Say what you like; just spell my name right.
I was at a pub, hanging-out with my friend from the world of journalism.
We were chatting with the bartender about off-the-beaten-track places to visit. Well traveled (actually a tour guide for a non-profit eco-tour company), she recommended Cambodia, because it’s cheap and less touristy than Thailand or Vietnam.
Cambodia is interesting in its own right, and our bartender led us on a short aural tour. Some things I knew. Others were new to me.
Like this one: the infamous Pol Pot, was born Saloth Sar. He got his more commonly known name from a French professor who referred to Sar’s “Politique Potentielle.” “Pol Pot” evolved from there. Apparently, he went to great lengths to conceal his birth name.
And, it was a chilling-face-of-evil’s-nom-de-guerre Reference Bomb! Bam!
Further Reading:
The Killing Fields – a great movie about journalists covering Pol Pot’s tragic/murderous return to “Year Zero”
BBC article on the Pol Pot
Debate over the origins of Pol Pot’s name on Wikipedia
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