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Land ownership and development is taking off in Cambodia, but it is not without its problems. Take, for instance, this anecdote I was given as background: there’s a community that has lived on the Mekong River for years but the government is proclaiming eminent domain, intending to build a park. However, this person says it is very likely a land developer will put hotels on the river front property and someone, somewhere, will get a kickback.

Thus is the nature of land development in Cambodia.

Lower income people are having their homes razed and are being transported to sites 15-20km outside the city where they are plunked down with no utilities, even further from their place of employment, increasing their hardship and their vulnerability to exploitation.

That vulnerability may mean a teenage boy will head abroad on the promise of a good labor job, only to find himself exploited and unpaid on a Thai fish-processing factory boat. Or, a parent may lease a child to a begging gang, sell an adolescent girl to a brothel for her virginity, or the mother herself may turn to prostitution in order to feed her family.

I went out for an afternoon to see the Andoung Relocation Site. Here are some images and audio.

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A counselor friend once told me you can only go as far with someone as you’ve been yourself. Cognitively, this makes sense, but how does this feel?

I struggle with how to communicate what trauma does to the mind. I do not have my own story, but I’m beginning to grasp what if feels like to have something buried deep within so dominating it is all one can do to suppress it; to let it out could be catastrophic. This piece produced by Mediastorm for the LA Times tells a very heartfelt story of how crippling Post Traumatic Stress can be for an Iraq war veteran. I think you will remember his iconic photograph.

My only real criticism of the media is that while it raises awareness and empathy through the narrative, it doesn’t do much for “processing,” that all important part of addressing how this makes you, the viewer, feel. Mr. Sinco’s epilogue, along with Mr. Miller’s introspect, provide something of a “process” but nothing quite like a post-viewing discussion can do. What does this evoke for you? What do you want to do with that? Although, I know, this is a one-way relationship viewed on screen.

FEAR Project media is similarly plagued; it is content which can be very one-way. However, as the non profit has developed its “services” we have found a greater need for “processing” and facilitated discussion for we are trying to get people to change their behavior. Like this idea: If a woman goes to a party, flirts, drinks, gets drunk, and has unwanted sex, was she raped? Was it partly her fault? The answers are yes, she was raped, and no, it is not her fault. But you would be surprised at the answers I’ve heard.

Without repeating the full mission, what we are trying to do is get people talking about sexual violence. But we walk a fine line; are we impact-full enough, or too much so? People have traumatic responses to our work. At a recent meeting we had a room full of experts–literally–talking about trauma. But we never took the time to talk about how, that day, the discussion and our new media affected us. It is ironic and concerning for I question how we will manage this when we are working with the public, especially with our expanding pool of speakers.

This LA Times media clip is well-timed for Veterans Day; Mr. Miller’s portrait is iconic, we are still at war, and it makes a nice “package.” But at its core, this is a story about trauma. Below are some quotes from Mr. Miller and Mr. Sinco which I found particularly pertinent and remind me how similarly rape and war can affect people. The stories are unique, but they both traumatize.

Link to the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/marlboromarine/

Mr. Miller:
“Any day above ground is a good day. There is no promise of tomorrow.

“Most people want to help a returning vet by celebrating them coming home. The question that needs to be asked instead of ‘Hey can I throw you a party, can I buy you a beer?’ The question that needs to be asked is ‘How are you doing? How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do to help?’

“After Fallouja, I didn’t know how to react and I more or less just put it in the back of my mind and acted like it never happened. Even right now my eyes are starting to hurt just talking about this.

“There was so much counseling that had to be done for myself that I really couldn’t deal with mine and Jessica’s problems on top of it. I didn’t feel that Jessica deserved to go through that with me. I felt that it was something that I brought on myself and that was my weight to carry, not hers. And before I put her through that, I’d rather be without her.

“To look back at it now I just think about holding a rifle and firing at another human being. It’s gut wrenching as well as brain wrecking. How do you justify, regardless of what your causes are or their causes are. How I feel about the war today can be summed up in one question. The same question that can be asked about Vietnam. What have we gained as a country? What have we actually accomplished except for the loss of some damn fine people? People willing to give their life for the country that we have, for this nation, for the freedom that we have.”

Photographer Luis Sinco reflected in the epilogue:
“I saw that look in Blake’s face and I know that is the same look I had on my face.

“I think, simply, the difference between me and Blake is I never had to kill another human being. I believe that is what he is fighting with.

“He’s done some horrible things and he has to come to terms with that. So I hold out hope for him and try to be there for him whenever I can, but he has to take some steps. He has to take some steps and make up his own mind that he wants to live more than the life he is living at the moment.”

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I don’t have much to say except click on the links and watch….

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Multimedia journalist Kaj Larsen investigates , and subjects himself to, the practice of waterboarding, an interrogation technique allegedly used by the U.S. government. Larsen produced this in the summer of 2006 but it continues to be an issue in question, what with the Attorney General hearings. Is is it a “grave breach” of the Geneva Conventions or is it a valid interrogation technique? If a detainee may be harboring information which could save the lives of many, how far can interrogators go?

View the embedded file or go to the original post.

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View the EDITED MEDIA SHOW (you can scroll or pause for the text)
View the BEHIND THE SCENES PIX

I’ve wanted to do this concept for years but lacked a client, the funding, and a community to work with. This event was finally spawned earlier this year when I was introduced to Deb Hinchey, the Director of Wellness and Health Promotion at Seattle University. Our mutual interest in saving the world, and in issues surrounding trauma, were a cause to connect. A birthday party (hers), spilled wine, and similar relationship sagas were starters, but when one of my friends started dating her I was reminded just how awesome Canadian women are and saw a potential client turn into a true friend.

While we had months of planning time, of course we left it to the last minute. But together Deb and I, with the help of Deb’s Peer Health Action Team (PHAT), her graduate adviser Ryan, in cooperation with Student Activities, and with Housing and Residence Life, in ten days we built a model program we can now offer as a FEAR Project service to other campuses. In fact, our first client request came shortly afterwards from the University of Washington, Tacoma.

We spent one day making portraits of the campus community, building a body of work that put faces to the statistics, and then a week later had a gallery opening with prints and a looping media show. In a highly traveled part of campus we asked people if they wanted their portrait done to acknowledge they are part of a community affected by sexual violence; it was a non-traditional approach to public awareness and the admission that sexual violence doesn’t just happen to “those people over there” but it happens “here, in my community, to people I know.”

Some of the project goals were to:
• Create dialogue in order to build an aware and empathetic community less likely to silence survivors
• Decrease the stigma surrounding the reporting of sexual assaults on campus
• Engage students in the issue of sexual assault in a creative way through the combination of photographs and narrative, creating an impact far greater than statistics alone
• Gather anecdotal data about the incidence and prevalence of sexual assault on the Seattle University campus

The photo session started off calmly as the PHAT volunteers put up signs and polished their statements; imagine making eye contact with hurried students, staff, or faculty–people actively avoiding your eyes–and approaching them to talk about sexual violence–rape, of all things. Not only that, but you have to explain as they proceed to walk on by that you want their portrait, a model release, and an anonymous questionnaire. Well, before long, I had people waiting for me to take their portrait and, at times, the wait was five to eight people deep. I could have used a second shooter. I think the volunteers did an amazing job of recruiting and running the show; I only had to make pictures.

I processed the images, sent them to the printer, then left town for my sister’s wedding. Again, the volunteers–chiefly my “intern,” photographer Andrew Hida, Deb’s GA Ryan Hamachek, and student Stephanie Squires–handled the rest by mounting 50 prints for display. All I had left was to build the media show.

Why is all this a big deal? Personally, I’m just happy it went off well. But let’s start with the first request for our services: the University of Washington, Tacoma. Next, Deb’s boss asked her to submit the project to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Excellence Awards; apparently this is a big deal in the world of higher education.

What really excites me is hearing that students were going back to their dorms and asking their friends if they’d had their picture taken; looking a portrait subject in the eye to thank him or her and hearing back “no, thank you;” to have busy people make a point of coming back later in the day to pose; to have classmates and fellow faculty come specifically for the portraits; later, when at the opening, to see these same people arrive with their friends in tow to see their portraits. All of this was done in the context of sexual violence awareness; it was providing a safe way for students to start the dialogue and see how receptive someone may be.

But let me just qualify all of this with some hard data Deb shared with me. She writes in her NASPA award proposal:

“Sexual assault is a serious issue on college campuses across the nation. At least 1 in 4 college women will be the victim of a sexual assault during her academic career.(1) About 90% of rape and sexual assault victims on college campuses knew their attacker prior to the assault,(2) and women who attend college are more likely to be sexually assaulted than women who choose not to attend college.(3) On the campus of Seattle University (SU), data collected through the National College Health Assessment in 2007 reflect similar numbers. Despite these alarming statistics, less than 5% of all rapes or attempted rapes on college campuses are ever reported to authorities. (4)

“The Office for Wellness and Health Promotion recently entered its second year in existence on the SU campus. In its role, the Office develops and implements sexual assault prevention, awareness and response programming. However, despite repeated efforts to reach students through workshops, speakers and the like, attendance at such events has been minimal, begging the question of what can be done to create the necessary dialogue around this critical issue.” (at left: the senate plays for the opening)

Well, it looks like the FEAR Project helped create that dialogue, and not just to tell women how to be afraid. We want to change social norms around sexual violence; it’s not just a women’s issue, nor is it only a men’s problem. It is a community issue we all must address. Next up? Packaging this for other campuses and communities.

(1) Hirsch, Kathleen (1990)”Fraternities of Fear: Gang Rape, Male Bonding, and the Silencing of Women.” Ms., 1(2) 52-56
(2) Rennison, Callie M. Criminal Victimization 1999: Changes 1998-00 with Trends 1993-99. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, August 2000.
(3) Sexual Assault on Campus NIJ http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/205521.pdf
(4) Sexual Assault on Campus NIJ

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I’ve found it hard to get into hospitals, prisons, and the collegiate greek system to document the affects of sexual violence. How about the access (beheading risk, or endless detainment by coalition forces) challenges of working with the Iraqi insurgency? With the war coverage becoming less and less balanced, this film looks like it will provide at least a glimpse of the ‘other side.’

Movie Synopsis: Meeting Resistance
“What would you do if your country was invaded? MEETING RESISTANCE raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle, and documenting for the very first time, the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation’s citizens when their homeland is occupied. Voices that have previously not been heard, male and female, speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives. Featuring reflective, yet fervent conversations with active insurgents, MEETING RESISTANCE is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war. Directed by Steve Connors and Molly Bingham, this daring, eye-opening film provides unique insight into the personal narratives of people involved in the resistance, exploding myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate. Through its unprecedented access to these clandestine groups, MEETING RESISTANCE focuses the spotlight on the “other side,” leaving the viewer with clarity as to why the violence in Iraq continues to this day.”

And a little more on photographer Ashley Gilbertson. Having found me on Technorati, the University of Chicago Press emailed me to say they’d added a video interview of Gilbertson talking about how he made some of the images in his book “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.”

Click here to view the 30min video (in whole or in parts) or see it in six parts on YouTube (link at left).

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VIEW MULTIMEDIA ON TREE SITTERS
–with the voices of “Siege,” a tree-sitter, and Nik, whose role as ground support has helped people like Siege.

Nik’s directions took me to an Oakland neighborhood where, he said, there was bi-weekly semiautomatic weapon fire and “slum-bird” helicopters buzzing low overhead; I saw the birds, heard the bumping bass, and the guys hanging at the check-cashing corner store. (at right: the kitchen)

I was in the Bay Area to photograph tree sitters on the University of Berkley campus, a group whose actions Nik supports and with whom he could provide introductions.

The front of the house was boarded up but around back, more resembling the chaos of the natural world than anything else, were a few shacks, an outdoor kitchen, and wood-chip paths connecting it all. They were dismantling the squat as the property was going to be developed but what previously existed were a geodesic dome, a straw bale house, large organic gardens, and his own dwelling made of pallets, reclaimed building material, and insulated with futon ticking. (at left: outdoor shower)

Nik, an old friend from university, is immersed in the world of sustainable living and development; not with a holier-than-thou eco-militance, but through an incredible knack of peaceful engagement, intelligence, and skill. His mindset is natural coexistence. Think organics, gray water reclamation, alternative energy (he runs an old Mercedes on biodiesel), and, well, green living. He’s pretty good at it.

My rental car, the smallest Thrifty had on the lot, was a bright red new-model Mustang. For someone who drives a beater Subaru wagon and is going to visit with eco-protesters and hippies, I felt pretty embarrassed by my ride. Especially when pulling up for some dumpster diving where Nik ran into a friend who was also checking out the goods. We harvested three grocery bags full before finding our way onto campus; some good eats for the people in the trees. (at right: the mustang)

I slowly wound my way through the trees on tyrolean traverses employing basic climbing safety techniques. The tree-sitters were meeting out at the “Fuck You” tree, the one connection to the ground outside a recently erected chain link fence intended to protect the tree-sitters from football fans but also acting to isolate them from their supporters. Security officers watched 24/7 and floodlights lit the ground at night. The tree-sitters were discussing logistics with their ground supporters–like Nik–and, ironically, about what “consent” means in a sexual context. (at left: dumpster diving)

Nik and I, while catching up over lunch, had had this very discussion because of the work I’ve been doing with sexual violence. Drifting through the trees I heard “No means saying I don’t like that, no means not kissing back, no means being drunk, no means no response, you don’t have to hear someone say ‘No’ for it to mean no.” It was a pleasant distraction as I was sweating in the balmy evening, guide-less and negotiating unknown traverses and platforms 60 feet off the ground in the growing darkness. I was hauling my camera gear, extra clothing, and enough food and water for two nights. I didn’t want to be a burden on the tree-sitters’ resources. (at right: Nik at home)

Across to “lower Caruna,” hand-over-hand to its upper platform, from there another traverse to “yea-mama” and a crossroads. To the right was “okey-doke” where most of the hippies hung out all day, to the left was “lower deodar,” a tall conifer that served as another junction for what I was coming to see as the ultimate game of hot-lava. When I finally arrived at lower doedar it was dark; I decided, partly for safety, that I would hang my gear and stay the night there. Later that evening “Burlap,” one of the tree sitters, would come through and take me to the Crow’s Nest, a small platform wobbling on the very tip of “upper deodar” and the highest point in the network. It was a bit gripping with all the free-solo climbing to get there in the dark (no ropes or safety), but once there we relaxed in the cooling night gazing toward the lights of San Francisco and listening to the fraternity parties below. (at left: a tourist attraction)

I rose early to find a snoring tree sitter hanging between two branches, and waited as the morning fog lifted. At 10:00 “Busstop” came over from Okey-Doke to make pancakes; I left to make images and at 1:30 Berkley students staged a protest. They jumped the fence to deliver supplies and clean the grounds. The police let those who wanted to to leave and arrested the remainder, citing and releasing all but one. I thought they did a great job considering all the heckling they received but had to remind myself this was a college campus; I know in the past protesting has been different, but this seemed like a mid-level course in civil disobedience with the police captain serving as guest lecturer. The protesters left by 5:00–which was about the time the pancakes Busstop started that morning were finished and consumed. (at right: kristin in the trees during the protest/arrests)

While I’m sure you find all of this interesting, I bet what you’re really wondering is the all important question: how do you go to the bathroom? Simply put, in a sealable five-gallon bucket. Excrement and paper mix with a bulking agent like dirt, urine goes in rancid bottles dangling from the platforms; women use funnels. Before the fence these items were simply lowered from the platforms to the ground crew. Now they need to traverse all the lines I laboriously crossed before they can be disposed of. Scary. Especially since I found out you can’t rely on the bucket handle; I nearly dropped the ultimate stink bomb onto the pavement below. (at left: “Siege” making a traverse)

VIEW MULTIMEDIA ON TREE SITTERS

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As the reader, or viewer, you may find this a narcissistic excess of emotional drivel. My friend and co-conspirator, upon reading the original copy, thought we were both pathetic. In a way I would have to agree, however, I think we all harbor some such sentimental reflection and, if we do not, we are often doomed to repeat our mistakes, ad nauseam. Relationships…are a challenging mix of pleasure and pain. When they end it takes time to heal. Until then, climbing is our refuge.

VIEW THE MEDIA, Quicktime (5.5min)

VIEW, non-Quicktime (5.5min)
(I’m pc-challenged but this output seems to work)

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This is one of my favorite songs, “Creep” by Radiohead. It happens to be put to a flash animation by Laith Bahrani who says:

“The video actually started as a lip-syncing experiment with the central Low Morale character but rapidly grew into a cathartic opus that aimed to reflect my job dissatisfaction and the pain caused by a broken relationship. As I’m sure you’ll glean from the video, they were indeed happy days.”

It is hosted on one of my favorite multimedia sites, Mediastorm founded by ex-corbis, ex-msnbc-er Brian Storm. Dude.

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Leading conflict photographer James Nachtwey was one of three to win this year’s TED Prize which was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas and resources that are generated at TED and use them to make a difference in the world.

In a video of his acceptance speech Nachtwey states, “Every story does not have to sell something. There’s also a time to give….I am a witness and I want my testimony to be honest and uncensored. I also want it to be powerful and eloquent and to do as much justice as possible to the experience of the people I’m photographing.”

Like many other photojournalists, I am inspired by Nachtwey and his work. Download the 20 minute mp4 video file of his speech to learn more of his work. Note: video contains graphic images of war.

Download Video

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View my recent submission to SLP Seattle:
“Of Laughter and Forgetting” a Multimedia Essay (7min).

Slideluck Potshow Seattle threw down once more, this time at the Annex Gallery. Organized by the fearless Shannon Welles and mc’d by the hilarious Jed Dunkerley the event went smoothly. Fortunately it hasn’t reached the art-scene status of the NYC Slideluck Potshow and can still be a somewhat intimate event.

I’ve been asked several times of late about SLP’s history so I wanted to take a moment to address those questions.

When I was living at ‘Hotel Latona’ in Wallingford in the late ’90s I began hosting slideshow potlucks; these were intimate living room affairs where contributors brought something to eat, to drink, and ten slides to share. Yes, real slides. (at right: Shannon Welles)

Casey Kelbaugh came to one of these. Spring rolled around and I was invited to a slideshow potluck in his backyard on Capitol Hill where there were more audience members than contributors. In this party atmosphere I met Amanda Koster and the three of us cooked up the idea continuing the slideshow potlucks, each finding venues, sending out the emails, and as often was my duty, providing the projector. With the help of many volunteers, including Jed, we made a tour of some venerable Seattle galleries and living rooms until ten slides became inexorable monologues; we then instituted the five minute limit. Later we came up with themes. The first theme was “Fear” which is where my 501(c)3 Non Profit FEAR Project was born.

As with many volunteer efforts the slideshow potlucks, now named the “Slideluck Potshow” with juvenile glee, fizzle; it grew too large. Then Casey moved to New York. And Casey, being the incredible networker that he is, revitalized the Slideluck as an NYC art scene event. Its attendees now number several hundred, its contributors are some of the world’s top photographers. The Slideluck has groups around the world; Berlin, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, and yes, even Seattle. Still. (at left: Jed Dunkerley…he teaches high school)

Casey is now striving to turn the Slideluck into a 501(c)3 and to spread the love. I thoroughly enjoy the work and community which has resulted and am thankful that at some point I had a hand in its creation, even if it was only a pot of chili, ten slides, and the projector.

If you would like to volunteer to help Slideluck in Seattle email Shannon at: seattleslideluck(at)gmail.com

View my recent submission to SLP Seattle:
“Of Laughter and Forgetting” a Multimedia Essay (7min).

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MEDIA:
• DOWNLOAD: Slideshow Podcast
• VIEW ONLINE: Audio Slideshow

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2006 - SEATTLE, WA I was in the theater booth with complete brain lock. The thoughts were bubbling in an emotional soup but my intellect was unable to capture them. Every time I put pen to paper the thoughts would escape me. So, instead, I watched all the volunteers working to set up for the fundraiser. We had a party to put on. (Left: ndCv performs)

Sarah, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center technical director, in her matter-of-fact way shrugged from her side of the booth and said something like “you get up there, tell them you couldn’t do these five things without them and thank them for their support.”

With those sarcastically sage words I folded up the paper; it’s not like I was going to stand in front of people and read.

When I walked down to the main floor the volunteers had everything under control; I wasn’t needed. So I mingled, in essence, rehearsing with each conversation what I would say when I stood in front of the microphone.

Naomi, the Director of Harborview’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, praised my take on sexual violence awareness; non-judgemental, intimate, and informative in a way that speaks to the post-assault relational experience and helps build empathy and understanding. (Right: Kasi helping set up.)

Another conversation about education and reaching middle-school students for, while statistically they are one of the most likely age groups to be abused, they aren’t raping, abusing, or manipulating…just yet. Getting FEAR media into the public schools as certified curriculum is a daunting task, but working with teachers to develop an experiential unit on sexual violence and healthy relationships would be a worthy accomplishment with long-term societal impact.

Then there was another conversation. Or more of a request. While discussing the portrait series projected on the screen, and what it was meant to say, a woman asked if I would take her portrait.

“Of course,” I said. (Above: Photographer Tim McGuire and his auction donation).

“It would mean a lot to me,” she replied and it was then I could see the tears building in her eyes. Subtle, but there.

I would like to say I was calm but the switch from the theoretical to reality flipped then. I already knew she had a ’story’ but, seeing it there in that slightly embarrassed I’m-trying-not-to-cry smile, it was all brought home to me again. Sexual violence, while it can be physically painful in the moment, leaves lasting emotional scars.

We talked some more, me stumbling through sentences, but what I remember of the moment was her looking to her husband and saying something to the effect of “his patience, kindness and support has made all the difference.” (Right: Volunteer Sue opens the bar).

Later, as I stood before the microphone trying to keep my comments meaningful and succinct, I remembered this and all the other moments where communication, just simple talking, had started the healing for someone. It was one of those moments for me which started this project; I hadn’t known what to do in the face of disclosure but out of that instance came the first multimedia story.

Since then I have slowly been learning more about how sexual violence affects me and my community. In that search I have found others who either struggle with their own experience or the experience of others. It is a community unknown to itself until one person steps forward to say “it’s ok to talk.” That evening, at the fundraiser, we had all stepped forward. (Left: Volunteer Joseph serves up sushi).

The next step for the project is an upcoming rape trial. The victim, Abby, is returning in late October for a retrial (the most recent court date estimate); the first time was a hung jury of 11:1. This story will explore the affects the trial has on her and her community. It will also look at the process from forensic exam to arrest, evidence, and court proceedings. This story will provide both editorial content as well as educative media for professionals; while the project is asking for support now, we hope our media will lead us to be self-sustaining and capable of expanding our offerings and our outreach.

What this means for me in the short-term is less non profit administration and more documentary work. Interviews, ride-alongs, portraits, hours in the courtroom, and simply ‘hanging out’ with Abby, her friends, and her family. At all hours. Creating a portrait of someone’s life requires living parts of it and Abby, graciously, has agreed.

Afterwards will be days of post-production. For a professional firm that will only plug in the media components, to produce a 20 minute piece the cost is around $10,000 dollars. For us to complete an entire work the cost is about $20,000. This time I may have help from a volunteer NPR reporter, but in the past it has been me volunteering my time and squeezing it in between my editorial and corporate clients. (Volunteers Mindy and Andreas).

I like to think I can do everything on my own, something which makes it difficult to ask for help. But this is where I need to ask: for this work to reach further, we need professional and financial help to finish the SANE story and Abby’s trial. So I’m going to ask: Please make a donation to help the project create dialog.

The fundraiser was an amazing first step. I didn’t really care about the evening’s numbers; I was happy that we had created a great environment for a party. There were more volunteers than I expected, more support from underwriters than I would have thought to ask for, and more cool silent auction donations that I had imagined. For our first fundraiser I’m extremely pleased. But maybe you want to know the numbers: with fewer than 100 people in attendance, and including our underwriters, we raised $10,632.

I think we put on a pretty great party, maybe not the raging dance-fests I’ve hosted before, but we had everything necessary:
• excellent music from Andy Seaver (ndCv) and DJ Jamison (follow the links for sample tunes!)
• sensational sushi from Rain (they’ve got this deep fried roll with avocado on it…)
• a fine choice of graciously discounted wine (personally arranged for us)
• donated beer courtesy of Georgetown Brewing
• silent auction items, largely personal donations, from artwork to massage, yoga, pilates, hair styling, sailing, boating, gym climbing, outdoor climbing, backcountry skiing, outdoor clothing, down clothing, dining, more dining…somewhere near 50 items.

The two rooms we booked may have felt a little spare however Kasi, a friend, volunteer, and executive director of the Austin Foundation, reminded me that for our first fundraiser, we did a good job. So I put my critical self to rest. (Left: Board member Rebecca Haas and volunteer Tom Scearce)

I want to thank all who contributed: volunteer, underwriter, donor, and attendee. That evening you helped create a community of awareness and dialog. (Right: Underwriter Rick Baroway with GSB Law)

If you were unable to attend, but would like to be a part of this, please go to the FEAR Donations page.

Thanks again to our underwriters:

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Just a short note, but this issue of Alpinist Magazine, what I and many others consider to be one of the few worthwhile climbing magazines to pick up, is featuring one of my images from Chamonix on the first page. The editors and I also worked together to create an online presentation of images and self-reflective narrative. It is packaged as a flash file about “The Climbing Life.”

View it here: http://www.alpinist.com/p//tcl18

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VIEW NEW-MEDIA SLIDESHOW

THURSDAY JULY 27, 2006 - SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA We turned left, from one six lane road to another and gunned the motor. A mile later CR&R maintenance supervisor Chris Damyen asked “How can you lose a garbage truck?” (Left: Pedro Ruiz drives a garbage truck)

I had to laugh. The oddness of driving endless suburban streets of McMansions packed with smaller McHouses was just…silly. All I wanted to do was make photos of a common garbage truck.

The uniqueness is that CR&R’s trucks are run on LNG (liquified natural gas). At about $1 dollar/gallon as opposed to $3 dollars/gallon it’s not only a cleaner burning fuel than diesel, its much more economic. (Right: A side-loader in Suburbia)

But, says Damyen, “It would be terrible for trucking. You’d run out of gas because no one has the fuel.”

Like hydrogen for fuel cell cars, LNG lacks a widespread distribution network. For fleets with a central fuel depot, like CR&R’s, it makes sense. Companies are working to capitalize on the benefits of LNG but Seattle-based Prometheus is taking it one step further. Prometheus is tapping into the methane gas naturally emitted by landfills as garbage decays. (Left: Bahman Roomiany bolting the liquifier together)

The company is building the world’s first commercial scale methane gas liquefier which, when completed, will produce 5,000 gallons per-day of 98 percent pure methane.Similar in properties to LNG the gas will be ready to feed fleets like CR&R’s with the benefit of little to no transportation costs. Granted, when methane (CH4) is burned it produces water and the greenhouse gas CO2, however methane itself is a worse greenhouse gas. Currently federal law requires methane be burned on-site at flare facilities. (Right: Huge stack flaring methane)

In Orange County, where Prometheus is building its first plant, the Bowerman landfill burns an equivalent of 40,000 gallons per-day of methane. No power generation or heat capture is performed; the methane is simply burned off into the atmosphere. While not an endless supply of methane (sealed landfills will continue to produce methane for another 15-20 years) it is, according to Dan Clarkson of Prometheus, an intermediate step on the road to establishing a market for cleaner burning gaseous fuels like hydrogen. (Above: The liquifier in the foreground, flare station behind)

The landfill itself is an enormous reservoir of trash, layer-caked in 20′ intervals filling a canyon on the outskirts of Irvine, Calif. Methane collection pipes and well heads line each layer. A typical day will see 800-1000 trucks dumping their loads as massive D9 bulldozers and stud-wheeled compacters push the garbage around, utilizing GPS and in-cab computer displays to optimize the depth and location of the refuse. (Left: A compactor tearing it up)

It is a loud, chaotic operation as diesel motors roar and orange-vested workers direct trucks for maximum efficiency. With my medium-sized body draped in an XL vest and hard hat I ran between workers; I didn’t have a feel for where the vehicles were going and was repeatedly warned that the operators, riding high in small cabs behind massive shovels, had limited visibility and could easily back over me. Not too long ago a D9 ran up onto the hood of an F350 pickup, crushing the engine and chassy before they were able to radio the operator to stop. (Right: Waste Inspector Richard Gemmrig removes a TV while D9’s push trash)

In a couple of months Prometheus expects to have a ribbon cutting ceremony for phase one of its landfill LNG project, clearing the way for five more stages which will harvest most of the landfill’s methane. In the meantime there is a lot of bolt-tightening, pipe fitting, and public relations to be done. After all, while other countries use landfill methane to produce heat and power, this is the world’s first landfill methane gas liquifying plant. (Right: yours truly)

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THURSDAY JULY 20, 2006 - SEATTLE, WASH. Slideluck started in Seattle as a small gathering with ten slides (real slides) and group discussion; later it became a five-minute themed presentation. Interest waned after its biggest advocate, Casey Kelbaugh, left for New York. There Kelbaugh used his networking skills, the power of the web, and the benefits of digital production to build an art-scene event in New York attended by hundreds. And I mean hundreds.

Slideluck is important to me not only because my slide projector was often used but because when Kelbaugh, Amanda Koster and I decided to change the format from ten slides to five minutes with a theme that first theme was ‘fear.’ That first presentation I made dealt with sexual violence and it was from that slideluck potshow that theFEAR Project originated.

Slideluck has spread to several other cities and now, years later, has found a re-birth in Seattle. On a recent summer evening people gathered at Pravda Studios to enjoy the theme of “Play.”

Many thanks to Shannon Welles for her work pulling the event together and to Pravda Studios for donating the space. And, of course, Jed Dunkerly the ever-present, ever hilarious MC who, as an artist, lacks a web page. Probably because he’s devoting his time as a high school teacher to the enlightenment of Seattle’s youth. A noble deed.

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