2008 Woodie Awards
I went to Cambodia to learn more about genocide. From 1975-79 a communist party called the Khmer Rouge killed over 2 million Cambodians in what has come to be called "The Killing Fields." I wanted to hear the stories of survivors and their children. I wanted to know how people can keep living after they'd lost everything.
Boutiques have been on the rise in Anchorage in recent years, with even the "SoNo" district being officially recognized by the Municipality. But boutiques offer more than just a place to find new threads. They bring diversity, uniqueness and attitude to the local shopping industry and contribute to the local color of Anchorage.
It's no secret that Alaska has weird summers, and this one's been weirder than most - arriving reluctantly to begin with, barely nudging the mercury above 60 F, and seldom letting the famous midnight sun show its face. No doubt allergy sufferers are glad to see July depart, with all its pollen and midsummer snow of cottonwood fluff thick enough to give anyone trouble.
Walking among the crowd that gathers daily outside the office at Children Surgical Centre there are some graphic sights. Children sitting in their mothers' arms display their empty eye sockets. Young men's burns bubble over with rancid pus. There are women wearing scarves to cover their melted faces; the acid victims.