Stories from 24 May 2007
Rising Voices, Helping the Global Population Take Part in the Global Conversation
Thanks to the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Global Voices is now starting a new outreach project, Rising Voices, which aims to spread the benefits of citizen media to regions, languages, and communities that are currently underrepresented on the conversational web. Rising Voices will serve as the third arm to Global Voices' triad of amplifying independent voices worldwide, advocating for their right to free speech, and providing universal access to citizen media tools as is described in our founding manifesto.
Japan: B-guy
Mari blogs about the changing preference of Japanese women's choice towards their boyfriends from IKEMEN (nice looking guy) to B-otoko (B class guy).
Malaysia: New Blog Directory
Rocky's Bru points to a new project by the leading English newspaper in Malaysia to build a blog directory. The backers of the project herald it as a victory for freedom of speech. Rocky also links to another blogger who is not fully convinced with this idea.
Japan: Japan Brand
Adamu from Mutantfrog blogs about a new logo “Japan Brand” for promoting exports, boost tourism, and take control of how Japan as a nation is perceived abroad.
Kazakhstan: Rakhat's Fall
Leila Tanayeva reports on a criminal case being brought against Rakhat Aliev, the son-in-law of Kazakhstan's president.
Mexico: Encouraging Physical Education
Lilu Guzmán of Vivir Mexico [ES] writes about the
Argentina: New Citizen's Media Project, Grito Argentino
Pablo Mancini looks forward to the launch of the new site [ES] Grito Argentino on May 25. LamarK! also reveals more details about this new site, described as [ES], “the first citizen's participatory project of its kinds in our country, which originates completely from the web. The idea is sponsored...
Afghanistan: Travel Restrictions
Peter Marton puts together a collection of random travel restrictions for those who may find themselves in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan: Libel Case Against Activists
neweurasia reports on a libel case against Kyrgyz human rights activists brought as a result of an article accusing an official of abusing defendants.
D.R. of Congo: Should Christian Revivalist Churches Be Encouraging Political Activism?
Continuing an age-old debate--is religion the "opium of the people" or can it be a catalyst for social change?--Congolese blogger Blaise Mantoto at UDPS Liege says the Congo’s Christian revivalist churches, which he cynically refers to as "for-profit spiritual shops," encourage political disengagement. He argues these churches should inspire their followers to improve their social conditions through political activism, but not everyone agrees that religion and politics ought to be mixed.
Venezuela: Glover's Film to be Financed by Government
Tomas Sancio reacts to the news that the Venezuela government will help finance a movie project by Danny Glover about the Haitian revolution led by Touissant L'Overture. He writes in his blog, Venezuelan Politics, “You have to be really irresponsible to approve such an expense when the same newspaper reports...
