Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Cambodia!

This picture was taken at one of the most awesome spots on the planet-Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is the main tourist attraction in Cambodia, and is displayed in the center of the country's flag. If you want to do business or work in Cambodia, this is the place to visit-people will always ask you if you've been to Angkor Wat. The Khmer people are very proud of this temple complex.

Even with this beautiful temple complex, news focusing on Cambodia isn't very pretty. Most recently, news articles focusing on tribunals for ex-Khmer Rouge leaders have been the buzz on the BBC news site, as well as the rape and trafficking risks for women. If you don't know about these issues, I'd recommend going over to www.bbc.co.uk right now.



How about a few facts on Cambodia?
-The language spoken is Khmer, not Cambodian.
-The name of the Cambodian people is also Khmer, but this refers only to ethnic Khmers, not everyone in the country.
-Cambodia was colonized by France.
-The main religion in Cambodia is Theravada Buddhism.
-The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh.
-The 2008 census puts Cambodia's population at 13,388,910.
-The head of police for Phnom Penh has previously been denied U.S. visas.

Remember that risk of rape and trafficking mentioned earlier? This girl is at a NGO in Siem Reap learning a valuable skill, weaving, that will help her make a living and help to keep her away from sex work...the scarves at this place were beautiful. I'll get back with the name of this place.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Abuse of India's boys...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7738259.stm

Just copy and paste...The abuse of India's boys is rising...
Last weekend I saw the movie "Role Models." At one point, one of the main characters was sitting at a campfire and was supposed to tell a scary story. He began with saying that it his story was scary because it was a true story, and that all around the world little boys and girls are being sold into sexual slavery...and was then cut off. I was torn over that comment, but I'm glad it was in there. Maybe people will stop joking about it and realize that it is a horror story.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Oriental Gems

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7720605.stm

Just copy and paste this link into your browser.

Its a wonderful story, exploring the amazing interplay between sex, money, and exploitation that many people don't even think about before they crack a joke.