Khmer Rouge Cafe Closed

by Erik Olsen on

A story about the Khmer Rouge Experience
Cafe in Phnom Penh made it to Boing Boing, which then provided an update saying that the cafe had been closed. But
I thought it was worth posting about because it was so, well, odd. And, perhaps, expected.

The cafe allegedly offered customers a taste of the horrible food served during the murderous Khmer Rouge regime. Such
delicacies as steaming bowls rice gruel and bitter tea were served, all with the idea of bringing attention to the
terrible history of Cambodia…and to satisfy the vast and burgeoning demand for rice gruel (you know who you are!).
Waitresses at the cafe were barefoot and clad in the black pajamas and red-white scarves worn by Khmer guerrillas. Nice
touch.

But seriously. Seems like an interesting idea, and they certainly got a lot of press out of it. But unfortunately, the
tourism
ministry then closed them because it said they did not have a license, the tourism ministry said.

The World is Not Flat

by Erik Olsen on

Lee LeFever and his wife Sachi are heading out on a trip to see the world…and they want you to come along. Sort of.
The couple will head out at the beginning of 2006 to see the world, and will be posting stories about their trip on
their very well-designed site: The World is Not Flat…or TWINF. 
Starting in New Zealand, the trip will last a year and will cover five continents. They are inviting people to register
at their site and interact with them as they go. There are already some good dispatches at the blog, like this one on
Travis’ General Theory of
Tourism.

We’ll definitely be tuning in to TWINF as their trip progresses. Given the
apparent planning and thoughtfulness that have gone into their site and preparations so far, we’re expecting big
things.

Peace Through Tourism

by Kelly Amabile on

The 3rd annual Global Summit on Peace
through Tourism is taking place this week in Pattaya, Thailand. Tourism topics covered include cultural, community,
indigenous and inter-faith tourism, all in the context of what can be done in collaboration as a global family.
Huggy-feely sounding, I know, but dialogue like this is essential, in whatever form. There are lots of sessions that
talk about the involvement of youth in building a more peaceful world for all travelers, and particular emphasis is
placed on environmental concerns as well as political unrest, terrorism and natural disasters.

This conference in organized by the International Institute for Peace Through
Tourism. Founded in 1986, the IIPT is a Vermont-based organization dedicated to fostering tourism initiatives which
facilitate peaceful interaction between cultures. I like their belief that every traveler is potentially an Ambassador
for Peace. They have a peaceful traveler credo that supports their
mission.

Kevin Sites Hot Zone

by Erik Olsen on

We mentioned the fairly revolutionary
Web-only series that Yahoo is doing with Kevin Sites, the enterprising one-man band journalist who has been doing
mostly TV work up to now.

The series is called Kevin Sites In the Hot Zone, and promises riveting
dispatches from many of the world’s most dangerouus and miserable places. Since the announcement of this new series,
I’ve been very eager to check it out.

Well, it’s here. The first series takes on Somalia and features some pretty respectable photos as well as various
video clips of the issues Somalis face. It’s a good start. A little disjointed, and I’d like to see a bit more
narrative, but a good start.

Pole Shrinkage

by Erik Olsen on

Here is a question for you to ponder: should we care if the polar ice caps are melting?

Seriously. Does it really matter? Sure, certain places like the Maldives might disappear beneath the sea, destructive
hurricanes might continue to ravage our coastlines, Vegas might become beach-front property, poorly adapting species
might go extinct: but is it worth it to try to address the issue if it means giving up our SUVs and reducing our
insatiable demand for energy? Hard to say. And for now and perhaps the next day or two, the question is more
theoretical than real. So we have some time.

But if you’re interested in the subject just for conversation’s sake, you might find
this piece in the Times of interest. Scientists are
saying that the ice sheet way up there where no one really goes anyways….at least not New Yorkers (which again, prompts
the question, does it matter)…is likely to be about 20 percent smaller than the overall average of the last century
or so. Here’s a nifty map
showing the shrinkage.

So again, does it matter, or is it all just part of God’s great plan for this great spinning blob in space?