16-09-2009, 03:56 PM
Jan Klimkowski Wrote:I would interested in learning more of the former Latvian president's work on experimental psychology and memory, conducted at McGill University, at a crucial time in that institution's history.
Wow. I guess I heard about McGill in both cases but didn't make the connexion. It's a big university I guess, so who knows. I remember the Economist magazine did a one page feature on Freiburg when she was made Latvian president, about how cool she is etc. It mentioned her doctoral thesis topic I think. As I remember it, it was something about psychology and mythology, but this was a long time ago. I also happened to see her once at some function. Elderly, fake smile, would probably feel at ease rubbing elbows with European royalty but doesn't mind slumming it up with Eastern Europeans for the time being. An impression.
About half of Latvia speaks Russian, and in Riga more than that, and not Latvian. Latvians speak Russia too of course. Anyway, in Riga the Russians refuse to speak Latvian and the Latvians refuse to speak Russian, pretty much. There are a lot of stateless Russians in Latvia, the independent state that emerged in 1991 considered the Russians illegal immigrants. Estonia pretty much adopted the same policy. That's why the Arctic Sea story features 4 or more stateless hijackers. So Vaira Vike Freiburg during one of her campaigns said she was going to learn Russian. I guess she tried and failed, or at least gave up on the idea pretty soon; she never learned Russian.