Pan Cogito’s Message To Latvians: Its Much Worse In Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, And Many Parts Of The Russian Federation Shut Out From Official Europe

... "Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria have suffered street clashes amid a toxic brew of sagging economies and local concerns in recent days. In Greece, Athens was rocked again Thursday by another riot following a protest against an attack on a trade unionist.

''People are fed up -- the government isn't helping them at all. They can't find jobs even though many are standing in line at the employment bureau at 4 in the morning to be the first in line,'' said Yevgeny Dubino, 20, a computer specialist in Riga, Latvia.

Dubino said he plans to leave for Germany to find work there. ''There's nothing for me to do here. I'm not going to work 10 hours a day for 200 lats ($360) per month [$4320 per year].''" ...

Associated Press "Crisis Weighs Ever Heavier in Europe" New York Times January 23, 2009

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Pan Cogito's value-adding [sic], mini-analysis:

Before the global financial and economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund staff estimated that Estonia would be the first post-Soviet bloc nation to converge [in 2013], in terms of per capital GDP, with the 'poorest' country of the European Union, Portugal [at about $27,400 per year]. [Estonia would be closely followed-up by the energy-rich Russian Federation; with Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and the Central Asian Republics trailing far behind at about one-third to one-fourth to one-fifth the "affluent" level of Estonia/Portugal.]

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Header: Low-income laborers and women workers in the former Soviet-bloc are more likely to actually spend extra money they get.

Photo credit: (c) Gleb Garanich/Reuters. Copyright controlled.

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Leigh Phillips "Anti-government riot hits Latvia" EU Observer January 14, 2009











The Latvian parliament: Protesters smashed windows and overturned a police van.

Photo credit: Latvian parliament.