Geography!

The republic of Slovenia lies at the "heart" of Europe, where the Alps face the Pannonian plains and the Mediterranean meets the Karst. It borders Austria to the north; Hungary to the east; Croatia to the south and Italy to the west. "The territory of Slovenia is divided into four basic types of landscapes, Alpine in the north, Mediterranean in the south-west, Dinaric in the south and Pannonian in the east" (In case you're like me and was confused that Dinaric or Pannonian were entire types of landscapes, Pannonian simply refers to the plains in the Carpathian Basin and Dinaric refers to the Dinaric Alps mountain chain.) The Slovenian climate is sub-Mediterranean along the coast and its hinterland. There is an exceptionally wide variety of habitats in Slovenia. "More than half of the country (about 58%) is covered by forests."







Above is what I think it the most picturesque location in Slovenia: Kranj with the Slovenian Alps in the background. To the right is a picture of Slovenian forests. It's deciduous. Cool.


This is a map of Slovenia for you.














And their flag. It's pretty classic. Standard.















That used to be worth something. Now they have the Euro. It still looks neat, though.

For more reading, check out this wealth of information:
http://www.slovenia.si/slovenia_facts/
http://www.zrc-sazu.si/agss/Slovenia.htm

Big Brother Slovenia

This is the American TV show they transport to Slovenia? God, why?



What I want to see is the Slovenian version of Lost. No joke, that would be genius.

Eurovision!

A continuation of Slovenia's involvement of pan-European communication, this time in SONG FORM. Eurovision is so entertaining.



It's a bit racy too! Those sly Slovenes.

Conversational Slovenes

What does Slovenia, a country with a marked lack of violence, do when they get together with leaders of other European states? They talk. A lot. A two-day conference of the mayors of 18 of Europe's capitals met in Ljubljana on Thursday to kick off an intercultural dialogue.

"The mayors agreed to sign the Ljubljana Declaration, which aims to contribute to a more tolerant and open society and forms the basis for further cooperation between Europe's capitals."

How that would actually happen, the article didn't say.

The international WDR Europe Forum 2008 is also due to start in Ljubljana.

"The speakers include President of European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Parliament, Hans Gert Poettering, and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who will participate in the debate on the Lisbon Treaty."

The Slovenian EU presidency welcomed the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in Lithuania and Latvia recently. The Lisbon Treaty aims to make the EU more efficient and transparent. "Moreover, through instruments, such as civil initiative and a greater role of national parliaments, the EU will come closer to its citizens and become more democratic."

So, those things sound pleasant. If you want to read more, check out the Slovenian Press Agency.

http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1282347
http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1282185&pr=1
http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&t=0&id=1282368&pr=1

EU Presidency

Slovenia has become the first new member of the European Union to hold the rotating presidency of the block.

The European Commission met with the Slovenian cabinet on the 8th of January to discuss the priorities of the EU during Slovenia's term at the helm of the bloc in the first half of the year. Margot Wallstroem answered "the goal for 2008 was to have a Europe of results."

There has been confidence in the success of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU. According to Jansa, the presidency will tailor its activities in order to provide for smooth ratification of the recently-signed EU reform treaty. Their goal is to have the document in force by 2009.

Another item high on the agenda of the talks was the future of the Western Balkans. The talks produced a concrete initiative; Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel announced plans for an EU task force that would  help Serbia with its accession efforts. 

On the homefront in Slovenia, several dozen people turned out in front of the Serbian Orthodox church in Ljubljana to protest against the independence of Kosovo. Not atypically, it passed peacefully.

Apparently Slovenia has great metal

I'm two years older than Slovenia. It declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Dude. And unlike Croatia or Bosnia, Slovenia's independence was basically bloodless. Overall, it's been doing pretty well for itself. The media scene is free and diverse, and the constitution supports freedom of expression. There are only about 2 million people there and it's apparently the most prosperous region of the former Yugoslavia. If you want to read general information, I'm a strong fan of Wikipedia.

This Slovenian blogger has some interesting stuff to say about Freedom.

Slovenian music. It's only a smidge different from Finland's contribution to Eurovision.

This makes me feel like I have now traveled to Slovenia. Okay.

Although I don't think I could make it out alive after watching these guys.

CIA World Factbook gives a much drier view of their population. They have a 99.7% literacy rate. Damn.

So, before you read this article about Slovenia Places to Say "I Do" you should all make sure to check out this important piece of fine journalism Is Slovenia Right For my Children? heheh pertinent. Those are from a generally stand up English written Slovenian newspaper. The Slovenian Times.

Slovenian Press Agency

Cheers.