Although I do not consider myself a sworn green, things like not squandering nature's gifts and not leaving too large a footprint on the surrounding environment seem self-evident. Until the moment when it is no longer a matter of habit, but becomes a hassle.
Sarkandaugava. Evening. On Tvaika Street between Aptiekas and Gaujienas streets, a strong smell of petroleum products is noticeable. I call the Environmental Service - there is not a single inspector who could go and check. I call 112 - it is a common occurrence and nothing can be done about it.
American scientists have discovered that an excellent remedy for depression and attention deficit syndrome is tablets with the "active substance" Prozac. American scientists have most certainly also invented tablets for allergies...
On the morning of the second of January I woke up with an inspired determination to realise the idea of a homemade ceiling lamp using the papier-mâché technique. It took two and a half weeks for the intended light fixture to take shape from small pieces of old newspaper, glue and paint. I am happy to explain how to make one by hand.
Yet another film as a sweet course for the little worm of thought that gnaws at the mind. Not very engaging emotionally or visually, but another timely, essential invitation to think - how evil or how spineless or uncritically thinking can a person actually be in the face of authority and the crushing opinion of society.
Lumpen, or lumpenproletariat, derives from the German word Lumpen - rags, tatters. The term was introduced by K. Marx to denote the lowest strata of the proletariat. Later, all declassed elements (vagrants, paupers, criminal elements and other social outcasts) came to be called lumpen.
While looking for ideas for a New Year's Eve celebration in a small circle of friends at our place, I came across a game that works brilliantly for sparking lively conversations. It also serves as a glimpse into personally significant events of the year - which we must now call the past year. The game also helps develop the storyteller in you.
Looking at next year's calendar, one can conclude that it will have one more day than this year. That is to say, 2015 has 365 days, while 2016 will have 366. So next year is a so-called leap year.
They never seem to get old and never will. And it is a little strange - driving in the car and flicking through radio stations in the second half of December - to find not a single Christmas song. A mild irritation arises: no snow, no good old melody, the festive feeling is lagging behind.
From the stylistics of the writing, one might think one is reading an "instruction" written in the 1930s, in keeping with the understanding of that time about scientific achievements and advances in psychology and sociology. Target audience - average farmers' daughters and lads who have seen nothing beyond the people of their own village, but having reached maturity to escape the routine, have decided to go courting.