Archive of articles - June 2005, page 3

Let them eat rats!

AS THIS theatre season draws to a close, I think back to my years as a boy soprano in the New York Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus. My friends and I, completely oblivious to the great institution we were part of, were rehearsing for the world premiere of The Ghosts of Versailles, American composer John Corigliano's dark masterpiece about the French Revolution.

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Reader feedback: EU should benefit all

So, what is the top university?

THE DEBATE around university fees has been raging. Some think higher education should be free to the masses, the burden of cost left to the state. Others feel that without additional endowments from students, universities will not survive

UNHCR marks World Refugee Day

OVER the past five-and-a-half decades, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has helped more than 50 million uprooted people worldwide to rebuild their lives.

Weddings of the past

TO MARRY has never been a simple thing, particularly for women. Till the Bride said Yes, an exhibition at Bratislava castle, sets out in detail the complex preparations that women and girls had to undertake for their big day. It aims to present what defined the upbringing and education of a woman before marriage.

Ness Slovakia calls Košice home

Quote of the Week:

Let freedom ring

EVERY year on July 4 Americans around the world celebrate Independence Day. In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, two Americans from different sides of the political divide, Jan Surotchak, chair of Friends of Slovakia and member of Republicans Abroad Slovakia, and Bill Quam of Democrats Abroad Slovakia, share their thoughts and feelings about this most important day in the American calendar, and its significance to Slovaks.

Reader feedback: Ignorance may prevail

Kendrion-Ferrex opens plant in Čadca

Summer sounds calling

SUMMER is the time for music festivals. The warm weather sets people free to relax and enjoy great live music.Below, The Slovak Spectator presents a list of this summer's hottest music festivals.

Baby's remains buried in Slovakia

Pioneer tradition thrives

THERE is a long tradition of summer camps in Slovakia. Under Communism children went away to the countryside each year as Pioneers. After a lull following the Velvet Revolution and the collapse of the Pioneer Organization, the practice is back in vogue, though the aims and ideals of today's summer camps are somewhat different.

Fireworks, flags at Bratislava castle

INDEPENDENCE Day is a favourite summer holiday in the United States. Celebrations often begin in the morning of July 4 with a neighbourhood parade. Families line the curbs with folding chairs and coolers. High school marching bands, beauty queens, clowns, classic cars, and riders on horseback are all standard participants. Kids decorate the handlebars of their bicycles with crepe paper streamers and weave coloured paper through the wheel spokes.

President talks to nation

IVAN Gašparovič's first state of the nation address harvested mild applause.A few opposition parties welcomed the president's address. Smer, which supported the president in last year's presidential elections, welcomed Gašparovič's speech as a "blow to the conceited reformers".

Presenting the top Czech 100

"DON'T throw anything out. You might be the owner of an icon of Czech design," Tomáš Zykán from CzechMania advised visitors to Bratislava's Techo showroom on June 16.

Slovakia forgives Iraq debt