After months of speculation and a tidal wave of anticipation among seasoned riverfront

gadflies, veteran PPPost reporter Hurley Scroggins held a very, very, very soft opening

last week for his new café which he has decided to call the Cantina. Early

indications are that the Cantina may prove to be one of the most popular watering

holes along the riverfront. Chopped beef burrito junkies be advised: plans are afoot

to eventually offer Mexican food. But Hurley urges potential patrons to be patient-the

kitchen will take some time to get up and running.

** It is a good thing the World Health Organization is on top of the latest health

developments, otherwise we would not have learned the following which was published

in the August edition of the WHO Bulletin: "A new review of the evidence from

South Africa confirms that high consumption of added sugars contributes significantly

to the incidence of dental caries [decay] and obesity."

** A major shopping/office complex under construction in the heart of Beijing's commercial

business district has billboards showing off images and descriptions of various other

projects the Chinese state-owned developer has done. And one of them has a picture

of Cambodia's very own Senate building with the words, in English, "Senate Building,

Kampuchea" How about that!

** The definition of character: How you behave when nobody is looking.

A bunch of tourists visited a near-virgin island off Otres beach near Sihanoukville

last Saturday, which they were told was called Koh Chiloh, and were about to enjoy

the serenity when the sound of a chainsaw interrupted the silence. They poked through

the bush to discover seven guys wearing military caps in the process of cutting down

the largest trees on the island. The soldiers were embarrassed enough to stop their

plunder, take the afternoon off and sit on the beach with the foreigners to share

a giggle or two. That was six days ago and the trees are no doubt now long since

cut and gone.

** Readers should take a close look at Oxfam International's "analysis of Cambodia's

World Trade Organisation accession" comment piece on page 5 of this issue. If

there is anyone out there who can translate Oxfam's NGO-speak into real English,

this paper will be glad to publish it.

** The definition of gadfly from The American College Dictionary: any fly that goads

or stings domestic animals, as many voracious, blood-sucking flies of the dipterous

family Tabanidae.