GallerySunday, 14 November 1999
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November 14, 1999 |
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Subj: Lat Chat and More! for
Sunday, November 14th
Date: 11/14/99 8:11:05 PM
Eastern Standard Time
From: Sturgalve
File: 0249-0~1.JPG (78079
bytes)
DL Time (32000 bps): < 1 minute
Sveiki, all!
Sorry for the late mailer, we didn't have a
chance to send it out before having to go upstate for the weekend. We hope some
of you had a chance to participate in the Latvian Independence Day celebrations
this weekend—that’s the independence day that counts, November 18,
1918—this coming Thursday. Hopefully many of you will join Latvian chat
tonight, from 9pm EST until the last chatter stops chatting. You can join by
using the following link:
You may also notice we changed the mailer
format slightly to put the link, news item, etc. summary at the head of the
“Features” section—we hope this will make the mailer a bit
easier to follow.
Now, for the AOL Lat Chat Contest answers!
Those of you on AOL will spot the answers right away; for our friends using
other ISP’s, we’ve put asterisks around the answers.
- Livonia (Terra Mariana) was recognized as part of the Holy
Roman Empire, with Riga as its capital, in what year?
a. 1207*
b. 1226
c. 1282 - St. Peter's Steeple of Riga, the tallest in the
world, was completed in what year?
a. 1753
b. 1694*
c. 1658 - Rundale Palace was completed in what year?
a. 1755
b. 1768*
c. 1793 - The first Latvian National Song Festival was
held in what year?
a. 1822
b. 1851
c. 1873* - The main highway of the Baltics has been the
640 mile river Daugava.*
- Rundale Palace, considered the most spectacular piece of civic architecture in the Baltics, was built by Rastrelli*, architect of the Winter Palace.
- The National Independence Movement of Latvia
was founded in June of 1988*
and led the push for current Latvian independence which was finally reached in 1991. - Karlis Ulmanis*, the first and last prime minister under Latvia’s first independence, created the cathedral square in Vecriga in 1936.
- St Mary’s Cathedral, better known as the Dom Baznica, was begun by Bishop Albrecht* in 1211.
- The most impressive part of the Dom cathedral
is the pipe organ, which has how many pipes?
a. 3898
b. 5688
c. 6768* - The figure atop Latvia’s Freedom Statue (Brivibas Piemineklis) is fondly known as Milda* by Latvians.
- The Freedom Statue was put up in 1935* (what year?) and managed to survive the occupation of the Soviets.
- One of this town’s main claims to fame is that its pastor, Ernst Gluck, adopted the daughter of a Lithuanian grave digger, Martha Skavronska, who later married Peter the Great & became Catherine I of Russia. Aluksne*
- On August 22, 1991, Iceland* became the first foreign country to recognize the independence of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
- The Riga Latvian Association [Rigas Latviesu
biedriba], the first truly Latvian cultural society, was formed in what
year?
a. 1824
b. 1868*
c. 1893 - The Riga Latvian Association came into being as part of, and became the nucleus of, the national movement that became known as the Latvian National Awakening* ( English or Latvian )
- Petera Baznica used to be the tallest structure in Riga, until Intourist built the monstrosity (excuse the editorializing!) Hotel Latvia. The hotel is how much taller than Petera Baznica? 3 Feet (1 metre)*
- Some of the ingredients in this well known Latvian product are: 16 grasses, ginger, oak bark, bitter orange peels, linden blossoms, iris roots, nutmeg, peppermint, valerian, cognac, and sugar. Melnais Balzams* is said to calm the nerves and to be great for an upset stomach (I'll take their word for it!)
- One of Europe’s widest waterfalls (110m) is found in Latvia, in this city Kuldiga*. Its existance frustrated Swedish and Danish Vikings as it effectively blocked their progress along the Venta River.
- Liepaja* is Latvia's third largest city ( after Riga and Daugavpils ); it has Latvia's only metallury plant and combined with other industrial complexes make this city Latvia's third largest manufacturing center.
As for the winner??? Our very own Baiba (GnuLat399) is the grand prize winner and will receive her prizes (a framed picture from Riga done in Amber and a box of MY favorite Laime candy.....many of you have probably tasted the yummy chocolate covered hazelnuts....to die for!). We also have honorable mentions for two folks. One is Rudzi3 who recently joined the chat; for her we have a puzzle/map of Latvia. Also, we had specified that this was an AOL only contest, but we got such a good entry from doabolit@ns.sympatico.ca, and as he's now looking for his Latvia roots and exploring his heritage, we thought he should have one of the puzzles, too! So, you guys, send me your snail mail addresses and I'll get those out ASAP! Thanks to everyone who participated, and a special thanks to Zulis for challenging some of my answers :-)
Ar visu labu,
This week's link from Gunars is Latvian songs.
In the news:
- A new pulp mill, the largest industrial investment ever in Latvia, will be built in Jekabpils [Seeing and hearing stories about people lining their pockets with illegally cut forests, this can only accelerate that process--it's sad that the biggest investment in history depends on denuding the landscape. --S&P]
- UNICEF (U.N.) issued a report indicating the well-being of children has deteriorated in its former constituent states since the collapse of the Soviet Union
- Baltic presidents (5 in all) called for closer (better) relations with Russia
- A "Latvian Business Days" festival will be held in Belarussia
This weeks' picture is from Vecriga (Old Riga) in 1993.
|
Latvian Link |
LATVIESU DZIESMAS
This is NOT Martinu Dziesma Gramata! This site has lyrics (and sometimes guitar chords) for quite a few latvian songs—but from eclectic sources. These include Raimonds Pauls, but also Jauns Meness, Cikagas Piecisi, and Perkons. Hard to describe, but they have been busy. I visited this site a couple of months ago, and there were 1/2 the number of songs that they have now.—Gunars Zulis
| Link: | Dziesmas |
| URL: | http://www.lmt.lv/personal/gaga/music/ |
|
News |
November 8, 1999, M2 Communications—The
Swedish forest group Sodra, Finland's Metsaliitto and the Latvian state are to
form a company to establish a new pulp mill in Latvia. The mill will be the
largest industrial investment in Latvia's history at approximately SEK8bn.
According to the business newspaper Dagens Industri the mill will most probably
be located in Jekabpils. The company to be formed will have Metsaliitto and
Sodra as its largest shareholders, but the final details have not yet been
decided.
NORDIC BUSINESS REPORT © 1999 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
November 8, 1999, M2 Communications -
Berlin—Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that the needs of children in
the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are
being overlooked. "After The Fall", a report from UNICEF's Innocenti Research
Centre, suggests that the welfare of children is too often treated as an
"optional extra" amid social and economic upheaval.
The report, launched in Berlin today, reveals that contracting
economies, failing social welfare nets, and the spread of armed conflict, have
meant a fall in living standards for the majority of the 150 million children
living in the region. Armed conflict, notes the report, has broken out in
around one-third of the countries in the region since the late 1980s and the
region is struggling to cope with one of the largest groups of refugees and
displaced people in the world.
The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in a decade of momentous change.
Seemingly indestructible regimes and ideologies were swept away, often in a
space of a few weeks, and eight countries splintered into 27. The human impact
of such changes has been immense, according to "After the Fall".
"Those born into authoritarian regimes now have the freedom to elect
their representatives, to voice their opinions, to chart the course for their
own lives." says the report. "But they find that they must compete for their
slice of the pie in the new economic climate. Others have lost their homes,
schools, communities and countries as a result of armed conflict."
Shrinking economies: What it means for children in the region:
"While there are signs of some economic recovery, the GDP of most countries in
the region remains far smaller than in 1989; it is being shared less equally
and, what is worse, the slice of the cake for children is in danger of getting
smaller", according to the report, which notes that:
Between 1990 and 1996, the share of national income spent on
education fell in eight of the 15 countries where data were available;
In
Georgia, education as a share of GDP fell from 6 per cent in 1990 to just over
1 per cent in 1996. School enrolment and attendance has fallen in parts of the
region.
Too often, a child's schooling depends on where they live and the
wealth of their family. The impact of war has disrupted the education of
hundreds of thousands of children from Kosovo to Tajikistan. 'Poverty diseases'
such as diphtheria and tuberculosis have reappeared. The number of HIV
infections in the region increased by 900 per cent in just three years, growing
from fewer than 30,000 HIV infections in 1995 to an estimated 270,000
infections by the end of 1998. Rates of syphilis infection in parts of the
former Soviet Union are more than 100 times higher than in the European Union.
In 10 of the 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe for which data are
available, the rates of infants and toddlers aged 0-3 living in institutions
have risen since 1989, by up to 45 per cent in Romania, Russia and Latvia, and
by as much as 75 per cent in Estonia.
Positive aspects
The report highlights the positive aspects of the transition and
says, "it would be wrong to create a picture of overall regional gloom." It
goes on to say that, "New freedoms, coupled with the growth of grassroots
activism and civil society, allow the discussion of issues that were once
stifled.
"Transition itself has not been solely responsible for the social
and economic crises of the last ten years. Many of today's burning issues have
their roots very firmly in the old communist regimes and in their
authoritarian, anti-democratic mindset. The first signs of a complex social
crisis were apparent as early as the mid-1970s as the Soviet system began to
collapse under its own internal pressures".
The UNICEF report, published to mark the tenth anniversary of the
fall of the Berlin Wall, concludes that there must be a new focus on the human
aspect of transition, and a rededication to its original goals - a better
quality of life for every citizen in a humane and democratic society.
The report argues that these original goals are dependent on the
fulfilment of child rights and women's rights. Without this fulfilment, backed
by concrete policies and adequate resources, sustainable regional progress is
an impossibility.
Note to Editors:
The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, formally known as the UNICEF
International Child Development Centree, is based in Florence, Italy.
"After the Fall" has been produced by the UNICEF Innocenti Research
Centre with support from UNICEF's Regional Office for the CEE/CIS and Baltics,
based in Geneva. The report draws on information from the Centre's MONEE
Project, which has been monitoring the situation in the CEE/CIS and Baltic
region since 1992.
"After the Fall" is published in English and French and is available
free of charge from the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Piazza SS Annunziata
12, 50122 Florence, Italy. Fax + 39 055 244817; phone +39 055 20330; e-mail
orders@unicef-icdc.it.
©1994-99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
LTD
HELSINKI (Nov. 8)
XINHUA—Presidents of five Baltic countries on Monday called
for closer relations with Russia, noting that it would be difficult for Europe
to maintain lasting stability without Russia's active role.
The presidents—Lennart Meri of Estonia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga of
Latvia, Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania and Aleksander Kwasniewski of
Poland—were meeting in Jyvaskyla, central Finland, at the invitation of
their Finnish counterpart Martti Ahtissari to mark the 10th anniversary of the
end of the Cold War.
The five presidents noted that the European pattern has undergone
fundamental changes since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Polish President Kwasniewski said a closer European cooperation
would be impossible without Russia's participation and that Poland aims at a
genuine and all-round integration of Europe.
He expressed full confidence in the development of Russia, pledging
efforts to strengthen political dialogue, economic cooperation and mutual trust
between the two countries.
Finnish President Ahtissari, whose country serves the current
rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), noted that Finland has enjoyed
good relations with Russia since it entered the EU in 1995.
He said the EU and Russia have an established form of contact and
that even on the most sensitive issues like Kosovo and Chechnya, the two sides
are able to keep political dialogue going. The EU is willing to carry forward
its relations with Russia, he said.
Lithuanian President Adamkus said he believed Russia would find a
way to be part of the European integration and its participation in the entire
integration process is in the interest of all countries.
Latvian President Vike-Freiberga said that with the dismantling of
Russia's Skrunda radar station in her country in October and the withdrawing of
Russian military agents ahead of schedule, a new foundation has been laid for
the relations between the countries.
She said the Cold War has truly ended and the spheres of influence
under geopolitics have become a thing of the past.
Estonian President Meri said that since the former Soviet Union fell
apart in 1991, Estonia has established good relations, on a new basis, with
East European countries, especially Russia and Ukraine.
Enditem
09/11/99 02:33 GMT © 1999
MINSK, November 9 (Itar-Tass)—A Latvian
Business Days two-day festival begins here on Tuesday. The festival has been
organised on the Belarussian side by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
the Belarussian Embassy in Latvia.
A Belarussian Foreign Ministry official has told Itar-Tass that a
widely-representative delegation of the Latvian business community arrived here
to attend the festival.
pop/ast © 1999
|
Picture Album |
This week's picture is a (somewhat!) artstic rendering of the side-streets in Old Riga. As drab and dingy as most everything still seemed on Peters' second visit in August, 1993, he couldn't help notice some signs of fresh color were begining to appear!
