Photo: soaringbird

The reality for many women living in the 21st century is not that different from 50, 100, or hundreds of years ago.

Their main option for survival is to sell their bodies. It doesn’t matter what they look like, their age, their color, their beliefs or practices – they are simply seen as a commodity.

This video at VBS.TV tells the story of the women who live at Casa Xochiquetzal, a safe haven for elderly prostitutes in Mexico City.

I have no doubt you’ll be shocked at the age of most of these women, some of who still work right outside the protected walls of the house:

I’m not here to wonder politically or socially what we can do to change the landscape of women’s rights throughout the world. A topic always worthy of discussion, but not my point today. Instead, I wonder in what ways we all are impacted by the continued oppression and disempowerment of women on a global scale.

Given, I’m a woman, so I take it straight in my heart and gut when I see videos like these, or read about the high rate of violent attacks and rapes happening in Haiti.

But I also wonder about how the butterfly effect comes into play. More than just a movie, the idea behind this phenomenon is that something small happening in one part of a system (in this case, the system of humanity) can effect the whole system in undetermined – possibly/probably negative – ways.

How are each of us that are lucky enough to live a privileged life, in this case basic safety and security being a given, actually impacted by what these women face every single day?

I have no real answer. I believe a lot of pain is created for our collective unconscious, and we might act that pain out in ways we’re not proud of in our daily life. I also think the opposite might be true – we are driven from some deep, unseen force to travel, to get our ass in gear, to help others.

So maybe the reality is both positives and negatives can stem from violence. But imagine how much each of us, men and women, might be healed if somehow, someway, our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends could simply be safe and secure.

What do you think the global impacts are of women’s disempowerment? Share your thoughts below.

Rev. James Forbes gives his TED talk / Feature photo: TED

It’s pretty hard not to be inspired to change the world, and your life, after watching a few minutes of a TED talk. If you haven’t seen one before, get ready to be moved.

Here are six videos to springboard you into some serious inner travel:

Carl Honore praises slowness

We live in a fast-paced world that gets faster every single day. There was bound to eventually be a movement to counter-balance this approach, and so the Slow Movement was born. Journalist Carl Honore, well-known advocate for the Slow Movement, discusses what it means for our health and happiness to live in a culture where faster is always better:

In other cultures, time is cyclical, it’s seen as moving in great, unhurried circles, it’s always renewing and refreshing itself, where as in the West, time is linear, it’s a finite resource. It’s always draining away, you either use it or lose it…I think what that does to us psychologically is it creates an equation: time is scarce, so what do we do? Well, we speed up, don’t we? We try and do more and more with less and less time, we turn every moment of every day into a race to the finish line, a finish line incidentally that we never reach…

Matthieu Ricard on the habits of happiness

A happy French man? It is possible, as Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard shows us. Sometimes called the “happiest man in the world,” Ricard says that despite what “French intellectuals say, no one wakes up in the morning thinking ‘may I suffer the whole day?’ which means that somehow, consciously or not, directly or indirectly, in the short or the long-term, whatever we do, whatever we hope, whatever we dream, somehow is related to a deep profound desire for well-being or happiness.” Even with all of the other emotions present, such as jealousy, fear, and anger, we still have the ability to train our minds toward happiness.

For more on the science of happiness, check out Nancy Etcoff’s speech.

Julia Sweeney on Letting Go of God

Sometimes, it takes hearing the wacky creation story of another faith to sit back and question the one of our own belief system. In this talk, Julia Sweeney, best known for her run on Saturday Night Live, talks about a house visit from two Mormon boys, and how their explanation of God – and the supposed evilness of Native-Americans – made her contemplate her Christian faith.

Wade Davis on the worldwide web of belief and ritual

National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis reminds us how we are all connected, are all of an animal nature, and most importantly, that we are “all cut from the same genetic cloth.” In the West, we think of technology as the great achievement of our intellect, while in other parts of the world, genius stems from the unraveling of the myths of life:

All peoples are simply cultural options, different visions of life itself.

Watch the beautiful pictures that Davis has taken of people all over the world, as he explains how different spiritual practices hold the Earth in balance.

David Hoffman on losing everything

What happens when you lose it all, literally? Nine days before giving this speech at TED, filmmaker David Hoffman lost 40 years of his life’s work in a fire that burned down his house and office. Camera lenses from shooting a Bob Dylan film, the only print of his feature film King Murray, and a letter from his father telling him to marry his first wife were gone in an instant. He asks the question:

I looked at it. I just didn’t know what to do. Was I my things?

At one point or another in life, we all must face loss. Hoffman decides he’s going to make something good out of his; how will you approach yours?

Rev. James Forbes: Compassion at the dinner table

Where does compassion begin? How do we cultivate it in everyday life? Rev. James Forbes tells the story of practicing rituals at the dinner table and learning that sharing with others brings love to all. Growing up, it was important that all the children of the family were present at the table, for the metaphor of all-inclusive meant “we have been faithful in caring and sharing, we had the sense that justice and peace would have a chance in the world.” The overall message in Forbes’ piece is one that moves us all in a compassionate way throughout life:

When one is honored, all are honored.

Thanks to Julie Schwietert for pulling this inspirational list together.

Community Connection

TED talks inspire on many different levels, including protection for the environment. Check out 6 Inspiring TED Talks About the Environment over at Matador Change.

Photo: Jayel Aheram

Last week, one of the greats passed on.

No, I’m not referring to J.D. Salinger, although he was also one. I’m talking about Howard Zinn – historian, writer, and social justice activist. He is the author of the quintessential book that changed my life, the People’s History of the United States. If you haven’t read it, whether you are American or not, it will without a doubt re-frame everything you thought you knew about world history since the Declaration of Independence.

In a 2004 interview passed along from BNT writer Daniel Harbecke, Zinn discusses his beliefs around whether or not the desire to kill is a part of human nature:

Essentially, from his own experience in the Air Force to the vast research on history and anthropology that he focused much of his work on, Zinn could not accept the idea that young men, in particular, have a “desire or thrill” to go to war. Instead of humans possessing a “killing instinct”, he believes that leaders use complex tactics to get a population behind war.

Zinn questions, why would we need a draft if we have the spontaneous urge to kill? Propaganda through media outlets, whether that means the intricate placement and timing of code alerts and Bin Laden references, or men being sent by horse to towns throughout the land to espouse the government’s message, goes far to shift the perspective of a group of people (read: instills fear).

For those who don’t jump on that bandwagon, there is coercion punishable by jail time, otherwise known as the draft.

It seems to me we often like to blame atrocities on human nature. But as Zinn notes, the environment in which one finds him or herself has a lot to do with an urge towards aggression or murder, just as much as it has to do with the urge to be peaceful and loving. For example, Native-American and African tribes are often thought of as extremely aggressive OR peaceful, while in truth, their outward expression has had much to do with whether or not another “tribe” ruled over them – in other words, their environment.

While we can’t always choose our environment (perhaps this is part of what pulls us to travel), we do have a choice in how we act and react to our circumstances. Hopefully, our continued evolution allows us to better understand this fact. So instead of blaming “human nature” for war and killing – therefore blaming the people of a land – we can see more clearly the agenda of our leaders.

Rest in peace, Howard. We will miss you.

Do you think the urge to kill is inherent in humans? Share your thoughts below.

Arj Barker, aka Dave from Flight of the Conchords, kicks some Buddha-butt in this music video parody. The clip originally made it’s way around the web in late August, but now that it’s back online, it’s worth sharing for a Friday laugh (hat tip to Casey for sending the link):

Clever? Yes. But does it feed an inaccurate perception of spiritual materialism? Ethan Nichtern, commenting for Beliefnet, writes:

It’s funny, but it’s not the kind of humor that requires much mentally, and is super easy to achieve (yes I do think I could’ve written it better), and ultimately I think it plays into a dark and inaccurate view of mind/body practitioners.

He believes judging others for their materialist trappings betrays our own inability to understand:

…until we are enlightened, a personal mixture of awakened compassion and selfish confusion forms the basis for everything we do. The contemplative path is about working directly with this mixture, not rejecting it in self or others. The path is to notice our selfish confusion and slowly massage it away through repeated attention.

At the same time, the path is to notice our already-present positive intentions and habits, and slowly cultivate and amplify these until they infuse everything we do.

Ultimately, Ethan believes it’s not about avoiding spiritual-materialism entirely.

Spiritual materialism is not something to reject. Noticing spiritual materialism is the path.

What do you think of the smoking sage by the pound? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Community Connection

Need more Buddha’s rapping? Check out Lama Boy’s music video – then visit MatadorTV for more great Buddhist clips like What is Nirvana?

Here’s a little video making its way around the internet that proves once again, we are a much more sexually inhibited society than our predecessors:

If you are having trouble viewing the video, it can be found at Reuters.

The museum’s director notes that on rooftops of houses and public paintings at the time – 700 BC to 400 AD – these types of sexual scenes were displayed for all to see, including “children, adolescents, men, women, everybody.”

Reuter’s reporter Paul Chapman adds that these ancient cultures viewed “nature, ideas, and actions all in balance.” Or is that just what we’d like to believe?

Christianity Made Sex Evil?

Over at the Huffington Post, most commenters agree that this video is “not news” if you know anything about ancient Greek and Roman cultures, or have stepped foot in Europe. They’ve got these naughty artifacts hanging around everywhere.

But some interesting thoughts were brought up around the rise of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, whose belief systems are arguably the reason for turning the clock back on accepting open sexual behavior. As futate01 notes:

Sexuality became evil when Semitic religions spread around the world. Before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam most world cultures had healthy attitudes about sex. It was viewed as a method of the creation of life and a gift from God to be honored and appreciated.

Insidious takes it further, saying, “Prudish is too nice of a word to describe the “demonization” of female sexuality from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” HystericHistoria adds, “Not only female sexuality, but all sexuality. Yes, generally men in Western culture…have been…all­owed more freedom than women since the inception of the Judo-Christian religions began, but even then it is nowhere near as ‘free’ as what the ancients experienced. Homosexuality, for instance.”

Insidious’ final take:

I agree with you…but it’s not just Western culture…­in our global world, controlling female sexuality has been tantamount in oppressing all female behavior: From wearing the Burqa or highheels to Female Genital Mutilation to pornography as the new “erotica”. I think that the war against male homosexuality is an extension of the control over anything not “male” and is a form of misogyny. Just like there is no gray area for women’s sexuality, there can be no gray area for male sexuality.­..this is the case that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam purport.

Not the Whole Story

Photo: John Griffiths

Although these artifacts are obviously graphic, some commenters argue that they were simply on the “fringe” of society, and that the women depicted were prostitutes, much like our “billion-dollar porn industry.”

In other words, we can’t use these symbols to classify cultures that pre-date Christianity, Judaism, or Islam as completely open sexual societies (who didn’t oppress people) in the same way that strip clubs and bathhouses fail to prove that “deviant” sexual behavior is accepted in ours.

If people thousands of years from now can only get their hands on some copies of Hustler and a vibrating contraption, will they assume our society had extremely open views about sex?

Javida adds, “Normally, most faiths encourage the sharing of sexuality between married people. That is, not acting promiscuously or adulterously. But keeping sex inside marriage does not detract from it’s expression” (ahem, that is if you are allowed to be married, or not forced to be married, of course).

No matter what side you fall on, gotta love a guy with a very proper British accent saying, “the Greeks were always game and the Romans were permanently raunchy.”

Do you think current Western religions demonized sex, or are we just rewriting history? Share your thoughts below.

As you go to or home from work today, possibly dealing with rain or very cold temperatures, trying to protect yourself from the swine flu or thoughts of the looming end of the world, think about what a little laughter can do.

The video starts off a bit slow, but give it a minute:

I love how the annoyed faces can’t help but start to smile. Hopefully it’ll do the same for you. Happy Friday!

What are some other ways to get people smiling? Share your thoughts below!

Feature photo: adobemac

Community Connection

Need some more laughter to take you into the weekend? You can’t help but bust a gut when you read Tom Gates’ piece, The Five Worst Pizzas In the World. And maybe it’s time to be reminded of why Southwest Airlines is Still Cool After All These Years. For more great travel videos, check out the brand spankin’ new MatadorTV.

Photo: gadl

It’s a tough day for travelers who like to explore outside of “acceptable” countries, as Iran charged the three American backpackers detained in July with espionage. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them.

So I was glad to come across something a bit positive happening in the world.

Project Explorer, who provides free cultural education programming for kids and teens, is posing the question, “What does it mean to be a global citizen?” They are asking that people make and upload a video answering this question with their own thoughts or experiences.

So far, the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Russell Simmons, and Ziggy Marley have posted their answers. Also, many other lesser known – but just as important activists – such as Scott Harrison of charity: water and John and Charles of…well, Chelsea, add their two cents on “possibility and action” and the importance “being nice.”

Find more videos like this on ProjectExplorer.org’s Good Global Citizen

Now comes your turn. We’re challenging BNT readers to make a video and add their own take on what it means to be a global citizen.

Where To Go For Answers

Need some inspiration? Beginning with desire in the form of a journal entry or a video can ultimately lead us to answers. As Valerie Ng explained in her article, Why I Disobeyed My Family and Traveled the World:

I documented my grand plans for international travel in a Spanish essay in high school…[after traveling abroad] it became increasingly apparent that the world was a fascinating place, and I wanted to acquaint myself with the myriad of cultures inhabiting the earth.

Or, look no further than Daniel Harbecke’s piece, How Travel Will Save The World. In it, he explains, “The belief that humanity is encompassed within a single community is called cosmopolitanism…[it] has come to mean “worldly” or “sophisticated,” but in the original sense meant a universal love for all people that rejects borders.”

And, if you have kids in tow, or plan having them in the future and hope to make them a global citizen, check out Karen Banes’ piece, The Educational Value of Long Term Travel with Kids. In it, she notes:

Kids on the road learn naturally. They learn about physical and human geography, world history, religion (although not just the dominant one in their country of birth), wildlife, nature, environmental issues, campcraft, cooking, art and science. They also learn manners, tolerance, and respect for other cultures. They learn to make friends, and say goodbye.

After you make the video and upload it to Project Explorer site, be sure to post the link in the comments section below.

Many thanks goes out to Matador member Linda Golden for alerting us that ‘The Colbert Report’ referenced a BNT article on last night’s episode.

The piece, Overweight Charged For Second Seat On Airplanes: Is “Fatism” To Blame?, was shown as part of Colbert’s introduction of Professor Amy Farrell. Farrell is the author of the forthcoming book, Fat Shame.

Colbert talked about the current US healthcare bill, which has an amendment that mandates lower premiums for people who lose weight. Along with the baby who was denied health insurance for being too large and Ralph Lauren’s dismissal of an “overweight” model, Colbert showed the BNT article and asked,

Oh, they [the overweight] can’t use the same seat as everyone else? You know who that reminds me of? Rosa Parks. [Looks left off stage] Oh, she’s thin? Then why couldn’t she sit up front?

Here’s the clip (article is shown at 1:31):

Canadian visitors can watch the clip here.

Unfortunately, Colbert grabbed the trademark for “weightism.” Damn you, Colbert! Then I’m trademarking “fatism.” Oh, that’s already taken, too.

Any time you see BNT in the news, please share it with us. We really appreciate it!

Here’s a previously unlikely combination of two of my favorite things, that I’m sure will come together more often in the age of organic açaí-infused energy drinks and late-night yoga jams:

Buddhism and Gangsta Rap. Hells, yeah.

What can the Buddhists say? Recruitment has hit the skids along with the economy. Can always use a llama-turned-woman-in-a-bikini to get the troops motivated.

Go total consciousness Lama Boy.

Community Connection

Buddhists aren’t the only ones who can rap. Southwest Airlines is still keeping it real as Julie Schwietert notes in Southwest Airlines: Still Cool After All These Years. And it’s not just about rap when it comes to Buddhism; alcohol may also be involved, as Ian MacKenzie ponders in Buddha Booze: The Practice Of Mindful Drinking.

Feature photo: utpala ॐ.

Need a little bit of a Baptist jam for your Friday? Check out this video:

I love about mid-way through when the guy is seriously busting out and the woman has to pull her kid back. Reminds me of when I dance in crowds.

Now that it has been sanctioned by the church, go on and rave your way through the day!

Community Connection

Learn how to start your very own dance party in HOW TO: Start a Massive Dance Party and what it means to break through cultural barriers through the common language of dance.

Feature photo: Michael (mx5tx)

Buddhism remains exotic for some, misunderstood by many. But the truth of the ideas discovered by the first Buddha 2500 years ago remain unmatched in their power to transform.

My own introduction to Buddhism came in the form of rubbing a pocket-sized Buddha’s belly before our high school basketball game. But since then, it took a chance encounter with a book to introduce me to the dhamma (teachings).

Recently, while browsing for SNL’s Motherlover educational video clips, I came across an entire series offering an excellent primer on Buddhism. And best of all… the online version is free.

Watch the entire 13 part series here.

Have you found any other great Buddhism resources online? Share in the comments!

Feature photo: natashalatrasha

This is simply too funny not to share.

Free Range Studios, the creative team behind such classics as The Meatrix, put together this clever parody of Star Wars. Their aim is to promote organic food instead of the industrial, chemical-laden food that has come to dominate most grocery stores.

Looking for more food articles on BNT? Check out these classics: The Ultimate Vegan’s Guide To Finding Food On The Road, and Dumpster Diving: The Easiest Way To Find Free Food.

If you didn’t know your passion in life, would you throw everything aside to search for it? Such is the premise for my friend’s One Week Job project.

Since February, he’s been traveling around Canada working a job a week, meeting new people, learning new skills, and generally experiencing continual uncertainty. It’s like traveling…on steroids.

And recently, he managed to drag me along for the ride.

I’ve taken on the role of filmographer – shooting, editing, and producing weekly episodes based on his jobs. We’ve spent the last few weeks in Toronto and it’s already been a wild ride: working at a brewery, a tattoo parlour, and now the largest cancer research hospital in Canada.

Episode #2 from New Tribe Tattoo Parlour was just published today. Have a watch, and if you like it, it would help both of us greatly if you spread the word. Any feedback is also appreciated!

We’re all familiar with the idea of traveling across geography, but what about time?

Theoretical Physicist Michio Kaku presents his case in the above video clip. He also writes more about the idea in an article “The Physics Of Time Travel”

“Not surprisingly, time travel has always been considered impossible. After all, Newton believed that time was like an arrow; once fired, it soared in a straight, undeviating line. One second on the earth was one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat at the same rate.

Einstein gave us a much more radical picture.

According to Einstein, time was more like a river, which meandered around stars and galaxies, speeding up and slowing down as it passed around massive bodies. One second on the earth was Not one second on Mars. Clocks scattered throughout the universe beat to their own distant drummer.”

If you want to go deeper, watch The First Time Machine and read the fascinating article Timeline Dynamics.

What do you think about time travel? Possible or wishful thinking?

Often more than writing, video can paint a picture of a destination guaranteed to inspire rabid wanderlust. For this reason, we’ll be incorporating more video clips into our mix.

Courtesy of Travelistic, here’s their top viewed travel videos from the week (including Japanese Meal above):

• Bali Spa & Massage
• Guide To Havana, Cuba
• Diving With The Sharks
• The Map in Jost Van Dyke

Any brilliant travel clips you’ve seen lately?

These days, everyone seems to agree the planet is warming up. What we don’t agree on are the reasons why: human caused or natural?

Personally, I figured the resounding consensus among the world’s scientists fingering humanity as the cause was reason enough, but what do I know?

Anyway, the short video above aims to silence this largely irrelevant debate in favour of the more pressing issue: what are the consequences if we choose a course of action…and we’re wrong?

Travelistic recently sat down with Michael Mandiberg, creator of Real Costs, a web plug-in that hopes to raise traveler consciousness by defining carbon emissions resulting from air travel comparative to other forms of transportation.

For more information visit www.therealcosts.com. (via Gadling)

While browsing around Youtube I came across this great video tutorial from Lee LeFever of TWINF and the previous RSS tutorial, who put this together last November near their end of their own year long adventure.

Lee walks you through the essentials you’ll need, such as a digital camera and a laptop, along with the various websites he used to publish his online travel journal, like Flickr, Drupal, and Bryght.

This option for a self-managed travel blog is for the tech-savvy, as it requires a certain amount of web knowledge and initiative to learn how it all works. If you’d rather keep your travel blog with a travel community instead, here are 5 good reasons.