Currently, there are a lot of tendrils growing in the direction Cambodia. We’ve received some donations and at least one foundation has promised support. Meetings are scheduled and fundraising events are in the works. Networks are being tapped and new partnerships are revealing themselves. We are still very far from meeting our budget, but it is all very exciting.

Ultimately, this is a time of waiting. It is necessary to be patient. I have no doubt that we will get there and make this happen. It is a matter of when. I want to be pushing and pushing to make it happen, but nothing I can do will make it happen tomorrow. This moment requires patience. A clear head is needed to present our best selves to foundations and possible funders. The competition is fierce, so we can’t be scattered.

Instead, we must find the discipline to be calm and have faith in the inevitability of the project.

In the mean time, I have some pictures of sweet rocks at the beach.

We really need to get there before we lose the interest of His Royal Highness King Norodom. Help make it happen!

I recently met a woman who is working with a theatre troupe in Cambodia. These are two of the actors. I don’t know their names, but they are two of the aristocratic/deity figures. The style is called Bassac. It’s roots are in ancient Indian mythology, but the telling has evolved through Cambodia’s rich indigenous traditions.

Before the genocide of the 1970s, there were hundreds of these troupes traveling throughout the country. Currently, there is one.

Photo courtesy of Charles King.

I’ve been stressed with too many projects in the air lately and needed to finish something fun. Noting like bad ass ladies and a good party to soothe the soul.

David, who is from Detroit, sees this and reminds me of the factories there, the people ready and willing to work. He tells me that solar technology could really take off in Detroit.

As the man in the video says, “We need to make more stuff.” Still, the point is that this material is going to China to make stuff there cheaper than these men would make it in the US.

The other point is collectivism. At what point do the leaders of industry see the creation of a healthy community at home to be more valuable than maximizing monetary profits? Wouldn’t it be beautiful to walk through a thriving part of town and know that you were making that?

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Detroit is that it is actually still has a relatively high population. Even as it is the poster child for decline and decay, more people live in Detroit than in Portland, OR. As of the 2010 census, Detroit is even more dense than Portland. The total land mass is basically the same between the two cities, but Detroit has about 125,000 more people.

There were signs of life. Creative projects like the one above, beckoned from the highway. There were also people walking and driving on the street. Even though Detroit’s main theme is abandonment, it’s not empty. The problem is that the construction echos cities like New York and San Francisco, but the traffic is more in line with a much smaller city. It’s creates a feeling of emptiness that is perhaps greater than the reality. Similar to how a circle will look small when placed next to a large one, but that same circle will be huge when placed next to a small one, Detroit’s architecture is very big.