Crisis in Latvia. Crisis Diary. May 2009
Crisis Diary by Katya
2009-05-27
The Prime Minister says that the introduction of vouchers will mean a disguised devaluation of the lat. He argues that nothing like that will be necessary. In current extraordinary meeting parliament reviews the budget again to decide where to save 8% of it.
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Celebrities and homeless in public transport
In Riga public transport a modern ticketing system has been introduced in May. All pensioners, students and residents are forced to purchase the electronic e-vouchers which on embarking on public transport have to bee presented to the electronic receivers.
New, modern trolley buses with air-conditioners, squeaky doors, low floors and modern fitted seats for disabled people are traveling in the city. But I have not ever seen disabled people on public transport. It’s even hard to remember in 11 years residence in Riga when during daily life traveling by public transport I would have seen a disabled person in a wheelchair. But there are a lots of grandmas with stokes.
The number of trips have been reduced in times of crisis, short buses are riding instead of the more longer ones. In these new trolley buses and buses Rigans drive as herring in barrels because they are not equipped with a convenient handrails - maybe someone thought that the passengers will only sit in them.
Homeless persons are common visitors in a public transport. Don’t be surprised that after making a few stops with a public transport you will bring some flea at home. Yesterday I had the honor to go in a transport with three homeless persons – the first two were eating rammish sandwiches in a trolley bus, when they have finished to eat them they went out. The same stop another one came in with a bruise under one eye and swelled another eye. He went one stop and then get out. There wasn’t any single window opened in that trolley bus – it is not even so easy to do it in the vehicle with an air conditioner. But the modern air conditioner did not work. Odor in the modern trolley bus was so horrible that even a crapulent young person who didn’t smell better went to beg the driver to lit on the conditioner. He was refused. Why do trolleys with air-conditioners are necessary if they are not being manipulated? Rigas Satiksme will open windows rather than infuse conditioner coolant which also costs money.
But yesterday I had the honor to go in one trolley bus with Loskutovs – the former leader of scandalously Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (CPCB).
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The reduce of quality and flour-moths
For the first time in my life I get to know what does flour-moths mean. In February some moths began to hover in my kitchen. I didn’t feel much disturbed on this, killed some and I thought that it is a transient phenomenon. In a moment when they started to appear in all the apartment I began to worry and started to seek them in lockers, but I didn’t find any moth in wool socks or sweaters – but these were the only places where I could imagine to find them.
I didn’t feel well about this and asked for advice to my more experienced relatives. Yes, there exist flour-moths they told me. You shouldn’t have to keep extra flour or porridge at home they gave me an advice. But I found it normal to have several kind of porridge, rise or flour at home. You make lasagna, the plates have left over and you put them in a stationary cupboard.
I controlled food lockers and I cannot describe the disgusting feeling when you find plaques of disgusting creatures in semolina pudding, buckwheat or millet.
In panic I began to search for information on the Internet - a lot of information I found in women's forums. Results that this disease is not so rare in Latvia now – with bread and grits we bring home these “miracles” and then to get rid of them is pure torment. Here women say that the crisis has dropped the food processing and storage quality and it is no surprise that this disgusting parasite appears in our kitchens.
2009-05-25
The biggest Latvian newspaper publishes a story of a heroic boy who has survival spending 1 LVL a day. During this one-week-experiment the guy made shopping in the low-cost shops and bought one carrot, one onion, salt, the little confections of porridge (100g).
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In Latvia 15,000 unnecessary doctors, nurses and teachers have been found. The government with a support of the European Union is planning how to reclassify the surplus labor force. Extra manpower has appeared in last months, until now there has always been a lack of teachers, doctors and nurses. Because of small wages specialists departed to foreign countries or worked for several loads to constrict the ends together.
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Police officers, teachers and doctors at the age of retirement have been dismissed from work. Those who have some months left till retirement are working their last months. The workload for working professionals has been increased and the salary has been reduced.
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A new alternative for the word crisis has been found – the linguists have worked out a new term – big trouble.
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Latvians are going abroad to seek for a work. I have heard two stories about how young people take loans to go to Spain. Unfortunately, none of the young people didn’t find a job there. Parents of the girl send her money for survival and she refuses to go back to Latvia. The guy would be agree to return but he has no money for the way back.
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The Governor have expressed the hypothesis - if all goes as so far, the food will fall on vouchers in autumn. The times like that have already been overcome - the porridge and pasta vouchers had been changed in 1991 as well.
2009/05/05
Who fails in crisis succeeds in ice hockey
Obviously smaller amount of ice hockey supporters went to Berne. In the pubs of Old Riga there are no more extensive meetings as previously. It’s a miracle that ice hockey has still a potential to join this nation which has suffered so much from crisis. Latvian ice hockey team has entered a quarter final which wasn’t done over the past 5 years.
2009/05/03
Do you want a salary starting from 1000 lats per month? Become a professional chat-person in video-chats. You can do it when you want, salary depends only from you! You can work at home or join this with another job. Announcements like this have been offered to a population that is suffering from crisis. But this attractive advertisement didn’t say what exactly means this flirt. Those who know say that it is about hard erotic that is bordering pornography at the front of web-cam. Obese Americans are always willing to pay of The Eastern European girls’ nudity.
