Latvia Weekly

With Otto still on his way back from Italy, journalism student Elizabete Dreimane joins Joe to discuss new year's traditions here in Latvia, along with a few important news stories that took place throughout the week. They also call fellow podcaster Kristaps Andrejsons from "The Eastern Border" program to hear about life and the weather in Ludza, a town just 30 km from the Russian border in the culturally unique region of Latgale.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

Happy new year everyone, and thanks to everyone who voted in the 2019 "person of the year" readers'/listeners poll! Otto and Olevs join Joe in Jelgava to reveal your choice along with the staff's "person of the year," the top 10 "stories of the year," and a few important stories and updates from the previous week. Crack open a bottle of champagne and settle down for a look back at the year gone by, and join Latvia weekly in getting ready for the coming decade!

With the end of the year in sight, it's time for YOU to choose the most important person of the year here in Latvia who made a difference for better or worse. Join Otto and Joe as they reveal the top 10 nominations from listeners like you, and cover the week's most important news stories such as strict new anti-drunk driving measures, new regulations designed to protect journalists, a "zero waste" experiment in Viļani, and major updates about the ongoing crises in Rīga and Ventspils. Kris Akenfelds joins in from Liepāja at the end to discuss the holiday season on the amber coast as well as the depressingly slim prospects of a white Christmas.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

"Atkārtot" (to repeat) is the word of the week, with Rīga once again on the brink of re-do elections thanks to Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Pūce's decision to use the "nuclear option" and initiate the dismissal of city council. Meanwhile in Ventspils, oligarch and mayor since 1988 Aivars Lembergs is on the brink thanks to being included on a US sanctions list. Otto and Joe discuss the implications of these major stories and more, including a scandal in the welfare ministry, major changes to the country's rail service, an early flu epidemic, and the country's president being "honored" by America's favorite sketch comedy program.

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

"Apsaimniekošana" (management) is the word of the week as Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Juris Pūce reveals plans for potential early Rīga City Council elections in February due to the city's lack of a satisfactory waste management plan. Otto joins Joe from Rīga for a jam-packed episode where they discuss this among many other important domestic, international, and historical stories from the week.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

"Future" theme by zerolagtime, used with a Creative Commons 3.0 attribution license

Source: https://freesound.org/people/zerolagtime/sounds/29625/#comments

"Atlaist" is our first ever "Latvian word of the week," with growing movements to dismiss both Saeima (parliament) and Rīga City Council. Join Otto and Joe as they discuss these ongoing situations along with a new plan for medical workers' salary raises proposed by Health Minister Ilze Viņķele, major legal troubles for Rīga Central Market, yet another diplomatic row with Moscow, a bold proposal to solve traffic problems caused by electric scooters, and a major battle in Jelgava that was commemorated during the week. International Meet-up coordinator Zane Reiter also joins via phone to discuss life and weather in Ķekava, and the process of moving away from Rīga to the suburbs.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

With Latvia's health care workers calling for the dismissal of parliament, the sacking of the health minister, and the rejection of the 2020 budget, Joe and Otto sit down for a special report on how we got to this point and what the most likely next steps and repercussions will be.

Intro and outro music: "Looking Back" by Lee Rosevere, used with a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License https://archive.org/details/Music_For_Podcasts-18452/Lee_Rosevere_-_04_-_Looking_Back.mp3

Heartbeat sound effect by HerbertBoland, used with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Quarantined away due to illness, it's up to Joe alone to untangle the mess of intricacies that has led Rīga City Council to the brink of extraordinary elections that would take place barely a year away from the regularly scheduled 2021 ones. Otto chimes in with international stories and a look at the life of the recently departed legendary Guntars Gedulis.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

In honor of the 18th of November, Otto and Joe come together to discuss Latvian Proclamation Day (often called "independence day") including how it came to happen, how it has been celebrated in the past and present, what it means to Latvians today, why people wear ribbons and carry torches, and the peculiar reason why the more than 30,000 people named Aleksandrs are especially important on this day.

Opening and closing theme: "Div' dūjiņas gaisā skrēja" performed by Lizete Iesmiņa-Mihelsone in 1908

Latvian traditional folk song, gramophone recording in the public domain

Courtesy of the National Library of Latvia https://audio.lndb.lv/68084/

Kris Akenfelds joins Joe to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Latvia's defeat of German and Russian forces in Rīga, remember the life of legendary artist Džemma Skulme, and discuss major stories such as protests by medical workers and regional reform opponents, the death of LNT, the Latvian Green Party's expulsion from the European Green Party, and more. Otto and Olevs also join from New York to discuss international stories and discuss the important of Lāčplēša diena.

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

Weather theme:

Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja

Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am