Georgia on my mind

Things are heating up in Tbilisi, as tens of thousands of protesters have descended upon the city to call for the resignation of Shevardnadze. For the past few days, a pro-government rally, consisting of supporters who were bused in from an outlying region has held court in Tbilisi while the opposition has been gathering forces in the West. Tonight, the opposition (they are claiming numbers up to 100,000 protesters, but that has not been verified) reached Tbilisi, and happily, no violence has yet marred the demonstrations. Some recent development suggest that there is a chance for escalation, so I'm staying tuned. In the meantime, some pictures. First, the opposition protesters driving into Tbilisi in a train of cars several kilometers long:


And the pro-government protesters brought in from Ajara. Whereas the opposition demonstrations include young and old, men and women, rich and poor, these fun-loving fellows are a bit more homogenous: