Filed under: Travel, an obsession, dispatches , Cuba, Havana, Karl Marx, Riviera, skyline, travelogue
October 7, 2009 • 10:55 pm 0
Dustin Curtis on flying
“Airplane travel is the quintessential phobia, and it causes suffering for millions. More than half of fliers report some level of anxiety before boarding a plane, and 5% of the population refuses to fly at all. The fear, however, is not supported by data. A passenger’s chance of dying on a plane is roughly 2000% lower than the chance of dying in a car on any given trip. The accident rate on airplanes is lower than two deaths per billion passenger-miles flown. In fact, for most airlines, more people die from heart attacks and other medical emergencies in flight than die when their airplane crashes. Transportation by air is undeniably safe.
But those are mere facts. As we reach our cruising altitude, none of them matter to Mr. Kandarski.”
(Dustin Curtis is bloody brilliant.)
Filed under: Travel, an obsession , airplane, Dustin Curtis
September 26, 2009 • 10:07 pm 0
Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner
Boeing recently unveiled its new airplane: The 787 Dreamliner. They’re still performing final tests, and production has been delayed several times (now slated to start in the fourth quarter of 2010). Though the Marine World circa 1992** design on the hull is pretty uninspired, this plane’s shape looks amazing- like a big metal dolphin with curvier-than-your-average-airplane wings (Va Va Voom). Imagine how it would look if it were painted a nice dark pewter.
**No link to sample Marine World design cause is now some Six Flags nonsense and they’re erased all virtual traces to its former iteration, but Marine World’s brand identity boasted some very wavy designs, in various shades of blue.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession , airplane, Boeing 787, Dreamliner, va va voom
August 11, 2009 • 11:40 pm 0
Slave Hunter & Cambodian Children’s Painting Project
Went to see Aaron Cohen tonight at Book Soup on Sunset Blvd in LA. He was reading from his new book ‘Slave Hunter‘. His rehearsed delivery notwithstanding, one is struck by the sheer bravery of the dude, and the enormity of what he is trying to undertake.
Aaron Cohen reading at Book Soup
In any case, seeing Mr. Cohen speak reminded me to remind you to support, if you can, a non-profit in Cambodia called the Cambodian Children’s Painting Project. It’s run by a heroic young Spanish-American fellow (and a friend of mine) by the name of Felix Brooks-Church, and serves young Cambodian kids who spend their days selling trinkets on the beach.
Naturally, small children selling stuff to tourists in a rough and tumble beach town has its dangers- which I’ll leave to your imagination (or this website). CCPP takes the kids off the beaches and gives them a safe place every day, teaching them art and language classes. Then, CCPP sells the paintings the kids make in art class to the tourists and backpackers coming through for $4 a pop, giving the kids money to help support their poverty-stricken families while gaining an education. Pretty brilliant, and worth a donation, dontcha think?
So: The website for Cambodian Children’s Painting Project is here, and they can use your help.
And, if you wanna meet some of the kids, here’s a video I made when I was there…
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, subverting dominant paradigms , Aaron Cohen, cambodia, Cambodian Children's Painting Project, Child Slavery, Felix Brooks-Church, Slave Hunter
June 4, 2009 • 3:10 pm 0
Mos Def acapella from the streets of Tokyo
Check out the VIDEO HERE. This was produced by Mark Rinehart, Alex Simmons for Current Music.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, video , alex simmons, Japan, mark rinehart, mos def, The Ecstatic
May 27, 2009 • 5:18 pm 0
Pithyism du jour, courtesy of moi
Nothing says ‘problem solving’ like a plane ticket out of town.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession , airplane, Travel, an obsession
• 5:12 pm 1
Kuala Lumpur Dispatch
I think that Kuala Lumpur is the best city I’ve ever been to: Call to prayers on a balmy afternoon in the park, in the shadow of Petronas towers. Heaven.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, dispatches , kuala lumpur, malaysia
• 5:11 pm 0
Phnom Penh Dispatch
Sittin’ on the dock of the Mekong, with cigarette, whisky, stars…
(By the way: Phnom Penh is a lot more fun with 3 Canadian girls, though I realize that I’ve become unaccustomed to sleeping in squalor.)
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, dispatches , cambodia, phnom penh
• 5:09 pm 0
Sihanoukville Dispatch
Long nighttime drive, pitch-black roads, sporadic unattended fires, one of 3 on a small motorcycle, no helmet, the edge of civilisation.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, dispatches , cambodia, sihanoukville
• 5:09 pm 0
Bangalore Dispatch
Currently: Lounging around (post-monkey encounter), reading Gabriel García Márquez, and generally luxuriating in all facets of colonialism.
Filed under: Travel, an obsession, dispatches , Bangalore, India
