Burma - Jezebel

posts about #burma more →
Cloudy With A Chance Of Powers
Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
Someone To Watch Over Me
Vacation At The "Human Zoo," See The "Long-Neck Women!"
Safe Havens
Sending Out An S.O.S.
Burmese Activist Charged After Visit By "Wretched American"
Britney Spears Beats Barack Obama For Eric Cantor
Bigger Than Burning Man.
Hillary = Not Exactly The Loser Here, People!

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

MerryLilly
10/27/09

In reply to Cloudy With A Chance Of Powers
Thanks U2 for helping put this on the spotlight! Thanks Jezebel too :)

This woman is a hero! Down with crazy dictatorships. #aungsansuukyi
Reply

MerryLilly was starred MerryLilly was unstarred

suck_it_monkeys
10/27/09

In reply to Cloudy With A Chance Of Powers
Eek! I'm giving a presentation about the amazing Aung San Suu Kyi this week for a class I'm taking on peace and nonviolence. I TOTALLY need that mask to make my presentation complete! #aungsansuukyi
Reply

suck_it_monkeys was starred suck_it_monkeys was unstarred

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
Do the offenders still get chemically castrated if they've won an Oscar?
Reply

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza! was starred

EkaterinaBallerina
10/02/09

@HeatherNumber1: Hah, my thoughts exactly. A lot of people in France jumped at the chance to defend Polanski, an admitted sexual offender and child rapist, and now this? I am confused.
Reply

EkaterinaBallerina was starred

CurtCole
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
I'm looking down at the ground today telling my state, "shame on you," being from Texas provides you with your own unique brand of guilt.
Reply

CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

Lymed
10/02/09

@CurtCole: Isn't it a step in the right direction if the state is willing to grant a divorce to a same sex couple?
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

CurtCole
10/02/09

@Lymed: I don't know, how can you grant a divorce if you don't recognize it as an institution? Very confusing.
Reply

CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

desertbloom79
10/02/09

@CurtCole: I'm taking the positive view. Would it have been better had he said "No,you can't get a divorce because you aren't married."?
I don't think so. He has essentially recognized their marriage as legal and that opens the way for same sex marriages to be recognized in the state.
I'm not a lawyer though, so any Jezzie lawyers out there feel free to weigh in.
Reply

Lymed promoted this comment desertbloom79 was starred desertbloom79 was unstarred

Dodgergirl
10/02/09

@CurtCole: I honestly wonder if Texas has gotten themselves in some (awesome) trouble here... I wonder how recognizing a type of marriage only in order to dissolve it fits in with the 14th amendment and full faith and credit. I'm curious if there's any case law that covers something similar-- like maybe divorces between interracial couples in a state where that was still illegal? [/took undergrad con law a year and a half ago, so stuff is fuzzy]
Reply

Edited by Dodgergirl at 10/02/09 6:03 PM Dodgergirl was starred Dodgergirl was unstarred

Lymed
10/02/09

@desertbloom79: The judge ruled that banning same sex marriage violates equal protection under the law, so he did say their marriage is legal in Texas and that is why they can get a divorce. But it is just one judge and it will be appealed.
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

Brigit
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
Honestly, chemical castration (which is temporary) for pedos and repeat sex offenders is good by me.
They should also undergo some of the therapies that are proving useful to decrease the amount of pedophiles who act on their attraction, and the amount of rapists that offend again.
Reply

Brigit was starred Brigit was unstarred

Vulcan Has No Moon
10/02/09

@Brigit: Temporary? If a drunk drive killed and maimed a person/people, you wouldn't have any problem taking their driver's license away permanently, why would you have a problem taking away pedophile or rapist's fucking license away from them permanently?

Chemical castration can be got around with hormone replacement therapy. Surgical castration is a bit more difficult, if not impossible, to overcome in most cases.

"Physical castration appears to be highly effective as, historically, it results in a 20-year re-offense rate of less than 2.3% vs. 80% in the untreated control group, according to a large 1963 study involving a total of 1036 sex offenders by the German researcher A. Langelüddeke, among others [8], much lower than what was otherwise expected. Compare to overall sex offender recidivism rates."
Reply

Brigit promoted this comment Vulcan Has No Moon was starred

Brigit
10/03/09

@Vulcan Has No Moon: The heck? Pharmacologically speaking, chemical castration is temporary. It works as long as the patient takes the medication. It is a statement of fact, not an opinion.
Reply

Brigit was starred Brigit was unstarred

YourScreenplaySucks
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
French PM Francois Fillon said today that he is considering enforced chemical castration for sex offenders.

I smell a compromise.
Reply

Blueberry26
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
I see how poor living conditions can drive someone to steal again. But sexual offenders? I'm not so sure about that.

On the other hand, I don't think anyone should have to live in "deplorable living conditions", no matter who they are or what they've done. By virtue of being human, they deserve the dignity of food, water, and a clean, dry place to stay.
Reply

Lymed promoted this comment Blueberry26 was starred Blueberry26 was unstarred

Lymed
10/02/09

@Blueberry26: Poor living conditions don't excuse somebody who acts again, but it can increase a person's likelihood because of the emotional stress. Or what if the only thing keeping somebody from acting is the fear of returning to jail? If that person is living in deplorable conditions, jail might not be that bad a thing.
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

Dodgergirl
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
God, the gays are just ruining the sanctity of divorce. DIVORCE SHOULD BE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN.
Reply

Dodgergirl was starred Dodgergirl was unstarred

Lymed
10/02/09

@Dodgergirl: Next thing you know, gay penguins will be flocking to Texas to get divorced.
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

Gavagirl
10/02/09

In reply to Court Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal • France To Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders?
And now Gov. Dick Perry has to say that he does not support the divorce of this unhappy gay couple. The combined irony and hilarity may cause me to explode. :-D
Reply

Sophie needs to study...damn promoted this comment Gavagirl was starred Gavagirl was unstarred

Little Time Bomb
09/29/09

In reply to Someone To Watch Over Me
Burma is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, it's also the most heartbreaking.
Reply

Little Time Bomb was starred Little Time Bomb was unstarred

♥ dosido☮
09/29/09

In reply to Someone To Watch Over Me
Been gone for a while - moving across country, getting married, stuff like that - but I really love the new direction for the Snap Judgments. Great editorial call, women!
Reply

kelsium promoted this comment ♥ dosido☮ was starred ♥ dosido☮ was unstarred

kelsium
09/29/09

@♥ dosido☮: Whoa! Hi, there.
Reply

kelsium was starred kelsium was unstarred

andBegorrah
09/29/09

In reply to Someone To Watch Over Me
I need a Kleenex to spit on ASAP.
Reply

andBegorrah was starred andBegorrah was unstarred

keldo
09/29/09

@andBegorrah: As kids we had to stick out our tongues for Kleenex wetting purposes.
Reply

keldo was starred keldo was unstarred

Little Time Bomb
09/29/09

@andBegorrah: The chalk like substance on her face is actually used as a sun block in Burma. You see tons of kids and adult women wearing it in varieties of beautiful patterns. It's made by grinding tree bark into powder and mixing in water until it becomes a paste.
Reply

Edited by Little Time Bomb at 09/29/09 12:14 PM Little Time Bomb was starred Little Time Bomb was unstarred

englishbreakfasttasteslikedarjeeling
08/24/09

In reply to Vacation At The "Human Zoo," See The "Long-Neck Women!"
this practice should be looked at with as similar of hate as genital mutilation.
Reply

CherriSpryte promoted this comment

CherriSpryte
08/25/09

@englishbreakfasttasteslikedarjeeling...: I know next to nothing about this practice, but I have to ask - really? Is the death rate as high? Are as many women affected? Are the side effects from this comparable to those of FGM? I'm honestly asking, and please prove me wrong, but I don't see how this compares to genital mutilation. I'm not saying this isn't a problem, and it is definitely a practice that should be stopped (especially if its done to please tourists), but your comparison seems a bit extreme.
Reply

CherriSpryte was starred CherriSpryte was unstarred

Lymed
08/24/09

In reply to Vacation At The "Human Zoo," See The "Long-Neck Women!"
"The only danger" is that they can't live without the rings? Yes, that is something I would describe as "only danger."
Reply

Lymed was starred Lymed was unstarred

schweppes
08/24/09

@Lymed: Though there is some evidence that the danger of removing the rings really isn't as grave as people make it out to be. Grey's article repeats the misconception that it's the neck that's being elongated - the WP article rightly describes it as affecting the collarbone - which isn't a real health hazard (lots of instances of women -slowly- removing their rings without any health issues). Not saying it's a great thing or anything like that, but the whole "neck muscles so weak it'll cause you do suffocate" just (as far as I've read) isn't that big of a risk.
Reply

Her Grace promoted this comment schweppes was starred schweppes was unstarred

Her Grace
08/25/09

@schweppes: As I have understood it, what happens is the rings slowly push the bones of the clavicle and shoulders down, creating a strong artificial slope. Because the rings are there to obscure where the clavicle ends and the neck begins, we visually perceive everything that is ringed as "neck". Their necks are as long as usual. If the rings come off with care, they are at no risk (and I believe I've heard of some women having rings removed to clean every year or so?).
Reply

Her Grace was starred Her Grace was unstarred

Her Grace
08/24/09

In reply to Vacation At The "Human Zoo," See The "Long-Neck Women!"
I knew that it was a disappearing practice before the Padaung fled Burma, and that not all girls and women wore rings, but the tidbit about which girls were given rings was interesting. I'll have to do some research of my own to learn more, if I can find anything, about why these girls (if this isn't another bit of urban legend) were chosen specifically.
Reply

Her Grace was starred Her Grace was unstarred

colormeroutine
08/24/09

@Her Grace: I was actually just trying to find something about that, and nothing is popping up...
Reply

colormeroutine was starred colormeroutine was unstarred

a_girl_called_toby
08/25/09

@Her Grace: I remember taking a body modification class for my religion minor and these women were discussed. from what i remember it was a tradition that the women elongated their necks so that they would not be "stolen" from their village and so that they could find a good man to marry within their village. now, this info may not be 100% correct, but there was never any mention of only certain girls being chosen for this practice. the teenage girls they interviewed for the video we watched said that they were doing it to find a good husband (and yes they did mention selling handicrafts to tourists). the teenage men mentioned that they would only marry a girl who lengthened their necks. those are the bits and pieces i remember of it
Reply

Her Grace promoted this comment a_girl_called_toby was starred

Earlier threads | All threads | Show hidden threads | Show featured threads only | Start a new discussion

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment