Archives for October, 2007

A scene from Eureka, Season 2, Episode 12: All That Glitters.

Just in time for Halloween comes this absolutely hilarious clip from the TV show Eureka. In this spooky episode, police are looking for a scientist from Slovenia — a mysterious country described as having a “history in witchcraft and ancient practices.” The scientist, we are told, learned “his trade” — presumably alchemy — from his grandfather. (A common occurrence here.)

Happy Halloween and see you after the holidays!

Austro-Hungarian soldiers in the Alps during World War I. [source]

Foreign media stories about Slovenia usually involve explaining what a cute and quaint country this is and how Ljubljana is like a mini-Prague. But things have been a bit macabre lately:

• Life and death on Slovenia’s forgotten front in the Telegraph is about the 90th anniversary of the Battles of the Isonzo/Soča,

• Slovenia digs up proof of slaughter is a long story about the unearthing of people massacred after the Second World War.

Despite the grim reading, it’s nice to see some stories with actual substance coming from abroad…

(Thanks Les!)

Lisa Stansfield (left) and Anja Rupel (right). Both born in 1966.

I don’t know if many people have noticed, but Lisa Stansfield’s The Real Thing and Slovenian singer Anja Rupel’s Plašč ljubezni (Coat of Love) are very similar. In fact, the chorus is very much the same.

My good friend and sexy-hot local DJ Niquid masterfully spliced together both choruses so that you can hear for yourself: (Please note that the audio just alternates between the two songs — nothing else was done)

IE users or anyone else having problems playing it can download it here. (Right click, save as)

Both songs were released in 1997 but despite consulting various locals (including Slovenia’s Living Wikipedia) I couldn’t figure out which came first; or if this was a coincidence, an approved remake, or “creative borrowing.”

(Thanks Nik!)

—> Slovenia is the 15th Greenest Place to Live
Finland is first; Ethiopia is last

—> Slovenian beauties visit sick children.
This photo is simply and awfully overwhelming.

—> English author reports on the Golden Drum ad festival.
“It’s a much smaller, more familial affair.”

—> Peng picks apart Slovenia’s new(?) political party.
And does it with style… A legendary post.

—> Bojana is back!
Let’s hope it’s not one of those, ahem, fake comebacks that are just a big tease.

Have a great weekend!

A picture taken in Rogla, Slovenia, yesterday.

We had a very mild winter last year. It “feels like winter passed us by this year,” one bodacious blogger wrote back in March. They even had to cancel the famous Golden Fox slalom in Maribor (in January) because there just wasn’t any snow. If I recall correctly, it didn’t even seriously snow until sometime in March.

I also distinctly remember everyone joking around this time about how wonderful global warming is. “This is the best!” we said as we strolled around outside in the hot sun. Then we all laughed heartily, like this.

But the party seems to have come to an abrupt end this week. Places like Rogla are now entirely underwater (if you count snow as frozen water) and Maribor also got some flurries and snow on Pohorje… And we’re still in October. October! Even the trustworthy professionals behind Casino Is Slovenia, know that:

The winter season in Slovenia begins in December in the period before the Christmas and New Year’s fairs and holidays and lasts until the end of March. — Casino Is Slovenia

They also know that:

Gambling is second nature to Slovenia. — Casino is Slovenia

Unless they’re mistaken, which they’re not, something is wrong. And that means that this winter is going to be hammertime.

More pictures of Rogla yesterday: (who took them?)

(Thanks Miran!)

Click for blurry full size.

It’s always odd to see Slovenian mentioned in places you wouldn’t expect. One of the last places I would ever suspect to see it is the comic strip Cathy, which has been running since I was born. It makes for some serious cognitive dissonance.

(Thanks A. Medved!)

The infamous Lipizzaner debate from the film Crimson Tide. (1995)

It took me a while but here it is: the famous scene where Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington talk about Slovenia’s national horse, the Lipizzaner. (The name comes from the Slovenian town of Lipica) There are still occasional arguments about the origin of the horse but it’s usually between Austria, Slovenia and Italy.

In their goof section, IMDb refers to this scene as “incorrectly regarded as a goof” because:

While the horses take their name from the fact that the stud farm where they are bred is located in the village Lipica (in Italian: Lipizza), near Trieste in Slovenia, today all Lipizzaners trace to six stallions, all with Andalusian (Spain) blood.

That’s just goofy, to be honest. It would be like two people arguing about whether President Bush is from Connecticut or Texas, and me pointing out that, no, technically all people trace their origins to Africa. Ergo: he’s African. I would be right in a way, but also very, very wrong. Sometimes it’s possible to be both. And this is one of those times.

NOTE: I’ve decided to slowly give up on YouTube, which seems to be circling the toilet bowl these days, and instead use local video-sharing website MojVideo. If you can read basic Slovene, consider checking it out!

A Slovenian motorcyclist gets run over.

Here’s a rather traumatic video of a Slovenian motorcyclist showing off for some friends before wiping out and then getting bowled over by a Volkswagen. I’ve seen a lot of these quasi-promotional videos (like this) since coming here, but never one that ended so horribly.

One comment on YouTube so far: “Never go to Slovenia.”

Does anyone know anything else about this?

—> Bumping in the dark.
Every dwelling needs a sign like this.

—> Videos from the recent Siddharta marathon concert.
A round-up of posts about the concert is here.

—> Beautiful videocard from Ljubljana Castle.
Bonus points to anyone who spots the Carniolan eagle.

—> Eating Slovenian Dormice.
Apparently they taste a bit like iguana.

—> Is it possible to be good friends with an American?
Interesting post from an uncharacteristically down Slonček.

—> Great new blog by an American journalist in Ljubljana.
Do not ask what is it, let us go and make our visit!

A feel-good video of Slovenian soccer moments by Slo-nogomet.net

Slovenia played Holland yesterday in a Euro 2008 qualifier. The match was pretty much pointless for Slovenia from the beginning, since they’ve already failed to qualify.

It’s a shame because the matches will be taking place right next door in Austria and Switzerland. But then, anyone who cheers for the Slovenian national team has learned to accept a certain level of disappointment. It comes with the territory.

Still, there are golden moments — many of them captured in the video above. It’s a nice picker upper. Almost as good as a speedball.

[Via Pengovsky]