Came across this screen grab from a video the other day. Two really brave guys, both Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) survivors—both blind and missing both hands. They were part of a peer-to-peer project I filmed in Laos way back in 2015. Check it out here.
This is a poster that is at the Phonsavan, Laos, office of UXO-Lao, the national demining organization. As you might expect, more boys than girls are maimed/killed by the Vietnam-era unexploded ordnance left over from the Secret War, in which the United States played a major role (those are all munitions manufactured/deployed by the United States pictured in the poster).
The red text in the upper left states Haam Jap! (roughly translated: Don’t Touch!). I’ll have a follow up post about a very cool film project done with the Lone Buffalo school’s students soon. Stay tuned!
As  a general rule, I don’t tend to crop photos very often. I tend to like to stick to a certain format or ratio for an entire project and prefer to use what I’ve captured in camera. But, I’m starting to rethink this. The following photo, for example:
3:2 Ratio
3:2 is the in-camera format the image was originally capture in, and I liked it. But after spending some time editing the image, Read More
This is a time-lapse of the cluster bomb display at the Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) in Vientiane, Laos.
If you can’t see the video above, click here.
Below is a picture of half the Chronos Light time-lapse rig used to shoot the image sequence—there is another tripod below, securing the other end of the rail.
How about artillery shells in anvils instead? The only problem with the swords into plowshares analogy is that swords don’t kill or maim you when you hit them with a hammer.
This is the seventh US 105mm howitzer shell I’ve found in Laos used in this manner. They are used by the village blacksmiths as anvils to make farming implements and other tools. Probably the most utilitarian usage of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) that I’ve found.
Special thanks to Philip for photographing me—it’s his father’s anvil…
I’m working on a new project with the kids at the Lone Buffalo Foundation in Phonsavan, Laos. I’ll have an announcement coming soon… the title? It’s in the poster below…
Don’t touch!
Truck-ferry-shuttle bus-plane-plane-plane-truck-overnight bus-minivan. About 50 hours total of travel.
I’ve just arrived in Phonsavan, Laos, a small city on the Plain of Jars. I had gotten my bags out of the minivan and got set up in my guesthouse of choice, the Nam Chai. I decided to wander a bit, which, in the afternoons, usually takes me to the Hmong food market. I grabbed my camera and my audio recorder and set off.
I hadn’t even gone 45 paces (yes, I went back and counted them, I’m odd like that) and came across a pile of American cluster bomb casings, courtesy of my country during the Secret War from 1964-1973.
Me, My Shadow, And Some Cluster Bomb Casings
Even with three trips to Laos now under my belt, I’m still surprised at my reaction when I come across the staggering amount of war detritus—much of it Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)—that remains in this country. A country with roughly the same land area as the US State of Utah.*
As an old friend might say You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting UXO in Laos. Of course, you would be wise to, one, not swing things at UXO if you wish to live a long and fruitful life, and, two, leave dead cats alone.
*About 4,000,000,000 pounds dropped on 91,429 sq miles—about 43,750 pounds for each square mile. Of course it wasn’t distributed evenly, but your mental image should be clear.