Homosexuals next door?

CRRC has made it possible to download datasets from the Data Initiative Survey 2004-2006 in Caucasus in SPSS format. I just made a quick unscientific crosstabulation. I wanted to check tolerance for homosexuality, and how it varies across the nationalities in the Caucasus. Here is how it came out:

There is a significant difference between Aserbadijan and Armenia, and Georgia. In Georgia 31% of the respondents do mind having homosexuals as neighbours. In Aserbadijan and Armenia only 6% and 7% did mind. But if you ask the Georgians if they can be friends with a homosexual, only 10% mind. So it seems that homosexuals are ok as long as they don't move in next door.

CRRC Data Initiative Development Team, CRRC Data Initiative Survey 2004-2006: Tbilisi, Georgia, Caucasus Research Resource Centers (2006).

Year of The Georgian Diaspora

A state-sponsored forum opened in Tbilisi on May 27 in an attempt to restore the bridge between Georgia and Georgians abroad. The government has initiated 2007 as the ‘Year of the Georgian Diaspora.’ A brand new website, was also presented at the forum. This according to Civil Georgia.ge.

I know many of my readers are Georgians living abroad. You might have some interest in looking at the site. I myself have had a look (with interpreter) and found it excellent! It covers many topics regarding culture and traditions. Professional, interesting and well designed. As of today the site is only in Georgian, but will emerge in English, Turkish and probably Russian soon.

I look forward to read the site in english :-)

Sopho IN FOCUS

Sopho and Georgia did a remarkably good performance in the Eurovision Song Contest yesterday. Judging from responce in many norvegian blogs and newspapers, the Georgian contribution was perceived as exciting and innovative. That, combined with a general curiosity around the traditional dancing and rythm, and her great voice made her contribution become very good PR for Georgia. Another fact I personally found amusing, was that Georgia sent 4 machomen with swords against a horde of boy-toys in feathers, wigs and extreme make-up.
(Photo by Indrek Galetin)

Bezhuashvili SHAKY

Reuters Tbilisi reports 03.05.2007 that "Georgia would, if asked, consider hosting elements of the proposed US missile shield", Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said on Wednesday in a newspaper interview.
Listen. Can you hear Vladimir whispering "Make my day, Gela. Make my day!"? God I'm glad I 'm not in charge of the gas and electricity in Georgia theese days...

*Update: He didn't say it,he says.

Instead this came up today in Civil.ge: "Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on May 5, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported. The two ministers discussed the Georgian-Russian relations and the ways to improve these relations, according to the same report."

Saakashvili FRIED

Well actually not at all. The president attended BBC Worlds Hardtalk last night. That is by no means ordinary chit-chat . Stephen Sackeur, BBC’s notoriuous hardtalker, attempted to fry Saakashvili over several hot issues, but did not succeed. Instead we witnessed an interesting conversation, where Saakashvili never was tempted to either slam Putin, nor get aggrevated over Abkhazia. Compared to his earlier "have your say" with BBC, wich I commented some time ago, he gave a solid and proactive impression. This is oviously a president with future plans!