In Colombia, Beauty Pageants Unite

According to the article, there are approximately 400 pageants in Colombia every year -- and they've been known to shut down entire towns. Local violence -- an unfortunate mainstay in certain regions throughout the nation -- decreases significantly in weeks leading up to a pageant.  "There's still bombs going off," according to Carl Bower, who spent the last 15 years photographing the Colombian pageant circuit, and whose photographic book project, "Chica Barbi," was a finalist for the New York Photo Festival Book Award this year. "People are still being kidnapped. But they still pack the plazas and they still line up for 10 miles of a parade route to see these queens go by."

Check out the story over at the New York Times -- and be sure not to miss Bower's amazing photographs.