cafebabel.com

Hanif Kureishi: ‘Sex is not dangerous enough; the real danger is falling in love’

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:54:00 -0000

‘I like rich people and I like poor people and I like strange people. It’s the ordinary people that get on my nerves,’ sums up the English playwright and screenwriter at the Fabula literary festival in Slovenia this spring, who manages to ‘insult’ the audience within his first few seconds onstage

2Cellos: Slovenian-Croatian duo who were 'playing Bach in churches for grannies'

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:55:13 -0000

Once upon a time Stjepan Hauser and Luka Šulić were rivals. It wasn't long before the EU-Balkan duo decided to unlock horns. Meet the happy, handsome cello players from Pula and Maribor, most famous for playing a stand-off, stunning version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, touring with Elton John and making it to the US

Slovenian journalist: death threats after arms trade trilogy

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:18:09 -0000

In Slovenia, a trilogy published between summer 2011 and spring 2012 has exposed the secrets of the arms trade during the Balkans war and the role of the country's politicians in it. It's been an ache in the sides of those in power and with money and interests whom the book denounces. Co-writer Blaz Zgaga, 38, may be in hiding but he won't stay down

Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0000

The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish

In the country of Slovenians the brown bear is king

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:31 -0000

2 million citizens and up to 450 brown bears co-habit the third most forested land in the EU. Slovenia’s Ursos arctos are some of its most protected residents under state and European policies, famous for being unpopularly exported to 'repopulate' the mountains of the French Pyrenees or the Italian Alps. One even made it into the WikiLeaks dispatches, so cafebabel.com had to go into the wild

Krsko nuclear energy: source of Slovenian pride?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:04:54 -0000

Across the world, the Japanese prime minister has stated that his country should phase out nuclear energy after the atomic disaster in March. But Slovenians stick to their guns. The country's only nuclear plant, which is co-owned by Croatian and Slovenian state energy companies and has been operating since 1983, is only garnering complaints by NGOs now

Europe's unique light pollution law: dark skies over Slovenia

('ZoeBBee',) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:29:00 -0000

The next time you visit Slovenia or end up in its capital, Ljubljana, look up and spare a thought for the stars and the birds. As well as the humans sleeping in the buildings, sheltered from light. From Slovenia, this is the only legislation of its kind in the world

Five gay friendly neighbourhoods in Europe

('Dimi David Opsimoulis Fernandez',) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:00:31 -0000

As the spectacular gay prides flourish across Europe, cafebabel.com local teams from Paris, Ljubljana, Berlin, Budapest and Athens blog about the scenes across Europe

Between Italy and Slovenia, Europe referendum conundrums in 2011

('europaeus',) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:30:31 -0000

In the past a lack of information and lukewarm participation have turned a potentially powerful tool of public reform into a strenuous but futile exercise. The unexpected results of the referendum held in Italy on 12 and 13 June bring one of the oldest form of direct democracy to the fore

Preparing to die in Slovenia’s first hospice institution

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:31:44 -0000

For the first time in its 15 years of existence, the Žargi association will offer all-round care to nine dying and terminally ill patients in Ljubljana, with construction financed by the City of Ljubljana’s housing fund. Petra Mlakar explores

Art in Slovenia: Eclipse is an 'open vagina nibbling at things'

('Kristina Bozic',) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:16:42 -0000

The anonymous art collective admit they don't 'fit the norms': they use everything from pigs’ heads to world war weaponry to get across their message of social criticism. Ten years on, the female duo from Ljubljana have just finished the final works for their new exhibition '10 – Of Blasphemy We Are Guilty'. We discuss erotic nudes, kitsch art and their being questioned by police for offending the catholic church

Music in January: Blur, Arsov and Loredana Groza

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:19:06 -0000

Electro tickles through folk Slovenian covers to Romanian local heroines, whilst the mighty Britpop band are featured in a new documentary in the UK, premiered last night: your music tips of the month

Italy: what a waste

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Slovenia vs a Mediterranean Union and their 'friends in Paris', friction in the air for the EU – your dosage of the latest news from Brussels

Swedish ice hotels and Norwegian culture capitals

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Plus carnival fever in Venice, cartoons in the south of France and Arab hip hop in Brussels - our guide to the month's best cultural titbits

Schengen: Slovenia and Italy help each other

('Kate Martin',) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

When Slovenia became part of the Schengen zone on 21 December 2007, the 280km barrier separating it from Italy fell. It had been symbol of the iron curtain and the cold war that have divided Europe for decades

Slovenia: new EU presidents

('Annika Thornton',) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

This nation of barely two million inhabitants joined the European Union in 2004 and have just become EU presidents for the first six months of 2008

Immigration: the plight of Poles in France

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Poland has been an official EU country since 1 May 2004. While Poles have the right to move freely around France, things get a lot more complicated when it comes to getting a job

Mullet

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:43:00 -0000

July culture vulture

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Between Italian jazz and Nordic tango, Slovenian saxophone and Scottish rock, Spanish bull running and German contemporary art – check out the July issue of our Vultures for Culture calendar

Jani Virk: 'Making folklore of Balkan culture led us into a terrible war'

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The 45–year-old writer and TV journalist from Ljubliana has lived and worked in Düsseldorf, Chicago and London, and published widely

Eastern ski resorts take centre piste

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Longer hours of daylight, groomed slopes, cheap fares and a chance to explore über-foreign cuisine and culture. More and more are taking to Slovenian, Bulgarian, Czech and Bosnian slopes

Slavoj Zizek: great European export or sell-out to US cultural hegemony?

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 12:00:00 -0000

The Slovenian philosopher cites Viagra to prop up Lacanian theory, wrote a critique of the matrix and has linked Hegel to sex games and Maggie Thatcher. Zizek is an impish theorist with immense transatlantic and popular appeal. So why haven't we heard of him?