
At just over 44%, Detroit is in the top 15 metropolitan areas with pets, according to the 2017 American Housing Survey.
Nearly two-thirds of households in rural areas have pets, compared with under half of urban households.
Despite the difficult economic conditions brought on by the recession, families continued to spend consistently on their pets between 2007 and 2011.
With about 218 million pets in the United States, not counting several million fish, pet care services offer the wonderful opportunity to unify behind a common love of animals.


NEW ORLEANS — The commission devising a blueprint to reconstruct this city will propose on Wednesday a complete reorganization of the troubled school system and the elimination of a 76-mile channel that was a prime cause of flooding after Hurricane Katrina.
The creation of a new jazz district downtown also is recommended.
The commission report, several members said, also will advocate building a 53-mile light-rail system crisscrossing the city, connecting neighborhoods with the airport, downtown and other commercial centers. That system would be in addition to a separate heavy-rail system linking New Orleans with Baton Rouge and the Gulf Coast.
The light-rail system, estimated to cost $3 billion, is intended to help spark redevelopment in formerly flooded areas.
Toward that end, the plan calls on the city to enlist developers to build at least four communities of 1,000 or more houses at stops along the proposed light-rail lines.
The jazz district would be in downtown, an idea championed by the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, a member of the commission and the co-chairman of its culture committee.
The recommendations are among dozens in a sweeping seven-part report to be announced beginning on Wednesday by the Bring Back New Orleans Commission. Mayor C. Ray Nagin established the panel in September.
Many proposals may run into opposition, but the plan represents the city's first comprehensive effort to put itself back together.
The most controversial proposal would allow residents to return soon to all sections of the city but within a year would close neighborhoods that do not achieve enough residents.


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Electric Bill Rates
Posted By News On @ 6:28 am In Today's Local News | Comments Disabled
Last week, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) required Alliant Energy to refund customers approximately $5 million. Alliant Energy Spokesman Ryan Stensland says the refund is based off increased rates from March. He says the IUB decided Alliant’s rates were too high which prompted the refund. Stensland says at this time he does not know how the refunds will be given, will be distributed or how much the refund will be. He says Alliant will learn more when the written order from the IUB is received in January and for now, customer rates will be holding steady. Alliant Energy serves more than 11,000 customers in Washington County.
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domain: economics


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The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol have CLOSED US Hwy. 2 Westbound and Eastbound from Grand Forks to Minot as well as ND Hwy. 3 from the Jct. of Hwy. 19 near Esmond to the Canadian Border due to reduced visibility, snow drifts, blowing snow creating hazardous road conditions along with a number of vehicles blocking the roadway and making it impassable to traffic.
The No Travel Advisory has also been extended to most of northwestern and north central North Dakota including the cities of Williston, Stanley, Watford City, New Town, Parshall, Minot, Towner and surrounding areas due to reduced visibility, snow drifts, blowing snow creating hazardous driving conditions.
A No Travel Advisory remains in effect for the cities of Bowbells, Kenmare, Mohall, Bottineau, Rolla, Cando, Rugby, Maddock and surrounding areas due to reduced visibility, snow drifts, blowing snow creating slippery road conditions and a number of vehicles blocking the roadways. Conditions are such that motorists should not travel in these areas.
A Travel Alert is still in effect for the cities of Velva, Harvey and surrounding area due to reduced visibility, snow drifts, blowing snow creating slippery road conditions.
All travelers are encouraged to monitor road conditions as weather conditions occur and use caution while traveling. For road information, call 511 from any type of phone or go to the website www.dot.nd.gov.
Please be advised that road condition information on 511 and the travel map is updated daily from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. CDT. The road report is based upon the information available to the NDDOT at the time of preparation and is provided solely as a public service. Conditions may vary from those reported.

domain: geography


Brookstone Foldable Massaging Bed Rest Recalled for Fire, Burn Hazards
Name of Product: Foldable Massaging Bed Rest with Heat
Units: About 35,500
Manufacturer: Brookstone Company Inc., of Merrimack, N.H.
Hazard: Electrical circuits within the bed rest can overheat causing the back side of the product to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard.
Description: The recalled bed rest is designed to support a person sitting in bed. It is beige and consists of a back, two foldable armrests with a cup holder and massage controls, and a headrest with a reading light attached. “Imported by Brookstone Company” is printed on a tag attached to the bed rest. The massaging bed rest also provides heat at a single setting. A curly beige cord is attached to the back lower left corner of the bed rest. On some of the bed rests, “SKU NO: 431254” is printed on a round metal plate where the curly beige cord plugs into the bed rest. “Brookstone” is printed on the beige plug-in transformer that attaches to the beige cord.
Sold at: Brookstone retail and outlet stores nationwide, Brookstone Web site, Brookstone catalogs, Amazon.com, and borderfree.com from April 2004 through January 2006 for about $125.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled bed rest immediately and contact Brookstone for a free replacement bed rest. The firm is contacting customers directly when possible.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Brookstone
toll-free at (888) 318-7455 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, seven days a week, or
visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.brookstone.com/service/service.asp?cust_serv_id=299
Consumers can also e-mail the firm at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Bob Bazell, NBC News reports on the first case of mad cow disease to surface in the U.S. in six years. The USDA is assuring consumers there is no danger of meat from the California dairy cow entering the food chain.
A look at why steak prices may be set to soar, with Lindsay Davis, Alamo commodities president.
Beef prices hit a ten-year high this week. Cattle prices are climbing, so it may pay to look at Tyson and Smithfield, which were both upgraded by BB&T today, with Heather Jones, BB&T Capital Markets.

domain: food


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Winter Adventure in Kelowna
Cold winters combined with the coastal moisture provides the Selkirk mountain range with an abundance of light dry snow, offering up some the best powder skiing, snowboarding and cross country skiing in the world. There are fabulous local ski areas such as Big White Ski Resort about a forty minute drive from Kelowna or Crystal Mountain Resort located just above West Kelowna. Just an hour's drive south is Penticton's Apex Mountain and about the same distance north brings you to Vernon's Silver Star Mountain.
In the city, Kelowna offers a number of excellent indoor winter facilities to help keep you fit and busy. There are plenty of hockey rinks, indoor swimming pools, as well as the new H2O pool in the Mission with it's awesome slides and wave pool. Located nearby in the Capital News Centre is an indoor soccer field with artificial turf and two ice rinks available for house leagues. The Centre has a large indoor training facility where you will find local Junior, WHA and NHL hockey players training during the off season. Stuart Park, located in the city centre has a cool lit up outdoor skating rink for the general public to enjoy, weather permitting, of course.
Please check out and enjoy some of our adventure pages for more local information on what to see and do in our wonderful valley called the Okanagan.


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Artist: Miguel Galas
Condition: B *
Dimensions: 35.8 x 35.2 in. / 91 x 89.5 cm.
* See Condition Grading section for further details
Note: There are many restored small creases/cracks, primarily in the bottom half of the poster, and they are hard to see in the pictures posted here; please contact us if you'd like close-up pictures. Notwithstanding these creases/cracks, the poster will display beautifully once framed.

domain: artistic


Ocean Infinity’s first two high-tech ammonia-ready Armada ships head for Norway
Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has taken delivery of the first two robotic vessels that will form part of the high-tech Armada fleet.
The two ships have left Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam and are headed to Norway and Vard Søviknes.
“Armada 7801 and 7802 have set sail from Vietnam and are headed to Norway. The delivery of these first 2 ships marks an important milestone on our journey towards tech-enabled lean-crewed operations for a safer and greener maritime future,” Ocean Infinity said.
Vard won the contract to design and build the eight highly advanced, 78-meter vessels in November 2020. The construction of the first five vessels from the batch is under different stages of development at Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam.
All eight vessels ordered in 2020 are scheduled for deliveries from mid-2022 to end-2023.
The fuel-efficient, onshore-controlled vessels will initially only utilise a skeleton crew onboard. In due course, they are planned to work with no personnel offshore.
The vessels are prepared for green ammonia as a fuel with fuel cell and battery technology and are designed for an ultra-low carbon footprint.
According to Vard, the vessels will provide safe launch and recovery platforms for ROVs and other robotic systems through two large moonpools arranged with the shipbuilder’s own damping system.
The fleet will be equipped with the latest technology in marine robotics, including autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated surface vessels. They are scheduled to serve as multi- role-vessels, supporting Ocean Infinity’s operations worldwide from its control centers.
The first 78-meter vessel from the remotely-operated series headed out for sea trials in September this year. Key insights into the design, construction of the ships, and testing processes involving different technologies deployed onboard are shared in the video below.
The delivery is being announced on the back of a major milestone that saw the first trial of Ocean Infinity’s remote survey system. The demonstration was completed from the UK-based remote control centre and involved a vessel mobilised in Sweden with hydrographic and geophysical gear.
In February 2022, Ocean Infinity contracted Vard for the design and construction of a new series of six multi-purpose offshore vessels, all of which will be operated from shore and will eventually utilise green ammonia as fuel.
This landmark order of six, 85-metre, optionally crewed robotic vessels will take Ocean Infinity’s remote vessel fleet to 23 vessels – the largest in the world.
The new series of six vessels are scheduled for delivery from Vard Vung Tau in 2025. The first vessels will have the full suite of new technology and equipment installed and integrated at one of VARD’s shipyards in Norway utilizing VARD’s global integrated value chain.


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The American South has cultivated and appreciated collard greens since the 17th century. Plate yourself a nice helping of steamed collard greens with black-eyed peas and brown rice; your body will thank you for Southern-inspired flavor and powerful disease-fighting nourishment.
Collards are healthy source of a myriad of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and calcium; vital nutrition are supplied in abundance through collard leaves. In addition, the cruciferous vegetable provides a wealth of fortifying vitamin B1, vitamin 6, iron, vitamin E, protein, magnesium, vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, and more.
With over 7 grams of fiber in every cup, collards are anexcellent choice for digestive system support. Researchers have determined that the sulforaphane in collard greens protects stomach lining by preventing bacterial overgrowth or clinging to the stomach wall. Beyond digestion, collards seem also to be a powerful weapon in the battle against several of the most critical American health issues.
Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Support, Cancer, and Collards
· Cholesterol– None of the other commonly eaten leafy green vegetable beat collard greens at lowering cholesterol. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage all pale in comparison to steamed collards when it comes to their ability to bind bile acids in the digestive tract and excrete them from the body.
· Cardiovascular Support– Collards contain significant amounts of vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids which temper chronic unwanted inflammation at an early stage, decreasing development of cardiovascular diseases.
· Cancer– 4 key cancer-fighting glucosinolates are found in collard greens: glucoraphanin, sinigrin, gluconasturtiian, and glucotropaeolin.. These glucosinolates can be converted into an isothiocyanate (ITC) which reduce the risk of cancer and improve protection by assisting the body’s detoxification system, bolstering the antioxidant system, and supporting the anti-inflammatory system. Imbalances in any or all of the three systems lead to significant increases in cancer risk. Prevention of cancers like bladder, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers, have all been linked to improved collard intake.
Read the full article here: Collard Greens

domain: biology


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Dnepropetrovsk (DNK), Ukraine is served by Dnipropetrovsk International Airport which is one of largest airports in the country. The airport is currently owned by its major airline partner Dniproavia. Ukraine International Airlines offers the most comprehensive flight schedules and most convenient service from the United States to Dnepropetrovsk: it regularly operates approximately 13-hour, one-stop flights from New York. Some other major international air carriers also offer alternative convenient routes at a low cost with stops in other European cities for passengers traveling from smaller airports.
Cheap and convenient flights to Dnepropetrovsk are available from many other airlines operating flights to Ukraine. Airline choice is great, including major international carriers like Tukrish, KLM, Ukraine International, Aeroflot, Austrian, Lot Polish Airlines and others. These major carriers offer multiple flight options which can be customized to your needs. Based on your departure city, airline preference and preferred route, you can choose a discount fare to Dnepropetrovsk with any of these airlines from virtually anywhere at a wholesale price.
ASAP Tickets Travel Agents will help you choose and book the most convenient and coordinated flights with smooth connections for an itinerary that suits your individual travel needs. Thanks to our extensive variety of private, specially negotiated contracts with the airlines, cheap airfares to Dnepropetrovsk are simple to arrange during any travel season.
Currently ASAP Tickets is offering sale on airline tickets to Dnepropetrovsk for a limited time only. Contact our agents to learn more about all our featured discount airfares to Dnepropetrovsk and take advantage of these special bargains by booking now!
Dnepropetrovsk (originally Ekaterinoslav) is Ukraine's third largest city with about a million residents. It is 391 kilometres (243 mi) southeast of the capital city Kiev, nestled on the banks of Dnieper River in the south-central part of Ukraine. The Russian city of Ekaterinoslav, known by this name until 1925, was formally inaugurated by the Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1787 as the administrative centre of the newly acquired vast territories of New Russia. The history of Dnepropetrovsk reflected well in city's architecture. To get to know it, simply stroll around Karl Marx Avenue, Taras Shevchenko Park, Pushkin Prospekt and Monastyrsky Island, visit the Bryansk Church (Dnepropetrovsk House of Organ and Chamber Music), Yavornytsky Historical Museum and The city's 'Gorky' Theatre of Russian Drama. Now Dnepropetrovsk is a powerhouse of Ukraine's business and politics. Whether you are brought to Dnepropetrovsk for business or leisure, enjoy the best it has to offer with our cheap tickets to Dnepropetrovsk. Take advantage of ASAP Tickets special discount tickets to Dnepropetrovsk on sale!

domain: travel


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Company Overview of L E Farrell Co Inc.
L E Farrell Co Inc. a Pepsi-Cola franchise bottler that manufactures bottled and canned soft drinks. The company is based in South Burlington, Vermont. As of November 30, 2007, L E Farrell Co Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC.
20 Karen Drive
South Burlington, VT 05403-7845
Key Executives for L E Farrell Co Inc.
L E Farrell Co Inc. does not have any Key Executives recorded.
Similar Private Companies By Industry
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Recent Private Companies Transactions
|No transactions available in the past 12 months.|
To contact L E Farrell Co Inc., please visit --. Company data is provided by Capital IQ. Please use this form to report any data issues.


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We are delighted to welcome 6point6 as a new Corporate Member of CIISec. Founded in 2012, 6point6 is a technology consultancy with strong expertise in digital, data, emerging technology and cyber. They bring a wealth of hands-on experience to help businesses, including financial service providers, media houses and government, achieve more with digital. Using cutting edge technology and agile delivery methods, 6point6 help you reinvent, transform and secure a brighter digital future.
David Webb, CEO of 6point6 said “Delivering the highest quality service for our clients depends on having the best people. CIISec membership is an important part of our talent development strategy. We look forward to delivering even more secure transformation for many more businesses throughout the UK as a result.”
Amanda Finch CEO of CIISec said “We are delighted to welcome 6point6 as CIISec Corporate Members. We look forward working with them with our shared values of raising the standards of our profession. We will assist in developing their cyber security practitioners and embedded the CIISec Skills Frameworks within the organisation.”
For more information about 6point6 visit their website.
You can find more information on CIISec Corporate Membership here.


The Americana Music Association has recently published its Top 100 Albums for November 19, 2007 through to November 10, 2008.
In keeping with the success at the Americana award show on September where Robert Plant & Alison Krauss won the Album of the Year and Duo/Group awards, their album Raising Sand came in with third place in the play list.
The top album within mainstream bluegrass is The SteelDrivers eponymous album.
Below is a selective listing of albums in the upper half of the listing, with placement based on reported radio play.
#14 The SteelDrivers – The SteelDrivers, Rounder 6,259 plays
#42 Tim O Brien – Chameleon, Proper American/Howdy Skies 4,426 plays
#45 Donna The Buffalo – Silverlined, Sugar Hill 4,346 plays
#48 Kathy Mattea – Coal, Captain Potato Records 4,274 plays
Other albums of interest that appeared in the bottom half of the listing are Darrell Scott Modern Hymns (4,138 plays), Chatham County Line IV (4,047), Dan Tyminski Wheels (3,948), Fred Eaglesmith Tinderbox (3,312) – this album features the writer’s own version of the great tear-jerking song Carter – Duhks Fast Paced World (3,185), The Infamous Stringdusters The Infamous Stringdusters (2,851), Old Crow Medicine Show Tennessee Pusher (2,841) and Drew Emmitt Long Road (2,748).
The full listing can be found on The Americana Music Association website.


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PDP slams non-implementation of panchayat law in J&K
Jammu: Opposition PDP on Sunday questioned the rationale behind the Jammu and Kashmir government "not implementing" 73rd amendment of the Constitution, saying that if it could "introduce" an anti-terror law in the state, there should be no problem in bringing in the panchayat law.
"NC-led government had been the first one to implement POTA even before it was enacted by the Centre, now it is saying that Central law for panchayat empowerment is against the State", president Mehbooba Mufti said addressing a public meeting in Reasi district.
He also accused the state government of "denying" powers to the panchayat institutions in the state.
Claiming that PDP was the only party that brought "real" democracy to the state, Mehbooba said it was during the PDP rule that the democratic institutions were strengthened.
"Encouraging nepotism and corruption in administration are the only achievements of the decades long mis-governance of the successive NC regimes in the state," she said, accusing the NC of running the government as its "personal empire."
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- Read letters by Ratan Tata to PM Narendra Modi and Group employees after Cyrus Mistry's ouster

domain: law


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A coalition of politicians, industry experts, environmental groups and members of the public has delivered a collective warning to the Scottish Government not to create a “Klondyke Wind Rush” in its bid to become 100% dependent on clean energy sources.
The landmark Scottish National Wind Farm Conference saw turbines variously described as “destructive menaces” that were “harmful to human health and mental wellbeing” and “symptomatic of a shambolic Government planning system”.
The Cats (Communities Against Turbines Scotland) event in Ayr was attended by representatives of the John Muir Trust, the Ramblers’ Association, the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland and local residents, led by Rhona Weir, the widow of environmentalist Tom Weir.
The Scottish Government has pledged the country will generate the equivalent of 100% of its demand for electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. In May, First Minister Alex Salmond vowed to move “still faster and further” to secure the country’s place as the green energy powerhouse of Europe.
Yesterday’s event, chaired by Labour MSP Graeme Pearson and attended by 300 people, was organised with the aim of putting pressure on the Westminster and Scottish governments to create a national energy policy to halt the “scourge” of wind farms on the Scottish landscape.
One of the most pressing concerns was the number of applications for what delegates regarded as “inappropriately” located wind turbines that were being approved.
Howard Wilkinson, whose Ayrshire home overlooks 100 turbines at the Whitelees wind farm, was concerned about the “inconsistent” planning guidelines.
He said: “I’m a great believer in renewable energy and agree we need wind farms, but they need to be placed sensitively … It’s as if all the planning guidelines are being overwritten in order to reach Government targets.”
Dr Chris Hanning, of Leicester University Hospitals, said studies conducted in the United States and Canada showed rural communities felt the negative health impacts of wind turbines more keenly than those in urban communities and that they can interrupt sleep.
Dr Malcolm Swinbanks, a noise and vibration analyst, agreed the low-frequency rumble of turbines was heard more in rural locations, where tolerance decreases. “In rural locations, the ears are like wide open eyes,” he said. “To accuse people living in the countryside of being Nimbys is adding real insult to real injury.”
Dr Swinbanks read out a statement from Dr Sarah Laurie, an Australian GP who was invited to speak at the conference but who could not attend.
She said: “The time for the denial of the serious adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines on nearby residents globally is well and truly over. There are now hundreds of case reports in Australia, the UK, Europe, Canada, the US and New Zealand of people who have been seriously affected: some have left their homes, some their farms as well.
“Some have signed confidentiality agreements in exchange for being bought out in order to regain their health.
“It is my opinion that the only reason for this practice of secrecy clauses has been to keep these health problems out of the public view.”
Noise consultant Dr Dick Bowdler said the public felt they were being treated unfairly, and believed in the “malfeasance” of developers and local councils, because it was they who made money from turbines, while the public were left to pay for it.
Dave Morris, director of the Ramblers’ Association, attracted a standing ovation from delegates when he asked if the time had not now come for the Government to look again at the Beauly-Denny power lines and others that will come to south-west Scotland.
He said the cost for the controversial line of “mega pylons” carrying energy through some of Scotland’s most breathtaking countryside to the national grid has doubled since the first public inquiry, and it was suggested that a second inquiry into its feasibility should now be held.
Chick Brodie, SNP MSP for South Scotland, told the conference he was making it his personal task to look closely at the many applications due to go before the local authorities in his constituency.
He added: “I am astounded at the number of applications that are going ahead.”


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Deadpool Says Sorry To David Beckham (Kind Of)
Deadpool has apologised for making fun of David Beckham's voice, ahead of the second movie.
Ryan Reynolds has shared a clip of Becks watching a scene from the first installment.
In it, the character jokes that the footballer sounds like he's had "mouth-sex" with a can of helium.
Poor Becks looks disappointed before Deadpool comes knocking to apologise, before they're seen hugging.
The cast of Deadpool will be on Graham Norton tonight and the film is out today!
And in other news:
Katie Price has finally split from her third husband Kieran Hayler, and apparently has “grown close” to Ireland soccer player Shane Duffy. He plays for Brighton and that’s where she’s from...
This is according to today’s Irish Sun. Her soon to be ex-husband, who still lives in the family home as a full-time father and nanny, suspects that herself and Shane have been getting it on, and there have been a lot of phone calls out of earshot.
China has been banned from broadcasting Eurovision after censoring Ireland’s entry in the semi-final on Tuesday.
As a result they were not allowed to broadcast the second semi final or they will not show tomorrow’s grand final. Ireland’s entry, Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s Together, features a routine in which two men are dancing to portray a same sex relationship.