Is

it junk that you crave or just junk email? Only your server knows for sure.

When Online's techno-gadget modulator got struck by lightening on Monday, May 31

and its internet system went ballistic, many thousands of its subscribers were reminded

just how addicted we all are to receiving emails from Aunt Mabel (or jokes from Thilo

at the Tell).

How did we manage to survive before the invention of the internet? Is life on earth

actually possible without a daily dose of spam?

What happens on the first flight to Mars when six months into the mission the crew's

email cyberspace server goes dead? (Hollywood is working on this plot already.)

And, most importantly, how could we live without the regular receipt of insightful,

run-on, rabid commentary on Cambodian affairs from Prasit Kuoch?

These and other more pressing but related concerns will be discussed at an upcoming

seminar for critical stakeholders entitled "Downloading emails and their role

in helping reduce the Poverty Reduction Strategy to a more manageable byte size in

a shrinking world comprised of self-sustainable and interconnected global villages".

** One budget-conscious traveler in the Kingdom was pleasantly surprised when upon

check-in at a swish hotel he was informed that he had been upgraded to a deluxe suite

at no extra charge.

The high brow digs even included a jacuzzi in the loo, which the weary guest discovered

to his great delight could also be used as a washing machine. Just fill the tub,

drop in the clothes, add a bit of soap and turn on the jets. Presto! Free laundry

service!

[Warning: Scented bath foam gel is not recommended for use in jacuzzi-style clothes

washing, especially if you have to meet the next morning with bankers about a pending

loan application.]

** Alert readers will notice the new section in this issue dedicated to the on-going,

tourism-driven gold rush in Siem Reap (see page 12).

The Disneyland-style Cambodian Cultural Village theme park alone is a barometer for

where the future is headed. During the week of Khmer New Year it drew over 70,000

visitors.

For those planning a visit to Angkor, keep in mind that the PPPost hotel coupon king

is alive and well, and the best room prices at the Victoria Angkor, the FCC Angkor

or the Preah Khan Hotel can be had by calling you-know-who at 011-855-007.