Miss Landmine

I was doing some research for a project I was doing on land mine awareness and I came across this great contest in Angola called Miss Landmine. It is held every year to help bring light to those women who have suffered lost limbs or injury due to land mines, and remove some of the stigma that exists for many of the sufferers. This is the Manifesto for the organization responsible for the event:

THE MISS LANDMINE MANIFESTO
(in no particular order)

* Female pride and empowerment.

* Disabled pride and empowerment.

* Global and local landmine awareness and information.

* Challenge inferiority and/or guilt complexes that hinder creativity-
historical, cultural, social, personal, African, European.

* Question established concepts of physical perfection.

* Challenge old and ingrown concepts of cultural cooperation.

* Celebrate true beauty.

* Replace the passive term 'Victim' with the active term 'Survivor'

And have a good time for all involved while doing so!

These are a couple of the ads created to showcase the event for media:





Really is an interesting notion, and one that we fail, here in the Western world, to play with. We hide our 'abnormalities' behind closed doors, or at least we certainly don't give them a contest or pageant. Why don't we? Clearly these women disprove our notions of beauty and flip around our notions of what is normal. This is truly a world changing idea. How can anything be the same?

More On The Need For A New Paradigm

I wasn't the first and certainly will not be the last person to call for the need for a new paradigm of thinking and living. I was going through some old magazines the last couple of days and found an interview with Brad Pitt in the October 2006 Esquire magazine. In the interview he says this:

"Nature consumes and then reuses; there is a cycle to things. But humans just consume. It's obviously time for a new paradigm. And the question is, Do we adopt it now, or do we wait until we're really in trouble? We're going to have to make the tough choices. Some people are going to have to lose money, but new people will begin making money. Industry and environment don't have to be at odds with each other; they can work harmoniously."

This is just one part of the new paradigm that must be considered. What else should be included?

Im Baaaack

I am finally finished school - for the foreseeable future anyways. It was a stressful last month between classes, applying for jobs/internships (although not many, as I will explain) and some health problems I have been dealing with for a couple of months now. Unfortunately something had to give in my schedule and this blog was one of the things that had to go on the back burner until some time freed up.

Today was my first day off and I am going to have the next couple of months to look after me and put some effort into some of my passion projects. It is an exciting time and I am really looking forward to this opportunity to decompress and plot out my future path. I have spent the last 20 years in school and this will be the first time when I won't be going back after the summer. My future is ahead and I don't have a clue what it will look like.

As I said my health took a bit of a turn a couple of months ago and its been a tad stressful. I had some neurological problems and as a result I am seeing a naturopath to help me get sorted out. I have been put on a slew of supplements and vitamins, revamped my entire diet, and I am about to embark on a heavy exercise program. My diet has been the tough part to get a grasp on as I can't eat wheat, dairy, mushrooms, vinegar, red meat and fried foods. Its been a rough 6 weeks I tell you! While my health problems aren't something to be happy about, I think they are a blessing in disguise. I wasn't paying attention to myself or giving myself the necessary time and this i just a reason to get back to myself. I have set a goal of losing 35 pounds by the end of the year, and 25 of those in the next 3 months. I will make sure to give some monthly updates to let you know how I am doing.

As for jobs/internships, I have been looking and expect that something will come up that both fits me and I fit as well. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for an opportunity but in the meantime I am also going to enjoy the relaxation that this brief respite will give me. There are so many things I want to do and I could really use this time to sort it all out.

I want you to know I have been collecting lots of interesting information to pass on to you readers and things will be a lot more regular now. So stay tuned and let others know about this blog.

No Posts - Your Chance to Guest Post

It is a busy time right now. School is almost done (2 weeks to go) and I am still searching for a job/internship. It might not sound like much but at the moment it has my mind completely preoccupied. So I may have a chance to post something between now and then but you will have to forgive me if I don't get around to it. I promise that I will be back and that I have not abandoned this blog. Please bear with me and don't delete this feed. In the meantime if you want to write a post for others to see, please feel free to send me an email and we'll get it on here. Look forward to getting back at it!

Human Universals

On Pangea Day, Donald Brown spoke about his years of studying humans for universal things we all have in common. He has compiled a list and this is it. Human Universals.

A New Paradigm

I have mentioned previously that in order for the world to be changed there needs to be a realignment of values, in other words, a paradigm shift. Our entire way of thinking needs to be changed. In order for this to happen, unfortunately, it will require that this new way of thinking be created for the average person. The average person is more passive in their way of living, they are dictated by the system in which the live within, instead of actively questioning and engaging the system. We, the people who want to see a change in the system, the ones who actively think about the world we live in, must create a new one. A paradigm defined with hope, inspiration, global values, etc.

Craig Kielburger had a great quote today in the Toronto Star about just this shift in thinking. He said, "The idea behind (it) is that if we're going to truly end poverty it's more than just writing a cheque. It's shifting how young people look at the world, how they shop, how they vote, how they give of their time". His brother and him describe it as a movement but I think it is more than just that. A movement can fade over time, whereas a shift in the way we live our lives is timeless.

Try to think about how you can contribute to the paradigm shift, where would you be able to influence those around you to change the way they think about their interaction with the world. Actively make the world a better place and don't just wait for someone else to create your new world for you.

It Starts With One Person

Here is a great video showcasing the power one person has to start a movement. Through action others will follow.