Archive of articles - November 2004, page 5

Lost tapes lead to trial

One woman's fantasy success

ONE of Slovakia's leading science fiction and fantasy artists, Martina Pilcerová, 31, returned from a trip to Helsinki, Finland, November 8. She had gone there to meet fans and card collectors, some of whom had travelled great distances for the chance of meeting her in person.The event was an autograph-signing session organised by the publishers of Magic The Gathering cards. She likes to meet her fans face-to-face and has done several such sessions: the first being in Seattle, Washington, USA, a few years ago.

Gavalda comes for autograph signing

THE BEST-selling French author, Anna Gavalda, will be in Bratislava November 25 and 26 to launch a bilingual French-Slovak edition of her latest novel, 35 kilos d'espoir.Gavalda has accepted an invitation to support her Slovak publisher Sofa, which has already published two of her novels, Je voudrais... and Je l'aimais.

Loans to bridge East-West gaps

THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) has prepared a solid foundation on which to build a bridge to join the wealthy western regions of the country with the underfed eastern parts. The foundation comes in the form of €70 million in global loans to small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and municipalities in Slovakia.Eastern Slovakia's sad ratings on the EU unemployment charts and the closure of several regional schools show that it is thirsty for investment. Loans supporting SMEs and municipalities could mean a real boost to the local economy.

Warhol's brother works with hen

THE SLOVAK Embassy in Washington DC opens What Is Creativity - Synergetic Process, a new exhibition displaying works by Paul Warhola and Lena Lešková-Bubánová. Housed at the embassy's Koloman Sokol Gallery, 3523 International Court, the exhibition will run until the middle of December.

Quote of the Week

The newest in Slovak cinema

THE LATEST Slovak films and co-productions will be screened during the Slovak Film 2004 festival at Bratislava's Tatra cinema November 23 to 26. The festival's fifth year will also offer a retrospective of works by filmmaker Juraj Herz, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, and mark a new tradition of awarding Slovak "Oscars", called Slnko v sieti (Sun in Net), biannually.

Internet TV to be created

KDH versus KDH

INTERNAL pressure is growing within the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) for Pavol Bielik to resign. Chairman of the KDH regional branch in Bratislava and mayor of Rača, Bielik is charged with accepting Sk5 million (€126,000) in bribes.Bielik recently ignored an appeal by KDH Chairman Pavol Hrušovský to give up his functions in the KDH, saying he is "not guilty" in the bribery affair. Bielik said he would resign only if his Bratislava branch colleagues voted in favour of it.

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"Antidote to pain" hits implementation phase

ACCORDING to Health Minister Rudolf Zajac, it is time for the Slovak healthcare system to get back on its feet. And if anyone knows, it is Zajac.As the official in charge of curing the country's ailing healthcare sector, Minister Zajac claims to be the first minister to openly inform Slovak citizens about the reality of the nation's healthcare system.In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, Zajac talked about the aches and pains the system suffered under the communist regime, the antidote of his new healthcare reform and the risks and hopes that go along with it.

Homage to Popp

WHEN the Bratislava-born soprano Lucia Popp passed away in 1993, the opera world mourned a performer who had brought emotional depth and perspective to music. She had come close to perfecting the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, created a sensation as Sophie in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, and charmed audiences with her acclaimed Lieder recitals. Amazing when one considers she had once studied medicine and began her artistic career as an actress.Popp's path to stardom commenced in 1962, when she made her debut as the Queen of the Night at the National Theatre in Bratislava.

Slovaks positive about euro adoption

KOZ rejects Smer pact

THE CONGRESS of the national trade unions (KOZ) rejected a proposal by several KOZ leaders to forge a strategic alliance with left-wing opposition party Smer. At the same session, the KOZ re-elected a Smer sympathiser for another four years.The decision to strike down the proposed allegiance was unexpected, as the KOZ leadership had already decided to approve the resolution earlier this year.

Jarovnice artists succeed in Sweden

AN EXHIBITON of richly colourful paintings by Roma pupils from Jarovnice recently enjoyed great success in Sweden, generating Sk63,264 (€1,586) for the Jarovnice school.

IMF: Fight inflation not the crown

THE SLOVAK crown continues gaining muscle. Even so, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is concerned that the country's monetary policy will prevent Slovakia from meeting Maastricht inflation criteria for eventual euro adoption.The National Bank of Slovakia says that it will continue cutting key interest rates as long as the crown is backed by economic growth, despite a recommendation by the IMF to keep the crown strong to fight inflation.Analysts tend to share the IMF's concerns.

SURVIVING Slovakia

We are a Slovak couple and got married on holiday in Las Vegas. Now we would like to make our marriage official in the Slovak Republic. Can you please advise us how to do this?Any Slovak citizens who marry outside Slovakia should follow the same procedure. First of all make sure you have a marriage certificate, as without this you will not be able to prove you are married. The marriage certificate must be authorised. In the United States, authorisation must be carried out by the relevant state: in your case it would be Nevada.