Doesn’t cut the mustard

Flipping through the television channels tonight, we came across the broadcast in the United States of the Mrs. World beauty pageant. We stayed around long enough to learn that Mrs. Latvia, Iveta Sinepa, hadnt made it to the 12 semi-finalists.

The 31-year-old Sinepa, along with other contestants, was not making too much news, according to a quick scan of the Web. Except, that is, in India, where the contest was held. The India Times, for example, had a section devoted to the competition where one could learn about all the candidates, including Sinepa. And if you didn’t want to sit through the entire telecast, you could just check the Times of India, which already had the story that Mrs. Israel had won the contest.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Bush to visit Latvia in May

U.S. President George W. Bush has accepted an invitation from President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga to visit Latvia from May 6-7, before both head to Moscow for a May 9 celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The visit, according to Vīķe-Freiberga’s press office, will coincide with the 15th anniversary of Latvia’s renewed declaration of indepedence. Latvia’s national legislature, then known as the Supreme Council, declared the republic’s independence from the Soviet Union on May 4, 1990, but true independence only came in August 1991.

As part of his visit, Bush is expected to participate in a U.S.-Baltic summit meeting with the presidents of all three Baltic countries.

During his May 6-10 visit to Europe, Bush also plans to visit the Netherlands and Georgia, according to the White House press office.

Bush would be the second U.S. president to visit Latvia. Former President Bill Clinton visited Latvia in July 1994.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Vīķe-Freiberga sets state visit to Sweden

At the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustav, Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will lead a delegation of political, business and education leaders on a two-day state visit March 31-April 1 to Sweden, the president’s press office has announced.

During the visit, Vīke-Freiberga is scheduled to meet with the king and other Swedish leaders, speak at the University at Uppsala, and unveil a commemorative plaque at a house in Uppsala where Latvian writer Zenta Mauriņa once lived.

Among those in the delegation will be Economics Minister Artūrs Krišjānis Kariņš, Finance Minister Oskars Spurdziņš and Culture Minister Helēna Demakova. Also in the delegation will be opera singer Inese Galante, who will perform the evening of April 1 in a concert honoring Vīke-Freiberga and her husband, Imants.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.