This sounds great Gabriel. What can be done within o/net to offer any ideas, help, stuff...whatever prior to you leaving?

Hey, thanks Mark!

So many things...

Ideas are great, but ideas that come with an action plan and some "doing" are many times greater :)

We have to think of how to increase exponentially what was done with i-ACT 2005.

I think that Ahmat becoming a member of HRW Student Task Force and inspiring many young people, at seeing someone that is just like them but experiencing a situation that is unimaginable to them, is a great example.

Let's make the most of these 14 days in the camps!

2nd grade students in Redding, CA are writing letters to young children in the camps. The teacher is video-tapping this. I will bring the letters and the video will be a part of From America with Love.

We have to make these 14 days as viewable as possible- myspace, youtube, national news!

Since we are working on sustainable action in DC, we could do live call-ins to activist in action, with refugees talking with those that are acting here.

Well, that's just a start of ideas...

This time I have a pretty clear vision of what we are doing, logistically, and we know what it takes to make it happen.

I am in contact with people on the ground. The situation could be more stable, but we will always be following the best advise from the people that know the best.

We will visit fewer camps this time, but the time will be used a lot more effectively, and the program will be much tighter. We want to be able to go back to the same people, connect at a deeper level and be able to share at a deeper level also. We want to leave open doors of two-way communication and involvement.

(Hey, how did you find this? I did not mention it anywhere, since I was just going to start on adding more to the header)

>>how did you find this?<<

I was looking for something in recently posted under "what's new" and your headline grabbed my attention.

Are you taking a satellite phone? If so we could schedule some inbound calls that could be captured over speakerphone. I'd volunteer to do that and add some photographs and update live to YouTube. We could do something similar too with you sending text messages then having them scroll over images/photographs in videos too.

If we can tie something to the viral nature of YouTube and get 500,000 views and think about what we could ask people to do. Especially if what we are asking them to do is video related...that could be very interesting.

Wow, yes! That's exactly the type of interactive-activism idea we want happening.

We will be taking satellite phones again. Last year, I would also include still pictures in the file that we uploaded daily, so we can make use of all these different media- video, pictures, sound- and connect it all with action.

We have to again make a daily call to increased action for the 14 days, so it will 14 days of interactive-activism, but let's get really creative and effective.

OK, I'll commit to daily for the 14 days, and setup time ahead of course. Looks like Sudan/Chad is 11 hours ahead of pacific time, so we could arrange that I call you at a specific time each day.

If you get me the pics/video/sound prior to a phone call I can edit it into a 1-5 minute video. Using cutaway shots of a pic of you as we talk on the phone it could be pretty compelling. We can also have a list of the 14 actions ahead of time which could be helpful as well.

I can also use my Stickam channel (see link in my profile) and we could not only broadcast our phone call live online...we other people could join the channel, hear you on the speaker phone, and ask you questions directly too. Well, something like that I think the main video should be you talking with an occasional question from me. Keep it a tight and watchable 1-5 minutes, and really let people connect.

FWIW, I'm currently working on a Stop Genocide Now focused single video for YouTube. It's involving skater youth 15-25 so they could be very ready to follow something like this...and take action.

I think it's 9 hours time difference from Pacific.

Wow again...thanks Mark. It would be huge to have you be an active part of the team. You've always been super-active, and you are so appreciated. Besides working/planning here, I'll put you on the e-mail list of i-ACT 2 team, if that's OK.

Yes, what a "regular" day for us will look like, when we're out visiting the camps is:

5:30am Wake up and start getting ready to head out the camps; we're staying with NGO, UNHCR, or whomever has the longest running generators, so we can charge all of our equipment.

6:30am Hit the road to the camp, which is usually around 1 to 2hrs away from wherever we're staying.

8:30am Arrive in the camp and meet with NGO officials, refugee leaders, gendarmes, to get greenlighted to walk the camps.

9:30-2:30pm Walk the camp, video-recording the stories of refugees, interviews with aid workers, and camp life.

2:30pm Head back to "home base."

4:30pm Wash up, eat

5:30pm Start downloading all video, making note of what we want to use

8pm Start editing, so that we come up with about 8 minutes of video to upload (cost of satellite time limits us on how long, plus the logistics and time issues on the ground)

11pm Compress video and pics and upload through satellite modem.

1-2am go to sleep.

All in between I write for the blog, answering questions from students and others that are following along.

That's a best case scenario of a day. Things would not always go perfect, like running out of juice (energy), the upload taking longer or aborting half way through, our vehicle getting stuck in the sand, etc. It was an intense 21 day marathon last year, but this year we have the benefit of experience, and it will only be 14 days :)

This sounds really great - I can imagine the word spreading out to thousands who'd check in daily to see the lastest chapter.

>I think it's 9 hours time difference from Pacific.<

hmmmmm, so much for online timezone clocks. I'm sure we can work something out WRT setting up the best time for you. There will be more flixibility on my side around your sked. Editing time...I'll do as quick as I can to keep up with the daily momentum.

Please tell me what you think of this as a first promo?

Man! You are the man!

That is so cool, mark. Wow, I really liked it, and I can only imagine the possibilities, when we're out there.

Then, we're also going to be having the CD-DC (civil disobedience in DC) action during that time, so we'll ask someone to be sending you images of the daily action at the Embassy, and we'll bring it all together.

I'll e-mail you some of my pictures of refugees from the first trip, if you'd like to use them.

Thnx. Yeah, I'll take all the photos and videos you want to send and try to edit them in interesting ways. If there is enough video/photo/etc to choose from between now and when you leave I'll create some other "promo" coming soon type videos too.

We also have permission to use all the Obo Addy music we need, so we can have a nice audio to tie it together. When there is video with sound, speaking or pure audio I'll just make sure the music has no lyrics and is potted way, way down.

Hey, I'm just helping on the media side...you're the man making all this happen.

Is there an easy way to incorporate (the) Google Earth in the the videos to do a flyover kind of thing to help viewers get a sense of where there are?

We saw a really nice demo at the Online Community Summit of a Jane Goodall project's use of Google Earth - Jane Goodall Gombe Chimpanzee GeoBlog V2.0

And heard about this Brightearth group who is doing something with Google Earth and Darfur.

We will be releasing a series of interactive layers in Google Earth that map the conflict in Darfur using data from the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, the Coalition for International Justice and other sources.

There is something about the Google Earth experience that makes a viewer feel like they are sort of there - and strenghtens that feeling of being connected.

Great job, Mark. It is smooth and easy to watch. My 2 cents: I would cut it in about half, pick the images that you feel are most important, if you say want it watched on Youtube by a mass audience. I would also include some actual photos of the refugee sites, maybe right at the beginning . . . "This is happening in Sudan (images) and this is what these people did here."

This gives people a sense of the actual situation. I think the images of the stats of genocide are powerful. I would again pick just the main ones, and speed up that section. It is a little slow. Music is great, but I wanted it to do something at the end, around how people can help. Maybe pick up speed or something.

Anyhow, I know this is a labor of love, and that comes through regardless. Good job and good luck. Is there a Better World Youtube group to post things like this?

Mark, I'm going to go get a hard drive and send you raw video for you to use, along with the pictures. I'll try and tag as much as possible, so you don't have to look through all the hours to find material you'd want.

Please send address. The music is great, so thanks to Obo Addy!

Great feedback and ideas, Haney and Soren. The sense of "being there" is very important, and yes, it is about action. We are beyond awareness alone.

I can imagine the flyover going from the camps, zipping across the world, and landing in DC, where you show students involved in demonstrations and action.

Great ideas Haney and Soren. I included them in some form over in a video support workspace Please add anything at all anyone thinks of there as well (for the video/media related stuff)

Haney, I'm sure I can figure something out WRT Google Earth and drawing people in further.

Soren, yeah...I think the sweet spot for video watching is 1-3 minutes, 4-10 if it is just off the hook good stuff. I'll keep pacing and such in mind as the next one's get put together, your right the momentum could have built more instead of the even pacing and fading between shots.

I put this first video under the MarkGrimes account on YouTube, but I suspect with actions tied to it, it would make sense to put future ones under the Five Minute Action Network channel which is neddotcom

Gabriel, all my contact info (and more) is under my o/net profile page...email, address, phone...you name it. (and thnx for tagging, anything time saving is appreciated)

Excellent. Ditto on Soren's comments.

I've got TONS of footage from the LA Camp Darfur that I haven't been able to edit yet. I'm moving for the next few days and setting up my new studio for the following week. Let me know what you might need (if anything) footage wise.

I've also got some awesome pictures of Bosnia if ever you want to work pics in from other genocides.

Mark, you really are the best.

I miss being engaged here. I'll be back soon. Can't live and thrive without my Vitamin o.net.

Cyn! Hola!

I could really use Bosnia picks for Camp Darfur! We've continued taking it on the road; I'm at the University of Michigan with it just about all next week, and we might be going to the Hague at the end of the month.

Good luck with the move!

BTW WRT finding sepia o/netters, at 1:49 into the video in middle back is Meron, and on the right is Cynthia, and I'm pretty sure the person in the foreground is Evonne. At 2:05 into the video the person on the right is Mark Hanis. Gabriel never slowed down long enough to be in a photo, he would have just been a blur ;-) and I missed photos of just way too many other o/net members.

~ Mark said: ~

~ at 1:49 into the video in middle back is Meron, and on the right is Cynthia, and I'm pretty sure the person in the foreground is Evonne. ~

Right on all counts and isn't that Gabriel to my right, or am I losing it?

Ditto on the too long ... you could cut some of the group shots and I thought it might be more interesting if you interspersed the genocide time line throughout in stead of having it all in a row.

I thought that was Gabriel at first too, but I think it was the guy who was really tied into the local African American community.

I may re-cut the video...or wait and see the plethora of other media coming my way from GS ;-)

You're right Mark. That's not me. I'm at 2:05 in the back with the white cap.

My kids come out in a couple of shots, with my nephew Michael, building shelter out of sticks and plastic.

I'll send you that hard drive in the next couple of days.

I'm going up to SF Bay area to see Yuen Lin and tech team this weekend, and I know they'll have lots to add to the mix.

Thanks for these updates Gabriel. Jim

This rocks, so glad to hear you're heading back soon Gabriel!

We have completed a full redesign of Camp Darfur in Second Life (with the Day 11 IACT video) and we will create a way for everyone who visits in the virtual world to pass messages that you can take with you to create a full dialogue back. Many educators have been stopping by, along with librarians and others from academic circles that want new ways to share these stories with their students. Let us know how we can continue to link in -- we can make your streaming video live at Camp Darfur in Second Life as it goes up (updated daily) and feature any other web footage in the virtual world along with our tours.

Thanks Evonne! It would be great to have the material go into Second Life as it goes on the website.

I just got back from visiting with the tech team, and the plan is a go.

The plan is to depart LA on Dec 17, meet up with Stacey in Paris, and be in Chad on 18.

I will do as much as possible from here (permits and stuff), so that we can get promptly to the camps. It still takes some days to get out of N'djamena, fly out to Abeche, rent car, hire driver and interpreter and then the camps.

I am shooting to have first day of i-ACT 2 on Dec 24.

Besides connecting the victims to anyone in the world with an internet connection, we will also be specifically connecting with the groups that will be daily at the Sudanese Embassy.

There's so much to do!

If anyone knows people with web skills that would be willing to volunteer some time in helping Yuen Lin and Carolyn, it would be very much appreciated if you would point them in our direction.

With last year's i-ACT they did not sleep much for 21 days. This time we would like to have some extra help, since it is going to be a little more complex, since we want to show what's going on there and here, making it even more interactive. This time it will be 14 days, but we will be making them very "full" days.

Great news Gabriel! How very exciting.