Rasma Raisters
Bio
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
Stories (990/0)
The Amazing Talent of Simon & Garfunkel
Like being born under a lucky star, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel discovered that they had the talent to harmonize as early as the sixth grade. At that time, they lived and played in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. When they became a duo, they wove their magic creating incredible melodies and songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Beat
- Top Story - July 2018
Legendary Band, Great Music That Is QueenTop Story - July 2018
As soon as I heard the song “These Are the Days of Our Lives” I fell head over heels in love with the music of Queen. I had heard their songs on the radio but hadn’t taken the time to really listen to them until this particular song. Even now I enjoy watching videos of Queen through YouTube and watching Freddie Mercury’s dynamite performances always brings a tear to my eye. He was such a great talent and certainly much too young to be taken from this world but the music of Queen and the videos keep him alive and in our minds and in our hearts.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Beat
Delicious Goulash
In Hungary, Gulyasleves is a dish which is prepared like a soup. A herdsman is a gulyas, and leves means soup. This soup is typically made with beef, vegetables, ground paprika, and other spices. It was a dish which was cooked by cattlemen tending their herds on the Great Hungarian Plain. They cooked it outdoors over an open fire in a portable cauldron which was called bogracs. Originally the dish was similar to a stew and was called bogracsgulyas. When Gulyasleves is served in a Hungarian restaurant it is a soup, but Hungarians in their homes cook the dish as a stew. The recipe has many variations and although the usual meat is beef, mixed meats may also be used such as pork and mutton/lamb. To this one can add tomatoes, carrots and fresh peppers (often hot chilies). Ingredients like onions, paprika, and caraway seeds bring out the flavor in this dish and cubed potatoes or pasta squares may be added.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Feast
Strolling in the Parks of Riga
The capital of Latvia, Riga is divided into two banks by the Daugava River. On the right bank is the city side and on the left bank the suburban side known as Pardaugava or Over the Daugava. Both sides have lovely, green and lush parks. Some of the better-known ones I have written about.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Wander
- Top Story - June 2018
Eating Meatballs All Over EuropeTop Story - June 2018
Basically, a meatball consists of meat, salt, and pepper or different spices and then the ground meat is rolled into a ball and can be baked, fried, sautéed or boiled. It is interesting how versatile a meatball dish actually is and how different nationalities prepare it. This is about how meatballs are prepared in European countries and you’ll see that there is so much more to them than just ground meat and spices.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Feast
The Fare of Knights and Maidens
By the time the world reached the Middle Ages people were much more civilized and no longer went clubbing for their food. This is a look at how people cooked and ate in the Middle Ages which is a period from about the 5th to the 16th centuries. The cooking and eating habits that were established then was a base for the way people cook in Europe nowadays.
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Feast
Majestic Rundales Palace
This is a beautiful and magnificent Baroque style palace located in Latvia in the Rundales district Pilsrundale. It was designed by a Russian architect of Italian descent Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It took from 1736 to 1768 to build this castle and it became the summer residence of the Kurzeme (this region was also known as Courland, so Biron was called the Duke of Courland) region, Duke Ernst Johann von Biron. Within Rundales Palace territory there are also many additional buildings and a large park. Since 1972 the Rundales Palace Museum can be visited and there have been many restorations done on this castle to make it look like it did in the 18th century.
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Wander
The Beauty of Sigulda
The History of Sigulda Sigulda’s inhabitants can be traced back as far as the 2nd century B.C. as they settled here and hunted, fished, and bred domestic animals. Settlers known as Livi have been in the Sigulda Region since around the 11th century. One can still see the ancient decorations they once made which show that the Livi lived on both banks of the Gauja. When in the 13th century Christianity bearers appeared, they took over the Livi settlements. In medieval documents, one can see the town referred to as Segewold instead of Sigulda. Up until the end of the 16th century, Sigulda Castle was under the rule of the Livonia Order and a small town was set up by the castle whose inhabitants were mostly craftsmen and merchants. Wars came along and the Sigulda Castle and town got destroyed during the time of the Polish-Swedish War.
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Wander
'Three Devil’s Servants in the Devil’s Mill'
Well known Latvian actor and writer whose real name was Arvids Mihelsons was born near Riga, Latvia on October 23, 1886, died on October 14, 1961, and was buried in Riga in Meza Kapi or Forest Cemetery. During his illustrious career he took on the name of Rutku Tevs, or Radish Father if translated. The reason for this was that Rutku Tevs was the actor’s first role where the character he played in his army troop’s theater group had this name. In 1953, he wrote one of his most famous novels, Tris Vella Kalpi, or Three Devil’s Servants, which was made into a movie by the Riga Film Studio in 1970. The studio made a second film in 1972 calledTris Vella Kalpi Velna Dzirnavas, or Three Devil’s Servants in the Devil’s Mill.
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Wander
The Beauty of Riga District
Riga, the capital of Latvia, has more to it than just city. Riga District surrounds this lovely city, which is divided into two by the Daugava. The Riga District can be considered as a suburban zone. Altogether there are 17 parishes and seven towns among which are three towns that have attached rural territories. Much of the Riga District lies on an ancient seabed. It was through the district that at one time flowed the Daugava, Gauja and Lielupe Rivers.
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Wander
- Top Story - April 2018
Golden Days of HollywoodTop Story - April 2018
In the early days of Hollywood when everything was just coming together, actors and actresses were adored by fans and they all seemed to put them on pedestals. Two such film actors were a much-admired couple: Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. When they got married and went to London, England for their honeymoon on June 21st, 1920, they were greeted by lots of admiring fans. Since 1919, Pickford and Fairbanks had been business partners who got together with Charlie Chaplin and director D.W. Griffith to set up United Artists. After the couple got married, Fairbanks gave Pickford a 22 room estate as a wedding present, which included the first swimming pool in Beverly Hills located in Los Angeles, California. They named the property “Pickfair.”
By Rasma Raisters6 years ago in Geeks
