The Clean Team

Jan 22nd, 2008 by

On The Waterfront: these white clad folks have been showing up and making Phnom Penh’s top tourist zone spic and span in the evenings. No complaints about that! Hmm… what motivates them? Is it a religious cult? A political party? A community group?

volunteerism

Actually, it’s off-duty police. I wonder if they thought of this themselves out of sheer civic pride, or some higher power ‘volunteered’ them? One thing’s for sure: people are going to be a lot more tidy while they’re around. Litter, we’ve got a warrant out on you.

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Posted in environment, news | 2 Comments »

‘Unmarketable’ talk @ Pannasastra

Jan 17th, 2008 by

How do you explain the growth of corporate media and viral marketing in a country where ‘Star Wars’ never even hit the theatres, and brand names like Nike and Gap are both made and pirated routinely? A country where punk rock never made a splash because there was a war going on? Where most print media comes from what could be termed ‘independent publishers’ simply ’cause the market isn’t that big or consolidated?

'Unmarketable' talk

Anne Moore gave it her best shot last night at Pannasastra University in a talk about her latest book, ‘Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing and the Erosion of Integrity‘. At turns amusing, engaging and enraging, the presentation raised lots of questions about the decline of freedom of speech in the States and beyond, without easy answers.

[Update Jan 18: go & read a précis of the talk here: http://camblogdia.blogspot.com/2008/01/advantage-and-disadvantage-of-zinemy.html]

(Now if we can just get some copies of the actual tome to bookstores here… please? Above: a parody of the Starbucks logo.)

'Unmarketable' talk

Above: explaining exactly what a zine is.

'Unmarketable' talk, Pannasastra

(Above: detailing how Nike violated band Minor Threat‘s copyright with their ‘Major Threat’ ad campaign.)

Here the media landscape is different, but the underlying challenge is the same – how to protect freedom of speech, and create an environment where people are comfortable to speak freely? Despite linguistic and cultural challenges, the students quite willing to discuss the issues at hand, and there were a number of interesting questions in the discussion that followed. The audience also gobbled up the ‘How to Make this Very Zine‘ handout that was passed around – there could be some interesting results from that.

Anne will soon wrap up the inital stages of her work developing locally made zines in Cambodia, which are now available at Monument Books and Java, possibly more to come. More on the book: http://del.icio.us/slugdog/unmarketable

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Posted in academia, comics, information technology, intellectual property, literature, more stuff, news | No Comments »

Rice, Rice, Baby

Jan 16th, 2008 by

When you cook big pots of rice, there’s bound to be some leftovers. Here’s a hardened shell of overcooked remains that came out pretty intact.

rice_crust

It is possible to have a meal without rice in Cambodia, but the staple is a consistent, inescapable part of the overall culinary environment.

Usually the bottom crust of a rice pot is dried in the sun, which can be seen on just about any residential street…

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Then sold or reused for another recipe.

(more food fun: Phnomenon, Last Appetite, Gut Feelings) Tags: ,,,

Posted in environment, food | 1 Comment »

The Daily Commute

Jan 15th, 2008 by

 

01 commute

02 commute

03 commute

04 commute

(A little something I did for the ‘Comics Rehab’ challenge.)
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Posted in comics, more stuff, Other Goodies, visual art | No Comments »

‘Unmarketable’ in Cambodia

Jan 14th, 2008 by

Unmarketable Lecture

Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing and the Erosion of Integrity

Wednesday, January 16, 5:45 pm
Srey Dim Conference Hall PUC South Campus
No. 184 Norodom Blvd. (South of Independence Monument)

The endless pursuit by corporations of the youth market demands that advertising and marketing experts construct new tactics to attract youthful buyers. This is especially relevant in Cambodia, where youth make up a significant portion of the population. Unfortunately, this means whole social networks, communal economies, and value systems are put in jeopardy. Sometimes, advertising and marketing spin completely out of control, and issues of social justice are trampled in pursuit of profits. Author Anne Elizabeth Moore will present a multimedia lecture on the ugly underbelly of our globalizing world.

About the Speaker:
A resident of Chicago, noted author, publisher, journalist, and culture/media critic Anne Elizabeth Moore is the author of several books and numerous articles on media, advertising, gender, and culture.

A former editor of the Chicago-based alternative magazine PUNK PLANET, Ms. Moore’s latest book UNMARKETABLE: BRANDALISM, COPYFIGHTING, MOCKETING, AND THE EROSION OF INTEGRITY has won praise from numerous publications around the world, including the Los Angeles Times and The U.K. Guardian. Holder of a Master’s Degree from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Ms. Moore has lectured at several major universities in the U.S A., including Columbia College and the University of Illinois.

For further information: call 012 620 571 or email rleos [via] puc.edu.kh

More about the talk and book here: http://camblogdia.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-have-sent-this-email-with-this.html 

[From 'What's On'.] Tags: ,,,

Posted in academia, intellectual property, literature, news, stuff | No Comments »

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