KIDS ARE FUN AGAIN

I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of leaving the education field (a field I spent 9 years in). As the title suggests, I don't harbor many regrets in my departure. When I meet kids here in Jordan, I find myself actually enjoying my interactions with them. Their lives may be riddled with problems and baggage, but for short time I get to know them on a shoot, I see the best in them. There's the old joke about teachers not having kids because they already have a classroom full. Well, now that I'm a photographer maybe I'll have one or two and see how badly I can screw them up. Unfortunately I can't afford kids on a photographers salary. I think English teachers call this a "catch 21".

MORE PICTURES TO TELL THE TRASH STORY

Two more photos that might help you understand what this landfill was like. As a side note, this was my first visit to a landfill. A visit would make anyone stop using plastic bags.

THE JORDANIAN RECYCLING PROGRAM

"We can't guarantee your safety if you get out of the truck," was the last thing my guide said before I hopped out and took this series of photos for Al-Sijill magazine. I was shooting at the largest landfill in Jordan, which stores about 60% of the country's trash. Among the foul smells and plethora of plastic bags were hundreds of men collecting trash. They come from the nearby Marka Palestinian refugee camp to take part in the illegal activity of sorting through people's discarded shit to find plastic bottles and aluminum cans. It is illegal because it is dangerous. Men are buried hip deep in trash as dump trucks and back hoes work all around them. But the management of the facility turns the other cheek for two reasons: it keeps trash out of the landfill, and it employs hundreds of men who desperately need the money. I was amazed to find out that these men earn between 40-80 JDs ($55-$110 USD) a day. That's more money than I made for the shoot! The illegality of what they are doing is what makes it dangerous to take photos. After a while though I think these guys were intrigued by the absurdity of an American who thought what they were doing was pretty fascinating.

APPALLING DUBAI (PART ONE)

Don't jump to conclusions. This isn't a diatribe about the oppression of the Muslim veil. You really need to live in the Middle East to understand this custom before judging it. Actually, I was thinking about this issue while walking around the largest mall in the world in Dubai and seeing countless women dressed in hijabs like the three pictured above in the lingerie store. For most Muslim women from moderate Arab nations, the hijab is the head-covering of choice. It covers the top of the head and neck and leaves the face open. I don't find this oppressive, as men also wear traditional robes and head coverings. It was interesting however seeing these women shopping for designer lace bras to put under their plain black smocks. What is oppressive, and more suitable to the task of limiting sexual flirtation, is the burqa. Let's face it, 95% of sexual gestures are instigated through the eyes, and the other 5% are less than effective. You could almost send your wife out in her underwear with a pair of dark sunglasses on and rest assured you've probably prevented a hook-up. The eyes are the gateway to the soul and to the privates. And so the burqa shuts down both. Hijabs good, burqas bad.

What is really bad in Dubai is working conditions for the overwhelming majority of laborers coming from countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and China. Most are men doing hard physical labor. They have their passports confiscated by their employers for the duration of their two year contracts. These men earn meager wages that they never see (the money is deposited into an account that they can only access after they have satisfactorily fulfilled their contracts). They live well outside of town in rooms that look more like prisons than dorms and are bused into Dubai daily. Most have only one day off. There is a fear in their eyes when you talk to them about their lives. Clearly it is forbidden and could have severe consequences. It makes you wonder how bad life must be like in these people's home countries for Dubai to be a great land of opportunity.

APPALLING DUBAI (PART TWO)

I read this in the paper my second day in Dubai. I think it speaks for itself. Dubai is currently considering new laws that would make kissing, dancing, or hugging in public illegal. Will this apply to the Arab cheek kiss greeting?

MAGNIFICENT DUBAI

I was fully prepared to hate Dubai. It's well reported over-the-top opulence and pretentiousness seemed counter to what I enjoy while traveling. But to my surprise, I kind of liked this little Emirate. Don't get me wrong, the next post will be entitled "Appalling Dubai", but this crazy Arab city gets a lot right that Jordan misses. Most refreshing and immediately noticeable; it's a clean place. There are trash cans placed rather frequently and places to recycle cans and paper. They have light rail and a great bus system. Driving conditions are up to Western safety standards. Taxis are metered and don't rip people off. Smoking is banned inside most public places. Like Jordan, I found the people to be welcoming and helpful. The food, though overpriced, was world class delicious. And can anyone complain about 80 degree weather in January? From a photographic standpoint the architecture was the big draw. Every building is unique and the multitude of styles works in the way that Vegas works. I actually thought of Vegas quite a bit on the trip. I hate Vegas, but Dubai is Vegas without most of the sin, at least not as blatantly sinful. Most of Dubai's sins are financial in nature.

Pictured above is the Burj Khalifa and a view from the 124th floor observation deck. On January 4th, this building officially became the world's tallest. Below that is the Burj Al Arab, the world's only 7 star hotel (though really this is just an ingenious marketing campaign). Rooms start at around $3000 a night. Note the helicopter landing pad and the man-made island it sits on. And finally, there is Ski Dubai, the only indoor ski resort located in a desert. Even when it's 120 degrees outside, it's 28 degrees inside.

I'VE SEEN YOU SOMEWHERE BEFORE

Frank Lloyd Wright drew the sketch of the skyscraper on the left in 1956 and called it simply, "The Illinois". The Illinois, which was never built, was to rise a mile high, and was envisioned as a totally self-sufficient vertical city to combat urban sprawl. I remember seeing the sketch years ago in a book of Wright's work. This past weekend I was in Dubai and saw the magnificent Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building, rising roughly half a mile high. The two buildings are strikingly similar in design, and I found out later that Wright's sketch inspired the Chicago based design firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill who designed the Burj Khalifa.

HALF A BILLION A YEAR FOR THIS!

The US gives a lot of money to Jordan. For 2009, this figure was about $513 million. Why? Because Jordan plays nice with its neighbor to the west, they are serious about security, and they abhor terrorism. So in some ways US citizens have it good over here. We are not bothered out of the fear that any incident might make that big pile of money go away. All that being said, there is a fair deal of corruption here with the police. On average they make around $500 a month. It is not uncommon for them to ask for a bribe or for a police officer to put up major obstacles if one isn't offered. So has been my experience in renewing my visa. When you enter the country you buy a 1 month visa for $15. After that expires you can go to the police station and have it extended free of charge for 2 more months. But nothing here is easy. There is always some reason why I can't get mine renewed (I've done it three times now). "We are closed today", "no ink for the stamp", "no change for the fine", etc. The most recent excuse was that I need to get an AIDs test! I'm told it's a new law that was recently passed (even though the King dissolved the elected Parliament a month ago). There are very few Americans living in Jordan, and I can only imagine the percentage of those with AIDS is a fraction of a percent. So why make it hard for the citizens' of a country who built your power plants, provide you with water, fund your military, and bail you out of debt? Jordan is simply doing the right thing in its diplomacy, and we pay them handsomely for that choice.

Update: Just to clarify, I am currently visiting Jordan on a tourist visa. Because of this, I am required to leave the country every 3 months. The new "law" requiring AIDS tests is for all tourists wishing to stay in Jordan more than 30 days. This test is also required for those expats wanting Jordanian residency. In the case of achieving residency, the AIDS test seems fair as you become eligible for social security and low cost health care. So instead of dealing with the whole mess I went to Dubai for the weekend. Problem solved, at least for another 30 days.

THE UNHOLY LAND

Just to recap, Jerusalem is considered one of the holiest cities in the world, and for apparently good reason. Within the walls of the old city are some of the most important sites of 3 major world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. To recap, inside the old city are all 14 stations of the cross, including the site where Jesus was crucified. The Virgin Mary was born here. The Wailing Wall is the most sacred site of the Jews. On the Temple Mount is where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac. Next to that, the Dome of the Rock is where Mohammed died and ascended to heaven. A stones throw away is where Jesus had the last supper. And these are just the big sites.

Having noted all that, I've felt more spirituality in any given Applebees than in Jerusalem. People are rude in Jerusalem, not everyone, mostly just the religious folks. And all three religions representatives are equally unfriendly. At the church of Holy Sepulchre visitors are chastised if they take more than a moment to reflect at the stone where Jesus was laid after he was taken down from the cross. A monk at the church threatened to kick me out when I took a picture of him blowing out a candle. At the Wailing Wall, I was accosted by countless Jews wanting money for various things. Women aren't even allowed near the interesting part of the wall. And finally, the Muslim guards at the Dome of the Rock kept telling us different times when "non-Muslims" could visit, even when we could clearly see tourists inside. We never got in. It would have taken a bribe we found out later. So when writers like Thoreau talk about God being in nature I think they're right, cause he sure as hell isn't in Jerusalem.

TWO BIG MAPS FOR UNCLE BILL

My lack of blogging over the last few weeks is because of the two adventures above: 10 days exploring Ethiopia followed by 10 days traveling in Jordan and Palestine. My friend Bryce and I went to Ethiopia in late November. We decided to navigate the northern historical loop, traveling clockwise starting in Addis Ababa, then Bahir Dar, Gondar, Axum, Lalibela, and back to Addis. Highlights from that trip included exploring the lake monasteries of Bahir Dar (one of which gave me the first exclusive privilege of taking photographs), climbing a 40 meter sheer cliff to access the mountain monastery of Debre Damo, and taking a motorcycle ride into the beautiful backcountry of Lalibela.

The second trip was with my girlfriend Julie, who flew out here from Portland for Christmas. Highlights of that trip included swimming in Aqaba, drinking wine under the stars at Feynan Eco-Lodge, walking through the old city in Jerusalem on Christmas Eve, and our wonderful cottage overlooking the Sea of Galilee. More pictures and stories from that trip to follow.

PLEASE USE THE BORING PHOTO

Muslims don't drink, so if you happen to be one and your Pullman Mercedes Limousine comes equipped with a refrigerated wet-bar, it only gets used for tea, water, or juice. So when I shot the interior of the above Pullman limo I was very careful not to suggest that this wet-bar at any point aided in the drinking of alcohol; pictured in the top photo are tea glasses and a thermos. But even with my discretion, the museum chose to go with the bottom shot. I really like the top one, so it gets to be published here.

NEW FEYNAN ECO-LODGE WEBSITE

I shot the Feynan Eco-Lodge back in September and their new website is now up and running featuring the photos. It is a beautiful place, and was ranked one of the top eco-lodges in the world. About a week ago I was sitting on the roof of the hotel, drinking wine with my girlfriend, listening over and over again to the only three songs on my fancy new phone, all under an amazing planetarium of stars. It was fantastic! Check out the website by clicking here, and by all means, visit this place.

ROYAL CAR CALENDAR FINISHED

Thank the man in the sky (see the movie The Invention of Lying) this project is done. Shooting million dollar cars owned by the Jordanian Royal Family in a dirty parking garage with only three flashes was less than ideal, but things turned out nicely. Above are a few of my favorites from the calendar. Each car has a unique story that can be found on the website of the Royal Automobile Museum. To view all 12 photos click here.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

Al-Sijill Magazine's celebration of 30 Jordanians making a difference turned into an oddly numbered 34, several of whom were groups of people; one was a theatre. I shot them all in a back-breaking 10 days. Notice anything about the ratio of men to women being honored? What can I say; it's hard to beat out a theatre.