Latvia Weekly

"Bīstams" is the word of the week as Otto and Joe sit down to discuss major issues of the week, such as the partial closing of K. Valdemāra iela in Rīga due to buildings in dangerous condition, the conceptual approval of mandatory military service by Saeima, the postponement of mandatory eID cards until 2031, Joe Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine, 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

"Iesniegt" is the word of the day as the 2023 budget is submitted by the ministry of finance for discussion and approval by Saeima. Otto and Joe discuss the new coalition's very first budget creation process along with a number of other important stories such as the troubling spread of beetles lethal to Latvia's spruce trees, potential conscription for Latvian citizens abroad, 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: Ernests Dinka, Saeimas kanceleja, used with a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Saeima_-_2013.gada_valsts_bud%C5%BEeta_projekts_Saeim%C4%81_%287%29.jpg

"Saskaņa", or "harmony", is the word of the week, and something that Daugavpils now lacks as Mayor Andrejs Elksniņš and the rest of the Saskaņa party's city council members quit the faction. Otto and Joe discuss the latest drama for the fragmenting political force along with other major stories like alleged embezzlement at Daugavpils University, criminal charges for parliamentarian Glorija Grevcova, an increase to university lecturers' salaries, the installation of "average speed" cameras, and much more!

If you would like to donate to the ENGtegration for Ukraine project, you can do it here at the Baltic Security Foundation's webpage here: balticsecurity.eu/support/

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: Dāvis Kļaviņš, used with a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)license www.flickr.com/photos/davisklavins/51849442921

Otto and Joe discuss some of the biggest stories of the previous week such as a hefty fine levied on badly behaving bus operators, the downgrading of diplomatic relations between Russia and Latvia, more defections from a Conservative party on life support, potential new language requirements for political campaigns, stabilizing water levels in Jēkabpils, and more!

If you would like to donate to the ENGtegration for Ukraine project, you can do it here at the Baltic Security Foundation's webpage here: balticsecurity.eu/support/

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: Dāvis Kļaviņš, used with a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)license https://www.flickr.com/photos/davisklavins/51849442921

As floodwaters finally recede in Jēkabpils, Otto and Joe sit down to discuss the biggest stories of the last week and a half.

If you would like to donate to the ENGtegration for Ukraine project, you can do it here at the Baltic Security Foundation's webpage here: balticsecurity.eu/support/

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

Otto and Joe take a look back on the top 10 biggest stories of 2022 and name the Latvia Weekly person of the year, as well as their runners up.

Music: Auld Lang Syne, performed by the U.S. Navy Band Ceremonial Band https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Auld_Lang_Syne_-_U.S._Navy_Band.ogg

Picture credit: Marco Verch, used with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)license https://www.flickr.com/photos/160866001@N07/51896956126

"Agri" and "vēlu" are the words of the week as this first episode of 2022 comes later than expected. Joe and Otto take a look back on some of the biggest happenings of the last month, such as the swearing in of the new cabinet, the lack of support for a proposed civil union law, the acquittal of former Mayor Ušakovs in lower court, the changing of street names related to the Russian occupation, increased minimum wage, a medical workers' strike on the horizon, Latvia's own lying lawmaker, and much more!

To nominate people and stories for our year in review episode that will be recorded next week, please submit your choices here!

https://forms.gle/U8XzFeL2Aq32opJW7

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

Australian-born Latvian Kris Akenfelds joins the show once again, this time to discuss his experience as head teacher of the ENGtegration for Ukraine project that provides free English lessons to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia, a project organized by Otto and Joe that's administered by the Baltic Security Foundation and generously funded with a grant from the US Embassy, Riga.

If you are would like to donate in order to help keep the program going in 2023 after our current grant money runs out, you can do so here!

https://gogetfunding.com/help-ukrainian-refugees-in-latvia-learn-english/

As Latvia hunkers down for an early winter blizzard, Joe and Otto take a look back on the almost complete coalition formation process and a number of other important stories from the previous month, including the de-licensing of a Russian language TV channel, more heating aid to Latvian households, the potential end of Russian language as a "second foreign language" in schools, and more!

To donate to the ENGtegration for Ukraine project: gogetfunding.com/my-dashboard/

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

Joe takes a look back through the first half of October including significant potholes in the road to a coalition, major changes to Riga's public transit ticketing system, a shortage of antibiotics, ever-increasing energy prices, and more!

To donate to the ENGtegration for Ukraine project: https://gogetfunding.com/my-dashboard/

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

Picture: Ernests Dinka, Saeimas Kanceleja. Used with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License(CC BY-SA 2.0)