That agenda item . . . and more

That agenda item was:

How can we quickly increase the amount of methane generated in our biodigester?

In short, we can't.

We will pump the human sewage from three different pits to the digester. That input will produce some additional gas.

As to purchasing piglets or sows from outside and adding them to our pens. Well, apparently the risk of disease (yes, the dreaded 'blue ear') is still too great. There just is no credible expert or agency in Cambodia that farmers can trust to provide useful information. So we will patiently wait and watch and see what our own remaining sows will accomplish.

Surprise -- Wednesday night five piglets were born to one sow. Not a great number, obviously, but all at least seem to be healthy.

. . . and more:

The heavy rains continue, though not like the deluge that fell earlier in the week. Dar took this picture on our way back to town yesterday, one day after I read the following in the Phnom Penh Post newspaper:

"At the Khmer Rouge tribunal, which is located in Dangkor district, flooding forced officials to relocate the five Khmer Rouge leaders currently in custody, said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press.

The official said all five -- Kaing Guek Eav, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea -- had been temporarily moved from the detention facilities to another building."

The "detention facilities" and the criminal court building are at the site in the picture -- at the back of the property.

The water has drained away, a bit, over the past two days.

. . . and one more:

Just a couple more kilometers from the Khmer Rouge tribunal, the combination of water and garment workers heading home from the factories slowed traffic again. A bit before 5:00 pm, workers cram into trucks for the long ride back to their home villages.

Recent news articles say garment factories, mostly foreign owned, employ up to 400,000 Cambodians, mostly young women (girls) who are strongly encouraged by their families to go to Phnom Penh to search for a job. International organizations say as much as 50 percent of their wages (which usually run from $45 to $70 per month) are often sent back to their families.