It never ceases to surprise that society stirs from its philistine slumber only when it is already too late. Then - yes, it will go to demonstrations, shake its fists and banners. Respectable ladies and gentlemen, lawyers, doctors, MPs also get drawn into this farce.
As luck would have it, one morning I woke up with a blocked ear. I wouldn't say the blockage came as a surprise exactly, only that unlike other times, on this occasion it stubbornly refused to unblock. I tugged at the earlobe, pulled, pressed, pinched my nose and tried to blow - "to make it pop" - nothing.
Looking back into more distant history or the very recent past, there were several publications and books that were strictly forbidden to read or quote. All bans were, of course, primarily related to restrictions on free thought in society. I was surprised to learn that Latvia today also has a list of banned books.
Rashism - a quasi-ideology that emerged in the early 21st century in the territory of the Russian Federation. It encompasses an eclectic and contradictory mixture of imperialism, Great Russian chauvinism, Soviet nostalgia and traditional religiosity. A symbiosis of fascist and Stalinist ideologies.
Latvia is not mono-ethnic, and therefore there exists, albeit theoretical, inter-ethnic tension. Action, in this case from a media outlet's side, aimed at creating different information spaces for different ethnic or language groups of one country's residents, must also be considered a matter of national security.
Increasingly popular today are teachings on determining a person's character and talents from their birth number, day, month, time, and so on. This is especially discussed now in the context of work and business - how to better understand colleagues, hire the right employee, get along with a boss's character, choose successful business partners.
The laws of Natalya Grace. Wealth is a state of mind, and poverty is a state of mind. By putting yourself in order, you can put your surroundings in order, and vice versa - nothing good will grow or take shape in a disordered environment.
"To dispel the stereotype about the inaccessibility of lawyers, the portal www.vajagjuristu.lv was created." As I continue to believe that Latvia's greatest misfortune is that qualified lawyers are inaccessible (in the sense that one cannot afford them), a few reflections.
One of the most significant expense items for a company is wages. In SEZ companies (including B.L.B Baltic Terminal) in 2012, the average net wage was 530 EUR. Assuming the company directed all its profit towards wages, the maximum theoretical wage would increase by only ~100 EUR.
I likely chose this book in the bookshop precisely because of the provocative chapter subtitles that promised to explain - why you should never let anyone buy you a drink; why you need not respect authority; why you should leave your model girlfriend at home; why it is better to use a wrong map than no map at all; why rational people do not appeal to reason. Intriguing, isn't it?