Thursday, April 25

Name day: Līksma, Bārbala

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Lauris Veips

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Thirty thousand small acts of defiance
Thirty thousand small acts of defiance
As the stars on Freedom Monument glittered in the spring sun, tens of thousands of people marched on from Milda, as the sculpted woman on the monument is affectionately called, to the Ukrainian Embassy in Rīga on Saturday in a show of solidarity with tens of millions facing senseless war in a peace-loving country.
Things to know about Latvia's soon-to-be-published KGB files
Things to know about Latvia's soon-to-be-published KGB files
By year-end, Latvia is to publish a trove of KGB (Soviet secret police) files that remained in the country after the collapse of the USSR. The process, known as 'lustration' and similar to that undergone in other countries with a communist past, will conclude with the index cards concerning about 4,300 agents being published, and researchers working with the documents have hinted that many well-known people are on the list.
Things of Latvia: City cats
Things of Latvia: City cats
Seemingly without care and without anyone to care about them, street cats are legion across Latvia's cities.
Things of Latvia: Accidental knowledge of the Russian language
Things of Latvia: Accidental knowledge of the Russian language
I've never studied Russian at school. I first made real friends with Russians a few years ago, at the age of twenty one. Nevertheless, I understand Russian on a good level and was recently able to translate a Russian short story into Latvian.
Things of Latvia: This time of the year
Things of Latvia: This time of the year
Seeing as laiks, the word for time, also means 'weather', Latvians obviously have an intimate relationship with the elements and eternity.
Things of Latvia: Buying booze at gas stations
Things of Latvia: Buying booze at gas stations
In Latvia, where a chain of round-the-clock liquor stores is branded Fuel (Degviela), it's no surprise that gas stations, too, cater to people wishing to tank up in more ways than one. 
Things of Latvia: School Markets
Things of Latvia: School Markets

There's a peculiar tradition on Miķeļi (September 29), known in English as Michaelmas, for kids to bring homemade trinkets, food and other things to school for sale. It could be seen as an attempt to instill entrepreneurial spirit among young people, but wherever there are children involved, things are bound to slide off course. 

Things of Latvia: Trolleybus No. 15
Things of Latvia: Trolleybus No. 15
The Riga trolleybus route Number 15 is the most famous public transport route in Latvia. It is an abundant source of urban lore and its route reveals the tragic side of Latvian history - to really get to know Riga and Latvia, you have to know the No. 15 trolley. 
A Good, Short Day
A Good, Short Day

June 9 marked three years and nine days since A., 17, started living at the Liepāja Orphanage. 

Explainer: How the Saeima works
Explainer: How the Saeima works
The Saeima ('a gathering, a meeting, a council') is the Latvian unicameral parliament. It consists of a hundred representatives from across Latvia whose chief function at the parliament is debating and making laws, and the approval of various high officials in their jobs.
The journey of the Latvian language
The journey of the Latvian language

The Latvian language is "a mirror of the wonderful story of our nation", says a linguistics professor at the University of Latvia.