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images via CASTLA.org

Human trafficking and slavery shouldn't be issues in 2010, but unfortunately they are. These heinous crimes are the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the 21st century — a nine billion dollar industry.

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) works tirelessly to end human rights violations. They will host their Annual Gala From Freedom To Slavery today (June 3) at the House Of Blues in LA.

Their cause is especially relevant to the struggle for immigration rights, as 48% percent of CAST’s clients are Latino.

Immigration agents estimate that 10,000 women are being held in Los Angeles' underground brothels; this does not include the thousands of victims in domestic work, sweatshops or other informal industries. CAST hopes to change these statistics and make everyone aware of the current slavery issues at hand.

According to CIA estimates, as many as 50,000 men, women and children are trafficked into the US every year and Los Angeles is one of the top three points of entry. The majority of victims are women and children; however 14% of CAST’s clients in 2008 were male.

Human trafficking ranks second, after drug smuggling and tying with arms dealing, in organized crime activities. An estimated 27 million people are enslaved around the world today – that’s more than the population of 18 States!

States such as California, Florida, New York Nevada and Ohio are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking because of their proximity to international borders and significant immigrant populations.

CAST's mission is to assist persons trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and to work toward ending all instances of such human rights violations.

Each 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 2pm, members of CAST's survivor caucus will be sharing their story at the Museum of Tolerance, as part of their Survivor Speaker Series.

The Museum of Tolerance
Simon Wiesenthal Plaza
9786 West Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035

For more information, log on to CASTLA.org.

How can we help CAST prevent human trafficking? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags CAST, human rights, human trafficking, Immigration, Los-Angeles

By Simone Hilliard

Tropical Storm Agatha has created a lot of damage, the most devastating being a 200-foot sinkhole that swallowed a three-story building yesterday (May 31) in Guatemala City.

Helicopters brought aid to remote towns on Guatemala's pacific coast and foreign relief began to pour in Monday (June 1), including a U.S. donation of $113,000.

The 200-foot sinkhole appeared as the city took a beating from Agatha's torrential downpours. Witnesses confirmed that at least one man was in the building when it fell, and others are missing.

More than 94,000 have been evacuated from the capital city. According to the Daily Mail, Agatha has killed at least 146 people across Central America, and has sparked fears for the economies of Guatemala and El Salvador - as there has been widespread damage to the coffee crop in both countries.

Sinkholes can appear suddenly but are thousands of years in the making, geologists said. The gaping holes are usually caused by rainwater eating away at porous rock such as limestone below the surface and weakening it, creating a honeycomb of caverns which can become packed with mud. The floodwater from the tropical storm may have flushed away that mud, leading to the collapse.

Source: [The Daily Beast]

Tr3s Comunidad, what will you do to help Guatemala? Let us know know below, or @MTV3.

Tags Guatemala, sinkhole

By Sugey Palomares

Juanes is always working on making the world a better place. The "Me Enamora" singer was recently honored with the 2010 "Al-Rashid Hope Award" for his humanitarian efforts at the 8th annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala in Miami, Florida.

Over 550 guests attended the star-studded event that included performances by Luis Enrique, and the former member of Sin Bandera, Noel Schajris. Besides helping victims of cancer, the Latin Grammy winner pioneered the successful Mi Sangre Foundation, which helps victims of mines.

Here is what Juanes had to say about his award:

"As a father, I can't help but be profoundly touched by the children who are currently being treated at St. Jude. At this great hospital our children have hope, and that is why I joined this cause, and with sincere gratitude accept this award."

Congrats Juanes! We admire your revolutionary spirit!

Source: [PR Newswire]

Want to join Juanes' effort? Check out Mi Sangre Foundation and see how you can make a difference.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Chisme, Juanes, Latin Music, MTV, Musica Latina, St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala, Tr3s

By Sugey Palomares

We previously reported that Pitbull protested SB 1070 by canceling his "Mr Worldwide´s Carnaval Tour" stop in Phoenix, Arizona, but now Mr. 305 is adding more fire to the cause by joining musician Zack de la Rocha's "The Sound Strike" campaign.

The creative boycott urges the world's musical movers and shakers to stand up and fight against the Arizona law. Here is campaign's mission statement:

"When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, "we're not going to ride the bus", saying we are not going to comply. We are not going to play in Arizona. We are going to boycott Arizona!"

The "Rebelution" star has joined the collective fight along with other musicians including, Juanes, Calle 13, Cafe Tacvba, Los Tigres del Norte, and Kanye West.

Since the campaign launched, celebs have been voicing their support in the Twitter-sphere. Calle 13 urged Jon Leguizamo to join the strike:

"Boycott arizona yo. Hope lakers beat suns to a pulp. No buying anything, no performin, nothing"

Claro, Pitbull also wants to increase the number of celeb protesters:

"Artists Boycott of Arizona, A call to artists and fans of music to stop SB 1070!!"

Do you think "The Sound Strike" can make a difference? Have you joined the fight? Make your voice heard below or @MTV3!

Tags Arizona Law, Calle 13, Chisme, Immigration, Juanes, Kanye West, Latin Music, Los Tigres Del Norte, Musica Latina, Pitbull, Politics, SB 1070

By Sugey Palomares

When one Latino succeeds, our entire comunidad celebrates! Junot Diaz's beautifully woven high-energy narrative in "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" proved to be the ultimate page-turner after winning the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Topping even this extraordinary achievement, the Dominican contemporary writer has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board, which selects the most talented names in journalism.

The 41-year-old author is the first Latino to serve on the board, and the second Latino to have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Diaz shared his reaction to the new position:

"The Pulitzer Prize absolutely fundamentally changed my life and career as an artist. I keep thinking, 'Wow, I get the chance to do that for a whole bunch of people. Not just me alone, of course."

Here is a clip of Diaz explaining how writing a book can transform you:

We have more about Junot's inspiring story and career, after the jump! Read more...

Tags Junot Diaz, Latinos, MTV, Pulitzer Prize, Tr3s, Tres

By Bashira Webb

British artist/activist M.I.A. is known for many things: her crazy style, love of global rhythms — but mostly her political lyricism. She is a woman who definitely isn't afraid to speak her mind and question authority. Since her Arular debut, M.I.A. has lashed out against economic disfranchisement and invasion of privacy.

We weren't surprised to hear about M.I.A.'s latest targets: Google and Facebook. Are search engines and social networking giants teaching us to love Big Brother? M.I.A seems to think so. Who's watching you?

image via Nylonmag.com

In the June/July issue of Nylon magazine, M.I.A., aka Maya Arulpragasam, raises her concerns about censorship and privacy on the Internet:

“Anybody who is called the government is right. And anybody who isn’t called the government is not right… And you know, all governments are connected to Google, and all governments can shift their search engines so only what they want you to see comes up… I want kids to be aware of this digital circumstance…

Everyone on the Internet is like, “Oh my God, come and join Facebook!” They’re all so optimistic… and really, everyone is f*cking you up behind the screens. And I don’t like that. It makes it difficult for me to interact with my fans knowing that. Google and Facebook were developed by the CIA, and when you’re on there, you have to know that.”

Whether you agree or disagree with what M.I.A. is saying, you have to admire her fervor. We should all take a page out of M.I.A.’s book and not be afraid to express our views on political issues.

M.I.A's forthcoming album, MAYA, is set to hit stores and digital outlets on July 13.

We're all about that "Born Free" video, M.I.A.! Team Blogamole salutes you!

Source: [Spin]

How much does your freedom on the web mean to you? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Facebook, Google, M.I.A.

By Erika Ramirez

Earlier this week, a very disturbing photo of one of our favorite cartoons, "Dora the Explorer," permeated the blogosphere and text message threads.

The picture, in the form of a mug shot, shows Dora's left eye as bruised, while blood appears from her nose and mouth. Sick!

Even more disturbing is why she was taken into imaginary custody: "Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest."

This is just one in a series of outrageous attacks on Latinos, riffing on recent deportation threats that seem inspired by Arizona's immigration law, SB 1070.

Source: [CBS News]

What's your take on the controversy? Sound off below or @MTV3.

Tags Dora the Explorer, Immigration, SB 1070, Television

By Erika Ramirez

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, a Puerto Rican U.S. citizen, Eduardo Caraballo, was threatened with deportation to — get this — MEXICO. WTF? This is offensive to everyone, including artists like Ricky Martin, who called the move "STUPID." Tell them, Ricky!

Ever the humanitarian, Ricky Martin shared the story on Twitter:

"http://bit.ly/9K0VTF -This is STUPID. Deportar a un Puertorriqueño de EUA. Esto es el colmo. #STOPREJUDICE. En algun momento les mencione lo bendecido y orgulloso que me siento de ser quien soy? Yo creo que si! ;0) #stoprejudice. By the way, did i mention how blessed and proud I feel for being who i am? ;0) #stoprejudice"

Caraballo (who is from Berwyn, Illinois) was arrested this past weekend, after being pulled over in a reportedly stolen vehicle. When Caraballo's mother came to post bail, police officials detained him for three days and threatened to deport him to Mexico because they did not believe that he was a citizen — or Puerto Rican!

Find out what happened to Caraballo, after the jump! Read more...

Tags Immigration, Ricky Martin, SB 1070

Team Blogamole recently down with director George A. Romero. He gave us some perspective on his new film, "Survival of the Dead", upcoming projects, his dream gig and more! We'll be rolling out clips for the next two weeks – stay tuned or we'll eat your brains!

True George A. Romero fans already know about the director's Latino roots. Born to a Cuban father and Lithuanian mother, Romero's films are inspired by Afro-Caribbean spiritual beliefs.

Ever the honest guy, Romero has spoken candidly about his own father's prejudices against Latinos.

In a 2009 interview with Lee Karr, Romero gave some insight into his conflicted upbringing:

"I'm half Latino, I'm a New York baby right. So my Dad is Cuban, my Mom is Lithuanian. My Dad say's 'I'm not Cuban!' - but you were born in Cuba? 'I am Castilian, from Spain! Family went to Cuba to open a hotel!' Okay, well let's say you're a Cuban, you're a Spanish guy? 'Yes, but I am not a Puerto Rican!'

I grew up in New York with a Spanish Dad right in the days of West Side Story, where you know the Puerto Rican gangs and shit? My Dad is telling me Puerto Ricans are shit. I have a Latino Dad who's telling me that Puerto Ricans are shit.(laughs) I mean this is a very confusing situation...anyway."

When we asked the legendary horror master to discuss the Latino characters in his latest film, he opened up — in the most cinematic of ways.