Keep your legs

There are main different organizations working towards getting rid of landmines. I will focus on a few of the organization that work on solving the issues, but there are many more organization working towards solving landmines.


  One organization is the Canadian Landmine Foundation, who has been working to remove landmines since 1999. It has been said that you can throw money at a problem but with landmines you can this organization as well as other will ask for donations. The adopt a landmine project partnered with the UN asks people to donate to clear landmines that are 10,000 to 60,000 sq meters and cost $40,000 to remove. But there are other ways to help out, The Canadian Landmines Foundation puts on the Night of 1000 dinners know as "Meals for a Mine-Free World" . This event was thought as a unique way to rise funds. People of any sorts can come and have a fancy dinner but instead of bring wine of flowers you bring a donation. This event has been a great fundraiser. New fact, dogs have become an increasingly important means of detecting and removing mines. They can smell them out and it takes a lot less time than a metal detector. They can train dog to find landmines but again it cost money. So this is a good project for schools or youth organizations to get involved in the clearing of landmines. So what can you do, maybe you not rich. That okay! Within this organization there are many other these you can do to help such as  you can become active in one of the programs mentioned above, such as hosting or organizing your own “Meals for a Mine-Free World” event. Host a dinner and ask your guests to bring charitable donations to help clear landmine fields. If you are within the education system teacher can do lesson plans  offered by the Canadian Landmine Foundation. For students there is an essay contest where you answer the question what is a peacekeeper, peacemaker. The contest is called Mark Isfield Essay Contest.  

IBCL Logo

 The International Campaign to ban Landmines is a campaign that has be around for twenty year. They have a great website : www.icbl.org. Which is where I got a lot of the information for some of my previous posts. In their website the outline the problem of landmines, the history, The treaty they want, information about them and what they want, and most importantly how you can get involved. First they have a list of ten thing you can do: (Taken straight from http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/What-You-Can-Do/10-Things-You-Can-Do )

1. Learn about landmines

Visit the ICBL site, read about the latest global developments in the annual report issued by Landmine Monitor, have a look at our list of links.

2. Join a local campaign or start one

Contact one of the national campaigns to ban landmines. If there is no campaign in your country then consider starting your own! If you are from a non-governmental organization, read how to become a member.

3. Sign a petition

Add your voice to the petition launched by Avaaz.org to call on the United States to ban landmines.

4. Send a lobbying letter

Write to one of the countries that have not joined the treaties. Urge them to get on board right away!
Write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of treaty members states and urge them to lobby the non-member states to join.
Read our writing tips and sample letters.
In December 2009 the Obama Administration announced it had initiated a comprehensive review of U.S. landmine policy to determine whether the U.S. will join the Mine Ban Treaty. Send a lobbying letter to call on the U.S. to join the treaty! Use the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines' online letter-writing tool or Human Rights Watch's online letter-writing tool.

5. Get the word out

Write to a local newspaper, call up a local radio station, and send information to your friends.

6. Organise a public event

Raise awareness in your community! Organise a photo or art exhibition, start a landmine awareness day, set up a letter-writing event, hold a public demonstration...

7. Stay informed and join in the discussion

Subscribe to our newsletter and join us on Facebook and Twitter

8. Volunteer for the ICBL

If you are as passionate about this issue as we are and willing to dedicate some of your time, find out more about volunteering or interning for the ICBL

9. Contribute to Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor

Consider providing information for Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. Find out about their research network and whether you can contribute by looking at the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor website or writing to monitor@icbl.org.

10. Make a donation

Support the ICBL online or by mail. Every bit counts!
 

Players and Stake Holders

Link to video
This video points the camera on the players of landmines. What I mean is it showcases who it effect by landmines. It does this in an uplifting way by show the removal of landmines. One of the main  people affected by  landmines are the farmer and in place of poverty farmland is crucial to meeting their basic need. There are many other people involved the soldiers, military, civilians, organizations such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the  farmer: yes they are civilians too but are affected in different ways. Although all these have different values and interest they express the same point of view in current media. The public aware of landmines can see the obvious reason why they should no longer exist, and because that opinion is so strong is is hard to find an opposition. It is also hard to find an opposition for the reason the civilians, military and farmers alike have all lost someone because of landmines. But there are dated oppositions and the opinion show go a lot like this: Trying to outlaw mines are like trying to outlaw wars it self. As well as an argument from a person in the military that I referenced in my first post that there are "smart mines" and "dumb mines". Smart mines prove to bed strategic in war to seriously injure but not kill a enemy soldier, landmines also protect boundaries from being passed. He also recognizes that unmarked "dumb mines" should be ban for many reasons leading to civilian causalities. Both opinions show that landmines are dangerous and that unmarked useless mine should not be allowed.                

Causes

Source for map

Source of graph
The main reasons for landmines are war and poverty. As you can see from the chart above Chad has the most amount of people under the poverty line. The map above show that Chad is also highly affected by landmines. Coincidence? I think not! War is where the landmines come from and poverty comes into play when talking about the people who get injured from landmines. Fifty-six percent of injuries occur when people are trying to earn a living; farming, carrying water, collecting wood, collecting forest products, and so on. In places like Cambodia where there is a lot of poverty and there is not enough land for everyone people then are willing to take risks by going  into place that might be a mine field, or that are considered dangerous. Therefore in analyzing landmines it is important to consider that a high number of civilian causalities would coincide with a high poverty rate.  There are many reasons landmines are harmful, while they're meant to be harmful, civilian causalities are mainly due to placement. 

Do you love your legs (extended)

Environmental Causes of Landmines:

Many countries are effected by landmines and the environmental effects are major. Landmines can cause soil degradation, deforestation, pollution of water resources with heavy metals and possibly altering entire species’ populations by degrading habitats and altering food chains. Landmines can also be placed by hospitals which impacts tactics to preserve human health adding to the already high number of casualties. By degrading habitats, impacting population species, altering food’s chain, and placing additional pressure over natural resources, landmines pose a considerable risk to pristine ecosystems throughout the world.  Landmines are a simple and effective way of killing wildlife.  

Short term effects generally include the physical destruction of close range vegetation and killing/injuring of wildlife. Medium term impacts may include a deterioration on soil composition preventing cultivation lands to return to levels of agricultural production prior to a landmine explosion.

Long term impacts include long term chemical effects such as the persistence and bioaccumulation of certain toxic substances such as mercury and lead. Landmines are a probable influence into global warming by depletion and enhanced human pressure over natural carbon dioxide sinks. In the effects of landmines entire populations may not be able to return to their villages or cultivation lands, in occasion they are forced to find new land to settle. To better comprehend the issue, let us remember some basic principles of environmentalism: first, nature knows best; second, everything must go somewhere; and third, but not last, everything is connected to everything else.

Do you love your legs?

"Every twenty-two minutes someone loses a limb or a life to landmines-more than 26,000 men, women, and children each year."

What you need to know: Landmines are an explosive charge concealed just under the surface of the ground or of a roadway, designed to be detonated by pressure. They are indiscriminate once planted they will detonate on contact. It wouldn't matter who you are, why you were there, nothing.  In the last 25 years approximately 50 nations have produced and exported about 200 million landmines. Therefore even if we in Canada do not deal with landmines it is still a big issue around the world. There are two way to refer to landmines: "smart mines" and "dumb mines". Both which I don't agree with because landmines are inhumane. But "smart mines" are the safer version of landmines because they are marked and can be deactivated. They also are very useful in war zone to save troops and destroy the enemy. In order to get  rid of these mines "is much like trying to outlaw war it-self." Then there is "dumb mines" which are indiscriminately place and unmarked. Unable to be found and deactivated. Although "smart mines" are marked, both "smart" and "dumb" mines are hard to  find because rain and other weather can move landmines. Once planted landmines have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years. They cost $1-$15 to make but $300-$1000 to deactivate  

Link to site image was found.

My Bibliography!

Bibliography: EasyBib!