tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post7779883971741723564..comments2023-03-31T19:51:32.705+03:00Comments on Failed State Latvia?: Latvia: A drab, grey nation in midwinterJuris Kažahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052208772017734513noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-8076077840479873792013-10-02T19:11:19.904+03:002013-10-02T19:11:19.904+03:00Hi Juris, I've been looking at the miserable f...Hi Juris, I've been looking at the miserable faces here for 3 years now and you're one of the few other people who's actually attempted to put their observations into writing. I saw on BBC News this morning that Latvia is in 45th place out of 90 (just ahead of Bolivia), and on my walk to work this morning saw little old ladies hefting bags of leaves and raking the banks of the river. Something is definitely wrong somewhere and as you said, nobody seems to be saying anything about it. I get attacked by locals and told to go home frequently on my blog too, so you're not alone! Linda. (expateyeonlatvia.wordpress.com)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12490124570576904365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-72402907970916862552012-01-27T20:58:24.475+02:002012-01-27T20:58:24.475+02:00Brilliant post as always! Very astute and right on...Brilliant post as always! Very astute and right on the mark!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-20875940809047686232012-01-15T16:57:34.438+02:002012-01-15T16:57:34.438+02:00Jüri Estam writes: well written, Juris, as is ofte...Jüri Estam writes: well written, Juris, as is often the case with you. Unfortunately, I see my home country of Estonia in much of the same hue, just with shades of color that differ somewhat - in degrees of difference that vary from sector to sector - from the portrait you paint. The differences between Estonia and Latvia are not cardinal. My only "objection" to the tonality of many of your posts is that they do not contain enough in the way of "what do we do about it"? I can see that the task at hand must seem dauntingly difficult. How does one punch one's way out of this straitjacket? How did we come to be in or remain in this pickle? I think you describe that pretty well. The question is - do we take this lying down, or at what end of this fine mess does one apply one's self start to begin to bring relief and change? In order to undo the bardak? It is painful to read that the undoing of the Baltic States that started in earnest in 1939-1940 (not that Moscow wasn't trying to subvert us before that) appears to have bequeathed us a self-perpetuation mechanism that somehow prolongs much of the weltschmerz that went before. I join with John Christmas in saying that the EU is part of the problem, not really part of the solution. The EU compounds our fine mess, instead of being bespoke designed to be "the way out".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-28671365995647679402012-01-13T10:13:11.757+02:002012-01-13T10:13:11.757+02:00This was the most depressive article you've ev...This was the most depressive article you've ever written.<br /><br />People all over the Arab world, in Greece, in Spain, in Nigeria, in Wisconsin, USA - even in Russia! - are rising up against poverty, inequality, dictatorship, corruption and oppression. For over 30 years, there hasn't been such a great source of inspiration and hope for a brighter future for every freedom-loving person in the world. Especially the movements in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and so on.<br /><br />Meanwhile, grumpy old men in Latvia write blog posts about the hopelessness of everything... And other grumpy old men call it "excellent"! So sad. ( I mean check out the comment about Latvia being worse than African warlord-run countries.. you gotta be fucking kidding me.. where do your readers come from? the psycho depressive ward of the delusional?)<br /><br />Where's the inspiration man?? Where's the spirit?Davis Kazanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-87578136104365933922012-01-12T19:38:51.591+02:002012-01-12T19:38:51.591+02:00Hardly the living dead in these photos: https://ww...Hardly the living dead in these photos: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150472428255698&set=a.10150472353030698.364045.749685697&type=3&theater<br /><br />I did shop at the Natick Mall, but didn't shoot any photos. For that matter, not too many morose Swedes in these photos (OK, not all that many people).<br /><br />https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150391347150698.352145.749685697&type=1Juris Kažahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052208772017734513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-1345817588851203922012-01-12T03:38:10.552+02:002012-01-12T03:38:10.552+02:00Latvia was a drab gray nation in 94 when I first v...Latvia was a drab gray nation in 94 when I first visited. Now its at least been spruced-up and painted,<br />like a movie set. A great facade, but nothing behind it.The actors are leaving for another set!!texyzzznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-88618204207274731952012-01-12T03:32:07.856+02:002012-01-12T03:32:07.856+02:00Have you even looked at your own profile picture o...Have you even looked at your own profile picture on FB? Talk about drab, grey, hopeless! Now how about a photoessay on the bright, colorfull, hopeful faces at Natick Plaza? I think your followership will be unanimous - time for you to repatriate to the Homeland whence you hail!zagarinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06938389624029384632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-1577074909220255432012-01-12T02:06:45.540+02:002012-01-12T02:06:45.540+02:00Excellent post, Juris. I recently argued with a co...Excellent post, Juris. I recently argued with a colleague of mine that Latvia, as a country is in some ways worse than the poor, warlord African countries a.k.a the standard for misery, poverty and hopelessness. My argument was similar to yours: There is no hope in post-soviet Latvia, not until the last person born in USSR dies, not until the last oligarch dies of over indulgence. Latvia, as a country needs a real fresh start, not the surrogate 90's thingamajig it attempted. It's really sad to know that nothing, absolutely nothing can be done, the power of human spirit and will is useless in this scenario.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7590025.post-60242525653685737132012-01-11T22:19:35.256+02:002012-01-11T22:19:35.256+02:00Very observant. Excellent post. Yes, the situati...Very observant. Excellent post. Yes, the situation in Latvia with the Oligarch Government is terrible. Everyone (except the Oligarchs) winds up poor and depressed with a lot of people (the most honest and ambitious) emigrating. Just like I grew up in the USA as an exiled Latvian hoping that Latvia would someday be free and I could live there, the youth of Latvia today are growing up in Western Europe hoping to someday move back to a reformed Latvia. It's a shame that the EU is not helping at all in the battle against the Oligarchs but instead is funding them.John Christmashttp://www.democracysociety.comnoreply@blogger.com