I am in #Bangkok, where rescue efforts continue after the earthquake. Check my insta for more images

I got to hold an #Oscar that the movie #Flow (Straume) along with its director @gintszilbalodis.bsky.social and co-producer Matīss Kaža, won this year for Best Animated Feature. I guess it’s the highest achievement in #Latvian culture ever

Today, there’s a major #securitysummit in #London yet the weakest flank of #NATO -the countries that have supported #Ukraine the most by their GDP-have not been invited. None of the #Balticstates are at the table. Didn’t we just see how two superpowers tried to decide Ukraine’s future without them?

Two middle fingers, in the colors of the #Ukrainian flag, in front of the #Russian embassy in #Riga. Photo by Arnis Balcus

F*ck Putin & Trump - a poster in Riga, Latvia. Photo by Arnis Balcus

Who would have thought that in the third year of the war in #Ukraine, there would be a new enemy leading a country we had previously considered an ally..

Today marks 3 years since the full-scale war in Ukraine began. This is a sweater in Riga where commemorate event takes place today

Trump is a typical capitalist businessman driven solely by profit. He is eager to align with other key players to share and dominate global markets. In his eyes, Ukraine or Europe are mere commodities, not key players, viewing them through a colonial lens.

Exactly a year ago my book The Scene came out. Even though now it’s a history, it’s also a tribute to that and the next generations of young punks, goths, misfits, and the unheard - those whose voices are often ignored, yet who shape the culture of every era. [Photo by Robis: me with the kids]

“Fuck Elon Musk” — a jacket at a flea market in Berlin, Germany, where protests against the CDU aligning with the neo-Nazi party AfD took place on Sunday. Germany is having federal elections later this month

Pro-Palestinian march / anti-Israel protest in Berlin, Germany

Today was the last day to see the Golden Globe statue at the Latvian National Museum of Art, awarded to @zilbalodis for his animated film Flow. I hope they will display the Oscar too!

The Riga council elections are coming up this summer. Some parties are already campaigning, such as this guy, whose slogan is “You too should help Riga develop.” So if I do, what is he going to do? This campaign seems to be based on quantity (boosting the face recognision) rather than message.

Clouds, sea and romance in Tenerife, Spain

I go with the flow. Me and a cat in Tenerife, 2025

Trump’s absurd ideas-like invading Greenland or annexing Canada- aren’t rogue madness, they are America unmasked. For ages, US policy has thrived on arrogance, imperialism and intervention. He just skips the politeness. Sadly, he’s not the disease, he’s the symptom…[Photo by me in Montreal, 2011]

New word “atrastājs”

That time of the year…

I could have left my gas mask at home … Check my photos from protests in #Tbilisi fkmagazine.lv/2024/12/20/f...

Protests in #Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo by Arnis Balcus (more images on insta arnisbalcus)

#Protester and the #police in #Tbilisi #Georgia where protests against the government’s refusal to move closer to the EU are taking place. Photo by Arnis Balcus

Protesters in front of the police in Tbilisi, Georgia. Most of the protesters are young people, as they are fighting for their future. Photo by Arnis Balcus

#Protests in #Tbilisi #Georgia where a lot of attacks have been against journalists

Protests in Tbilisi, Georgia, Dec 2024. Video by Arnis Balcus

Protesters in #Tbilisi #Georgia 2024. Video by Arnis Balcus

Beef Cattle Breeders Association near the Ministry of Agriculture in Riga organized a #protest against new taxes - a pile of shit. Now they face a fine of up to €5,000. No wonder protests are so rare in #Latvia - #freespeech here often comes with a hefty price…

Selfie in the mirror, The Old Blue Last pub in London, 2024

Riga will not be a priority on the #RailBaltic, the train will go around it. But who will actually use the route? Farmers in #Bauska? Or do Latvians want to add Estonians to Europe? Symbolically, this is the fisco of Riga as an international metropolis, which will be difficult to recover afterwards

#Rye #England

Strong #winds in #Hastings and the #UK in general, around 55 km/h by the #coast

Dr. Strangelove with #SteveCoogan at #Noelcowardtheatre in #London is relevant even more today, showing the absurdity of the #armament mentality

#Peace ? #Please ! #Billboard in #London, Nov’ 24. Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Staro Rīga’ 24, lights by the Freedom Monument in Riga, #Latvia Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Today is the day when my book The Future Belongs To Future People, which is a critical take on Latvia's identity, was launched 3 yrs ago. And now every year on this day I wish Latvia that what can be seen in the book one day becomes the past, and not today's (and future’s) socio-political reality!

A #graffiti wall that says “no” in Latvian. Painted over a sign “Soviet Latvia was better”. Ķengarags, Riga, Nov 2024. Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus