TBILISI – Like Thursday morning’s joint prayer, on Georgia’s Palm Sunday, April 12, opposition leaders and President Mikheil Saakashvili stood together in prayer at Sameba Church.  

But the civility that marked the beginning of anti-government protests on Thursday was gone by Sunday, as 300-400 protesters gathered again on Rustaveli Avenue in front of Parliament at 3 p.m. Opposition leaders said they would announce their plans at 4 p.m.

Though opposition leaders had originally announced the pre-Easter holiday (Georgians are Orthodox, so follow a different calendar) as a break for protesters, plans changed after an attack on a main opposition protest sight in front of Parliament late Saturday night. Opposition leaders say about 50 men, including some members of a city street-cleaning crew, destroyed sound equipment and computers, and threatened some protesters at about 11 p.m.

Government sources deny that any city or state employees had anything to do with they attack, which they say is demonstrated by surveillance camerage footage released by the Ministry of Interior Affairs to the media.

But opposition leaders claim they can see employees from the city street cleaning crew.

“We have our own video material, that some members of demonstrations captured by their mobile phones. In this material we can clearly distinguish the head of the municipal street-cleaning crew, Tariel Khizaneishvili, damaging the equipment,” said the member of Conservative Party Bidzina Gudjabidze.

The incident has inflamed what had been an up-till-now restrained relationship between the two sides. After the incident, Tbilisi’s Mayor Gigi Ugulava offered the organizers of demonstration to clean the place near the Parliament themselves.

“We are ready to give the demonstrators all the necessary equipment they need for cleaning in order to avoid tension,” said Ugulava, “including brooms.”

Saakashvili has characterized the people who are unhappy with him as those who lost work under his democratic reforms.

“People demanding my resignation are mostly unemployed, who have lost their jobs during the democratic reforms held in our country. Their approximate number is 250 000,” he is quoted as saying in Newsweek Magazine today.

Members of Nino Burjanadze's party Democratic Movement - United Georgia ant the Youth Movement going from Tbilisi State University towards Rustaveli Avenue. Photo by Giorgi Pkhachiashvili

TBILISI, Georgia – Putting aside their differences on the dawn of this April 9, both protest leaders and government officials started Thursday not in opposing camps, but standing together in front of the Parliament to remember the Georgians killed 20 years ago on the same day.

At 11 a.m., President Mikheil Saakashvili stood next to the opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze at a prayer held by Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II, to commemorate the 20 Georgians shot and killed for protesting against the Soviets. Gachechiladze even helped to light a candle held by Davit Bakradze, the head of Parliament and prominent member of Saakashvili’s National Movement. April 9 is a national holiday for Georgians to commemorate the tragic events.

The morning meeting set the tone for Thursday’s protests, which were more civil than disobedient. With large but orderly marches, leading to about 55,000 protesters converging upon Parliament, and a measured government response with not even one can of tear gas fired, the day ended as it had begun: with Saakashvili still president, and the opposition still demanding his resignation.

More tension may come today, when demonstration leaders have directed protesters to block parliament, the president’s administration building and other “main building” entrances if he doesn’t resign by 4 p.m.

Both sides took credit for the peaceful first day protests. According to opposition leaders the peace lasted during the day because the protestors were “well organized and in a nonviolent mood,” said Zviad Dzidziguri, a prominent member of the Conservative Party. Government officials maintained the fact that the police was restrained and instructed not to obstruct any peaceful protests.

Some Georgian experts are saying that much depends on how long each side can maintain the goodwill.

“I don’t think that Government is concerned because of the protest yet. Everything depends on the development of the process. If the number of protesters will rise, than the government will think about compromise, if no they will continue pretending that nothing important has happened,”said Vladimer Papava, a Professor of Economics and a Senior Fellow of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies.

Another political scientist, Soso Tsiskarishvili, who ran Georgia’s External Economic Relationships Department under ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze, adding:

“The side which will use violence first will lose.”

The day started uncharacteristically early for Georgia: at 5 a.m. about 60 people gathered in front of parliament to commemorate national holiday. Most of these people were going to participate in opposition protests later, but for the moment, they were lighting candles and laying flowers at a memorial in front of Parliament.

After meeting together in prayer, opposition leaders split off in four different places, meeting their supporters at 12 p.m. Gachechiladze and the Alliance for Georgia party gathered in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster building. Nino Burjanadze’s party, Democratic Movement – United Georgia, together with the youth movement branding themselves April 9 Headquarters, started from Tbilisi State University. National Forum and their supporters moved from Dinamo Stadium, while the Avlabari Metro station was the starting place for the Conservative party and Movement for United Georgia.

At about 2:30 p.m. all of the protesters met in front of the parliament, joined by tens of thousands of others. Poet Dato Magradze read the statement written by the opposition saying that this is the last chance for the government and that the protesters will not leave until their main demand – resignation of President – will be fulfilled.

Almost all leaders of oppositional parties addressed protesters with textbook speeches promising few concrete future actions. The appearance of Nino Burjanadze, former Saakashvili administration anchor turned opposition, was met by whistles and boos. She apologized to the crowd for not being able to protect them during the protest of November 7, 2007.

“Nino it’s too late,” shouted some protestors. Many are angry that Burjanadze didn’t do more to curb Saakashvili over the past four years. They also don’t trust her connections, including her father, a flour mogul, and her husband, a high ranking official during former President Eduard Schevardnadze’s time.

About 4 p.m. part of protesters an oppositional leader’s decided to go back to the building of the Public Broadcaster to complain about not showing complete coverage of demonstrations. Read more on this story here: www.ketiebanoidze.wordpress.com

Couple of hundred protesters stayed in front who ran Georgia’s External Economic Relationships Department under ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze of the Parliament building during the night and during the day on Friday. Read more here: www.radiobedniereba.wordpress.com

-By Lika Kasradze, Ia Gavasheli and Natalie Nozadze

He said the hardest thing for him is to explain to his staff members what their obligations are, and to help them fulfill their obligations faultlessly.
Melikidze likes airing the morning program live best of all his duties. He said that a lot of interesting and unexpected things happen during live broadcasts.
“I can compare the airing of program live with extreme sports. You are not insured against any mistake and you know that this mistake will cost you a lot” said Melikidze.
He hates swearing, but sometimes he admitted that he couldn’t control himself when things go wrong at work.
If he had the possibility to change something, he would change the management of his program. Melikidze said his program is not well organized.
He recalls something that happened a few years agothat  seemed awful at the time, but today he recalls the situation with humor.
“Three years ago when I was working as a producer’s assistant I got drunk at work. When I woke up the program was already over. I still don’t know who aired the program” He said.
Melikidze cannot imagine what job other than producing he would like to have. He said that he would go into the military if he didn’t have this work. His love of the military is known to those who work with him.
“He can talk about military books for hours. Thanks to him, I am familiar with the war strategy of Middle Ages” said Melikidze’s colleague Kakha Bakhbakhashvili.
Melikidze thinks that his job is important, because his program is about people.
He knows people see his work, though they may not realize his part in it.
“You maybe not be a devoted spectator of morning program Alioni, but I bet that once in your life time you have glanced at it” said Melikidze.

 Kasradze finished secondary school #4 in 2003.

“Years I have spent in my school are unforgettable, even today I miss those times when I was sitiing in the third row of my classroom with my best friend Ana.” – said Kasradze.

 Curiosity was the main reason why she entered faculty of journalism at Tbilisi State University. Studying process and the lecturers in university didn’t satisfy her, but still she is glad she has been studying there.

 ” I am thankful to the university just because I got many friends there.”- Kasradze says.

 Kasradze continues studies at Georgian Institute of Public Affair (GIPA). School of Journalism and Media Management was her choice at this time. Kasradze hopes to improve her skills here.

 Two years ago she was an intern at a Georgian magazine “Exit”, reporting about cultural events. Kasradze liked to cover culture but as she said, working for the print media is not her passion.

 Today she works for “Imedi TV” as a news reporter. Because of her busy schedule at GIPA, she works for news program only on weekends.

  Listening to music is her hobby, Nat King Cole is her favourite jazz singer. Although she does not like pop, there is one singer that she adores from her childhood.

  “Salome is fond of Michel Jackson. She knows all lyrics of his songs by heart. At first I didn’t like Jackson, but when you live with Salome in one room it’s impossible not to fall in love with his music.”- said Elene Kasradze, Salome’s young sister.   In summer Kasradze’s favorite place is Tsavkisi. She has a summer-house there. Every summer she hosts lots of friends and  parties.

 As she says: “There is no heven on earth, but there is Tsavkisi”.

“I have heard about Internet shopping from my friend.  She told me that I could find many famous brands here and I started looking for Calvin Klein. When I found the same coat from the shop on the web-site coasting 450 dollars, I was pretty surprised,” said Sixarulidze.
He decided to buy coat straight from the web-site, without any middleman.  After two weeks Sixarulidze received the coat, paid 450 dollars, plus 63 dollars for shipping. As he says, he is happy with his purchase, and this kind of shopping seems very convenient to him.

 Compared to other Western countries, online shopping is new for Georgia. In Tbilisi people became interested in Internet shopping few years ago. If in Europe and America, the most popular and purchased items over the Internet are books, in Georgia clothes, shoes and accessories are in demand.

“I became interested in Internet shopping two years ago. My friend living in America advised me to see Victoria’s Secret website. At first I was skeptical, I couldn’t imagine buying clothes or shoes without trying them on. Today 80% of my clothes and shoes are from Victoria’s Secret.  I am so animated with Internet shopping that I can’t stop.” – says 32-year-old journalist Keti Nijaradze.

 19-year-old singer Gvanca Zakareishvili visits web-site www.amazon.com very often. As she says, she can buy clothes over Internet, but she cannot risk buying shoes:
 “It’s hard to buy shoes only by seeing a photo. Once I did so, I received lovely pumps, but I couldn’t wear them, because they were very uncomfortable. I prefer to buy pullovers, t-shirts, dresses and accessories.”

 Every day millions of people all around the world buy different goods without going to store.  This comfortable service is available since the early 1990s.  Charles Stack created the first online book store, Book Stacks Unlimited in 1992. 
 Internet shopping has become popular and massive in recent years. More than 85 percent of the world’s online population has used the Internet to buy something increasing the market for online shopping by 40 percent in the past two years – according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet shopping habits cited by the Earth Times Online Newspaper.

Amazon, EBay, Zappos, Victoria’s Secret, Best Buy are the trendiest and some of the most often visited online shops in the world.
 Online shoppers commonly use credit cards to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: various types of electronic money, cash on delivery, check, postal money order, gift cards and etc.

George Bekarashvili founded Luckyshop.GE in March of 2008. It is a mediator site between Georgian consumers and American Internet shops. With the help of this website buying any desirable goods is available even without a bank account or a credit card.
“Many customers of Internet shops think that the long procedure connected with buying some goods is very complicated. That’s why I created Lucky Shop. All the customer has to do is to find the thing that he wants to buy on the website, then come to our office and show me the desirable item. Buyer is paying money by cash before arrival of the parcel. We take plus 14 percent of shipping per item for our service,”says George Bekarashvili.

14 percent of shipping for one item may seem little bit expensive, but if compared to the prices at stores in Tbilisi the picture changes.
“At online shops clothes and shoes of big brands, such as Armani, Hugo Boss Christian Lacroix and Missoni are expensive too, but in Tbilisi prices are really wild. A year ago I bought Armani’s leather bag from Internet shop for 300 dollars, few months ago I saw the same bag in Tbilisi, priced 500 dollars.” said 45-year-old Maia Jgenti.

 Some Internet shops, such as Victoria’s Secret and Urban Original have their own representations in Tbilisi. It means that consumer visits the desirable website and chooses the item. Cost of a buying plus shipping is automatically charged on the credit card. A representative delivers the parcel during two weeks at the consumer’s address.
Shipping a small number of items, especially from foreign country is more expensive than domestic shipping.
“I paid 15 dollars for pumps at Urban Original. As I bought only one pair the shipping was 25 dollars, so it turned out those pumps coasted cheaper than shipping. Next time my colleagues and me decided to buy things together from one credit card. Eight of us bought 14 pairs of shoes, at this time shipping was 8 dollars per pair of shoes,” said 20-year-old Tamar Chantladze.

DJ Kaxa Kekoshvili goes Internet shopping for goods, which are not obtainable here:
“It’s almost impossible to buy modern tape-recorder of a good quality in Tbilisi. Even if you find one, it coasts ten times more than abroad, that’s why I prefer to buy techniques at Internet shops,” he says.

43-year-old mountain-climber David Chantladze uses Internet shopping for his professional gear: “I think it is very convenient.  Ten years ago I couldn’t imagine that I could buy mountain climbing equipment over Internet,” he says.

 One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged; however, if the buyer opts not to purchase insurance on their products, they may not always be lucky:
“I am buying clothes on Internet shops for years. A month ago I decided to buy beautiful dishes. When the parcel arrived two plates were broken. I wrote a complaint email to the company, but they responded that my purchase was not insured,” said 56-year-old Nana Mgebrishvili.
Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for damage, but it is up to their discretion.

To enter the basement one had to go down the broken stairs. Dampness and dirt was all around. There was no light and it was hard to distinguish subjects. Wooden door was rotten because of oldness. Basement had no windows, there were many shelves on the main wall. All of them loaded with different kinds of pots and jars full of jam and compotes.

Mary Tatishvili was the most fearful child in the yard. She was fond of sweets but couldn’t go to her basement alone. Once her cousin told her that ghost lived in their basement and since then Tatishvili was scared of that place. Her friends were afraid too, but their curiosity was stronger.

“Old basement, which was always full with delicious jams and compotes, was our favorite place in childhood. After Mary told us the story of a ghost we were really frighten, but still we visited that place sometimes looking for adventure,” – said 21-year-old Anna Kiladze.

“Once I decided to joke with my friends. I went down to the basement secretly, ate my favorite strawberry jam and broke the pot. Than I called my friends and told them that I saw ghost eating the jam in the basement. They were really frightened, some of them even see nightmares in their dreams,”- recalls 22-year-old Beka Maxaradze.

“Every time me and my childhood friends gather, we talk about my basement and recall the funny stories connected with it. Today it seems very usual place for me but 17 years ago this dark, dirty and damp place attracted us with its mystery,” said 21-year-old Mary Tatishvili.

Few years ago Tatishvilis family sold the old basement. Today on the ground floor of three-storey house build with red bricks on Iamanidze Street, witch was the most mysterious place for children is a modern supermarket.