Šis un tas
Strongmen in Rīga
June 21, 2006
It was 1:30 in the morning and, for some reason, we could not sleep. So we turned on the television to kill some time. Clicking through the channels, something caught our eye on OLN. We lingered and, sure enough, found that we were watching something taking place in Rīga: a rerun of the IFSA Strongman European Championship, an event that took place in July 2005. Among the competitors was hometown favorite Raimonds Bergmanis.
The strongman competition was somewhat surreal, featuring events such as “Conan’s Wheel” and “Atlas Stones.” But it was made more surreal because of the Latvian venue, the famed Mežaparks open-air theater, perhaps best known as the site of song festivals. To top it off, one could clearly see that Mežaparks was covered with advertising from various event sponsors, such as Aldaris beer and Radio SWH. The competitors, too, served as bulging billboards. In one event, they wore T-shirts proclaiming “Rīga - City of Inspiration,” but in the next “Latvenergo,” followed by “Rīgas Brīvosta.”
Lithuania’s Zydrunas Savickas won the competition. Bergmanis came in fourth.
We headed back to bed, hoping to store up some strength of our own.
— Andris Straumanis
What's new
News
01 Sep 2010
Summer of 2010 is Latvia’s warmest
This summer in Latvia has been the warmest on record, topping the previous heat wave of 2002, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre.
News
30 Aug 2010
Number of green cards declines, while U.S. sees more Latvian visitors
The number of persons from Latvia who have become legal permanent residents of the United States dropped last year to its lowest point in the past decade, according to recently released government statistics.
Reviews
28 Aug 2010
Latvian, Georgian collaboration results in remarkable world music album
One of the most intriguing recent collaborations in Latvian music is that of composer Valts Pūce and the Georgian ensemble The Shin. Joining together on the recording entitled Es arī, their talents have produced a unique album, combining elements of Latvian and Georgian folk songs, as well as jazz and other world music elements.
In the forums
SC = "Atpakaļ nākotnē" posted by ambersun on 02 Sep 2010
Election campaigns posted by jem71 on 01 Sep 2010
Saeima nedomā par latviešiem, bet par bagātiem ārzemniekiem posted by courlander on 31 Aug 2010
Durbin on the Mosque posted by Peteris Cedrins on 30 Aug 2010
"In Israel, Settling for Less" posted by Peteris Cedrins on 30 Aug 2010
