This is the first picture taken with my new phone. These figurines are my only keepsakes from a grandma who passed away many years ago. They were likely purchased in post-WWII Guam. I'm thrilled to see how well the new camera captured their details.
Today was spent catching up on misc stuff for the end of the year. Communication. Planning. Stuff like that. I also had an appointment cancel today at the last minute, leaving me feeling a little at loose ends.
One thing I noticed right away when I got up was that one of my Navigating Dystopia NFTs sold! Even though I've made a bunch of NFTs before, this is the only one that's ever sold to a stranger. Hopefully more sales will follow, but you never know.
In the news, the jury reached a verdict in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. According to NPR, "British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on Wednesday of facilitating the abuse of underage girls at the hands of wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. A federal jury deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty on five of the six counts she faced, including the sex trafficking of a minor."
Maxwell could face decades in prison. Or maybe she'll die in a holding cell like Epstein did. Either way, I suspect that there are other co-conspirators out there who will never even be named in public. Given Epstein's friends list, some of them may still hold positions of power in government or the corporate world.
The thing that bothers me the most about the Epstein scandal is that it wasn't an aberration. The website I work for tracks sexual abuse scandals, and has collected a vast trove of material on this disturbing subject. It's good that Maxwell is being held accountable for her actions. But the conspiracy she participated in is really just the tip of a very big iceberg.
Most of this iceberg isn't comprised of wealthy elites. Rather, it's made up of average criminals feeding children to industrial sex trafficking mills. Victims are often immigrants, foster kids, addicts, or others made vulnerable by their shaky standing in society. Abusers look for victims that no one cares about, and too many young people fall into that category.
In Epstein's case, troubled youths were targeted, and the initial investigation into his activities considered the girls he harmed to be underage prostitutes rather than trafficking victims. This characterization combined with a political conspiracy to ensure that the matter was essentially swept under the rug for years. How many similar conspiracies happened but never came to light? How many are happening right now?
Read my novels:
- The Paradise Anomaly is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Psychic Avalanche is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- One Man Embassy is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Flying Saucer Shenanigans is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Rainbow Lullaby is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- The Ostermann Method is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Blue Dragon Mississippi is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
Check out the comic I wrote:
- Finney Vol 1 Immutable Journey is available as a free e-comic.