How to fuel the economic engine of a brain drain-affected country | Christopher Leake
Frustration is high in communities where brain drain has lead to depopulation, an inability to support rural education institutions, and ultimately, to an efficiency gap when compared to urban schools. Without an easy solution in sight, politicians become the target...
Don’t neglect your emotions. Express them — constructively! | Artūrs Miksons
As we grow through life, we’re taught what’s “ok” and what isn’t, when it comes to demonstrating emotions. We learn to push them away, reject, or suppress what has been deemed socially unacceptable. But when it comes down to it,...
42 marathons in 21 days: what I learned from running around my country | Dins Vecāns
In the spirit of Latvian centennial happenings, Dins ran along the border of Latvia, his home country, to get to know it better. Despite all odds, he ran around the entire perimeter of Latvia, 1740 km, in 21.5 days. His...
Who paid for your news today? | Nellija Ločmele
Imagine losing half of your blood — could you survive? As the drain of advertising money threatens journalism worldwide, it becomes crucial for media users to seriously consider the saying “you get what you pay for”. The vanishing of free...
Technology’s impact on our mind – and why we should care | Janis Sarts
In a life of heightened information access and lowered attention spans, we find ourselves reading more headlines, but processing fewer facts. The result — an epidemic of anxiety. How are cognitive biases affecting our perception of reality? And are we...
TEDxRiga 2018
Light is everywhere. It’s in bright talent and brilliant ideas, shining minds and sparkling eyes. It’s time to see it and save it, be it and share it. After all — what better time is there to look at everything...
The microscopic order that defines our macroscopic world
The make-up of any object reveals only one part of its secret. The rest – depends on the arrangement at the macro, micro and nano level. Prof. Gross shows us how arrangement is essential for optimal performance – whether it’s...
Social anthropology turns practical — lessons from cooking with refugees | Ieva Raubiško
What does it mean for strangers to meet, recognize their differences, and work together? Is it possible all? When the European migration crisis brought a small wave of refugees to Latvia, Ieva Raubiško switched from her academic work as a...
The battle for hearts and minds: studying Russia’s influence in Latvia | Martins Hirss
Is Russia winning the so-called information war? Russia’s state-owned media produces high-quality propaganda. Russia invests money in pro-Russia organizations and radicals abroad. But is it working? Are people influenced by Russia’s propaganda? Is Latgale the next Crimea? In fact, the...
What I did not tell about Chechnya | Olga Dragileva
A journalist’s duty is to act as our eyes and ears out in the field, to convey to us the information they collected without distortion. But what if this puts the subjects of the report in danger? How can one...