webbed feet, web log
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blog Cambodia; blog the planet.

May 30, 2007

Do Not Adjust Your Set

I am doing a little weblog maintenance through the weekend. Bear with me folks, and for now, here is a bucket of blogs to read: Khmer IT dude in France. http://www.madethmay.com Khmer student in Singapore. http://www.sokhodom.com Cambodian Homestay blog http://rana-cambodia.blogspot.com Cambodia Kid Story: "Helping the Cambodian Kid in Cambodia by sharing common problems and solutions" http://cambodiakid.blogspot.com Cambodian Prison Visit http://iantaylors.blogspot.com/2007/04/cambodian-womens-prison.html Social Work Student blog. http://coming2cambodia.wordpress.com What_About_Me? Expat Cambodian IT worker in Southern California http://jimmy-b-khmer.blogspot.com A Corner of Cambodia (personal blog) (Kmeng Wat Samay Barang is a famous classic Khmer novel) http://kmengwat.blogspot.com Maggie and Matt In Cambodia (Svay Rieng) http://lifeinseasia.blogspot.com English teacher in Siem Reap http://onlyincambodia.blogspot.com http://cambodianenglish.blogspot.com Siem Reap Pig Project http://siemreappigproject.blogspot.com Khmer Student in Singapore http://www.harryman007.blogspot.com Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 28, 2007

1975 Phnom Penh War Tourism

1975 Phnom Penh War Tourism Razzbuffnik has some new cautionary stories (and amazing period photos) about being "A Teenage Tourist In a War Zone" - Cambodia, 1975. Hmm, could this qualify as 'Dark Tourism'? http://blog.allthedumbthings.com/2007/05/14/teenage-tourist-in-a-war-zone-phnom-penh-cambodia-1975/ Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 27, 2007

Career Forum Cambodia

Career Forum Cambodia It seems Cambodia is full of college graduates looking for work. (Heck, it's full of non-college graduates looking for work!) Here's hoping we see more events like this. June 1, 2007 from 9am to 9pm June 2, 2007, from 8am to 6pm Venue: National Cultural Center (Behind BBU & Opposite New National Assembly) For more information: www.careerforumcambodia.com Hotline: 012 345 819 or 016 655 450 (thanks to KH for info). from What's On Tags:

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May 26, 2007

Word Up: PNH

Word Up:PNH

poetry + music + performance

invited writers + open mic

Word Up Penh

wed 30 may * 8pm * free entry

Talkin to a Stranger

No.21 St.294 for more info call plastic b: 012 695 188 from What's On: Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 25, 2007

Wall Street Runs Amok

Wall Street Runs Amok Phil of Phnomenon profiles Cambodia's fave curry, in today's The Wall Street Journal (Asia Edition) - pick up a copy today! Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 24, 2007

Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)

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May 23, 2007

Spidey Sings Opera

Spidey Does OperaBeats the Ice Capades: Friday night opera singing by Royal University of Art Student 'Spiderman' 7 pm Barista Cafe, Street 215 # 146EO, Phnom Penh, Cambodia More: http://www.expat-advisory.com/forums/opera-friday-vt2471.html From What's On Tags:

- jinja Link

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May 22, 2007

Handz in the Air

Handz in the Air Hundreds of web pages say 'Khmer Pride'. Here's one academic's take on how young overseas Cambodians assemble their identity. Theresa McGinnis: "Khmer Pride": Being and Becoming Khmer American in an Urban Migrant Education Program (Journal of Southeast Asian Education and Advancement*). "Khmer youth’s multimodal expressions are not only sites of identity work, but also of cultural innovation."[Link] Looking at What's On in LBC and Seattle this week, it's evident that overseas Khmers are not only sharing their culture but appropriating new components into the mix. Happenings http://www.myspace.com/imsreypeouv Happenings http://www.myspace.com/universalspeakers *Pleased to see bilingual education battler Wayne Wright at the helm of above publication. Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 19, 2007

Cartoons, the hip new thing

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May 18, 2007

Comics, the hip new thing

Comics, the hip new thing SE-Globe's latest issue has a feature article on Khmer comic art including interviews with Sera, Sin Yang Pirom, Em Satya, Uth Roeun and more. This Friday: if you have time, check out Reyum's Wat Paintings Book Launch/Exhibition (5pm). http://tinyurl.com/286pro And following that is the Rubbish Project's "trash-to-fashion" show. Apparently it's gotten a good response with over 20 entries so far, and don't be surprised if there's TV coverage. http://therubbishproject.blogspot.com/ Tags:,,,,,

- jinja Link

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May 17, 2007

I think I'm Gonna Die

Poetry in Phnom Penh"I think I'm Gonna Die"

There were poems and music to be had yesterday evening (May 16) at Talking to A Stranger in Phnom Penh. The audience seemed appreciative to get more than what might usually be expected of a poetry night.
Our host was the energetic 'Plastic B' (aka Brian), who brandished a book of his poems embellished with an MRI scan of his brain's occipital lobe. His tales / travails of having a stroke at a young age were leavened by humor, insight and the occasional poo joke.
Having shared his work at numerous Australian venues (including Newcastle's National Young Writers' Festival), a stint of several months in Penhville has encouraged him to start a biweekly poetry open mike. In addition to music and song by guest performer Miriam, audience members were welcomed to join in with prepared or impromptu works.
In the future, 'Word Up' plans to network with Khmer poets and encourage new writers and established writers to take to the stage.
More information? 012 695 188
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Poetry in Phnom Penh

- jinja Link

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May 15, 2007

In Search of Khmer Hip Hop Part 10: Resonance

In Search of Khmer Hip Hop Part 10: Resonance Geoff Ryman has assembled an hour long show on Khmer Rap. He writes: You can listen in online, though for copyright reasons the station won't have it on the podcast archive. It should feature at least some of my interviews with Prach, Silong, A Ping, Sok Visal, DJ Boomer and Tony Real. RESONANCE FM (UK) will be broadcasting a show on Khmer Rap Monday 21 May 7 pm Greenwich time. (For those in London, it's being broadcast on Resonance FM 104.4 FM) Other countries can listen on the web. Visit http://resonancefm.com/audio.htm and just click on MP3 listen. Time differences East Coast USA : 2.00 PM West Coast USA: 11.00 AM Cambodia SADLY this will be on early the next morning Tuesday 22nd 1.00 AM in the morning!!! --------------------------- Other Hip Hop tidbits: Prach Ly interview http://andybrouwer.blogspot.com/2007/04/exclusive-interview-with-khmer-rap-star.html Tiny Toones on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unerj5uZ4qc Sok Visal on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/cream391 Tags: ,

- jinja Link

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Fashion from Trash

Fashion from Trash rubbish optimized final The Rubbish Project presents: Recycled Fashion Show 8pm Friday May 18 Elsewhere Phnom Penh #175 Street 51 http://therubbishproject.blogspot.com From What's On - Tags:,,

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May 14, 2007

Sure to spark some debate...

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May 11, 2007

Midday Motodop Snooze

Midday Motodop Snooze Moto Snooze Public nap, central Phnom Penh. Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 9, 2007

Wat Painting in Cambodia - Exhibition, Book Launch

Wat Paintings
In 2001, Reyum Institute started a research project on paintings in Wats (Buddhist temples). The aim of the project was to photograph the mural paintings found in most Wats in Cambodia as well as collecting data about the temples through interviews. San Phalla, who just graduated from the Department of Archaeology in Phnom Penh, was the first researcher to conduct the field research. Because most of temples tend to replace old paintings by recovering them with new ones, or simply knocking down the buildings themselves, we were faced with the urgency to document as many temples as possible instead of studying each of them in details. Thus we could not study each of them in details. For more than six years, from 2001 to 2006, San Phalla and other fellow young researchers Tho Pisey, Thon Sopheak visited more than 600 Wats in all over Cambodia and took over 20,000 photographs of temple paintings along with brief notes on each temple. Our choice to document prove to be a good one as today several temples we surveyed have been knocked down and replaced with new structures without any documentations. Most paintings found in Wats depict Buddhist themes such as Buddha’s last life before entering the Nirvana, or his previous lives, known as Jataka (ten last previous births). But more specifically, there are also scenes from the Reamker (Khmer version of the Ramayana) as well as popular themes such as local folktales.
In 2004, when we started to review the collected data, we came to realize that not only we should organize it so that it can be accessed and used by scholars and the general public, but also the idea of compiling a book and mounting an exhibition based on the photographs came along. The book and exhibition would raise awareness about the topic among the general public. And it is our hope that the data we collected so far would contribute as a resource for further research and advance our understanding of Cambodian culture. We would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to all those who have given us supports and encouragement. We wish to thank also the Toyota foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation, the Prince Claus Fund for their financial support to this project.
Exhibition:
Curatorial conception: Ly Daravuth, Preap Chanmara Researcher: San Phalla English Translation: Siyonn Sophearith Research and Documentation: “Wat Painting in Cambodia” Conception: Ly Daravuth and Ingrid Muan Researchers: San Phalla (2001-2006), Tho Pisey (2001), Thon Sopheak (2002-2005)
With the support of:
The Toyota Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation The Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation Thanks to
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REYUM Institute of Arts and Culture #47, Street 178 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel/Fax: (855) 23 217 149 email: reyum@camnet.com.kh website: www.reyum.org
From What's On Tags:,,,

- jinja Link

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May 8, 2007

Three contemporary Khmer artists

Three Contemporary Khmer Artists Art Opening May 10 Dear Friends, The Art House would like to invite you to the opening of a new exhibition on Thursday May 10th 7-8.30pm Three contemporary Khmer artists Svay Ken Tor Vutha Piteak We hope you can join us www.thearthousesiemreap.com From What's On Tags:

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May 6, 2007

Fusion Fun

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May 5, 2007

Turning of Tides Exhibition

Turning of Tides Exhibition The Art2Healing Project (in cooperation with AFESIP Cambodia and Phoenix Institute of Victoria) opened an exhibition today (May 05) of art and stories of trafficked women in Cambodia, at Boddhi Tree Restaurant. from What's On Tags:,

- jinja Link

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May 4, 2007

Bassac Blues Snapshots

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May 1, 2007

'Stop Evictions' Exhibition May 4, Phnom Penh

Stop Evictions: a photographic journey from eviction to relocation STOP EVICTIONS photo exhibition friday 4 May Built on the efforts of Hallam Goad and photographer Niles Sprague, 'Stop Evictions' combines images, film footage and comparative analysis to explore the truth and consequences behind Phnom Penh's Sambok Chab relocations. At a Glance Stop Evictions: a photographic journey from eviction to relocation, a multi-media exhibit. Opens May 4, 7 p.m. Through June. For more than a year, the forced relocations of Phnom Penh residents to undeveloped, often unlivable, resettlement sites outside the capital has sparked international outrage and political controversy. In few places was the process more visible than the impoverished community of Tonle Bassac's Village 14, or Sambok Chab. In June 2006, Phnom Penh Municipal officials and armed police began evicting more than 1,000 families to make way for a development project financed by a private company. There were standoffs and turmoil before police stormed the village, dismantled homes and trucked reluctant squatters and their belongings to an undeveloped site some 25 kilometers outside city limits. On the new land there were a few public latrines, no drainage, no sanitation, no electricity, no water supply, no shops, markets or schools and no opportunity for employment. Human rights groups blasted the removal as inhumane, and the new residences -- 4-by-12-meter plots with no structures or facilities - as unacceptable compensation. "We ask the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the state of development in Cambodia." According to an NGO survey, within just three months of the eviction only 40 percent of the plots were occupied. Because of the harsh conditions most families returned to Phnom Penh to live with relatives or on the street. Nearly a year later, the debate about Sambok Chab continues to rage, and the plight of those evicted has been echoed in similar incidents throughout the Kingdom. Now, during the months of May and June at the FCC Phnom Penh, the saga of the displaced villagers will be told through heart-wrenching photographs taken throughout the eviction process. "Stop Evictions" opens at 7:00 p.m. on May 4 with a video screening, a presentation by the Housing Rights Task Force, and the unveiling of some 35 images taken by professional photographers, journalists and rights activists. The collection is the brainchild of Hallam Goad, 37, a resident of Cambodia since 1998 who had worked with relocation victims for years before co-founding the NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut in 2005. For "Stop" he's brought together images, film footage and comparative analysis that seek to explain the truth and consequences of the situation. "The exhibition is to show how ridiculous and corrupt this process was, and the impact it had on people. The idea is for tourists and the English-speaking community to see a different side of Cambodia," said Goad. "We ask the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the state of development in Cambodia." Goad sees the relocation as an abject failure, but he is quick to point out that the selected images are meant not to preach, but to speak for themselves about the pain, confusion and anger of the evictees. He was last at the relocation site just days ago and calls the situation "just miserable." "We're not saying no one should be moved, that Phnom Penh should stand still. Even the people understand this themselves. They've said to us, 'We're OK to move, just give us a chance to make a new living," said Goad. "Ever since 1998 you could see that sooner or later the city would push these people off because the land is so valuable. We want people to understand it's the way they carried out the relocation, no the relocation itself, that was a crap process." To illustrate this, Goad includes in "Stop Evictions" an example of a successful relocation from almost a decade ago. "In 1998 the municipality was involved in a constructive process,'" he said. "Some 129 families were successfully relocated from near the Olympic Stadium to a site five kilometers outside the city with land chosen by the people, purchased by the municipality and supported by UNCHS and rights NGOs. It shows that while relocation is a difficult undertaking it is possible to do it effectively, humanely and to the benefit of all parties." Goad's collection of evidence and imagery has attracted more than one prestigious sponsor. "Land rights are a hot topic, and we thought they had a good, creative approach to bring the issue to the public," said Anisha Schubert, of German aid organization DED. "They're not trying to be provocative, but they've worked with many different people to focus on good stories." DED is the main sponsor of the FCC show, and it was initial assistance from the Germans that got the project started last year. Goad and US photographer Niles Sprague were funded to document the eviction and resettlement. Along the way, the two teamed with journalists, activists and especially the Cambodian Legal Education Center, to collect an effective record of events. The photographs taken by Sprague and the CLEC team form the foundation of "Stop Evictions." "Another aim of the show is to promote the Housing Rights Task Force, which is a group of NGOs that pulled together as a response to growing issues," said Goad. "The idea is that instead of one or two groups jumping up and down and saying this is bad, and possibly becoming a target, is to put together a conglomeration of groups that can work together." The show is free, but may not be for the faint of heart. Goad said he'd like to get several villagers to give firsthand accounts of their experience and to display samples of the water available at the relocation site after tested by the Pasteur Institute. "This is an awareness raiser, but there are other things bubbling away: we'd like to start a letter-writing campaign ahead of the Boeung Kak eviction and maybe do some sort of fund raising," he said. "But the most important thing is to create dialogue. If people look at what happened at Sambok Chab - it was a complete failure. It's hard to imagine things getting worse." reproduced with kind permission from: The Wires, Newsletter of Cambodia's Foreign Correspondents Club http://www.fcccambodia.com/newsletter/0507/ [from What's On] Tags:,

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