The Eastern Border

Greetings, Comrades!On today’s episode, we answer many important questions. And give out some others. But it doesn’t matter, as Uncle Joe responds to them all, with a) escaping from prison and b) urging more people to a violent uprising. This is how it goes in the USSR. Hope you’ll like the show. And send in your questions!Do svidaniya, tovarischi!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This is our next Stalin episode AND our anniversary episode. And it's not quite awesome, as I'm suffering from a food poisoning now. But it's pretty good still. However, there are a few things I'd like to say.Firstly, thank you for being here. Secondly...well...this is going to get explicit: People send me death threats. People want to beat me up. People used to tell me that I'll never finish college, because I'm obviously too stupid and not "organised enough" - I've been dumped, because they thought I'd never achieve anything and that I'm just "dumb and base" and that I'd never be worthy of them. Well, look at where we are after two years. And if you mistake being rude sometimes for being dumb, that's your own problem. I've never been a conformist, never tried to be liked by anyone just because it looks good, just because it's the popular, nice thing to say. And now...now I'm here. And you're here. And I thank you for that. And together, we can say surely to the Putin's agents and the arrogant stuck-up people, and the people who think I'm weird, because I actually talk with US people - The Eastern Border shall live on. Happiness is Mandatory! I love you all!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!My usual Stalin episode is written down, and all I needed was to record it. But then, as sometimes happens, my dad arrived, and this time, he was carrying some documents and books with him. They turned out to be Soviet reports of various peace conferences - and the collected works of Anna Sakse, a children's writer...and a massive, massive propaganda master and state-paid spreader of lies, bashing the west at every opportunity. And this just turned out to be SO amazing, that I couldn't resist - no, I must give you this! This episode will make you cringe, will make you laugh a bit...but when you think about it, it's actually pretty sad. Anyhow, enjoy - and Stalin and PDRP coming up soon!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!In this episode, we discuss Stalin. ALL that is Stalin. Superman can take a rest...if he was real, and Stalin were the head of the USSR, Supes would end up in a GULAG. We're talking about a man, who almost killed his father, when he was 7. Intentionally. Also, he's endured almost everything. And yeah...this is the happiest episode of the series that I have to make about the person who's responsible for the genocide of my people. About one of the greatest men in history...and one of the most evil, bloodthirstiest men in history. Enjoy. Or not. It's more about me, telling the story this time.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Today is a special day – we bring you the final episode of the Red Dawn series, about Lenin’s death…and eternal life in mausoleum, people’s memory, anecdotes and culture. It…was amazing in the beginning, but turned out to be a laughing stock in the end. Next time, we’re moving to the Man of Steel – Stalin. But for now, remember: Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin – Eternally Alive! Enjoy, comrades! And…I actually apologize, because after ww2, it does get kinda boring for a while.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I'll be honest with you - the previous week has been a living hell for me, I'm dealing with a dying grandfather, for whom I have to do all the paperwork while he's still here with us. And it's hard. And Alice has exam season. And Alice spilled water on her laptop, so I had to re-record the whole episode. And then, we had to fix some factual errors in our episode, as it turns out, some of the documentaries that we watched were literally based in nothing. But...we pulled through. We did our best, and clenched our teeth and did amazing things. Like the Soviet people, during the NEP era, when they finally got some opportunities to do some private enterprises. Or, like Stalin, who, even though, curbed all of those private business activities, nonetheless kind of represents the stereotypical NEP-man in the political world. He was shrewd, cunning, tough, witty and...indescribably selfish, evil and with no sense of honor or loyalty to his allies. But...in a way, that's how the businessmen in the NEP were, and Stalin probably has more in common with Ostap Bender and Voland than he probably had imagined. And I'll leave this long description at that, comrades. Enjoy the show!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!We are honored to bring you The Greatest episode. Our humble show was visited by the Grandmaster of podcasting himself - Dan Carlin. We talked about Russian and Eastern European politics, role of new media in modern society, a bit about podcasting and then some Soviet history. It was a lot of fun, and I have to say that Dan's also a really kind and nice person. (Besides having the wisdom of ages, and reaching almost divine status in podcaster circles.) For an independent, Latvian podcast that started out in Hardcore History forums, it was very awesome to get his approval on what we're doing. And humbling. I truly hope you'll appreciate this interview, but even more so - that it'll make you reflect a bit.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, comrades! Today, we have an episode, discussing the tribes. Both of Native Americans and ancient Balts. Why? Because sometimes I feel like I have to explain why I feel closer to them rather than the colonial people. We are joined by Andrew James Cotter from Iroquois History and Legends Podcast http://www.longhousepodcast.com/ and discuss reservations, oppression, culture, tribal customs and myths that sometimes are there when you mention tribes to someone. Hope you'll enjoy this.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Today’s episode had a very troubled production. Basically, we had to re-do the script completely, when in the fact-checking segment of the production, we were forced to throw out huge chunks of the material, because it just couldn’t be verified and turned out to be published in some very shady news sites. And it’s no wonder, really, seeing how history is used these days to advance political agendas. For that, we also advance the timeline in Russia a bit, and you get to listen about the gruesome murders of the Romanovs. And the reasons why all of us, in the Baltics, were actually able to beat Bolsheviks in 1918 – 1920. Because “war communism” encapsulates many meanings. Enjoy. If you can.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This episode, quite probably, is the closest we’ll ever get to being a true crime podcast. You see, we acquired the Soviet criminal code. With comments. Educational edition. So, to have a break from doing our narrative episodes, we decided to do this. But, you see, comrades, reading this book is like staring into the eye of madness itself. There might be laws in these books, but there is no order. Oh, and everyone’s a criminal. And corruption is, essentially, de facto supported, encouraged and, if you think about how things are, simply inevitable. So, we threw out what script we had prepared, called my little brother – otherwise, he was very lonely this Easter, as his wife and kid is in the countryside, opened a beer and tried to make some sense of all of this. This is a chill episode, as…well, going easy, and with dark humour was literally the only way how to cover this actually very dark and serious subject. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!In this episode of our Russian Revolution series, we look at the events that led to the independence of Latvia and Estonia! That’s because Lithuania shall get paired with Poland in the next episode. Sorry for the delays, but this has proven to be one of the most research intensive episodes to date. I hope you’ll enjoy this one!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!The regular episode is shortly coming up, just in a day or two – but so many of you have sent in questions regarding the Russian state and media responses to the USA missile strike on Syria, that I just had to talk about this. It’s my journalistic duty, and hey, I might not be here for long, if this continues like this, so might as well make more episodes. At any rate, this is a sporadic and nervous, direct discussion and translation episode, a complete extra that had to be put out there ASAP. But I sincerely hope you’ll learn something from it. Also, here are the links to all the sources, for our new listeners:https://lenta.ru/news/2017/04/07/dam_edge/https://lenta.ru/news/2017/04/07/putin/https://lenta.ru/news/2017/04/07/note/https://lenta.ru/news/2017/04/07/mid/http://vesti.lv/news/tramp-raspyal-russkogo-malychika-v-siriiSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Let’s strike a deal, you enjoy this episode now, and I make the Baltics independence one a great show? In all seriousness, that subject turned out to be way, way bigger than I had originally anticipated, so I pulled our prepared April the 1st episode and made a switcheroo. So that I wouldn’t have to give you a sub-par episode on how Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania even begun. It’s like a trick, really. But made with Science! MAD SCIENCE! Just like this show, where I, Chris Cogswell from Mad Scientist Podcast and David Flora of Blurry Photos fame discuss the utter weirdness that was the Soviet Science. State-funded psychics! Scientific truths, determined by propaganda! Cow-Antilope hybrids! An army of super-soldiers, composed of human-orangutan hybrids! Volunteers! All that and more, in this, for once, light-hearted and fun episode! Enjoy!Oh, and we’re back to the serious stuff next time, I sincerely want to make that episode great.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! Here we are, with the 6th part of our series on the Russian revolution. Creating this episode and explaining what was going on in this time period was about as difficult as explaining the thoughts of a sugar cube, slowly dissolving into a cup of coffee. I, personally, blame Trotsky. And Lenin. If you're not constantly asking "What? But...why?" as you're listening to this episode about everyone's war against everyone, ridiculous decrees and attempts to consolidate power, you're doing it wrong. Also, tragic story of Ukraine. With hetmans and warlords and everything. And no, this is not about a video game. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This episode is dedicated to all the women podcasters out there! I wish all the best for you and for your shows!In this, special episode, I and Our Dark Lady (being from our Dark Myths podcast collective) Matilda Clare Testoni from the Singing Bones podcast, discuss the International Women’s Day, Valentina Tereshkhova and how Eastern European women differ culturally and where all of this comes from. And how much of this is actually real and how Soviet government used it for their own political gains. I treated this subject with a lot of respect, because…well, you’ll hear on your own. I hope you’ll find this episode interesting.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This is part 5 of our Red Dawn series – here, I talk about the events that commenced in October 1917, and how the whole insurrection happened. Because there was no second revolution. There was, however, a coup, beginning of a civil war and a bunch of decrees. This is when Lenin finally gets to put his theoretical ideas into practice. Enjoy! Oh, and also: for all of our Patreon subscribers, the next part of Anna Politkovskaya’s “Russian Diary” is also already waiting for you on our Pateron site!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! This episode is pretty bad. Like Nicky the 2nd's government. But we have to get over this one, to get to better episodes in the future. I apologize for inconvenience, but due to source overload, making this one felt like a real chore. All in all, we did our best. I hate dry facts, but...this is what we have. Then again...this is the same kind of nonsense, the citizens must've felt in Russia. I'll do better next time. When the events make more sense.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Today’s episode is an extra – a report about how it’s like to live in the pro-Russian separatist territories in eastern Ukraine. Don’t worry, I’ll hit the revolution soon enough – in fact, I already started recording that episode, but…I received fresh information about what’s going on in Donetsk and Luhansk literally yesterday morning – so I spent the whole day, translating matherials, scripting and recording, to bring you the most current, most accurate report, straight from the people, about how it’s like in eastern Ukraine today. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Citizens!In this episode, we shall look at the second largest country on planet earth, an important member of NATO, and a place where a lot of Latvian refugees went in the aftermath of WW2. Also, a lot of people from USA wanted to migrate there following the Trump elections. The problem is – politics of Canada, it’s history and issues aren’t well known and understood outside that country, yet, it’s often used as an example of healthcare and other issues. So, we try to figure out what’s the context of Canadian politics, it’s political history and what’s up with all the singing lumberjacks anyway.Enjoy! Sapere Aude!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This episode is all about Lenin's youth, and what he was doing starting from the point of his brother's execution, up to revolution. Turns out, he was a bit of a lazy jerk. And the factual list of things is long, tedious and...actually, not that fun. Instead, what IS fun are stories about Lenin from this time period, from his contemporaries, excerpts from his works and talking about his general ideas. Because seriously, I'm not going to list all the socialist gatherings in Europe he went to - but I'm giving you, comrades, a feel on what went down in these gatherings. Oh, and to help me with that, this week we have Prof. CJ on the show, from Dangerous History Podcast. He's very knowledgeable about revolutions and revolutionaries, and makes sure that everything I speak a bit more understandable. Also: Warning! We do have a sound issues near the end of the episode, that couldn't be fixed - it sounded fine on skype, but Zencastr had some lags apparently. Alice did what she could.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Today’s episode will be slightly different than planned, but nonetheless interesting! Today we’ll find out why Czar Nicholas II wasn’t as meek or neutral as people tend to portray him. In fact, Bolsheviks learned a lot from him. In the bad way. All in all, enjoy this, longer than usual episode, while we set the stage for even more Lenin. And go and listen to Inward Empire show in the mean time.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! This is our first episode in the Russian Revolution series, which we have dubbed "Red Dawn" as we enjoy bad cinematography. The episode itself is the story of Lenin's childhood, as we decided to split up his biography in two parts. I hope we can match Mike Duncan in quality and do this properly. As it's one of the murkiest things in Soviet history, to be honest. Anyways, enjoy! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!We've been pretty dark this year, this year has been pretty dark this year, so we decided to go completely silly. And dark. And myths. Okay, sorry about the puns. Basically, I love the British panel show QI. And like all podcasters, we do like a bit of a vacation. So, we came together with other podcasts - Twilight Histories, Astonishing Legends, Rumor Flies and Blurry Photos and made a tipsy parody of QI, hopefully Stephen Fry won't kill us. It contains a lot of facts and a lot of banter from your favourite podcasts. Merry Christmas, everyone! Hopefully, you'll get a good laugh. See you on the 28th, with our question/answer show! We'll post updates on social media on the specific times!And finally: You know, I run not only this, but also the Dark Myths podcast - https://www.acast.com/darkmyths/ It's let's mysterious than it sounds, it's basically me, interviewing other other members of that podcasting community. If you listen to any other shows in our collective, you might find it fun.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I received an ominous call from Russia last night. Warning me about dire threats to my life. This episode is all about that. And more.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I’ve managed to catch flu right now – but thankfully, we have this – an interview with Johan Andersson, lead designer of Paradox, who’s behind the grand strategy games that I (and at least some of you) enjoy: Crusader Kings 2, Europa Universalis 4 and Hearts of Iron 4. We hope you’ll enjoy this! Oh, and to the people who have just come here from Paradox forums: check out our other episodes too!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!We have reached the conclusion of our GULAG series. It has been a dark and terrible story…and it has no happy ending. But at the end of the episode, you’ll understand me, and possibly any other Baltic person that you may know, so much better. This one is about the scars. And it’s not pretty.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, listeners! In today’s episode, we are joined by Stephanie Ellaine Hunt, leader of the Drinking Liberally New York section to talk about Trump election, to discuss “how it is” and make some sense about how to still stay friendly to each other in this partisan environment. Also, we discuss race issues, women’s issues, LGBT rights and why, exactly, are minorities and these aforementioned groups afraid of Trump. And should Trump voters be afraid of Trump? Maybe there can be something good from this election? Who knows. In the next episode, which shall be released soon, we’ll be talking with Ben. That one was recorded before election – but it will be interesting to listen to that, after both election and after this episode. Enjoy. Also, music was taken from a royalty-free site, and it’s Actionable by talented Ben Sound.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, we finally deliver you our reading of A. Politkovskaya's "A Russian Diary". Full book, chapter by chapter, will go to our Patreon/Paypal supporters, as a thank you, but this - this is a prologue to get you interested, comrades!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While we work on our final, all-encompassing episode on GULAG (and KGB) which has consumed all free time and energy in the known universe, at least the parts of it, that are available in Latvia, we present to you our interview with the Dead Ideas podcast on the Red Scare, Duck & Cover, communism, answers to questions about communism, bits of Star Trek and why USA actually doesn’t have 50 states. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we take a step back from the darkness and turn on to an interview about the ancient tribes that lived in modern day Latvia, especially the Curonians! In an interview with a person that's a good candidate of being the most interesting man ever to live!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Halloween is here. It's also bullshit. This is...real tragedy. This episode is about the genocide against my people. The most depressing and hardest one to make so far. But I just have to tell this story. I don't ask you to enjoy. I ask you to learn...and never repeat this again.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! We continue our series on the penal system of the USSR, this time exploring KGB. History of the institution, how it operated, who benefited…who suffered. It’s weird like that. And deeply personal.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! This is part 1 of our multi-part series about GULAGs and the Soviet prisons, punishments and other...non-human activities, that turned people into subjects. A hard theme, if there ever was one.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! Sorry that we’re a bit slacking off this month, but this is due to wedding and everything. We’ll return in our full might in October, with Gulag survivor stories. But for now – for now, we’re doing something that was requested by one of our listeners. Soviet/Russian Mafiya and their KGB connections and comparison to the USA Italian Mafia. With very competent guests – Rob from The Lone Gunman podcast and Greg from Rumor Flies. I hope you’ll enjoy this – and await us in October! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!In this episode, which was created during the marriage process…and before…and slightly after, we talk about various stories that just didn’t make it in other episodes. Most of which are about art, alcohol, propaganda and theater. Because some things just cannot be separated from each other.Today’s picture:Actor Uldis PūcītisAgain, it will make more sense once you listen to the episode. Enjoy, and…do svidaniya, tovarischi! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!First things first – I’m just married, so that is why the episodes have been a bit late. Sorry for that, but we’re working hard to make sure everything’s on time and properly done. Secondly – this episode is all about Soviet history textbooks. And…as it was very funny, and I wanted to know what exactly to talk about, and didn’t have that much time before the wedding – this is also a Lesser Bonapartes (much more serious than usual) crossover. Glen asked us, what you would like to know, and we provided. And it turned out amazing. Hope you’ll enjoy this. And don’t worry – there’s more incoming in September!And, humongous thank you to everyone who supported our wedding! Me and Alice are very, very thankful, and will post pictures as soon as they’re ready. Oh, and today’s plug- the wonderful Clara Testoni, from the Singing Bones podcast. Go check her out! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, yes – I said only two PDRP episodes here, and the rest go to that feed. BUT…it’s my birthday, and I can give you this…well, present, actually.Hello, listeners of the People’s Democratic Republic of Podcast! Our episode about Denmark is in the works – the recording got a bit delayed, and this was supposed to be aired after that, BUT…it’s my birthday, and thus, I bring this to you. Here, Glen who is a self-proclaimed Zen Socialist from the Lesser Bonapartes podcast, meets Prof CJ, an Anarchist Libertarian from the Dangerous History Podcast. And…actually, they don’t duke it out. They prove that in this time of party polarization, even people with extremely opposing views can find things to agree upon, have a civilized discussion and figure things out. I’m just there to help. At the end, the problems are clear to everyone and are the same. The solutions, however, are possibly very different. IF they’re even possible. And politics…well, if politics makes you hate your fellow man, think again. Maybe it’s not the fellow man. Maybe it’s the one’s doing the politics. We’re wide-eyed cynics, ladies and gentlemen, and we like it that way.Also, thank you to Daniele Bolelli for providing our intro text. We found it fitting.And, of course, check out my fellow Dark Myths comrade shows:Lesser Bonapartes podcast – http://thelesserbonapartes.libsyn.com/Dangerous History podcast – http://profcj.org/Today’s song: “RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!I didn’t even know how much I can be motivated, when I get really angry. And this time, for a good reason – as Russian propagandists decided to desecrate one of, if not the, most important tragedies in the Baltics – the Vilnius massacre. So in this episode, we expose some very tragic events of the past, looking at the newspaper articles of the time and compare them with what Putin’s propaganda machine is spewing out now. And, of course, we look at the workings of that system as well.Pictures for today:The most iconic image from the Vilnius massacre in 13th January, 1991. Soviets ordered tanks to crush people and opened fire at the civilians.The Voice of Riga newspaper, used in the show.The Independent Struggle newspaper from 1991, used in the episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Our wedding tradition episode is here. Wedding traditions in these parts of the woods, starting from the 12th century, up to modern day. Listener questions are being answered too, and there’s a plethora of crazy stories from my dad, who played in a Soviet wedding band as a side job for years. As mentioned, this one’s a fundraiser so that we (me and Alice) could get married, so we at one point wanted to sell it for 1$, but then…ahh, no, we’re not capitalist enough, so, hopefully you’ll be nice enough to support us. Enjoy. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!Today’s episode is dedicated to Sports in the Soviet Union. We gathered what interesting stories we could about the subject, that show the spirit of the times, and put them here. This episode, although a bit short, is still one of the funniest I’ve made. And slightly depressing as usual, but…in the end, it’s about real people stories – and athletes have some of the best one’s to tell. Enjoy!Soviet speed skater Evgeny Grishin. This picture becomes instantly funny once you listen to the episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! Sorry for posting another PDRP show on this feed again – but I want to popularise that show, and you know, you actually [...] Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. 
 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!While we’re preparing for wedding here, and preparing new episodes, here’s a surprise for you. It’s an episode that we did for the paid feed of the Lesser Bonapartes, about the Baltic/Northern Crusade. You know – the piece of history that we’re asked to cover but that kind of can’t find a place. It’s also very, very long. Normally, you’d have to be a supporter of the Lesser Bonapartes show, paying 10$ or more to have this, but I’m giving this one to you, because…yeah, why not. So that you’d have something to listen to, while waiting for my next episode. And no, this means I won’t be covering all of those events separately, because 4h is quite enough, really. Have fun, as I’m preparing for wedding.And I expect a lot of questions from those who don’t read the text part of the RSS feeds. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, comrades!This is a preview, that is the first episode, of our spin-off show, People’s Democratic Republic of Podcast that we just launched. It can be found here: http://pdrp.lv/ obviously, everything is brand new and under construction there, but we’re working. This is a podcast about the comparison of parliaments in various countries, taking a look at the inner workings of the system, important parties, history of elections, politically interesting events and, of course, controversy. Where I interview people and get to use my journalism skills and academical knowledge. It’s a spin-off that’ll come out once per month, but the episodes will be really long. Because I thought that other, popular news and politics shows aren’t cynical, gonzo and punk enough and don’t take their time about the small things. Well, I do.If you’re interested – check this episode out, and find that show on iTunes or wherever, or that homepage and give it a listen. Oh, and enjoy! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!In our special anniversary episode, we do indeed deliver something special. This episode looks at a conspiracy theory that Putin might actually be dead…and what is uncovered, truly, is strange and weird. It shocked us, even – as this theory has way too much legitimacy behind it than it should have, and so, a thing that was supposed to be a fun anniversary episode, turned out to be one of investigative journalism. With examples. There’s also some discussion between me and Alice in the end, as this IS our official one year anniversary episode. But really, it’s overshadowed by what facts we managed to gather. And I obviously can’t say that something’s been definitely proven, it is a conspiracy theory after all – but it’s a really good one.And today’s images are…well, Putin, during various years. It becomes relevant during the show, and you’ll most likely want to come back to this page and take a look, once you get there in the episode.Putin in 1991Putin in 2000Putin in 2001Putin in 2007Putin in 2010Putin in 2011Putin in 2013Putin in 2015Comparison of Putin between 2010 and 2011 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings Comrades! Our episode about 1989 in the eastern bloc is out! Within: Baltic Way, interview about the Berlin Wall, soap operas, revolutions and more. As today is the largest Latvian national celebration of the year, I can’t provide more explanations right now, I have to jump over a fire, while drinking a beer! Līgo!Pictures for today’s episode:These are from the Baltic Way. They might seem naive and too optimistic, but…we were like this at the time. And we’re proud of it!And this is one of my sources, the Soviet Youth newspaper of the November 7th, 1989.Thank you for listening, I hope you’ll enjoy the show and…await our special episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EDIT: We-re uploaded this episode, as some people had troubles with it, due to unexpected, terrible side effects of the recording software that we used. [...] Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. 
 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!This is the extra episode I promised you in the previous regular episode. Feel free to skip if you’re not into historical humour, a bit of awkwardness and/or have already listened to this. In short, the introduction of me, as a co-host to the Lesser Bonapartes show. Just so that you’d get a feel, and hey – maybe you’ll enjoy that one as well. Next regular episode is June 15, but while you wait…you know, Lesser Bonapartes is there, check it out. Oh, and no – this is not the June surprise. That one’s special, and will be revealed on our 1 year anniversary, June 27th. But for now – enjoy me, trying to work on another show! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!In this episode we take a look at how childhood looked like in the USSR. A fair warning, as this episode might not be suitable to children. Not because it’s explicit – but because they might get some ideas about misbehaving. Then again, that’s the Soviet way.Today’s picture – Soviet Pioneers, giving the traditional salute, in a ceremony.And don’t forget to check out Dark Myths – especially Twilight Histories and Rumor Flies, which are the recommendations for this week! Oh, and please fill our survey!Do Svidaniya, Tovarishci! And enjoy the show. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!After all of our editing issues which you know about already, if you follow us on social media, this episode is finally out. (Alice is far away and Andrew’s PC died at the last moment) This one ended up focusing on Marriage, Family and Everyday life. I had an unprecedented amount of people, giving me their stories and they were so good that I didn’t want to throw any of them out. So, I didn’t. I hope you’ll like this show, as I think it really captures the “feel” of being a Soviet person. We’ll continue with the entertainment and chess next time. And a few other things.Oh, and one more thing – this episode is best enjoyed while listening to it together with your spouse/partner/significant other. Seriously. Because at the end it’s about what families had to go through, and how they did it.Today’s images are: pictures from various Soviet stores!A typical queue. They’re waiting to get into a shoe store, by the way. These TV’s differ by how they improve morale. (Latvian National Archive photo) Your Brezhnev-era typical shoe store. This is how it looked normally, and the queues formed when they actually brought in something that you could buy.A vegetable/canned good section on a good day. Still, note that while there’s a lot of stuff here, there’s almost no selection of anything. And half of it all is probably disgustingly bad.The sour cream has already been diluted!A butcher’s store – with the usual lack of merchandise, wrapping paper and the iconic Soviet weights.A special thanks to Ryan Caligari from the Rumor Flies podcast for editing this on such a short notice.Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, support us on Patreon or Paypal and leave us reviews on iTunes. Oh…and of course, don’t forget to love your spouse. That’s the most important part.Hope you’ll enjoy the show! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades!You might find that this episode is not as epic as the previous one – but that’s because we’re overworked. Anyway, we tried our best, and here it is. It’s very patriotic, however. And also – we’re on google podcasts now. For other news, listen to the show. Also, Ieva Akurātere is awesome.Today’s picture is a photo from the October 7th manifestation for a just state.And here’s the link to Ieva Akurātere – My Country, in the 1988 Liepājas Dzintars festival:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnjZVVgqqEUAnd enjoy the show! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.