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hansgutbrod.bsky.social
Interest in policy, think tanks, Caucasus, dogs, ethics. Teach at Ilia State University.
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and shamelessly re-upping this -- do watch, if you have never seen it. I knew it, and watched it on repeat a few times. It's incredibly evocative (look at the YouTube comments also).

submitted 2 hours ago • 0 comments

This looks like a very bad scene, but from what one can see, impressive courage by the middle aged man who by himself pushes the crazed teenagers away. Sounds like a trite thing to say (and of course I don't know context) but we need more people like that everywhere.

submitted 6 hours ago • 0 comments

the one time I saw the Pope live, in Tbilisi & service in multiple languages, incl Aramaic & Latin remarkable, seemed to connect across centuries. (Some seats empty, as GOC told theirs not to come; their loss. I am not catholic & still thought it the dignified thing to be there.)

submitted 7 hours ago • 1 comment

Lots of obvious things, some might say, but it can be useful to remind oneself (& actually really do) the obvious. Plus, "if none of us are prepared to die for freedom, all of us will die under tyranny" -- that uncomfortable truth had faded for most of us and also seemed melodramatically

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

"Christ has risen" -- chant singing for Easter outside Kashveti Church on Rustaveli just now. #Tbilisi #Georgia

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

How to check, in Sololaki, whether it's just your electricity that is out, or everyone's in the hood -- "no WLAN found".

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

If you look closely, you see that coins used to go to #Georgia too, in earlier times, as one can also see in the splendid Vani museum, with all its Hellenic heritage. Subsequently seems cut off. Georgia's struggle to stay connected runs for millennia.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

also a first for me, signing up to a text-to-speech platform to try Georgian voices, get invite to webinar, which turns out to be a huckstery upsell rather than training, but there is live chat of enthusiastic people -- until I make more questioning comments...

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Very useful contribution to the debate whether Georgian opposition parties should participate in the municipal elections coming October. Many contemplate boycotting these elections as they are considered a sham election. Is that smart leadership? 👇

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

18 months ago, I went to a stunning performance of the Chekhov's Sea Gulls, in Georgian. [Dialogue in first half so fast, I struggled, second half was alright.] The director [remember: someone open to Chekhov in these days also], David Doiashvili has just been fired, for protesting the detention

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

one of the many great things about #Georgia -- sending acquaintances [not friends] messages at 1 AM, without a hint of a bad conscience, since you know that of course most of them will be awake, and if not it's OK also.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

I'm hearing disturbing news about the increased smear campaign against WHRD Baia Pataraia & Union Sapari, including demeaning comments on social media by the Speaker of the Parliament. The aim of the campaign appears to be to silence & discredit Ms. Pataraia & her organisation.

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

Controversial, but worth considering: "Without political action, there is a risk that opposition parties will fade into a vague dissident existence." #Georgia is not only suffering from an authoritarian but also from a leadership crisis.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Made some new friends on Rustaveli. #dogs

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Demonstrating Leadership -- Why the Opposition Parties Should Go for Municipal Elections. Yes, it's hard a choice but I lay out the arguments in favour, esp that you need to show that you can put this country back on track, in adverse circumstances. open.substack.com/pub/hansgutb...

submitted 5 days ago • 2 comments

in my mind, entirely legitimate and still a mistake for opposition parties to boycott the municipal elections. I hope C4C will reconsider. Their arguments are plausible: the election will not be fair. But it's not about fairness. It's about displaying confidence that you can take #Georgia out of

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

The first (local) asparagus I've seen this season. Yay. I only bought/ hoarded half, so there's still some left at the Sunflower Store in the Muhudo Courtyard behind Rustaveli Metro. #Tbilisi #Georgia

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments