Post script

I was going to take this blog down but changed my mind. It will stay up for the moment but is on permanent hiatus.

Leave a comment or email me morrigan dot reborn at gmail dot com if you want to find me at my new blog.

Bye

The end

After 442 posts, I am declaring this blog done.

I will probably start a new one after NaNo but I'm closing this chapter. If you want to know my new home, drop me a comment or a mail.

I will leave this post up for a week or so

Cheers
SD

Tourists with ammo?

This can't be true

As of today all tourists crossing to cambodia have to carry at least 2000 rounds of m16 ammo to be delivered to the thai troops on the cambodian side of the border.

Can it? It sounds ludicrous and heavy.

Taking my time

It's Pchum Ben again. I'm catching up with house cleaning and watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report. The town is deserted and it's pleasant to be here with the streets so empty. It's also a little freaky but I'm used to that now. Tomorrow I may use the opportunity to take some photographs, catch up on my reading and practice my recorder. Since there's nothing to read here, check out other people's writing:

Ranariddh is back from exile after the King of Cambodia pardoned him

Inflation is rising higher than is acknowledged by the powers that be

Wrapping presents in money is criminal waste when 90% of the world's wealth is owned by 10% of the population

Obama won the debate

Save the poor Wall Street traders

China's spaceship returns to Earth

RIP Paul Newman. I love "Cat on a hot tin roof"

UN on YouTube

The UN has a YouTube channel.

Check it out

What are you going to do to stand up against poverty in 2008?

Almost nine years ago, 189 governments pledged to end poverty by 2015. It takes time to achieve such a lofty goal but still 50 000 people die every day because of poverty. 35 000 are women.

Lousy maternal care, inequality, sexual exploitation, domestic violence and global gag rules that ignore reality, are some of the reasons why women suffer disproportionately.

It's time to stand up and order our governments to fulfill their promises. Governments are supposed to work for the people. Well it's time for a change. Order your politicians to end poverty now.

The Stand up against poverty 2008 campaign is in one month. What have you planned to do for it?

The campaign is very simple - we all demand our governments to fulfill the promises that they have made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The ground has been set. There are projects in place but there is a lack of political will and/or finances to eradicate poverty. So what are you going to do?

One simple way is to participate in Blog action day. Register and plan a post. Profbwoman has resources and more. All we are asking is for our governments to honour their promises - there's nothing too political about that eh!


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

There are other activities and ideas so go ahead and stand up against poverty.

No, MTV. Domestic violence is NOT a joke

As Natalia says domestic violence is not a joke. Yet MTV Ukraine broadcast a segment debating whether it's ok to beat girls?

Though I found it hard to believe at first, the topic was “Can you beat girls?”

Yep, there it was, staring me in the face.

I went up to the TV screen and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone. Meanwhile, my table companions quickly became animated as they realized what I was reacting to.

“You’re not going to change anything by being outraged,” Miros’ka (not his real name) said. “Anyway, they have a right to ask an honest question of their audience.”

“This is not an honest question,” Christina (not her real name) argued. “It’s like they’re making a joke. They’re acting as though this discussion is appropriate for a light-hearted forum, as if it’s not a serious problem we face. I’m sorry, but would they get away with a question that was more like: ‘Is it OK to steal money from the elderly?’ NO. Why? Because domestic violence is treated like it’s normal.”

Shocking misogyny. How does this question even arise? It's abhorrent. No No, a thousand times no, it is not funny to joke about domestic violence. It is not clever or witty to ask if it's ok to beat girls. It is never ok. It is never funny. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Domestic violence falls under that article.

No more.

Template

I've spent ages changing around with the template but I'm bored of it now and although the colours are a little clashy they are going to stay like that at least until the weekend when I have time to mess about some more.

If you are not with us...

From Heart referring to me

I will not be approving any of your comments until you e-mail me and give me more information about yourself. I went to your blog and see that you say you have been in Cambodia two years. You appear to be a man. Your blogroll is a virtual who’s who of pro-porn pro-prostitution people. My guess is you’re a john, a “punter,” a “sex tourist”, prostituting Cambodian people yourself and here to defend it.

I’m getting better and better at recognizing people like you. The day is going to come when I spam you before I read 10 words you have written. How dare you comment here as some sort of expert on Cambodian prostituted women, when what the truth most likely is, you prostitute them yourself.

Don’t comment here again until you e-mail me and tell me precisely who you are in ways I can substantiate independently because I’ll tell you what, there are many sick people on the internet, many of them prostitute women and I won’t have them commenting to this thread.

Yeah my dear friends, Heart thinks I'm a sexpat man because I made a few comments over at hers about Cambodian sex workers. It's un-frakking-believable.

The reason? I have the temerity to take offence at her for saying I don’t care how many condoms get handed out in the Third World somewhere.

So I left the following at her place

Well I care about condom distribution in the developing world (third world is pejorative now), I live in Cambodia. In Cambodia whether the sex work is through trafficking or voluntary the women call themselves sex workers. They feel that “prostitute” is pejorative. The major of sex workers in Cambodia turn to sex work through poverty, rape or trafficking and they are damned sure they want protection through condoms. People living with HIV are discriminated against and Cambodia has a high rate of HIV transmission.

It’s nice that you have the luxury not to care when you live in a country that withdraws billions of dollars in vital aid when condoms or abortions for sex workers are funded.

You have a choice not to care. You could choose not to be callous about that choice. But your government makes sure to put these women in further danger

She apologises for her remark. I add a few replies to comments addressed to me in a reasonable tone and bam I get accused of being a sexpat man. Charming, not to mention she's accusing me of a crime.

EDIT: Heart has removed her comment. She apologised for jumping to conclusions. She has not apologised for slandering me.