P'chum Ben day!!!

P’Chum Ben or Prachum Benda, which means ‘gathering together to make offerings’ (prachum-gathering together and ben-offering), is a major holiday in Cambodia. It is held on the 15th day of the waning moon (Ronouch) during the tenth month of the Khmer calendar, Pheaktrobotr, and usually falls in the first half of September in the western calendar. This year it began on September the 14th and ends on September 28. The 15 day lead up, starting on the waxing moon (K’nert) with P’chum Touch...

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បុណ្យភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ/본프쫌벤/pchum ben

Cambodian Pchum Ben or Soul Day Cambodian Pchum Ben or Soul Day - Running for 15 days from the end of September into October, and the exact date determined by the lunar calendar, this festival is dedicated to blessing the spirits of the dead, and is one of the most culturally significant in Cambodia.Each household visits their Buddhist temple and offers food to the monks for their assistance in blessing the souls of late ancestors, relatives and friends. Pagodas are crowded with people...

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Cambodian Pchum Ben or Soul Day

ពាក្យថា “ ភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ” មកពីពាក្យ “ ភ្ជុំ” រួមគ្នាជាមួយពាក្យ “ បិណ្ឌ” ដែលមានន័យថា : ភ្ជុំគឺការប្រមូលផ្តុំ ឬប្រជុំបិណ្ឌ (មកពីភាសាបាលី) “ ដុំបាយ” ដូចេ្នះ​យើង​អាច​សម្គាល់​ពាក្យ​នេះ តាមវិធីងាយបានថា គឺជា “ ការប្រជុំ ឬប្រមូលផ្តុំដុំបាយ” ​(ការពូតដុំ បាយជាដុំៗ​ដែល​យើង​ហៅថា “ បាយបិណ្ឌ” ) ។បើ ​តាម​តម្រា​ចារ​តាម​ប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រ​នៃ​ប្រទេស​ កម្ពុជា​យើង​ បាន​បង្ហាញ​ថា​ ពិធី​បុណ្យ​ភ្ជុំ​បិណ្ឌ​គឺ​កើត​មាន​តាំង​ពី​បុរាណ​កាល​មក​ម្ល៉េះ។​ ប៉ុន្តែ​ទាស់​ត្រង់​ថា​ កាល​ពី​សម័យ​មុន​គេ​មិន​ហៅ​ថា​ បុណ្យ​ភ្ជុំ​ទេ​ ដោយ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ពិធី​នេះ​គេ​មាន​បែង​ចែក​ចេញ​ជា​ពីរ​ថ្នាក់។​...

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Analysis: Gold stocks to outsparkle gold in post-QE2 world

(Reuters) - Gold's performance has eclipsed that of gold mining stocks this year, but gold equities now are likely to take the upper hand as the flow of cheap U.S. cash slows and miners boast juicy margins and good growth prospects.Gold's status as a quasi-currency and safe haven has helped pushed the price of the metal up about 20 percent since the start of the year to above $1,520 an ounce, making it one of the top performing asset classes of 2011.That compares with an 8 percent drop in the ARCA...

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Dolphins In The Military

British Air Marshal Brian Burridge, head of the U.K. Contingent, talks about the dolphins used in the Gulf to clear mines during a briefing at the Coalition Media Center in Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar March 27, 2003. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) Members of the Deep/Shallow Water Mark 7 crew from Commander Task Unit deploy a Miller Pen that will house a bottlenose dolphin operating near the USS Gunston Hall March 17, 2003 in the Arabian Gulf. CTU-55.4.3 is a multinational...

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Dolphins In The Military

British Air Marshal Brian Burridge, head of the U.K. Contingent, talks about the dolphins used in the Gulf to clear mines during a briefing at the Coalition Media Center in Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar March 27, 2003. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) Members of the Deep/Shallow Water Mark 7 crew from Commander Task Unit deploy a Miller Pen that will house a bottlenose dolphin operating near the USS Gunston Hall March 17, 2003 in the Arabian Gulf. CTU-55.4.3 is a multinational...

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Euro lifted by Trichet's Portugal comments

(Reuters) - The euro gained against the dollar for the first time in three sessions on Thursday after ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said the central bank would relax rules and keep providing liquidity to struggling Portugal, helping allay worries about Europe's debt crisis.At a news conference after the central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.50 percent, the European Central Bank's chief said the ECB had decided to suspend the application of the minimum credit...

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Wall Street suffers worst selloff in two years

Investors fled Wall Street in the worst stock-market selloff since the middle of the financial crisis in early 2009 in what has turned into a full-fledged correction.The Dow and the S&P tumbled more than 4 percent on Thursday and the Nasdaq lost 5 percent on fear the United States is staring at another recession and that Europe's sovereign debt crisis is swallowing two of its largest economies.Analysts predicted further losses even though stocks have fallen on nine of the last 10 days. Two-year...

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Special report: How Washington took the U.S. to the brink

(Reuters) - The world's largest economy was headed toward an unprecedented default, and all Washington wanted to talk about was the manner in which the president had left a room.A White House meeting in mid-July between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders had ended with sharp words as Obama clashed with the brash Republican House majority leader, Eric Cantor.Now Cantor was back on Capitol Hill, dishing details to a scrum of reporters -- a shift from the terse, vague statements that...

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UK lawmakers pressure Piers Morgan on hacking claims

(Reuters) - - British lawmakers called on Thursday for CNN talk show host and former tabloid editor Piers Morgan to return to his native Britain to answer questions about phone-hacking after allegations made by the ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney.The claim by Heather Mills that a journalist had listened to voicemail messages on her mobile phone has added fuel to the flames of a scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire and much of the British establishment.In an interview...

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NY seeks to intervene in BoA $8.5 billion pact

New York's attorney general will oppose Bank of America Corp's $8.5 billion settlement over repurchasing toxic mortgage loans, joining a growing number of unhappy mortgage bond buyers now fighting the pact reached with some of the largest institutional investors in the country.In court papers filed late Thursday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sought to intervene in order to "protect the marketplace and the interests of New York investors, the vast majority of whom otherwise are not...

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Jobs, retail sales data support recovery hopes

(Reuters) - The number of Americans claiming new unemployment benefits was steady last week and heavy discounting lifted sales at retailers in July, hopeful signs for the sputtering economy.Initial claims for state jobless benefits edged down 1,000 to 400,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists had expected claims to rise to 405,000 and the dip last week indicated an easing in layoffs, which have weighed on employment in the past two months."While the economic slowdown appears to...

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BNY Mellon imposes fee on rapidly growing deposits

(Reuters) - Bank of New York Mellon Corp told some of its biggest depositors this week it does not want their money.BNY Mellon said it is charging a fee to big corporate and asset management clients that deposit more money than average, because it has been overwhelmed by deposits.Global economic turmoil -- including the Greek debt crisis and the U.S. debt ceiling debate -- has driven BNY Mellon's large clients to sell riskier assets and move the proceeds to deposit accounts.The flood of cash is...

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It’s all about the jobs

By Laura TysonThe opinions expressed are her own.Reuters invited leading economists and writers to reply to Larry Summers’ op-ed on his reaction to the debt ceiling deal. We will be publishing the responses here. Below is Tyson’s reply. Here are responses from Benn Steil, Russ Roberts, Donald Boudreaux, Robert Frank and James Pethokoukis as well.I share many of Professor Summers’ reactions to the debt limit deal — the so-called “Budget Control Act of 2011.” Like him, I am deeply relieved that the...

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