Nothing is better than taking a road you've never been down for as long as the sun stays in the sky. Today I drove down 70south through Woodbury and some of McMinnville. I was surprised and delighted to get into hill country... I miss it.

I will have a few pieces in Art from the Ashes- Art Exhibit and Silent Auction at the Knoxville Museum of Art to benefit those affected by the disaster in Roane County and United Mountain Defense. There will be lots of great artists, so come by and check it out and bid on some pieces!


May 17th - Opening & Reception 3:00 PM
through
June 28th - Closing 3:00 PM

This semester is almost over

Environmental activist RFJ Jr called out Obama on dedicating taxpayer money to research clean coal technology, which he says it's not possible. Read more on ABC. According to Bruce Nilles of the Sierra Club, coal is the dirtiest fuel source and "clean coal" campaigns are just a distraction from actually weaning of the big polluter.

Pretty interesting write up and I'm glad people are confronting Obama for using tax dollars to help coal stay in business. "The coal industry contributed $15.6 million to all federal campaigns in the last election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics" says ABC.

And for a good chuckle, check out the Coen Brother's commercial about the idea of clean coal.

I'm just glad this issue is getting some attention.

And I apologize for the photos of my cat. I just can't help myself!

Spring!

:)

Today has been a good day. Penny's story was picked up on some local blogs in Nashville, including the Nashville Scene. My website has been going crazy all day!

Now is a good time to give a shout-out to my friends at United Mountain Defense. UMD has been working with people affected by the spill from day one. They introduced me to Penny and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to spend time in that community. Thanks UMD! You rock. :)

Please view in full screen mode.


Woohoo! Finally figured out how to embed these dang soundslides. For anyone interested in posting it in their blogs or whatnot, here's the embed text. Hope it works. I would love to hear what everyone thinks!!


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I've been thinking more about an experience I had at Mountain Justice Spring Break 2009. I was photographing a workshop on non-violent direct action, and the participants were asked to sculpt themselves into a statue that showed what non-violence means to them. As you can see, everyone's statues were different. Some were more defensive, some spiritual, and others very vulnerable.

It was refreshing to be around a group of people talking about stuff like this. What role does non-violence play in our lives as a principle? Is it a tactic of protest or a lifestyle? I may not agree with some of the ideas people had, but I LOVED talking about it. I find philosophy and ethics to be one of the most undervalued ideas in our modern society. Why don't we talk about this stuff? Shouldn't our ethics and morals constantly be re-evaluated? Maybe I'll make an effort to bring it up in a conversation.

Spring awakens

I've finally got the story about Penny and Evyn up on the website. Please check it out and let me know what you think!





This weekend I'll be photographing the Laos New Year in Murfreesboro. It will be fun!





As for my TN coal project, I have made a couple of trips up to the area I will be photographing when school is out. Hopefully some of the contacts I have picked up will help me. Talking to locals is so much fun and it is incredible how much is actually helps in understanding the situation. I can't wait to get back up there.