I have a few theories as to how and why this cd clock/artwork was placed where it is.
1) The person hanging it was unusually tall
2) The person hanging it had leveling problems so had to use the ceiling to get it straight
3) Owners were afraid somone might run off with it when they were out in the kitchen
4) All of the above

Why would you do this??

I know times are tough at the moment but when a public toilet has to shut up shop you know its a serious crisis. Trying to rent it out also seems like a desperate measure - who is currently in the market for a public loo business?

So the government decides to raise the price of motorcycle registration. What do you do? How do you protest this unreasonable increase?? How about ride your motorbike into the Daugava river! One smart chap this morning, in a definite nod to the immortal Evel Knievel, decided to jump his bike over the railings and into the icey water. That'll show them we're serious!

The website for Riga's multi-million Lat tourism campaign went live today (Live Riga). Its seems that kept the same English copywriter/translator on for this project as well - see previous 'Hard to Live' debacle. The English is again embarrassingly awful. Every sentence seems to have a grammatical error. Every sentence is a test in comprehension. Every sentence makes me cringe and wonder how tourists are supposed to take Riga serious if they cant understand what the fuck is written about it. Three simple words for the creators of this site ( and Im also talking to you Šlesers and Ušakovs) - Native English Speaker. Its not hard, there's quite a few around town.

Heres a few gems if you havent got time to wade through the quagmire:

"...built in 14th century and rebuilt several times after war destructions."

"Near outskirts of Riga, in the end Brīvības gatve is located the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum...There you can find ethnical buildings"

"Gastronomy Art college and Green market of Latvian peasants will be situated here"

"Take a walk in the Old Riga and you will unfold fascinating little streets, that make you feel like in the 14th century!"

"The squares in green show beautiful buildings and give rest."

"...though the street itself is a real showplace of Art Noveau. Buildings of this style are scattered around the whole center of the city and the region of Pardaugava on the left cost of the Daugava"

"The Peter's church greets foreigners for centuries..."

"Riga – the capital of Christmas tree for 500 years"

"Judging by medieval manners we could imagine that furnishings were bands, dried flowers and fruit, straw puppets. "

"The “tree”, that could also be an “intallation” of wooden sticks, was the main attraction in the celebration house all along the Christmas time."

"...a colourful Christmas fair will welcome you with gingerbread, hot wine and tea, tuckers of Latvian national cuisine"

"In the middle of previous decade the little, but professionally managed zoological park regained the second breath. "

No explanation necessary...

I'll have the Sorrow soup and a side order of Melancholy, thanks.



FYI - supposed to be Sorrel soup

How many major cities in the world do you think have a beaver problem right in the middle of their city? The Riga canal that runs borders the Old Town currently is under attack by one eager beaver. He has already taken down one tree opposite the Opera House and judging from these photos he's getting more brazen in his choice of tree. What will the city council do??

A folk hero is born! Ingmārs Līdaka, a member of the Latvian parliament (Saeima), recently lost his cool whilst debating National Holidays, turned to the 'left' and told them to shut their mouths - Aizver Muti! Apparently this is a big thing in Latvia and perhaps a more non-literal translation might be one with more emphasis and passion - Shut your fucking mouth! He also labeled the trouble-making 'left' as a bird and animal garden (zoo). This one left me scratching my head but the 'Aizver Muti'/ 'Shut your Mouth' has taken off in a big way here. The meme has moved from video to t-shirts, from mobile phone ringtones to Dirty Harry inspired stencils. Below is a collection of things found online and on the streets. If you want to see the original Parliament footage scroll through to the end.

Ingmārs Līdaka himself with an Aizver Muti shirt (photoshopped). Below are stencils and an A4 printed variation I found telling people to Shut the door!

Here are some Youtube video parodies





And some more, less inspiring videos

• Jancis & J.Dobelis & I.Līdaka - Muti Ciet (AIZVER MUTI)
• Aizver muti. Ingmārs Līdaka
• Kanye West vs. Ingmars Lidaka
• Ingmārs Līdaka - Aizver muti..... this is sparta remix
• Aizver muti 300

Some user created images...


Interestingly, a mix-up with recent American internet memes. (click for larger images)



Finally, the original footage of Ingmārs Līdaka and the now infamous Parliamentary session.

I seemed to have missed this one over the summer but heres a wonderful video extolling the virtues of Latvia's spas. And, it only cost the Latvian Tourism Agency 41,00 USD!

Šlesers and Flick yesterday presented the first phase in Riga's new tourism campaign. Things got off to a bad start when journalists were sent this version of the ad complete with one big Freudian slip.


oops... was supposed to be "Leave". Click pic for larger size.

This ad has almost something wrong with it everywhere you look. First of all the whole slogan just sounds clumsy in English, certainly not up to the level of what it should be.

Riga City: Easy to go. Hard to leave. You understand what they were trying to get at but probably needs to be written a bit different. Firstly you dont need to call it Riga City, people will understand fine enough if you just say Riga. Easy to go - maybe 'Easy to visit' might be better. Hard to Leave is probably the only thing right in this slogan.

Have a look at the tagline at the bottom. Birthplace of Christmas tree - a 'the' in there wouldnt go astray. Then under that is something I still cant figure out what its supposed to mean: Now for 499 years What the...?? I cant even imagine what it was in Latvian before they got their literal translator to have a go at it.

Lastly the photos. OK this may be purely subjective, but to me those images say nothing. In an abstract way, which I would understand, it still says nothing. A heart with an eye in it (EDIT: Took me awhile but I just work out its supposed to represent I LOVE = eye heart) and a fat viking opera singer.... thats just got Riga written all over it!

Ads already appearing in online advertising lists for professional meteor diggers - a bargain at only 12,00LVL.

http://www.zip.lv/show/?i=843649

Looks like it was a dumb-ass idea from Tele-2 mobile photo company. Hoping to get some good press for Latvia (as opposed to the recent crisis press) they thought that a hoax/swindle/conjob would make people think a bit different about Latvia and inspire Latvians. Prātiņ nac mājas! (Come home brain!)...

.........................................

"Mazsalaca meteorite" turns out to be marketing hoax by "Tele2"

RIGA, Oct 26 (LETA) - "Mazsalaca meteorite" was actually a hoax designed by the telecommunication company "Tele2", as the company's marketing director Janis Sprogis acknowledged to LETA.

"Our goal is to inspire the people of Latvia," Sprogis said.

"As we can see, with this Latvia made the news all over the world, everyone wants to know about Latvia, and this is not because of the crisis, the hard times and so, but because there is something creative and exciting happening here. It is a unique achievement and part of our communication," said Sprogis.

Sprogis also said that "Tele2" would compensate all the losses that the state has sustained.

(more -> LETA )

Reports (Associated Press) today seem to lean towards the meteorite which hit a field near Mazsalaca to be a hoax.....first tip off might have been the land owner, complete with ticket book in hand, who started charging 15 Lats (21 euro) to see the meteorite. Some reports say she seems to be a local politician who is a member of the local district council.

Experts say it was probably done using shovels and some pyrotechnic compound for the 'burning'meteorite. Must have taken some time to do...



The video as well was quite well done....

New reverse graffiti thats popped up throughout Riga. Reverse graffiti is created by cleaning dirty surfaces with stencils, detergent, and a high powered pressure washer.

At a time when Latvia is losing people to economic migration this campaign(?) says: - 1. Your grandkids wont speak Latvian there - 2. Dont give in, Dont leave - 3. Build Latvia, not other countries - 4. The lucky country is here, dont leave

Originally filed under "must be some kind of joke" but then after a bit of investigation it was refiled under "dear god it is true!" - wonder if there will any protesters against this parade? Not only the parade elicits a wtf but also the fact there is a website for Latvian Blondes - http://www.goblonde.lv

RIGA, Latvia, May 27 (UPI) -- The head of the Latvian Blondes
association said a planned parade of about 2,000 blond women is aimed
at cheering the country up amid economic woes.

Marika Gederte, head of the club for women with yellow hair, said
the parade planned for Sunday in the Latvian capital Riga will be held
under the motto "make the world a brighter place" and will involve an
orchestra comprised entirely of blondes, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

"People need positive emotions, and I hope this event will cheer them up," Gederte said.

She said the parade will lead up to a ball that will feature
contests in categories including Latvia's best blond lawyer and best
blond journalist.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/05/27/UPI-NewsTrack-Quirks-in-the-News/UPI-44851243459800/

We’re in talks with YouTube to come to an agreement, that their operations in Latvia are licensed. There is no licensing agreement yet, so, as I already mentioned, we think that all of YouTube material is illegal in the territory of Latvia. But, we’ve started correspondence, and hope that an agreement will be signed as soon as possible, and YouTube will be available legally to all residents of Latvia.

AKKA/LAA

Seems that the Latvian copyright agency has written emails to over 500 local bloggers asking them to pay copyright fees for displaying YouTube videos. That means even embedding a YouTube video means you have to pay licensing fees! Another example of an agency not understanding the medium - its a marketing vehicle you idiots, use it as such..... the bloggers are doing the work for you!

Read more here ( English)
Google translated Latvian pages here

Just when you thought there is nothing that can surprise you anymore in this country, comes this. LNT's "Degpunktā" reports that Valmiera state prison had four special guards dogs shot as part of the "economy regime". Apparently, the guards couldn't bring themselves to do that so they called in an outsider and gave him a gun. I wonder if that's the kind of measures that Mr Slakteris, the minister of finance, meant when he famously told the Bloomberg TV that "we will be ...taupīgi [economical]."

Politiki.lv

Security police uncover group planning more violence in Riga

RIGA, Jan 18 (LETA) - Having been tipped off by a person who overheard a conversation in a trolley-bus, Security Police have uncovered a group of persons planning more violence in Riga, as "LETA Video/TV 21" was told by Interior Minister Mareks Seglins.

"I must express thanks to the person, who informed the police abut the conversation he overheard. The group had discussed where they would meet in order to organize more rioting. In checking out this place - what one could call a headquarters, a meeting on further action was being held," Seglins informed. He underlined that the group has not been detained, but that the police "thwarted more possible disturbances."

He did not mention how many exactly were involved or what they were planning.

"No details from me, I can't tell you. This borders on a state secret, i.e. this criminal case's fact are a state secret. I, as a politician, have no right to say anything," he stated.

------------------

At face value, the above article sounds like a hasty PR campaign created by a recent graduate.

I mean, a conversation overheard on a trolley-bus mentioning a) intended antisocial actions and b) intended location of a meeting where members would further discuss these antisocial actions. Then, when the security police swoop in on the 'headquarters', surprise,surprise the meeting is in progress and they are caught red-handed. Gotcha!

But, no one was arrested, just plans thwarted...... and no further comments.

See, this dramatic event shows how well the security police are in control. Forget all about the trouble last week, twas but a minor riot. Back to work!

OK, so the bongs and bases occurred separately but they were both two small episodes which elicited a wtf whilst I was watching Panorama's reporting of the riots in Riga's oldtown on Tuesday evening.

During the peaceful part of the demonstration - 10,00 people calling for the current Government to be dissolved - the sign above was shown a number of times whilst the camera scanned the crowd. "All your base are belong to us", the internet John 3:16! Did they have some inside information about who actually runs this country?

The second part, below, was of a live cross to a very nervous journalist trying to describe the post-demonstration events - about 100 people decided to finish off the evening by throwing cobblestones through Parliament's windows and overturning vehicles.

Unfortunately for him, one of the 'protesters' who just happened to have a bong with him decided to add an extra microphone to the interview!

Who brings a bong along to a demonstration?

These stunning images show mysterious columns of light streaming into the sky above the town of Sigulda in Latvia at the end of last month.

Taken by designer Aigar Truhins with a standard digital camera, the photographs have prompted excited online discussions among amateur astronomists all over the internet.

But experts are agreed there may be a more prosaic explanation - ice crystals in the air.

The air above the town was notably cold and filled with suspended ice crystals.

It is believed that the columns were formed by those reflecting light from the bright streetlamps and other lights on the ground - beaming it back downwards again.

Skies all over Europe have been filled with such natural phenomena during the cold snap of recent weeks.

Scientists at the website spaceweather.com said: 'Truhin’s pillars are not the ordinary kind. Even eading experts in atmospheric optics can’t quite figure them out

'These pillars are mysterious. They have unexplained curved tops and even curved arcs coming from their base.

'Arcs in rare displays like these could be from column crystals to give parts of tangent arcs, others could be the enigmatic Moilanan arc or even the recently discovered reflected Parry arc.

Original article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1117264/Beam-Scientists-left-baffled-mysterious-columns-coloured-light-appear-night-skies.html