I spent the morning picking strawberries in a field trip with my son and his daycare class. It was awesome. So, little time to blog before getting down to the serious work of writing other things (about which I had nightmares last night!).
- Remember those so-called ‘uncontacted tribes‘ in the Brazilian Amazon that made such a brouhaha in the news last month (they are in fact the opposite of uncontacted – like most of today’s isolated ethnic groups, they are isolated for a reason – the genocidal madness of so-called civilization)? Well, on the other side of the Brazil-Peru border, logging companies are murdering other so-called uncontacted tribes, destroying their homes and villages, and eliminating their means of subsistence. I call that genocide. Read more here.
- Contrary to even relatively mainstream reports, which indicate the increasing desperation of Cambodian farmers who switched over to mechanized tractors (blogged here yesterday), the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is pushing increased use of mechanical, petroleum-fueled, farming technology. Good looking out, guys.
- Preah Vihear (Holy Sanctuary, an almost literally divine Angkorean temple dedicated to Shiva near the border between Cambodia and Thailand) was awarded World Heritage Site status yesterday by UNESCO, despite the unbelievably shameless and scandalous behavior of some Thai officials trying to keep the PADs nationalist opportunism from getting totally out of control by appeasing them. Cambodians celebrated in the streets – something I never saw in my now over three years total in Cambodia. អបអរសាទរ! Some great photos of the celebrations over at Mongkol’s page. Dig the security guard’s awesome dancing, especially!
- Steven Shaviro’s awesome theory blog The Pinocchio Theory has another update/thought piece on Deleuze & Guattari’s Body Without Organs, the BwO, often considered one of the most difficult parts of their collective thought. (you thought that was tough? Try working on ‘the fold’). Not yet complete, it’s worth a read!
It’s probably the happiest moment for us Cambodians in years. It’s my first time to ever see a big nationwide celebration like this. I’ve been smiling all day today.. :p Lol.
By the way, I’ve just posted some pics from the concert at Wat Phnom. Please have a look when you have time.
From strawberries to Deleuze, with stops at power, nationalistic politics, and genocide. That’s quite a set of linkage. (Just to clarify, I’ve been talking about Thai politics on Preah Vihar issue – it’s Nationalism Gone Wild.)
@Mongkol: Yes, a truly happy day. The pics from the concert are fantastic. I wish I’d been there.
@Kate G: Wild-type Nationalism, indeed. People are so accustomed to assuming that nationalism is the tool of the state, that events like this, when nationalism is directed against the nation-state itself, tend to catch many of us by surprise. It’s a teaching moment!
[...] Synthesis over at his blog, The Pinocchio Theory. (I linked to his discussion of the first two, here). I’ve always had a difficult time understanding Deleuze’s emphasis on the aesthetic. I [...]