Stories about Citizen Media from April, 2006
Political discussions on blogs in Singapore
May 6th will be the polling day in Singapore's general elections this year. Tinkertailor comments on Tomorrow.sg and refers to a clarification by the authorities on the issue of political discussions on blogs and podcasts. There is no outright ban on discussions but the sites that consistantly promote a particular...
Haiku competition in the Philippines
Kurokuroatbp pens a haiku in Tagalog and provides details of a Pinoy Haiku competition organised by the Japanese Embassy in Philippines.
Volcano nears eruption
Indcoup is watching the news on the possible eruption of Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia. People living in the area are getting ready to evacuate.
Russia: Bakhmina's Sentence “Last Drop”
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog thinks the seven-year sentence for former Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina, mother of two, is “the last drop”: “It is now painfully clear that Putin's junta has no problem imprisoning obviously innocent, essentially common people (as opposed to oligarchs) — even women, even mothers —...
A Myanmar born American soldier in Iraq
Blogger Sean at Man Actually has a story on a Myanmar born American soldier Ko Wai Phyo Lwin. Lwin died in action in Iraq last year.
China's growth model a challenge to US influence
Many developing countries are now looking at China's model of state guided growth favourably compared to the US one of minimum intervention. Indonesian blogger Martin Manurang asks if the success of Chinese economic policies will help reduce American influence in the world.
Unbuilding bridges
There's no bridge, and a lot of troubled water in Malaysia. It's all about the cancellation of Malaysia's plan to build a bridge to Singapore. Jeff Ooi has been following the fallout and also wondering whether the Malaysian press was gagged over the story.
Jedi elections. In Singapore?
mrbrown emphasises that his most recent podcast does not contain “explicit political content” because that is prohibited during the election period under the Singapore's Election Advertising Regulations. Instead it is about “a galaxy far far away” which happens to contain a complex civilisation holding elections.
Don't pay for that orange juice!
Le Bao Tuan at Sticky Rice tells us about his English class, and going for a drink, Vietnamese style.
Thailand's Senate criticised
Does Thailand need a Senate? a particularly well-timed question, given that it's being chosen right now, aired on the Senate Elections post at Bangkok Pundit. One of the country's political scientists thinks the Senate is a farce.
Manila – blogging conference capital
In the Philippines many bloggers are, understandably, excited by not one but two conferences on blogging and the internet taking place in the capital Manila. In one part of town there is the second Philippine Blogging Summit iBlog2. Blogger disini judges it a success: We had more speakers (5 times...
Singapore politician blog
As election fever heightens in Singapore – speculation is becoming intense that an election date will be announced very soon – opposition political activist and blogger Goh Meng Seng gives a rousing post Time For Battle as he announces blog silence for three weeks.
There's a new video blog site in Thailand
There's a new video blog site in Thailand. In fact it's apparently not just new, it's the first! Called, descriptively, Thailand Video Blogs it is part of the Thai-Blogs.Com group. I found the tattoo festival footage particularly interesting.
Venezuela: Opposition to Hold Primaries
Both Oil Wars and Jorge Arena celebrate the decision by opposition group SUMATE to hold primaries to select a candidate to run against Chavez in the upcoming presidential elections. El Espacio de Lubrio, however, has concerns (ES) about an announcement that all votes will be burned immediately after they are...
Caribbean: Towards a West Indian canon
At the Caribbean Beat Blog, Nicholas Laughlin solicits suggestions for inclusions in a West Indian literary canon.
Sweet and Sour
#1: The weirdest and tastiest grilled rabbit for Easter If your quota of cute chocolate eggs and bunnies has been reached for this lifetime already, you will love this idea: Easter 2006 – MeatHenge Style. It is never too soon to start planning for next year, right? I first fired...
The shaman of Myanmar
Ian, a tourist in Yangoon, meets the famous shaman U Shein of Myanmar. U Shein is known for his magic goldash powder. The shaman's followers allege that this powder can cure cancers and other serious ailments.
Cambodian assistance in demining Sudan
Heng at Blog Cambodia has a report on Cambodian soldiers helping out in the demining in Sudan. This is the first time Cambodian soldiers are participationg in an U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Malaysia-Singapore half bridge
Rajan Rishiyakarn questions the various official statements issued by Malaysian officials on the scrapping of Malaysia-Singapore half-bridge project. The project was questionable from the start as Malaysia has started work on its half of the bridge and supporting immigration facilities while Singapore had not even commited to the project.
Filipino influences in Mexico
Spanish trade routes helped the exchange of ideas and influences between the colonies in America and Asia. Milkphish visits Mexico and finds things that originated in the Philippines.
Cambodian film festival
The theme for this year's Cambodian Film Festival is “Independent Visions”. The organisers are seeking Cambodian and non-Cambodian entries. Diacritic.org has the details.
