Perhaps Valdis Zatlers, ex-surgeon and current President of Latvia, believes in the 'wipe with the left, shake with the right' protocol.

Thank god for the flowers that were recently placed at the Freedom Monument. Last Friday a drunk driver, protesting the current situation in Latvia, decided to take it out on Milda and headed straight for the moment. He had second thoughts though when he saw the flowers and only mounted a couple of steps, leaving the monument undamaged. "I wanted to smash the Freedom Monument, but then I saw the flowers and stopped. This is the only thing that stopped me, "said the driver. Perhaps we should replace the soldiers guarding the monument with a daily flower arrangment...