2 thoughts on “TBLPOD3nov2016”

1. The MEME this week is a humorous family tree tracing the lineage of Patriots Alliance leader Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, who’s from a noble family that dates back to the middle ages. That may be, but a few unexpected characters may have gotten into the bloodline.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2epWQE5

   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

   THINGS TO READ

   Giorgi Lomsadze writes in EurasiaNet about the electoral outcome. Otsneba won 76 percent of seats even though they received fewer than half of votes cast; that’s a sign that electoral reform such as doing away with the majoritarian districts could strengthen Georgia’s democracy.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2epZaej

   Liz Fuller writes in Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty about the elections and Otsneba’s constitutional majority. Some of the experts she interviews are concerned Georgia will become a Bidzinocracy and instead of having a functional two-party or multiparty democracy, the National Movement will turn into a weird protest party.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2fxwNh4

   Chai Khana has a video about architecture in Mestia, a city that’s being caught between its historical identity and its desire for modern tourism infrastructure.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2feJZ6L

   Steven Blank writes in Intersection about Russia’s initiatives in the South Caucasus, which include making an honest effort at peace in Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time. Russia is also still pushing for a railroad that would link it to Iran through Azerbaijan.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2fxvJcW

   Social Science in the Caucasus looks at which foreign cultures Georgians and Armenians think are closest to their own. For Armenia, it’s the neighboring countries in the South Caucasus, which neighboring countries in Asia coming in second. Asia isn’t defined, so we don’t know if that includes Turkey. For Georgia, neighboring countries in the South Caucasus come in first, followed by the European part of Russia. Western Europe is down the list for both countries.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2eWXdXy

   The FINANCIAL looks at companies with the best and worst customer service in Tbilisi, according to a survey they conducted of 300 consumers. The best companies are TBC Bank, McDonalds, Bank of Georgia, Geocell, and Rooms Hotel. The worst are Liberty Bank, Georgian Water and Power, KazTransGas, Aversi, and Ioli. Shockingly, Machakheli didn’t make the naughty list.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2fGkxKf

   The European Alumni Association Georgia launches a podcast, which you can check out at Soundcloud.com. The podcast is in Georgian.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2e4akqv

   War on the Rocks devotes a podcast episode to Russian hackers and their interference in the US presidential election. In their view, the Kremlin has capitalized on the widespread distrust of Hillary Clinton to promote Donald Trump, a potentially pro-Russian candidate.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2fGlCSd

   Ariel Cohen writes for Real Clear Politics about the steady worsening relationship between the US and Russia. It’s not only about geopolitics and NATO expansion, it’s an ideological struggle. Stalin, Ivan the Terrible, and the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact are all being rehabilitated in an authoritarian Russia.
   Link: http://bit.ly/2epSGfq

   Foreign Policy has a piece on Clinton and Trump–mostly Trump–flipping America’s long-standing foreign policy consensus on its head. This election, the Democrat is the gun-toting interventionist and the Republican is the cautious realist. This is particularly relevant for Georgia, one of the few countries on Earth where the US Republican party is still popular, mostly because of its foreign policy.
   Link: http://atfp.co/2ef862W

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2. I was happy to hear you include Rosalie Edge’s name in the list of notable birthdays. Among her great achievements, was the establishment of one of my favorite locations, Hawk Mt. in Pa. While attending college I lived there and I was watching the migrations only a few weeks ago.
   For anyone interested, check out this short clip:
   https://www.facebook.com/HawkMountainSanctuary/videos/10154213465914789/

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