Xieng Khouang province, located in the mountains of Northern Laos, was the site of major ground battles between the Pathet Lao and the American-backed Royal Lao Army and one of the most heavily bombed areas of the entire war.

Today Xieng Khouang is known primarily for the Plain of Jars, a collection of two thousand year old archaeological sites, but leftovers from the war are unavoidable – the landscape is dotted with craters, Hmong villagers use bomb casings as building material and unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains buried throughout forests and farmland.

The Lao government and a few Western NGOs (most notably MAG) have launched campaigns to clear jar sites and farmland of bombs, encouraging tourism and reducing the number of accidental UXO victims. Despite these admirable efforts, Xieng Khouang remains poor, barren and littered with deadly explosives.

1. In the past, many residents of Xieng Khouang were hesitant to reveal the location of large pieces of UXO, fearing that they would be destroyed and could no longer be sold as scrap metal. This lead to the implementation of the “low-order technique,” a method of removing explosive material without damaging the valuable parts of the ordnance.

2. Bomb casings make durable building material in many impoverished villages, where metal is expensive and rare.

3. In addition to building material, bomb casings are also used for flower pots.

4.An assortment of mortars, grenades, and cluster bomblets used during the war.

5.Of the 250 million bombs that the US dropped on Laos, at least 80 million did not explode and remain buried in the ground. Designed as anti-personnel weapons, the bombs are filled with ball bearings that increase the amount of shrapnel released in an explosion. Unfortunately, they look very similar to the balls Hmong children toss to each other at New Year festivities.

6.Vast expanses of fertile land in Xieng Khouang remain full of buried explosives, rendering them unusable and keeping the predominantly Hmong population poor.

7.An approximately 200ft (61m) wide crater on unused land.

8.Small craters left by cluster bomblets.

9.Many of the bomb craters have formed semi-permanent ponds.

10.By 1973, the only thing left standing in the old provincial capital of Muang Khoun was Wat Phia Wat’s Buddha statue. The rest of the town was completely leveled by American bombs and ground battles between the Royal Lao Army and Pathet Lao.

11.A bombed-out hospital in Muang Khoun remains a monument to the war.

12.Many houses and restaurants in the rebuilt Muang Khoun use disarmed bombs as decoration.

13.The two thousand year old jars scattered around Xieng Khouang are the area’s biggest draw for tourism. Their original purpose remains a mystery, but popular theories include funerary vessels, food storage, and alcohol fermentation containers.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Traveling to Laos? Check out Matador’s Laos Destination Guide first!

Feature Photo: Rene Ehrhardt / Photo above: [177]

London Wildlife Trust

Dedicated to protecting London’s wild spaces and engaging diverse communities through campaigning, education, and volunteer programs, the London Wildlife Trust gives you an opportunity to get into nature and out of the urban rush.

The work of the organization reaches far beyond simple conservation, helping adults with mental health problems, running education sessions for primary school children and offering guided tours.

Required commitment time varies depending on which project you choose and in most cases no experience is needed to volunteer. To find out more and to apply visit London Wildlife Trust or email volunteering@wildlondon.org.uk.

Toynbee Hall

Based in Tower Hamlets, one of the most deprived boroughs in the country, Toynbee Hall provides practical, innovative programs to meet the needs of the community.

One of the volunteer programs is their annual residential volunteer program, offering 15 volunteers accommodation and expenses in return for 20-30 hours of work per week. This year, there is also a “subsidized” volunteer option where 11 candidates will be asked to commit six to 12 hours per week and contribute £200 per month towards accommodation and bills.

Residential volunteers are given training and support from Toynbee Hall to enable the volunteer to work in one of many different programs. There are also “specialist” volunteer positions available in the areas of finance, migrations, English as a foreign language, and volunteer management.

The program starts every September and runs for 12 months. The charity will be recruiting for its next intake in May 2010. Volunteers must be fluent in English, although anyone who also speaks Bengali, Urdu or Somali will have an advantage.

For further information on roles and to apply visit Toynbee Hall.

FareShare

This charity takes food discarded by supermarkets and redistributes it to homeless shelters, day centers, breakfast clubs and women’s centers. The food they receive is perfectly edible, but was rejected by retailers for reasons such as faulty packaging, mislabelling and display dates.

Volunteer positions include food sorters, drivers, navigators and office workers. No experience is required as volunteers are given full training in food hygiene, although drivers will need a clean driving record and will need to take a Mini Bus Drivers Awareness Scheme Assessment.

The commitment requires at least one shift every two weeks. There are also opportunities available in the areas of marketing and fundraising. Visit FareShare or email enquiries@fareshare.org.uk for more information.

Sense

Sense is the UK’s leading national charity supporting and campaigning for adults and children who are deafblind, offering advice and practical help. The charity has a number of volunteering opportunities in and around the London area.

In 2010, the organization needs volunteers for three week-long “holiday” placements, which involves assisting people with deafblindness on a leisure trip in return for accommodation and food. There are also occasional weekend events in need of volunteers.

For anyone wanted to volunteer with Sense, planning ahead is essential as all volunteers must pass a Criminal Records Bureau Check which can take between four to six weeks for UK citizens – or up to three months for volunteers from other countries. The charity starts to offer placements towards the end of March.

To request an application form visit Sense.

The Simon Community

This charity provides help and support to the homeless in London by providing shelters where homeless people and volunteers live and work together.

The Community offers both full time and part time volunteering opportunities. Full-time volunteers, who must be 19 years or older and receive accommodations, food and £38 a week for expenses, are expected to stay for a minimum of six months. They will live and work alongside the homeless, helping to “break down the barrier between the helpers and the helped”.

Part-time volunteers don’t live at the house, but help out with a variety of tasks including tea-runs, driving, campaigning, office work and helping out at houses – travel expenses are paid and there is no minimum commitment.

For more information and contact details visit The Simon Community or email info@simoncommunity.org.uk.

National Trust

The National Trust owns and cares for numerous heritage sites in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, focusing on environmental conservation.

Volunteer opportunities involve practical work on these properties in and around the London area for days, weekends or week-long projects. Weekends are the most regular and easily available option, costing £8. Work could involve fencing, building stone walls, tree planting, clearing vegetation and cutting steps into hillsides. Occasionally, it will also involve helping out at events.

For detailed information on opportunities available for 2010 and booking information visit The National Trust.

Community Connection:

Need help choosing a volunteer project? Check out The Complete Guide to Volunteer Tourism!

MatadorU student Dona Francis started the Team 100 Athletic Scholarship Program in August 2008 to help Tanzanian students who show academic and athletic potential obtain full athletic scholarships to top US universities. Says Dona, “We focus primarily on girls from the Manyara region…due to the severe inequities in education, their tendency to have babies very young, and the vast untapped athletic potential in the region….” Francis shares Team 100 photos in this essay about the organization’s work.

1.Although Tanzania has a strong primary education system, girls rarely continue on to secondary school. For young girls who are gifted athletes and good students, the Team 100 Athletic Scholarship Program is changing that.  The girls in this photo have short or shaved hair to prevent lice and make grooming easier to manage.

2. Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in Africa, but it has a long tradition of superb athletic talent. By involving girls in running from an early age and focusing on education, young girls are empowered to realize their dreams and develop skills to shatter a cycle of illiteracy, poverty, and teen pregnancy that has gripped their families for generations.

3. Most young students in Tanzania dream of a university education, while at the same time, coaches at U.S. universities dream of having a talented Tanzanian on their roster. This provides the perfect opportunity to utilize running to forever change the lives of young girls who may otherwise have few other opportunities.

4. Team 100 athletes live at the training camp started by head coach, Zach Gwandu, in 2004. The girls train twice a day, running through the foothills and villages in Mbulu, a small town located in the Rift Valley. The girls range in age from 16-24, and the team’s senior member, Zakia Mrisho, made her Olympic debut in 2008.

5. Local races are held bi-monthly to scout new talent. Girls are recommended by primary and secondary school teachers based on academic potential, and athletic prowess is assessed by coaches during local races and training workshops. Student-athletes who are invited to train with Team 100 are expected to maintain at least a B-average in school and meet stringent running standards.

6. The development of life skills and a strong work ethic are an important part of life at the training camp. Cooking is done in an outdoor hatch over wood fires, clothes are washed by hand, and living quarters are cleaned daily. Preparing meals is a leisure activity the girls particularly enjoy; it’s a time to socialize, gossip, and chat about home.

7. A heaping portion of ugali with a rare treat of bananas and oranges is one of the most popular meals among the girls. Ugali is an inexpensive, carbohydrate rich staple in East Africa that sustains the athletes in their rigorous training schedule.

8. Not used to the glamor of beauty products, three of the youngest girls revel in the novelty of nail polish while getting ready for church.

Community Connection:

Team 100 is excitedly anticipating the departure of three student-athletes to United States universities in the fall of 2010. Team 100 receives support from the generous donations of individuals as well as A Running Start, a New York based organization that helps prepare athletes in East Africa for earning scholarships to US universities. If you’d like to learn more about Team 100 or other projects supported by A Running Start, visit their website or contact Dona Francis at dona.j.francis@gmail.com.

I knew wildlife trafficking was a problem, but I didn’t realize just how much of a problem until I read this article by Charles Bergman in the November 2009 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

According to Bergman and NGOs like the Coalitions Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT), animals stolen from their natural habitats and sold on the international black market represent a $10 billion business. Traffickers poach and then sell animals for food, medicine, pets, religious rituals, and private collections.

The threat of wildlife trafficking isn’t just species depletion or even eventual extinction. When animals are removed from their natural habitats, their absence disrupts the local ecosystem, and their introduction into a new environment results in problems related to non-native and invasive species.

Here are a few animals–from pocket sized to portly– prized by wildlife traffickers. Captions include text from Bergman’s article, as well as statistics from CAWT and TRAFFIC.

1. Butterflies Butterflies and other insects may be fragile, but they’re especially easy to traffic because of their small size. Butterflies are often sold to private collectors looking to expand their exotic menageries. Photo: e3000

2. Chicks Birds represent one of the biggest sources of income for traffickers, and Central and South America are high bird trafficking zones. As Bergman noted, “Ecuador–about the size of Colorado–has about 1,600 species of birds; the entire continental US has about 900.” Photo: oldcockatoo

3. Hummingbird According to Bergman, “two to five million wild birds, from hummingbirds to harpy eagles, are traded illegally worldwide every year.” Photo: hickoryhollow113

4. Turtle Turtles are sold for food, as pets, for medicine, and for their shells, which are turned into decorative items. Photo: notsogoodphotography

5. Snake Not every trafficker has the courage to hunt down and bag the world’s most venomous snakes, but those who do are paid handsomely for their efforts; snakes are sold for medicine, their skins, and as pets to exotic snake collectors. Photo: travlinman43

6. Monkey Monkeys may be harder to conceal, but experienced poachers know the pay-off is worth it: primates of all types are a hot commodity on the illicit wildlife underground. Bergman writes, “Wildlife trafficking is thought to be the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, after drugs and weapons…according to the U.S. State Department.” Photo: individuo

Community Connection:

Concerned about animals and the impact of your travels on non-human communities? Read From Elephant Tourism to Elephant Voluntourism to learn how you can use your travel experiences to help protect animals.

Photo of Harish Iyer courtesy of Harish Iyer

Harish was seven years old when his uncle decided to give him a ‘bath’. After that moment, he would be raped continually over the next seven years, from the age of 11 to the age of 18.

Because of the abuse, sex was never pleasurable for Harish as a young adult. He found he was not attracted to women, and dreaded the sight of men. For a long time, Harish struggled with his sexual identity.

After a few relationships with women that didn’t work out, Harish embraced the fact that he was naturally attracted to men, despite his concerns about fitting into society or even facing criminal charges, since the repeal of Section 377 had not yet occurred. (On July 2, 2009, the New Delhi High Court repealed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalizing consensual sex between members of the same sex, and a huge step forward for the gay rights movement in India.)

“I’d made up my mind to speak out about my sexual orientation because it was important to talk about my life,” said Harish.

People within the gay community treat him like a hero (Harish recently went on a date with a guy who had asked for his autograph), while other people in the community give him sympathetic glances.

Many people equate Harish’s being gay with the abuse he suffered as a child. Harish recounts an incident in which an unknown person on the train started giving him advice after reading about him in the local newspapers, “Beta (son), don’t worry about the abuse. Just get married and everything will be alright,” the man told him.

“I’m tired of explaining to them that I don’t need their sympathy or their protection,” Harish said, referring to that exchange.

Harish wishes he had a support system, but very few children will tell anyone that a family member molested or raped him or her, so there are not many others who publicly share their experiences. The discussion of sex is a taboo topic in India, and many schools in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh have banned sex education, stating that sex education will “corrupt young minds.”

Sadly, there is little protection for children from sexual predators in India because there are no laws in the country for such an offense. There is also no protection for male victims of rape under the definition of this act by the Indian legal system, which only refers to a man assaulting a woman. Instead of being stopped by this downfall, Harish has made it his mission to raise awareness about incestuous child sexual abuse.

Harish is going to be running the Mumbai Marathon in mid-January in order to raise funds for ARPAN, an organization based in India that works to combat child sexual abuse. To donate, visit the United Way Mumbai donation page. You can find Harish on Twitter, on Facebook, or on his blog.

Community Connection:

Read about the law decriminalizing homosexuality in the article Indian Court Decriminalizes Homosexuality.

Recently, supreme research brains at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science discovered a way to genetically modify a a type of bacterium to consume CO2 and produce isobutanol, a liquid fuel that can be used as a gas alternative.

And the process only requires sunlight to get going, meaning this achievement carries with it all sorts of cleaner, greener, cheaper energy implications.

Revolutionary? You betcha.

The modified bacterium potentially serves as not only a fuel substitute, but also an environmental cleanup agent through its consumption of carbon dioxide, the villain in our global warming story. Researchers say the ideal place for this bacteria is next to power plants emitting carbon dioxide so the plants’ greenhouse gases can be swallowed up and recycled into liquid fuel.

Unfortunately, the research is only in its initial stages, making it still too early to tell whether or not this will be the bacteria that saves the world.

Until then, we should continue doing our part to try and reduce emissions as we watch the infamous emissions clock climb to unfathomable numbers.

You can read more about the research here on the online edition of the science journal Nature Biotechnology.

Photo: Francisco Collazo

Yesterday, I wrote: “[A] tropical island is only paradise for people who come for a short, pleasant visit, not for the people who live there day in and day out.” Read on if you’re wondering why.

Number of years since being bought by the United States: 92

Photo: Francisco Collazo

Amount of money paid by the US for St. Thomas (along with St. Croix and St. John): $25 million USD

Current population: Just over 50,000

Current minimum wage (as of late July 2009): $7.25

Average monthly electricity bill (for a family of 2 that runs air conditioning at night): $300.00 + (Yes, you read that correctly)

Average weekly wages for a St. Thomas resident (as of last quarter of 2008): $673.00

Total number of St. Thomas residents employed in the last quarter of 2008: 23,900

Guardsman in Iraq. Photo: National Guard

Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have served in Iraq & Afghanistan since 2001 (total number reflects National Guardsmen from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John): 500

Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan in the line of duty since 2001 (total number reflects National Guardsmen from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John): at least one dozen

Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have ever been able to vote for President of the country they serve: ZERO. Due to the terms of its status as a US territory, St. Thomas residents are citizens of the United States but do not have the right to vote in federal elections.

Number of people who have told me “Things aren’t what they used to be.” 7

Community Connection:

Want to learn more about the Caribbean? Read “Hope, Change, and Yes, We Can in St. Kitts.”

The author on her balcony at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Photo: Francisco Collazo

Yesterday, the public relations firm Diamond PR sent nine travel writers to nine Marriott properties it represents in seven different locations in the Caribbean and Mexico. I’m one of them.

The purpose, of course, is the same as any other press trip: to expose writers who have a large audience of readers to its clients’ properties in the hopes that what those writers blog/tweet/Facebook about their experience will stimulate interest in the destinations and the properties.

If you’re a regular reader of my work, that preceding paragraph might seem incongruous with what you know about my writing. I’m not one for lavishing praise on anyone or anything unless it truly impresses me, which is tough (if you’ve got doubts about this, just check out this doozy of a book review).

And higher-end travel isn’t exactly my niche. If I had to narrow down my interests–which is tough–they’d fit more or less comfortably into the categories of political, cultural, social, and environmental movements, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

And finally, if you know me personally, you know that the word “paradise” isn’t one that makes a frequent appearance in my vocabulary… mainly because I lived in “paradise” (Puerto Rico) for 2.5 years and know that a tropical island is only paradise for people who come for a short, pleasant visit, not for the people who live there day in and day out.

So what am I doing on this trip?

There are at least two answers.

1. Though I don’t write often about higher end travel–and though it’s not my travel style when I’m footing the bill– I won’t deny that I enjoy it. I like high thread counts, I like sleeping under a duvet even better than I like saying “duvet,” and I like eating dishes that have overwrought, absurdly detailed names like: Sofrito Marinated Filet Mignon with roasted poblano crema, manchego cheese, chile-toreado salsa, and house-made cilantro-corn tortillas, garnished with cilantro petals.

A frou-frou appetizer in Oaxaca. Photo by author

And if something on those travels–a hotel or inn, a meal, an experience–impresses me, I have no problem writing about it, though it won’t be here on Matador.

2. But at the end of the day, I have to admit that I only know the difference between the salad fork and the entree fork, I don’t like to dress up, and I choose my wine based on whether I like the looks of the label, not because I really know anything about terroir.

And when it comes right down to it, I’m more comfortable with the people providing a service rather than those receiving it.

That’s the real reason I’m in St. Thomas this week.

*
A few years ago, when I lived in Puerto Rico, I jumped to the cause of some locals who’d set up (illegal) residence on a beach in Carolina. “La playa no se vende!” read banners spray painted and hung limpidly between sea-salt speckled tents.

“The beach is not for sale.”

Marriott was allegedly planning to extend its domain to a public beach, gobbling up the sand and closing it off to everyone except hotel guests. Of course, I was on the locals’ side.

The problem was, I didn’t really know anything about the issue and I hadn’t talked with either side.
*

A worker in St. Kitts takes a break. Photo by author

Since that time, I’ve been working on a long-term photojournalism project about the effects of big hospitality corporations on local communities, specifically in areas of the Caribbean where local industries have collapsed in the past 20 or so years.

From the outside, it’s easy to be on the side of those people on the beach. Like anything, though, once you hang around for a while and start listening to people’s stories, the “truth” is a lot more complex.
*
So, long story short, I’m not in St. Thomas because I hope to experience a little slice of paradise and bring it back to you… though if I do have some incredible peak moment, you can read about it on my own blog.

I’m here because I’m always looking for the back story, the untold story, the stories of people who are overlooked. .

And if you follow my writing, that’s the ever-present thread that informs my work… no matter where I am.

Photo of Dr. Jane Goodall by: JJ W.

One of the largest political conferences of the year, the UN Climate Change Conference draws various experts, political figures, media members, and other participants to discuss climate change and international efforts to combat it. The Copenhagen conference aims to achieve four main issues:

* Ambitious emission reduction targets for developed countries
* Nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing countries
* Scaling up financial and technological support for both adaptation and mitigation
* An effective institutional framework with governance structures that address the needs of developing countries

This year Dr. Jane Goodall has put her global tour on hold to join the conference in hopes that her presence and presentations will help emphasize the importance of local communities putting in efforts to fight deforestation, a major contributor to global warming.

From her press release:

“According to Dr. Goodall, “Any agreement reached at Copenhagen should include direct funding to local communities to assist in protecting carbon-rich forests.” This support, she explained, can be achieved through the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) financing mechanism to the benefit of both local communities and the goal of REDD to provide long-term protection of forests.

At Copenhagen, Dr. Goodall and Dr. Lilian Pintea, the Jane Goodall Institute’s director of conservation science, will demonstrate a pilot project that, with the aid of Google mobile and web-based mapping technologies, will enable local communities to provide accurate and timely forest monitoring data that is essential to meeting REDD’s goals.

The project will allow local communities in Tanzania and Uganda and indigenous Surui people in Brazil, along with their institutional partners, to exchange experiences and find ways to mutually support ongoing carbon/REDD project development efforts in these geographic areas.”

Watch this video which examines the complicated array of issues facing negotiators who specialize in REDD issues: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries. Video courtesy of Clean Skies.

Also check out Managing Editor Julie Schwietert’s article “It’s a bad time to be an iceberg” discussing some of the effects of global warming.

The very cold & very windblown author in front of an iceberg in Chilean Patagonia. While posing for the photo, a large chunk of the berg sheared off and began floating away.

Maybe you’ve been following news coming out of the international climate change conference in Copenhagen, which wraps up later this week. With the end of talks slated for December 18, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said earlier today that world leaders “face a defining moment in history” as they decide whether to commit their countries to serious, significant environmental protection policies related to climate change.

Many observers are pessimistic about that possibility, as talks about climate change have gotten stuck on issues related to the divide between rich and poor nations.

If that’s not discouraging enough, there’s been disturbing evidence that the climate change problem is accelerating at a pace that’s even faster than we once thought.

Last week, the international news outlet France 24 reported that a “monster iceberg” has been spotted drifting toward–of all places–Australia. The 12 mile long slab broke off a larger berg about a year ago and has been making a slow but steady drift toward Australia.

If you’re curious about what that might look like–and what implications it might have–check out this 2008 video of a Newfoundland iceberg collapse, found by Eva Holland and reposted on World Hum last week:

Community Connection:

Want to see what climate change looks like around the world? Check out Abbie Mood’s article, Explore Climate Change With Google Earth.