March | 2011 | crookedtimberofhumanity

Life as a tourist…

Well, sorry it has been quite a while since I posted anything. It seems like life just isn’t as exciting since Jill left. We had an amazing time while Jill was here. We did a lot of walking, eating, and sightseeing. We had a once in a lifetime experience of being the only people that day to tour the Rundale palace. We saw the Arctic tundra (ok, it was actually the frozen Baltic Sea) in Jurmala. 🙂 We were invited to a traditional Latvian dinner hosted by my Latvian tutor, where we all got to try pickled herring, pankukas (potato pancakes), and boiled potatoes with biezpiens (something in between cream cheese and cottage cheese) and fresh dill. Yes, even I tried the pickled herring, and it actually was not too bad. I also got to cross off something on my bucket list when the three of us went ice skating at meza parks. We showed Jill the breathtaking skyline of Riga at a restaurant on the 26th floor of a hotel situated near the downtown. We also had an unforgettable night at ALA folkclub, which is a bar that has live traditional Latvian folk music and dancing. Jill ended up befriending a group of Italians who would end up helping her safely get to where she was going in Italy the next week.

So,after a week of all that fun, how could things not seem boring now? 🙂 Well, I have managed to do some new things as a nurse. I started going to a laboratory and helping draw blood (I’m following in my mom’s footsteps :)). The nurse at the laboratory is so gracious and thankful that I come. She is the only one that works at the specific lab that I go to, so she acts as the secretary to check each patient in, processes their paperwork, takes their money, and then she draws their blood. So, needless to say, people wait in a long line to get their blood drawn. It is ridiculous how hard she works–she only gets a break if there aren’t patients waiting. Sometimes she sees 200 patients a day! So I’m sure she enjoys the break from all the work when I come to help. She always asks when I will come again and tells me that it is her holiday when I come. 🙂 We’ve enjoyed chatting and comparing stories about nursing. We are always so amazed at some of the differences. Well, I also met with the faculty at Riga Stradina Academic School of Nursing and we decided that I would give three guest lectures. I’m actually giving my first lecture on transcultural nursing tomorrow. I’m excited but a little nervous. The class size is small, only like 12 to 15 nursing students; however, the faculty made it sound like the students aren’t very proficient in English. So it could be a rather interesting experience. 🙂 My other lectures are on nursing research and the role of the nurse. Other than that, I’m still going to the clinic each week in addition to working on my Latvian. It has started to click a little more in my brain; I am picking up more words that people say and I’m starting to get better at speaking in simple sentences. I told Jordan the other day how much more I appreciate and acknowledge how hard it had to be for him when he took the two summers of intensive Latvian language courses. 🙂 I don’t know how he learned anything in LA because I was always dragging him somewhere!

Well, the weather is slowly getting warmer. The last few weeks have pretty much been in the 30s and some days even the 40s. It feels so good to not have to wear a hat all the time and to actually have the sun shine down on you. Anticipating the spring, Jordan and I decided to book our trip to Prague for the end of April. We are so excited!! I can’t wait to see the beautiful scenery and architecture and get a sense of where my ancestors came from. We are also considering buying tickets to the ballet, Anna Karenina, at the Latvian National Opera house and we have another Latvian dinner planned on Friday, so this week will hopefully be more exciting. 🙂 We are already looking forward to more visitors! My dad and Peggy are coming in June, so we are starting to plan for their stay. I hope all is well back home! Love you all and miss you!!

27/03/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

America’s plutocracy…

Here is another edition of the news section. Today I am focusing on America’s plutocracy. Enjoy.

1. Last month I read a number of interesting articles about the legacy of Ronald Reagan, who seems to have been in the news quite a lot over the last month due to the 100 year anniversary of his birth, and also because Wisconsin’s controversial governor, Scott Walker, apparently has a cult-like obsession with Reagan and his unabashed assault on America’s common man (or so we learned as a result of the prank David Koch phone call–see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022507246.html). Browsing through the articles about the anniversary of his birth, I discovered that very few actually discuss the long-term impact of Reagan’s key agenda, the implementation of his economic policies, which are often collectively referred to as “Reaganomics” or “trickle-down economics.” For those of you who do not remember, the four main pillars of his economic ideology were: 1) reduce government spending; 2) reduce income tax and capital gains tax; 3) deregulate the economy as much as possible; 4) tighter control of the money supply to fight inflation. As a result of these policies, the predominate source of tax revenues changed from taxes on higher earners (the tax rate was dropped from 70% to below 30%) and capital gains on existing investments to payroll taxes and taxes on new investments. Coming out of the economic doldrums of the 1970s, the supporters of Reaganomics argued (and still argue) that by giving huge tax breaks to the rich and shifting wealth upwards, the economy would/will be stimulated because, in theory, those rich people will reinvest those savings through new economic ventures which, so the theory continues, will create new jobs and enable the money to “trickle down” through the rest of society via the guiding principles of the open, capitalistic marketplace. Here, via Inequality.org (http://www.demos.org/inequality/numbers.cfm), are the long-term results of Reaganomics (click on the charts if you want to enlarge them):

In addition to the charts, just consider these numbers: Between 1950 and 1980, the average American saw their income increase from $17,719 to $30,941. Since then, over the last 30 years, the average American’s salary has risen a mere 303 dollars, while the cost of healthcare, energy, etc. has skyrocketed. Contrast that with the nearly 350 percent increase that the top 1 percent has enjoyed since then, and you can see how drastically Reagan’s policies have changed America. But somehow, shockingly, the American public continues to buy into this economic strategy, as evidenced by the midterm elections. Consequently, in the middle of the Republicans’ discussions about cutting funding for much-needed infrastructure projects, public education, etc. because of our national debt, they passed an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts that will cost some $858 billion over two years. Yes, that’s right, 858 billion dollars over two years, and at a time when we are ostensibly so broke that, for example, there will be no Social Security cost-of-living increase for the first time in many decades.

2) In case you did not see Forbes’ latest list of the world’s richest people, here is a summary. Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecom and media giant, continues to hold off Bill Gates as the world’s richest person. In 2010 his wealth jumped an incredible 38% ($20.5 billion) to $74 billion…Bill Gates is worth $56 billion…For those of you who are Facebook users, perhaps you might be interested to learn that there are now six people associated with Facebook who are billionaires…Combined, the total worth of all the world’s billionaires is $4.5 trillion, an all-time record…America continues to hold the top spot with 413 billionaires. And get this, those 413 people collectively have more wealth than over 50 percent of the rest of America’s population combined (over 150 million people). Put another way, if all the billionaires moved to the same city, that would mean that a town half the size of Bertrand would hold more wealth than the collective worth of over 50% of the rest of America. Incredible!

3) The results of the “Tea Party-led” midterm elections? One of the richest legislative freshmen classes in U.S. history. According to the report from the Center for Responsive Politics which was released this week, over 60% of Senate freshmen and 40% of the freshmen in the Congress are millionaires. Here are a couple more statistics: the average wealth of incoming senators is $3.96 million, while the collective wealth of the new Congress members is estimated at $533 million…

16/03/2011 | Categories: News segment, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Rundāle and ice skating: two more reasons why you should come visit Latvia

Jordan: Neither Brittney nor Jill had ever been to a European palace, so we decided to trek down to Rundāle while Jill was here. The palace is located in the countryside of Zemgale, the province just south of the Riga region. The baroque-style palace was built in the 1700s for the Duke of Courland (Courland was an old administrative territory that roughly corresponded to the original cultural and linguistic lands of the Curonians or Kurs, one of the old Baltic tribes), Ernst Johann von Biron, who rose to his position of power thanks to his love affair with Anna Ivanovna, the daughter of Tsar Ivan V.

Brittney: This is the front entrance of the palace. Yes, Jordan is being ridiculous and grabbing my boob:). Jordan: Continuing on, Anna, who became the Empress of Russia in 1730, often stayed here with von Biron in the summer time...The palace was damaged during a number of wars, but particularly during the First and Second World Wars. Then, during Soviet times, the palace was used by the local school, with the formal hall serving as a gym while the duke's study was converted into a workshop, just to give two examples. However, in the 1970s and 1980s restoration work began and is now nearly complete.

The main staircase, shown here, is considered by many to be the most beautiful aspect of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli's design. Rastrelli was an Italian architect who was employed by the Russian crown. His other famous works include the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg.

Brittney: This picture is impressive because it depicts just how far the rooms go.

Brittney: This was the first ballroom that we saw. You could spend hours in the room looking at the different scenes painted on the ceiling and walls. Jordan: This was the formal hall where official gatherings were held. The ceiling, painted by the Italians Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi, depicts the power and glory of the state.

Jordan: The Rococo-style marble paneling and gilded decorations were created by J.M. Graff of Berlin. As you walk around the room, you discover that each panel has a different theme, such as gardening, fishing, hunting, cattle-breeding, etc.

Britney: This was the second ballroom. It was more impressive than the first even though the entire room was white. The sculpture work on the ceiling and the walls was amazing and there were different scenes in each picture.

Jordan: Here is a close-up of the detail work on the ceiling. It is so incredible to see the figures protruding from the stucco. I would say that this room ranks as one of the most impressive ballrooms I have ever seen.

Jordan: The ballroom, completed by J.M. Graff, incorporates the four elements of the world (fire, water, soil, and air) in addition to lovely displays of youthful pastoral scenes.

Jordan: Here is one of my favorite pastoral scenes. The minute details are remarkable.

Jordan: At one end of the white ballroom is the small porcelain room. I'm not exactly sure what this room was intended for, but it is quite unique as compared to all of the other palaces I've been to. On the stucco shelves designed by Graff are 17th-19th century vases from Japan and China.

Brittney: I absolutely loved this bedroom! The Latvians need bedrooms like this to shut out all the light during the summertime, when there is 21 hours of daylight!

Jordan: This is the Rose Room. It was another of our favorites. The ceiling was completed by the same Italian painters, while Graff produced the incredibly beautiful walls. In the corner is the impressive porcelain heater, which released warm air from centrally located (but hidden) fireplaces.

Jordan: Here is the sink in the duke's bathroom.

Jordan: This is the ladies' resting room, which was completed by Graff. Note the "secret" door below the painting.

Graff's mirror is perhaps the most impressive piece in the room.

Brittney: This was an amazingly beautiful bathroom. However, the ceiling was extremely low (perhaps so that the women could look at themselves in the mirrors). I don't think Jordan could have fit in this room. 🙂

Jordan: I guess all the day-dreaming about what it must have been like to be European royalty must have made Brittney and Jill tired, for, as you can see, they crashed on the bus ride home.

Brittney: We went to Meža parks, which is on the outskirts of Riga. It is a huge, beautiful, forested area that has a zoo, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating. I absolutely loved ice skating!! It was meant to be that my first time ice skating would be here in Latvia. The skating rink was amazing. Instead of the usual round rink, they had ice paths so you could skate around the forest.

Brittney: Jordan was a trooper! He didn't enjoy ice skating as much as I did, but he hung in there while I showed off my awesome skills. 🙂 Jordan: Yeah, in addition to falling down pretty hard on three occasions, my skates did not fit properly and as a result I got blisters on my feet. Anyway, I should also point out that in the background you can see the amphitheater where the national song festivals are held. What a scenic place to sing!

Brittney: Jill and I had so much fun ice skating!

12/03/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 6 Comments

It’s cold…

Hello, everyone, here is another installment of the news section. Enjoy.

1) Latvia and the Baltic States are no strangers to the cold. However, over the last month the weather has been much colder than normal. In fact, there have been many nights of record-setting lows for the month of February. As a result, the Daugava River and Bay of Riga have become unnavigable due to the thick ice that has amassed during this stretch of bitterly cold weather. Naturally, this is a major problem for the busy port of Riga, as evidenced in the picture below. According to government reports, as of last week, some 40 ships were trapped in ice, a situation which has spurned the government of Latvia to become involved in the operations to rescue the stranded crews.

A picture from our trip to the Baltic Sea. We are standing somewhere near the water's edge.

2. Here is a scary story about the dangers of genetically modifying plant organisms (GMOs). Just a few weeks ago Dr. Don Huber, a plant pathologist and professor emeritus from Purdue University, contacted the USDA about a shocking discovery that he had uncovered. Dr. Huber has found previously unknown microscopic pathogens in high concentrations in genetically modified Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, which he believes may be causing infertility and other abnormalities in livestock, in addition to diseases in crops. Dr. Huber believes that the threat to America and the world’s food supply from these GMOs is so high that he used the term “state of emergency” in his formal letter to Tom Vilsack, the current USDA Secretary. And, of course, besides concerns about the ability of the pathogen to cause diseases in both plants and animals, which is extraordinarily rare, Dr. Huber’s work only raises more red flags about whether GMOs are safe for human consumption.

3. More depressing news on the media front. As of Wednesday Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation got the go-ahead from the British government in regard to the company’s controversial buy-out and takeover of BSkyB, the parent company of, among other media outlets, Sky News. One wonders how we will get access to unbiased news when all of our news outlets are being bought out by a handful of media conglomerates, such as News Corp. And this is particularly dangerous when corporations like News Corp. have such active political ambitions, as evidenced by the fact that Fox News has employed or is currently employing four of the assumed 2012 GOP presidential candidates… In case you don’t know, here is a list of News Corp.’s television and publishing assets (which, according to official SEC filings, are worth approximately $57 billion, with annual profits of around $30 billion):

Fox Broadcasting Company; the Big Ten Network; Fox Business Network; Fox Movie Channel; Fox News; Fox College Sports; Fox Sports Enterprises; Fox Deportes; Fox Sports Net; Fox Soccer Channel; Fuel TV; FX; National Geographic Wild; Speed; STAR; Stats, Inc.; ALPHA; Big League; Daily Telegraph; Donna Hay; Dow Jones; Gold Coast Bulletin; Harper Collins Publishers; Harper Collins: Australia, Canada, Children’s Books, India, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom; Herald Sun; Inside Out; New York Post; News America Marketing; News International; News of the World; NT News; Post-Courier; Smart Source; Sunday Herald Sun; Sunday Mail; Sunday Tasmanian; Sunday Territorian; Sunday Times; The Advertiser; The Australian; The Courier-Mail; The Mercury; The Sunday Mail; The Sunday Telegraph; The Sun; Sky News; The Sunday Times; The Times; Times Literary Supplement; The Wall Street Journal; The Wall Street Journal Digital Network; Weekly Times; Zondervan.

Finally, here are a few more photos from our visit to the Baltic Sea in Jurmala. As you will see, the sunsets here are breathtakingly beautiful.