1. Freedom – So Khmer New Year is over, the hot season has kicked into high gear, and with no school for the next two weeks I’m not doing much of anything. While there have been times that I’ve complained about having too much free time, right now I couldn’t be happier to just relax and hang out. I’ve got around 80 days left in this country and I plan on enjoying every one of them.
2. I Miss Washing Machines – I’ve decided to officially retire from doing my own laundry. After washing my clothes for two hours yesterday and completely destroying my back and quads, I’ve realized that my body just isn’t cut out for hand washing. From now on I’ll pay…
3. Cambodia’s Curse – Journalist Joel Brinkley, who won a Pulitzer for his coverage of Cambodia during the 1970s, has just published a new book about the current state of the country. The book is called Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land. I haven’t read it yet, but I just listened to Leonard Lopate interview Brinkley (Leonard Lopate Show) and it sounds like he’s a got a pretty good take on the current state of affairs.
If you’re interested in Cambodia, it’s probably worth reading.
4. Don’t You Have Enough of Our Money Already? – Visa’s in this part of the world are pretty cheap. I didn’t have to pay anything to get into Thailand or Malaysia and it was less than $50 to get into both Indonesia and Vietnam. But if you’re an American citizen and you want to go to China, you have to pay over $200. Such a rip off…
5. Korean Style – I think most people in the world associate modern styles with America and the West, but not in Cambodia. Here if someone has a crazy hair cut, it’s “Korean style.” When someone wears flashy clothing, they’re “dressing like a Korean.” Or if you see a boy wearing an earring, he’s “trying to look Korean.”
6. The Worst Run of My Life – Running when you’re out of shape is miserable. Running when you’re out of shape in 90 degree weather is even worse. Getting bitten by a dog while on a run in 90 degree weather, while out of shape is enough to make me never want to run again.
7. What I’m Reading This Week - Off the Rails in Phnom Penh: Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls, and Ganja by Amit Gilboa.
There are times where Cambodia still feels like the Wild West, but during the early 90s this country really was a lawless bazaar and Off the Rails gives a little taste of what that time was like. While the author and his friends are a little sketchy (kind of like the ex-pat version of Tucker Max and his friends), it’s still a pretty entertaining book.
8. Too Busy Worrying About Barry Bonds? – In a recent The New York Times piece, Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story asked the question that I’ve been obsessed with for the last year: “Why, in the aftermath of a financial mess that generated hundreds of billions in losses, have no high-profile participants in the disaster been prosecuted?” (In Financial Crisis, No Prosecutions)
I’ve now read about fifty different articles asking this exact same question. Every one of them clearly points out illegal activity, corruption, and fraud, and yet there has still been no action? Even Alan Greespan admitted that some of the activity was: “certainly illegal and clearly criminal” and that “a lot of that stuff was just plain fraud.” I mean come on…
9. Want Any DVDs? – Last week I went to the DVD store in Phnom Penh and bought all seven seasons of the West Wing for $20. I’m pretty sure I got ripped off, but I felt a little better when I went online and found out that that exact same purchase would have cost me $200 in America.
I’d be happy to bring back some presents this summer. If any of you want any DVD box sets, just let me know.
10. Shouting Match – Check out Ed Schultz and Michael Steele going at it on Real Time (Gawker). Good stuff.
(Sorry I couldn’t embed the video)
Applause was deafening coz rethugs are just wrong on most issues, heck maybe all issues. Go Barry 2012!
Well just as you predicted. No American sweep in Boston. Hall was 4th and Goucher 5th ( Davila was 2nd woman). A world record though for the winner. Dad will send a more thorough update.
Sorry about the dog bite. Ouch. And thank the stars for rabie shots!
xo
ps/many of us obsessed with the same question you are. Not that it’s getting us anywhere!
Not sure I actually have much to add. Hall under 2:05 is impressive. Would have won all of them but this year… but 2:03 is ridiculous… 20 mph tailwind.. it was a day for the ages to race. Off letsrun:
Unbelievable is probably the best way to describe the 2011 Boston Marathon. First, American Desiree Davila, off the back of the lead pack multiple times, was gutsy as hell, battling for the win with Caroline Rotich down the final straight. There were 4 lead changes on the final straight before Rotich came out on top. In the men’s race, American Ryan Hall ran 2:04:57 and lost by nearly 2 minutes. Yes, ladies and gentleman Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop ran faster than anyone else ever before the in the marathon, 2:03:02 and 2:03:06 respectively, thanks to 20mph tailwinds. Mutai cememted his status as the strongest runner on the planet with the win.
2:03 = two 1:01:30 half marathons over heart break… or how about 26.2 miles at an average of 4: 40 per mile…my God…..even with a tailwind…
2:03? That’s absurddddd.
And who the hell is Desiree Davila? I’ve never even heard of her?
Desiree Davila is 27…graduated from Arizona State and says she never did anything special in college–ran 3rd or 4th on her team. Runs with Hanson- Brooks now and was said to be logging 120 miles (plus) weeks while trining for Boston. BF is Ryan Linden. She’s tiny (5’2) but certainly speedy!
xo
Interesting Boston Marathon fact: Even though Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya has the best time ever for a marathon, it will not count for a world record because the course in Boston is not record-eligible. I.A.F.F. rules state that marathon records must be set on what is considered a loop course instead of a point-to-point course, meaning that the starting and finish lines cannot be farther apart than 50 percent of the race distance, or 13.1 miles. Times in races on point-to-point courses, even difficult rolling ones like Boston’s can be significantly affected by a tail wind, which was the case Monday, when the wind was blowing 15 to 20 miles an hour.
“We’re knocking on the door,” Hall said. “We have a lot of guys who are running well. It’s only a matter of time. Desi almost did it today.”
Grete Waitz ( 57) died this morning in Oslo after a long battle with cancer.
Oh no. So sad. Heard an obit on NPR this morning while I was running and it stopped me in my tracks.Grete was a personal fave in the Knowlton house. Remember when she came to Fleet Feet? She was gracious and lovely in every way. And a true ambassador for the sport.
On a happier note (and talk about fam faves), JENNIFER EGAN won a Pulitzer for “A Visit From the Goon Squad.” We loved it and so did Court and Emmett.
Have you read it? Should we send?
Some other Pulitzer news that might interest you:
ERIC FONER (History): “The Fiery Trial; Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
RON CHERNOW (Biography): “Washington: A Life”
SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE (General Nonfiction): “The Emperor of Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
JESSE EISINGER/JAKE BERNSTEIN for ProPublica (National Reporting):
A series of articles called, “The Wall Street Money Machine.”
CLIFFORD J. LEVY/ELLEN BARRY (International Reporting) : “Above the Law,” a wide-ranging series about the failures of Russia’s legal system.
DAVID LEONHARDT for The NYT: (Commentary)
JOSEPH RAGO for the WSJ: (Editorial Writing)
OH NO! Grete? A favorite in this house too…. her and Joan of course 2 of my/our top favorites for a long time. Sad indeed.
Brian actually watched a good part of the race yesterday being in Boston and all. He said it was great fun. I think he is getting marathon fever
Careful around those dogs there Cooper!
Be well and safe!
XO
Regina
When I listened to the Brinkley interview, I thought he made Cambodia sound slightly more destitute than I think it is. Rather than giving nuance and shades of grey, he made Cambodia sound like a complete dump. I think he also said the average North Korean is 3 times richer than the average Cambodian, which I can’t believe. Nevertheless, can I borrow the book when you’re done?
Also, you’ll be happy to know your blog was the first Google search result when I typed in “Cambodia’s curse book review nytimes.com”