TBLPOD22sept2016

Message from Dunbar, vote in US elections, new Const Court guy, new charges on KUDI guys, Kobuleti Muslims win, PM at UN in NYC, OSCE PMs arrive, Estonians in town, Otsneba cash, Paata pissed at BI, Usupashvili criticizes BI, Misha on univ student fees, peace memorandum, 56 overseas voting places, Abkhaz Chirkba resigns, Orthodox Parents Goons angry at Pope, Russian journalist moves to Tbilisi, Austria opens embassy, Kakheti gov, Cadets girls scholarship, ABL abduction, bank robbers caught, Batumi rain, GDP 8 bil, Gori wind farm, BoG & EBRD loans towards EU, Telasi guy now Armo min, Odessa flights, hazel nuts, Danish IKEA comes, football fixing Turkish Batumi school, Lisi path, Pilarmonia Muse sculptor died and vote

One thought on “TBLPOD22sept2016

  1. The MEME this week is a video of the flash mob that performed at Meidani in Old Tbilisi on the 20th of September. The mobbers are musicians from the Tbilisi State Chamber Orchestra, and they put on a string and wind show for a pretty large crowd of people.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cMFzqR

    THINGS TO READ

    US Citizens are encouraged to vote in the Presidential Election on the 8th of November. Those living in Georgia can easily register and mail a completed ballot. Check out Vote.org for more information, and encourage your friends and relatives living outside the US to vote. The below link to the website of the US Embassy in Georgia also has a lot of good info.
    Link: https://georgia.usembassy.gov/rm092116.html

    Foreign Affairs previews the Parliamentary elections. Georgia is one of the few countries in Eurasia where democratic development seems to be trending upward, but those gains are not irreversible. It’s important that both Georgia’s leaders and its Western allies stay committed to the country’s progress.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cSybI2

    For the BBC, photographer Jacob Borden looks at the families living in abandoned hospitals and buildings outside Tbilisi, the depravity of daily life and the importance of community.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cTd1I3

    Luka Pertaya for IWPR reports on Batumi’s muslim community and their struggle with the state to expand or build a second mosque.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cSyzq3

    Social Science in the Caucasus writes about the link between education, employment, and income in Georgia. Not surprisingly, they find that those with a college education reported higher incomes and were more likely to report being employed.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2d5SLqd

    Giorgi Lomsadze writes in EurasiaNet about feud between Bidzina and Burchuladze. In his view it’s a battle of egos and politics has very little to do with it. Bidzina admitted that he’s offended he doesn’t receive invitations to Burchuladze’s birthday parties. Lomsadze also touches on the still-running feud between Bidzina and Misha.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cTcR3H

    EurasiaNet’s Josh Kucera writes about the new missile system that Armenia purchased from Russia. The missiles are called Iskanders, and Armenia is the only country besides Russia to have them. The advanced missile system could be a powerful deterrent against attacks from Azerbaijan.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cvoHlj

    The Atlantic Council interviews Prime Minister Kvirikashvili. The Prime Minister says that Georgia’s European choice is irreversible and that it will continue regardless of the outcome of the Parliamentary elections. More than two-thirds of Georgians still support both NATO and EU membership, according to recent polls from the National Democratic Institute.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2dliA4D

    GeoStat publishes its 2015 report on Child Labor in Georgia. It’s the first such survey report since 2000. It covers children ages 5 to 17; 1.6 percent of children living in urban areas are engaged in economic activities, as are 11.4 percent of those living in rural areas.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2d5TCXN

    The Council of the European Union publishes its report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World for 2015. Part of the report covers Georgia; they find that the country has made a lot of progress on human rights and has successfully brought its national laws in line with EU standards.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cnEYWq

    The Calvert Journal explores the booming clubbing scene of the former Soviet space, including Tbilisi’s Bassiani parties, which are the biggest parties in town with an all-night DJ techno in an empty swimming pool near Dinamo Stadium.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2cMH3Bm

    The ISET Economist blog talks about the promise of agricultural reform and what it means during the pre-election period. They find it surprising that politicians don’t say much about it, even though it employs more than half the national workforce.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2dljmPj

    Foreign Policy has a piece on Belarus and its President Aleksandr Lukashenka, the man often referred to as Europe’s last dictator. Two opposition politicians were recently elected to the country’s Parliament, the first time that’s happened in over a decade. The government also invited American free-market advocate Jon Basil Utley into the country to give a talk, something that looked unthinkable a few years ago.
    Link: http://bit.ly/2dljG0g

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