The international press freedom organization Reporters without Borders has announced the winners of its first-ever "Freedom Blog Awards ," for weblogs that promote and defend freedom of expression around the world. This year's winners included Mojtaba Saminejad, the Iranian who was given a two year prison-sentence in June 2005 for "insulting the Supreme Guide." He could also face the death penalty in a separate trial in which he is accused of "insulting the prophets." Also among the winners is Jeff Ooi, the blogger behind the Malaysian political blog Screenshot. In 2004, Ooi was threatened with imprisonment for "insulting Islam." In the United States, the Press Think blog, which dissects the American and foreign media in the age of technology was prasied. And in Germany, the Netzpolitik web site took the prize for its focus on legal aspects of the Internet and protecting freedom of speech online.

Internet Karaoke

We, here at Spiegel Online, are self-confessed, compulsive Karaoke junkies. We've been to the highest-tech Karaoke bars of Tokyo and we've been to trailer park Karaoke parties in the heartland. But our favorite Karaoke pastime is to invite a few friends over, power up the laptop, crank up the loud speaker, and let the booze and Internet Midi music files flow freely. We've collected a few of our delightfully dreadful favorites so that our readers can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

Fancy yourself the next Ol' Blue Eyes  or ex-Take That singer?

Do Dolly and Kenny make you melt ?

Is Diana Ross the first voice that comes to mind when you want to get horizontal  with someone?

Does Barry Manilow make you randy  over Mandy?

Let all that permed hair down and rock .

Our favorite search engine for tracking Midi files is Britain's MIDIsite . But if you're feeling lazy, you can always tune into VH1's 24-hour streaming Karaoke Radio .