essays & reportage                                                      

80_cardin.jpgThe Day Pierre Cardin Came to Rangoon
(Asia Times)  One stern young reporter asked, "Do you not agree that the mode of dress reflects the moral habits of a people?" The French designer had to stop and think for a moment ... more >>
 

80_marlboro.jpgWelcome to Marlboro Country
(Asia Times)  It was high noon, and a hot, dusty wind was blowing down the streets of Mandalay. I shook the tumbleweeds out of my spurs and had a look around ... more >>


annanicolesmith_thumb_80.jpgBrutal Junta Kidnapped by Aliens!
(Asia Times)  Is Koo Stark carrying the Dalai Lama's baby? Ok -- it sounds a little far-fetched. But if Burma's military dictatorship says it's true ... more >>

 

80_grave.jpgNotes from Underground
(Asia Times)  He reached into the grave and pulled out a skull; it was reddish brown, and still had a few teeth in it. "Gaung kun",  he said. The head bone  ... more >>

 
aung_san.jpgIn the Strange Church of the Dictatorship
(Asia Times)  For anyone really interested in understanding Burma, the Defense Museum is a direct look into the conflicted heart of the the military junta that runs the country ... more >> 

 

80_movie.jpgLights! Camera! Neo-colonialists!
(Asia Times)  The musket exploded and  fake blood burst from the belly of the swordsman. "Run! We have been betrayed!" he gasped, as he pitched slowly into the dust ...more >>

 
thingyan1_thumb_80.jpgWater on the Brain
(Asia Times)  The annual water festival is a pressure valve for Burma's ultra-repressed society -- the one time of the year when people abandon their inhibitions. Sensible people leave town ... more >>


NLM_thumb_80.jpgReading Between the Lines
(Asia Times)  It's written with all the flair of a Russian tank manual, but the official newspaper of Burma's secretive military junta provides odd clues to what's really going on ... more >>