Luanda, Angola — The 27-year-long Angola civil war has been over for six years but the number of civilian victims continues to rise. Tens of thousands have been injured or maimed by landmine explosions, leaving the population shattered and ravaged by a war whose fallout has yet to meet its half-life.

In an effort to restore dignity and confidence to its civilian population, the de-mining commission of Angola is hosting a Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant, with eight women, one from each province, each maimed by a landmine, competing and simultaneously becoming the public faces for their own cause. Its intent is to boost the self-esteem of landmine survivors, and to show the beauty in strength and determination, and truly, the “beauty in all people.” The pageant will be held on April 2nd in Luanda, Angola.

Following the pageant, the First International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action will be held on April 4th. For further information on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, please right-click here.

Millions of un-detonated mines litter the southwestern African nation. While it costs roughly $5 to manufacture a landmine, it takes nearly $1,000 to safely dismantle one.

Voting for the Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant is to be held online. You can VOTE for who you would like to see win. Me, I’m voting for Miss Cubango. Right now she’s in 2nd place. Check out her stats:

Miss Cuando Cubango
Generosa Cassinda

Age: 30
City: Menongue
Mine accident: 1989
Kids: 2 (10,8)
Occupation: Street vendor
Dream job: Economist
Favourite color: White

Clothes: American Apparel, € 36
Jewellery: Myffdesign, € 15
Location: Fortaleza São Miguel, Luanda

Mine: NO-4 anti-personnel
Release: pressure
Explosive: 188 g TNT
Produced by: Israel

Daaaamn….

This blog is nice and heartfelt. Here’s where I fuck things up.

I’m sorry, I know that it’s wrong to reference things like amputee porn in a blog about such a moving, good-hearted and humanitarian event like the Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant. But really, there are few rewarding job opportunities for people missing their limbs, and life is tough as it is. I’m pretty sure that in America, you can’t even get a meatpacking job if you’ve lost your hand (unless you lost your hand at a prior meatpacking job, then I think they’ll “hook you up.” Ouch.). And let’s face it, these women are gorgeous and legless, and I am pretty sure there’s a market for that. Actually, I’ve seen the aisle at the ‘specialty video store,” I’m sure there’s a market for it. Oh please one-leggy lady, won’t you ampu-tease me.

Yes, I know you think I’m going to hell.

Everybody thinks that the Rickroll phenomena currently sweeping the internet is just a shitty version of the old meme that is Duckroll, but there is actually a truly compelling backstory to the phenomena, as told by Rick Astley himself.

I hate it when guys with concrete hands slap me so hard that I get knocked out before I hit the ground. How the hell did he do this?….Just walk it off bro…

Who hates Soulja Boy? YOUUUUUUUUUU!!

A 12-year-old boy turned into a man yesterday when he threw a rock at Soulja Boy’s tour bus. When asked why, he simply responded, “MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!” Haha, just playin’. He said he hates Soulja Boy. And that’s all you need to know. Unless of course you’d like to learn the dance…

And actually, while we’re at it, there’s one more thing you should know… What it is to “superman a ho“??? HELLO, BILL O’REILLY, AREN’T YOU GOING TO JUMP ON THIS?

Better known as Matt, but there’s too many Matt’s here so we just call him Fletch.

Fletch likes to party and recently just got back from Rosarito for Spring Break where he drank the mysterious rattlesnake tequila:

Says he…

“it’s a diffrent kind of drunk, like you’ve been poisiond, and then you realize you have. my shot had a scale in it. It tasted like old meat”

What’d you do after?

“ran around like we were on fire, tried to talk to some girls, but I think they were 12. So we went to a taco stand and drank a 5 dollar beer”

Aside from partying in Rosarito, Fletch also likes to host spoon parties, dress in suits that are too snug, and make random songs about ham (?).

I think it’s safe to say we found someone crazy enough to rock the groundhog suit for next year’s groundhog day crawl. It’s going to be tough to top me, though…

In an assessment by Jane’s, the United States ranked had only the 22nd highest level of prosperity, achievement and stability, ranking behind a cadre of European nations including the UK, Switzerland, The Vatican, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands and the Irish Republic, amongst others:

The US had fallen down the scale, although it still scored an average of 93 out of 100, partly because of the proliferation of small arms owned by Americans and the threat to the population posed by the flow of drugs from across the Mexican border.

Of course there are a few worse places, namely: Africa and the Middle East. Surprisingly, the bottom 10 did not include the warzone that is Iraq, but Afghanistan, Gaza and the West Bank still held it down, joining Somalia, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic as the WORST PLACES TO LIVE EVAR!