Today is Victory over Genocide Day, a public holiday in Cambodia. Also known as Cambodian Victory Day, it marks the end of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
During the Vietnam war, Cambodia was a base for communist forces, and at the end of that conflict, an offshoot from the Vietnam People’s Army called the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. Mixing the ideology of communism and the Ankor Empire, they implemented extreme communist policies, enforcing strict self-sufficiency and taking children from parents, so they could be indoctrinated in communism.
An aim of the Khmer Rouge was to return Cambodia to a purely agricultural society. To implement this, many Cambodians were forced to leave the cities to work on labor camps.
It is estimated that around two million Cambodians (almost a quarter of the population) were killed in the four years of the Khmer Rouge regime from starvation, illness, overwork in the labour camps or execution for not embracing the ideals of the Khmer Rouge. This led to the reign of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot being seen as effectively a campaign of genocide against the Cambodian people.
On January 7th 1979, Vietnamese troops entered Cambodia and began the assault to remove the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge surrendered on April 17th 1979. It is not a universally welcome holiday in Cambodia as many Cambodians feel uneasy about their dependence for liberation on Vietnam.
Photoshopping your kids!
Stephen Crowley has figured out the perfect way to give relatives a heart attack: “I’ve been photoshopping my kids into marginally dangerous situations. Nothing unbelievable, but enough to make people think: wait, did he just…?” Now we just have to wait until his kids are old enough to photoshop him into marginally negligent nursing home facilities.
BADA BING!!!!!
I wish I could drop my body off at the gym and pick it up when it’s ready.
I set out to lose 10 pounds this month. Only 15 to go!
Day 12 without chocolate…Lost hearing in my left eye.
Do weights for muscle, cardio for heart, ice cream for mental health.
Doctor: Looks like you’re pregnant. Me: But I’m a guy! Doctor: I said it LOOKS like you’re pregnant.
I’m not fat. I’m swollen from all the hard hits life has thrown at me.
Interviewer: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Me: Still trying to lose weight.
I was going to give up all my bad habits for the new year but then I remembered no one likes a quitter.
Whenever I try to eat healthy, a chocolate bar looks at me and Snickers.
That feeling you get when you want something to eat and all you have are ingredients.
A teenage boy walked into a bar and ordered a beer. “Honey, do you want to get me in trouble?” said the waitress. “Maybe later,” said the boy. “Right now I’d like a beer.”
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said “Stop! Don’t do it!” “Why shouldn’t I?” he said. “Well, there’s so much to live for!” “Like what?” “Well… are you religious?” He said yes. I said, “Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?” “Christian.” “Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant? “Protestant.” “Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?” “Baptist” “Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?” “Baptist Church of God!” “Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?” “Reformed Baptist Church of God!” “Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?” He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!” I said, “Die, heretic scum”, and pushed him off.
OSHA Nightmares…
Today is the birthday, in 1959, of American musician Kathy Valentine who is the bassist for the rock band the Go-Go’s. They had the 1982 US No.2 single ‘We Got The Beat’ and the 1982 UK No.47 single ‘Our Lips Our Sealed’. The Go-Go’s supported the Specials on the latter’s 1980 Seaside tour of England. According to Jane Wiedlin, she and Terry Hall had a brief affair. After Wiedlin returned to the US, Hall mailed her some lyrics, and this led to their co-writing the song. The Go-Go’s version is significantly more upbeat than Fun Boy Three’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3kQlzOi27M
