Letter from Chinese Laborer Pleading for Help Found in Halloween Decorations By Jessica Ferri |

Julie Keith was unpacking some of last year's Halloween decorations when she stumbled upon an upsetting letter wedged into the packaging.

Tucked in between two novelty headstones that she had purchased at Kmart, she found what appeared to be a letter from the Chinese laborer, who had made the decoration,pleading for help.

Samsung in hot seat over abusing Chinese workers

The letter reads: "Sir, if you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever."

"I was so frustrated that this letter had been sitting in storage for over a year, that this person had written this plea for help and nothing had come of it." Julie Keith told Yahoo! Shine. "Then I was shocked. This person had probably risked their life to get this letter in this package."

The letter describes the conditions at the factory: "People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month)." That translates to about $1.61 a month.

The letter was found inside this packagingKeith, a mom who works at the Goodwill in Portland, Oregon, did some research into the letter. "I looked up this labor camp on the internet. Some horrific images popped up, and there were also testimonials about people who had lived through this camp. It was just awful."

Horrified, Keith took to Facebook. She posted an image of the letter to ask friends for advice. One responded with a contact at Amnesty International. Keith made several attempts to alert them about the letter, but the organization never responded.

With no response from various human rights organizations, Keith took her story to The Oregonian. "The reporter, Rachel Stark, got through to Human Rights Watch, but I had no luck."

This is not the first time a letter like this has turned up. Just this week, another plea was found written in Chinese on a toilet seat and posted on Reddit. Commenters on the website have questioned the letters' authenticity.

Though the letter lists the address of the specific camp, officials at Human Rights Watch were unable to verify the authenticity of the letter. However, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, told The Oregonian that the description was consistent with their research. "I think it is fair to say the conditions described in the letter certainly conform to what we know about conditions in re-education through labor camps."

The concern over the conditions laborers must endure in China and other countries first came to the public eye in the 1980s with the use of sweatshops to make Nike sneakers. Since then, according to an article recently published in The New York Times, Nike "has convened public meetings of labor, human rights, environmental and business leaders to discuss how to improve overseas factories."

Tech companies, like Apple and Hewlett Packard, are being made to be accountable for their labor practices. After receiving a great deal of criticism, Apple is now making public statements that they are aware of the harsh conditions in China and are taking steps to improve them.

As for Julie Keith, she had a general idea about the conditions in Chinese labor camps, but this letter has been a dramatic eye-opener into the stark reality of the issue. "I was aware of labor camps. I knew they had factories but I had no idea of the gravity of the situation. I didn't realize how bad it could be for people."

Finding the letter has made Keith more aware of the origin of many products sold in the United States. "As I was doing my Christmas shopping this year, I checked every label. It's virtually impossible to avoid purchasing things made in China as over 90 percent of our goods are made there. But if I saw 'made in China,' this year I asked myself, 'do I really need this?'"

Healthy Relationship

It Feels Like Love - But Is It?

Sometimes it feels impossible to find someone who's right for you — and who thinks you're right for him or her! So when it happens, you're usually so psyched that you don't even mind when your little brother finishes all the ice cream or your English teacher chooses the one day when you didn't do your reading to give you a pop quiz.

It's totally normal to look at the world through rose-colored glasses in the early stages of a relationship. But for some people, those rose-colored glasses turn into blinders that keep them from seeing that a relationship isn't as healthy as it should be.

Healthy Realtionship:-

1. Mutual respect:-

Does he or she get how cool you are and why? (Watch out if the answer to the first part is yes but only because you're acting like someone you're not!) The key is that your BF or GF is into you for who you are — for your great sense of humor, your love of reality TV, etc. Does your partner listen when you say you're not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands — and would never challenge — the other person's boundaries.

2. Trust:-

You're talking with a guy from your office and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you'd never cheat on him? It's OK to get a little jealous sometimes — jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other.

3. Honesty:- 

This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it's tough to trust someone when one of you isn't being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend/boyfriend in a major lie? Like she/he told you that she/he had to work on Friday night but it turned out she/he was at the movies with her/his friends? The next time she/he says she/he has to work, you'll have a lot more trouble believing her/him and the trust will be on shaky ground. 

4.Support:-

It's not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but can't take being there when things are going right (and vice versa). In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play.

5. Fairness/equality:- 

You need to have give-and-take in your relationship, too. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner's friends as often as you hang out with yours? It's not like you have to keep a running count and make sure things are exactly even, of course. But you'll know if it isn't a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person fighting to get his or her way all the time.

6. Separate identities:-

In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn't mean you should feel like you're losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn't change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don't, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward.

7. Good communication:- 

You've probably heard lots of stuff about how men and women don't seem to speak the same language. We all know how many different meanings the little phrase "no, nothing's wrong" can have, depending on who's saying it! But what's important is to ask if you're not sure what he or she means, and speak honestly and openly so that the miscommunication is avoided in the first place. Never keep a feeling bottled up because you're afraid it's not what your BF or GF wants to hear or because you worry about sounding silly. And if you need some time to think something through before you're ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that if you ask for it.

What's an Unhealthy Relationship

A relationship is unhealthy when it involves mean, disrespectful, controlling, or abusive behavior. Some people live in homes with parents who fight a lot or abuse each other — emotionally, verbally, or physically. For some people who have grown up around this kind of behavior it can almost seem normal or OK. It's not! Many of us learn from watching and imitating the people close to us. So someone who has lived around violent or disrespectful behavior may not have learned how to treat others with kindness and respect or how to expect the same treatment.

Qualities like kindness and respect are absolute requirements for a healthy relationship. Someone who doesn't yet have this part down may need to work on it with a trained therapist before he or she is ready for a relationship. Meanwhile, even though you might feel bad or feel for someone who's been mistreated, you need to take care of yourself — it's not healthy to stay in a relationship that involves abusive behavior of any kind.

Warning Signs

When a boyfriend or girlfriend uses verbal insults, mean language, nasty putdowns, gets physical by hitting or slapping, or forces someone into sexual activity, it's an important warning sign of verbal, emotional, or physical abuse.

Ask yourself, does my boyfriend or girlfriend:

• get angry when I don't drop everything for him or her?
• criticize the way I look or dress, and say I'll never be able to find anyone else who would date me?
• keep me from seeing friends or from talking to any other guys or girls?
• want me to quit an activity, even though I love it?
• ever raise a hand when angry, like he or she is about to hit me?
• try to force me to go further sexually than I want to?

These aren't the only questions you can ask yourself. If you can think of any way in which your boyfriend or girlfriend is trying to control you, make you feel bad about yourself, isolate you from the rest of your world, or — this is a big one — harm you physically or sexually, then it's time to get out, fast. Let a trusted friend or family member know what's going on and make sure you're safe.

It can be tempting to make excuses or misinterpret violence, possessiveness, or anger as an expression of love. But even if you know that the person hurting you loves you, it is not healthy. No one deserves to be hit, shoved, or forced into anything he or she doesn't want to do.

Why Are Some Relationships So Difficult?

Ever heard about how it's hard for someone to love you when you don't love yourself? It's a big relationship roadblock when one or both people struggle with self-esteem problems. Your girlfriend or boyfriend isn't there to make you feel good about yourself if you can't do that on your own. Focus on being happy with yourself, and don't take on the responsibility of worrying about someone else's happiness.

What if you feel that your girlfriend or boyfriend needs too much from you? If the relationship feels like a burden or a drag instead of a joy, it might be time to think about whether it's a healthy match for you. Someone who's not happy or secure may have trouble being a healthy relationship partner.

Also, intense relationships can be hard for some teenagers. Some are so focused on their own developing feelings and responsibilities that they don't have the emotional energy it takes to respond to someone else's feelings and needs in a close relationship. Don't worry if you're just not ready yet. You will be, and you can take all the time you need.

Ever notice that some teen relationships don't last very long? It's no wonder — you're still growing and changing every day, and it can be tough to put two people together whose identities are both still in the process of forming. You two might seem perfect for each other at first, but that can change. If you try to hold on to the relationship anyway, there's a good chance it will turn sour. Better to part as friends than to stay in something that you've outgrown or that no longer feels right for one or both of you. And before you go looking for amour from that hottie from French class, respect your current beau by breaking things off before you make your move.

Relationships can be one of the best — and most challenging — parts of your world. They can be full of fun, romance, excitement, intense feelings, and occasional heartache, too. Whether you're single or in a relationship, remember that it's good to be choosy about who you get close to. If you're still waiting, take your time and get to know plenty of people.

Think about the qualities you value in a friendship and see how they match up with the ingredients of a healthy relationship. Work on developing those good qualities in yourself — they make you a lot more attractive to others. And if you're already part of a pair, make sure the relationship you're in brings out the best in both of you.

Credit to: D'Arcys Lyness, PHD

17 Warning Signs of a Bad Boyfriend

You know the guy you're thinking about marrying is wrong for you if he has no friends, your parents and siblings don't like him, and his credit history doesn't check out.

Sometimes the best words of wisdom don't come from academics or scientists with impressive titles and educational credentials. Sometimes the best advice comes from people who have been there and done that in the real world. Such is the case with a recent letter published in the syndicated Dear Abby advice column that listed 17 signs that your boyfriend is NOT the one you should marry.

A married woman who said her husband now wanted a divorce passed along these tips to Dear Abby for the not-yet-married. If you see these red flags, she advises you to dump the guy:

1. If your parents or siblings have doubts about him, pay attention. Listen and check it out.
2. If your intended has nothing good to say about his ex, beware. This is a pattern. Divorce is rarely only one person's fault.
3. If his children have nothing to do with him, do not believe him if he says his ex brainwashed them against him. My stepchildren have told me it was because they hated him, and they have good reasons.
4. Look closely at his credit and job history. They are sure predictors of what your life will be like.
5. If he's over 30 and has no money, do not let him move in with you, and don't marry him until he's financially solvent. If he has any respect for you (and himself), he'll insist on it.
6. Be sure in your heart that you can live with him AS IS. You cannot change another person.
7. This is a biggie: Beware if he has no friends. It is not true that they all chose to side with his ex.
8. If your friends dislike him, pay attention. This is also true if he hates your friends.
9. If he has more than one DUI and still drinks, run!
10. If he is one personality at work or with others and another person alone with you, run.
11. If he has nothing to do with his parents, investigate why. Don't take his word for it.
12. If he's an expert at everything and brags a lot, understand that he will turn off a lot of people, eventually maybe even you.
13. If he has sexual problems, go with him to a doctor before you marry him. Believe me, his problem will become your problem.
14. If he is emotionally or verbally abusive, it will only get worse. Yelling, name-calling and glowering are classic signs of an abuser.
15. If he is never wrong and never apologizes, everything will be "your fault" forever. And after years of hearing it, you may even start to accept the blame.
16. If he does something wrong and says, "That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't (fill in the blank)," that's another sign of an abuser.
17. And if he's mean to children, pets, or animals, recognize that he's pathological, and the next victim could be you.

7 Popular Ways You Can Be Scammed ... And How to Stop Them

You're smart, you're financially savvy, and you'd never fall for one of those get-rich schemes. But that doesn't mean you won't get scammed. It's easy to assume that only the truly gullible are prey for con artists and scammers, but that's not always the case. Take a look at these seven popular scams. 

1. ATM skimming 

This type of crime has been around for decades, and as technology has improved, so have ways to duplicate ATM cards. Here's one way it works: Criminals attach a device on an ATM that captures information about your account when you swipe your card. At the same time, you're being videotaped or watched by a tiny camera that's hidden near the ATM's keypad. Within a matter of minutes, a thief has your bank account information and your PIN and is able to create a duplicate bankcard and empty your account. 

To prevent skimming, avoid those ATMs that are most at risk such as stand-alone locations or non-bank-related ATMs that you find in stores or gas stations. If you notice an ATM has a device over the card reader or a note instructing you to swipe your card through a different reader, notify the bank, and before you swipe your card, put your hand on the slot and wiggle it - ATMs without skimmers shouldn't move. As always, be sure to cover the keypad when typing in your PIN, and if you notice any withdrawals on your bank statement that you didn't make, alert your bank immediately. Typically, banks will refund your money if you bring the matter to their attention within 60 days.

2. Bogus pizza leaflets 

You're on vacation and after a long day of sightseeing with the kids, you just want to feed them dinner and relax in the hotel room. When you return to the hotel, you find a flyer for a local pizza restaurant stuck on your windshield or shoved under the room door, and you call, place an order and give them your credit card information. As you eagerly count down the 30 minutes or less it'll take your pie to be delivered, the fraudsters at the "pizza restaurant" are using your credit card to make purchases. 

This pizza flier scam recently got so out of control in Florida that the state legislature banned pizza leafleting; however, it was decided that the decision interfered with the free market and the legislature changed its mind. The best way to avoid being scammed by phony fliers while you're traveling is to consult a phone book or call the hotel's front desk to verify if the restaurant is legitimate. 

3. Phishing 

"We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your personal information is not compromised, please click here to verify your identity."

Sound familiar? Phishing entails sending out messages that claim to be from an organization like a bank or government agency and asking you to confirm your account information - anything from credit card numbers to account passwords. Many of these emails use official company logos or direct you to websites with URLs that, at first glance, might seem legitimate. 

If you get an email asking for personal or financial information, don't click on the link and don't reply - banks, credit card companies and other businesses will never ask you to verify personal information via email. Forward the message to spam@uce.gov and to the organization that's being impersonated, and review your bank account and credit card statements regularly to ensure there aren't any unauthorized charges.

4. Stranded Facebook friends 

Have any of your Facebook friends recently appealed to you for money because they're stranded abroad and need money for a flight home? Most likely you later found out that your friends weren't out of the country - they weren't even out of town - but their account had been hacked. Scammers often look for active Facebook users with a lot of friends and then hack their accounts and attempt to solicit money from kind-hearted people. 

If a friend contacts you on Facebook asking for money, don't send them anything until you've spoken with them and verified their story. If a friend is sending out spam on the social networking site or sending repeated messages for money, let them know their account has been hacked and report the situation to Facebook.

5. Work-at-home schemes 

Making lots of money by doing simple tasks from the comfort of your own home may sound too good to be true - and it usually is. Such get-rich-quick schemes have been around for decades and involve everything from taking online surveys to assembling jewelry, but perhaps the most famous scheme is the envelope-stuffing scam. In this one, workers pay a small fee to join the organization and are promised money for every envelope they stuff. However, the workers are stuffing envelopes with flyers that recruit other people to stuff envelopes, essentially just perpetuating the scheme.

While real work-from-home employment opportunities do exist, it's estimated that only one in 42 work-at-home job offers are legitimate. How do you know if it's a scam? If the pay is too good to be true or payment is required to begin work, it's most likely not a real employment opportunity. 

6. Bad checks 

Let's say you're selling an expensive item like a car or jewelry online, and when the buyer sends you a certified check, it's for more than the purchase price. The buyer immediately recognizes the mistake and asks you to send a check back for the extra money, which you do. However, you later find out the cashier's check you deposited was counterfeit and you've already sent your money - and the sold item - to the buyer.

If you're selling something locally, meet the buyer in a secure location and deal in cash. If you're dealing with international buyers or an online auction, use a service like PayPal or wait until the buyer's check clears. Keep in mind that it can sometimes take the bank more than a week to certify that a check is good.

7. Imposter scams 

In these schemes, a fraudster poses either online or on the phone as a friend or relative in desperate need of financial assistance. These scams typically play out via email with someone asking for money because they've been injured, arrested or stranded abroad. However, senior citizens are often targeted for these scams over the phone and asked to send money to bail out a grandchild or help them get home. 

Successful schemes take $3,000 to $4,000 on average, and according to the Federal Trade Commission, imposter scams are one of the fastest growing types of fraud. If you get a call or an email from a friend or relative in need of monetary assistance, contact other friends or family to verify the story, and never give out financial information over the phone or send money to an unknown source.

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Let's say it's 6.15pm and you're going home (alone of course),
after an unusually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself..!!

NOW HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE..??

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.
However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.
A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.
Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.
The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!
i will say If everyone who gets this broadcast sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we'll save at least one life.

Rather than sharing jokes please.. contribute by broadcasting this which can save a person's life!!!!
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BROADCAST THIS PLEASE!