Anatomy of a Water Filter

Manufactured in Champasak province, Laos, these gravity-fed water purification filters are effective, easy to use, portable, lightweight, inexpensive, long lasting, chemical free and durable solutions to providing clean drinking water, which we in the West take for granted.

The illustration above reveals the ceramic filter suspended within its plastic housing. The filter's extremely small pores are highly effective at removing bacteria, protozoa, helminths, turbidity and other suspended solids. When properly used, up to 99.99% of bacteria is reduced.

Swords into Ploughshares

"Max Cho's film, Swords into Ploughshares, is a haunting look at one of the United States' darkest historical moments, the Secret War on Laos. A powerful graphic style brings home the shocking details of a countryside covered with unexploded bombs. Cho puts a human face on this ongoing tragedy as he celebrates the initiative of the Laotian people, while also asking viewers to consider their role in eradicating bombs." - Overview courtesy of YouTube.

Learn more about the bombing legacy at SAY NO TO UXO.

Documentary: UXO Survivors in Laos

In honour of National Geographic's August 2015 issue featuring "Life After the Bombs", I took this self-portrait while wearing my T-shirt from Legacies of War, an humanitarian organization dedicated to educating American citizens and the world at large about the bombing legacy in Laos.