The peace and pacts of August

August 13, 2010

Once upon a time in the White House

Twenty years ago a Latvian prime minister and foreign minister met with an American president in the Oval Office of the White House. It was July 30, 1990, and Latvia was still an occupied country. Why did President George H.W. Bush meet with Ivars Godmanis and Jānis Jurkāns a year before Latvia restored its independence, and why does it matter today?

Publicēts 2010.08.12

Bērni, tie esat jūs, mūsu zelts!

Ir 11. jūlija vakars Rīgā. Tikko Daugavas stadionā izskanējis pēdējais X Latvijas skolu jaunatnes dziesmu un deju svētku lielkoncerts “Deja kāpj debesīs”, un kopā ar citiem skatītājiem ejam uz mašīnas stāvvietu. Pa priekšu man iet dejotāji no Grobiņas, lai dotos mājās. Jautāju bērniem - kā jūtaties pēc garās dziesmu svētku nedēļas? Saņemu atbildi: labi, mājās negribas braukt!

June 16, 2010

To be continued (A diplomatic success story)

When I was lobbying for Latvia’s independence in the late 1980s, I used to tell Washington politicians that the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia were just a brief 50-year interruption in the history of the Latvian Republic.

Publicēts 2010.05.15

Latvija atsakās no trešdaļas tautas

Izlasot 13. maija Satversmes tiesas spriedumu par Pilsonības likuma pārejas noteikumu kļūst skaidrs, ka ir svarīgi burts, nevis būtība! 2010. g. 13. maija būtība ir, ka Latvijas valsts, partijas, tiesas ar Saeimu priekšgalā nevēlas rūpēties par Latvijas pilsoņiem, tas, kas demokrātiskās valstīs ir pat par sevi saprotams. Visas demokrātiskās valstis aktīvi rūpējas par saviem pilsoņiem un tos sauc atpakaļ valstī. To dara pat Krievija.

Publicēts 2010.03.09

Būsim arī vienoti par pilsonības jautājumu

Mēs esam sanākuši šajā pilnsapulcē, lai uzklausītu mūsu partijas biedru domas par triju partiju vēlēšanas apvienību “Vienotību”, kā arī balsotu par to. Šāda nesavtīga pieeja ir nepieciešama, lai Latvijai būtu pozitīvas izaugsmes un attīstības iespējas. Bet neaizmirsīsim šajā vēsturiskajā brīdī tos Latvijas pilsoņus, kuriem ir atņemta iespēja aktīvi piedalīties savas valsts veidošanā. Neaizmirsīsim tos, kas dzīvo ārpus Latvijas un tomēr ir pieskaitāmi Latvijas pilsoņu kopumam.

February 01, 2010

Sold: A piece of diplomatic history at 17th and Webster

On Jan. 7, in a quiet neighbourhood on the northwest side of Washington, D.C., the Latvian government sold a small piece of land that once had a big impact on our country’s history. The brown brick two-story building on the corner of 17th and Webster may have served as Latvia’s first embassy in the United States for 14 years, but for many it will always be remembered in its first diplomatic incarnation, as the Legation of Latvia.

January 13, 2010

Latvia exports success

During Latvia’s boom years, our exports never exceeded imports. Last year, during the peak of the economic crisis, they did. What gives? A look at some of our top exporting companies offers some surprising clues.

Publicēts 2009.12.31

2010. gads prasīs daudz spēka un darba

Labvakar, Latvija! Stāvot uz gadu mijas sliekšņa, allaž atskatāmies pagātnē un domājam par nākotni.

Publicēts 2009.11.17

Lai mums izdodas saglabāt nešaubīgu ticību Latvijas nākotnei

Es nešaubīgi ticu Latvijas nākotnei, kas izaugs no mums.

November 10, 2009

In Latvia, the kids are all right

One afternoon not long ago, I was standing in line at my neighborhood pharmacy, where the overhead lighting was almost as harsh as the saleslady’s icy glare. When my turn came to step up to the counter, I rattled off a list of items as if I were ordering sandwiches at a deli.

Publicēts 2009.11.05

ALA, PBLA gatavojas 10. Saeimas vēlēšanām

Kaut arī līdz Latvijas Republikas 10. Saeimas vēlēšanām ir vēl gads, gatavošanās šim procesam kļūst par vienu no galvenajām Amerikas latviešu apvienības (ALA) Informācijas nozares darba prioritātēm.

Publicēts 2009.10.15

Latvija izdzīvos. Jautājums būs tikai, kā?

Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība kā ārzemju latviešu centrālo organizāciju augstākā pārstāvība pastāv un darbojas jau vairāk nekā 53 gadus. Mūsu organizācijai ir ievērojama pieredze un atpazīstamība. PBLA valde pārstāv visas lielākās latviešu mītnes zemes - ASV, Kanādu, Austrāliju, Eiropu, Krieviju un Dienvidameriku.

September 28, 2009

Living in Rīga brings appreciation for heat

I had never thought much about heat before. Its presence indoors was so reliable that the seasons seemed to pass seamlessly from warm months to cold. Weather belonged outside. Then I moved to Rīga, Latvia.

September 18, 2009

Capitalizing on Rīga

Don’t expect Rīga to be completed if it becomes a European Capital of Culture in 2014. According to legend, Rīga can never be “finished,” or it will sink to the bottom of the Daugava River.

August 19, 2009

How do you say ‘zaglis’ in English?

I’m a liar and a thief, a deceiver and a cheat. I steal precious goods with one hand and give back an inferior product with the other, drawing a profit from the difference. I make a living peddling mere shadows of the truth, spend my days practicing the fine art of deception. I translate texts from Latvian into English.

Commentary archive »

Columns

Politics in Latvia

Run-up to October’s Saeima election features alliances, conflicts

Uldis Ozoliņš

August 08, 2010

With less than two months before the Oct. 2 Saeima election, Latvian politics is emerging from the respite of a warm summer. All lists of party candidates have now been finalised and some clear battle lines for the election have been drawn.

Politics in Latvia

As Saeima election approaches, parties jockey for position

Uldis Ozoliņš

June 08, 2010

With the Saeima election still some five months away, the jockeying for position among Latvia’s political parties is heating up. This comes in the farcical context where several major parties that hate the Valdis Dombrovskis-led minority government and who could throw it out—but who do not want the responsibility of governing themselves—constantly try to weaken it to boost their own electoral chances.

Latvian Computing

Coming soon to a theatre near you: Better sound from a Latvian inventor

Arnis Gross

May 28, 2010

More than 20 years in the making, a Latvian invention is about to transform the audio industry. With this software and hardware solution, sound emitted from a loudspeaker becomes clearer and more natural than ever.

Politics in Latvia

In Latvia, a false calm after the coup

Uldis Ozoliņš

May 11, 2010

An eerie calm has settled over the Latvian political scene since one of the most scandalous moments in recent Latvian political history: the voting in the Saeima (Parliament) against the reappointment of Chief Prosecutor Jānis Maizītis.

Politics in Latvia

Unity has potential, but faces rocky road

Uldis Ozoliņš

March 14, 2010

The formation of the new alliance Unity (Vienotība) on March 6 from three major centre-right parties to campaign in the coming Oct. 3 parliamentary election has been long awaited.

Commentary archive »

Blogs

Music

Eolika, Latvia’s answer to ABBA, releases 30th anniversary album

August 18, 2010

A collection of hit songs by Eolika, once called Latvia’s answer to Swedish pop superstars ABBA, has been released in Rīga as the foursome marks its 30th anniversary.

Music

Album memorializes Līvi vocalist Grodums

August 08, 2010

An album in memory of Jānis Grodums, one of the founding members of the legendary Latvian guitar rock band Līvi, has been released just weeks after his death. Grodums, 52, died June 15.

Dažādi

Group publishes Latgale stories on CD

August 03, 2010

A compact disc featuring 31 Latgallian stories told by various cultural activists and musicians has been published by the Latgolys Producentu Grupa.

Blogs archive »