Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2010
Russia: Internet 2010 Overview
2010 highlighted several important trends of Russian Internet. Online audience grows very fast with people getting more news online and actively using social networks. In a lot of ways, 2010 brought a recognition of the power of the Internet into Russian society.
Ukraine: Former Interior Minister's Case
Foreign Notes and Ukrainiana write about the case against the former Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko.
Belarus: More Commentary on Dec. 19
Commentary on the implications of the post-election events in Belarus – at OpenDemocracy.net, here and here.
Hungary: “Viktor #Censorbán”
Kosmopolito writes about Hungary's new media law and suggests ways to draw attention to the situation; “transforming” PM Viktor Orbán into Viktor #Censorbán is just one of the strategies – and there's already a Censorban account on Twitter, as well as a hashtag. More relevant info and reactions – at...
Hungary: Relations With China
Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's economic and financial relations with China.
Russia: Politics and Justice
At OpenDemocracy.net, Dmitry Travin writes about politics and justice in Russia.
Russia: Media Coverage of Khodorkovsky Verdict
Overview of media reactions to the verdict and sentence in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev – by Robert Amsterdam, Global Chaos, and Sublime Oblivion.
Ukrainian Blogosphere 2010: Still Enough Room for Everyone
Tetyana Bohdanova translates reports on the state of the Ukrainian blogosphere and the situation with other social media tools in Ukraine.
Russia: Informal Medvedev Election Trailer Realeased Online
An anonymous user created a short à la Guitar Hero video trailer jokingly presenting Dmitry Medvedev as “President Hero 2012.” The video draws attention to the upcoming 2012 presidential elections in Russia.
Russia: Regional Minister Hired Through Internet
A new minister for information technologies of Russia's Ulyanovsk region has been found through Internet [RUS]. Elena Balashova, 35, was one of 2,563 people who submitted their online applications for the position. The candidates used Livejournal to share their professional plan and were interviewed via Skype.
Russia: Author of Wildfires Internet Meme is Prosecuted by Police
A blogget top-lap, an author of a famous blog post [ENG] demanding “rynda” from Vladimir Putin and criticizing the state's response to Russian wildfires closed his blog [ENG] and disappeared. In the last posts, he wrote [RUS] that Russian police conducted a search at his home, took his computer and...
Russia: How Vladivostok Christmas Tree Craziness Made Me Laugh
People in Vladivostok never lose their sense of humor. Otherwise one would be in the perpetual state of depression. They laugh about everything from nerve-racking traffic jams and alarming snow situations to Christmas tree arrangements and new taxes on the imported Japanese cars.
Serbia, Albania, Kosovo: More Info on “Yellow House”
Sasa Milosevic has collected some of the available information about the “Yellow House” and human organ trade in Kosovo on his blog, The Bloody Yellow House (ENG).
Russia: Is Internet Guilty of Organizing Nationalistic Riots?
Russian media and blogosphere ponder who is responsible for the nationalists’ riots in Moscow in mid-December. But the authorities found their own scapegoat – the Internet.
Poland: Blog Forum Gdansk
Arzu Geybullayeva writes about this year's Blog Forum Gdańsk, highlighting Polish bloggers' views on some of the issues discussed at the event.
Christmas Recipes in Global Food Blogs
Christmas means ‘coming home’ to many people - but if this isn’t possible, preparing a magic meal can be a consolation. Bloggers of many continents have shared their favorite holiday recipes. With these you can dream yourself back home or even visit a place, you’ve never been to before. Where are you celebrating Christmas this year and what are you serving?
Russia: List of Regional Governors’ Online Tools
“Vedomosti” newspaper, published [RUS] a detailed list of online tools of Russian regional governors. The list includes links to personal websites, blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles, and even YouTube channels.
Belarus: More on the Post-Election Situation
Democratist and Jamestown Foundation Blog discuss the post-election situation in Belarus; Information Policy writes about the hijacking of “independent media sites” during the election.
Russia: Media Coverage of Manezh Riots
A Good Treaty posts a detailed review of the Russian press coverage of the Manezh riots in Moscow.
Hungary: New Media Law and Censorship
BloggingPortal.eu and Hungarian Spectrum (here and here) discuss Hungary's new media law. According to BloggingPortal.eu, “[u]nder this new law, a National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) will be set up – a body that Reuters reports will be ‘dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party.’ Members of this...
Macedonia: Scholarships for African Students
Ivana Dimitrovska published online her letter [MKD] to the editor of Utrinski vesnik daily, objecting discriminatory overtones in an article [MKD] about several scholarships for African students provided by the Macedonian government, blaming this program for a lack of scholarships for locals.
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