Added on May 28, 2017: In the evening of May 26, 2017 Zbigniew Brzezinski passed away in Virginia at the age of 89. Book review: Zbigniew Brzezinski: Second Chance. Three Presidents and...

The exhibition Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity was originally conceived at the Milwaukee Art Museum and then...

The international exhibition Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (catalogue:...

Biography of Kristine Opolais For this biography, in December 2006, I interviewed the Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais at...

Updates: December 25 and 28, 2006: The hardest working man in showbiz made a last visit to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The body...

One of Scandinavia’s finest places to stay at is Hotel Kämp Helsinki. The economic, social and cultural elite of Finland as well as illustrious guests from around the world gather at...

The UN Resolution 1718. The santions againt the People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) Security Council 5551st Meeting (PM) On October 14, 2006 acting under Chapter VII of the...

Update added on August 13, 2006: Finally, on the evening of Friday August 11, 2006 the U.N. Nations Security Council unanimously...

Biography based on an interview of Andrejs Zagars in Riga on May 18, 2006 The biography of Andrejs Zagars, the general director of the Latvian National Opera (LNO) in Riga, is the kind of...

The works of Paul Klee (1879-1940) were considered “degenerated” (entartet) by the Nazis while they enjoyed an enthusiastic reception by key collectors and curators in the...

Biography based on an exclusive interview with Andris Nelsons in Riga in June 2006 Andris Nelsons was born in Riga in 1978. Both his parents are musicians. His father is a cellist, the...

Article added on June 6, 2006: Sunday June 4, 2006 was a sad day for Peru. The Peruvian presidential election 2006 gave headaches...

Update added on October 4, 2006: President Abbas declared that Fatah’s negotiations with Hamas for a government of national...

When I stayed in Paris in 2005, by chance, I discovered an excellent range of skin care: A Perfect World ™ White Tea skin care by Origins (Amazon.com). The cosmetics industry is always in...

Thames & Hudson have re-edited in paperback Walker Evans: The Hungry Eye, the book/catalogue (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk) which accompanied the landmark exhibition at The Metropolitan...

Talavera restaurant is closed, not in operation anymore [update October 9, 2006]. The Radisson SAS Daugava Riga has two restaurants, both located on the ground floor, facing the river...

After three months of reconstruction works, Technogym Wellness Centre reopened it’s doors for the first guests at the Radisson SAS Daugava Hotel on the May 1, 2006. It offers...

In his NYT review of the exhibition Degas at Harvard, Holland Cotter describes Edgar Degas as “a contrary, difficult man: a sociable misanthrope, a shy egomaniac, a cosmopolitan...

Everybody associates Edgar Degas with Paris, ballet dancers, horse races, etc. Only a few initiated people will associate this artist with Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts. However,...

I had the chance to stay at The Milestone again. It is as fabulous a hotel as ever. 2012 is an extremely busy year. I only managed to get into the Studio Room 408, which was rather small,...