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March 25th 2008
Name Reason for supporting openDemocracy Link Love Peggy Mason I believe that Open Democracy is a superb site. The first thing I do every Thursday morning is to read Paul Rogers' latest analysis on the GWOT. I cannot remember how many people I sent the Anthony Barnett analysis of Barack Obama and I regularly suggest the site to those unfamiliar with it. My only complaint is that there are not enough hours in the day to read all the excellent material offered there. http://www.pom.peacebuild.ca/ anon Made a modest donation in appreciation of the excellent provision of the flow of a very wide range of topical references. Almost all are of interest to me, and most are comments I would otherwise miss. The openDemocracy messages are definitely the most interesting ones in my daily mail: many thanks for all the work that must go into gathering them. http://www.wdm.org.uk Gill Branston 'My, my. Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains.' Bogart line in The Big Sleep (1944) http://www.transitiontowns.org Hanne Petersen A much needed source of information for world society Peter Rainey I use and enjoy openDemocracy as a necessary and attractive antidote to the triviality, blandness and banality of so much of mainstream media. Des McConaghy I have 12 grandchildren http://chinadialogue.net John Melvin To misquote Marx - openDemoracy might not change the world but it certainly helps us to understand it. It might , you never know, even help to change it. It brings us news and views that one could get nowhere else. http://www.johnmelvinarchitects.co.uk
Pam O I have appreciated the thoughtful coverage openDemocracy has given to the crisis in Kenya. http://www.enoughproject.org/ James Watson I've keyed in to openDeomcracy from its initiation and even seem to remember having been present at a London conference when the idea was mooted, by James Curran and others.
As co-author with Anne Hill of The Dictionary of Media and Communication (Hodder Arnold), now in its 7th edition and author of Media Communication: An Introduction to Theory and Process (Palgrave), the 3rd edition of which is due out in 2008, I have found openDemocracy postings invaluable as a source of information and of lively quotes (acknowledged, naturally), in particular on world media, perspectives and practices. http://www.Watsonworks.co.uk Marta Herca I support openDemocracy for its high quality content, and because I want us to emerge out of the fragile states we live in into a mature democracy http://www.politika.lv/ Andrew Schoenfed openDemocracy is essential reading for anyone interested in politics because it is one of the few really independent sources on politics. www.gapminder.org Peter Gillespie I thoroughly support your editorial program as expressed through a steady stream of pertinent and well crafted, insightful articles on current events ... Like so many in my generation (b.1952), I am interested in the impact of “globalization” on society: The delocalization of decision centers away from central governments, the growing presence of urban centers among actors in the “third space”, the role of the city in the production of national wealth and as conduits for national foreign policy. Frank Bonner Where else on the Web will you find high quality journalism, exposing wrongs and offering solutions? Open Democracy of course! Syd Rose For me OpenDemocracy is a truly independent think tank. anon author I try to contribute every now and then because opendem is probably the most comprehensive digital media outlet
that i know of that offers such thinking
vitality....thanks. Steven Burkeman Ian Baker Open democracy avails readily insights beyond the international media. www.britainnepalmedicaltrust.org.uk Angela Barnes I find Open Democracy to be just that, with a range of fine contributors. There is a depth of thought and experience shared about serious matters, and much which challenges preconceived notions. I find it comforting that the site is totally free of interference, and that is the reason for my support. Miriam Struyck essential for those who are curious Judy Gordon Last year, I attended the World Social Forum in Nairobi and visited some of our grantees there and in Kisumu. Together with a group from our church, we have been trying to decide whether to return to consolidate a relationship with a local church.
I have been reading the Daily Nation to get informed, and earlier this week they carried a link to your site, via the essay by Gerard Prunier - "Kenya:roots of crisis." I found reading it to be extremely helpful as the information was presented in a learned, dispassionate and thoughtful manner, giving credence to the resultant violence.
The historical and ethno-political perspective gained from reading Prunier's essay on your site has provided a strong base for better understanding. This weekend I'll be sending a link to it to a number of my friends with whom I've shared some of my travel memoirs. http://www.globalfundforwomen.org
(Judy's thoughtful message is linked here in full) anon New Zealanders are distant from world events. We have to rely on comment and news from those who are closer and openDemocracy must exist as part of that process. Brian Thomson Open Democracy is a first-rate source of intelligent, informative, well-written analysis of world cultures and contemporary problems. http://earthen-vessels.org is the web site I developed and maintain for a non-profit organization I founded back in 1980 to work with inner-city youth.
Frank N Schubert I really value the fresh and insightful views of critical events and trends that I get from openDemocracy http://www.captainbuffalo.com/ R J Manecksha Information ClearingHouse William A Edmundson openDemocracy puts events in a wider perspective sadly lacking in the mainstream media. Lucy Taylor I find the Open Democracy website to be an excellent source of provocative and innovative thinking about democracy and it is one of the few general news sites which takes Latin America seriously. This makes it an excellent resource for both research and teaching Society for Latin American Studies Roger Parsons Truls Nord We have to support and encurage the few voices that speak for us all, not just for the chosen few. http://www.truls.se anon http://ec.europa.eu/world/index_en.htm Chris Goodall Newspaper and TV journalists are increasingly unable to provide the
analysis and insight that the modern world needs. When I read an article in
openDemocracy I know that it is written by an expert with a passionate and
informed interest in the subject. Properly functioning democracy needs
independent and engaged journalism. Almost uniquely, openDemocracy delivers
this. http://www.carboncommentary.com Victor Guzun Just as US is the locomotive of world economy, so it should be for the world democracy. I support openDemocracy because by promoting social equity and justice it helps keep this locomotive on track and thus extends a democratic option to the world Ian Cooper open D worth reading because it's written by people who seem to care about what they write http://www.marshillaudio.org/ Harry Hummel support OpenDemocracy to explore and expose the frontline of thinking about your world http://www.knowyourrights2008.org/ Revaz Bakhtadze It is my pleasure to contribute to your excellent web-site. You have a dedicated group of readers in Georgia whose members work both at the government and NGOs. And the opinions expressed in oD often becomes subject of debates. OpenDemocracy provides insights on vital political issues, often covered superficially by other outlets and it does so with the elegant style. Dolores Brien I consider openDemocracy a must read for anyone interested in well-informed, well-thought out commentary on significant events and issues throughout the world. Tom Englehardt's TomDispatch.com James Arbuckle As a peacekeeper of many years and missions, I believe that the institutions of a democratic society are the best peacekeepers. Of these, an open and incorruptible media environment is one of the most important bulwarks of democracy. ‘Open Democracy’ is aptly named, and has my unqualified admiration and support. Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Training Centre Shaun Chau Just a little positive feedback about OpenD. I love it - it's great. I in particular like how you email me with stories because I often don't have time to check OpenD but the emails often pique my curiosity. I find this works particularly well when the stories relate to big news stories ie. Kenya and Pakistan recently.
Otherwise, hope you have a good new years - and I look forward to reading Open Democracy this year. Keep up the good work! Cabinet Office Ellen Dahrendorf Open Democracy is a pleasure! it consistently publishes high quality pieces by well known as well as new authors, who often provide extra insight into current issues over and above what is available in the mainstream press. Jean-Pierre Lehmann Never has the world been so close to seeing democracy prevail, yet also in the knowledge that the dream could evaporate. OpenDemocracy is a fundamental forum in seeking to make the dream a reality www.eviangroup.org Maurice Naftalin I get new insights there, and though I often don't agree with oD authors I always find them stimulating. Christoph Bopp As a newspaper editor and a journalist I am very thankfull for opendemocracy. To have some points of view - independent but very experienced and well informed - outside the media mainstream helps you to get a broader view. anon I continue to read OD because I find its articles are invariably intelligent and insightful, written by people with a wide knowledge of their subjects, and who frequently provide fresh perspectives on the issues they are discussing. Antonio Hermosa Andujar Contribuir a la financiación de openDemocracy es ayudar a mantener viva la llama de la libertad. www.institucional.us.es/araucaria Joseph Panzica Defending and supporting democracy is a complex global challenge. OpenDemocracy.net is important as a force and a resource. I wish more people knew about this site and took advantage of the opportunity to help it develop. http://www.literacyproject.org/ Robert Houston It is a consistently interesting site with serious but not overwhelming articles, just the right length to read now and not have to put in my to be read pile Alan Young John McCreery I am a U.S. citizen who has lived in Japan for 27 years. My overseas experience has made me acutely aware that promoting democracy is not something that only the U.S.A. can do. Nor can it be done by force. Supporting openDemocracy is my way of saying, yes, there is another way. Jonathan Zeitlin For multiple, critical, intelligent perspectives on global politics, openDemocracy is the go-to place on the web. A key node in the emergent transnational public sphere, openDemocracy deserves the support of everyone concerned with the search for just and effective solutions to global problems. Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), wisc.edu David Nolan I've always liked to believe that words can make a difference. In the internet age there are now more words being published than ever before, but whose words can be trusted and who is worth listening to? OpenDemocracy can and is. Martyn Bond, (Director, Information Europe) Open democracy is well worth supporting. Where else will you be able to read comment that gets beyond political correctness and reports that go beyond what the papers will print? Public Administration International Dr E Bayer I like opendemocracy because it slaughters holy cows showing UNEXPECTED features behind world news - things I often felt but could not prove, like, for example, that microcredits (small business, and women in general ;-)) are not always good. I also like your bridges between natural + social science and arts Robert Cox I get informed and reflective slants, in depth and forward-looking,
that standard media provide more rarely. Douglas Jones I support O D because it and similar sites provide information which is no longer provided by the media now devoted to the commercial.
We now even more than before live in the world of spin jusatified by the market place economics in which attaining a profit (or desired outcome) indicates moral behaviour.
We that is the public have just been deceived even more crudely than ever before concerning foreign policy, Iraq Afghanistan in America, Britain Australia and elsewhere.
Would a majority have opposed Iraq venture if truly informed.
Secondly would the climate lobby which has delayed action to reduce climate change have had any effect if the electroate were in fact truly informed? Aljazeera.net Tomás Van de Walle OpenDemocracy is a breathing space for a cosmopolitan idea of democracy www.realinstitutoelcano.org, and www.cubaencuentro.com Ariel Dorfman Crucial reading for a turbulent time because almost every article questions some established position of one or another influential group. And hey, they’ve even published my poems. my own website Lee Chang Tye I've been receiving openDemocracy for awhile now and honestly speaking, I'm someone who is pretty uncharitable with my money especially when I can get something for free, like "openDemocracy". However, in my very busy life when I want to catch up on reliable, well-written, principle-driven, and most of all relatively independent journalism about very important world events that in the end effect us all - there it is in my email account. There are so few other sources of journalism I believe are relaible as openDemocracy and although I'll continue to be a bit of a miser with my hard-earned money, I urge other readers just make a small (even one-off) donation like myself, you'll feel better and we'll keep a rare & good thing going. Sir Hugh Beach I am supporting Open democracy because I find it a source of invaluable commentary on these very complicated and troubling times. Council for Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament (CCADD) Alun Evans
I support Open Democracy because it publishes well-researched and challenging articles on a wide range of significant international issues.
Conflicts Forum, an organisation established to promote dialogue and understanding between the West and the Islamic World. Monica Emerich for the past 5 years that I’ve been reading the site, I’ve been able to count on three things: a diversity of respected writers, well-written articles that are succinct and timely, and a breadth of coverage that brings me insights into a range of pressing issues. Now...where else could I have such easy and dependable access to this sort of international perspective?
“Media, Spiritualities and Social Change” Conference, June 4-7, University of Colorado Robin Sutcliffe, AADipl, FIM, FRSA The reason I support Open Democracy is that the media generally is so heavily biased to different commercial set ups or constraints that true independence is a rare commodity and in such a volatile world desperately important. That is where I believe Open Democracy plays an incredibly valuable role.
www.sutcliffeplay.co.uk,
and
Play Safety Forum Managing Risk in Play Provision: A Position Statement Sam Carpenter openDemocracy provides an important resource for progressive and concise analysis on global politics from a stunning array of authors from former policy-advisers to renowned academics, commentators, and activists. Peter Straub Democracy is far more than just an issue in national public law and politics. The existing National Democracies make just a set of sketches for models of political - and economical - organisation of future human communities on different levels, granting human and individual rights and minimizing hidden establishment and abuse of power and influence. We are far from understanding the full range of requirements of true democracy. We are all beginners to whom much is left to learn and there is no one qualified to teach others about 'Democracy'. There are many different possible ways to build coexistence of different societies in mutual peaceful respect. The Western Model may be the first and most raditional but isn't necessarily the best draft of future Democracy.
