Archive of articles - June 2004, page 2

Reader feedback: Chuck the Czechs

Reader feedback: The US has bad motives

Cabinet wants less immunity for MPs

What is whispered

"THE NETHERLANDS is always right, but never relevant." Apparently, friends of the Netherlands in Europe, who shall remain nameless, expressed this view. However, it coincides with an impression many Dutch people have of their own country - although they would rather not hear it from the lips of outsiders.The Dutch are the first to admit that they can be stubborn. In fact, we are secretly proud of this trait. And with good reason, it seems. According to General de Gaulle, this meant that the Netherlands was a country you had to take seriously. Both within the European Union and beyond, it is good to stand up for strongly held convictions, but not at the expense of flexibility.

May they please you

A WORD changed my life a few weeks ago. That may sound dramatic, but I am speaking practically. I was mid-sentence in conversation with a friend when she stopped me and asked if I wanted to learn to say something sophisticated.I swallowed my pride and opened my ears to the word ohľadne. Of course, I thought this had something to do with being hungry (hladný). Very sophisticated.In fact, this word means "in respect to" or "as to". This may not seem very revolutionary, but learning this word was like finding a secret highway connecting your garage and work.

Reader feedback: Rising living standard unnoticeable

What else is new?

Východná turns 50

THE LARGEST festival of folk traditions in Slovakia, Východná, will celebrate its 50th anniversary from July 2 to 4."It's thanks to the people behind its organisation that the festival has lived to such a ripe age," said Jozef Burič, director of the National Culture Institute at the National Educational Centre (NOC).Growing from a local form to reach a national and then international level, the festival will present 1,500 folk singers, musicians, and dancers during its 50th jubilee.

Reader feedback: Magyars and Slovaks are like different species

Pave a two-way street

DID YOU know that the GNP of The Netherlands is just as big as that of the 10 recently acceded countries together, and that it is the seventh largest investor in the world? During an interview with The Slovak Spectator, Laurent L Stokvis, ambassador of the Netherlands to Slovakia, said he was confident that Slovak entrepreneurs would soon discover the Netherlands as an excellent place to set up their international headquarters.The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Following Germany, the Netherlands is the second biggest investor in Slovakia. Do you feel that the potential for business contacts between the countries has been fully explored?

Police take on gang trafficking women

EU forges its constitution

FOLLOWING months of negotiations, EU leaders were able to strike a deal on the Union's future constitutional arrangements on June 18, 2004.The rough draft of what has become the recently approved Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe was prepared by the European Convention involved the EU-15 states, the ascending countries, and key EU institutions.The convention started its work in early 2002 and put forward a non-binding draft of the EU constitution to be deliberated upon by an intergovernmental conference in July 2003.

Solistes Européens holds concert

WITHIN the Rencontres Européennes Bratislava/Luxembourg series Solistes Européens, the Luxembourg Orchestra will perform at the Concert Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic on July 8 at 19:00.Led under the baton of Jack Martin Händler, the orchestra will accompany Slovak piano soloist Ladislav Fančovič.

Constitution under fire

THE JUNE 18 approval of the EU constitution opened room for criticism by one of the ruling parties, the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), whose deputy chairman, Vladimír Palko, stated that Slovakia was "losing its sovereignty" to the document.In his initial reaction to the approval of the constitution, Palko, who is also the country's interior minister, suggested that his party would be looking for ways to organise a referendum on the document.

Roma group accuses MP of defamation

Reader feedback: History counts

Waiting for the boom

THE MARKET prices of fluting, which is the main product of a daughter company of the Dutch concern Kappa Packaging based in Štúrovo, are decreasing, though demand is still strong. However, the company is in the process of modernisation and expects growing production in the future.The company in Štúrovo has 30 years of experience in the paper industry. Its first foreign investor was the Swedish company AssiDomän.Kappa Packaging entered the Slovak market in the summer of 2001 when it bought the company in Slovakia from the Swedish firm.

Craftsmanship is instrumental

THE MOUTH harp, a tiny instrument gripped against one's teeth and played by pulling a string attached to its body, can be found almost around the globe. It is one of the world's oldest musical instruments and its bamboo form, which first originated in Asia, has undergone several transformations.The mouth harp arrived in Europe around the 16th century and found a home in such countries as Hungary, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Slovakia.

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