Tag Archive for 'Latvia'

Riga goes blonde. GO BLONDE parade! (more photos)

Published on June 1, 2009 in Culture and Society. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Yesterday (May 31, 2009) Riga was under label “Go Blonde!“.It’s fundraising charity event in Riga, organized by Latvia’s Blonde Association, aims to get funding to build playgrounds for children with special needs. I posted this blog entry on allvoices.com too, so some more pictures You’ll find there too.

Update: Go Blonde 2010 (May 28 – 29). This May blonde beauties from across the European continent and the world round are gathering in Riga to kick off the greatest blonde party the world has ever seen. And as if a crowd of blindingly beautiful attendees weren’t enough, visitors are sure to enjoy the hoot and holler of a parade, a retro car tour, a contest for best in show and a host of other fun-filled activities. Go blonde this summer!

Colors of Blonde Weekend – white, pink and red

Go Blonde! Riga, May 31, Latvia

As said organizers of event there were 35 teams with 10-20 blond girls from whole Latvia (source: LETA). Even if one of  the main aim was charity for children, blond girls wanted to show, that they are smart enough too. With this event girls wanted also show that Riga is attractive tourism city and hope that tourism will break decreasing economy of Latvia.

Go Blonde on last weekend of May

This year “Go Blonde!” parade was organized first time in Latvia, but Blonde Weekend will be held every next year in Riga on last weekend of May, promised Latvia’s Blonde Association.

Blonde Weekend in Riga

Weekend of “Go Blonde!” included tennis and golf tournaments on Sport day, fashion day and of course Blond parade full with positive emotions and humor. And final ball with nominations of “Blonde – leader“, “Blonde – journalist“, “Blonde – Lawyer“, and more…

More about “Go blonde!” (Latvia’s Blonde Association) on GoBlonde.lv, which is the first international office in Latvia after International Association of Blondes main office in Sofia.

More: video on telegraf.lv http://cli.gs/aGga2h and NRA.lv http://cli.gs/pVDAa7.

PS No wonder that Riga is known as city of most beatifull AND smart girls ;)

Photo: AFP PHOTO/ ILMARS ZNOTINS (Photo credit should read ILMARS ZNOTINS/AFP/Getty Images)

More photos from Gints Freimanis:

Go Blonde! Riga, LatviaGo Blonde! Riga, LatviaGo Blonde! Riga, LatviaGo Blonde! Vanšu tilts, Riga, LatviaGo Blonde!

Economic crisis, work and unemployment (+video)

Published on November 30, 2008 in Marketing and Society. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

There is no such expression like “economic crisis”*

Economic crisis 2008

How we all know in there is “economic crisis”*, what makes nervous not only employers, but workers as well. If some employers just delay with salaries, then some are simple dismissed from work.

If some time ago delay could be connected with inflation (as it was explained) then now economic crisis. Somehow now situation looks oposit. If some years ago it was easy to get any job (we can do this now as well), then now we’ll need think twice before quit. For employers this mean more larger arbitrariness. Now it’s very easy to be in job-seekers row which in last months are becoming bigger.

For me it look like, that more secure feels workers, who are working in two or more places, or even are self employed. Like me.

Speaking about employment. Since mid-October I’m self-employed. So I can make out bills. :) Currently already starting to think about my own mini-company just like my sister did by establishing StudyStart.

And how sure about your future are you?

* in Latvia there is no such expressions like “economic crisis” or any crisis in general. More: Juris Kaža “Repression of Free Expression in Latvia” in his Free Speech Emergency in Latvia blog.

PS for government of Latvia: this is not about economic crisis in Latvia ;)

Social activism! NGO and blogging in Latvia

Published on July 23, 2008 in Social life. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

FistTo be social active!
With all Internet development in Latvia, some days ago I trough about meaning of “social activism“. If it would be connected with Internet, we could say it means to post comments on blogs and about happenings around (for example, in news). It become more easier when You have Your own blog (in Latvia, for example, free blog service on nee.lv). In that case people can spread their attitude and/or opinion. It can be done alone or cooperating, for example, get involved in some non-governmental organization (NGO), like creative group MYSTYLe art or some other. In Internet it`s like separated community. There is fewer Internet accessibility, but activities are more cruel about information, because Internet let You save anonymity, but out-of-Internet, people have to identify yourself with your own words.I have very often answer on questions like “Why You are in this (MYSTYLe art) organization” or any other non-profit project. Answer is simple: I like what I’m doing. NGO’s are using blog(~s) as a tool and communication channel in the same time.I’m so happy, when I see that some organization is using blog as report of activity. Right now in my RSS reader are some feeds from other organizations blog posts. Currently it’s just official information, which appears as copy-paste of press releases or description of projects (summary or full). Hope, that in near future I’ll coax MYSTYLe art to write in blog style :P It’s in process for now (like out web). From other latvian NGO’s I liked JASMA activities in LiveJournal.com, where they have blog. Of course, it’s as well little bit formal, but at least looks more sprightly.
Another project with youth participation is “jaunieši vēro” (youth is watching), where they have blog on Blogger.com. For me it look like journal more, than blog (*?). Content, at least for me, is little bit boring, because it’s oriented to regional youth and local municipality, where youth are watching how they are working. But posts are more alive and emotional as others which I have saw.In posts youngsters are writing from what deputy were eating in lunch till evaluation of pappier work. Something similar had LJP with Saeima (Parliament of Latvia) where young people, most under 21, were judged speech of MP’s.

PS This is not direct translation of my post in latvian. This short version adapted for English blog.

This is republished from old blog.

Hello reader! About rolandinsh.com “re:fresh:ing Notes”

Published on July 2, 2008 in Info and Social life. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Rolands Umbrovskis a.k.a. `rolandinsh`My name is Rolands Umbrovskis. I’m from* Latvia. This will be my blog in English. I’m periodically writing blog in Latvian since 2004, but most often since October 2007, when I left my job in Marketing company and started as freelancer. Since then I had a lot of time to write and read blogs. So restarted to do it myself. Now I want to try also in English.

Why I restarted to write? Just had more time and I wanted to have more experience in Internet marketing. So since November 2007 I made some experiments with my web pages. Currently I have little list of domains in different fields which are registered under my name.
So here they are: (in order I made them)

  1. e-art.lv – for my projects and creative experiments. Currently under “e-art.lv” creating some webprojects and support for Latvian youth organizations;
  2. www.rolandinsh.lv – my homepage and domain in Latvian;
  3. kurjers.lv – courier/messenger service list of Baltic states;
  4. guerrilla.lv and guerrillas.lv – currently unused. Saved for future;
  5. and now rolandinsh.com for English speaking people;
  6. Currently administrating mystyleart.lv and 2015.lv (both are for “creative group MYSTYLe art“);
  7. …and some others for some companies.

What I’ll be writing here about?

At first I want to say that I’m not the only one who is and will write about Happenings in Latvia. Some weeks ago I noticed, that one of Latvian most popular blog onkulis.com also started to write in English.
I’ll be writing about myself like Onkulis and some creative and cultural activities from Latvia and Baltic States. Beside that, another topic will be “marketing“, because I’m currently working as marketing manager and Internet content specialist in international company. I’ll repost my best articles (IMHO) from Latvian blog. And of course about work and daily life, like my volunteer works and projects (commercial and non-profit).
So it become, that here You will read about:

  • Latvia
  • Baltic States and Europe
  • Youth
  • Marketing
  • My work
  • My travels

I’ll not try to limit myself only to these topics, but these were most published in my Latvian blog.

About travels. Actualy this post was written during my business trip in Vilnius.

*thanks to Undine