My background is varied professional experience in the translation industry. Originally from Latvia, I have also lived in Estonia and elsewhere in Europe for several years and accordingly I speak Latvian, English, Russian, conversational Estonian and some German and French.
On Wikipedia, I have contributed mostly to Latvian Wikipedia where I used to be an admin from 2005 until 2012 when gave up my role voluntarily and relinquished the admin rights. See also my accounts on Meta and English Wiktionary.
Here are some articles I have found in Wikipedia. I used to add them to my watchlist but it has grown just too much to be able to follow and differentiate between the stuff that really needs following and simply great articles that most possibly are already watched by knowledgeable Wikipedians.
Some of these articles simply crave for attention, others are a great read, and for some of them I have no idea why I've listed them. :)
This list is not necessarily alphabetised or otherwise prioritised but it should be. Or maybe it is. Nor this list should be regarded as an accurate reflection of my world view or interests. This is merely a fraction of it. Or maybe it isn't related to me at all.
Trou au Natron is a volcanic caldera in the Tibesti Massif in northern Chad. The volcano is extinct, and it is unknown when it last erupted. Trou au Natron is located just south-east of Toussidé, the westernmost volcano of the Tibesti Mountains. The caldera has an irregular diameter of approximately 6 to 8 kilometres (4 to 5 miles) and is up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep. Because of its irregular shape, it has been theorized that the caldera was formed as a result of multiple massive explosions, each of which deepened the enormous pit. Its exact period of formation is unconfirmed, although a Pleistocene formation has been suggested. Much of the surface of the caldera is lined with a white crust of carbonate salts such as sodium carbonate and natrolite, known as natron, leading to the caldera's name, literally 'hole of natron' in French. This crust is sometimes known as the Tibesti Soda Lake. Both the slopes and the floor of the caldera contain thick layers of fossilized aquatic gastropods and diatoms, indicating that it was once home to a deep lake. This satellite image of Trou au Natron was taken in 2008 from the International Space Station, at an altitude of around 352 kilometres (219 miles). The white crust can be seen at the bottom of the caldera.Photograph credit: NASA
