Broad Street Studios update

First week of classes down, and already the kids at BSS have created zines on topics like Rhode Island, US teen life, pow wow ettiquette, and Providence boys and their stupidity*, to share with the Harpswell girls. This is Sarah and Kourtnie #1, diligently writing and drawing. They are cool.

This week, we may even start in on an audio project.

*I'm particularly excited about this one. Nobody told me before I came!

The Dorm at the Whitney Biennial

This afternoon from 5 to 6 here on the East Coast of the United States, be sure to hang out in the lobby of the Whitney Museum—or better yet, near the NPR (Neighborhood Public Radio) booth—to hear the Cambodian National Anthem as interpreted by the cute and the Cambodian of the Harspwell Foundation Dormitory: Some of my audio—from Cambodia and Chicago—has been curated into a program by Mairead Case for my old pals NPR at the Whitney Biennial.

Of course, if you aren't on the East Coast of the United States and you miss it, check it out online here.

Harpswell resident and incredibly good singer Limheang responded to the news with this note: "Anne, I really surprice when I real your email. It is very incredible to hear. You know I am very happy when you consider my voice as a valuable thing. I want to thank my mum that she gave me a birth with this valuable voice and thank you very much for giving high value to me."

Wow, the Providence residency is going to be cool . . .

Looks like I'll be working with a really active smart creative group of kids down at Broad Street Studios during my May residency here in Providence, RI—fifth largest Cambodian American population in the US!— famed and beloved arts and culture center AS220: Some Cambodian American, some with a ton of first-generation Cambodian-American friends, some just excited about the issues, some excited about the tools. Damn! It is going to be so awesome!

Classes start tomorrow at 6 p.m.

I've also got pictures going up all the time here, so watch for 'em!

AHRC Reports Continued Threats Against Publisher of "Free Press"

CASE DETAILS:

On 18 January 2008 at 8am, Lem Pichpisey, known by his on-air pseudonym Lem Piseth, received on his mobile phone a text message in broken English from phone number +855175977523 to warn him "to be careful". The message reads: "It's metter in nations…belong here..Adtention…! Life've…I think 2U I readly story 4 you.. Pleased good luck everytime 4 ur family to..by..by…Adtention.."

Lem then sent a text message back asking who the sender was. He received a message back, again in Broken English, saying that he (the sender) was a high ranking official. The reply message reads: "I'm a high senor U never to know me But this number phone's no me my number phone's 0128…777 know?"

Later on, on February 15 around 3pm, Lem received a text message on his phone from the same phone number (+85517957523) seeking an appointment with him at a Chhaya Hotel in Battambang city. Lem sent a reply but it did not get through. Then at 7pm, he received yet another text message asking where he was: "Where's now". Lem sent a reply
saying "At home". At 9pm he received another message asking him to meet the sender at another hotel named Teo Hotel. Lem did not reply or go to the hotel fearing that the sender had set a trap to abduct and kill him as there were no lights from his house along the main road to that hotel.

Early in the morning of 10 April, Lem's daughter, while sweeping the yard of the house, found six live assault rifle cartridges placed by the gate to his house located at Group 8, Wat Kor village, Wat Kor commune, Battambang district. This gate is three and a half meters from his bedroom. It is reported that these cartridges were a clear message that Lem was targeted and could be killed.

Lem immediately called on local human rights activists and journalists to visit the scene and reported the incident to the
police. Several police officers went to examine the scene but failed to conduct any serious investigation.

Lem went to Phnom Penh to get away from the latest threat, but while there, on April 13 before 6pm, a group of some eight men on motorcycle followed his motorcycle along a relatively quiet street, overtook him with loud engine noise and then three to four men riding on the back turned round and threateningly pointed fingers at him. Lem turned to a busier street to evade those men.

To read more, or take action, visit: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/support.php?ua=uau-022-2008

Development, Tourism, and the Khmer Rouge

A brilliant and detailed retelling of Cambodia's recent land-development scheme—how they impact tourism and were formed by a legacy of governmental violence—appeared a few days ago in the Guardian:

Sang Run was out in his boat at 7am when disaster struck his village. He arrived back at 11am to find bulldozers had flattened his home and those of the 229 families who lived beside him. He heard from neighbours that it had happened in an instant. Uniformed men, sent in by governor Say Hak, used electric batons to chase terrified residents from the burning ruins; three of Sang Run's neighbours were knocked unconscious. Village Number One - a mundane name that failed to capture the beauty of its uninterrupted sea views and vegetable gardens that ran to the beach - had been erased. Sang Run heard that a hotel was planned, although no information was given to the people evicted from their homes for a further 18 months.

The story offers the first hint at who's buying up Gold Tower 42 luxury condos, too:

A Korean developer told us that when he marketed Phnom Penh's first skyscraper, the 42-storey Gold Tower project in February, all two dozen £750,000 penthouse suites were bought within 24 hours by "an honour roll of the CPP and its friends in the military".

The April Deluge

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but the downpour I've been under this month better bring more than flowers. As updates go, this will be short, but I did an incredibly fun lecture last night called "The Advantage and Disadvantage of Dorm" at the University of Chicago's PanAsia Festival. (See ad, left.)

And then on Sunday, April 6, I made Papaya Soup at InCUBATE. I've spent several hours trying to post a picture of Abby eating soup, but you might have to imagine someone nice eating soup and assume that's what I'm talking about.

Both talks were attended by some of the smartest people I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Their questions have continued to inspire me in this project *and* made me feel lucky for stumbling into it.

So this came in on my "Gold Tower 42 Google Alert"

Another place of interest for rangers is the wizard tower. Go down the stairs until you cannot proceed further. Look for the lesser daemon that is caged up. Note: Once again, you cannot get your arrows back. Also, beware of the level 25 ...
Runescape,Runescape Gold,Runescape... - http://www.gprunescape.com/runescape