Editor's Notebook

About the columnist

Born in New York, Andris Straumanis teaches journalism at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, commuting from his home in Minnesota. Besides serving as editor of Latvians Online, Straumanis pursues research interests including the history of pre-World War II Latvian immigrants to North America and the contemporary Latvian mass media. He also has served as director of the Latvian School of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Now a freelance journalist, Straumanis has worked as a reporter, editor and photographer for several newspapers.

20 Apr 2008

Platforma’s plans for free music raise questions

Rimants Liepiņš, head of Rīga-based Platforma Music, apparently wants to turn Latvia’s recording industry on its ear. He plans for…

29 Jul 2007

Survey raises hope for dual citizenship

The recent survey about dual citizenship sent out by Latvia’s integration secretariat has raised in me a glimmer of hope…

06 May 2007

Lordi, save us from Ukraine in Eurovision

The more I listen to Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the more I have come around to…

10 Dec 2006

New radio makes Internet listening a joy

If you are tired of firing up the computer when you want to listen to a Latvian radio station over…

20 Aug 2006

New York camp’s anniversary brings back memories

The Latvian camp in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York celebrates it golden anniversary this year. What horrid memories…

30 Jun 2006

Newspaper aims to serve Latvians in Ireland

The first Latvian newspaper in decades to be published abroad is aiming to become part of the information diet of…

22 Jun 2006

In heaven, there is no Latvian beer

In heaven there is no beer, according to a polka classic. If that is true, then I must be living…

26 Feb 2006

Radio show reaches for Latvians abroad

It’s Sunday, which means it’s time for another installment of “Latviešiem pasaulē,” a new show on Latvijas Radio 2 for…

21 Nov 2005

‘Light’ version of anthem should be outlawed

As national anthems go, the Latvian hymn “Dievs, svētī Latviju!” is a rather short one. So why bother even having…

29 May 2005

School may be spark for Latvians in Ireland

Here’s a doctoral dissertation waiting to be written. Thousands of Latvians—perhaps 20,000 and growing—are now living and working in Ireland.…

13 Jan 2005

Remembering the 1905 Revolution

Jan. 13 marked the 100th anniversary of the massacre along the Daugava River in Rīga that sparked the 1905 Revolution…

02 Jan 2005

Listening to Latvian radio just got easier

Thanks to a broadband connection to the Internet, it has not been uncommon for someone visiting my home to hear…

27 Aug 2004

Hollywood kills Latvian ambassador

I had never seen an episode of the USA Network’s crime show Monk, so when I happened to tune in…

19 Aug 2004

Memorial would honor Latvians in Mississippi

Her aunt, Gale Cushman says, has a bee in her bonnet about this thing. But it is Cushman who lives…

06 Jul 2004

Why did we cry at ‘Eslingena’?

Why did we cry at the close of the musical “Eslingena”? Because we were happy that Andrejs and Ilze stayed…

15 Jun 2004

How my summer reading stacks up

A few days ago I did something I haven’t done in a long time. I gathered a stack of books…

19 May 2004

Ukraine won but, better yet, Greece didn’t

Bookmakers in the United Kingdom predicted that Sakis Rouvas of Greece would win the Eurovision Song Contest this year, according…

10 May 2004

Eurovision gets bigger, goes ethnic

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be the largest, and perhaps most ethnic, ever. Thanks to fundamental changes in how…

28 Apr 2004

May 1 takes on a new meaning

“Saturday’s already May 1,” my mother said as she peered at the Laiks calendar in the kitchen. “Hmm,” I replied…

30 Mar 2004

We unveil our new look

The subtitle for this column ought to be “What I Did on My Spring Vacation.” While students at the university…

17 Mar 2004

Apollo unveils first digital music store

The Internet portal Apollo has unveiled the first online digital music store in Latvia. Apollo’s Fonotēka (Sound Library) service gives…

25 Feb 2004

Latvia to name its Eurovision entry

Two years ago, Latvia’s Marija Naumova surprised hometown fans and the rest of Europe by winning the Eurovision Song Contest…

18 Feb 2004

Music industry prepares to name best of 2003

For Latvia’s music industry, February will close out with a couple of big bangs. Eirodziesma 2004, the competition that will…

04 Feb 2004

A handy tool for the Latvian newshound

For the dedicated online newshound, keeping up with events in Latvia is getting to be more and more of a…

20 Jan 2004

Latvian Television struggles with its leadership

The final weeks of 2003 and the first few of this year have proven to be rough time for the…

24 Jul 2003

Old Latvian cemetery marks centennial

A family of wild turkeys, two adults and eight little ones, scurried across Galkin Road as I neared the Martin…

03 Jun 2003

Sailors’ story comes back to life

Many years ago, my parents took me along on a vacation to Nags Head, a small town in the Outer…

20 May 2003

Predictions give Eurovision victory to Russia

Our friends at City Paper, a bimonthly magazine and tourist guide in Tallinn, Estonia, sent us a press release crowing…

03 May 2003

Photos tell story of 1991 resistance

One of the gems of the 52nd congress of the American Latvian Association, held May 2-4 in St. Paul, Minn.,…

31 Jan 2003

Latvian state TV ponders taxing consumers

Who needs Latvijas Televīzija? If a proposal by Uldis Grava stays afloat, television viewers in Latvia may start asking this…

24 Jan 2003

Vote for Madara! Vote for Madara!

If I were in Latvia on Feb. 1, I’d be casting my vote for Madara Celma to win the national…

01 Jan 2003

WAP-py New Year! Latvia in the palm of my hand

New Year’s Eve brought an unusual self-induced bit of boredom. I had nowhere to go, and no desire, either. But…

12 Aug 2002

Why can’t being Latvian be part of our ‘real world?’

I’m in a mood to quibble, but let me first set the stage. It was a fast and furious summer…

21 Jul 2002

Reunion visitors remember Auseklis high school

“Viņš ir Filadelfijā.” He’s in Philadelphia. “Viņa mira.” She died. Snippets of conversation revealed some of what has happened in…

21 Jul 2002

A song festival diary: Final day

CHICAGO—Compared to the excitement of the previous day, Sunday morning proved downright low key. The faithful flocked to either the…

20 Jul 2002

A song festival diary: Third day

CHICAGO—Already some song festival participants were dragging their feet when morning came, especially those who had stayed up and out…

19 Jul 2002

A song festival diary: Second day

CHICAGO—Early in the Čikāgas Piecīši concert July 19, lead singer Alberts Legzdiņš noted the various events that were competing for…

18 Jul 2002

A song festival diary: First day

CHICAGO—The first day of the 11th Latvian Song Festival in the United States was a day in part defined by…

02 Jul 2002

Fantasy gives way to reality of NATO

Three or four years ago, I read a science fiction novel written in 1924 by the Latvian author Gotfrīds Mīlbergs.…

27 May 2002

Sorry, Marija, we didn’t think you’d win

Our apologies to Marija Naumova, because we didn’t think she would win. The night before the Eurovision Song Contest was…

25 Mar 2002

OSCE official opens mouth, inserts foot

Memo to Gerard Stoudmann: The next time someone asks you about language policy in Latvia, keep your mouth shut. Stoudmann…

14 Jan 2002

Journalism in Latvia attacked again

Two months ago, a crime and defense reporter for the daily Kurzemes Vārds was assaulted in Liepāja. He died two…

31 Dec 2001

New Year’s: Just another day

Recently while cleaning out a long-neglected nook in our house, I came across a box containing several misfigured chunks of…

13 Dec 2001

Gundars Matīss: Victim No. 55?

So far this year, nearly five dozen journalists have been killed around the world because of who they are and…

16 Nov 2001

Has it been a year already?

Twelve months ago, Latvians Online made its debut on the Web. After several months of deadline-pressure work, five people in…

09 Nov 2001

Thanks, Aļina, you’ve made my day

The early afternoon telephone call from a London-based producer at BBC Radio Five Live came as a surprise. Latvia, once…

16 Sep 2001

No easy answers for fears

One of the flight paths from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport goes over my neighborhood. Several times this year, as I’ve…