Random Interesting Facts about Slovenia in 2008

Photo (3*): Marko Marc talking to the students about Lipizzaner horses

1* Consulate of Brazil is about to open their offices in Ljubljana for the first time. Everybody is extremely busy, even some Brazilian ladies, married to hot Slovenian guys.

2* George W. Bush and Laura Bush are about to visit Slovenia on Monday, June 9, 2008. This is their second time staying in Slovenia. Their first visit happened in 2001 when Russian President Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Bush met in Brdo pri Kranju at the first ever meeting between the two leaders.

While her husband was busy, Laura Bush enjoyed Lake Bled above all and visited nearby Brezje. In June of 2001 she was proclaimed one of the most prominent pilgrims who visited Basilica of the Virgin Mary in Brezje.

By the way, for the week of American president's visit all the hotel rooms in the capital of Slovenia are completely sold out.

3* A group of students from Veterinary Faculty (University of Ljubljana) visited Stud Farm Lipica on Tuesday, June 3, 2008. After listening to speach of the new director of the stud program, Marko Marc, students got an impression that with his ideas and plans Lipica can once again rise among the stars.

4* Quadrille is a traditional dance of the seniors in Slovenian high schools. They dance it at their prom - for their parents and teachers - after taking dancing lessons for a few months in order to get ready for this grand event.

On May 16, the record number of 26,924 high school graduates gathered on the streets of 43 cities in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Exactly at 12-noon they started dancing Quadrille and continued with a few other ball-room dances. Besides having fun, the graduates were trying to set the new record for the Guiness' Book of Records in the biggest group dancing event. The proofs are still being checked in London.

In case you haven't guessed it yourself, overly excited high school seniors caused quite a few traffic jams and some bad mood among the drivers in a hurry. According to police reports, the event caused no incidents.

5* Exclusive Interview George Bush for POP TV

6* Slovenia has the lowest rate of marriages of all the countries in the EU. Couples live together - in a partnership or "na koruzi" as that's called in Slovenian and they never wed. It's no big deal then, to find a couple who's been together for 26 years and has 9 children.

Lastnig partnerships, however, are legally equal to marriages in case of splitting up the property or in case of inheritance. The same goes for same sex partnerships which can be registered, but not wed or adopt the children.

Some statistics:
- in 2006 there were 6,368 weddings and 2,334 divorces,
- in 2007 there were 5,962 weddings and 19,814 children were born (around 200 more than the year before)

7* Linda Tellington - Jones considers all beings - humans and animals alike - as Divine Whole. She is the aouthor of Tellington Method which is 'a system of animal training, healing and communication that allows people to relate to animals in a deeper, more compassionate way -- a way that furthers inter-species connection and honors the body, mind and spirit of both animals and their people. The Tellington Method utilizes a variety of techniques of touch, movement and body language to affect behavior, performance, and health, and to increase an animal's willingness and ability to learn in a painless and anxiety-free environment.' (http://www.lindatellingtonjones.com )

Linda Tellington - Jones is going to teach her TTouch method in Slovenia at Ranch Kaja in Grom on September 4 and 5 of 2008. There are still a few seats available, make your reservation at : http://www.ranckajaingrom.com

American first lady Laura Bush is (according to TV Slovenija) the cause of the Turk-Jansa conflict in Slovenia.

From the office of prime minister Janez Jansa information was presented to the media that the host of this meeting is the current president of EU Council Presidency, Janez Jansa and therefore Jansa's life partner Urska Bacovnik is hosting Laura Bush.

At the same time the office of Danilo Turk, Slovenian president notified the public how his wife, Barbara Miklic Turk is the host of the ladies' part of this Slovenian-American meeting.

Who is it going to be?

Stud Farm Lipica is the home of the only known black Lipizzaner stallion. He is beautiful and fit and getting ready to enter the equestrian competition next year.

Nevertheless, there's one big mystery about this horse. Are his foals going to be black - or white?

Ljubljana, June 10, 2008

Photo (left to right): Urska Bacovnik (Prime Minister Jansa's girlfriend), Laura Bush and Barbara Miklic Turk (Slovenian president Turk's wife)

While the title of the article from the source website claims how Slovenian Prime Minister's fiancee Urska Bacovnik was the prettiest of the three first ladies, one of the readers (Rozi) commented:

"Who is the designer of Urska's dress? Or - better question: who advised her to wear it?"

Another comment came from Helena: "Urska's dress would be much more appropriate for the English countryside..."

Source: http://novice.slowwwenia.com/prikaziCL.asp?ClID=24343

What do you think?
Express your opinion below!

Photo: Slovenian president Danilo Turk with American president George Bush

Although American media seems not to be very interested in reporting about events from Slovenia (not even when the president is there), president Bush expressed some very flattering statements about Slovenia in the last two days (June 9 and 10 of 2008):

Statement #1: "Soon, I'm retiring and some day I'm going to return to Slovenia as a tourist."

Statement #2: "My first European tour as a president I started in Slovenia in 2001 [while meeting Russian president Putin] and my last European tour as American president I'm starting in Slovenia again."

Statement #3: "Slovenia is an interesting slice of heaven."

Source: Source: http://novice.slowwwenia.com/prikaziCL.asp?ClID=24327

According to the source, on the picture below, president Bush is saying to Prime Minister Janez Jansa: "Janez, you have to marry her!"

Photo above and below: U.S. - EU Summit in Slovenia, June 10, 2008

Photography: Borut Peterlin

After typically news-deprived July, during steamy August everything was about Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

1* Tiny Slovenia won the most medals per capita which is quite an impressive achievement

2* LA Times blog announced the big news to the world at 2:41 PM, August 17, 2008 - with following words:

"Slovenia hammers Armenia in Medals Per Capita

Through eyeballs bloodshot from hours of trivial long division, the world's lonely and frivolous Medals Per Capita scholars will look at you and share with you an ancient Medals Per Capita adage:

Fear Slovenia.

Oh, Slovenia will bring along that dauntingly low population of 2,007,711. Oh, Slovenia will get some medals. And oh yeah, Slovenians have a demonstrable sturdiness.

Through history, they've come under the rule of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Carantania, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Germans and Italians during World War II and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

You think they can't handle the hammer throw?

Now, as a pursuit, the hammer throw can seem alien, inscrutable and marginal. It can make you wonder just how many dangerous things they're going to let people throw for medals in the Olympics.

But on Sunday night in Beijing, the hammer throw turned monumentally, epically, phantasmagorically pivotal when Primoz Kozmus won it and lifted Slovenia to No. 1 on the most vital, cogent, counter-snobbish Olympic ranking, Medals Per Capita.

It brought the first track-or-field gold medal ever to the gorgeous little kumquat of a nation next to Italy on the Adriatic. It gave Slovenia four medals for 2,007,711 people, or one for every 501,927 Slovenians. It gave Slovenia a noticeable array of medals thus far -- one judo, one swimming, one shooting, one field.

And it finally dislodged the mighty Armenians from the summit.

Medals Per Capita should take this opportunity, then, to salute the Armenians, who tenaciously held the No. 1 slot for five long Olympic days, wringing five medals from 2,968,586 people to fend off hordes of challengers while forcing us to learn rarefied factoids.

Did you know that Armenia is the smallest of the former Soviet Republics, that its currency is the dram or that it has a bunch of extinct volcanoes? You do now, because of Armenian prowess in weightlifting (three medals) and wrestling (two).

In fact, that five-day reign almost certainly will prove persuasive to the Medals Per Capita Hall of Fame voters.

Sorry, voter."

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/08/slovenia-hammer.html

3* "Medals Per Capita's Lovefest with Slovenia" is the headline of another post from the same blog which states:

"In a world forever inexplicable, some readers saw Medals Per Capita's tribute to the Slovenian Olympic team on Sunday and misconstrued it as Slovenia-slighting sarcasm.

Au contraire: Medals Per Capita has total Slovenia fever.

For while Medals Per Capita does occasionally worship at the first church of sarcasm, especially when directed at the Olympic kingdoms of self-importance, it absolutely considers Slovenia the best-performing Olympic nation thus far in Beijing.

After all, Medals Per Capita, even with its grudgingly admitted mathematical imperfections, certainly trumps the tyrannical Medals Table and its myopic establishment when measuring national performance. It serves as a mild egalitarian force inveighing against a crummy world, splashing note upon the typically overlooked.

The unfairly overlooked would include the gorgeous gumdrop of a country on the Adriatic Sea, Slovenia, which on Tuesday even deepened its foray into long-division excellence.

Not only did Slovenian sailor Vasilij Zbogar take silver in one of the best-named events of all, the men's sailing laser one-person dinghy, but in doing so he brought Slovenia's medal count to five. From a nation of only 2,007,711, that's a true-north Medals Per Capita rating of 401,542 (one medal for every 401,542 Slovenians).

And not only did he strengthen Slovenia's position at No. 1 in the only legit Olympic standings, but after finishing second, he suddenly stood on his dinghy, leapt into the water, swam over, reached up and yanked British gold medalist Paul Goodison off his boat and into the choppy water for a festive embrace and celebration with the skyline in the distant background.

Even from a guy who finished No. 2, 'twas a moment befitting nation No. 1."

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/08/medals-per-ca-1.html