Global Voices Online

Information Policy links to a BusinessWeek/TOL article on social networks and the media in Central and Eastern Europe.

Itching for Eestimaa writes about October, “the month when people are busy trying to think of creative ways to get rid of the avalanche of apples in their backyards.”

Itching for Eestimaa is musing on Haapsalu and other Estonian towns, history, politics and life in general.

Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] the recent letter by Central and East European leaders, warning the US of the consequences of a withdrawal from the region.

Itching for Eestimaa discusses whether Estonia's membership of NATO really is the security umbrella the country imagined when it sought entry into the organization.

Lituanica comments on news that a Russian NGO is starting to issue so called Russian charters - a certificate of allegiance to Moscow - to ethnic Russians outside of the country and sees it as a potential threat that state citizens of other countries may declare loyalty to Moscow.

Gedanken über Estland presents [GER] a number of statistical figures comparing Estonia in 1989 and 2009, against the background of financial crisis, showing a decline in almost every sector of society.

Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon monuments and buildings manifesting history against the background of a new 1919 Independence War monument.

Cyrus Farivar writes that two Estonian papers are likely to put their online content “behind a paywall” soon: “But here’s where this plan might actually work where other online paywalls have failed: it’s happening simultaneously in a small, semi-exclusive, market. […] The entire Estonian-speaking population worldwide is roughly one quarter the size of the Bay Area. We’ll find out soon enough if a product with a limited audience can succeed with this strategy.”