There is a distant rumble in the regional economy – one with a particularly Persian flair. Iranian commerce and exports are about to enter an unrestricted world market as part of the deal negotiated between Western partners and Iranian leadership over its nuclear enrichment program. If Iran can meet the terms of the agreement, sanctions on its exports and imports will be lifted within the next year.

In August 2015, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri reached 3.49GEL, which is 11.4% higher month-on-month (compared to July 2015), and 7% higher year-on-year (compared to August 2014). Two factors combined in August to push the Khachapuri index upwards. On the one hand, the Index is up due to a seasonal decline in the supply of cheese – the main (and most expensive) khachapuri ingredient.

There are standard economics courses and then there are those taught by Daniel Levy. Professor Levy is a dynamic and engaging teacher who turns the dismal science on its head (while standing on a chair) and transforms the study of economics into a true adventure. This teaching talent was on full display last in early September as Professor Levy lead ISET students through a "Competitive Bazaar Simulation”.

The Georgian Lari has lost in value during the last couple of weeks, but, perhaps surprisingly, this has not yet translated into higher food prices. According to the latest results of ISET's Retail Food Price Index (FPI), the prices of food staples sold in the main Georgian supermarket chains have actually decreased by 0.6% during the last week of August (Aug 22-29).

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the word gay refers to a cheerful, lively, and high-spirited person. The LGBT Prague Pride Parade, which I was fortunate to observe on my recent visit to Prague, lived to the very definition of the word. What I saw was fabulous: unicorns and countless rainbow-colored flags, balloons, and thousands of exalted people dancing and singing in the middle of Wenceslas Square.