Slovenia Bulletin

Slovenia responds to death of Pope John Paul II

2005-04-07T14:33:00.000+02:00

The death of Pope John Paul II on 3 April has attracted much attention around the world, Slovenia included. The government has declared Friday, 9 April, the official day of mourning, and has urged its citizens to pay their respects by observing a three-minute silence. Flags have been set at half mast since the pope’s death and will remain such until the funeral on Friday.

Both President Janez Drnovšek, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel will attend the pope’s funeral at the Vatican. The Slovene Roman Catholic Church will be sending Ljubljana Archbishop and Slovene Metropolitan Alojz Uran, Maribor Bishop Franc Kramberger and Koper Bishop Metod Pirih [SN / 04.04.05 / Govt Declares Day of Mourning for Friday].

Klien and Chomsky receive honorary doctorates

2005-04-07T14:32:00.000+02:00

Nobel Prize economics laureate Lawrence R. Klein and linguistics professor and American dissident Noam Chomsky were each presented with honorary doctorates from the University of Ljubljana on 29 March.

Klein’s doctorate was awarded for “his contributions to science and the education of professors of the University of Ljubljana” [SN / 29.03.05 / Economist Klein Receives Honorary Doctorate of University of Ljubljana].

Chomsky, however, drew much more attention, thanks to a lecture lambasting US foreign policy entitled “Force, Law and the Prospects of Survival” which he delivered at Cankarjev dom Tuesday afternoon. The university conferred his doctorate in recognition of his linguistic work [SN / 29.03.05 / Chomsky Launches Barrage against US Foreign Policy].

Roma boycott Dolenjska school

2005-04-07T14:31:00.000+02:00

Some 86 Roma students in the village of Bršljin near Novo Mesto began a boycott of school as they were about to be segregated from non-Roma students. This is the culmination of a month’s worth of troubles between Roma and non-Roma in the school, after non-Roma parents complained their children were being bullied by Roma children. The Ministry of Education resolved to segregate the students, a move widely considered to be controversial [BBC / 04.04.05 / Roma in Slovenia school boycott].

Minorities Protest

2005-04-05T20:19:00.000+02:00

On Friday, a number of traditional and nontraditional minority groups joined forces to stage a protest in downtown Ljubljana, on Prešeren Square. Among the groups were the so-called Izbrisani, or the "Erased," a group of people who resided in Slovenia but who were officially residents of other Yugoslav republics and whose citizenship was stripped soon after Slovene independence. Also present were representatives of the Roma community, gays and lesbians, the handicapped, students, feminists and others. The demonstration was organized to draw attention to the high level of intolerance the groups feel within Slovene society [Delo / 01.04.05 / Vstran z navidezno strpnostjo!].

60th anniversary of liberated Prekmurje

2005-04-05T20:15:00.000+02:00

On Sunday, residents of Slovenia’s northeastern region of Prekmurje marked the 60th anniversary of their liberation from fascism during World War II. Prekmurje was the first region of Slovenia to be liberated after Germany, Hungary and Italy carved up the territory when the Kingdom of Yugoslavia fell early in the war.

The central festivities were held in Murska Sobota, where mayor Anton Stihec and Russia’s ambassador to Slovenia, Mihail Vanin, addressed the crowd on Victory Square (Trg zmage). The ambassadors of Ukraine and Bulgaria also attended, as did representatives of the UK and several Slovene politicians.

Prekmurje was occupied by Nazi Germany initially, but Hungary took over in April 1941. It was not until the winter of 1944 that local residents were able to successfully form a resistance force, the Liberation Front. In January 1945, they also organized a force of paramilitary Partizans. It was these Partizans, together with the Red Army of the Soviet Union, who finally liberated Prekmurje [Delo / 03.04.05 / Prekmurje obeležilo 60. obletnico osvoboditve, SN / 03.04.05 / Prekmurje Celebrates 60th Anniversary of WWII Liberation].

Soccer melee in Celje worries Germany

2005-04-04T17:09:00.000+02:00

The 26 March violence in Celje that erupted among German fans after a Germany-Slovenia soccer game has had repercussions felt far beyond Slovenia. Germany itself is slated to host the 2006 World Cup next year, and after Saturday’s events in Celje organizers are now reviewing their security plans for that event.

Last weekend, German fans vandalized the stadium and downtown Celje and also had a number of run ins with the police and Slovene fans. According to the Associated Press, this was the "worst violence from German hooligans since the 2000 European Championship." A total of 65 people were arrested, mostly Germans [AP / 31.03.05 / Germans review security measures after Slovenia violence].

Slovenia celebrates 1st anniversary in Nato

2005-03-30T19:24:00.000+02:00

On 29 March 2004, Slovenia became a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato). Just one year later, the country still views its membership as a foreign policy success story, and is proud of its countrymen who now work for the organization, and of its nearly 300 soldiers who are involved in Nato operations around the world.

Speaking on the occasion of the anniversary, Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel said, “Our membership is already being used in ways beneficial to the national interest, which is also intertwined with the interest in strengthening Euro-Atlantic and global security.”

However, according to Delo, Sociologist and political analyst Gorazd Kovačič remains unconvinced of the benefits of Nato membership to Slovenia. “The Slovene state apparatus does not have enough staff to be able to make use of the various tenders and offers for economic cooperation. The security situation has not changed, since Nato is a military organization and Slovenia needs security which is not based primarily on the military but more so on other social actors” [Delo / 29.03.05 / Prva obletnica vstopa Slovenije v Nato].

110th Anniversary of Ljubljana Earthquake

2005-03-30T19:23:00.000+02:00

Easter Sunday was notable for one more reason: it was the 110th anniversary of the 1895 earthquake that destroyed Ljubljana. That year, Easter fell on 14 April, and the 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck at 20:17. Shocks were felt as far away as Vienna, Split and Florence.

At that time, Ljubljana was home to some 31,000 people, and was made up of around 1400 buildings; few people were killed, but about 10 percent of the buildings were damaged. Large-scale demolition followed, and the post-earthquake period saw a wide expansion of the city [Delo / 27.03.05 / Ob 110. obletnici ljubljanskega potresa].

Slovenia celebrates Easter

2005-03-30T19:21:00.000+02:00

Easter was celebrated across most of Slovenia on 27 March with a wide range of traditions. Central to most families’ celebrations, however, was the traditional Easter dinner of ham, horseradish, eggs, bread and potica [ICE / 25.03.05 / Slovenia’s diverse Easter celebrations].

One of the most striking features of Slovene Easter is the traditional Easter eggs, called "pisanice," "rumenice," "remenke" or "pirhi," depending on where and in what manner they are made. A gallery of some of this year’s best eggs can be found here.

No renovation yet for Ljubljana eyesore

2005-03-26T15:13:00.000+01:00

At long last, work is currently underway in Ljubljana on the façade of the Nama department store, after two of the glass panels fell to the street in the middle of last year. And a bit further up Slovenska cesta, work is about to start on another problematic building, this one at Tavčarjeva 1.

The building houses the Borova shoe store on its ground floor, which is owned by Croat investors. The Borova corporation has approved funds to renovate the building, the facade of which is already starting to crumble. Though they are prepared to put forward some 30 percent of the cost of renovating the entire building, the building’s owner refuses to begin work. Maria Ann Kostelecky Lah, a Slovene-American, owns the building, and is trying to get the City of Ljubljana to subsidize part of the renovation.

The building was returned to Lah after having been confiscated by the Socialist authorities after World War II. However, like many others who have received property back from the government, she cannot afford to conduct the much-needed renovations herself, according to Žurnal [Žurnal / 18.03.05 / Prenova starih pročelj].

Slovene tokaj wine now “točaj”

2005-03-26T15:07:00.000+01:00

Since Hungary has registered the name “tokaj” with the European Union (EU) as a trademark of its wine producers, Slovene winemakers are no longer permitted to call their wines tokaj. The Brdo Consortium of winemakers has decided that instead its tokaj wine will now be called “točaj.”

Hungarian producers are currently the only ones permitted to market wine called “tokaj” within the EU, with the exception of Italy, which successfully negotiated a grace period lasting through 31 March 2007. The Brdo Consortium is currently applying for trademark status for “točaj” [Delo / 25.03.05 / Novo ime tokaj je točaj].

A similar fate befell cviček wine even within Slovenia, since the Dolenjska region managed to trademark that name within the EU. Cviček is also made in the Posavje region just across the Sava from Dolenjska, and winegrowers there must now sell it as “Sremiško-Bizeljske” wine.

Honeymoon over for new government

2005-03-15T21:59:00.000+01:00

Sunday, 13 March, marked the one-hundredth day since the Janez Janša government took office on 3 December 2004. This government is Slovenia’s first conservative-led government since independence in 1991, with the exception of a brief six-month period in 2000. So far, the public approves of the government: approval rates have ranged from 59 to 61 percent. Slovenia News has published an extensive overview of the government’s activities in the past three months, and its plans for the future: A Hundred Days Since the Appointment of the New Government.

Croatia not quite ready for the EU

2005-03-15T21:57:00.000+01:00

Croatia received word this week that the European Union is not quite ready to start membership negotiations, though a number of countries – including Slovenia – are backing Croatia’s bid. The 10 March meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives decided that Croatia has not made sufficient reforms and is not fully cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and therefore the time is not right for negotiations on Croatian membership in the EU to begin.

Among EU members, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia have come out in favor of Croatian membership, while the United Kingdom is at the head of those countries which believe Croatia needs more time.

Meanwhile, the head of Italy’s Veneto region announced that his region will move to secede from Italy if the EU does not begin accession negotiations with Croatia soon. Giancarlo Galana, the region’s head, strongly supports Croatian membership on the basis of the long historic links between Veneto and Croatia [Mladina / 15.03.05 / Odcep Veneta zaradi Hrvaške].

EU foreign ministers will meet again on 15 March, and all must agree that Croatia is ready if negotiations are to begin on 17 March, as was previously planned [SN / 10.03.05 / Slovenia Backs Start of Croatia's EU Talks, No EU-Wide Consensus].

Another new (sports) daily on the way

2005-03-03T17:15:00.000+01:00

Delo has announced it will launch a new sports daily called Zmaga! (Victory!) this autumn. According to Finance, the oversight board of Delo has approved the project and a trial issue has already been printed. The new paper will be produced principally by Delo’s current sports reporters, and sports reporting within Delo itself will be lessened to help the new paper along. The market already has one sports daily, Ekipa, which launched in the early 1990s [Finance / 25.02.05 / Zmaga! prehiteva Čas].

To sem jaz update: Miro wins!

2005-03-03T17:11:00.000+01:00

The reality television show To sem jaz, which brought together contestants from around the former Yugoslavia, ended with a Slovene contestant Miro Todososki taking home the grand prize. Miro won some 20,000 euro in cash, a mobile telephone, a trip, a watch and an exclusive contract with Prvi TV that includes the recording of five songs and two music videos.

In second place, the Albanian Admir won a trip, a mobile phone, a wristwatch and a Matiz car. Croatia’s Josipa, who came in third, won a scooter, a mobile phone, a watch and a contract to record a song and to shoot a music video in Egypt.

Bosnia’s Mirela came in fourth, followed by Macedonia’s Dragi and Macedonia’s Jana. Each won a scooter, mobile phone, a trip and a wristwatch [Index.hr / 28.02.05 / "To sam ja": Pobjednik Slovenac Miro, Zadranka Josipa treća].

As the show was ending, the Bosnian-based Media Plan Institute published an extensive study about To sem jaz which delves into the controversy the show created within Macedonia. Because of lewd conduct and coarse speech, the show received several notices from Macedonia’s media watchdog Broadcast Council, and seems to have violated the Broadcast Law in a number of ways [Media Online / 23.02.05 / This is me: ‘Toa sum jas – To sam ja – To sem jaz’].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks
20.01.05 Two girls replaced…temporarily
20.01.05 Again no vote, while show might be sued
26.01.05 Yugonostalgia goes too far!
28.01.05 Two more voted off

Problems brewing with Austria

2005-02-22T15:53:00.000+01:00

The Foreign Ministry has been busy not only with the controversy over the Italian film, but also with a controversy over recent statements by the speaker of the Austrian Parliament, Andreas Khol. Though Khol does not dispute Slovenia’s right to speak out in support of ethnic Slovenes living in Austria, he said that Slovenia cannot do so on the basis of the Austrian State Treaty since it is not a signatory of that document.

The Slovene Foreign Ministry quickly protested to the Austrian government, insisting that Slovenia is a party to the Austrian State Treaty insofar as it is a successor state to the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, which was a signatory to the treaty. Similar protests were lodged by representatives of the Slovene minority in Austria as well as the Austrian Green and Socialist parties [SN / 07.02.05 / Austrian Official Causes Stir with Statements About Austrian State Treaty].

Foreign Minister responds to Italian film

2005-02-22T15:52:00.000+01:00

Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has issued a statement on the recent Italian film Il cuore nel pozzo (Heart in a Pit) in which he downplays the controversy. "I do not think it is good that emotions are being stirred in an imprudent manner about things that happened years ago," he stated, adding that relations between Slovenia and Italy cannot be based on a film [SN / 10.02.05 / Italian Film About Partisan Atrocities Strains Bilateral Relations].

Minister of Culture Vasko Simoniti also commented: "A good film about what happened during and after WWII could be made in Slovenia as well, and this would neutralize to some extent what is happening now."

Controversial Italian film to air on SLO 1 this week

2005-02-14T19:56:00.000+01:00

According to Finance, nearly 7000 Slovenes watched the first part of the controversial Italian film Il cuore nel pozzo (Heart in a Pit) on Sunday, and nearly 8000 caught the second part the following evening. "At least one minute of the first part of the film was seen by 44,972 Slovenes, and at least one minute of the second was seen by 46,158," the paper reported on Wednesday, citing data by Media Services AGB. The figures are impressive, especially when the fact that the film ran on Italian state television RAI, which is received by only about 48 percent of Slovene households. More than 9 million Italians (37 percent of all television viewers at that time) saw the film [Finance / 09.02.05 / Film o fojbah je na RAI gledalo nekaj tisoč Slovencev]

Even more Slovenes will have the chance to see the film and to judge it for themselves when Television Slovenia 1 airs it this week, at 20:00 on both 15 and 16 February. The second part on Wednesday will be followed by a special edition of the talk show Omizje, in which critics and others will discuss the film and its portrayal of Slovenes during the second World War [Finance / 08.02.05 / Film o fojbah tudi na TV Slovenija].

Ptuj draws crowds for Carnevale festivities

2005-02-09T16:40:00.000+01:00

Slovenia’s most important carnevale celebration, Ptuj’s Kurentovanje, was held again this year, from 3 to 8 February. Sunday was the highlight, featuring a parade with nearly 2000 participants from not only Slovenia but also Austria, Croatia and Macedonia. More than 40,000 people turned out to watch.

The region’s most important carnevale figure, the Kurent, was well represented with more than 350 people wearing the traditional costumes made from animal hair and featuring huge masks and bells designed to scare away winter. [SN / 06.02.05 / Large Crowds at Ptuj Carnival].

Rado Lenček passes away in New York

2005-02-09T16:37:00.000+01:00

Prominent Slovene-American scholar Rado Lenček died in New York on 27 January after a long illness. He was 84 years old.

Lenček was born in 1921 in Mirna na Dolenjskem and studied in Novo Mesto, Ljubljana and Padua. After World War Two, he worked as a professor in Slovene elementary schools in the British and American zones of the Free Territory of Triest, in Gorizia and Triest itself. Also in Triest he edited a cultural bulletin for the United States Information Service.

He moved to the United States in 1958 to study at the University of Chicago, and from 1959 to 1962 he studied at Harvard, earning a doctorate in Slavic languages and literature. He was recognized as a leading linguist, Slavist, cultural historian and ethnologist, and published numerous books, articles and studies.

Lenček was also one of the founders of the US-based Society for Slovene Studies and was a professor at New York City’s Columbia University until his retirement in 1995. In 2001, Lenček was awarded the Honorary Mark of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia, and had also been named an honorary ambassador of Slovenia for science [Newsletter of the Society for Slovene Studies / 02.05 / Rado Lencek, Delo / 28.01.05 / Umrl je Rado Lenček].

Slovenia to get new daily before the end of 2005

2005-02-09T16:36:00.000+01:00

Marko Crnkovič, who has been working to launch a new daily newspaper called Čas, told Finance on 4 February that the paper will arrive on newsstands before the end of the year. Initial plans foresaw the paper premiering in 2003, but business complications made that impossible. Aside from Crnkovič himself, prominent Slovene businessman Jurij Schollmayer and the Austrian publisher Styria are also involved in the project [Finance / 04.02.05 / New Slovenian Daily ‘Čas’ for Sure This Year, Finance / 04.02.05 / Crnkovič: Čas bo letos končno izšel].

Controversial film hits Italian TV

2005-02-09T16:34:00.000+01:00

The film Il cuore nel pozzo (Heart in a Pit) premiered on Italian state television RAI in two parts, on 7 and 8 February, provoking protests in Slovenia and among ethnic Slovenes in and around Trieste (Trst).

The film deals with an Italian family living in World War Two-era Istria. Slovene veterans, among others, are alleging that Italians are trying to rewrite history in order to make themselves look like innocent victims and to cast the Yugoslav forces as vicious killers.

Prior to the war, the littoral region around Trieste (today part of Italy), the present-day Slovene region of Primorska as well as territories in Istria and Dalmatia that are now held by Croatia. Prior to WWII, the area was heavily ethnically mixed, with Slovenes, Croats and Italians living virtually side by side. There were problems, however, which came to the fore during the war: Italy occupied the parts of the region hitherto held by Yugoslavia and began a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Communist Yugoslav forces, called Partizans, fought back and engaged in ethnic cleansing of their own. The results of the campaign are the numerous "fojbe," or mass graves, that now dot the region’s landscape (the pit referred to in the title of the film is a reference to one such fojba). The Communists continued to fill fojbe even after the end of the conflict, compounding the problems that are only beginning to be dealt with in recent years.

During the war, some Slovenes sided with the Italian Fascists while some Italians sided with the Yugoslav Communist Partizans, but none of this is presented in the film. Rather, there is no mention in the film of fascism at all, while the Partizan forces are composed entirely of bloodthirsty Slavs.

On 6 February, Slovene veterans held a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of a 1945 attack on the village of Boršt by the Italian army, which at that time was occupying a large swath of Slovene territory. The ceremony also featured protests against Il coure nel pozzo. Association of Veterans of the National Struggle for Liberation head, Janez Stanovnik, said that the film was based more on science fiction rather than on truth [SN / 06.02.05 / Slovenian Veterans Decry Italian War Film].

The Association of Anti-Fascists, Fighters and Participants in the National Liberation Struggle held a press conference in Koper on 2 February in which representatives stressed that the film presents a distorted, one-sided view of a very complicated time. Similar organizations from Trieste and Istria have also joined in the public outcry. [Večer / 07.02.05 / Na RAI sporni film Srce v breznu].

Dramatization of Alamut to premier in Salzburg

2005-02-09T16:32:00.000+01:00

July will see the premier of a dramatization of the important Slovene novel Alamut, written in 1938 by Vladimir Bartol. The book is set in medieval Persia and deals with a radical Muslim sect that many present-day critics liken to Al Quaeda. Particularly after the attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States and the declaration of the "War on Terrorism," Alamut has been thrust back into the spotlight and is attracting increasing international attention. The first English-language translation of the book published in the United States appeared at the end of last year.

Now, the story is set to hit the stage for the first time ever as part of this year’s Salzburg Festival in Austria. The script was adapted from Bartol’s novel by writer, director and Slovene National Theatre (SNG) director Dušan Jovanović and will be directed by Sebastijan Horvat. Both the Salzburg Festival and Ljubljana’s SNG are producing the show. It will be featured in a competitive program called "Young Directors’ Project," the grand prize of which is a Max Reinhard pen and EUR 13,000 [SN / 03.02.05 / World Premiere of Drama "Alamut" in Salzburg in July].

Gospodarski vestnik ceases publication

2005-02-09T16:31:00.000+01:00

Slovenia’s most prominent business journal, the weekly Gospodarski vestnik, has halted publication. Publisher GV Skupina is citing low circulation as the reason.

GV Skupina is about to undergo a restructuring which will see its subsidiary GV Založba assuming responsibility for legal matters while the business daily Finance – owned by GV Skupina and Sweden’s Bonnier Business Information – will pick up where Gospodarski vestnik left off.

Gospodarski vestnik premiered in 1952 and its last issue hit newsstands on 7 February. [SBW / 07.02.05 / Publisher Decides to Drop Flagship Business Weekly].

Slovenia ratifies EU constitution

2005-02-07T15:29:00.000+01:00

The National Assembly ratified the European Union constitution on 1 February, making it the third member state to do so. The required two-thirds majority was easily secured; the vote was 79:4, with seven members of parliament absent.

The National Party (SNS) voted against ratification, and urged members of parliament to join them to protest the manner of the ratification. AFP quoted SNS member of parliament Bogdan Barovič as saying, "Instead of having a debate on the bill and then approving it, we are first approving it and later we are supposed to debate on it" [AFP / 01.02.05 / Slovenia becomes third EU country to ratify EU constitution].

A University of Ljubljana poll from January showed that even though a majority of Slovene voters do support ratification, a whopping 36 percent have no opinion. The same poll also showed that 43 percent of voters know just a little bit about the constitution, while a telling 30 percent know nothing about it.

Previously, both Lithuania and Hungary had ratified the constitution, both – like Slovenia – new members of the EU. Spain is expected to be the next to vote on the constitution, in a 20 February referendum.

The 25 member states of the EU signed the constitution in Rome in October 2004, and it should enter into force as of November 2006. However, all member states must ratify the document, and so its fate is still far from secure [BBC / 01.02.05 / Slovenia ratifies EU constitution].

Foreign Minister denies intention to send troops to Iraq

2005-02-07T15:26:00.000+01:00

Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told the daily Večer that the government – despite Prime Minister Janez Janša’s recent comments – is not considering sending Slovene troops to Iraq.
"There is no point in speaking about the sending of our troops to Iraq; we're not thinking about that," Rupel told the paper. He added that Slovenia, nevertheless, is trying to maintain good relations with the United States [STA / 29.01.05 / Slovenia not thinking of sending troops to Iraq, says foreign minister].

Local Slovenes lose battle for Prešeren Park in Sarajevo

2005-02-07T15:23:00.000+01:00

The continuing controversy over Sarajevo’s Prešeren Park has apparently ended, just days before local Slovenes are to celebrate the 8 February holiday in the poet’s honor. Responding to demands by local Muslims, city authorities in the Bosnian capital have rescinded the name "Prešeren Park" for the hitherto-abandoned site and will now rename it in honor of the Harem Kalin hadži Alijna džamija, an historic mosque that stood at that location until it was destroyed in 1945 [Mladina / 31.01.05 / Preimenovan Prešernov park v Sarajevu].

Ljubljana to get water park

2005-02-07T15:21:00.000+01:00

A huge water park called the Water City of Atlantis (Vodno mesto Atlantis) is set to open at the end of April on the grounds of the sprawling BTC City shopping center. The park will cover more than 20,000 square meters between Letališka ulica and Bratislavska ulica.

The park will have four sections aimed at different age groups. Thermal Temple (Termalni tempelj) will be for older visitors, World of Adventures (Svet doživetij) will be aimed at thrill seekers, Sauna Land (Dežela savn) will be for those seeking merely to relax and Children's World (Otroški svet) will be intended for small children.

All told, the park will have 14 pools with a combined water surface of 1800 square meters. It will be able to host as many as 1600 visitors at any given time [Ljubljana Tourism / 01.05 / A Water Park to Open in Ljubljana Presumably in April].

Delo halts events-listing magazine Deloskop

2005-01-31T20:47:00.000+01:00

On 27 January, the final issue of the weekly events-listing magazine Deloskop hit newsstands. The magazine’s publisher, Delo, has announced that the move was made because the magazine was insufficiently profitable. It had a print run of 1,000 copies weekly, but was oftentimes hard to come by in Ljubljana, as many newsstands either did not receive it or sold out of it quickly.

Deloskop launched in February 2004 with nearly SIT 6 million (apx. USD 30,000) in assistance from the Ministry of Culture, and was the only such magazine of its kind in Slovenia. This is the second Delo magazine to fail, the other being Razglede. The magazine will be replaced by a fuller events-listing section in the daily edition of Delo [Finance / 27.01.05 / Delo je odpravilo neuspešen tednik Deloskop].

Is sending Slovene troops to Iraq good for business?

2005-01-31T20:45:00.000+01:00

The business daily Finance and its English-language supplement Breakfast with Finance recently discussed the economic benefits that participation of the Slovene army in Iraq can bring to Slovenia. The article came shortly after Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that the government is reconsidering its decision not to send troops to support US actions in Iraq [Finance / 27.01.05 / Slovene Army in Iraq = Economic Benefits, Finance / 27.01.05 / Naši vojaki so izvidnica za posle v Iraku].

Among the companies Finance consulted for the article was the logistics company Viator & Vektor. A spokesperson said that their company is keenly interested in a stable Iraq, since it has been active in that country for nearly two years. "We have been operating in Iraq for a year and a half. Of course we could do much more if there was more stability in the country," Viator & Vektor chairman Zdenko Pavček told the paper. The company would support the sending of Slovene troops if that would help secure a stable Iraq.

They added that they believe Slovene companies would have more opportunities in Iraq if troops were dispatched.

Telecom Iskratel, according to Finance "one of the largest Slovene exporters to Iraq," predictably reported that sales in the troubled country have dropped off because of the war. On the other hand, pre-fab construction manufacturer Trimo reports that they exported EUR 3,000,000 worth of goods to Iraq last year, primarily pre-fab shelters.

Clothing maker Mura, which supplies the Slovene army with uniforms, told Finance that they would not expect any direct benefits to their operations by the sending of Slovene troops to Iraq. "The opinion that sending troops to Iraq would not affect Mura is borne out by the fact that the presence of Slovene troops in Afghanistan has led to neither stronger nor weaker business for the company," a spokesperson said.

National Readership Survey results released

2005-01-28T16:48:00.000+01:00

According to the recently-released results of the latest National Readership Survey, the most widely-read newspapers and magazines have remained the same as in previous surveys. However, promotions whereby newspaper readers can get books at a low cost have raised the sales – but not the readership – of many.

Readership data from the second half of 2004 are essentially the same as those from the second half of 2002, though overall readership has improved. The largest improvement in readership was shown by Finance, which grew from 1.4 percent in the second half of 2002 to 3.4 percent in 2004.

The most widely-read daily remains the tabloid Slovenske novice, while Nedeljski dnevnik remains the top weekly and Ognišče the top monthly. Vikend is the most popular newspaper supplement, while Družinski delničar has beat out Žurnal and Dobro jutro as the top free newspaper.

Among dailes, Slovenske novice has 411,000 readers each day, followed by Delo (241,000), Večer (177,000), Dnevnik (161,000), Primorske novice (90,000), Finance (58,000) and Ekipa (51,000). Among the free papers, Družinski delničar leads the pack with 272,000 readers, followed by Žurnal (253,000) and Dobro jutro (222,000).

The National Readership Survey is conducted quarterly by Cati, a research organization, and is conducted under the aegis of the Slovene Chamber of Advertising [Finance / 25.01.05 / Najbolj brana še vedno Slovenske novice in Nedeljski, Večer / 26.01.05 / Večer ostaja drugi med resnimi].

Finance goes to court

2005-01-28T16:45:00.000+01:00

Varis, a Lendava-based company that makes bathroom supplies, is trying to get a court order to prevent the daily Finance from reporting on a lawsuit against them currently pending in Germany. The Ljubljana District Court will begin hearings on 26 January.

Since the court handling the Varis case in Augsburg, Germany, is open to the public, the daily is confident that there is insufficient grounds for a court order to prevent it from reporting on the case. Since the end of 2003, the Augsburg court has been hearing the case, in which Varis has been sued by a German company, Poseidon Sanitärzellen [BWF / 25.01.05 / Business Daily Finance Makes Court Appearance Tomorrow, Finance / 25.01.05 / Jutri Finance na sodišču branijo pravico javnosti do obveščenosti].

To sem jaz update: Two more voted off

2005-01-28T16:41:00.000+01:00

Two more cast members have been voted off of To sem jaz: Slovenia’s Mateja and Croatia’s Edis. They departed amidst hugs and tears.

Meanwhile, casting for the next season of To sem jaz is currently underway. Those interested are to email a resume and headshot to casting@o2.com.mk [Novi List / 26.01.05 / Hrvat i Slovenka napustili makedonski show, Index.hr / 25.01.05 / Ispao hrvatski predstavnik].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks
20.01.05 Two girls replaced…temporarily
20.01.05 Again no vote, while show might be sued
26.01.05 Yugonostalgia goes too far!

Ryanair coming to Maribor

2005-01-26T15:11:00.000+01:00

Low-cost airline Ryanair is set to launch its first Slovenia route, beginning in September. The route will fly between Maribor and London, and will compete with the already-established Ljubljana-London route run by competitor Easyjet, as well as with national carrier Adria and British Airways which also fly between Ljubljana and London. For now, the closest Ryanair terminals to Slovenia are in Klagenfurt and Trieste [Finance / 21.01.05 / Ryanair to Fly from Maribor to London in September, Finance / 21.05.05 / Ryanair septembra iz Maribora v London].

The Ryanair route will be the third daily route from Maribor airport, following the recent establishment of a Maribor – Salzburg – Paris route at the beginning of last week by Styrian Spirit airline [Večer / 25.01.05 / Od jeseni tudi vsak dan z letalom iz Maribora v London].

Government open to dialogue with NGOs

2005-01-26T15:09:00.000+01:00

The government is making new efforts to reach out to the country’s civil society sector. The most likely partner for the government is the Initiative for the Future of NGOs, an informal group of civil society leaders formed in July 2003.

Throughout the 1980s, civil society was quite vibrant, but it faltered with Slovene independence in 1991 and never regained its footing.

Now, new Minister of Public Administration Gregor Virant is taking steps toward establishing a new dialogue with NGOs which could serve to raise the profile of civil society throughout the country. The government plans to found a negotiating team which it hopes will begin meeting with NGOs by the end of February. A cooperation agreement could be signed between the two parties before the end of the year [SN / 21.01.05 / NGOs and the Govt Establishing a Dialogue].

To sem jaz update: Yugonostalgia goes too far!

2005-01-26T15:06:00.000+01:00

Regular viewers of To sem jaz in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia were left without on 19 January, as the television stations in those countries which air the show pulled it from the air. The move was the result of a disagreement between the stations and Zoran Ristoski, who owns the show. Ristoski decided unilaterally to make some changes to the show’s set, adding three large portraits of Tito, a hammer and sickle ornament, a Tito signature and the slogan of the Communists’ prison colony Goli Otok.

He also wanted the show’s hosts to wear white shirts and red handkerchiefs, a reference to early Yugoslav fashion. Anja Alavanja, one of the Croatian hosts, refused to participate in the show after the request was made [Index.hr / 20.01.05 / Anja Alavanja odbila voditi "To sam ja" u pionirskoj uniformi].

The extreme yugonostalgia was witnessed only by viewers of Macedonian national television, since Bosnia’s OBN, Croatia’s CCN and Slovenia’s Prva TV all refused to air footage shot on the newly redecorated set. The stations’ owners felt this level of yugonostalgia raised too many sensitive and provocative political questions [Večernji List / 20.01.05 / Zbog sporne 'titoidne’ scenografije regionalne TV odbile prikazati show].

Ristoski removed the new decorations and returned the set to its original appearance, and the show was returned to the airwaves in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia the following day [Index.hr / 21.01.05 / Organizator odustao od jugonostalgične scenografije, Novi List / 21.01.05 / Srp, čekić i tri velike Titove slike uzburkale duhove].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks
20.01.05 Two girls replaced…temporarily
20.01.05 Again no vote, while show might be sued

Slovenia takes over OSCE presidency

2005-01-20T13:52:00.000+01:00

On 1 January, Slovenia has become the leader of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the OSCE. According to officials, this is the country’s greatest foreign policy challenge since its leadership of the United Nations Security Council in 1997 and good practice for the country as it prepares to assume the mantle of the presidency of the European Union. [SN / 03.01.05 / Slovenia Assumes OSCE Presidency, SN / 05.01.05 / Jansa and Rupel Bring Diplomats’ Attention to Top Challenges, SN / 05.01.05 / Drnovsek: Presidency of OSCE and EU Are Tough Tasks, STA / 14.01.05 / Slovenia "to face numerous obstacles" as OSCE chair – paper].

According to Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, leading the OSCE will be based on a "triple-R agenda: revitalize, reform and rebalance" the organization. He is also hoping that the country’s position between East and West will allow it to play the role of mediator in a number of disputes, most significantly between Russia and the West. Other focuses will be internal reforms of the OSCE, trafficking in human beings, and flashpoints such as in the Caucasus, Transdniestra in Moldova and Kosovo [SN / 13.01.05 / Rupel Says Slovenia Wants to Revitalise, Reform and Rebalance OSCE].

The website of the Slovene presidency of the OSCE can be found at http://www.osce.org/cio/slovenia/.

Slovenia set to ratify EU constitution

2005-01-20T13:51:00.000+01:00

In early January, the government approved a bill on the ratification of the European Union constitution and sent it to parliament for a final vote, expected before the end of the month [SN / 06.01.05 / Bill Ratifying EU Constitution Sent to Parliament].

The EU constitution treaty was signed on 29 October 2004, and must be ratified by all 25 member states before it can enter into force. Although ten member states will ratify the constitution based on popular referenda, Slovenia and the others have opted to ratify it with a parliamentary vote. So far, only Lithuania and Hungary have ratified it.

EU Presidency working group established

2005-01-20T13:50:00.000+01:00

The government has created a working group to prepare for Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union in the first six months of 2008. The group is chaired by Prime Minister Janez Janša, and also includes Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk, Public Administration Minister Gregor Virant and head of the government's Office for European Affairs (SVEZ) Marcel Koprol.

The group is tasked with drafting policy guidelines and setting the presidency’s priorities, as well as overseeing preparations being made throughout the Slovene public administration.

Slovenia will be the first of the ten new members of the EU to assume the bloc’s presidency. If the Constitutional Treaty is not in force by 2008, the country will lead the EU alone; if the treaty has entered into force, however, Slovenia will be joined by Germany and Portugal as the first "presiding troika," an institution enshrined in the Constitutional Treaty [SN / 06.01.05 / Govt sets up EU presidency working group].

To sem jaz update: Again no vote, while show might be sued

2005-01-20T13:48:00.000+01:00

Once again, the expulsion of two of the housemates based on call-in voting has been put off, this time for ten days. The delay is, according to the organizers, intended to maintain the show’s dynamic [Index.hr / 17.01.05 / To sam ja: O nacionalnim predrasudama, pornićima i masturbiranju].

Meanwhile, the Dutch company Endemol has announced that it is suing the organizers of To sem jaz for copyright infringement. The company says that the show is a blatant rip off of Big Brother, to which Endemol owns the rights. The company has also filed similar suits in Brazil, Israel and France [Index.hr / 19.01.05 / "To sam ja" pred tužbom, Novi List / 19.01.05 / Nismo kopija "Big Brothera"].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks
20.01.05 Two girls replaced…temporarily

To sem jaz update: Two girls replaced…temporarily

2005-01-20T13:47:00.000+01:00

On 12 January, To sem jaz organizers announced that the two most boring girls would be ejected from the house and replaced by two new contestants, in an attempt to make the show more interesting. The voting was left to the contestants in the house, and it was Serbia’s Dijana and Slovenia’s Jana who had to leave.

The two new candidates – from Bulgaria – then came into the house and surprisingly began a striptease for the boys. Miro was the first to jump into the game, breaking his streak as the laziest of the housemates. The boys then began stripping themselves, though Edis refused to play along since he thought something was not quite right.

In the end the organizers announced it was a joke, that the two strippers are not going to stay and that Dijana and Jana will remain on the show. Dijana immediately assailed Miro for forgetting about her so quickly and trying to get the strippers’ attention [Index.hr / 13.01.05 / Bugarske striptizete u showu "To sam ja"].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off
20.01.05 Slovene Miro on the rocks

To sem jaz update: Slovene Miro on the rocks

2005-01-20T13:45:00.000+01:00

According to the Croatian media (since the Slovene media seems to have forgotten all about the show), the Slovene contestant on To sem jaz, Miro, is about to be disqualified because he is not fully participating. Viewers have noticed as well: "On the show, one Slovene viewer wrote in that the Slovene representative is lazy, just lies around and is not representing Slovenia in a good light" [Index.hr / 06.01/05 / To sam ja: Slovenac pred diskvalifikacijom].

Meanwhile, a few days later, the Croatian media reports that Miro is concentrating on being the biggest "stud" in the house, and that – at least according to him – all of the women in the house want to sleep with him. So far, though, only the Serbian contestant, Dijana, has. "Josipa has said that she likes Miro, while Mateja has said that she feels a special chemistry with Miro…"
However, "Miro is still sleeping with Dijana regularly, and the noise they make is bothering the Croatian representative Edis, who cannot sleep because of it" [Index.hr / 10.01.05 / Raste sesksualna napetost u showu "To sam ja"].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”
05.01.05 Just two voted off

UK press names Slovenia top destination

2005-01-20T13:44:00.000+01:00

The British dailies The Guardian, The Observer and the Guardian Unlimited awarded Slovenia the title of "Favorite European Country" at a recent travel awards ceremony. The award was granted based on a vote by the papers’ readers.

The award comes just as Slovenia is preparing to celebrate 100 years of organized tourism in the country. In 1905, a group of 25 local tourist boards joined forces as the Slovene Tourist Association, which remains the central tourism organization in the country today. The centenary will be marked by nearly 10,000 events throughout the country this year [ICE / 14.01.05 / Slovenia tops poll of prime destinations].

Ptuj gearing up for local Carnevale, Kurentovanje

2005-01-20T13:42:00.000+01:00

Carnevale will be held in early February this year all around the world, and Slovenia is no exception. The most significant celebration in the country is centered on Ptuj, and is called "Kurentovanje," after the Kurent, a mythical creature associated with wine and partying.

Kurentovaje in Ptuj will run from 3 to 8 February and will open with the parade of Kurents, people dressed in traditional costumes made of sheepskin with bells around their belts, long red leather tongues and horns. The parade will take place at midnight on the 3rd. Later that day, the mayor of Ptuj will ceremonially transfer his authority to the Carnevale Prince, who will be accompanied by more Kurents. The central location of the celebrations will be a carnevale tent on the left bank of the Drava near Ptuj Bridge.

One of the highlights of Kurentovanje is the nightly concerts. The schedule is as follows: D' Kwashen Retashy, Fredy Miler and Boštjan Konečnik (3 February), Vlado Kreslin with the Romany group Halgata and Marko Potrč (4 February), Roc'k'n band and Davor Borno (5 February), a parade of the best folk and entertainment ensembles (6 February), Čuki (7 February) and Jasmin Stavros (8 February).

During the day, events will be held at the carnevale tent for children, with a special children’s Carnevale Masquerade on 7 February. Various ethnographic groups will be represented by street performers throughout the city during Carnevale, both from Slovenia and from abroad. On 6 February from 2 to 5 p.m., a number of ethnographic groups from throughout Slovenia and seven from abroad will perform in a special show [STA / 17.01.05 / Kurentovanje se bo začelo 3. februarja].

Slovenes invade Belgrade for New Year’s Eve

2005-01-07T13:31:00.000+01:00

According to a report in Večer, some 20,000 Slovenes flooded downtown Belgrade to usher in the new year last week. Despite the fact that there was no love lost between Ljubljana and Belgrade in the 1980s right up to Slovene independence in 1991, today Slovenes are finding a new love for their former capital city.

One Belgrade student, Dušan Spasojević told the paper, "It’s unbelievable, the Slovenes act as if they’re on safari, as if Belgrade were somewhere exotic, wild and unexplored. Because of Schengen you run here, where the only rule is that there are no rules." He added, "Before you were brothers, today you are colonizers." Spasojević’s comments sarcastically referred not only to Slovene tourists but also to Slovene firms. Among others, Mercator has been making aggressive moves lately trying to carve out a niche in the Serbian market [Večer / 06.01.05 / Žurerski "safariji" v Beogradu].

Slovenia’s first corruption case finally over?

2005-01-07T13:29:00.000+01:00

After more than four years, the trial of former Ministry of the Economy State Secretary Boris Šuštar has apparently drawn to a close, with a sentence of two years in prison and a 5m tolar (about USD 28,000) fine for Mr. Šuštar [Radio Slovenija / 31.12.04 / Former Slovene state secretary reportedly found guilty of corruption].

Šuštar has been sentenced in the case twice before. First, Šuštar was convicted in the spring of 2001, but, in a strange twist, both the defense and the prosecution petitioned the court to throw out the sentence. According to the defense, many of the witnesses were unreliable, and new evidence of Šuštar's innocence had emerged since the original trial. The prosecution, on the other hand, argued that there were significant errors in the earlier proceedings. The court agreed and threw out the earlier conviction [SB / 14.05.02 / Šuštar returns to court].

The second ruling came in early December 2003, when the Ljubljana district court found Šuštar guilty of accepting bribes and sentenced him to two years and four months in prison and a 7m tolar (about USD 40,000) fine.

In the latest ruling, three others implicated in the case have also been given lighter sentences. Stanislav Droljec has been convicted of assisting in bribe taking and his sentence has been lessened from two years to one year and eight months in prison and a 5m tolar (apx. USD 28,000) fine. Šuštar's wife Rožana was also convicted of assisting in bribe taking and sentenced to a fine of 2m tolars (apx. USD 11,000) instead of 3m. Boštjan Sobe alone saw his conviction and sentence remain the same: a fine of 3m tolars (apx. USD 17,000) for assisting in bribe taking.

Šuštar's lawyer, Peter Ceferin, is already demanding yet another retrial, despite the already-lesser sentence. And so long as the new appeal is pending, Šuštar is not required to begin serving his sentence [Finance / 04.01.05 / B. Šuštarju morda ne bo treba v zapor].

The Šuštar affair begain in 2000 and is the country’s first major corruption scandal. Šuštar maintains that his arrest and conviction were politically motivated. He believes that after he fell out of favor with his party, the LDS, he was sacrificed to higher interests: the need to prosecute a high-profile corruption case to prove the government’s commitment to fighting corruption. Helsinki Monitor agreed that the Šuštar case was exploited to demonstrate to the EU that Slovenia is serious about tackling corruption. Šuštar maintains that bribery between corporations and the government is common, even among some prominent politicians [SB / 02.11.01 / Epilogue to the Šuštar corruption case, SB / 19.01.02 / Šuštar accuses widespread corruption], SB / 03.05.03 / Boris Šuštar retrial begins, SB / 07.12.03 / Šuštar once again convicted].

To sem jaz update: Just two voted off

2005-01-05T13:53:00.000+01:00

Even though the show's organizers promised that four cast members would be voted out of the secret Skopje villa, just two ended up leaving last night: Serbia's Miodrag (Mićo) Marković and Macedonian Roma Sanela Abaz. The decision to only eliminate two instead of four was made, according to Novi List, either because of the heightened emotional situation in the house or the “dynamic of the show.”

Organizers have changed their plans further, now saying that two contestants will be eliminated every ten days, instead of every twenty days as was the original plan.

Mićo had been a favorite among the cast members, and so it was quite an upset that he became one of the first to be cut [Novi List / 04.01.05 / Makedonka i Srbin ispali iz natjecanja, Index.hr / 04.01.05 / To sam ja: Ispali Srbin i Romkinja].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January
05.01.05 “Balkan Mix”

Government pledges aid for victims of Indian Ocean tragedy

2005-01-05T11:46:00.000+01:00

The Slovene government has pledged SIT 20 million (EUR 83,400) to help the victims of the 26 December earthquake and ensuing tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean. The money has already been handed over to the Red Cross, and Prime Minister Janez Janša told the press that the government is prepared to send more aid if necessary. Some 150,000 died as a result of the tragedy [SN / 29.12.04 / Govt Donates EUR 83,400 for Asia Quake Victims].

Slovenia takes over lead at OSCE

2005-01-05T11:44:00.000+01:00

As of 1 January 2005, Slovene foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel is the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), based in Vienna. Slovenia assumed the lead role in the organization from Bulgaria, which was at the helm throughout last year. Rupel is expected to present Slovenia's goals for the term on 13 January [SEE Times / 03.01.05 / Slovenia Takes Over Rotating OSCE Chairmanship From Bulgaria].

Judging from recent statements, however, it seems that Slovenia sees its role at the head of the OSCE as being that of an intermediary striving to bridge the divides among the 55 members of the organization. It is also expected that Slovenia will give some degree of impetus to reforming the organization. Rupel will head the Slovene delegation to the OSCE but will maintain his position as foreign minister; day-to-day responsibilities at OSCE headquarters in Vienna will be handled by a carefully-selected team led by Slovene diplomat Boris Frlec and supported by Slovenia’s 12-man permanent mission to the OSCE [SBW / 03.01.05 / Slovenia at the Helm of OSCE in 2005].

To sam jaz update: “Balkan Mix”

2005-01-05T11:42:00.000+01:00

Not surprising given the history and demographics of the former Yugoslavia, the ethnicities of few of the contestants are clear-cut.

Croatia’s Novi List reports in a sidebar titled “Balkan Mix” that Edin, who is representing Bosnia and Hercegovina, was actually born in Montenegro, while Serbia’s Mićo is ethnically Serbian but has lived in Skopje for many years. Dijana, who is representing Serbia, is actually not ethnically Serbian at all: she is half Croatian, half Hungarian. And Slovenia’s Miro is ethnically Macedonia and Croatia’s Edis is half Croatian, half Macedonian [Novi List / 03.01.05 / Hrvatski predstavnik ima »loš predosjećaj«].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje
30.12.04 Four to be voted out on 4 January

Centennial of Slovene Film in 2005

2005-01-05T11:41:00.000+01:00

Even though films were first shown in the Slovene lands in 1896, it was nearly a decade before any Slovene set about making a film. That had to wait until 1905, when Karol Grossmann made the short film, Odhod z maše v Ljutomeru (Exiting Mass in Ljutomer).

This year will see celebrations in honor of that achievement, and in honor of the 100th anniversary of Slovene cinema. Festivities will begin on 1 March will the screening of a documentary about Rudi Omota, who made the first Slovene talkie in the early 20th century [SN / 30.12.05 / Slovenia to Mark 100 Years of Its Film Industry].

Tito statue destroyed in Croatia...Tito bust unveiled in Slovenia...Tito's Blue Train returns to the rails...Tito hits Hollywood...

2004-12-30T17:10:00.000+01:00

On 26 December, unknown vandals blew up the famous statue of Josip Broz Tito in his home village of Kumrovec, in Croatia near the Slovene border. Photos of the fallen statue show that the head was broken off, and the body had fallen off of the pedestal [Reuters / 27.12.04 / Tito's monument in home town blown up].

Croatian officials believe the damage was caused by an explosive device attached to the statue's head [Reuters / 27.12.04 / Tito statue blown up in Croatian hometown].

Shortly after the news broke, the Croatian government publically denounced the vandals and promised to restore the statue. The government also called on the police to uncover the culprit or culprits as quickly as possible. The Croatian Ministry of Culture also denounced the act, calling it “barbaric.”

The statue has already been transported to the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb for restoration, which is expected to take a month's time [Mladina / 30.12.04 / Titov spomenik v Kumrovcu bodo restavrirali].

The statue was unveiled in 1948 and is the work of Antun Augustinčić (1900-1979), a prominent Croatian sculptor and protege of Ivan Mestrović. One of his sculptures, entited “Peace,” stands in front of UN headquarters in New York. A museum dedicated to his life and work is located in Klanjec, Croatia.

In addition to the statue, the house of Tito's birth and several other buildings were also damaged in the explosion. The statue and the buildings are part of the Staro Selo open-air musuem, which shows life in Kumrovec at the time of Tito's birth in 1892. [Mladina / 27.12.04 / Hrvaška vlada obsodila poškodovanje Titovega spomenika v Kumrovcu].

Meanwhile, another Tito statue was in the news earlier in the week, as the head of Slovenia's National Party, Zmago Jelinčič, unveiled a bust of Tito in his garden. The unveiling was attended by numerous members of the Slovene media, and was timed to coincide with the 14th anniversary of Slovenia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. Jelinčič said the public will be free to visit the bust twice each year: on 23 December to mark the vote for independence, and on 25 May to mark Tito's birthday [Gulf Daily News / 24.12.04 / Slovene politician pays tribute to Tito].

In other Tito news, the former Yugoslav dictator's infamous Blue Train is set to hit the rails once again. The exquisitly-appointed train was intended for Tito's personal use, and has been maintained in a depot near Belgrade inaccessible to the public for nearly 25 years. The train carried Tito's casket from Ljubljana, where he died, to Belgrade, where he was buried, in 1980 [Telegraph / 21.12.04 / All aboard Tito's train for a touch of red star luxury].

The train will return into service on New Year's eve, to make a run from Belgrade to Vrnjačka Banja in central Serbia. Though tickets for the train ride cost nearly USD 600, they sold out quckly [BBC / 16.12.04 / Tourists offered ride on Tito's train].

And of course the hot Tito news last week were announcements by both Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro that they intend to portray Tito in upcoming films. The Stallone project is set to begin filming next year in Zagreb, and will be a biography of Tito. The DeNiro project, on the other hand, is about a Cold War-era CIA agent and will feature Tito as one of the lead characters [New Zealand Herald / 13.12.04 / Tito hot in Hollywood].

Percieved corruption dropping

2004-12-30T15:48:00.000+01:00

According to a public opinion poll, fewer Slovenes think corruption is a major problem than did in 2003. The study was conducted by the University of Ljubljana's Center for Public Opinion Research and Mass Communications.

Last year's survey showed that more than 60 percent perceived corruption as being a big problem, with less than five percent dismissing corruption as being a problem at all. Some 95 percent in any case said that they themselves have never had personal experience with corruption [SB / 30.11.03 / Corruption a big problem few have experienced].

The latest study showed the number of people who consider corruption to be a major problem has dropped from 30.8 percent last year to 29.9 percent this year. The number of people who think corruption is a significant problem likewise fell, from 29.4 to 26.8 percent [BBC/STA / 21.12.04 / Fewer Slovenes see corruption as major problem - opinion poll].

According to the 2004 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Slovenia ranked 31st in the world, tied with Botswana and Estonia. Among new members of the EU, only Malta scored higher, 25th. Cyprus ranked 36th, followed by Hungary (42) and Lithuania (44). Italy in 42nd place and Greece in 49th were the lowest-ranked of EU member states.

Among the former Yugoslav republics, Croatia ranked 67th, followed by Bosnia (82) and Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro (tied at 97).

To sem jaz update: Four to be voted out on 4 January

2004-12-30T15:22:00.000+01:00

Even though organizers promised that two castmembers would be voted off of To sem jaz every twenty days, no one has been kicked out yet (other than the two unruly Macedonians).

Apparently, the hold up has been caused by the casts' request that they be allowed to remain together to celebrate the new year. Another reason perhaps is that the group is going to record a song written by one of the Slovene contestants, Miro. They performed the song on 26 December at the Macedonian national Eurosong competition in Skopje. The CD is set to debut just after the first of the year.

To make up for the slow start, four cast members will be voted off the show on 4 January [Novi List / 11.12.04 / No Početkom siječnja iz kuće izlaze četiri kandidata].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...
30.12.04 Christmas in Skopje

To sem jaz update: Christmas in Skopje

2004-12-30T15:16:00.000+01:00

According to the forum at the reality TV website Joker's Updates, there was an incident on Christmas Day in the evening, where somethng apparently came through an open window and hit one of the girls who was lying in bed (screenshots from the webcame available here).

Otherwise, the To sem jaz cast celebrated Christmas on 25 December with a traditional meal prepared by the Croatian and Slovene cast members.

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit
30.12.04 Crazy in love...

To sem jaz update: Crazy in love...

2004-12-30T15:12:00.000+01:00

The first two members of the To sem jaz cast to have sex – Serbian Dijana and Slovene Miro – briefly left the house in Skopje to appear as guests on the Bosnian OBN network's show Final svih finala (Finale of All Finales). Večernji List reports that not only did Dijana and Miro enjoy their freedom by strolling through Sarajevo's Baščarija, but also by enjoying their hotel room away from the cameras' gaze [Večernji List / 21.12.04 / Dijana i Miro 'na slobodi'].

Meanwhile, a new couple seems to be forming in the house. Croatia's Edis Rebov and Macedonia's Jana Velkovska were caught making out on camera just before New Year's eve. This coupling comes with a twist, however, since both Edis and Jana are otherwise involved in long-term relationships at home. Right after the kiss, Edis demanded a cell phone from the show's organizers and spent a half hour on the phone with his girlfriend Željka back home in Zadar. So far, there has been no word on whether she has forgiven him [Super Bosna / 28.12.04 / Na pomolu nova ljubavna afera u Skopju].

More love-related problems are in the offing, since Macedonian Albanian Adimir is getting closer and closer to Bosnian Mirela, but his father is insisting Adimir have an arranged marriage in accordance with local traditions with a bride who has already been chosen [Iskon / 28.12.04 / Nova veza u To sam ja?'].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled
16.12.04 Official website a hit

Mujo and Haso DVD on sale now

2004-12-30T14:04:00.000+01:00

The eagerly-awaited DVD Mujo & Haso Superstars hit Slovene stores on 17 December, just in time for the holidays. It includes 63 sketches:

1. Letalo
2. Stadion
3. 8. marec
4. Cigara
5. Haso – gej
6. Živali
7. Triper
8. Akvarij
9. Konec sveta
10. Hotel
11. Resno
12. Golobi
13. Taxi
14. Koliko 26?
15. Pornič
16. Mavec
17. Noseč
18. Mravljišče
19. Amerika
20. Fata odhaja
21. Mujeve sanje
22. Ženska za poročit
23. Lovec v puščavi
24. Alkohol
25. Ptičar
26. Ljubimec 1
27. Devica
28. Gledališče
29. Haso in Fata
30. Arheologi
31. Jajca in joški
32. Zelje
33. Tiger
34. Vremenska napoved
35. Logika
36. Lešniki
37. Termovka
38. Izabela
39. Umiram
40. Pitbull
41. Čebula in čevapčiči
42. Medvedka
43. Izgubil se je pes
44. Puzzle
45. Jablana
46. Ženski organ
47. Motor
48. Jagode
49. Sedi in Razmišlja
50. Umetno dihanje
51. Ribice
52. Peder
53. Ljubimec 2
54. Gola ženska
55. Nedolžna
56. Turizem
57. Kanjon
58. Sin
59. Cigarete krajšajo življenje
60. Kvačkanje
61. Slab spomin
62. Hemeroidi
63. Kondomi

The DVD is a compilation of Mujo and Haso clips featured on Pop TV's Veseli December series, which premiered several weeks ago on 3 December [SB / 09.12.04 / Mujo and Haso hit Slovene television].

Jansa says 2005 will pose economic challenges

2004-12-30T13:56:00.000+01:00

Prime Minister Janez Jansa told AFP that the coming year will be a challenging one for Slovenia as it strives to prepare itself to join the euro zone as early as 2007. According to Jansa, the country only meets half of the convergence criteria so far.

On 27 June, Slovenia entered ERM II, which formally pegged the Slovene tolar to the euro and market a major step forward along the path of taking on the euro as the national currency. Slovenia must be part of ERM II for two years before it can take on the euro, which means that 27 June 2006 would be the earliest date possible [SB / 29.07.04 / Slovenia one step closer to euro].

However, other convergence criteria are not expected to be met so quickly. For example, inflation must be reduced to levels acceptable to the eurozone. Jansa also cited limiting the public deficit as another challeng for Slovenia [AFP / 29.12.04 / Slovenian PM Jansa: 2005 “toughest” year in Slovenia's preparation for euro].

2004: The Year in Review

2004-12-30T13:45:00.000+01:00

Check the latest, January, issue of the Slovenia Times for rundowns of the year's major events, in politics, economics, sports and culture.

Ljubljana GLBT Film Festival at TOL

2004-12-30T13:43:00.000+01:00

The Ljubljana Festival of Lesbian and Gay Film, the oldest such festival in Europe, is featured in the latest update of Transitions On Line.

The centerpiece of this year's festival was the 1976 film Dečki, by Stanko Jost. The film – the first in Yugoslavia to depict homosexual themes - was shown only twice, at premiers in Celje and in Ljubljana, in 1977 and was never shown again, until now [TOL / 26.12.04 / Slovenia: Lost and Found].

Guidebooks reviewed

2004-12-30T13:29:00.000+01:00

The latest update to the Ljubljana Life website includes a review of guidebooks for Slovenia by Erica Johnson Debeljak. The article covers the 2004 edition of Lonely Planet Slovenia, Slovenia: The Tourist Guide from 1999, the 2003 edition of Slovenia - Sunflower Landscapes and the brand new 100 Buildings: Architectural Guide to Ljubljana and Slovenian Circle of Culture.

Notible ommissions include the 2004 edition of Rough Guide: Slovenia, as well as the Guide to Slovene Museums, City Pack Ljubljana and Ljubljana Vodnik (also available in English).

Also of note are the forthcoming Bradt Travel Guide to Slovenia and Ljubljana: The Bradt City Guide (both available in March 2005) [LL / 09.04 / Guide to the Guides].

To sem jaz update: Official website a hit

2004-12-16T13:07:00.000+01:00

According to the Croatian media, the official To sem jaz website at www.toasumjas.com.mk is attracting a record number of hits. In the first three days that it was possible to watch the show over the internet, some 340,000 people visited the site – a record number for a Macedonian website [Večernji list / 15.12.04 / Tisuće surfera na netu zbog ’To sam ja’].

Previous To sem jaz updates:

15.11.04 Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs
13.12.04 Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue
13.12.04 Sex, live
13.12.04 Two contestants expelled

MTV Adria to launch next fall

2004-12-16T11:58:00.000+01:00

MTV Adria, which will cover the countries of the former Yugoslavia, is expected to launch as a satelite channel in August 2005 according to the Croatian media [Večernji List / 14.12.04 / Hrvatska 2005. dobiva svoj MTV!].

In its initial launch, MTV Adria will serve Slovenia, along with Bosnia and Croatia. By 2006, according to the initial plans, it will be expanded to cover Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro as well. The concept calls for MTV Adria's playlist to be composed of 80 percent foreign productions and 20 percent local.

Negotiations over the creation of MTV Adria have been going on for nearly one year, between local parters and MTV representatives [Finance / 04.11.04 / MTV Adria v režiji Jurija Schollmayerja
and Finance / 06.12.04 / Rok za MTV Adria je konec leta].

Repairs to Nama set for January

2004-12-16T11:47:00.000+01:00

Repairs to the glass facade of Ljubljana's Nama department store are finally set to begin. The company's advisory board has decided that work can commence on replacing the two glass panels that fell from the building, crashing onto busy Slovenska street below.

The advisory board acted on the basis of two independent expert reports that state that none of the glass panels are of a sufficient quality, and that their installation was not properly done. Now, the company is prepared to remove the remaining panels and instal an entirely new glass facade that meets European safety standards.

Work is expected to begin in January and conclude by April 2005. Nama will remain open while the work is being done [Delo / 15.12.04 / Veleblagovnico Nama bodo preoblekli].

Earlier this year, two of the panels fell from the building onto the street for unknown reasons. No one was injured, but the impact of the safety glass on the street was equivalent to fifty kilograms of sand dropped from the same height and could have killed passers by [SB / 16.11.04 / Glass falling from Ljubljana's Nama].

Minority report suppressed for supporting rights for former Yugoslavs?

2004-12-16T11:35:00.000+01:00

The latest update of Transitions On Line includes a report by Borut Mekina about a new report on minorities in Slovenia that is causing a controversy. Even though the government commissioned the report from the Institute for Ethnic Studies, it is suppressing the final product. The report was completed last year, but only now has the public become aware of its existence; the government declared the text a state secret.

The report deals with the situation of the country's three official national minorities: the Hungarians, Italians and Roma. But it also explores the status of the nearly 200,000 people in Slovenia who belong to former Yugoslav nationalities, such as the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. These people, though far greater in number than the three official minorities, have no special rights in Slovenia.

TOL suggests that the Institute for Ethnic Studies report was classified because it recommends that the former Yugoslav groups be granted national minority status, and all the benefits that would entail [TOL / 15.12.04 / Slovenia: National Minorities as State Secrets].

In September, the Serbian Ministry of the Disapora formally requested that the Slovene government name Serbs as an official national minority. Meanwhile, an umbrella organization of more than 60 associations representing former Yugoslav nationalities, the Coordinating Union of Cultural Societies of the Constituative Nations and Nationalities of the Former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia in the Republic of Slovenia, led by Dr. Ilija Dimitrievski, continues to push for recognition for all former Yugoslav groups [SB / 15.11.04 / Serbs to become official minority?].

Ryanair giving away tickets

2004-12-14T16:24:00.000+01:00

Travellers have until midnight on Thursday, 16 December, to get free tickets on Ryanair. The only cost is the applicable taxes. A one-way flight from Klagenfurt/Celovec to London, for example, will cost 18 euroes.

Tickets must be bought immediately, and travel must occur between 17 December and 10 February 2005.

Ryanair currently flies to 19 countries in Europe. The closest points of departure from Slovenia are Klagenfurt/Celovec and Graz/Gradec in Austria, and Trieste/Trst in Italy [BWF / 13.12.04 / Ryanair Ticket Bonanza and Finance / 13.12.04 / Ryanairove vozovnice bodo zastonj].

Slovene companies leading other EU newbies'

2004-12-14T16:09:00.000+01:00

According to Slovenia Business Week, "The magic one-billion-euro revenue mark was crossed by 54 companies from eight of the new EU member states last year, and among the 1,000 major companies from the new EU members, one tenth are Slovenian," citing a 6 December issue of Gospodarski vestnik [SBW / 13.12.04 / 10% of Top 1,000 Companies from EU Newcomers Are Slovenian].

Though Slovenia's rightful share of spots on the list would one-tenth of the companies on the list, since there were ten new member states, it should be pointed out that only eight of the countries were included. Of them, Poland had 442 companies on the list, the Czech Republic 171, Slovakia 59 and the three Baltic republics together 22. Slovenia managed to place 99 of its companies.

Oil company Petrol was the highest ranked among Slovene firms, placing 40th overall. Next was Renault-owned auto maker Revoz, at 80th place, followed by Nova Ljubljanska Banka (81), retailer Mercator (86th), drug maker Lek (97th) and appliance maker Gorenje (107).

Cartoon vs. the Vatican in Croatia

2004-12-13T13:19:00.000+01:00

Most Slovene TV watchers are familiar with the Croatian cartoon series Zlikavci (Hoodlums), which airs late-night on Fridays on HTV 2. Saturday’s Sobotna priloga highlighted the troubles the series is having with Catholic believers [Delo / 11.12.04 / Vse gre v vražjo mater!],

A group of Catholic faithful, led by Father Stjepan Fridl and Radio Marija, are up in arms over the series and are threatening to stage protests and to send petitions unless HRT takes the cartoon off the air. They have also threatened to send tapes of the show to the pope himself. For their part, the show’s creators and supporters say that if HRT suffers from any pressure over Zlikavci, they will move the show to a "friendlier and more democratic" country: North Korea.

Zlikavci revolves around four children, similar in concept and appearance to the South Park characters. Episodes usually take place in school, where contemporary social and political issues are discussed in a tongue-in-cheek and highly irreverent manner. For the Catholic protestors, however, the most offensive character is the kids’ religion teacher, Father Vjeran Božić.

Zlikavci creator Goran Pirš-Piro told Sobotna priloga, however, "It is wrong to think that it is a cartoon that only deals with the Church. The kids and their teacher talk about everything. It is a weekly column that deals with current events – from soccer, Slovenes and Severina to the parish priest who would not allow a blind man into church."

Sobotna priloga agrees: "Of course, it is possible to wonder whether Zlikavci really does offend the Church. Maybe it does, but then other groups should also be offended, such as young people, politicians, celebrities, minorities, Slovenes, Zagorci, gays, women… No one else has spoken up, since they understand the concept of the cartoon."

Visually, Zlikavci draws its inspiration from the American cartoon series South Park, but its spiritual inspiration comes from Zločesta djeca, a popular 1980s show on Zagreb’s Radijo 101. That show ended in the early 1990s, but its cast today are the backbone of Zlikavci.

To sem jaz update: Two contestants expelled

2004-12-13T13:14:00.000+01:00

Even before the first two contestants could be voted out of the To sem jaz house, two of them managed to get themselves disqualified on 8 December: Gordana Dimitrievska and Filip Hristovski, both of the Macedonians.

Filip was disqualified for mistreating his female housemates, and for talking to people outside the secret Skopje villa where the cast is living. Contestants are only allowed to communicate with the moderators and guests of the show, and are otherwise supposed to be cut off from the outside world.

Gordana, on the other hand, was disqualified for throwing a mug at Edis, one of the Croatian contestants, during a heated argument. He managed to get out of the way, and the mug shattered on the floor, but a piece of the broken glass hurt the mouth of Admir, one of the Albanians. Filip backed Gordana up in the argument, and that proved to be the last straw for him. Both were ejected from the house [Večernji list / 09.12.04 / Iz kuće izbačeni - Makedonci!].

Two new Macedonian contestants have been brought in to replace Filip and Gordana: Jana Velkovska and Dragi Hristos.

Slovenia is represented by Mateja Plahuta and Miro Tosodovski. The other contestants are Edin and Mirela from Bosnia, Edis and Josipa from Croatia and Miodrag and Dijana from Serbia and Montenegro. They are joined by the Macedonian Albanian Admir, and the Kosovo Rom Saneli.
Two contestants are voted out of the house every twenty days by phone calls and SMS messages from viewers at home. The last ones left win EUR 10,000. Viewers in Slovenia can participate in the telephone voting by calling 090 93 60 63 or by sending an SMS with the name of the candidate to be voted off to 2929.

To sem jaz can be seen on Prva TV in 10 to 15 minute increments five times daily from Monday to Friday, with hour-long daily wrap-ups each evening as well as on Saturdays. The To sem jaz website can be found at http://www.toasumjas.com.mk/.

To sem jaz update: Sex, live

2004-12-13T13:13:00.000+01:00

To sem jaz became amateur porn on 7 December, when Slovene Miro and Serb Dijana became the first to have sex on the show.

As Večernji list describes the situation, "Miro and Dijana left the other housemates, went to his bed and began to make love. This was shown on television, but Dijana and Miro tried to protect themselves from the public’s eyes and covered themselves with the bedspread so that the cameras could not see everything. But the bedspread did not cover everything" [Večernji list / 08.12.04 / Pao prvi seks: Slovenac Miro i Srpkinja Dijana!].

Previously, the most scandalous moments were when Croat Edis took a shower in the nude on live TV, and when Macedonian Filip asked the producers for condoms so he could masturbate in bed and "not make too much of a mess."

To sem jaz can be seen on Prva TV in 10 to 15 minute increments five times daily from Monday to Friday, with hour-long daily wrap-ups each evening as well as on Saturdays. The To sem jaz website can be found at http://www.toasumjas.com.mk/.

To sem jaz update: Slovenes not interested, Bosnians threaten to sue

2004-12-13T13:02:00.000+01:00

To sem jaz (That’s Me) has yet to capture the Slovene public’s attention, and there has been very little press coverage. One of the few articles is in this week’s Žurnal, called Mednarodna realnost. The show also figured into two other of Žurnal’s recent articles [Žurnal / 26.11.04 / Jugonostalgija še vedno med Slovenci and Mladina / 29.11.04 / Zadnja TV].

However, the daily newspaper Večernji list in Croatia is reporting on the show (called To sam ja in Croatian, as well as in Bosnian and Serbian) almost daily. It has also caught the Bosnian public’s attention, but not in a good way: On 27 November, a Bosnian NGO called the Bosniac League issued a press release denouncing the program as a "live feed of erotic, nearly pornographic pictures from a house in Skopje."

They also announced they have received a request to file a lawsuit against OBN, the station carrying the program in Bosnia, from the mother of the female participant from Bosnia, Mirela Efendić. The mother, according to the Bosnian League, believes her daughter has been "forced to bathe together with men in one bathtub, to strip naked in the communal bed room, not knowing that it would be broadcast as an attack on her person and on her moral integrity." The Bosnian League is demanding a public apology from OBN in order to stave off a lawsuit [Index.hr / 30.11.04 / Balkanski reality show zbog ‘pornografije’ na udaru roditelja, Večernji list / 30.11.04 / "To sam ja" osuđen zbog golotinje].

OBN has had experience with reality TV in the past, having aired the first Balkan reality TV show in June 2001. The show, 60 Hours, featured two Bosnian Serbs, a Bosnian Muslim, a Croatian from Zagreb and Jana Prepeluh of Ljubljana. The five spent 60 hours in a luxury apartment in Sarajevo, and the whole thing was not only televised, but aired over BH Radio 1. The show did not include the concept of voting contestants out of the house, since it was decided that it could cause unwanted nationalist tensions. The show itself turned out to be rather boring, and viewers were particularly disappointed that there was no nudity or sex. Lav, the Croat, was the only one to venture into the shower during the show, but he wore a bathing suit [Mladina / 02.07.01 / Lav, bodi samo moj and Dani / 22.07.01 / Sretna nova 1984].

The only similar reality TV show currently on the air is Croatia’s version of Big Brother, which is a huge hit there. Organizers of that show have taken notice of To sem jaz, and told Večernji list that the next season of Big Brother will include some regional cooperation, though not on the same level as To sem jaz. [Večernji list / 25.11.04 / Big Brother također s YU kandidatima]

To sem jaz can be seen on Prva TV in 10 to 15 minute increments five times daily from Monday to Friday, with hour-long daily wrap-ups each evening as well as on Saturdays. Viewers in Slovenia can participate in the telephone voting by calling 090 93 60 63 or by sending an SMS with the name of the candidate to be voted off to 2929.

The To sem jaz website, still in development, can be found at http://www.toasumjas.com.mk/, and a press release in English can be found at: http://ca.prweb.com/releases/2004/12/prweb185588.htm.

Ethnographic museum reopens

2004-12-09T14:59:00.000+01:00

On 2 December, the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) at the Metelkova Mesto complex in Ljubljana reopened after more than two years of extensive rennovations. The museum's permanent exhibit of Slovene folk culture is not quite ready, but in the meantime SEM is featuring several temporary exhibits.

The current exhibits are: “European Ethnographic Museums at SEM”, an overview of the collections of 14 ethnographic museums across Europe; “Is Ethnology Also at Home in Other Slovene Museums?”, which showcases the ethnographic holdings of 23 other Slovene museums; and “Exchanging Glances: Between Design and Slovene Folk Culture,” which features contemporary design objects coupled with the folk objects upon which they are based.

The museum is open every day from 10.00 until 18.00, but is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day [UVI / 02.12.04 / Slovene Ethnographic Museum to open this evening and ST / 12.04 / Slovenian Ethnographic Museum: Taking nothing for granted].

Slovene sex trade simmering

2004-12-09T14:18:00.000+01:00

Last month's death of a Ukrainain prostitute in Bosnia has apparently struck the fear of God into not only her former clients but among johns throughout Slovenia. The girl, Olena Popik, was a victim of human trafficking who worked as a prostitute in Slovenia for two years, as well as in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia.

At the time of her death, she had TB, syphilis, hepatitis C and AIDS.

Clinics in Slovenia noted a spike in requests for STD testing when the news of her death broke, and now the daily Finance is claiming that some Slovene night clubs are registering a 90 percent drop in business. Even clubs which do not offer sexual services are losing business simply because their strippers are from Ukraine.

However, as the sex trade in the country is languishing, HIV testing and condom sales are up.

According to Slovene health authorities there are just 154 HIV-infected people in the country, of which 36 have AIDS [BWF / 09.12.04 / Death of Young Ukrainian Prostitute Dulls Slovenian Sex Industry].

Ljubljana for the holidays

2004-12-09T12:24:00.000+01:00

The schedule of holiday events and activities throughout Ljubljana through New Year's Day can be found on the Ljubljana Tourist Information Portal.

Mujo and Haso hit Slovene television

2004-12-09T12:21:00.000+01:00

Mujo and Haso, the stars of thousands upon thousands of jokes popular throughout the former Yugoslavia, are now the stars of their very own television series. Almost.

On 3 December at 8:00 p.m., Pop TV premiered Veseli december (Merry December). The show is based on a classic play called Avdicija (The Audition), which premiered in Sarajevo in 1982. The play was an improvised parody of the entry exams for an acting school. Veseli december is directed by Branko Đurić-Đuro, as was Avdicija.

Branko Ðurič – Ðuro also directed some 63 sketches based on Mujo and Haso jokes, which rank among the best-known and best-loved jokes throughout the former Yugoslavia. The sketches air throughout each episode of Veseli december and star Milan Pavlović as Mujo and Enis Bešlagić as Haso.

All 63 sketches from Veseli december will be compiled on a DVD which will be available throughout the former Yugoslavia as well as the EU in early December. The DVD will also include outtakes and sketches deemed too dirty for television. Subtitles will be available for Italian, German and English [Megaklub / 30.11.04 / Mujo in Haso - zascitena blagovna znamka].

Moderna galerija to host “The Seven Sins”

2004-12-09T12:19:00.000+01:00

An exhibit of Russian and Slovene modern art called “The Seven Sins: Ljubljana – Moscow” will open at Ljubljana's Moderna Galerija on 20 December. It runs through 28 February 2005.

The exhibit will explore the relationship between the Slovene and Russian capitals, highlighting the continuity of contact between the two cities, and the similarties in their aesthetics and Slavic and Eastern European countries. It is curated by Zdenka Badovinac, Viktor Misjano and Igor Zabel.

The seven sins refered to in the title relate to the exhibit's exploration of what “Eastern European culture” actually means. Curators identified seven sins they believe are common to all Eastern European countries, and the exhibit is organized accordingly. The sins are: Collectivism, Utopianism, Masochism, Cynicism, Laziness, Unprofessionalism and Love of the West. Interestingly, though these things are called sins, the exhibit simultaneously tries to present their virtuous aspects as well.

Supplementing the visual art which is the exhibit's backbone, a schedle of accompanying events includes other relevant arts: film, architecture, design, popular culture and music. The exhibit is also accompanied by a catalogue with essays written by such Slovene and Russian writers as Slavoj Žižek, Svetlana Boym and Marcel Štefančič, Jr. [Non-Starving Artists / 08.12.04 / The Seven Sins: Ljubljana-Moscow].

New episode of Slovenian Magazine

2004-12-09T12:14:00.000+01:00

The latest episode of the English-language television program Slovenian Magazine premiered on 4 December. Again, it features some of the best in Slovenia's tourist attractions, cultural heritage and people.

This time, features include the Kočevje region, the recently-rennovated Turjak Mansion (now the City Museum of Ljubljana), conductor Carlos Kleiber, ballerina Alenka Ribič and yachtsman Vasilij Žbogar.

The episode can be downloaded at http://ava.rtvslo.si/ava/media?action=play&mediaId=1655905.

New government promises efforts toward greater media pluralization

2004-12-09T12:13:00.000+01:00

The newly installed government is planning to work towards realizing one of conservatives’ traditional demands: greater pluralization of the media. The idea of creating a special governmental fund is once again being floated, but this time it is likely to go forward. Previously, the liberal-led government refused to go along with the plan.

A spokesman of the Slovene Democrats (SDS) told the press that the fund should be established by 2006 at the latest, and will be based on western models. Sweden in particular was named as a possible template [BWF / 05.12.04 / Media Fund to Be Created]

According to the daily Finance, the Swedish model foresees subsidies to small newspapers, as well as government co-financing of the second-largest daily on the market. In the case of Slovenia, that paper is Dnevnik. The subsidies would be funded by a four-percent advertising tax. Subsidies in Sweden amount to just about three percent of the total cost of publishing a daily newspaper [Finance / 05.12.04 / Če bi bil Janša Šved, bi subvencioniral Dnevnik].

Finance, however, also pointed out that the even as the new government is calling for greater privatization and less of a role for the government in business, it is now about to set up shop in the media industry. The paper fears that the fund could turn into little more than a way for the government to influence the national media, and even to punish dissenting voices [Finance / 05.12.04 / Machiavellijevi tolarji za medije ].

New government takes office

2004-12-09T12:11:00.000+01:00

On 3 December, Slovenia’s new government led by Prime Minister Janez Janša finally took office, exactly two months after parliamentary elections brought sweeping changes to the country’s political landscape. The new coalition is led by Janša’s Social Democratic Party (SDS), joined by New Slovenia (NSi), the Slovene People’s Party (SLS) and the Democratic Party of Pensioners (DeSUS). The coalition parties control 49 of the 90 seats in parliament.

The government was approved by a parliamentary vote of 51:37. The 49 coalition MPs were also supported by the representatives of the Hungarian and Italian minorities [SN / 03.12.04 / Parliament Appoints Jansa Centre-Right Government].

The new government has 15 ministers:

1. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food: Marija Lukčič (SDS)
2. Minister of Culture: Vasko Simoniti (SDS)
3. Minister of Defense: Karl Erjavec (DeSUS)
4. Minister of the Economy: Andrej Vizjak (SDS)
5. Minister of Education and Sport: Milan Zver (SDS)
6. Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning: Janez Podobnik (SLS)
7. Minister of Finance: Andrej Bajuk (NSi)
8. Minister of Foreign Affairs: Dimitrij Rupel (SDS)
9. Minister of Health: Andrej Bručan (SDS)
10. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology: Jurij Župan (NSi)
11. Minister of the Interior: Dragutin Mate (SDS)
12. Minister of Justice: Lovro Šturm (NSi)
13. Minister of Labor, Family and Social Affairs: Janez Drobnic (NSi)
14. Minister of Public Administration: Gregor Virant (SDS)
15. Minister of Transport: Janez Božič (SLS)

For biographies and additional information, cf. SBW / 06.12.04/ Janez Jansa Government Appointed.

In the 3 October elections, Janša’s Social Democratic Party (SDS) managed to win the most votes for the first time in independent Slovenia’s history. Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (LDS), which has led nearly every government since independence, came in second place, and will now lead the parliamentary opposition.

This new government is Slovenia’s eighth since independence in 1991.

According to Janša's acceptance speech, the new government's goals are to be: tax reform, improvements to public administration and the educational system, privatization and anti-corruption efforts [TOL / 06.12.04./ Promoting Accountability].

Easyjet Berlin-Ljubljana route off to a strong start

2004-12-09T12:09:00.000+01:00

Just one day after Easyjet launched its Ljubljana-Berlin route, the company announced it had sold nearly 10,000 tickets in Slovenia alone. Less tickets were sold in Germany during the same period.

According to the national tourist board, Easyjet’s Ljubljana-London route (launched on 1 May) has facilitated a 50 percent rise in the number of British tourists visiting Slovenia in 2004. The board is hopeful the new route will reap similar numbers among German tourists [SN / 25.11.04 / Easyjet Sells 10,000 Tickets to Berlin].

New English-language magazine about Slovenia

2004-12-09T12:06:00.000+01:00

On 24 November, the government’s Office for Public Relations and Media launched a new monthly magazine called Sinfo.

Despite the name, Sinfo is neither a Church publication nor a directory of casinos, strippers and/or prostitutes. Instead, it deals with politics, environmental, cultural, business and sports news from and about Slovenia.

The first, 48-page, issue is available for download in .pdf format here.

Partisan graphics highlighted in new Ljubljana exhibit

2004-11-27T16:45:00.000+01:00

The International Centre of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana will open a new exhibit, "Partizanski tisk" (Partisan Press) on 30 December. The exhibit focuses on printed materials created by and/or for Partisans between 1941 and 1945, under the extreme conditions of the Second World War.

The Partisans, led by Josip Broz Tito, were military forces guided by the ideology of Communism who emerged during the war and ultimately assumed control of all of Yugoslavia, including Slovenia.

On exhibit are examples of pamphlets, posters, books, fliers, illustrations, periodicals, agit-prop, song books, youth-oriented literature, cartoons, currency, textbooks and other examples of graphic design from the period. Their artistic, design and political-ideological propaganda functions are highlighted.

The exhibit was prepared by the International Centre of Graphic Arts and the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia. It runs through 20 March 2005 and is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue featuring six essays on topics such as the symbols of Partisan politics and Partisan print shops.

Slovene architecture exhibited in Berlin

2004-11-27T16:44:00.000+01:00

A show of contemporary Slovene architecture opened on 26 November in Berlin. The show is called "Gradbišče Slovenija" (Construction Site: Slovenia), and is curated by Vladimir Šlapeta, Miha Dešman in Andrej Hrausky. It was prepared by Ljubljana's DESSA architectural gallery.

Construction Site: Slovenia presents 23 architectural projects executed since Slovene independence in 1991, with particular emphasis on the past five years. The influence on contemporary Slovene architecture by Jože Plecnik and Edvard Ravnikar is also highlighted.

The exhibit is part of a cycle of exhibits of modern architecture from Eastern Europe supported by the German Academy of Arts begun in 1994. Past shows have focused on Poland, Moscow, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia [Večer / 25.11.04 / V Berlinu razstava sodobne Slovenske arhitekture].

Easyjet now links Ljubljana with Berlin

2004-11-27T16:43:00.000+01:00

On 25 November, Easyjet began regular service between Ljubljana and Berlin, in addition to its already well established Ljubljana - London route.

Flights between Berlin's Schoenfeld airport and Geneva, Krakow and Madrid have also begun, which makes Shoenfeld an even more desirable hub for travelers [Mladina / 25.11.04 / Od danes Easyjetova povezava Ljubljana - Berlin].

Death of sex worker in Bosnia puts region on red alert

2004-11-27T16:36:00.000+01:00

The tragic case of Olena Popik, a victim of human trafficking from Ukraine who died last month in Bosnia, has caused tremors in Slovenia and throughout the region. The latest issue of The Slovenia Times includes a story on Popik, as did much of the media in the country.

Popik worked as a prostitute in Bosnia as well as in Slovenia and Serbia. Her official cause of death was tuberculosis, complicated by syphilis, hepatitis C and AIDS.

Bosnian police have uncovered at least part of the human trafficking ring that brought Popik to their country. They have also released word that many of her clients were upper-class businessmen and politicians. Popik told the police herself before she died that she was with an average of eight men daily and rarely used condoms.

The question now is, how many of these men will now come down with any - or all - of the diseases she was carrying? [ST / 12.04 / End of a Tragic Life].

Ljubljana International Film Festival premiers "Tu pa tam"

2004-11-24T12:53:00.000+01:00

The Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) is currently underway. Even though the Festival of Slovene Film (FSF) ended as LIFFe was beginning, this festival still managed to host the premier of a Slovene film, Mitja Okorn’s Tu pa tam (Here and There).

The film was shut out of the FSF because it was insufficiently professional, but by many critics' accounts, it was just as good if not better than many of the films that were shown during that festival. LIFFe clearly thought the same, as evidenced by it's being shown during that festival just days later.

Unfortunately, Tu pa tam does not exist in a 35mm format and so its future is unclear. A 35mm copy would be required for it to be distributed around the country. Mitja Novljan’s Norega se metek ogne (Bullets Miss The Fool) is in a similar position. That flim did manage to be included in the FSF, but attracted little attention despite its interesting premise and high entertainment value.

Nevertheless, Okorn told 24ur.com to expect his film to be in theatres in January [24 ur.com / 16.11.04 / Dvakrat odbiti 'Tu pa tam'].

Dispute over Sarajevo park continues

2004-11-24T12:50:00.000+01:00

The story of the initiative of Bosnia’s Slovene community to renovate Prešeren Park in Sarajevo is continuing to attract attention.

The Slovenes successfully petitioned the city to name an illegal parking lot near the National Theatre in downtown Sarajevo “Prešeren Park” back in 1994, but only in October were they able to move forward with their renovation of the site. Plans call for landscaping and the installation of a fountain and a wall engraved with lines from Prešeren poems.

Work began on 13 October but was quickly halted.

Local Muslims led by the Vakufska Direkcija and the Hadži Mujaga Society are now demanding that the site be returned to them. A mosque and cemetery formerly stood on the site, but were destroyed in 1947 after the lot was nationalized by the Communist government. A group of nearly 100 protesters is holding daily prayers at the site now in order to prevent further work being done.

The protestors are led by Nezim Halilović-Muderis of the Vakufska Direkcija and Emin Švrakić of the Hadži Mujaga Citizens' Society. They want a temporary mosque to be built on the site, and a permanent structure would then be built once the land was returned to the local Muslim community.

According to Mladina, the Muslims cannot possibly get back the entire site, since an apartment complex also stands on it. However, they stand a better chance of getting back the illegal parking lot than getting back a fully refurbished Prešeren Park [Mladina / 15.11.04 / Pri Prešernovi džamiji and Delo / 19.11.04 / Prešerenov park ali Kalin hadži Alijeva džamija]

Not enough Slovene translators in Brussels

2004-11-16T20:44:00.000+01:00

The European Commission has yet to hire enough translators to cover all of the new official EU languages since expansion on 1 May of this year. The number of languages rose from 11 to 20, but only 189 of the required 455 translators have been hired, according to the European Voice [SB / 15.11.04 / EU Needs Translators, Recruitment Campaign to Be Launched].

It seems that it is hardest to find translators for Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese and Slovene, since there are only 13 to 18 translators for these languages, while the required number is 50 to 55. There are 90 to 150 translators for each of the previous 11 official languages.

A recruitment campaign will soon be launched to try to make up the difference, aimed particularly at Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Slovenia. The goal is to recruit the necessary translators by 1 January 2005.

The missing translators could mean delays in the translation of new legislation, and so freelancers will be hired to help out temporarily. The Slovene government is also planning to send ten of its translators to Brussels [SB / 15.11.04 / Slovenia Rushes to Compensate for Shortage of Translators].

Neither Ljubljana nor Maribor attractive to business

2004-11-16T20:27:00.000+01:00

A report published in the Austrian weekly Format showed that Ljubljana and Maribor rank near the bottom among new EU cities and soon-to-be EU cities attractive to foreign businesses. Of the 28 cities covered, Ljubljana ranked 20th and Maribor 23rd. The report was conducted by the Capgemini consulting firm.

Cities were ranked according to scores in five categories: quality and cost of labor, quality of infrastructure, access to international suppliers, and living standards for foreigners.

Maribor mayor Boris Sovič told Finance that his city ranked well in the labor and international suppliers categories, and he believed it did well with regard to expatriates’ living standards even tough Maribor does not have an international primary school.

Finance had difficulties finding someone to speak on record from the Ljubljana city administration, and a representative of the city council said simply that they were not familiar with the report. Ljubljana scored fourth place with regard to quality of infrastructure (behind Budapest, Zagreb and Prague) and fifth in living standards (behind Budapest, Warsaw, Prague and Sofija) [Finance / 17.10.04 / Ljubljana and Maribor Not Attractive to Foreign Business and Ljubljana in Maribor za tujce neprivlačna].

Eastern European Cities Most Attractive To Business

VERY ATTRACTIVE CITIES

1. Budapest, Hungary
2. Krakow, Poland
3. Warsaw, Poland
4. Poznan, Poland
5. Prague, Czech Republic
6. Wroclaw, Poland

ATTRACTIVE CITIES

7. Ostrava, Czech Republic
8. Brno, Czech Republic
9. Varna, Bulgaria
10. Košice, Slovakia
11. Sofija, Bulgaria
12. Miškolc, Hungary
13. Lodz, Poland
14. Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
15. Trnava, Slovakia

LESS ATTRACTIVE CITIES

16. Gyor, Hungary
17. Plzen, Czech Republic
18. Olszlyn, Poland
19. Debrecen, Hungary

UNATTRACTIVE CITIES

20. Ljubljana, Slovenia
21. Bratislava, Slovakia
22. Bucharest, Romania
23. Maribor, Slovenia
24. Zagreb, Croatia
25. Kyiv, Ukraine
26. Odessa, Ukraine
27. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina
28. Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro

Glass falling from Ljubljana’s Nama

2004-11-16T20:26:00.000+01:00

A second glass panel fell from the façade of the Nama department store building in downtown Ljubljana during the night of 9 October. Just like with the first one, the cause has not been determined. Fortunately, no one was injured.

One theory is that vibrations from Global, the night club on the top floor of the building, literally shook the panels off of the building. Another theory suggests the glass panels were defective. Vandalism has also not been ruled out, and in fact another building not far away was vandalized the same night.

The panels are made of safety glass, which means that the broken glass on the sidewalk below was minimal. However, the fact that safety glass does not shatter means that it would have the same impact as fifty kilograms of sand dropped from the same height [Žurnal / 15.10.04 / Nam(a)le steklo].

Reality TV show to join former Yugoslavs

2004-11-15T17:45:00.000+01:00

Slovenia’s Prva TV (the new name of TV 3, as of 1 November), will premier a new reality TV show on 15 November called "To sem jaz" (That’s Me) [Finance / 02.11.04 / Na Prvi TV tudi resničnostni šov].

The show will be broadcast across the former Yugoslavia to a potential audience of 25 million, five nights per week. The show itself will only last 10 to 15 minutes, while a longer (60-70 minute) program hosted by a moderator will feature guests and viewers discussing the goings-on in the house.

Cast members come from across the former Yugoslavia, one male and one female from each of the six former republics. They will spend 90 days in a house in the elite Vodno district of Skopje isolated from the outside world. The three-story, 400 quadratic meter house has been fitted with 21 cameras and more than 40 microphones. Every twenty days, viewers will vote by telephone to evict one male and one female from the house. The last left will win a prize worth more than EUR 10,000.

The goal of "To sem jaz" is to show what happens when a group of young people who speak different languages, come from different countries and follow different religions must live together. Given the wars that have raged throughout the region since 1991, the experiment is certainly worthy of wide attention.

Urška Cerče, head of Prva TV, told the press that "Prva TV is very happy to have been invited to participate in this first-of-its-kind international reality TV sow. Reality TV programs are a world hit right now, which is demonstrated by high ratings around the world. We are certain that Slovene viewers will be interested in this show and that events in the house will be the topic of a number of conversations."

The show is part of TV 3’s transformation into Prva TV, which officially took place on 1 November. The station has also moved to a new site and invested more than USD 1,000,000 in new equipment [Siol.Net / 29.10.04 / Resnicnosti sov na Prvi TV].

Sarajevo’s Prešeren Park disputed

2004-11-15T17:44:00.000+01:00

Prešeren Park in the center of Sarajevo has caused a heated arguement between local Slovenes and Muslim activists in the Bosnian capital. Though work on the park was to be completed by the end of November, everything is now on hold.

Sarajevo's Slovene community of about 2000 people, led by the Cankar Society, convinced the local authorities to name an illegal parkinig lot near the National Theatre in downtown Sarajevo "Prešeren Park" in 1994, as a symbol of Slovene/Bosnian friendship.

A sign was put up in 1996 but renovations have only just begun now. Extensive construction valued at EUR 100,000 began in early October to create a more proper green space. The project also calls for lines from Prešeren poems to be inscribed on a wall at the park’s entrance.

Work began on 18 October with a ceremony attended by leading Sarajevo politicians and Slovene Ambassador to Bosnia Tadej Labernik [Delo / 19.10.04 / Prešeren Park v Sarajevu].

However, a Muslim religious group launched a protest shortly after work began, claiming that the land belongs to their religious community and demanding its return. The group is protesting by using the park for daily prayers, prohbiting the construction crew from working. The group is not protesting the local Slovenes, but rather the local authorities in Sarajevo.

The protest is being led by the Vakufska Direkcija, which manages the Muslim religious community’s property throughout Bosnia. The site of the new park held a 15th century mosque and cemetery, but was nationalized in 1945 and two years later the mosque and cemetery were destroyed. Now the local Muslims want the land back [Delo / 05.11.04 / Ustavili dela v Prešernovem parku].

Cankar Society head Stanislav Koblar issued a press release in which he gave assurances that care has been taken to preserve anything that might be left of the mosque. He also commented that in the past 57 years since the mosque was destroyed, no one has shown any public interest in the site aside from the local Slovenes.

Festival of Slovene Film

2004-11-15T17:37:00.000+01:00

The seventh-annual Festival of Slovene Film (FSF) was held from 7 to 10 November in Ljubljana. A total of five feature films competed for top honors: Desperado Tonic (Varja Močnik, Hanna A.W. Slak, Boris Petkovič, Zoran Zivulovič), Fantom (Fantom; Ema Kugler), Norega se metek ogne (Bullets Miss the Fool; Mitja Novljan), Predmestje (Suburbs; Vinko Moederndorfer) and Ruševine (The Ruins; Janez Burger). They were joined by two feature-length documentaries also in competition: Mesto na travniku (The City on the Meadow; Anja Medved, Nadja Velušček) and Over the Sun, Under the Moon (Peter Braatza).

Two more features were shown out of the competitive program: Kako sem ubil svetnika (How I Killed a Saint; Teona Strugar Mitevska) and Sivi kamion rdeče barve (Red-Colored Grey Truck; Srđan Koljević). Both were coproductions between Slovenia and other countries: Macedonia in the former and Serbia and Montenegro in the latter. Two more Slovene features were also shown outside of competition: Goveja Postrv (Beef Trout; Štjepan Drača) and The Making of Varuh Meje (The Making of Guardian of the Frontier; Peter Braatz).

When the awards were announced on 10 November, Ruševine came out on top, taking away nearly all of the awards. It won Vesna awards for: best feature film, direction, lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, music and photography. The film also won all four awards bestowed by Stop Magazine: best actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress.
The Society of Slovene Film Critics Award for best feature film, however, went to Predmestje. Desperado Tonic also walked away with the final two Vesnas, for scenography and sound.

A total of 38 films – including features, documentaries, shorts and television productions – were shown during the festival.

More at www.fsf.si and www.film-sklad.si.

Serbs to become official minority?

2004-11-15T17:34:00.000+01:00

According to a report in the daily Večer, the Serbian Ministry of the Diaspora has formally requested that Slovenia name its Serbian community as an official national minority [Večer / 25.09.04 / Srbi v Sloveniji bi bili manjšina]. Serbs represent one of the most numerous minority groups in the country but currently are accorded no special rights; the same goes for Croats and Bosniaks.

Italians and Hungarians – whose numbers are far below those of the Serbs – currently enjoy the widest minority rights in Slovenia, followed by the Roma. All three are named official national minorities in the Constitution. A German minority is also recognized, on the basis of a cultural agreement with Austria.

Just about a month later, the Coordinating Union of Cultural Societies of the Constituative Nations and Nationalities of the Former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia in the Republic of Slovenia issued a press release published in the weekly news magazine Mladina drawing attention to their program entitled "The Public Initiative of Albanians, Bosniacs, Croats, Macedonians and Serbs Living in the Republic of Slovenia."

The program, in English and Slovene, was presented to the Council of Europe’s European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance in Ljubljana on 14 October 2003. The document calls for former Yugoslav nations and nationalities represented by the Union to be declared national minorities in the Slovene constitution and for this status to be legally regulated to ensure its enforcement.

Though it was also presented to various Slovene officials including the Ombudsman for Human Rights, the Union claims they have received no response.

According to the press release, the Union has been operating for about one year, and is led by Dr. Ilija Dimitrievski. It represents nearly 60 cultural associations serving the Albanian, Bosniac, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian communities in Slovenia [Mladina / 18.10.04 / Široki javnosti naše države – Republike Slovenije].

New episode of Slovenian Magazine

2004-11-15T17:33:00.000+01:00

The English-language television program Slovenian Magazine premiered its 267th show on 6 November. The show presents viewers with an overview of the town of Kranj, the Firefighters’ Museum in Metlika, artist Mojca Osojnik, the Budnar House Museum near Kamnik and baritone Juan Vasle.

The show can be downloaded from http://www.rtvslo.si/slovenianmagazine/archive.php?op=read&id=33.

Eurail expands into Slovenia

2004-11-15T17:32:00.000+01:00

Tourists using the Eurail pass will soon be able to use it in several more countries, among them Slovenia. As of 2005, the Selectpass program will integrate Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro into the scheme.

Slovenia will also figure into the newly reconfigured Regional Pass, as part of an Austria/Slovenia/Croatia pass as well as a Hungar/Slovenia/Croatia pass.

More information on Eurail can be found at www.eurail.com.

[NewRatings.com / 28.10.04 / Eurail Adds New Countries, New Selectpasses and New Regional Passes That Multiply Rail Itineraries in 2005].

Tourism numbers exploding since 1997

2004-11-15T17:31:00.000+01:00

A study released by the European Cities Tourism Network shows that the number of overnight stays in Ljubljana rose by 42.4 percent between 1997 and 2003. The increase is the largest among the 35 major European cities included in the study.

In second place was Berlin with a 41.8 percent increase, followed by Reykjavik with 40 [SW / 05.11.04 / Ljubljana Sees Number of Tourists Soar from 1997].

…while another new hotel still has no operating license

2004-11-15T17:30:00.000+01:00

The new hotel Emonec, on Wolfova street in the center of Ljubljana opened at the beginning of October but still has no license. Despite being ordered to close, Delo reports that it is still accepting reservations. If it is allowed to remain open, the hotel could be a good option for many tourists, as its rates are lower than most hotels in the center.

ADDENDUM: On 16 November, Delo reported that even though Emonec is still without an operating permit, it apparently will stay open until it does get one [Delo / 16.11.04 / Garni hotel Emonec ostaja odprt].

New 4-star hotel opens in Ljubljana…

2004-11-15T17:29:00.000+01:00

A brand-new four-star hotel called Hotel Mons opened in Ljubljana at the end of October. The hotel is located in the far northwest of the city, and offers free transportation to the city center to offset the out-of-the-way location. The hotel, while Slovene-owned, is part of the Austrian Stegenberger chain.

Hotel Mons has 111 double-bed rooms and three suits, along with a state-of-the-art conference facilty that can accommodate more than 4000 people [SW / 21.10.04 / Ljubljana Gets New Four-Star Hotel]. Ljubljana Gets New Four-Star Hotel].

Journalists strike

2004-11-15T17:26:00.000+01:00

On 3 October, as elections were underway, many of the country’s journalists declared their first-ever strike, demanding better working conditions. This meant that only the most essential information about the election results was published in much of the local media, and saw the leading daily, Delo, miss its first day of publication since the paper was founded nearly 60 years ago.

The crux of the problem is a contract dispute between many of the country’s journalists and their employers. The journalists are being led by the Union of Slovene Journalists, while the employers in question are the Publishing, Printing and Media Association of the Slovene Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with the Association of Local and Regoinal Radio Stations of Slovenia [SW / 06.10.04 / Election Day Strike Brings Negotiations for Journalists].

Not all of the major media, however, participated in the strike. Commercial television station Pop TV and the daily Finance both opted out, as did journalists at various local radio stations. The information blackout, therefore, was not nearly as all-encompasing as strike leaders might have hoped. Journalists at these outlets generally are satisfied with their internal contracts and saw no point to striking. However, journalists at Delo, Radio Television Slovenia and several other outlets are also satisfied with their contracts but joined the strike in solidarity nevertheless. One observer pointed out that Pop TV and Finance journalists are the best-paid in Slovenia [MediaOnline.ba / 19.10.04 / Strike in Slovenia: What the Journalists Wanted].

The strike lasted for three days, until the Strike Committee of the Union of Slovene Journalists put it on hold pending the results of new negotiations [ST / 11.04 / Slovenia’s Journalists on Strike]. The talks are still on-going.