Instead of a written update we thought we would share a photo update on some of the workings of No More Deaths. Below you will find some commentary related to each photo.

An "altar" at the No More Deaths camp in Arivaca commemorating migrants who are risking their lives crossing this difficult and often deadly desert border terrain. No More Deaths mission is to end death and suffering in the desert by providing humanitarian aid in the form of water, food and medical aid.

The "Roja" parked at our camp in Arivaca and loaded with life saving water that volunteers put out on the trails year round. Our fund raising efforts go to purchasing water, food and medical
material.

Water jugs are placed directly on migrant trails by No More Deaths volunteers and empty jugs are picked up and recycled. In the summer heat we need to drink a liter of water an hour. When
people are in the desert for 3 - 6 days there is no way they can carry enough water to survive. Officially, 206 people died in the desert this year. Many observers believe that the real number is ten times that.

It's hard to appreciate how rugged this desert region is until you walk the trails. And remember, most migrants are walking these trails at night! Our government border policy forces them into the harshest areas now causing this "humanitarian crisis" and the reason we must call attention to it while providing what assistance we can.

Many migrants in need of medical attention were treated at our makeshift medical tent at our Arivaca camp. The effects of dehydration and blistered feet are the two most often treated medical issues. It's heart-wrenching to see people walk into camp who drank polluted cattle tank water and are miserably sick; while others have had no water for many hours and are showing signs of dehydration and would be in grave danger if they hadn't found our desert camp.

For 6 years now, No More Deaths has been responding to the humanitarian crisis in our border region. Until this crisis is over, we will be here. Would you be willing to partner with us? Pledge now!

Howdy all,

With only 13 days left in the No More Deaths/Anta Project walls-into-instruments fundraising extravaganza, things don't look so good.

Now don't get me wrong.

So far eighteen folks have generously helped back this project, raising $645.

This is huge.

This is appreciated.

And in many ways this is reason alone for doing multiple joyous cartwheels (Actually I'll leave the cartwheels up to someone over at No More Deaths. Mine usually collapse halfway through).

Unfortunately, under the terms of kickstarter, if we do not reach the $3,000 goal by November 9 (the day the Berlin Wall came down!) the money is returned to the backers and all bets are off.

So if you've been thinking of helping this project out now is the time.

Cuz ladies and germs we can't do it without you.

Even as little as $5 will get us closer to our goal, although honestly at this point larger donations would sure help get us there faster.

Not to mention there are gobs of great gifts available as our way of saying thank you.

Discs, T-shirts, jewelry, original salsa recipes, desert tours and much, much more.

And to sweeten the deal a bit more, for everyone who makes a donation of $25 or more (or who has already done so) I'll include a bonus compilation disc of outtakes and other sound ephemera.

So what'ddya say?

Can we make this happen?

“I have worried through the waters that are called the Doldrums,”--- Herman Melville, Tom Deadlight

Halfway into this fundraising project, having worked our way around a number of obstacles, it appears we’ve entered the doldrums: a place sailors dread, where few winds blow and you find yourself killing time while waiting for something to happen.

I know it’s odd to use an ocean metaphor while living in the desert.

But at one time the desert was a shallow sea and the rocks here retain ancient memories of shells and algae.

So maybe it’s not so strange.

In any case, at last count 17 backers had pledged $630 to the No More Deaths/Anta Project fundraiser.

Of course even if only one dollar had been pledged it would have been a success, but under the terms of Kickstarter, unless we meet or exceed our goal of $3,000, none of pledges listed so far will be accepted.

So if you’ve been thinking of giving there’s no better time than now.

In 2006 when I first recorded the Anta Project, I decided to give it away at no charge to reach the greatest audience possible.

Since then more than 100 gigs of sound plus an addition 500 or so discs have been distributed.

So there’s certainly interest out there.

When I teamed with No More Deaths, I took The Anta Project offline as a free download. However, as a “listen only” stream, so far this month over 200 people have listened to the project.

As I’ve said: There’s clearly interest.

If everyone who ever streamed The Anta Project, received a free cd or downloaded the work as an MP3 were to kick-in as little as five dollars, we’d quickly reach and even surpass our goal.

I also have come to realize that because The Anta Project has a global audience, I think we could have done a better job by translating this project into other languages.

This month alone some of the top listeners have come from Mexico, Germany, Israel and the Russian Federation.

At the same time, Anta Project aside, I also know there are many, many people out there who also support the humanitarian efforts of No More Deaths.

I’m guessing even more people than follow The Anta Project.

So if deep Sonoran drone music is not your cup of mesquite tea, and I know it is not for everyone, supporting the efforts of this organization via this Kickstarter project should resonate.

If we can raise $3,000 the potential is there to raise $16,000 for No More Deaths and increase awareness about their humanitarian work.

Not mention that, No More Deaths artisans have also crafted some compelling gift incentives.

So if you appreciate the work of No More Deaths, The Anta Project or a combination of the two, you can be the wind that fills our sails and gets us out of these doldrums.

And if you do, I promise to go light on the heavy metaphors from now on…

Glenn

Just to give you an idea of the lovely work mixed-media artist Debbi McCullough creates, take a look at this lovely No Mas Muertes pendant. Debbi has been working with a Women's Cooperative based in Nogales, Mexico to produce these wonderful pieces that go directly to support the women and their families. Debbi's work is available for backers at the $150 level.

Howdy all,

Two weeks into this great experiment, and so far you've generously donated $265, or nine percent of our $3,000 pledge drive goal.

I've no idea how to benchmark where we're at, and every dollar of support given, even if we don't make the goal, shows that you value the work of No More Deaths and The Anta Project.

Knowing this is an honor.

That said, my gut tells me we might be falling behind a bit.

Still it ain't over until its over and so on.

For myself, The Anta Project began as a passion, an act of developing global awareness about the US/Mexico border, and if it can be transformed with your help into a way of helping fund No More Deaths work with migrants it would really be something.

I'd like to give a shout-out to Subtopia (www.subtopia.blogspot.com/) and Dave X at Too Damn Early ( http://home.mchsi.com/~itde/ ) for getting the word out via the Web and over the airwaves.

And a huge thank you to everyone who has helped pass it around Facebook and other social networking sites.

Simply cutting and pasting the Kickstarter link and passing it along can make a real difference.
THE MONEY TALK
When first I met with Sarah and Jim over at No More Deaths about raising money for their efforts with The Anta Project/ Droneland Security, we went back and forth about what thank you gifts to give backers and for how much.

We thought an entry level donation of $5 would provide an option for those who wanted to support this project but were not in a position to give more.

But we also thought we'd design the $50 and $100 pledges to give backers the most schwag-for-their-buck.

At $50, the double disc set plus the beautiful postcards, the MP3 soundscape and a listing on the No More Deaths Web site was rather nice.

All for the price of maybe a movie and a couple of beers.

At $100, for those who could afford it, the autographed disc (Note: For those who know me know, the idea of autographing is awkward, but considering how few things I've autographed, it would extremely rare), plus t-shirt, No More Deaths sticker and Website listing was even nicer.

The t-shirt designs are amazing and eventually we'll get a picture up.

Bottomline: We know times are tough, and anything you can do to help is appreciated.

And if you can afford to give there's some pretty cool stuff that will head your way in thanks.
!!GET A MINI-KESTREL 920!!
Anyway, to perhaps get things moving a bit, a new offer...

As some of you know I build instruments of original design, most notably The Kestrel 920, which has had some global interest in recent years.

So for the sonically adventurous out there, I am offering a modified mini-K-920 at the $500 price point (plus the disc, for those who can not make it down this way for the border tour or chose to opt out in favor of the K-920).

For those who come in at this bid level, I will build a customized sound transmorgifier of original design, signed and numbered, just for you.

Which could be of interest if you're into that sort of thing....

Stay tuned,
Glenn

Howdy all,

We're just out of the gate and we have a ways to go, but we want to thank everyone who has already generously backed the project or are helping get the word out about it via Facebook, Twitter and so on.

Naturally, we're all excited to see this finally happening.

With the cooler weather the desert soundscape is vibrant at sunrise. I've been tempted to remix the MP3 soundscape and add some new textures. The Gila woodpecker calls are expansive this time of year. I'll likely post something here as things move along.

Over at No More Deaths they're also thankful for the cooler weather.

Sarah reports: "As we walk the trails in our Sonoran Desert we are mindful of the shift in sleeping patterns and activities that can be observed this time of year by all the desert dwellers."

Stay tuned, and in touch.