The World by Us

When was the last time you had a good scare?

Well, what if we told you that global sea levels are rising 60% faster than expected? That the situation our children will face is “as bad or worse than the worst case scenarios” that scientists have predicted? That the risk of extreme flood events like Sandy has already doubled as a result of climate change for dozens of coastal cities across the US?

This is frightening stuff. 

There are, of course, many wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to combating climate change. But we all need to do our bit, and soon enough we probably won’t have a choice.

Innovation and Design firm IDEO is asking us all to join the conversation and reflect on what life will be like 20-30 years from now. How will climate change affect each of us, and how we will adapt? Which behaviors will need to change? Which will we choose to preserve?

Are YOU ready to create a new future?

Politics. They are necessary….but MY OH MY it is incredible how they divide us.

We don’t intend to get into a major political discourse or incite any more division today, but we do want to share a little something that inspired us and we hope will inspire you.

In our eyes, it is raw, honest, emotion coming from a politician… something that is rather hard to come by these days. It confirms for us the reason we made that mark in our ballot just a few days ago, and the reason we have so much hope for the next four years.

We find it hard to believe that this man does not have our best interests at heart, that he will not fight for equality and peace and love, that he will not make the world (as well as the country) a better place.

Her motto was sans limites. She has been called mad, inspired, a genius and an eccentric. She lived and loved freely, deliberately, and on her own terms.

Born in San Francisco in 1877, Isadora Duncan has become known as the mother of modern dance, but perhaps more importantly she stands as a brilliant example of a woman with an incredible self-belief and a determination to offer the world the art she loved.

She certainly didn’t waste any time. By the age of 6, she was already holding dance classes from her home for the girls in her neighborhood, showing them how to move like the ocean. She did this to help support the family but despite her efforts, money was scarce and the family of four children struggled to make ends meet.

Isadora and her mother moved from San Francisco to Chicago and then to New York, in pursuit of a successful career as a dancer. A rebel against the rigidity of traditional dance and ballet, Isadora’s individual style – inspired by nature, Grecian forms and the connection between emotions and movement – was not appreciated by many at the time. It wasn’t until her later years in London, Paris, and Russia that she found her success.

Isadora was an adventurer and a thinker, a defender of women’s rights, and a brave critic of the social norms of her time.  Unfortunately, her life was cut short by a tragic car accident in the South of France at the age of 50 but her memory lives on as a pioneer of modern dance and a revolutionary woman.

Her memoir, My Life, is a must-read for a beautifully written dose of inspiration!

Isadora in her own words:

 “Virtuous people are simply those who have. . . not been tempted sufficiently, because they live in a vegetative state, or because their purposes are so concentrated in one direction that they have not had the leisure to glance around them.’ - Isadora Duncan

“One cannot make plans for life, or rules for marriage. Life comes, and one lives, each day. I am opposed to marriages. I believe in the emancipation of women.” - Isadora Duncan

“While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered animals, how can we expect any ideal living conditions on this earth?” - Isadora Duncan

“Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love — to love as Christ loved, as Buddha loved.” - Isadora Duncan

 ”There are many who think, apparently, that life is a series of extremely boring habits which they call virtues. I do not believe in putting chains and a padlock on life. Life is an experience, an adventure. It is an expression. Most Americans are hypnotized by a wrong idea of life, brought to this country by the Puritans.” - Isadora Duncan

“Where are we to look for the great fountainhead of movement? Woman is not a thing apart and separate from all other life organic or inorganic. She is but a link in the chain, and her movement must be one with the great movement which runs through the universe; and therefore the fountainhead for the art of the dance will be the study of the movements of Nature.” – Isadora Duncan

 “It was never easy to coax Isadora Duncan into a photographer’s studio. Like a wild and wise animal, she fled from those who sought to capture the essence of her — which was motion — by making her stand still.” - Poet, Max Eastman

Today we celebrate girls. 

Throughout history, women all over the world have risked their lives again and again to have the same rights as men, and to give generations of young women to follow a better life. Today, women run million dollar companies, lead countries and make world-changing decisions.

We’ve come a long way…but in many parts of the world there is still so much progress to be made.

Let’s take a look at what young women around the world are facing today (thanks to the UN and Day of the Girl for these stats):

EDUCATION

• By age 18, girls have received an average of 4.4 years less education than boys.
• World-wide of the more than 130 million primary school age children not enrolled in school, nearly 60% are girls.
• By 2015, females will make up 64% of the world’s (adult) population who cannot read.

FORCED MARRIAGE

• One in seven girls in developing countries is married off before age 15.

HEALTH

• In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls have HIV rates up to five times higher than adolescent boys.
• Pregnancies and childbirth-related health problems take the lives of nearly 146,000 teenage girls each year.
• An estimated 450 million adult women in developing countries are stunted, a direct result of malnutrition in early life.
• Two million girls and women are subjected to female genital mutilation every year.

VIOLENCE

• One in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
• Worldwide children as young as age 11 are forced to work as prostitutes.
• Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year.
• At least one in three girls and women worldwide has been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime.
• In the US more than half (54%) of all rapes of females happen before age 18.

BODY IMAGE

• More than half (54%) of 3rd – 5th grade girls worry about their appearance
• 37% worry about their weight
• More than half (57%) of music videos feature a female portrayed exclusively as a decorative, sexual object.

Despite all this we are optimistic. We see fabulous organisations out there doing wonderful work for girls around the world and are constantly encouraged, both by their efforts and by the inspiring women who lead them. Organisations like:

Girl Effect

One Girl

She’s The First

Project Futures

And other extraordinary women around the globe working tirelessly to make the world a better place.

What will YOU do today for women and girls?

If you happen to be a child of the 80′s (or any of the preceding decades), you are likely to have a few spare cassette tapes in the forgotten corners of your home…begging to be brought out of the darkness.  Well, we stumbled upon this clever little DIY project that will do just that….

And over at Hello, Pink Bird they’ll show you just how to do it!

Ladies!

We know you love dancing. We also know that if you read this blog, you most likely find violence against women intolerable. Therefore, we think you should spread the female LOVE on Valentine’s Day 2013 by finding an event near you, getting your dance on, and joining the One Billion Rising revolution.

ONE in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.

ONE BILLION women violated is an atrocity.

ONE BILLION women dancing is a revolution.

“I love unmade beds. I love when people are drunk and crying and cannot be anything but honest in that moment. I love the look in people’s eyes when they realize they’re in love. I love the way people look when they first wake up and they’ve forgotten their surroundings. I love the gasp people take when their favorite character dies. I love when people close their eyes and drift to somewhere in the clouds. I fall in love with people and their honest moments all the time. I fall in love with their breakdowns and their smeared makeup and their daydreams. Honesty is just too beautiful to ever put into words.”

(Source: ModernHepburn, via our-rights-our-wrongs)

We’ve been working/holidaying in beautiful Buenos Aires (hence our absence over the last few weeks) and we’ve fallen in love. A love we very much expected to fall into. With the people, the language, the wine, the dancing, the colours….and especially the tiny little sweetened croissants they serve for breakfast – Seriously. We can’t get enough.

We’ve got a few things on our mind to share with you this week. But first, a little look at what the Porteños have on offer, and our recommendations for a brilliant week in BA.

Rent an apartment! Use Airbnb for a true local experience – We found a gorgeous little apartment with loads of character (and an outdoor spa bath!). Our Airbnb host was lovely and even invited us along to her tango class the night we arrived.

Visit Teatro Colón for an evening of Ballet/Opera

Indulge in las medialunas (little croissants) and other delicious pastries.

Learn to tango – Somber, seductive and quintessentially Argentinian, this dance is all about synchronising movements and connecting with your partner so bring along your lover (or find one on the night). We prefer the energy and attitude of the salsa, but when in Rome!

Take in the city’s beautiful architecture.

Pick up a bottle of Malbec and a few empanadas for a picnic in one of the city’s beautiful parks.

Despite being largely pescatarian, we couldn’t pass up a try of Argentina’s famous steak.

Drop by San Telmo’s antique markets on a Sunday.

Have a cocktail at French designer and architect Phillipe Starck’s impressive Faena Hotel.

Visit La Boca – Buenos Aires’ most colourful barrio.

Head to Palermo – BA’s trendiest suburb – for a limonada at the quaint ‘Oui Oui’.

If this guy and his impressive dance moves don’t put a smile on your face, we don’t know what will.

And finally – don’t miss the weekly party – La Bomba del Tiempo, an impressive 17-piece improvisational drum group drawing on Argentinian, Central American and African rhythms.