Latvia Weekly

As a teacher's strike seems imminent, Otto and Joe sit down to discuss major new stories such as the potential elimination of "budget seats" at universities, legal independence for Latvia's Orthodox Church, the demise of Rīga's microbusses, new party polling data, 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

13 Sep 202250min

With Latvia set to vote on a new parliament in less than a month, Otto and Joe sat down for a marathon-length episode to discuss all 19 of the competing parties, as well as a brief introduction to how Saeima (Latvian parliament) works and is elected. If you would like to skip to a specific part of the episode, you can choose a part below: 3:24 What is Saeima (parliament)? 8:56 How the Prime Minister is chosen 14:56 - The guide to the 19 parties 17:54 - 1. Jaunā Vienotība 23:59 - 2. Latvia’s Krievu Savienība 29:22 - 3. Zaļo un Zemnieku Savienība 35:10 - 4. Tautas Kalpi Latvijai 40:28 - 5. Suverena Vara 45:57 - 6. Kristīgi progresīvie partija 50:24 - 7. Saskaņa 1:00:15 - 8. Stabilitātei! 1:10:31 - 9. Tautas Vāras spēks 1:17:05 - 10. Partija "Vienoti Latvijai" 1:19:54 - 11. Nacionālā apvienība 1:28:16 - 12. Latvia pirmajā vietā 1:38:02 - 13. Konservatīvie 1:47:22 - 14. Katram un Katran 1:53:35 - 15. Progresīvie 1:58:53 - 16. Attistībai/Par! 2:04:35 - 17. Apvienība Latvijai 2:08:40 - 18. Apvienotais saraksts 2:15:21 - 19. Republika 2:20:09 - Overall analysis Here is a link to the Election Guide spreadsheet and Otto and Joe created for the episode: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FnCznxvsmc6X-6qOXpZoEvHwwUEFEOHOd-9X6VG4M5w/edit?usp=sharing Opening and closing music: "Epic Cinematic" by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/cinematic-background-music/epic-cinematic/

11 Sep 20222h 28min

Joe returns back to Latvia to discuss with Otto the literally ground-shaking demise of the controversial Soviet Victory Memorial in Rīga, along with a number of other important stories from the previous few weeks! 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

1 Sep 20221h 10min

With a parliamentary committee labelling Russia as a "terrorist state", visas being denied to almost all Russian citizens, and the seemingly imminent demolition of the country's most controversial landmark, the era of Latvia as a "bridge between east and west" seems to have officially drawn to a close. Otto and Joe discuss the newest low in diplomatic relations between Latvia and it's largest neighbor as well as new energy saving plans, potential lower VAT on food, the first appearances of monkeypox and NFT art galleries in the country, 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

9 Aug 20221h 9min

Concerns grow in Riga about a potential winter gas shortage for certain sectors, while Gazprom announces that it will no longer supply gas to Latvia. Otto and Joe discuss the implications along with a number of other stories, such as a picket protest by representatives of the medical sector, the long-awaited opening of an embassy in Australia, poorly planted trees in Riga, and an exciting "simtgade" (centennial). 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

4 Aug 202243min

As energy costs continue to soar throughout the region, Latvia gets serious about conserving fuel and finding alternatives to unreliable Russian natural gas. Otto and Joe discuss the ongoing international energy crisis as it relates to Latvia, along with other important stories such as continued inflation, new measures against speeding, urban bee farms on the roofs of cities, 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

27 Juli 202256min

"Pludmale" is the word of the week, with many of Latvia's most popular beaches closed to swimmers due to low water quality amid a series of heatwaves. Otto and Joe discuss this and a number of other stories including high costs for the planned Soviet monument demolition, possible changes to Latvia's parental leave system, the trashiest criminal in Jēkabpils, 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 Photo credit: Latvijas armija, used with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)license www.flickr.com/photos/latvijas_armija/38526906252

19 Juli 20221h 13min

"Iesaukt" (conscript) is the word of the week as Minister for Defense Atis Pabriks announces plans for obligatory military service that could be introduced as soon as next year. Otto and Joe discuss the implications for Latvia's society and security situation along with other major stories from the previous week such as cyberattacks on Latvian infrastructure, new poll data on attitudes towards Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a walrus vacationing in the Baltic sea, 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 Photo credit: Latvijas armija, used with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)license https://www.flickr.com/photos/latvijas_armija/38526906252

8 Juli 20221h 17min