Skypa-dee-doo-daa

My status

Subscribe to posts by email

Your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Frightening Thoughts

When [people] are pessimists, they don’t fight. If you are a pessimist, you simply sit and complain how stupid the government is,” former Estonian MP Mart Laar in a Diena interview on 3 May 2008.

Outbursts

Archive for October, 2007

Power Powow in Pvilnius

Posted in Uncategorized on October 9th, 2007

VILNIUS – I’m in Lithuanian capital getting ready to cover the energy summit held here, where big wigs from all over the vast region known as the post-Soviet space will be chewing over how to -take over Russia- limit their energy dependence on their former overlord.

Options are: invade Russia and share its natural resources, tap into another country’s natural resources hoping it won’t suffer through PMS, build another nuclear power station, sign some documents, exchange commemorative pens and simply have a good time.

Everybody knows this two-day love fest is all about Russia. Hell, even Russia knows this. This is why Russian President and future Prime Minister in one person invited high-ranking bosses of France and the United States to Moscow at the same time as the summit.

Lithuanians aren’t pleased. It smells of intrigues. Russian intrigues nevertheless, all suspiciously smelling of 1939. Once again the fate of the Baltics will be left in the hands of real countries — Russia, France, Germany and the United States.

A reliable partner for some, Russia, the ugly neighbor to the east, gets crabby every so often. Its crabiness is reflected in gas prices it charges. The three small Baltic countries are negotiating with the neighbor and if gas prices rise rapidly, it may harm our economies more so that the Kalvitis government anti-inflation measures.

But right now, early in the morning, all is quiet in Vilnius.

Lithuania, the ugly older twin brother of Latvia, is somehow related to Poland. No one knows how or cares to admit the relation, but everyone knows they’re related. They argue like siblings. And it is those siblings that organized the thorn in the backside of Russia.

Share on Facebook

Debatin’

Posted in Uncategorized on October 8th, 2007

RIGA – I’ve been debating the issue of non-citizens, Russians, Russophones, Soviets in this small Baltic country. It’s been fun and interesting, especially considering neither one of us takes the hardliner position. Go. Read.

Share on Facebook

Sleeping Beauty

Posted in Uncategorized on October 5th, 2007

RIGA – That’s all for this week. Like most Latvians, including our highly-esteemed president, I only think about politics between 8 a.m. Monday morning and 5 p.m. Friday evening. The rest of the time I spend like Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis on this video.

Have a good weekend!

Share on Facebook

If we buy in bulk, will we get the discount?

Posted in Uncategorized on October 5th, 2007

RIGA – Baltic News Service has just reported:

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are going to jointly buy ammunition for anti-armour guns Carl Gustaf from the Swedish manufacturer Saab Bofors AB.

The jointly procured munitions will be delivered to the Baltic states in 2007-11, a spokesman for the Estonian Defense Ministry said. Joint procurements allow to harmonize weaponry and, due to involving larger quantities, probably get a better price, he added.

What other products can three Baltic countries buy in bulk? (I hope comments function still works!)

Update: So far, here are the suggestions:

1. Toilet paper
2. Business cards
3. Office supplies in general and Post-It notes in particular

Share on Facebook