Border Brats from the 1980s should mark their calendars. Some of the now aging UNBRO alums have organized a reunion to take place in Aranyaprathet on Dec 28 at the end of this year. Sources say that more than 50 folks are already planning to attend, coming from various corners of the planet. Rumors that Eva Mysliwiec might be invited as the keynote speaker for the event have been denied.

One of the Kingdom's newest citizens is none other than Dr. Gavin Andrew Milburn Scott, who was naturalized on August 12, 2002. He even has a new name: Scott Vireak Cheat.

Where one stands on the Yali Falls Dam depends on where one sits. Villagers in Rattan-akiri Province who live along the Se San River have been ticked off. But the view from the other side of the border is different. In an article "Yaly Hydroelectric Dam and Power Station" in the Saigon Times, dated August 29, 2002, Yen Dung and Kinh Luan write as follows: "Also of interest to many is Yaly Hydroelectric Dam some 40 kilometers northwest of the province capital of Pleiku, with the imposing beauty of Yaly Falls and the clear water of the dam's huge reservoir. Most spectacular is a visit when the floodgates are being opened. When the water reaches a certain level, as often happens during the wet season, all six gates are opened to create dazzling white spumes splashing into the sky."

A recent visitor to the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam saw no signs of unrest among the region's ethnic Khmer population. They were all too busy working and prospering like everyone else there. In fact, one Cambodian who visited the region last month commented: "In Cambodia we have democracy, but everything seems all mixed up. In Vietnam they have Communism, but everything seems to work. I don't get it."

Crackerjack AFP reporter Luke Hunt will display 10 photos he took in Afghanistan on Oct 7, 2001, the day the US bombing campaign started against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The exhibit starts Oct 3 at Talkin to a Stranger, just behind Lucky Market.

An expat tourist is confused. She got off the boat from Siem Reap and a motodop said he knew a great hotel to stay at. She was welcomed warmly in the lobby and shown several of the rooms. She asked how much and thought $20 might be a bit steep but then said okay, to which the staff replied, "Oh no, no, no. Can not. We are just practicing."