they are one of the most globally active relief organizations in the world. They maintain the wherewithal to operate in multiple theatres and are always among the very first organizations on-site helping to mitigate human suffering whether it is the result of natural disaster, drought, famine, or war.

They consistently deliver relief with the absolute minimum of contributions consumed in non-aid activity like administration costs.

We had a nice comparatively mellow evening. Patrick improvised a barbeque out of some scrap and we roasted a tasty variety of things to eat. Hank shot some awesome photos, as he has mad mad mad skillz, check out this panoramic

You’ll need Flash 9 and Javascript.

http://seb.perez-duarte.net/panoviewer/?photo=4297492588

Ah yes and then the Flaming Tetherball. We played about twelve games. Thanks to the new scoring system we can actually answer the age old question, Who won?

Or, more to the point, we can offer Sarah proof that she did not in fact kick the ass to which I am attached. Ha ha! BRING ITZ!

There are few players that will represent themselves as being

competitive Flaming tetherballers, I am one of those few. Fewer still are the flaming teterhballers that will admit to full blown addiction and neglect far more important things to get that fix. I am perhaps the very first to admit to that addiction, but I am not yet beyond help, I just want to get one more game in before I check into the clinic…………..

So, who’s playing?

GAME ON!

This thursday at the Nine Pound Hammer we will be screening footage from Oly in 08 and maybe some other footage. Starting at seven, going till Scott kicks us out.

This Friday we are hosting Beerfriday at Hazardfactory (7800 seventh ave south, southpark). Email hazardfactor (at) gmail for directions. Location is roughly a mile south of Michigan street in Georgetown. This will be a low-key affair, bring your own beer, a

barbecue will be provided and a fridge. You might want to bring a chair if you like sitting and comfort and things like that. HF is not a safe environemt, for kids or anyone else really.

I would like to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti so i will be raffling off items of value and non-value for money to give to Doctors without Borders. We are likely to provide several fundraising gimmicks intended simply to help us all do something that makes being human a good thing.

Rusty

This is an open screening and informal. If you are really motivated and want to bring a cd of footage or photos of a Hazardfactory event feel free. We will be screening from seven p.m. on.

This is a free event, mostly about hanging out, see you then!

Rusty

OH and lookit! Preliminary footage of a new prototype! the un-nerfgun or Zombie Proximity Response System.

So I must admit, full disclosure, that Rusty and members of Hazardfactory (cough) Drago and (cough cough ) Ryan and (hack) Todd did pyro stunts for Zombies of Mass Destruction! hint, it’s a movie and it’s funny as hell with an overt humanist and egalitarian vibe that asserts that Arabs, and gays, are in fact just as American and alright as any other just plain alright citizen.

The movie is a bit ambiguous in it’s treatment of zombies. A good number of Port Gamble citizens were turned into Zombies for the purposes of this film. Many of these same Zombies were treated with a certain sort of cavalier ambivalence. They get shot, stabbed, maimed, and assaulted a little more frequently than the other characters in the film, but overall, blood, gore, gore, blood, and gore aside, the movie satirizes the American post 9-11 (god I hate to type that) pre-occupation with ethnicity and ongoing inability to normalize same-sex relationships successfully.

So, if you see the movie and it’s on fire, yeah that was us, and hooray for Arab Americans and gays you are as American as any of us, congrats and condolences are both in order and perhaps in that order.

Oh yeah, ZOMBIES. So the idea owes it’s origins to Haitian lore. You may remember Haiti, poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, one of the only colonies to organize a successful slave revolt against the neo-liberalists of the period. Haiti is generally speaking, the most damning indictment of the neo-liberals and the free trade policies of the west.

On top of everything else, they suffered an enormous earthquake, about which you may have heard. Please send them money. Please. You can do it from your phone. It’s useful. Please.

Haiti has suffered a major earthquake over 100,000 feared dead. You can donate. I know you’re broke, so am I, but you can always pay your phone company in a month. •Donate through Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Text “Yele” to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization. 100% of your donation goes directly to relief immediately.

Historically this has involved demolishing and detonating automobiles, street theatre, the Titanium Sporkestra marching band, fire cannons, burning Christmas trees, The fire department, the popo, and always, always, always with the flaming tetherball.

This year HBL set up some fantastic and far far far over the top lighting, Djs, and boozes, and a photo boot that automatically uploaded. Radness and badness.

Hazardfactory set up a little show with a two person fire breathing Dragon puppet, a hapless victim in a fire resistant proximity suit, and a couple of hand held flamethrowers.

We also developed a fun little system that allows partygoers to play with fire by scooping up a handfull of flammable gas and igniting it. This proved to be great fun, as the photos attest.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/espressobuzz/sets/72157622990131319/show/with/4234716930/

I’m sure someone will ask me whether this is safe. I am not sure why they would ask me that, but someone always does.

Congrats to Katja and Craig Ackerman for deciding to get engaged while saturated with white gas (external) and alcohol (internal). We wish you all the best and promise to excercise an almost modicum of restraint if we get invited to anything.

Happy New Years to one and all.

I hope to post a new youtube segment within a day or two. Yes it’s about working with fire, and it’s not pyromania, it’s a profession.

R

Hanks’ excellent photos.

The show has been a sucess. The show has been a tremendous success in terms of what we have been able to provide our audiences.

We got articles in every local paper and had an interview with King five and an interview with KUOW that went on national radio.

here is the coverage we have recieved. My e-mail is hazardfactor (at) gmail (dot) com.

Smash putt Promo & links

King5

audio

seattle weekly

Seattle times linkage
Seattle Times and Seattle Times info on Smashputt

Capitol Hill Seattle
the stranger and the stranger slog

Stay tuned!

Power Tool Racing is where you take an ordinary electric appliance and/or power tool, add wheels, and race it down a wooden track for no good reason… It is hard to explain in words, so watch this video instead…

Some highlights of what to expect this year: Races! With trophies! Power Tool Demolition Derby with jumps, head-on collisions and other spectacular and dangerous mayhem! Grudge Matches! Unsportsman-like behavior such as swearing, bribery, and sabotage! Arbitrary and drunken judging!

Still not convinced?
Then check out these pictures of last year’s races…

Now are you ready to play? Here is how you participate:

• Be sure to read The Rules.
• Build a racer made out of a “Power Tool”
• Register your entry.
• Show your friends what you did, get them to build racers too…
• Show up at Artopia in Georgetown on June 27th and kick some ass…

Sponsors:

If you have any more questions or comments you can contact us, otherwise we will see you at the races!

Literally, you could bring a power tool equipped to fit a foot wide track bordered with upright two by fours, and race for Glory, Fleeting fame, or our seriously unbelievable trophies of which we believe you to be FIRMLY UNWORTHY!

So prove me wrong. Show off your heretofore unacknowledged industrial art improvisationaI assemblage. I dare you to try.

See you on the track!