Latvia Weekly

As the investigation over a series of drones that crossed into Latvian territory, some of which crashed into an oil storage facility, the political fallout has already begin to fall. Joe is also joined by Søren von Holmberg to discuss local controversy over traffic changes in the Grīziņkalns neighborhood of Rīga, as well as by Gary Dickensonnof Baltic Homesteaders to hear how things are going near Valmiera.

Joe discusses the results of a wind storm over the weekend as well as follow-ups to stories from the previous week, while Gary checks in from Vidzeme on the latest developments at his homestead.

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

After an unintentional break due to being "aizņemts," Joe is back to discuss major happenings especially in the world of transportation and politics, with Gary calling in with a "Voicemail from Vidzeme" to let people know how things are going at his homestead near Valmiera.

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

Following his appearance on the LTV1 show "Zemes stāsti" ("Stories of the Land"), Joe checks back in with Gary Dickenson of the popular "Baltic Homesteaders" social media pages as he gets ready for spring near Valmiera and reflects on how his content has evolved over the past few years.

You can check out Baltic Homesteaders on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/baltichomesteaders/

You can listen to our first interview in 2020 here: https://soundcloud.com/latviaweekly/lw-interviews-baltic-homesteader-gary-dickenson

Gary Dickenson of the Baltic Homesteaders social media pages joins Joe to discuss the long-awaited but potentially treacherous arrival of spring along with other stories, such as a real-life "Nāves ēnā" situation avoided thanks to 21st century telecommunications, Latvia's commemoration of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, the ironic collapse of the "For Stability" faction in Saeima, Estonian frustration with Latvia over Rail Baltic, the introduction of more average speed cameras, a suspected supermarket cartel, and much more!

Alan Anstead from the Englishman in Latvia podcast joins Joe for a look back over the previous weeks' major stories, such as the continued extreme winter weather, Latvia's Olympic ups and downs, more Rail Baltic controversy, and an official response from the Latvian Language Agency about the term "Coolcation!"

Please listen to Alan's podcast here: https://englishman-in-latvia.com/

Photo credit: profernity, used with a Creative Commons License

http://flickr.com/photos/flickr/55080045296/

Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission

International Outlook music: Background News by MiroMaxMusic via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/

Akenfelds by the Sea music: Jamaica reggae (Sunny Dreamers) by u_98673jp944 via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/reggae-jamaic…ny-dreamers-327065/

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

This week, Joe is joined by the one and only Anete Germane from the Irregular Latvian YouTube channel to discuss the ongoing cold snap in Latvia which has led to phones buzzing with emergency alerts for three nights in a row along with other topics such as the increasing public admissions by officials that Rali Baltic will be nowhere near on time, more trouble for Ogre mayor Egils Helmanis, Wikipedia edit wars, the Supernova song competition, and more!

Photo Credit: Joe Horgan

Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission

International Outlook music: Background News by MiroMaxMusic via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/

Akenfelds by the Sea music: Jamaica reggae (Sunny Dreamers) by u_98673jp944 via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/reggae-jamaic…ny-dreamers-327065/

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

Joe breaks down major stories of the week including Speaker of Saeima Dace Mieriņa's surprise support for Donald Trump's Nobel Peace Prize campaign, a reality check for Rail Baltic, expensive renovations for Vanšu tilts, winters continued bite, and much more!

Photo: Ieva Ābele, Saeima

Izmantošanas noteikumi: saeima.lv/lv/autortiesibas

Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/42130586@N02/53376328817/

Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission

International Outlook music: Background News by MiroMaxMusic via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/

Akenfelds by the Sea music: Jamaica reggae (Sunny Dreamers) by u_98673jp944 via Pixabay pixabay.com/music/reggae-jamaic…ny-dreamers-327065/

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

Kris Akenfelds comes to Rīga to join Joe for a discussion on Kurzeme's attempt at becoming a (not so) hot tourist destination, the continued wintry weather, the prosecution of individuals allegedly (illegally) assisting Moscow's nefarious ambitions, a new munitions factory, and an attempt to reduce bureaucracy. Cian again covers major international stories.

It's already been a hectic new year in Latvia, with a massive wind storm ushering in the true beginning of winter and other major stories such as a fatal gas explosion in Torņakalns, the reestablishment of a single train between Rīga and Tallinn, and a number of high profile passings. Cian joins the team as international correspondant, and Kris calls in from Liepāja to tell about his experience during the storm and how life is settling into the city where wind was born.

Image credit: Jānis Vilniņš, used with a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License v. 3.0 https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Att%C4%93ls:Um%C4%81ras_upe_2013._gada_mart%C4%81.JPG

Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission

International Outlook music: Background News by MiroMaxMusic via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/

Akenfelds by the Sea music: Jamaica reggae (Sunny Dreamers) by u_98673jp944 via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/reggae-jamaica-reggae-sunny-dreamers-327065/

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