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New Internet freedom report ranks Estonia first, Iran last | Science & Technology | Deutsche Welle | 21.04.2011 A Freedom House study examined the state of the Internet in 37 countries. The report found that while Estonia was atop the list, Iran came out on the bottom, as its Internet is highly restricted. In a new 410-page report published earlier this week, Freedom House, an American NGO, Estonia has been named the country with the highest level of Internet freedom. The United States placed second, and Germany came in third. In the report, an international team of researchers looked at 37 countries around the world to examine how open and free the Internet is in terms of filtering, censorship and other forms of repression online. The study examined both democratic countries, like the US, Germany and Australia, but also Zimbabwe, China and Belarus. Deutsche Welle spoke with Robert Guerra, the director of the Internet Freedom project at Freedom House, and Sarah Cook, one of the report's editors. Deutsche Welle: Robert, can you tell us a little bit about how this project got started?

How the ITU could put the Internet behind closed doors. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Top Health Tips for Computer Users This post is by Jane of Coupon Triumph. Online entrepreneurs use computers a lot. They sit in the same place a lot. It’s not just online entrepreneurs—anyone who uses computers for their work, or for fun, sits in front of computers a lot. Such people tend to neglect their health as they spend long hours in front of their computers. Image copyright Ana Blazic Pavlovic - Fotolia.com Yes, as a person who uses computers often, you will need to invest in your health too. Your eyes need attention As you continuously work in front of a monitor, staring the screen for a long time, you are sure to strain your eyes. Taking breaks in between tasks, looking away from your screen, and maintaining a good distance from your screen while you are working may help you give you relief from eye irritation and strain. Back issues Get yourself a comfortable chair which enables you to keep your feet on the floor. Eat—don’t skip Your diet does come into play here. Avoid sugar-rich foods and starches. Drink water

Tiny Estonia leads internet revolution Among the former communist countries set to join the European Union on 1 May, Estonia is the smallest, but the most technologically advanced. The former Soviet republic, where parliament has declared internet access a basic human right, is ahead of EU countries like France and Italy when it comes to the use of mobile phones and internet connections. Thirteen years ago, when Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union, only half of the country's 1.4 million people even had a telephone line. Rein Raamat, an academic in his 60s, comes every two months to have his blood pressure checked by his doctor at the university clinic in Tartu, Estonia's second biggest city. But Mr Raamat also has a "doc@home." Benefits for Europe A hand-held electronic device that looks like a palmtop computer, it monitors his blood pressure, weight and stress level every day, sends the readings to a central data base and alerts both patient and doctor to any sudden changes. Soviet era Entrepreneurs

‘NOS’er benaderd door MIVD’ Nieuws vrijdag 16 november 2012 Een paar jaar geleden is een buitenlandcorrespondent van de NOS is door de Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (MIVD) benaderd om voor de geheime dienst te werken. Ook zou de NOS-medewerker onder druk zijn gezet toen hij weigerde. Onderwerp: informatie, journalistiek e-School | e-Estonia One of the most widely used and innovative web applications in Estonia is e-School. It provides an easy way for education stakeholders to collaborate and organize teaching/learning information. The system has a range of different functions for its various users: Teachers enter grades and attendance information in the system, post homework assignments, and evaluate students’ behavior. They also use it to send messages to parents, students or entire classes. Parents use it to stay closely involved in their children's education. Students can read their own grades and keep track of what homework has been assigned each day. District administrators have access the latest statistical reports on demand, making it easy to consolidate data across the district’s schools.

Mak: ‘NRC gevangen in slecht huwelijk’ vrijdag 26 oktober 2012 UPDATE NRC Handelsblad zit in een slecht huwelijk met investeerders Egeria, Derk Sauer en hoofdredacteur Peter Vandermeersch, betoogt schrijver Geert Mak in De Groene. Mak baseert die uitspraak over ‘zijn krant’ na gesprekken met vrienden die bij de krant werken, de reeks incidenten met het gedwongen vertrek van nrc.next-hoofdredacteur Rob Wijnberg en het zelfgekozen vertrek van verslaggeefster Jannetje Koelewijn. Mak stelt dat de zelfcorrigerende mechanismen die hij uit de krant kende, niet meer lijken te werken of bewust zijn ontmanteld. “Ik zag kranten die waren verpakt in advertenties voor Rolex en een whisky-merk. Erger is de interne cultuur, die Mak via vrienden verneemt. Volgens Mak is het een kwestie van tijd voor Vandermeersch, die het vertrouwen van zijn redacteuren kwijt zou zijn, zelf het veld ruimt. Meer bij De Groene NRC-hoofdredacteur Peter Vandermeersch reageert in een open brief op de site van De Groene. Onderwerp: dagblad

e-Estonia - Estonia.eu "e-Estonia" is the term commonly used to describe Estonia's emergence as one of the most advanced e-societies in the world – an incredible success story that grew out of the partnership between a forward-thinking government, a pro-active ICT sector, and a switched-on, tech-savvy population. Thanks to this success, Estonians and the Estonian state enjoy a wide range of e-solutions that those living elsewhere can only dream about. In Estonia you can access wi-fi internet even in forestsFor citizens of Estonia, e-services have become routine: e-elections, e-taxes, e-police, e-healthcare, e-banking, and e-school. The "e" prefix for services has almost become trite in the sense that it has become the norm. Most Estonians would not even consider doing things the old-fashioned way, like physically visiting an office when the process could easily be completed online. Electronic ID card As of January 2012, more than 1.1 million people in Estonia (almost 90% of inhabitants) have ID cards. e-Ticket

Etty hekelt angstcultuur NRC maandag 5 november 2012 Onder redacteuren van NRC Handelsblad heerst een angstcultuur. Het is onder hoofdredacteur Peter Vandermeersch niet toegestaan zowel binnen als buiten de krant kritiek te hebben op de veranderingen bij de krant. Dat vertelde NRC-redacteur Elsbeth Etty zaterdag tijdens haar ‘keynote speech’ op het schrijfcongres Schrijf Dat Boek in Utrecht. Hoofdredacteur Vandermeersch spreekt in een reactie tegen dat mensen de mond worden gesnoerd. Etty heeft zelf een brief van de hoofdredactie in haar personeelsdossier, waarin haar wordt opgedragen niet langer uitlatingen te doen die de belangen van de krant zouden schaden. Zij kreeg de brief naar aanleiding van haar laatste column in de krant op 27 december 2011. Zij legde een verband met een incident een jaar daarvoor, op 5 oktober 2010. Bosma kreeg eind november 2011 een column in NRC samen met twee andere politici. De redacteur van NRC brak een lans voor haar ex-collega Jannetje Koelewijn. Auteur: Dolf Rogmans 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Spirituality in Estonia - the world's 'least religious' country 26 August 2011Last updated at 14:50 By Tom Esslemont BBC News, Estonia Pagan traditions are embedded in the culture of Estonia When Estonians were recently asked whether religion played an important part in their life, only 20% said yes. It suggests the Baltic country is, statistically, the least religious country in the world. The windy streets of Tallinn offer a misleading picture of Estonia's religiosity. Spires decorate the old town, bells ring out on Sundays and song emanates from churches as visitors walk in and out. A closer look reveals that many of these visitors are tourists. When I went to the city's large Lutheran Dome Church one Sunday almost all of the 70 congregants turned out to have travelled from the Netherlands. A handful of people standing at the back - 15 at the most - were the sum total of regular Estonian church-goers. As the dean of the church, Arho Tuhkru, explains, it is not a new problem: "People believe, but they do not want to belong to the Church. Tree talk