VIETNAM: Bloggers Equal Terrorists … Again?
With the drop of a dime (or with a simple substitution) bloggers can become terrorists! Wait, really? They’ve done it again- the rights of anti-corruption Vietnamese netizens have been violated. Earlier this month, 14 democracy activists and bloggers were arrested and given long jail sentences because they were trying to…
Full Article VIETNAM: Bloggers Equal Terrorists … Again?LMU LOS ANGELES: Prof. David Kang Explains East Asia
East Asia, for so long a seeming model of geopolitical stability, has become dangerously tense. Territorial disputes involving Korea, China and Japan over the Dokdo/Takeshima and Senkaku/Diaoyu islands comprise just the top layer of the troubles. To explain what is driving the current tension, LMU’s Center for Asian Business has…
Full Article LMU LOS ANGELES: Prof. David Kang Explains East AsiaSINGAPORE: Social Media Mourns As Well
It is no exaggeration to say that all of Singapore is mourning the death of two brothers who collided into a cement-mixing truck. The city-state’s media is all over the story, and its social media is humming overtime. Recently, Nigel Yap, 13, offered to pick up his younger brother Donavan,…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Social Media Mourns As WellMALAYSIA: ‘Dakar Rally’ of the Gaza Strip
The Palestinian people welcomed Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Razak last week on a “Dakar Rally” type visit to the Gaza Strip. Najin Razak got a real feel for life on the Gaza Strip with a tour that consisted of zipping through the narrow streets in a 30-car…
Full Article MALAYSIA: ‘Dakar Rally’ of the Gaza StripTOKYO AND NEW YORK: The ‘Gaijin’ Guide Par Excellence
The Oriental Economist is a periodic newsletter that adds a whole next dimension of quality to the very idea of the ordinarily mundane if not dreary “newsletter”. The brainchild (and dear baby) of New York intellectual Richard Katz, TOE, as it is warmly called, has for years been totally invaluable…
Full Article TOKYO AND NEW YORK: The ‘Gaijin’ Guide Par ExcellenceCOMING SOON!
This Thursday 6pm, LMU’s Von der Ahe Suite, William Hannon Library 322……a public lecture and discussion (with free food). The main attraction: Dean and former Singapore Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani, on his new book “The Great Convergence.” Be there!
Full Article COMING SOON!LOS ANGELES: Influential Mahbubani Converges on LMU!
Here is an event you do not want to miss: the influential Kishore Mahbubani will be offering his views on the future political order of global politics this Thursday 28 Feb. The event is absolutely and astonishingly cost-free, but you should email your notice to attend to <asiamedia.lmu@gmail.com>. The venue…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: Influential Mahbubani Converges on LMU!LOS ANGELES: Shanghai Calling! But Hurry Up …
Imagine a steady stream of immigrants, traveling across a vast ocean to a foreign country, searching for new jobs and better lives. But the immigrants are Americans, and the country they are moving to… is China! SHANGHAI CALLING is a romantic comedy about modern-day American immigrants in an unfamiliar land.…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: Shanghai Calling! But Hurry Up …KISHORE MAHBUBANI: A VISION OF REALISTIC OPTIMISM
JAPAN: New Year, New Government, Same Issues
Both the passage of time and the ushering in of new leaders have proven to be fruitless in the alleviation of the tension felt in East Asia. It may be well into the new year, but the ties between Japan and China continue to exhibit signs of deterioration thanks to…
Full Article JAPAN: New Year, New Government, Same IssuesSINGAPORE: Let’s Make Babies
Singapore’s biological clock is ticking, and she will do whatever it takes to have more babies. The young nation is encouraging couples to marry and have babies to increase the Singaporean population. The government has increased its Marriage and Parenthood budget from $1.6 billion to $2 billion. Some benefits include…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Let’s Make BabiesINDONESIA: Indonesians Take A Stand
Selina Swatek writes – In a storyline that is all too reminiscent of last year’s US elections, a candidate for the Indonesian Supreme Court, Daming Sanusi, has fueled media outrage after making an offensive comment regarding rape. During a parliamentary commission hearing to determine if he was a fit for…
Full Article INDONESIA: Indonesians Take A StandMYANMAR: A New Era
Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has seen its media arena evolve in the past six months. After decades of political unrest, the country is seeing some promising reforms. Contrary to the present law, the government has announced that on April 1, privately owned newspapers will formally be allowed to issue…
Full Article MYANMAR: A New EraKUWAIT: Imprisoned for Tweeting
Freedom of speech continues to be challenged in the Middle East, as two Kuwaiti males, Ayyad al-Harbi and Rashed al-Enezi, were recently arrested for insulting the Amir of the country, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, on Twitter. Harbi, who has created a name for himself in Kuwait, was given his sentence…
Full Article KUWAIT: Imprisoned for TweetingMYANMAR: Retractable Reform
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This is abundantly evident in the case of Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the media rights group, who has called for reform in Myanmar’s media. The Bangkok Post recently reported that this group has urged Myanmar to fulfill their…
Full Article MYANMAR: Retractable ReformChina Blog Blotter: Too Soon for Equal Rights?
“Gays Dare to Love” was the slogan for the Equal Rights for Gays Parade that took place in Hong Kong recently. Much like America’s own Pride Parades, Equal Rights for Gays Parade is public, loud, and flamboyant. Although parades like these have happened in the past in Hong Kong, this…
Full Article China Blog Blotter: Too Soon for Equal Rights?