Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #60.  Delilah skirts both sides of Cambodian reality in episode 60.  From bullying shops to opening on Sundays to get bedding, bath and kitchenwares to recounting another heartbreaking story of the urban poor being forcibly removed from their homes in Dey Krahom.  Jinja has archived all the Dey Krahom electronic info with photos, videos, etc. at http://jinja.apsara.org/dey-krahom-info/.   You can also join a Facebook group about Cambodian evictions if you want…. So many activities and so many still under threat of eviction. 

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The music is a song written by the community leader Chan Vichet and sung by the Dey Krahom community.  It’s called Do Not Agree about the last offer by the municipality to pay them $20,000 to leave their homes. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #59.  Suffering a mysterious back ailment, Delilah resorts to yapping on about contemporary issues and updates in the Kingdom.  Listen, if you dare, to a bit about why sweatshops aren’t so bad (file under: could be worse), feedback about the opera (file under: religious police) and a few excerpts from a recent human rights watch report and the government comment (file under: only in the Kingdom).  

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The music would be track #3 off the best of Cambodian Oldies.  I would venture an educated guess that it’s Sen Sisamuth.  Enjoy.  Sway.  Think of the tropical days spent underneath a sugar palm tree. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #58.  On the eve of yet another holiday, Delilah explains a bit about the perceptions behind this particular national event but ends up just confusing herself and any remaining listeners and, alas, drifting into politics again.  As everything in Cambodia, it’s complicated.  Stay tuned though, at the end you hear about a common item that was invented in Cambodia and how it got its name. 

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

Chek Mach and Ensemble perform Sorylong in the bassac genre from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org).

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom:  This Cambodian Life #57.  The big excitement, well maybe not that big, is that Delilah is now LEGAL (ish) and will be fearing the police just a tad bit less.  Other news is Christmas in the Kingdom, a brief respite at a lovely beach post-Christmas and Delilah meets a movie star.  Never dull, is it?

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com. 

In honor of the new year, Ros Sereysothea is singing New Year’s, which is Jol Chnam Tmei, if you want to sing along.