Lukáš Fila

Lukáš Fila


List of author's articles

Lukáš Fila
The news industry has long resisted globalisation, not only in Slovakia, writes Lukáš Fila of Denník N.
“LESS MIGHTY than the Russian KGB, less notorious than the East German Stasi, and less feared than the Romanian Securitate, Štátna Bezpečnosť (ŠtB) was nonetheless a cornerstone of communist Czechoslovakia,” read…
NO PHRASE can ever sum-up Slovakia’s approach to corruption and political scandal better than: “Čo bolo, bolo.” (What was, was). It was used most recently by former Transport Ministry official Peter Havrila, who…
IT HAS been noted here before that the true meaning of many words which find their way into Slovak gets lost in translation. Terms such as transparency, rule of law, or even democracy have all found their unique,…

100

ANDREJ Kiska’s spokesman Peter Petrus gave his boss a nice gift to celebrate his first 100 days as head of state – he quit. And there are rumours that other shifts in the president’s inner circle are occurring.…
IN THE Hungarian Kingdom, a pandúr was an armed serf who carried out the wishes of his master. Today, the word is used to describe not only an armoured military transporter, but also a corruption scandal connected…
THERE are a great number of Slovak proverbs that warn against premature joy. “Nechváľ rána pred večerom” (Do not praise the morning before the eve), “Nekrič hop, kým nepreskočíš” (Do not yell hop before you jump…
WHAT better way to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Woodstock than by banning one music festival and almost cancelling another? The tales of Gothoom and Moldava Spolu differ only in the details.
NORMALLY, you don’t see Slovaks travelling the world and blowing themselves up or beheading people. But allegations by Ukraine that a Slovak citizen was caught fighting for the pro-Russian separatists indicate…
“THOSE 17 or 18 percent are not gonna make me poop (pokakať sa),” Radoslav Procházka said a few days ago about the recent poll numbers for his Sieť party. Good thing he kept his digestion under check, as newer…
THE TRAGEDY of flight MH-17 stirred several reactions in Slovakia. There was compassion. Among some, there was some disappointment with a government reluctant to take a firm stand, and willing to still consider…
YOU would almost think Slovakia was a desert nation. Yet the only droughts the country is suffering from are intellectual.
THE TWO men could not be more different. Ivan Gašparovič was not known for his lust for work. He was however for his membership in the Communist party and Vladimír Mečiar’s HZDS, and his ‘near-membership’ in…
LOVE stats? Then you might be interested to learn which word Andrej Kiska used the most in his inaugural address. If you strike all the “ands”, “buts”, “wills”, “wes”, “presidents” and “Slovakias”, and look at…
IF THERE were ever an instance of Sophie’s choice in reverse, it was in the second round of the Slovak 2004 presidential election. How do you choose between two men, neither of whom you want? In the end, Ivan…
YOU could almost hear the sigh of relief. Children all across the country took to the streets to celebrate the fact that their families will now finally be protected by the constitution. Replacing the words…

13

THIS MONTH, Slovak politics seems to revolve around the number 13. First, Radoslav Procházka’s Sieť got 13 percent in the Focus opinion poll, turning the party into a leader of the right. Then only 13 percent of…
WHAT is it with people involved with sports these days? First there was TV anchor Kristína Kormúthová complaining on Facebook that some “prematurely born stinking Gypsy is stealing a four-metre long gutter (rýna)”…
AUSTRIAN drag queen and recent Eurovision song contest winner Conchita Wurst may bear a passing resemblance to a certain Slovak cabinet member, but that is not the main reason why the competition should be noticed…
WHEN the heroine of a popular fairytale is asked to appear both dressed and naked, she complies by wearing a net (sieť). Fate may be trying to pull off the same trick with the long-sought new leader of the local…
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