Love Is Blind: The Horrors of the Sex Trade

It’s obvious to all of us that the old adage, “sex sells” rings true in every instance. However, no one understands the truth in this statement as much as the victims of the commercial sex trade that is occurring world-wide. And it’s these victims who have been the catalysts that inspire heroic organizations such as The Blind Project.

The Blind Project is a collective assortment of passionate people uniting and combining their unique talents together to help empower victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade in Southeast Asia and beyond. The non-profit group demonstrates its passion by consisting solely of non-paid volunteers. Talk about a modern day “Dream Team!”

The Blind Project has created a sustainable style brand Biographe, which promotes the holistic restoration of these exploited women. Biographe also teaches the victims marketable job skills in the world of fashion, design and production. Furthermore, the brand employs these women and grants them the opportunity to excel in a positive work environment and earn a respectable living wage. Simply put, Biographe is giving these women a second chance in life.

The commercial sex trade has been a menacing factor to societies around the world for many years prior to now. This multi-billion dollar industry is often ignored and many times overlooked by officials and governments. The victims of the sex trade are treated as meaningless commodities as they are carelessly turned over from owner to owner or anyone else willing to spend a buck. These victims are often lured into the industry because of their poor financial state, and usually remain there until they meet their demise, either from drug abuse or brutal punishment.

Brushfire supports organizations like The Blind Project that provide a silver lining for these women who find themselves in situations that seem nearly impossible to overcome: For there is no greater feeling in life, than to have a second chance at living. Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: theblindproject.com

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Mission Impossible 4: The Story of Gary Faulkner

Don’t you just love the Hollywood flicks that depict an every-day blue collar man as the protagonist who decides to take matters into his own hands to pursue justice? Well my friends, Gary Faulkner, is living proof that not everything coming out of Tinsel Town is fake.

Armed with a pistol, a 40-inch knife, night vision equipment and the Bible, Gary Brooks Faulkner set off on a mission with one goal in mind: To hunt down the infamously evil, Osama Bin Laden. Leaving his native California at the age of fifty-two, Faulkner decided to take matters into his own hands after being disappointed with the results of the US military and global alliances’ efforts.

However, Faulkner’s mission was cut short when he was detained by Pakistani officials when trying to cross the border into Afghanistan. After having visited the area over seven times, Faulkner had a good idea of what was necessary in order to set out on a mission as tumultuous as capturing America’s archenemy.

Although the US government has offered a $25 million dollar reward for information leading to bin Laden’s capture, their plea for help was certainly not an open invitation for an all-out man hunt. However, maybe the government should start taking notes from Faulkner as the protagonist’s guess of the location of bin Laden (and where he was headed before he was detained), in the Chitral District, was pretty spot on considering the antagonist is often housed in that exact location.

Although many may view Mr. Faulkner as irrational and border-line crazy, he is a man who follows his faith and takes matters into his own hands when all other avenues have failed. To us, this shouldn't be viewed as acts of a mad man, but of a brave American just seeking out his own pursuit of justice. Have YOU helped save the world today?



For more information, visit: indyposted.com

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BP: America's Biggest Loser

Although BP, formerly known as British Petroleum, is one of the largest suppliers of gasoline worldwide, its reputation of reliability and honesty has sunk to the deepest sands of the sea floors. However, the company is working vigorously and tirelessly to clean up its mess, and its name.

Today, BP announced the progress in its half-billion dollar pledge to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. It will grant $25 million to three institutions in the gulf region for a faster track in high-priority studies of the distribution, composition and ecological interactions of oil and dispersant.

“It is vitally important that research start immediately into the oil and dispersant's impact, and that the findings are shared fully and openly," said BP chief executive Tony Hayward. "We support the independence of these institutions and projects, and hope that the funding will have a significant positive effect on scientists' understanding of the impact of the spill."

Additionally, in order to clear its conscience from all the jobs lost because of its self-inflicted accident, BP pledges that it will pay those now unemployed because of the spill, and will continue to write them a check until the spill is cleaned up. So far, over 18,000 claims have been met, as stated by BP.

Will BP finally clear its name and remove the invisible “Scarlet Letter” that looms overhead? Will writing large checks to research initiatives and paying off a few thousand heated Louisianians erase the horrific images of black oceans and crippled animals already emblazoned in your mind? Here is the main question BP needs to answer: When will this harrowing disaster finally be stopped? One would like to think, at least for this situation, BP’s actions will speak much louder than its words. Have YOU helped save the world today?



For more information, visit: bp.com

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The Need For Greener Garbage Has Gone Global!

Everyone knows that imitation is the most honest form of flattery. Some cities follow in the steps of a neighboring metropolis in order to fit in, to avoid bad press. Others however, set a new standard unto which others may follow. These cities are the game changers, the innovators, the ones the world turns to in order to seek the latest trends. Taipei, Taiwan has now become one of those leaders in greener innovations.

By the end of this year, Taipei strives to achieve a “zero landfill, total recycling” target, which just so happens to be nearly thirty years ahead of the United Nation’s trash goal. Although many experts think this target is overtly far-fetched, the fact that this city is thinking this far into the future sets exemplary standards for the rest of us.

Taipei has been busy while trying to achieve this goal, regardless of its obvious limitations. It has encouraged its private sector to build composting facilities and recycling plants, in addition to requiring its residents to pay for trash collection by the bag.

When it comes to the actual practice of picking up the trash in Taipei, nothing could be further from the norm. Garbage trucks blasting Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” and Badarzewska’s “The Maiden’s Prayer” collect the trash, which must be placed in city-approved bags, and the residents themselves are required to toss their bags in the trucks.

Taipei also promotes trade in secondhand goods and recently introduced new methods of kitchen-waste disposal. This new pilot program of waste management turns actual food waste into pig feed.

The result of these highly innovative greener programs that Taipei is beginning to carry out is a severely lowered volume of trash and waste. It’s not only become a leader in waste-management, Taipei has set a precedent for other cities to strive to fulfill. Will it be another thirty years before we reach a zero landfill benchmark? Only time will tell; however, with cities like Taipei in the forefront, we can rest assured that one second certainly won’t go to waste. Have YOU helped save the world today?



For more information, visit: fastcompany.com

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There's Always More To What Meets the Eye

Every fifty-seven minutes, a child is diagnosed with retinoblastoma eye cancer. To add insult to injury, despite near a 100% cure rate with modern treatment and technology, 80% of children affected will die. No one understands this widely overlooked epidemic nearly as much as Derek Fisher of the LA Lakers. Ever since his daughter was diagnosed with the highly curable cancer, Fisher has been making his fans aware and in turn, saving many lives.

Another group who has been promoting awareness for childhood retinoblastoma is Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund. Named after a brave young girl from the english countryside in Devon County, the fund has a mission to end avoidable death, blindness and unnecessary suffering caused by this childhood eye cancer. Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund is the only retinoblastoma charity that seeks to expand its range internationally to fulfill the needs of children affected by this cancer. They are dedicated to improving care and ensuring access to modern technology and health care for every child with the cancer, regardless of their personal background.


Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund exceeds traditional methods of raising awareness due to retinoblastoma’s rare, and often overlooked nature. The fund is promoting its anthropological book, In The Eyes of Angels, which highlights the personal stories and poetry written and told by families who have struggled with the cancer across six continents. With this push for awareness, Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund hopes that the book will not only help to educate families around the world about the cancer, but the money raised from those purchasing the book will help grant opportunities to less privileged children who live in areas around the world where advanced health care simply doesn't exist.


With a particular focus on developing countries, Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund is clearly committed to improving care for all children who develop retinoblastoma, in addition to their families. With the help of some prominent celebrities whose families have dealt with the cancer, such as Derek Fisher, foundations like these can help inform people around the globe, in addition to saving children who without aid, would never see the “light of day” again. Have YOU helped save the world today?



For more information, visit: daisyseyecancerfund.org

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"Build it and They Will Come": The Growing Need for Vertical Farming

The phenomenon of agriculture and horticulture have evolved along with the very hands that pursued them. As the human race advanced around the globe, their capacities to utilize the land in which they settled followed suit. In fact, it has been through the use and knowledge of agriculture, that many historians have identified and classified specific regions of people.

Our world is slowly becoming overpopulated and supply is struggling to meet demand in light of an urban influx of society. Simply put, not enough land exists to be able to create enough food for our growing population to endure. Scientists predict that by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will inhabit urban centers. Thinking conservatively, they have also speculated that the human population will increase by about three billion during the interim. At present, over 80% of the world’s land that is suitable for raising crops is currently in use. So, what is the answer of a problem that will undoubtedly loom ahead in the near future? Farm Vertically.

Although the concept of indoor farming isn't a new one, the urgency in which it needs to accommodate over three billion people has thus begun. The idea of vertical farming is that it could potentially offer a cheaper means of raising crops that takes up less space. The farms would be many stories high and conveniently located in the heart of the world’s urban centers. If they could be remotely successful in their implementation, vertical farms could offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply, and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been long-sacrificed for horizontal farming.

Because it took humans nearly 10,000 years to grow the crops we now take for granted, the concept of vertical farming seems almost far-fetched and unrealistic. However, only time will tell. As the number of hungry mouths begin to multiply, something will need to be done to satisfy the growing demand without leaving people helpless and hungry. So who do we turn to? Do we remain faithful to the overall- wearing, tobacco-chewing, tractor-driving farmers who work tirelessly to keep us fed? Or is this something that even their hard laborious work can’t fix? One thing is for sure, the technology of tomorrow will soon become the savior for today. Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: verticalfarm.com, inhabitat.com

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There's a New (Charity) Sheriff in Town: Sting!

When it comes to some of the greatest ballads, Sting has certainly left his mark on all of our hearts. However, his reach isn’t just skin deep. In fact, Sting’s charity work has positively influenced many persons, places, and things world-wide.

With the help from his wife, Trudie Styler, Sting co-founded The Rainforest Foundation in order to save its diminishing existence in South America. He has worked so closely and persistently with the Foundation that a species of Columbian tree frog, Dendropsophus stingi, was named after the acclaimed singer.

The catalyst responsible for Sting’s humanitarian efforts began nearly thirty years ago through a series of concerts called the “Secret Policeman’s Ball,”of which Sting was in attendance. The series of concerts was sponsored by Amnesty International, a world-wide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

Since being a witness to that first concert series in 1979, Sting has been a mainstay for Amnesty International, headlining in every major tour held for its benefit. In 1988, he joined their six-week world Human Rights Now! tour, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

That same year, Sting went on to write and record “They Dance Alone,” which chronicled the plight of the mothers, wives, and daughters of those who mysteriously vanished under the Pinochet regime in Chile.

Along with Amnesty International, Sting has promoted a wide array of charities and movements with focuses that span clear across the globe. Some of these charities are: Breast Cancer Care, Creative Coalition, David Foster Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Live 8, Musicians on Call, Walden Woods Project, and Worldwide Orphans Foundation, and that is just the beginning.

Whether Sting is entertaining an audience of 500,000 or simply feeding a village of fifty, it’s clear to see that “every little thing he does is magic!” Have YOU helped save the world today?


For more information, visit: looktothestars.org, sting.com

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