Latvia Weekly

Joe sits down with expat lawyer Rick Jacobus who discusses some of the most common issues that new arrivals to Latvia might fact, along with his own experiences living in Liepāja.

9 Aug 202130min

Joe calls into Otto from the windy amber coast of Liepāja to discuss the latest vaccination debate in parliament, some major infrastructure plans on the horizon, an escaped wallaby on the loose, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

23 Jul 20211h 5min

As temperature records are smashed across Latvia, effects such as forest fires and increased hospitalizations are being seen throughout different parts of the country. Otto and Joe discuss the heatwave along with the updated plan for mandatory vaccinations in some professions, the thrilling conclusion to a trashy three-year waste saga, and more!

16 Jul 202150min

As Latvia reels from the tragic loss of hockey goalie Matīss Kivlenieks in a 4th o July fire accident, more serious discussion begins about what measures should be implemented to bring school back to the classroom in fall. Otto and Joe break all this down along with other major stories from this week in Latvia! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

9 Jul 20211h 14min

Joe finally sits down to chat with Japanese musician Masaki Nakagawa and German-born Jorän Steinhauer, both of whom write songs in the Latvian language and are well known throughout the country. Find out how they first came to Latvia, how they were able to learn the language, and the interesting ways they write songs — including their latest track "Es lepojos ar tevi" which you can hear as the opening and closing music for this episode!

6 Jul 202153min

As Latvia marks an important holocaust remembrance day, member of parliament Aldis Gobzems uses the infamous Star of David that persecuted Jewish people were forced to wear as a tasteless way to make a point about COVID restrictions. Otto and Joe discuss the fallout from this as well as other stories included a bold new plan to upgrade roads, the completion (for now) of territorial reform, the latest updates on COVID, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

2 Jul 202158min

Līgo! Līgo! Happy midsummer! Otto joins Joe on one of the shortest nights of the year to talk about stories such as planned urban meadows in Rīga, new debt relief for the needy, some promising COVID-19 related numbers, and much more! Opening music: "Kas to Līgo ielīgoja" performed by Ernests Elks-Elksnītis. Available in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kas_to_L%C4%ABgo_iel%C4%ABgojaX-2-62932.wav

22 Jun 20211h 8min

Back in mid-March, Joe interviewed Gary Dickenson from the YouTube channel Baltic Homesteaders about his experience moving from the UK to northern Vidzeme and setting up a completely new, self-sufficient life with his family. Opening and closing music by Austra Apsīte, used with permission

22 Jun 202130min