Gaining a little worldly exposure

By: JEFF FRANK - Staff WriterSince making a documentary in 2005 highlighting the work of women peacemakers, Sun & Moon Vision Productions has taken the film around the community to encourage the use of media as a tool for peace advocacy. | Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:55 PM PST ∞

Next week, "Leading the Way to Peace" gets a much broader audience: the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.

Escondido-based Sun & Moon Vision produced the film in conjunction with the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. The documentary records four women from the war-afflicted countries of Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Guatemala sharing their stories of peacemaking.

"The work of women peacemakers is really not highlighted much in media," said Kathy Sangha, producer/director, along with partner Becky Sangha, of the documentary. "We're recording history from the point of view of women affected by war."

The documentary was shown at Palomar College in September as part of its Cine Club monthly Latino film series. Presenting it to a United Nations audience is a "once-in-a-lifetime chance," said Sangha.

"We couldn't be more excited about the chance to go there," she said. "The film will be screened to the highest level of decision makers on behalf of women around the world. For us, that's better than getting the Academy Award."

Photo story: It's just a coincidence that Ernie Cowan has spent as much time wandering through the desert as Moses.

The product of the former Escondido mayor's 40 years exploring the Anza-Borrego Desert is his first book, "Anza-Borrego: A Photographic Journey." A series of 18 columns Cowan did three years ago for the North County Times was the genesis of the project, which includes those stories, about 115 photos and other impressions of the 600,000-acre state park.

Cowan first journeyed to the desert as a Boy Scout and spent time on the Borrego beat during his newspaper career.

"I was paid to wander out there doing a lot of feature stories and reporting. It became a place I really enjoyed," he said.

Now the vice president of government affairs for the North San Diego County Association of Realtors, Cowan is pleased to be able to share his love of the desert.

The book is available online Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Cowan's first book-signing is 11:30 Saturday, fittingly at the Borrego Springs in the Park Visitor Center. He'll give a slide show at 7 p.m. at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center.

-- Contact staff columnist Jeff Frank at (760) 740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.

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