Interesting that you should ask. Yes Tom, I’ve been to the Ķipsala swimming pool several times though not necessarily in the morning, which otherwise is my accustomed time since my triathlon days from 1979 – 90. Besides, I was also a member of the U. S. Military Pentathlon Team in 1966 and 1967, where the swim was one of the events. Now that I’m over-the-hill I still swim/bike/jog to stay in shape but not competitively. The first time I went to Ķipsala swimming pool it was a bit of a shocker. The facility itself goes back to the Soviet times and it showed. There were a lot of firsts. The sticker shock at the entrance: 5.50 lats (US$11.00) for 1-1/2 hours of pool use. A note advised the user to swim no more than 45 minutes so that you can undress, shower and then later shower, dress and dash through the turnstile after the swim otherwise you could incur an additional, the full fee, 5.50 lats penalty for abusing the pool privileges. Ķipsala has the most expensive and limited swim time charge anywhere in my business travels throughout N. America, Asia and Western Europe. Usually a measly little ticket elsewhere in the world allowed pool use all day.

Before you can get into the secured area with your ticket you have to remove your outer garments and shoes inside near the entrance of the facility and turn those over to cloak room attendants, much like at the Opera house. Than in shower clogs you amble to the secured area, clock in, walk the length of a long hallway to the locker room, find your numbered wooden locker, hop into your Speedo swim trunks, shower in military open style shower room with high ceilings and climb upstairs to the swimming pool.

Hmm, it was a good size 50 meter 8 lane pool, though without any bottom markers. I oriented towards one end of the pool where there were people mulling around. Just to get a lay of the pool, the activity in the lanes and how they were organized I canvassed the area and noticed the lanes marked as slow, medium, fast, reserved for members and for training. At the time I made my grand entrance I also noticed that everyone was doing a breast stroke and my heart sank, as it reminded of an experience in Germany where the lifeguard caught me at the end of the pool, shook his finger in my face and angrily said verboten. Little had I known that only breast stroking was permitted in that pool and anyone who tried to lift his arms up and out of the water to do the freestyle or the other two strokes would be shown the door. But, in the following moment at Ķipsala I noticed a couple of guys doing a slow crawl and I knew that freestyle would not be verboten here. Next a sweet little thing, a lifeguard, came up to me and said “Vai es varu jums palīdzēt”? I didn’t think that I was lost, so I responded to her kind gesture: “O, es tāpat pārskatu kas tiek piedāvaats šajā peldbaseinā.” For starters she encouraged me to go to the slow lane, must have thought that I was a hopeless case with my gray hair. The slow lane had like 8 people doing the breast stroke at dog paddle speed (Most of us swimmers know that more than two per lane is considered crowded). The medium lane wasn’t much different and since I know that I’m no slouch, unperturbed I headed for the fast lane, as I always do back home in Rochester, New York. There were three other fellows in the lane, mostly doing, you guested it, the breast stroke. I tried to engage a couple of those guys in small talk, as they were not swimming at that moment, but I just got cold stares like as if what’s this guy doing in our lane? May be they didn’t understand Latvian? Ignoring the rebuff I warmed up with a back and forth 100 meter freestyle, flexed my muscles and knocked off my accustomed 2000 meters straight and finally warmed down with a back and forth fly and a backstroke. By the time I had finished I had the whole lane for myself. Once out of the pool, I moved to make my dash for the exit, so as not to be late. As I headed across the end of the pool area, there at a table was sitting that same darling little lifeguard. She smiled and nodded approvingly like one accomplished swimmer to another. Finally I had been recognized. {:~)

While I’m use to Ķipsala by now, most of the time, Tom, I preferred to drive into Riga and use the Olympic Sports Center swimming pool facility where the rates were 5.00 lats for 2-hours, it was more modern, not as encumbered and had a better parking area. More critically, it did not have that Soviet feel about it.

How about you Tom, are you a regular swimmer at Ķipsala?

Cheers, Ivars

Ivars Graudins - 26 January 2010 07:58 PM

There are times after reading the LOL forum that I’m left wondering how badly we mistreat and abuse our poor Russian minorities. How cruel can we get? We Latvians deny them their victory celebrations, their rights to freedom of expression, as it has been pointed out to us time and again. Latvians are insensitive and I hang my head in shame.

I wonder why we do not just open our borders wide and let the Russian-Latvians be reunited with their compatriots in Motherland Russia. One happy Russki mir!

On the other hand, I have wondered why no Russian-Latvian from the occupation period will speak up against Russia and tell them hands off, stay out of Latvia’s internal affairs. We too are Latvians! It has not happened individually not even to think en mass.

But, then behold pērkonis norūca and it knocks me back to my senses. Here is a Russian lady, more accurately a proud Russian-Latvian lady, Ludmila Sočņeva, who minces no hidden lyrics as she tells us all about the good Russians and the bad Russians. Besides, she is of the same mind as Lilita Klinkerte-Stāraste:

““SC” plāno, kā svinēt 65. uzvaras gadadienu pār fašismu. Es gribu uzsvērt, ka Latvijas vēsture ir sarežģīta un krieviem vairāk jādomā par to, kā 9. maijā jūtas latvieši. Nedomāju, ka 9. maija svinēšana nesīs kādu saskaņu, drīzāk – gluži pretēji.”

http://www2.la.lv/lat/latvijas_avize/jaunakaja_numura/redakcijas.viesis/?doc=71539

Cheers, Ivars

It’s nice to see, Mr. Graudins, that you managed to answer the original quandary posed to you: you either make sure the Russian military leaves Latvia, or have a sense of moral vindication for knocking down a monument. You seemed to choose neither.

As for me, I don’t understand the need to talk about Russian problems in Latvia as this isn’t a Russian forum in Latvia. If all Russians living in Latvia are different as Socneva’s example shows why should you bother lumping them all in one group? There are Russians who are descendants of the interwar Republic; there are Russians who are descendants of the Soviet-era immigrants; there are Russians who are no Russians, but use Russian as their primary language. So which Russians do you mean?

The funny thing about whining - you appear the one whining about the evil, oh, so evil, Russians laying the flower at a monument of their choosing. It has been a long time since I heard anyone complain about the alleged discrimination with a straight face, especially after the citizens of Riga elected a naturalized Latvian citizen of Russian descent to be their city’s mayor. Electing Usakovs kind of defeated the rhetoric of discrimination, don’t you think? 

On the other hand, I have wondered why no Russian-Latvian from the occupation period will speak up against Russia and tell them hands off, stay out of Latvia’s internal affairs. We too are Latvians! It has not happened individually not even to think en mass.

This is interesting. Do you also wonder why they don’t think of themselves as Latvians? For about two years, I’ve been asking this same question: what makes one a Latvian? And I’ve yet to hear an answer from the die-hard patriots. This is on an individual level. En mass, though, perhaps, because they personally have been blamed for too many things they themselves didn’t do. Perhaps, the fact that the Soviet leaders managed to cripple the Latvian nation with impunity gave the Latvians a boost to pay back to those who were not part of the regime. Perhaps, too, the Russians collectively have been a victim of a policy that sought in the 1990s to leave them outside of the political arena. They too have valid complaints and valid arguments. If the government appeared to show that they do not need those evil Russians back in the 1990s - as posts on this forum frequently suggest - then why should they associate themselves with the country and – in the Russian psyche – the government of this country? When was the last time the high-ranking public officials have clearly reacted to Russia’s meddling by saying, “No, comrade, these are our citizens; they’re our Russians?” I certainly don’t recall that. Do you?

What I perceive in your post Aleksej is what I perceived while visiting Latvia last summer.  I had failed to view Russians as individuals and for all my years in trimda lumped them all viena poda. While in Riga, my friend arranged a Russian cabby for us to be our transportation since she does not own a car.  Not only did he speak better Latvian than I, he couldn’t have been nicer to us. All my friend had to do was call him on her cell and let him know where we will be and he was there in 10 minutes.  He played nice music for us while driving us to places we wanted to visit.
One evening my travel companion and I decided to venture to old Riga by ourselves and just let the hotel get us a cab. When he dropped us off he pointed to the cab stand with the lined up cabbies and told us that’s where we go to get back to the hotel.
When it was time to go back we noticed that in the row of cabs the first one up was sound asleep so we walked to the next cab. They obviously have their own rules of who goes next, so he woke up the driver in the first cab and we got in. Once we got in the cab we realized the driver did not speak Latvian and not much English either. He turned on the radio to blaring and and we heard a raunchy Russian rap song that had a refrain in English: “I want to f… you”. We asked him to turn it off and he ignored us. Good thing it was a very short ride.
Two Russian/Latvian cabbies but light years apart in their attitude.  So yes, Aleksej, your post says it much better, but people should be viewed as individuals, here, in Latvia and everywhere else.

From post # 7 spectator notes: “Even Lilita Klinkerte-Staraste is so indoctrinated in the Soviet jargon that she refers to that aspect of the war as “Lielais Tēvijas kaŗš” ...”

From my perspective, Lilita Klinkerte-Stāraste used quotation marks, as you also noted, which means that she disowned that title. Anyhow as she lambastes Ušakovs her tone is deliberately cynical.

~*~

Irena ~ thanks for the lengthy document. I’ll need to find time to read and digest it. Without doubt VVF is a sweetheart. In the military you learn to salute it if it moves, and of course VVF is always on the move. The victory monument does not move, hence it gets no salutes. Most Latvians well know that VVF played it safe as the treat on Latvia’s borders on the East has not really, really gone away. With 143 million Russians and 2 million Latvians on opposite sides, the Russian’s get to play at the Chinese gong show. They can unleash wave after wave, without any regard for human life, including their own, as they did during the seven months at Kurzemes cietoksnis suffering 320,000 soviet casualties – a shameful waste of human life - in that short time frame in a needless effort as the war was evidently winding down.

~*~

The Victory Monument is nothing more than another Soviet symbol of oppression; crimes that persisted against the Latvian people well after WWII had long ended – deportations anew like in 1949, torture and execution of Latvians in the cheka chambers, enslavement of the entire Latvian nation - to solidify the so called Soviet victory. Keep in mind that the colonists were not the local population. It was a war that is the sole responsibility of the Soviets and Nazis.

The victory day celebration in Latvia is new phenomena, introduced only in 1985 as a political expedience to save face for a war that was pretty much ignored all along. As a result there are artificialities associated with this war. We can see how history gets revised and trumped up for the Soviets and Russians who claim the Soviet mantel.

Lets be very clear, the Latvians do not own an apology to the Russians for the occupation of Latvia. To be practical President Guntis Ulmanis knew that he did not have any choices. Had Putin been in power Latvians would never have seen any independence. For Putin having an independent Latvia next door is something that is an unnecessary burden for Russia. He is working hard to reverse that.

Regrettably, but Latvians also have their traitors. The fact that the Latvia’s self serving politicians and oligarchs are corrupt, weak-kneed is obviously a major disappointment beyond proportions. But more about that at a later time.

You’re a nice fellow and all that, Aleksej, but don’t be too presumptuous that you can think for me. For one, I do not share your left wing sympathies. You need to reread Ludmila Sočņeva’s article where she more than gladly answered your questions. Consider her my spokesperson. Like I’ve mentioned in my post there are good Russians and there are bad Russians. That’s in different pots. The bad fifth column Russians need to earn their respect. No freebies. {:~)

Aleksej, the open letter to Ušakovas by Lilita Klinkerte-Stāraste seems to have left you cold. Wasn’t there anything that you learned from it or did you know it all and its just not your cup of tea?

Russia is not a part of EU simply because they cannot be trusted. Besides, being just another fish in a gold fish bowl would diminish their bully-boy status.

Freedom of expression in Russian Motherland
http://www.diena.lv/lat/politics/arzemes/krievijas-cilvektiesibu-aizstavi-notiesa-par-padomju-rezima-nomelnosanu

Cheers, Ivars

Ivars gets more and more fun.

The Victory Monument is nothing more than another Soviet symbol of oppression…

Oh really now. No matter how you twist and turn, those monuments have always symbolized an awful lot of things, as almost any symbol can. I can send you photos of Slavas skvērs on 9 May if you like. The monument also symbolizes (a) relatives who died in the war (b) the defeat of Nazi Germany (c) the sacrifices of the Russian people, this concept being kinda iffy (d) lately, the existence of people whose history is obscured by Glenn Beck and his ilk, to the chagrin of those who like (dislike, “same difference”) Glenn Beck and his ilk… and perhaps Ambersun, who now sees her fave movie so ill-used… well, maybe not; that was the original intention, wasn’t it?

The triumphalism at these monuments is rather pathetic, and unlike the “leftist” Aleks (private joke—Aleks is actually as right as right can be, to my mind, and if you consider him a leftist I must be way, way beyond Trotsky at 15… I could even approve of health care or something truly evil like that, or maybe even minimal tolerance of others, even Jews included… I mean, yonder factory chimneys resemble minarets, better tear ‘em down, no?) I don’t excuse the celebration.

But I guess it doesn’t matter much. Palatalize the “ŗ” and it’ll all be okē. Got any free copies of Mein Kampf?

/P

Latvians “apdziedā” their Latvia. It means Latvians have songs of love for their country that go back for centuries. They sing about its rivers Gauja, Daugava, Venta, etc; they sing about its hills and valleys;  streams, fields and meadows; about the wind hissing in the pines; its oaks and linden trees; the sea; its birds in a tree, on a branch or in the yonder; about their people; about romance and love; and about going off to wars that were not of their choosing; songs that are lively and songs that are melancholic. Here’s just one example, it has some pep to it:

Še kur līgo priežu meži!

Še kur līgo priežu meži
Esmu dārgām saitēm siets,
/Šeit ir mana tēvu zeme
Esmu dzimis gaujmaliets./ (2x)

Svešās zemēs esot jauki
Daudz jo daiļi brīnumi
/Augsti kalni, plaši lauki
Greznām puķēm rotāti./ (...2x)

Bet kas svešas zemes salas
Man ar savu greznumu,
/Kad es šeit pie gaujas malas
Dzirdu latvju valodu./ (...2x)

Tik pie Gaujas, tik pie Gaujas
Tik pie Gaujas vēlos būt,
/Tur uz augstās klinšu kraujas
Sevim līgaviņu gūt./ (...2x)

Sveika Gauja, plūsti knaši
Tur kur saule jūrā riet,
/Gadu simteņiem lai braši
Latvju tauta zeļ un zied./ (...2x)

Latviets esmu, latviets būšu,
Latviets mūžam palikšu.
/Un par savu tēvu zemi
Mūžam galvu nolikšu./ (...2x)

Surely Russians from the occupation period must have songs of love for Latvia. Many Russians claim they love Latvia as much as the native Latvians. It has been 65 years! What will they be singing around the victory monument come May 9, 2010 that will connect with the heartbeat and soul of Latvia?

Aleksej, perhaps the above song can be translated into Russian for those who do not know Latvian and they can sing this song around the victory monument in both languages. After all, songs have the magic for connecting people.

Perhaps it can be accomplished in defiance of the organizers from Kremlin that will be milling around.

Cheers, Ivars

This is a sad story, an example of an ambitious young Russian man who wants a seat in the Saeima from Saskaņ centrs come next election. His name is Sergejs Ņevoļskis, born in 1978, a Jelgava city council deputy, a lawyer (maybe not in a legal sense), a 2003 graduate of Baltijas Krievu institūts, a Russian finishing school. He is perceived to be a political bruiser having been kicked out of Tautas Saskaņas partijas for causing moral harm to two other party members. He said that he has no remorse and is proud of his conviction. He also heads up “Desanta brālības kareivju piemiņa,” a fund and it is not clear on the internet where the source of its funds come from.

Anyhow, he is gunning to prove himself in the Russian political arena and make a name for himself. So, he has picked for his target a Latvian patriot, Kārlis Streips and wants to haul him into court for sowing national hatred. In brief (you can read it all in the links) here are the charges as to what Streips wrote:

(1) his [Ušakovs’] “tauta” is in Russia and Russia’s fifth column in Latvia;
(2) the Pushkin monument arrived as Ušakovs announced that they cannot afford to maintain Oskars Kalpaks monument. It’s probably because Oskars Kalpaks was not a Russian national ... he was a Latvian, a hero of Latvia.
(3) Ušakovs boldly announced that on Riga Liberation day he will go to the “phalic” [victory] monument to greet the courageous [Russian] veterans
(4) [Nils Ušakovs] tongue across his shoulder, when ever needed dashes to the faucet (or prick) like victory monument to salute the [Russian] veterans.

Here are the accusations against Streips by Ņevoļskis:
http://www2.la.lv/lat/sodienas_zinas/?doc=5172

Streips comments on the charges:
http://politika.lv/blogi/index.php?id=61713

It would be interesting to see how LOL splits up on this one? As for me, I’m rooting for Streips and not for some undercover collusion, to weaken the Latvians, that’s taking place against him.

Cheers, Ivars

It gets a bit messy from a financial perspective when Mother’s Day and victory day celebrations take place on the same May 9 and the Major of Riga, Nils Ušakovs lives according to the calendar from another country states Laila Pakalniņa.

Latvian watch-dogs my need to follow this one closely as monies are taken from one pocket and placed into another pocket. Nils Ušakovs has indicated that this year’s victory celebration will have a bigger bang than last year. An echo from cheerleading section in Moscow: Urā! Urā, urā! Eh?... Hip, hip hurray!

Mammas uzvaras diena -  Laila Pakalniņa
http://www.citadiena.lv/2010/01/28/mammas-uzvaras-diena/

Latvian moms unite!

Cheers, Ivars

Mr. Graudins:

Aleksej, perhaps the above song can be translated into Russian for those who do not know Latvian and they can sing this song around the victory monument in both languages. After all, songs have the magic for connecting people.

You’re making me dig out some poetry, which I don’t particularly like. I’ll post them here in the occupier tongue. You can use Google translate for your comprehension needs.

Баллада о Кенгераге

Много сказаний, былин и баллад
Я в жизни своей слыхал,
Как руку на брата брат поднимал,
А совесть и честь ногами топтал,
Пел бродячий на площади бард.

Он пел о любви роковой и тоске,
Что мужа в могилу свела;
Пел о полуночной он звезде
И о колдунье, что на костре
Епископа прокляла.

О рыцарях пел и Ливонской войне,
О древних магических тайнах…
Одна из баллад душу тронула мне —
О ливах и главном их божестве,
В сердце запав изначально.

……………………..
……………………..

Осеннею стужей Балтика зла —
Шторма за штормами идут.
В капище Антримпа жертвы несут,
Девушек юных жрецам отдают,
Чтоб рыбою сети были полны,
К богу взывают ливов жрецы.

Но Антримп разгневан на ливский народ
И просьбам жрецов не внимает.
С грохотом страшным морская волна
Ливские лодки ломает.
Древние ливы шепчут: -Не зря…
Лихая пора наступает.

Антримп четвёртый бесится день
Волны на брег нагоняя…
Смешалась со светом чёрная тень
И молнии блещут, играя.
В чём так провинился ливский народ
И что им грядущий день принесёт?!

………………………..
……………………….

Богата и славна ливов земля,
Силен народ своей верой.
Совету старейшин власть отдана
Волею Высшей навечно.
Вершителем Судеб дан им закон,
Нет ничего для них выше, чем он.

Множество рек и озёр, и полей,
Рыбой богатое море,
Перконис дал своим сыновьям
На радость друзьям
И на зависть врагам,
Чтоб ливы не знали горя.

Ярко горит на закате звезда,
Путь по судьбе освещая
Ливам и балтам, и леттам всегда,
А пруссам конец предвещая.
Воздух осенний дышит бедой,
С юга врагов посылая.

………………………..
………………………

Где Ридзене-речка в Даугаву течёт
Ливов стоит городище.
В нём славное племя ливов живёт,
И кров есть у них и пища.
Молод, но умен Имант их вождь,
Да ниспошлёт ему Перконис дождь!

Мудро он правит народом своим
По древнему предков завету,
Двадцать минуло Иманту зим,
Вновь наступило лето.
Нет у него ни семьи, ни жены,
С Лаймою встречи ещё суждены.

В заботах о племни только живёт.
Вместе с Советом Старейшин
Суд правый вершит и торговлю ведёт
Не запятнав своей чести.
Пусть будут ясны всегда его дни
И боги пошлют ему чувство любви!

……………………….
…………………………..

Тайной глубокой покрыт на века,
В урочище тайном сокрытый,
Властителя Судеб и Перконса храм
Всеми давно позабытый…
Лишь Посвящённой, что служит ему,
Откроет грядущее в сизом дыму.

Долгие годы огонь в нём горит,
Древний алтарь освещая.
Хранитель Закона за храмом следит
Ливам судьбу предвещая.
Много столетий упало во мглу,
Чашу давно переполнив сию.

{to be continued}

………………………….
………………………

Жрица младая у храма живёт,
Отдана Перконсу с детства.
В служении богу жизнь течёт,
Не знает любви её сердце.
Не ведает дева о счастьи мирском,
Вся её жизнь лишь в служеньи святом.

Утром с зорёю на речку идёт,
Вместе с русалками песни поёт.
Духи приходят к ней поздней порой,
Льётся всю ночь разговор непростой.
Красива, прелестна, млада и умна —
Властителю Судеб навек отдана.

Нету во храме прислуги иной,
Жрица одна и Путь у ней свой.
Некогда деве грустить и страдать,
В жизни одна у неё благодать:
Древним богам свою службу нести,
Пусть да продлятся жрицы сей дни!

Перконсу с Лаймой я славу пою
И древнему ливов народу,
Правду одну лишь до вас донесу,
Тайн раскрывая природу.
Пусть славятся боги ливов в веках,
Хоть даже сей храм весь рассыпится в прах!

У речки, что вcе Кенгерага зовут,
Чьи воды к Даугаве холмами текут,
В бухте глубокой, что скрыта скалой,
Дева встречала рассвет над рекой.
Каждое утро приходит сюда
Жрица их храма тайно, одна.

Вместе с русалками в водах резвясь,
Сердцем она отдыхает,
А после, нагая, на бреге в кустах,
С дриадами вместе играет.
Всего восемнадцать минуло ей зим,
Мужчина ей взор не смущал ни один.

Не помнит никто, как звали её,
Даже в преданиях ливов
Не сохранилося имя сиё,
Но помнят, что с нею случилось.
Как двое влюбилися в деву одну,
Ливский народ погубив ко всему.

Or

Зажглись огни пилона
В тролейбусном вагоне,
Тишина
Засыпает у окна.

Набросили кварталы
Ночное покрывало
Темноты,
Скрыв фасады и мосты.

Опустит тень историй,
Уснувший старый город,
Имена
Шепчет тихая волна.

На площади просторной
У Домского собора
Я стою,
Выверяя жизнь свою.

Сыграет дождь, чуть слышно,
На черепичных крышах,
Загрустив,
Ненавязчивый мотив.

Туман задвинет шторы
И в нем утонет город,
До утра,
Вместе с башнею Петра.

И пусть уходят поезда
К неведомым мечтам
Искать в далеких городах
Того, что нету там.

И пусть спешат встречать зарю,
Предвидя праздник свой, -
Я постою и покурю
На Рижской мостовой.

Certainly, none of those poems will be sung at the monument on May 9. What is likely to be sung though songs that kept the Soviet soldiers warm at heart during the worst and most brutal war of the last century. Like this one or this one. Which is not about Latvia, of course, or Stalin, but about the loved one back home who are waiting for men to return home safely. Incidentally, that song was sung on both sides of the front, including those who fled Latvia to the West when the Soviets invaded.

Here’s another poem, written by a woman who emigrated to the US eventually…

Шведский камень, тягучая речь,
Запах моря, берег реки.
А по имени страшно наречь:
Все равно что заклятье тоски
Оживить, лишь озвучишь гортань.
Голос чаек брезгливо-гортан.
Черепица старинных домов –
Как чепцы у почтеннейших вдов.
От костела к реке – фонари
Зажжены, но один не горит,
И блестят следы от колес...

То мой город, знакомый до слез.

Re: Sergejs Ņevoļskis. It sounds like the guy is an idiot. Of the Osipov ilk.

Quote of the week, perhaps?

“This year Russia is sending official invitations to the 65th anniversary of the victory only to heads of the CIS states with which we fought together and defeated Nazi Germany together. Russia is not sending invitations to other states, and to them we say—we will be celebrating, and those who are ready to participate and mark the great victory over fascism with us are welcome.”

—Russian Ambassador to Latvia Veshnyakov as quoted by the Baltic News Service.

If Germany didn’t have to keep some 50 divisions in France and Italy to fight the Allies, they would have made mincemeat of the Red Army.