THE POWER IS IN US SAYING GOODBYE Erasmus Going back in time
Table of contents 3
My Two Cents
4
Saying goodbye
5
From Maturita essays
6
Erasmus
8
The power is in us!
Message in a bottle
10
Jakub Barszcz
12
One year in the USA
POLITICS
14
Spring in Slovakia
15
My sister Syria
16
Stephen Hawking
HISTORY
18
The secret of Easter Island
E
Comic
26 Comic
jokes
27
Jokes
introducing our region
28 Partisan shelter in ’’Vetešov Jarok’’
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARTIN KRČ SUPERVISOR Alena Cilíková STAFF-WRITERS Alex Jurča Daniela Kročianová Ema Kuhajdová Leona Gabrielová Matúš Rybnikár Nina Kovaříková Veronika Hudáková Mgr. Ľubica Durcová
Bronislava Bendová Dominika Brezinová Filip Januška Martin Krč Michaela Majdlenová Tereza Moravčíková Vincent Vystavel
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jarka Petrášová IT Jarka Petrášová
MUSIC
ONLINE PUBLISHING Jarka Petrášová
movies
PHOTOGRAPHER Nina Mockovčiaková
20 Metallica or Beethoven 21
Going back in time
SKinny (A BOOK REVIEW)
22 Bell Jar
24 Why do we fall? WORDPLAY
25 The age of greed
LANGUAGE CORRECTION Matt Haarman Alena Cilíková Filip Januška Martin Krč
MY TWO CENTS
My two cents
by MATT HAARMAN
T
hree of my favorite pastimes can be summed up in what I like to call “The Three B’s of Happiness”.” The Three B’s” are composed of bikes, beers, and bees. Bees, being the honeybee sort, is precisely what I want to talk about in this article, mostly because everyone is tired of hearing me go on about the first two “B’s”. I have always been intrigued by the idea of beekeeping, and who wouldn’t be? You get to wear fun outfits, play with smoke, and eat honey! Not to mention, your girls (it’s the ladies in the colony that do all the work) help ungrateful mankind by pollinating the food they eat. When I was just getting started, I talked to a lot of old beekeepers, and they all had some great wisdom that they claimed to have acquired from their bees. I always wanted to say something like… “If there is one thing that beekeeping has taught me, it is (fill in profound wisdom). Only thing is that until now there hasn’t been anything profound to say… just profanity, which is what I was using when 10-15 bees found their way up the sleeve of my bee suit and ventured into my veiled hat where they stung me in the face as I ran from my hives. Good to know I’m not allergic to bees I guess.
A few weeks ago, while talking to my friend from Denmark, I was assured that I could put almost anything behind the phrase; “If there is one thing that beekeeping has taught me, it is…” and sound like a hero. So, I figured what the heck? I can’t lose. So here it goes. If there is one thing that beekeeping has taught me, it is that sometimes you can work hard at something, believe in what you are doing and do evrything right, and you still fall flat on your face. This last year I have lost five of my six colonies to ugly things like pesticides and varroa mites. I worked so hard over the past four years to build up those six hives, and now I have to start almost from scratch. But the thing is, I’m going to start from scratch, work hard, believe in my cause, and not give up. Sometimes, life throws you a curve and hard times hit. What you do in those times is what makes the difference and builds character. I’ve seen some hard times. It unfortunately comes with growing up. Financial issues, breakups, divorce, the death of loved ones. The point is we get one chance at this, and it’s never worth giving up. It is a beautiful thing to believe in something and to go for it. Keep on Keeping on!
Saying goodbye
Veronika Hudáková
Saying goodbye. A thing that is known very well by many people but still isn´t liked very much. But it is right to admit that it is a part of life and it happens almost everywhere: in relationships, after leaving a country that we visited but also in ordinary places like work or school. Also our school had to face a situation like this a few days ago. To be more precise, not only a situation but a complete ceremony. Yes, you are probably right, a couple days ago we had to say ´Goodbye´ to our oldest students, our absolvents – in our country so called ´Maturants´. All of it happened on 10th of May 2018. The ceremony took place as every year, in the House of Culture in Myjava. The day started earlier in the morning when some students and absolvents hurried up to the building to make final preparations for the event. They had spent a few days putting some performances and speeches together that would please not only the audience, but especially the leaving absolvents. And we have to admit, they must have been really diligent because the program and the whole event went really well. There were many representants from different classes of our school which had prepared beautiful, funny or impressive performances. We could hear the soft music of piano, watch a play about how to make or not make a play or just enjoy the pleasing performances of our school´s singers and bands. The famous song ´Gaudeamus´could not have missed. The program was really full and we can state that most of the performers enjoyed it, hopefully as well as the absolvents and the audience. Now all that remains for me to say is to congratulate the absolvents for their successful completion of these several years of effort which they surely had to make during their studies. We hope that the education on this school has helped you to get a little closer to the job you would love doing and we wish you best of luck in your next education, as well as in your personal life and future!
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From maturita essays
by ALENA CILÍKOVÁ
The beginning of March is really tough time for all graduates. It is the time of the external and internal written form of the Maturita exam from foreign languages, Slovak language and Maths. This year the topic for the written form in English language referred to describing of a favourite teacher. Although the correction was sometimes quite difficult, some ideas really tingled our teachers´ hearts.
Here is the topic: On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, the Ministry of Education would like to reward the teacher most popular with students. You have decided to nominate the teacher you like the most. Write an article entitled ‘My favourite teacher’.
And here are the most beautiful passages: ´There are many teachers with the capital ´T´ that it would be a mistake to pick only one. That is why I cannot say who my favourite one is. All I can say is ´thank you all for making this school life journey as great as it was.´
´Mrs. Lock is, in my opinion, the best teacher you can ever meet. There is literally nothing she was unable to help me with throughout my studies. She is always here when you need her to be and always able to help you make the right decision.´
´...we often discuss various topics from our daily lives. I have learnt many important things from her. Not only about English, but also empathy, discipline and life in general; she is always willing to talk and help all students.´
´... on behalf of all the students of this school I want to say one big ´Thank you´ to all the teachers for preparing us for Maturita exams.´
´... if you ask any person who their hero of inspiration is, the answer is usually ´their teacher´. They spend most of the time with him and he inspires them to be successful in the future. That is why he absolutely deserves every piece of recognition and reward he can get.´
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ERASMUS
For the past two years, high schools from Greece, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Slovakia have been cooperating on a large-scale Erasmus+ project – GENIUS – young entrepreneurs in European countries. The goal of this project was to give young people an opportunity to suggest and develop their business idea, which they presented on a mobility in one of the countries which were a part of the project. Furthermore, the project helped decrease the gap between cultures and lead students to openness and tolerance. I believe I am speaking for all of the participants if I say that it’s been quite a ride. Each of the five mobilities brought unique experiences, unforgettable moments and gave rise to many friendships. We got to discover new countries, test our sense of responsibility and venture beyond the point of our comfort zones. The project was finally concluded in Slovakia and I’d like to share this experience as one of the Slovak participants. It’s time to say goodbye once again and I am far more sentimental than I expected to be at the beginning of this week – this is the very end of the project. Although it seemed the week was going to be endless, it flashed past with the speed of lightning and now I just vainly wish to repeat the most memorable moments. There are some regrets – more than anything I regret that I didn’t get to know more of the people that are now getting onto the bus. Also, I wish I had just stopped every now and then and enjoyed the moment instead of rushing all the time to see more, do more, and to experience more… This Erasmus has been really special. It was
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by MARTIN KRČ the first one I spent in Slovakia and although I didn’t get to visit a new country, several countries visited my own. What is more, I got an entirely new perspective on the places I encounter every day. As I like to say, when you spend a week abroad, apart
from a new culture, you really get to know yourself. When foreigners visit you, you discover things about your own country - things you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise – that is really unique about Erasmus. To be a host seemed like quite a challenge at first, but to be honest, I really enjoyed it. I learned that you can make breakfast and lunch for school in about ten minutes, that your guest needs an understanding friend, rather than a caring host, that it doesn’t really matter where you are and what you are doing, as long as there is good company (I know, cliché) and also, how my mum must feel when I leave for school and the flat remains empty. The main objective of the Slovak mobility, just like all the others, was to give young people an opportunity to see what it’s like to start their own business. I’ve seen innovative ideas like a machine that recycles plastic cups, an organization that allows tourists to have their lunch with local families or an agency that provides professional g u i d e s for solo travelers. I’ve seen young people try to make the world a better, more pleasant and friendlier place. What I haven’t seen is the greed and obsession with money that is often connected with business and entrepreneurship. But once the business was over with, it was time to have fun! We started slow – after a guided tour around our School and the city of Myjava, the Slovak students held a traditional barbecue with a bonfire and sausages on wooden sticks (and luckily without mosquitoes). The organizers of this mobility wanted to make sure that our foreign guests got to experience the best that Slovakia has to offer. So, we embarked on a trip to the Tatra mountains. Many of the places we visited were new, even for many Slovak participants. We struggled our way through Jánošíkove diery, got some rest at the aquapark Tatralandia and explored
Belianska cave the following day. Then, following a hike to Popradské pleso we finished this breathtaking adventure with a spooky guided tour around Bojnice castle in the evening. There, the enthusiastic guide accompanied by occasional ghost appearances led us through the history of the castle in the most entertaining and interesting way. Needless to say, we were all tired after the trip, but it was far from over! The following day we had an excursion to Adam, an agricultural guest-house where we learned about the many ways farming can and has to be improved and innovated these days. Upon returning, our guests were left at mercy of the girls from the dance group Kopaničiar, who taught them some traditional Slovak dances. The last day of the project was devoted to sports in the school gym, where everybody kept moving. Volleyball, table tennis, badminton, climbing – you name it! Shout-out to the Italians for their impressive performances in climbing, w h i c h they had reportedly never tried before.
T h e s e are all mere excerpts from what we got to experience during the official program. Beside these, there were also trips and activities organized by the hosting families and students to make sure that their guest’s experience of Slovakia is really special. Then at the farewell dinner we could really feel that the end was near. Everybody had packed, the organizers gave moving speeches and we clapped. What else was left to do? Well, there was one thing. There’s no better way to spend the last moments together than on the dance floor! Now the bus is leaving. We’re waving, eyes glimmering with tears as we watch the bus leave. “We’ll see each other again,” we told each other. Well, let’s just hope we weren’t lying…
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tHE POWER IS IN US!
by MATÚŠ RYBNIKÁR
After long 2 months of waiting, the day was finally here! It was the 23rd of April and the journey to my first Erasmus+ Youth Exchange could begin.
So, I took the trains to Čadca, met the other people from Slovak group (for the first time) and then, after one hour and a half of waiting, our bus to Poronin departed. On our way to Poronin we could see the Tatra Mountains from both Slovak and Polish side and I’ve got to tell you that the Polish part of Tatra Mountains looks as good, if not even better than the Slovak part. When we arrived the Polish team greeted us and then we had lunch. After the lunch I went to see what people from the Polish group were doing. They were playing volleyball and when they saw me, they invited me to play with them. Even though I’m really a terrible volleyball player I thought that I should try it to get to know them. I said I wanted to join in and as I was the first person from the Slovak team to come, they all came to me and introduced themselves. I only remembered that the first one said she was Marysia, then some other people and then a girl that looked kind of similar to the first girl and said she was Marysia too. I was a bit confused with the names at first but it got better as we were playing the game. And then the trainer came and said we should divide ourselves into the Polish
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and Slovak group and create a welcome poster for the Hungarian group. For some reason I ended up in the Polish group. So when the Hungarians arrived we welcomed them, played an energizer and then got some basic information about the exchange. Then we spent some more time together and went to sleep. The second day started with an energizer and some ice-breakers. After those we had our first session. During that session we were divided into 3 groups and we were supposed to create a short and easy game using 2 dices and 12 pieces of paper. This session was supposed to help us realise we need some kind of rules. Then we created rules for the exchange and one of them was really helpful and is common among Erasmus+ Exchanges. It’s called Bora Bora -whenever someone said Bora Bora the other people had to start speaking English immediately. Then we did the photo scavenger hunt and took some crazy pictures. The third day began with a funny energizer game again. Later we talked about traits of
successful people and then created and presented games that were supposed to help students develop entrepreneurial skills. In the evening we presented our country during the Slovak cultural night. We went to play our games with students in Nowy Targ on the fourth day. We had some free time in Nowy Targ after the games and so we looked around the school in Nowy Targ to see the similarities and differences and meet some other local students. As we were leaving the school Paweł introduced me to his friend and then we walked and talked with her on our way to the icecream shop. We took the bus from the square in Nowy Targ to Gorący Potok, which is a thermal swimming pool near Biały Dunajec. On Friday (the fifth day) we talked about our future selves, our personalities and the way they affect our future jobs. Afterwards we went to look for social and environmental issues in Poronin. In the afternoon we used our gathered information to create business plans for social enterprises in Poronin and then did the paper aircraft challenge, in which we were supposed to create paper planes and then sell them to other companies. The Hungarian night took place in the evening. We went hiking in the Tatra Mountains on Saturday. The whole group went to a valley and some of us also went to Sarnia Skała and a waterfall. As I was soaking my feet in the brook a crazy idea came to mind - the bare-feet challenge. I persuaded some other fellows and we had to walk with bare feet to Zakopane. It was a lot of fun but at the same time so sore, because the path was made of sharp gravel. We had some free time in Zakopane afterwards and so we went to a restaurant and some souvenir shops. We watched some Ted Talks in the evening. The Polish group suggested that we go to the mass on Sunday and some of us went. It was in a small church with local
wooden architecture. Unfortunately the church was too small and there were a lot of tourist, so we had to sit outside. When we came back we had to make our games digital and did the ice cubes - everyone got an envelope and anyone could drop them a message that they could read at home. The Polish night took place in the evening and it was the best one. They had a presentation, one girl was dressed in a Polish folk costume and then we went to a BBQ party to a typical polish cottage restaurant. On Monday we had to pack our baggage and say goodbye. After plenty of hugs we had to leave Poland and go back to Slovakia. I miss Poland and the people, but the good thing is I’ve got them on Messenger and I am already planning to meet some of them during the summer holiday. This exchange gave me new information about the topic (entrepreneurship), I learnt how to co-operate better since most of our tasks were group tasks, I learned how to play Makao, got new information about foreign cultures and most importantly I met and made friends with a bunch of new young people. If you want to go on an exchange like this, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you have to look up a non-governmental organisation that provides access to projects like this. I recommend SYTEV, but there are other organisations like ADEL or Youthfully Yours. Second, you have to find a project with a topic you like and answer questions in the motivational letter. If they write an e-mail saying you were chosen you have to become a member and pay the membership fee (50 Euros in the case of SYTEV, the money is totally worth it). They will give you more information afterwards. I recommend this to everyone who is able to get out of their comfort zone.
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MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
The thought of studying at a University far away from home can be nauseating for some, or the most exciting thought ever for others. But what about studying and living at a University abroad in a completely different country? That is an entirely different piece of pie, often desirable, but seemingly unreachable for many reasons, among which the most notable is the fear of the unknown. It‘s understandable; leaving the country you have lived in and called home for most of your life and venturing into an entirely new and foreign place can be dreadinducing. Yet, it does not have to be so. I’m talking out of my own personal experience, since, once upon a time, I decided to take that extra step and applied for a place at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. I was ultimately accepted and left Slovakia in pursuit of new things. With this little text, I’m hoping that I can show you that studying in a different country can present you with a number of positive experiences. So, kickback, relax, and grab yourself a beverage, because we are starting. 10
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by JAKUB BARSZCZ
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
THE SCHOOL
When I initially arrived in Scotland, I expected to study under similar teaching conditions to those back home, and stories of strict and unforgiving teaching staff that my friends studying back home told me of occupied a place in my head. Fortunately, studying abroad means studying at schools which differ from those offered in Slovakia in a number of ways. First, the school is there for you, in every sense of the phrase. Glasgow University provides information about whom to contact in case of questions even when it comes to the most trivial of queries. Furthermore, you are given as much time as possible to spend with your fellow students and the teaching staff, either working in the laboratories practically, working on specific case studies, or possibly discussing problems in a debate. Can’t wrap your head around a problem and would like to talk about it with a member of the teaching staff? No problem, even the busiest professors often find time to answer your questions, and overall, the emphasis is placed on you and your understanding of the subject your study. Lectures and seminars themselves are also very different, as the University strives to create a positive environment and encourages even the least enthusiastic students to participate, and as a result, relationships between the staff and students are often semi-formal in character. I personally know at least three people who are on a first-name basis with the teaching staff.
THE PEOPLE
One of the pre-eminent worries that people have before going abroad concern the fact that they will with great probability be leaving most of their friends at home and are worried about being all alone. It was the same with me; initially, I felt really lonely, almost regretful about my decision to study abroad. However, with the way University works here, there is almost zero chance of not finding friends or meeting new people.
The school practically throws friendships at you, as you meet new people in your lectures, seminars, in the library, on the street and in a bunch of other places. If you like doing a particular thing and want to find people who are into it, you can check out all the different societies offered by the University. There really is a variety of them, with examples including the baking society, exploration society, poker society, or even paediatrics society. All these societies do a bunch of activities, including meet-ups so that you can get to know people better, bake sales as a way of raising money for the working of that particular society, or organize trips, even outside of the country. Not to mention, they usually do what they are named for, which means playing poker, when it comes to the poker society, just baking a lot and trying out new recipes when it comes to the baking society, or potentially going on trips to the Scottish Parliament or debating in famous competitions, when it comes to the Politics society or the debate club. Whatever you like doing, you are guaranteed to find it among these groups. There is even a Slovak and Czech society, in case you feel a little homesick, as all of us feel sometimes. There is always something to do and always someone new to meet, and making friends is just a matter of time.
IN PURSUIT OF CULTURE
many Scottish Lochs (even Loch Ness) and the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The whole stay abroad also has the effect of moulding you into a more independent person and creating your own differentiated self. What really works its way here is the clash of cultures which provides for you as a unique person; after some time, you really start mixing the aspects of culture abroad with who you were back home, and this has the effect of creating a new person. Thus, not only did I find myself conversing in semi-fluent Glaswegian with a friend, while watching a match of two famous Glaswegian football teams, all the while enjoying a pint and eating haggis, neeps and potatoes, but I also surprised my mother when I showed her that yes, I am fully capable of cooking a lunch for everyone in the family without burning the kitchen down.
CONCLUSION
I would normally conclude with some wise words or encouragement to go abroad and experience everything you can, because you are young and must enjoy life, but that is not my style. I’ve presented a number of things resulting from studying abroad, which I think are really beneficial, but it’s up to you to make that choice and decide what you want to do. In any case, hopefully you have enjoyed reading this article a tiny bit, and I did not waste your time in any way. In case any of you want to contact me and ask some further information about studying abroad, what the costs are, and so on, feel free to drop me a message on either facebook (Jakub Barszcz, an unforgettable name, just get the consonants right) or send me an e-mail to barszcz7@gmail.com.
In general, studying abroad rovides you with a way of seeing things which you might have never had the opportunity to see otherwise. In the case of Scotland, if you study in one of the three universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, or Edinburgh, you will have plenty of chances to see a lot of cultural landmarks. Interested in history? Why not check out the Stirling or Edinburgh castles? Want to do some hiking Cheers for reading and have a great or just see nature? Well, you are day. conveniently located close to WHAT’S UP
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Hey guys! It’s me Lea. I am writing another letter to you. Well, my year here is almost over. I have just a few days left. It’s kind of a weird feeling, to leave something you had for a year. But! I am so excited to come home and see you guys. Anyway, I have some things that I want to talk about. This year ran like water. It was so fast I didn’t even realize I’d be going home in a few days. But let’s go back. This whole school year was like a yearlong holiday. I took three science classes, and everyone was shocked and amazed at why I was making it so hard for myself, but it wasn’t more than the 9th grade at middle school, and probably much easier. I also took the fun classes like art and show choir, but they weren’t as fun as the science classes. I didn’t have to do almost anything, really. That makes me so scared thinking about the stuff I’ll need to catch up on when I come back. Uff, let’s not talk about nightmares. Now I am done with high school here. I was in the 12th grade and seniors end school two weeks sooner than the rest of the school, so I am enjoying the rest of the time I have here. I also had a graduation ceremony. I got a fake diploma because I am an exchange student and they don’t accept me as their student, a.k.a. I am not American. Anyway, I enjoyed the ceremony. It was like in a movie. Me and other seniors were singing a goodbye song, and then we threw our hats in the air. Such a great American movie. I know I already said that, but it really was like a movie. Let’s move on. I visited a few places. I went to Disney World in Orlando, Springfield, Six Flags near Chicago and to Devil’s lake in Wisconsin. You can never have enough travelling. I also wanted to keep myself active, so I joined to track team. Yes, I ran! And I finished the last day of school. The very next day after I finished school, I went back there on a bike for some mysterious reason, and I fell off the bike. Not my fault, really. I swear I can ride a bike. Something just doesn’t want me to go back to school, or either be active. I must consider if I want to come see you guys. I don’t want to get hurt again. :D I am packing my stuff right now. I am aware it won’t fit. It’s hard to put a whole year inside one suitcase, so I have a lot of work these days. Anyway, I am so excited to come back. I will probably take that risk and I will come to see you. So, see you soon guys! Miss you…
Lea
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POLITICS
POLITICS
by ALEX JURČA
Spring in Slovakia was extraordinarily turbulent on our political scene. Let‘s have a closer look at the reasons of the inevitable fall of Robert Fico, Robert Kaliňák and many others. After continuous pressure from the streets and thousands people marching for “fair Slovakia” Robert Fico together with his secretary of state decided to step down. But both of them announced their resignations in a fine way, at least for them. As long as our president is bound by legislation that his duty is to ensure smooth running of the parliament, he can ‘t prolong the crisis if he has the power/option to stop it or diminish it. And that’s why he had to accept Fico’s resignation and at the same time his successor’s Peter Pellegrini new government. Had he refused to do so, he would break the constitution and could possibly and unwillingly create a dangerous precedent for the future. New secretary of state should have originally been Jozef Ráž, but after Kiska’s refusal, the appointed one for this hot seat was Tomáš Drucker, former minister of health. So that’s how we ended up with new PM – Peter Pellegrini, new Secretary of state Tomáš Drucker, new Ministry of Health – Andrea Kalavska and new Ministry of Culture Lubica Lassakova(Marek Madarič resigned in the beginning of the crisis). On the first sight it seems like a robust reconstruction of the government, but in reality, it’s most likely not. When Fico was delivering his resignation to president Kiska, he was leaving with a victorious smile on his face. He already knew that he can easily step down and stay as the leader of the party making all calls. Simply said, Pellegrini will be his puppet because he is still Fico’s underman. And this is the reason why the protests against current government and its actions are still ongoing. People in the streets are chanting “This is not enough”. And they are not wrong, it is really not enough.
IN A NUTSHELL: • German secret service are suspecting Slovak Home Office from providing help in planed kidnapping of Vietnamese citizen by Vietnamese authorities from Germany where he applied for asylum. • Korean leaders agreed on denuclearization of the Korea peninsula, North Korea wants to improve relationships with neighbours and Kim Jong-un is about to meet with Donald Trump. • Tomas Drucker filed resignation for inability to call off police president Tibor Gašpar, who was called off the next day by the PM. New Secretary of State is Denisa Sakova, 14
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MY SISTER SYRIA by MARTIN KRČ
The latest performance of the TNT theatre, that students of our school attended, provided an experience unlike anything we’ve seen so far. And if you ask me, it’s a pleasant change after adaptations of classical stories. Although we’ve already seen depictions of real characters and events, like in the play about Martin Luther King, My Sister Syria simply seemed far more present. The obvious reason for this impression was the contemporary topic of the play - the refugee crisis. But there was a lot more to it than being up to date – My Sister Syria was also daring in the way it handled the controversial subject, the audience was directly confronted by a foreign culture and most importantly, the play felt truly alive, thanks to the characters speaking Arabic, live music on stage and unusual situations portrayed in a creative way. Although the topic of the play is immigration, it does not feature the challenges faced by refugees until the final part of the play. The story does follow a character who finds herself in an entirely alien country, but it is far from what you’d expect. The migrant is of a European origin and migrates against the main stream – to Syria. Rachel, a young activist, witnesses the abduction of her friend, Razan, while they are having a video call. Razan, who is in fact based on a real character, is a lawyer fighting for human rights in the havoc of the Syrian civil war. Rachel is terrified and fears for the life of her friend, when a way to save Razan is presented to her by an MI6 (British secret service) agent. However, to save Razan, Rachel has to embark on a dangerous journey to Syria. There is one more catch – she has to help MI6 save a Syrian general, Fatima, who sympathises with the west. This general would, for some reason, trust Rachel while being suspicious of any governmental representatives. I find the idea to invert the usual situation truly ingenious when
it comes to refugee crisis – that is, choosing a western character who gets lost in the east rather than the other way around. It is far easier to relate to a British activist than to a Syrian refugee. This unexpectedly allows the spectator to imagine what the refugees in Europe must feel like. The impression is emphasized by authentic Arabic spoken on stage, usually without any translation and actors of oriental origin (Lana Miller – half Iraqi, Lama Amine – born in Lebanon, Ali Nakeeb – who has lived in Jordan for 10 years). The actors proved to be very versatile. Save for Siobhan Gerrard, who played the main protagonist, Rachel, they all had several roles. Siobhan handled the role with grace and suggestively portrayed what Rachel was going through on her journey. Gareth Radcliffe brought the sense of rough, merciless reality into the play, mainly in the role of the MI6 agent. Lana Miller and Lama Amine were responsible for creating an authentic atmosphere of Syria through the characters of Syrian civilians or the rebels against the tyrannical regime. Finally, Ali Nakeeb brought the ingredient that made this play special – humour – sometimes bitter and satirical, but often full of hope. The author himself does not try to conceal that the story is inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novel ‘Heart of darkness’. Bringing the conceptual story of the legendary novel back to life through a contemporary setting, as it has been done in the film Apocalypse now, is a great way to preserve Conrad’s legacy. For the main character of My sister Syria, the visit of the conflict stricken country is a true journey to the heart of darkness. Rachel experiences the despair Syrians have to face in their everyday lives and the unceasing threat of sudden death is something she, just like them, simply has to cope with. Unlike Heart of darkness, however, My sister Syria does not show only ‘the horror’ of people
who had stared into the abyss for far too long – the defiance with which they stare tyrants into their eyes is expressed through, were I to get a little carried away, dancing among the bombs. The scene where a Syrian local takes Rachel to an underground party is a clear sign that the Syrians have not given up yet. They do not dance to forget the war, they dance to confront it without fear. This bitter, cynical realism somehow feels more optimistic than any pathetic heroic phrases could ever be. My sister Syria is all about dragging the spectator into the story and the situation presented to him. It exploits the wonderful capacity of drama to stimulate our fantasy and so without any special effects, a door of a car is enough to create a whole truck on stage (at least in the imagination of the spectator). Similarly, the play portrays the atmosphere of a conflict zone, a subway or a group of refugees drifting on a raft. Which brings me to the part I probably liked the least about My sister Syria, and that is the ending. While nearly the whole play was about an unlikely journey of a westerner into the midst of Syria, in the end our focus is shifted to the refuge of the son of the above mentioned general Fatima, who is only introduced towards the end of the play. Although I can see why the author has included the journey of a Syrian refugee, it simply didn’t work for me. Starting a brand-new storyline once all the tension has been lost only made me confused and it was difficult to relate to a character who all of a sudden appeared towards the end of the play. Long story short, sometimes less is more. Overall, My sister Syria was really an experience, rather than a mere play. Presenting the refugee crisis from a unique perspective, it is bound to shatter many a generalization and prejudice concerning the topic.
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“While there’s life, there’s hope.” -Stephen Hawking
He was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo Galilei´s death. At twenty-one he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease. At twenty-three he got married to the beautiful Jane Wilde. At forty-six he managed to get a book about cosmology (A brief history of time) among the bestsellers. He died on 14 March 2018 at the same age as Albert Einstein - seventy-six years. Who was Stephen Hawking? 16
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by BRONISLAVA BENDOVÁ
Genius mind locked in the wheelchair
I guess that everybody in the world knows that Stephen Hawking was disabled. But not that many people know why. Let´s look at his story... While Hawking was studying at the university, he had problems with clumsiness and also some difficulties when he was rowing (it was his favorite sport). Later, he decided to visit a doctor, who told him about his disease and its consequences. The disease that Hawking was suffering
from is called a motor neuron disease. What is it? It is a disease influencing motor neurons which send signals from the brain to muscles. And when those motor neurons begin to work improperly, it means that the person gradually starts having some difficulties with controlling their muscles. Something similar happened to Hawking. Stephen Hawking was given the life expectancy of two years (which is an average number for patients with that disease). However a miracle happened and he overcame the worst prognosis of the doctors and survived. As his disease continued he needed to use a crutch and later a wheelchair.
Robert, Lucy and Timothy. This period of their life was very complicated and demanding for the whole family because Jane needed to take care not only of three small children but also of her ill husband. In 1995 the couple divorced and they both moved on and got married for the second time. Stephen Hawking got married to Elaine Mason. She had been looking after him as a nurse and they had got closer. However, in 2006 they got divorced. A year later Jane published a book about her life with him - Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen. This book served as the base for the movie The Theory of Everything that incredibly depicts their love story.
The life with Jane Wilde
Stephen Hawking and pop culture
Jane Wilde and Stephen Hawking met at a university party in 1962. They began dating and a year later Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease with the terrible probability that his life will be much shorter than everybody expected. Jane was an admirably strong person and despite his prognosis she agreed to marry him. That happened in 1965. Together they had three children:
Stephen Hawking had a brilliant mind for physics. He wanted to share his knowledge and science with ‘normal’ people and he also understood that complicated equations and theories are indeed “complicated”. Therefore he published many books about his theories that would be approachable even to laic people (e.g. A brief history of time or The universe in the nutshell). Stephen Hawking together with his daughter, Lucy Hawking, also worked on a series of books (e.g. George´s Secret Key to the Universe) for children, which connect fantasy and adventure with tiny pieces of science. What many people appreciated about him was his incredible sense of humor. Do you want a proof? If you are a fan of The big bang theory, you could notice him many times appearing in some episodes. Sheldon Cooper (the main character - a bit crazy genius scientist) considered him to be the most intelligent human in the world. Stephen Hawking also made a cameo performance in Star Trek: The next generation, where he sat at the poker table together with Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein (of course they were played by actors, only Hawking was real :D). His character also appeared in The Simpsons. He had a discussion with Lisa and a good beer with Homer.
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HISTORY
The secret of Easter Island The stone statues of the Easter Island are a wonder known throughout the whole world. They are the first thing that comes into our minds when we hear the name of the island and most of us can immediately recall the giant heads with solemn expressions and massive lips. However, what do we know about these statues, or, for that matter, about the island itself? Who built them? How? And why? Surely they didn’t just pop up from the ground?
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by MARTIN KRČ These things would probably have remained a mystery if it weren’t for one man – a famous adventurer, man who sailed 8 000 kilometres on a wooden raft – Thor Heyerdahl. Thor was a Norwegian archaeologist and explorer who was particularly interested in the history of southern America and Polynesia. He came up with a theory that Polynesia was inhabited from America, and not Asia, as was the common opinion. To prove the theory, he prepared an expedition, built a wooden raft and set for Polynesia from South America. With a raft as primitive as it could get, Thor and his crew managed to cover 8 000 kilometres and eventually reached Polynesia. Although he proved it was possible, his
HISTORY
theory was not confirmed and modern research has proved, that the first inhabitants of Polynesia really were Asian. That is another story, however. One of Thor’s achievements is, as mentioned above, also the revelation of the mystery behind Easter Island and its statues. When Thor arrived to the island, there wasn’t much to help him. How on earth did people, who had no knowledge of the wheel, let alone any advanced mechanisms, manage to build, transport and raise statues weighing up to 50 tons? The natives had no records of their history and he couldn’t even be sure if they were descendants of the culture responsible for building the statues. They did have an easy explanation, though – the statues walked on their own. There was a legend which comprised a witch enchanting the statues to walk, but it did not really satisfy Thor. According to the legend, the witch ceased to use her spells when she found out that her friends ate a whole lobster and didn’t leave her a bit! Then she got angry and since that day, no statue made a step. Thor came across many other legends and superstitions among the locals, but most of them did not bring him closer to the mystery of the ‘walking statues’. That is, until he heard the story about the battle between the Long-ears and the Short-ears. It was clear from the beginning, that there used to live an advanced culture on the Easter Island. However, while its members were skilled craftsmen and built smaller statues and monuments, they were not the ones behind the famous giants of Easter Island. According to the legend, after this culture perished, two tribes arrived to Easter Island – Longears and Short-ears. Long-ears were, like their predecessors, very skilled and hard-working. Their name was derived from a tradition to extend their ears with heavy earrings. Their neighbours, on the other hand, were said to have been lazy and idle. Long-ears needed every helping hand available to fulfil their ambitious plans and so they forced Shortears to help them. They began building statues similar to the ones built by the former inhabitants, but Long-ears were megalomaniacs – their statues kept getting larger and larger. For a while, the two tribes were thriving on the island, but at one point Short-ears got fed up with having to work and a violent conflict broke out, which marked the end of their era and decline of the Easter Island. The Shortears won and the current inhabitants of the island are believed to be their descendants. While this legend gives us an idea about the builders, it still does not explain how they managed to build them. Luckily for us, and for Thor as well, there lived a man who called himself the mayor of Easter Island. When Thor asked him how the statues might have been built, the mayor assembled a group of locals, led them to the quarry and with primitive stone axes cut out a crude form of a giant stone statue. It was clear that with enough time (about a
year) and manpower they could finish it. But how would they transport it?
“They walked on their own!” the mayor insisted. “But I know another way. Let me show you!” He built a simple Y-shaped sled made of a cut down tree, lifted the statue with levers, ropes and stones he placed underneath, loaded the statue on the sled and with enough people pulling, the statue weighing several tons got moving! Now the final mystery remained: how on earth would they raise it? And here comes the mayor again: “Let me handle that!” With two large wooden poles which the mayor and his ‘pals’ managed to stuff under the statue, they lifted it – barely, but it was enough to place tiny pebbles under the statue. After repeating this technique for many – many times, Thor found the stone statue lying on a giant heap of stones. The mayor and his crew tied ropes around its head, pulled, the statue dangerously leaned towards them, wobbled, and then remained still. After several hundred years, a stone man ‘walked’ and ‘stood up’ on the Easter Island.
Thor managed to unveil many more secrets of the Easter Island (You can read about them in his book ‘Aku-Aku’). Once it finally seemed that there was nothing left to discover, Thor left the island satisfied and surely amazed. He saw a massive stone statue walk.
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MUSIC
Metallica or Beethoven
by NINA KOVAŘÍKOVÁ
Music. What do you imagine when you hear this term? Bands? Operas? Video clips? Rap, pop, or “painted” punks that bang into the microphone? Or the tangled laces that hang out of your ears for days, when you try to escape from reality?
It is difficult to focus on something specific. The world has so many choices to choose from in which direction to go and each of us is unique. We have our own opinions and listen to exactly what we like the most. But my question is, “Is it right to condemn people who are not exactly like me?” There are many groups of people in the world that relate to a certain music style. For some, music is just “something that exists,” and for someone else, it’s an inseparable part of life. A life style if you will. But music can have other names. For example: escaping from reality, having fun with friends, making a depressed mood far more depressed, or filling the awkward silence. But one thing is for sure - music cannot be avoided. Classical music is not for everyone. Actually, let me say that very few people enjoy it. You need to understand it and you have to live it. Young artists playing musical instruments must also have an overview in this area. However, serious music is not always appreciated. This kind of music was popular in the past, when it was more of a matter of course. Today, especially young people do not have much experience with this kind of music. It’s a pity, but time goes on. Another interesting genre is punk. People have a very simple, but often distorted, opinion about people living in such a lifestyle - strange and crazy people with piercings and colorful hair, dressed up with chains and join every punk concert without taking a shower more than once a year. In other words, they are also called junkies. Yes, it could be so. But it doesn’t have to mean that this is everyone’s case. And if it is so, it does not have to mean that they are bad people just because they are different. 20
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Also interesting, are the metalheads who are always in black, tattoos all over their body, men with long hair, women especially dyed black or red. And without the t-shirts with band logos, and without the shirts or leather buckles, or the torn trousers, you would not recognize them. For many, this kind of music is also known as “microphone snapping” and “ hard music”. However, these are also myths and it does not have to be like this at all. There are many types of these styles that many people may not even know. Another, more known style, is rap ... I would say that this kind is most often condemned with sentences: “I could do that as well “, “the other one that grew up on the street and wrote a song about it,“ or “There’s not a single word in this song that´s not a curse.“ But this is also just a mistake of our society, because even in this style of music can you really find everything. Of course, Slovak rap is a category in itself. I don’t think I need to say anything about this ‘genre’. :-) We are most familiar with the songs that we listen to every day on the radio or music TV station. They are the latest and most famous, and we cannot avoid them even if we wanted to. These are the songs in which you know the all the lyrics, even if you do not want to, and in worse cases you are already nervous when you hear the song so you just hope to delete it from all the playlists, forget it and replace it with something new, but a completely similar song, to which you will have exactly the same opinion will appear within a few days. There are countless music styles and everyone listens to exactly what they prefer. What makes them whole and what makes sense or gives them passion. Do not look at others and do not worry about what they think about you when you do not listen to what they do. You are you, and you are unique. We all are. So, let’s hold on to what makes you feel the most alive and let´s live our lives the way we enjoy it!
MOVIES
GOING BACK IN TIME by BRONISLAVA BENDOVÁ
There are some movies which you watch once in your lifetime and you have a feeling that once is too much. There are also a few with tons of impossible special effects and a support of commercials that attract your attention. However, there are also quality MOVIES with great humor and an original story that don´t need unbelievably high budgets to make us fall in love with them...
ROCKY (1976)
Rocky is a sport drama starring Sylvester Stallone as the main character. He portrays a poor, thirty-year-old guy called Rocky Balboa. Rocky is a talented boxer who fights matches in the local club in Philadelphia. He is a rather introverted lonely person. He only has one good friend, Paulie, and a very shy girlfriend named Adrian. One day Rocky gets an offer to compete against Apollo Creed (who is the best boxer in the world) for the title of the world champion. Rocky accepts the challenge even though he knows that winning the match is almost impossible and he might be really badly injured...
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
This sci-fi is connected with two big names in the film industry. The first one is the legendary Steven Spielberg who was the executive producer and the other one is the director - Robert Zemeckis. He is famous for his innovations in visual effects. The story revolves around Marty McFly who is a high school student and a good friend of Dr. Emmett Brown. This guy is a crazy scientist who keeps trying to invent some new ridiculous stuff, not many of which work. However, one does - a time machine. Marty uses the time machine and finds himself thirty years in the past, in the time when his future mom is going to meet his future father and accidentally complicates their first meeting ...
FORREST GUMP (1994)
Forrest Gump is probably at the top of the mountain when it comes to the best movies that have ever been released. The film was based on the novel of the same name. I personally think that the biggest contribution to the success of the film was brought by the director Robert Zemeckis and the talented actors - Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (Jenny). The movie won six Academy Awards including the award for the best director and the best actor. What is Forrest Gump about? It´s about a mentally “slower” man and his life. He meets an incredible girl - Jenny, is bullied, joins the army, loses a friend, becomes a hero, falls in love, and becomes a hero again ... But what is Forrest Gump truly about? You must watch it to find out ...
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THE SKINNY (A BOOK REVIEW)
BELL JAR
by Sylvia Plath
“To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream.” TEREZA MORAVČÍKOVÁ
B
ell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a brilliant and talented literature student on the edge of greatness, who, as an aspiring writer, wins an internship in New York. Her stay in the huge city has a radical effect on her fragile psyche: the feeling of unexpected freedom clashes into a deeply rooted sense of responsibility. While there, writing superficial and unfulfilling articles for a fashion magazine, she struggles with the desire to write meaningful poetry and the reality of the difficulty she faces to publish such works. She agonizes over her future, is immensely indecisive, and is constantly changing her mind. Esther is discouraged with the society of the 1950’s, and cannot come to terms
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with how to deal with injustices and double standards between males and females, life at home versus life in the city, and married and single women. She wants to unwrap all the complications of life and reflect the ideal woman. She is unable to cope with all of these mysterious concepts of life and thus retreats into herself. Then, she goes back home hoping to participate in a writing course that is run by a famous author she really likes - she sees it as a fresh start. She does not get in, is upset and does not really know what to do during the rest of the summer. Her world starts to blur more quickly and she falls into her personal hell - into the bell jar.
THE SKINNY (A BOOK REVIEW)
As for the significance of the title, in the book Esther says many times that she feels like as though she was trapped in a bell jar. To be able to understand the clever metaphor, there are a few things that should be known about bell jars. They are used to create vacuums and as such, must have completely smooth surfaces. If there’s a flaw, it is immediately singled out as the weakest point of the structure and is easily shattered. In Esther’s constant struggle for perfection, she must have felt at times like her life was like a bell jar - any mistake was fatal and would lead to the complete destruction of her fragile existence. As for the social and historical significance of the book, the Bell jar is set in the 1950’s. Things were much different back then than they are now and those differences create important factors in the book. A woman’s place in society, which Esther often agonizes over, was a complicated thing in the 50’s. The time was one of a revolution when women redefined their place in life. Unfortunately, that added uncertainty to the new generation. They were expected to be docile yet assertive and businesslike at the same time, they were expected to be working women, yet to be married and keep up a family. Women were being pulled into both traditional and also new directions as they explored new freedoms and paths in life. At the time the world was both oppressive and confusing for a young woman such as Esther, who holds blossoming modern ideas and morals.
Uniquely, the antagonist is Esther Greenwood herself. In many ways, she’s trying to fight her own opinions by contradicting herself with society’s rules. She battles with the Esther
that other people and she herself want to see and the Esther that is true to her character. It often seems that there are two “Esthers” in this book - the Esther that wants to live in the city, and the Esther that that prefers country life, the Esther that wants to stay a virgin until marriage and the Esther that doesn’t. This Esther strives to be true to herself through rebelling against convention. In this story, she has two phases, the protagonist and the antagonist, both working against each other for their own agenda.
Sylvia Plath has a way of pulling you into the Bell jar. Despite the main character’s convoluted reasoning throughout the book, the author presents Esther’s thoughts in a way that makes them seem completely reasonable. As a reader, I eventually found myself agreeing with her in many matters that were severely detached from reality.
The bell jar is immensely important to read for a number of reasons - it is not only a classic piece of fiction - it is also a semiautobiographical milestone in feminism that addresses patriarchy, materialism, double standards, isolation and an interesting idea of ambition: how the character started from nothing, had to work her whole life until she got a scholarship to college and finds herself in New York, where she completely loses all of her drive, ambition and passion. She can’t do the things she loves and wants to do (write or read) any more and is fed by how easy everything is for her- her grades meet all the requirements but don’t fill the emptiness that resonates within her.
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WHY DO WE FALL? by FILIP JANUŠKA
I sincerely hope you were able to finish this quote from the Dark Knight trilogy (great trilogy BTW, you should definitely give it a go). Well, even if you weren’t, it doesn’t matter. I think we can agree that everybody goes through tough times during their whole lives. A lot of the times an age-old question pops in these peoples’ heads; “Why is this happening?“ If you expect me to answer this, boy (or girl, or your preferred gender noun), you sure do overestimate me. Truth is, no one can answer this with absolute certainty. Sure, there are philosophies, religions and other beliefs, but it seems like certain things just happen with no reason whatsoever. But this isn’t what I want to deal with today. As the title suggests, I’ll be dealing with the consequences of our “falls” and how we can get the most out of them. Buckle up! Alright, first of all, I need you to close your eyes and relax. Wait, you can read with closed eyes, right? If not, just close one eye, read the text with the other and relax your respective hemisphere . Now, I want you to dig up a specific memory from your childhood. Could be you touching a hot stove, biting on a cactus, exploring the power plug socket with a fork or eating a “piece of chocolate” you found in the dog park. All of these experiences have something in common. Unless you were a slower child, you definitely wouldn’t repeat any of these stunts again. You learned that a cactus is in fact not a delicious snack, chocolate bars don’t magically appear on the ground and you even learned basics about electricity and conductivity. And with this knowledge, you went forward smarter and more resilient and that made you avoid these situations in the future. Weren’t it for these experiences, you’d possibly end up in a situation lot worse than these quasi innocent childhood moments. A fella called Otto once said “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others”. Now, I don’t fully agree with this quote. Yes, you can learn from the mistakes of others and it’s the preferable way of learning, but the only way to truly learn and remember is to have a “scar” which will always remind you what caused it. To develop this sort of scar, one must sustain an injury. An injury in the form of a burnt hand, spiky mouth or burnt hair. This also applies to mental struggles, which leave a mental scar. Human beings are creatures of trial and error. You try something, if it works: good, if it doesn’t: try something else. Only then we may know what is good and what is bad. We are formed by the mistakes we make and the moments, which bring us to our knees. Every hardship, every low point of your life, every bad memory you have, all of this molded you and made you become the person you are today. Only by making these mistakes or going through these “trials” did you get to this exact point of your life. Your whole past, good or bad, is what makes you who you are. To create pure gold, it must be cleansed with fire. Every time you find yourself in a hard spot, you have two ways of looking at things. You may choose the pessimistic point of view, succumb to negative emotions and make your suffering even greater, or you may choose to look at it as an opportunity to grow, to learn and to become wiser. It’s definitely not easy, but when you start thinking like this, you’ll find that not everything is the end of the world. No matter how thick the clouds are, the sun is always shining behind them. No matter how desperate your current situation may seem, the future is always bright, you just need to make the first step into it. So, why do we fall? To quote Alfred: “So we learn to pick ourselves up”. Every time we fall, we have the opportunity to stand up stronger than before the fall. It’s only up to us. So, if nothing else, I want you to remember this: Life is beautiful, even if it may not momentarily seem so. Try to stay optimistic in all situations, and you may find that not everything is as bad as it seems.
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WORDPLAY
The age of greed by MARTIN KRČ
Clink, A seductive wink, A cold touch, Rough, but pleasant, One on top of the other, Sister to sister, brother to brother… A fly making its way through the hoard, Looking for those who can’t afford… More! ‘We can’t get by! Help us, feed us, shelter us! You can, just try! We ourselves don’t, but then… Who does? There’s no time to look behind, We don’t have enough to mind… Them!’ Compromises, withholding, sacrifice, Were tried, but don’t suffice, So get out of the way, Or, if you think you can, then stay, The choice is yours! What does a twig among logs mean? Why do the useless ones enter the list? One assumed the opposite position, To help the other four grab, Since then they nourish on, Upon the very last scrap!
When passion and blindness meet, It’s time to greet the age of greed! A joker sits above the king, A chain, clasping with every link, Those who yield, Who don’t wield, The power to break free. Who holds the leash? The king? The joker? A desire? Who woke her? And her fire did unleash... The fire has been lit, Embrace the age of greed! Bow, crawl and beg, Don’t lament over a broken leg, A small sacrifice for, Common well being. In the mad and ruthless race, For losers there is no place, So be gone and make space, For better days, for brighter days… Or… look at those in need, It’s time to spit on the age of greed!
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COMIC
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JOKES
JOKES by Mgr. ĽUBICA DURCOVÁ
A BUILDER FALLS DOWN FROM SCAFFOLDING. HIS CO-WORKERS ENCOURAGE HIM: - “FASTER, FASTER, A BRICK IS FALLING ON YOU!” A WIFE COMMENTS ON HER HUSBAND´S WORK AS A FOOTBALL REFEREE: - “I DON´T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE TO GO TO A FOOTBALL MATCH EVERY SUNDAY. I CAN GIVE YOU A FEW OF THOSE SLAPS TO YOUR FACE AT HOME.“ AN OPTIMIST AT THE END OF HIS LIFE: “MY LIFE HASN´T WORKED OUT, BUT THE WEATHER WAS NICE.” A WIFE COMPLAINS TO HER HUSBAND: -“THERE IS SO MUCH MUD IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE THAT I HAD TO WASH SIX CHILDREN BEFORE I FOUND OUR MIŠKO.” A POLICE OFFICER TALKS TO A SMALL BOY: - “WHEN YOUR FRONT LIGHT DOESN´T WORK, YOU HAVE TO GET OFF YOUR BIKE AND PUSH IT.“ - “I TRIED THAT, BUT IT STILL DIDN´T WORK.“
A MOTHER TALKS TO HER SON: -“ARE YOU SURE YOU DIDN´T DISRUPT LESSONS YESTERDAY?” -“HOW COULD I? I WAS STANDING IN THE CORNER THE WHOLE TIME!” A LITERARY CRITIC TALKS TO A NOVEL WRITER: -“I HAVE READ YOUR NOVEL.“ -“THE LAST ONE?“ -“I HOPE SO.“
A NURSE RUSHES TO A DOCTOR: -“DOCTOR, DOCTOR, THE MALINGERER FROM NUMBER FIVE PROBABLY HAD A STROKE!“ -“WHAT? HE HAS OVERDONE IT THIS TIME!“ TWO OLD GENTLEMEN COMPLAIN TO EACH OTHER: -“I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM. I CANNOT SLEEP.“ -“YOU HAVE TO DO IT MY WAY. I COUNT TO THREE AND AFTER THAT I ALWAYS FALL ASLEEP“ -“REALLY, ONLY TO THREE?“ -“I HAVE TO ADMIT SOMETIMES I COUNT TILL HALF PAST THREE A.M.”
- “MUM, DID YOU CALL ME?“ -“NO.” -“DAD, DID YOU CALL ME?” -“NO, I DIDN´T.” -“OK. LET ME REPHRASE. THERE IS NOTHING FOR DINNER TONIGHT OR WHAT?
HOW TO DISTINGUISH A BROWN BEAR, A GRIZZLY BEAR AND A POLO BEAR? 1. A BEAR CHASES YOU – YOU RUN AND THEN YOU CLIMB A TREE. WHEN THE BEAR STAYS UNDER THE TREE IT´S A BROWN BEAR. 2. A BEAR CHASES YOU – YOU RUN AND THEN YOU CLIMB A TREE. WHEN THE BEAR CLIMBS THE TREE AFTER YOU IT´S A GRIZZLY BEAR. 3. A BEAR CHASES YOU – YOU RUN AND THERE ISN´T ANY TREE IT´S A POLO BEAR. WHAT’S UP
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INTRODUCING OUR REGION
Partisan shelter in ’’Vetešov Jarok’’ by MATÚŠ RYBNIKÁR
Can you hear the brook softly flowing down the hill, or the crackling fire and the sizzling sausages? The wind lightly blowing and the air, that’s cool even during a hot sunny day? Seems like a calm place, doesn’t it? This place may seem like a nice calm place to you now, but the partisans probably felt completely different when they were lying there beaten, scared and waiting for aid. The partisans were persecuted by the Germans during the Slovak National Uprising and had to change their shelters very often. Their shelter in Nárcie had been uncovered and they had to use a new one after a cruel fight in Cetuna. Someone suggested a shelter hidden deep in the woods, but there was a problem - it was too far away. Knowing that it was their only chance to survive, they started their journey to ‘’Vetešov Jarok’’. They were travelling on a sleigh and had to travel during night in order to not get caught. The sleigh was drawn by horses and there was a snow storm. The horses tried their best but weren’t able to pull the sleigh directly up to the shelter, so the healthy partisans had to carry the beaten to the shelter. And then they waited in the shelter for aid. The shelter was renovated and has been maintained by ‘’Do Stará Turá’’ since then. The Fénix entrance to the tunnel from the side of Brestovec