Best People

Anarchists scaled the defensive wall (40 shipping containers placed end to end) around the US consulate during the peace rallies. Behind the wall (I climbed it) were a tank, two APCs, marines with machineguns and armed police, in case any protestors thought to cross the wall. Even scaling the wall was forbidden; many of these folks were arrested shortly after this shot was taken. Imagine the impact on the violence in Iraq if the US spent just 10% of its Iraq military budget building public schools and hospitals ...

I could not resist it, I just had to try it out ... and besides, it was warm inside. It was about 5C ‘unskulled.’

Every bit of rubble from the World Trade Centers had been removed from Ground zero to about two stories below ground by the time I visited, one and a half years after the terrorist attack. A neighboring church that served as a relief center for the 9-11 relief workers is doubtless still completely festooned in memorial banners and flowers as you read this. Many stalls will surely still be lining the sidewalk outside, selling all manner of things. This lady makes her living selling flags bearing the names of the dead.

600 of us stripped down to almost nothing and ran the cobblestoned streets of Pamplona to provide an alternative spectacle and protest against the running of the bulls set to occur days later.

The lovely Nicole Green from Animalearn (www.AnimaLearn.org) demonstrates Rescue Critter 'Jerry,’ a CPR and clinical skills training mannequin (www.RescueCritters.com).

Students using skeletal models to learn human anatomy. The exhibit hall had hundreds of suppliers of educational materials, including a few biological supply companies showing off vacuum packed frogs and other killed creatures, and their natural enemies, the national animal rights groups – sometimes side by side. It’s always good to talk to the opposition – if done with restraint it reminds you both you’re both human.

Bidding a sad ‘farewell’ to one of several Turkey shoot signs shortly before they disappeared forever into deep forests, swamps and ditches.

‘On a four-masted schooner I once sailed the blue, with a one-legged captain and six of his crew … the ship struck a rock and the cargo caught fire, and we all walked ashore on a telegraph wire …’

Stowing the sails.

At an international jazz festival in Breda.

These Americans take Halloween deeead seriously. They cover their entire houses in fake spiderweb, and 6 foot inflatable spiders guard their gardens. Witches crash-land into their trees and monsters are everywhere! This was taken at a cool Halloween costume party. I won a prize for this (hey, I like my makeup) but I can’t tell you what it was :)

Making friends :)

A giant used to inhabit this castle on this major river route to the ocean. He would cut off the hand of anybody who refused to pay his toll. He was finally killed by a roman legionary. I think this is where he used to keep people waiting until he had time to cut their hands off. He must have been a busy man. After all, it was a busy river.

Navigating.

Andrew and Jasmijn.

2,800 m.

Returning from the mountains just as the snowstorm hit, we found that we had nothing much in the cupboards, so went foraging for food. The roads were impassable so we had to walk. First, we discovered that the 24/7 that never closes had closed, to give their employees a chance at somehow getting home. This shot was then taken on the way to the supermarket, which we were about to discover had closed early just before we arrived. Tragically, when we returned we home were forced to make soup of my faithful friend Harry the Halloween Pumpkin, who’d kept me company since the previous Halloween. But we had nothing else to eat. It was a very sad moment. Jasmijn thought the soup was “fibrous,” I thought it was delicious :) The secret is having low standards :)

This woman has many talents. Tragically, the snowstorm closed the airport for about 10 days, so Jasmijn was forced to stay with me for two weeks rather than 4 days. Too bad about work, not much you can do when the airport is closed ... except, of course, PRAY FOR MORE SNOW! :)

In 2002 I worked at two animal shelters in the San Francisco Bay area. It’s always great working with the most neglected, abused animals. I saw dogs with chains they’d outgrown embedded in their necks. We euthanized a poor dog with hundreds of maggots eating away it its chest. We removed a stack of grass seeds from deep inside the ear of a dog that had doubtless suffered maddening irritation for many weeks. It’s fantastic to make such a huge difference in the life of a suffering, sentient creature. Helping those most in need gives unbeatable satisfaction – I recommend it to everyone, whether by volunteering in an animal shelter, at a soup kitchen, writing to a lonely long-term prisoner, or in some other way. These greatest of achievements are beyond the reach of absolutely no-one.

This extremely cool wind organ was about 100 m out into the North Sea on the end of a stone pier at Scheveningen.

The Jurassic Park ride involved traveling in boats along a river. Part-way into the jungle, empty, damaged boats became visible. Hats floated alone upon the water. We followed the river into a large cave and heard the emergency announcement, ‘The velociraptors have broken loose! We are attempting to evacuate you ...’ After a few more stunts we finally emerged from the cave down this massive water slide! The splashdowns were spectacular! Those in the boats got soaked, but oddly, not as much as their idiot photographers!

The highest point in Wales.

Stop the war! Amsterdam peace rallies, 2003.