**

Before there was war; now there is peace. What's one of the things you get when peace

breaks out? Television reality game shows!

The ever-popular German TV game show "Beijing Express" is expected to blow

into town in September. Fourteen eager couples will compete for wunderbar phantastisch

gewinnen by hitch-hiking from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and then (good luck!) via Preah

Vihear up into Laos and beyond. The feverish competition will be covered by 24 camera

crews, 14 support vehicles and a total production team of 120. Wilhelm Tell had better

stock up on the pig's knuckles.

When one of the organizers was asked if contestants had had any problems in other

countries, he said, "We had one guy OD in Beijing. Ooooey, that was a real headache!"

** The mother of all conferences is set to take place on June 4 at the InterContinental

Hotel. Called the "First Cambodian Leadership Conference", participants

will benefit from "extraordinary speakers, plus networking opportunities and

breakout lunch". All for only $50 per person. Conference delegates will also

be awarded a Certificate of Participation.

** One of the Kingdom's expat long-term residents is in jail. Benito Alcidi, who

arrived in Cambodia in 1987, was arrested in April and is now in Prey Sar prison.

Details are sketchy. Relatives say he has been wrongly stitched up and they are very

worried about Benito's health.

** Café scene analysts say that the renovation work at the site across the

street from the Riverside Bistro & Pub will eventually result into a schnozzy

new place called Starbooks, or something like that.

** Supermarket analysts are having a close look at the new, very expansive Pencil

operation near the Cambodiana Hotel that just opened on May 1. Product placement

has come in for some harsh criticism from several quarters, but aisles capable of

handling three shopping carts side-by-side and ample AC are getting a resounding

thumbs up.

** Management types are all a twitter. The Anana computer shop is now carrying a

finger-print identification machine that plugs into your computer and can be used

to log employees in and out. Only $1,350 per unit.

** Former PPPost Managing Editor and master ship builder Peter "mok krahom"

Sainsbury and his wife Sophie Richardson are expecting their first child in October.

All best wishes, from all of us to all of you.