Shtun

stopstreetharassment: During the 16 Days of Activism Against...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:31:11 -0500

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (Nov. 25 – Dec. 10), Stop Street Harassment is featuring activists who took action against street harassment this year, one new country per day.

Day 3: Myanmar

In February, a new anti-harassment campaign launched in Myanmar called “whistle for help.” As part of the campaign 150 volunteers distributed whistles and pamphlets to women at eight busy bus stops in Yangon each Tuesday morning that month and they’ve continued to do so for nine months. The pamphlets tell women to blow the whistle when they experience sexual harassment on the bus and advises them to help other women when they blow the whistle.

The whistle campaign is so popular, riders regularly ask for extra whistles to pass out to their friends and family and some have requested the organizers expand their campaign to other regions.

The bus drivers have been supportive too: “U Tun Aung, a driver one the No 51 line, said sexual harassment had been tolerated on buses for too long and he praised the “whistle for help” organisers for devising an effective, non-violent campaign to stop it.”

Oh good. Mom’s stories of buses were horrifying. It has taken them decades to realize that sexual harassment on buses are not okay, funny or something to gripe about with your friends like you would complain about your period. When my mom told me her stories, I asked why they don’t report it or kick the offending men in the balls, at least. Her answer was a shrug and some vague response I barely remember, but it sounded like as if doing something about it had never crossed her mind or the minds of the people around her. It’s disturbing. Especially since my mother is a strong, smart and independent woman who pulled her family out of the “lower/middle lower class” to “middle upper class” or whatever (there are only three classes in Burma: the poor, the super rich, and those supported by relatives abroad). She headed a family of eight + extended relatives from both side of the family (and my dad’s side can be pretty patriarchal at times too). And that was her reaction.

In addition to a lot of economic and political changes, Burma needs to start thinking about social changes and rethink its traditional attitude towards women, religion and people not from the major tribes. I still hold that the issues are not as extreme or problematic as they are in some of the neighboring countries, but recently I have discovered frightening underlying prejudices that might be hard to uproot because they are so subtle. Gargh. Thank the universe for Aung San Suu Kyi, right?

Now I hop off my soapbox.

Firefly is getting a shiny new TV special, filming at Comic-Con!

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:33:04 -0400

This makes me happy.

I’d like to say Joss should also tackle Buffy, but I really don’t want it. I haven’t been too fond of the comics so far so no, don’t, if he thinks that is the best way to continue Buffy (and Angel).

fuckyeahjosswhedon:

How awesome is that? It will air on November 11th on The Science Channel!

Finished ‘Chosen’, last episode ever of Buffy the...

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:47:00 -0400

Finished ‘Chosen’, last episode ever of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hands down one of the best series ever aired on television. And I just finished Angel, and OH MY BLEEDING HEART. It was a baaaad idea trying to end them together.

JOSS WHEDON IS A DEMON. His sole purpose is to tear out the hearts of the unsuspecting audience and stamp on them and flambe’em before shattering them into a million bloody and fleshy and disgusting pieces. Yet the fans keep coming. Cause we’re all masochists inside. He knows. He knows. We willingly sacrifice our hearts (read: control of our endocrine system) for him to use as he wishes. And make money off of it. As well as fame and a legion of fans. And more money.

Which is why I’m going to rewatch it from Season 1 all over again. And this time, really really watch it, and I’m gonna need/use this tumblr internet space to vent, gush and indulge my obsession with Buffyverse cause I need a break from the real world sadness and serious things so I can go and lose myself in a fictional sadness and serious things. I need to talk about it and no one I know watches Buffy so I have to vent/gush/indulge to the internet on tumblr. I usually use blogger for my sporadic blogging. And I talk mainly about books on the blogger. When I remember that I have one, which is never.

Can’t say if this is the best use of my time or internet space, and if it’ll just annoy me in the long run to have my inane thoughts about a tv series for the world to read. I know there are issues that are more important in the world that I could invest my time in (and I do, just haven’t decided to feverishly blog about it) but…I’m human, with very human and pathetic flaws. And since Buffy is a metaphor for real life issues, I can…uh…relate it to…yeah whatever. I need a break from trying to be mature and serious. I need to be silly and petty sometimes.

There’s going to be a lot of spoilers being posted. But it doesn’t matter cause it won’t ruin the magic of Buffy.

Look at that you SOB by ~nuke-vizard

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:35:39 -0400

Look at that you SOB by ~nuke-vizard

The Girl Effect Sometimes it sounds so easy, and what we have to...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:47:00 -0400

The Girl Effect

Sometimes it sounds so easy, and what we have to do seem so clear! If it were only so in real life!

<3 Saw

Here goes...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:31:15 -0400

So, what are better subjects for a first serious post ever than Paul Farmer and humanitarian aid? Nothing, at this moment, nothing nothing nothing. To say that I am inspired by this man and his work would be an understatement. I can create a mile long list of things and people who inspire me, but only a few of them have inspired me to move, to take action and to give me the strength to overcome everything from frantic self doubt, existentialist musings, general confusion about life to a bad headache. Paul Farmer and what he represents is on that shorter list of inspiration, mostly because he is more than pretty words and pretty ideals: he is the real deal, and, if I may say so, a real hero, an old fashioned champion of the poor and downtrodden. The fact that I am actually putting words on this blog is a testament to the power of the strength he recently inspired.

Of course I am being indulgent and ridiculous idealizing him to that level, I fully recognize this. But I don’t exaggerate when I say I am utterly moved by his genuine selflessness. In fact, I am moved to guilt and shame to find myself so far away from my own ideal of a good person, and to find that the ideal itself had become corrupted by over-information, over thinking and an alarming trend towards apathy. Paul Farmer, when I saw him speak at USC on 10/18/2011, stood there and became an example of the ideal I once denounced as naïve. When I realized this, I felt like I finally woke up from a coma I’ve been knocked into beginning of my sophomore year, courtesy of my childish, ill-mannered self indulgent doubts. I feel fresh again.

Now enough of self pity and into this new light, yeah? Paul Farmer! Who is he? If you, my imaginary audience, don’t know, then consider yourself lucky to be reading this right now. He is a physician, Ivy-league certified, and anything but arrogant. He’s worked in Haiti for numerous decades, helping build health infrastructure in rural Haiti and administering free health care to the poverty-stricken people. But why is he so amazing? There are people around the world who have done and are doing something similar, right? Well, they’re amazing too. I said Paul Farmer is amazing, not completely unique. For example, Dr. Cynthia Maung created a free clinic on the Thai-Burma border, headed the Backpack Health Worker team, and which are the major, if not only, sources of medical care for migrant workers, IDPs and the poor Burmese in that area. I will write a post lavishing my praises and affections on that amazing woman later. I also must mention all the people who have helped Paul Farmer along the way, and those are still helping him, deserve the same praise! Unfortunately I do not know them by name, but I give my gratitude and thanks through him.

Anyways, back on topic: Paul Farmer is amazing. Not being unique does not make him any less amazing. In fact, that train of thought is completely erroneous. In this kind of work, being unique is nothing. It is sincerity that is the most important trait. From what I’ve read about Paul Farmer, from what I’ve heard from his mouth and read from his writing, his sincerity isn’t only genuine, it is deep and that depth has made him so very kind, giving and selfless. (Agh, I feel like I’m repeating the same words over and over. I need a thesaurus and expand my vocabulary). I’ve always been sincere about my desire to help other people, but it had never been deep enough. Because of that it was subjected to doubt and intellectualizing, until it became unrecognizable, bitter, and then was buried under the pressures of being a college student (which is nothing compared to real life pressures, really).

Currently, I am working through <span style=”font-style:italic;”>Mountains Beyond Mountains</span>, by Pulitzer-winning author Tracy Kidder. It’s made me cry and think, a lot. About things that count. Not intellectual, philosophical musings, but about real things. Once I am done with the book, I will “review” it, though my opinion of it is probably already made clear, along with a longer analysis on the achievement and impact of Paul Farmer. You know, real information instead of my poorly written praises. Haha.

This is a celebratory first post of my new-found energy!

Cheers and with love,

Saw