The heart of Indonesia

The heart of Indonesia

Almost in the heart of Indonesia is situated one of its smaller islands – Bali. It look like a diamond with white beaches surrounded by paddy fields. As it is a small state people use to take a taxi or borrow car or motorbike and explore whole country.

Home of cheeky monkeys

The first thing on island that attracts people´s attention is its nature. You can see volcanic mountains covered by primaeval forest, volcano Gunung Batur or botanical garden full of orchids. Except from amazing nature there are different interesting Hindu – Buddhistic temples. The most interesting from them is definitely Tanah Lot which is built on rock in the middle of wather. In each town you can find small workshops that offer typical straw and wooden souvenirs.
The capital of Bali is Denpasar and it is similar like other cities in the world. Ubud is town situated in the middle of island and it is considered as a center of art.
Very interesting experience it visit of The cave of bats or Mandala Wisanta Wanara Wana. That is natural reservation for macaques. Sometimes they are aggressive but only when they do not get thing they want. In this situation they are capable to stole it.

Every nation has its own culture and traditions and this place has lots of that it can offer.

Chinese wall is longer

Chinese wall is longer

New measure shows that Chinese wall is longer than we have thought until now. Chinese offices realized mapping study which uncovered new parts of this monumental contruction expect existing 290 kilometres of lenght.

The new part of wall was uncovered by modern methods like GPS and infra-red measurig. It is situated from mountains, valleys and rivers in province called Liao-ning to the pass in province Kan-su.

Chinese wall is 2000 years old. Its primary function was to protect from attacks of Mongols. Newly measured part of wall was built during the reign of dynasty Ming and it had to protect country from enemies from the north. Scientists say that since this time the wall has eroded. After new measuring this monumental construstion measures 6300 kilometres in length.

Chinese archaeologists pounce that part of wall in province Kan-su is only pile of dust which will disappear in 20 years. They blame agricultural methods for that. In addition to this wall in this locality is made from trampled clay not from bricks and stones.

In recent years China has started with reconstruction of Chinese wall in an efford to use it as an atraction for tourists.

Shopping abroad

Shopping abroad

In recent years people in Slovakia have succumbed to trend of shopping. I am not going to talk about shopping in our shops or supermarkets but about shopping abroad. This hobby has several advantages and disadvantages.

Controversial selection of journey

Slovaks use to go shopping to countries which are near to our borders. The most frequent are Hungary and Poland. Then continues Austria and Czech Republic and the Ukraine is interesting for inhabitants from the east of our country. However Ukraine has still border searches and prohibitions. People are not allowed to buy alcohol and citarettes in an amount they want. On the other hand people prefer low prices and because this fact they do not resist bribing.

Plannig in advance

Shopping abroad includes long journey, too. It could be better if you pack also a map of country which you want to visit and take some friend who can speak relevant language. This would be good prevention to avoid possible problems. Other good idea is to change your money in Slovakia because you have certainity that you won´t became victimized. Also you can pay with credit card. By the way you can make a list of goods that you want to buy because you would have another problems like find place where you can park or something similar.

Spring jazz days in Bratislava

Hungarian group HársHegyBand, bassguitarist Jamaaladeen Tacumu with a project Coltarane Configurations and saxophonist Maceo Parker with his band. These musicians, famous people of jazz world comes to Slovakia to enjoy their fans. They had concerts in Košice, Komarno and finally in PKO, in Bratislava, where was realized second year of the event Spring Bratislava Jazz Days.
The evening full of jazz started HársHegyBand at 7 o´clock p.m. Then showed their music art Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Tony Kofi, Orrin Evans and Tim Hutson. He presented the art of Jonh Coltrane and the public appreciates his performance by a standing ovation. British groups thanks for it by an encore.

One of the best saxophonist all over the world, Maceo Parker came at 10 o´clock p.m. A musician veteran, who is 60 years old, played songs which we can characterize in a word – funky. He offered this style full of positive energy both with his band. The band is consists of a guitarist Will Boulware, a bassist Rodney „Sheet“ Curtis, a trumpetist Ron Tooley, Dennis Rollins, who plays a trombone, a drummer jamal Thomas and the vocalists Corey Parker and Neta Hall.
This star of jazz heaven even played at Prince´s tour. He had been in Bratislava five years ago, but he reached bigger success in this year.

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Hitler´s paintings were sold

British auction room Mullock´s auctioned collection of portraits painted by a Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in Thursday. Thirteen watercolour paintings were found in a collector´s garage at the beginning of present year. „A collector simply forgot the paintings and he found them after years,“ notes Richard Wastwood-Brookes, the exper of the auction house. The finder of portraits earned by this auction about 107 000 €. „Auction gain meaningly got over the expectations,“ said the delegate of the Mullock´s.

The paintings contains landscapes, villages and bunches of flowers. The most interesting is a portrait where is a man sitting on a stone bridge. It´s probably Hitler´s self-portrait, even though the author didn´t characterize lines of face strictly. A portrait is singed by a signature A. H and it´s dated to year 1910, when young Adolf was a 21. It was finally sold for a 11 000 €. The all paintings were made in 1908 – 1914, in time, when young Hitler tried to earn as an artist in Vienna. The highest price reached an oil painting where are displayed trees and village houses. A new owner paid 136 000 pounds for it. Unknown shopper bought an easel, what probably owned Hitler for 15 000 dollars,. The Mullock´s both auctioned 400 items includes documents, articles and magazines joined with Nazi era.

Hitler always dreamed about painter´s career. When he graduated a school, he only hanged around and he felt like a talented painter. It lasted two years. He came to Vienna when he was 18, because he want to complete entrance examination at Academy of Creative Arts. This examination includes 2 parts. Candidates had to create a few paintings with Christian, mythological or classic theme at first part. Hitler was successful, but he didn´t managed second part. Candidates had to show samples of their own portraits at the second part. A jury consider Hitler´s paintings a insufficient, because there weren´t much figures. Hitler´s dream was broken and he was disappointed. Inspite of that, he lived in Vienna as an artist and he made many small pictures in 1909 and 1910. He usually painted houses copied from the postcards, landscapes, portraits and advertising posters. He used water colours, oil and ink for his paintings.

„The world was unlucky, that Hitler wasn´t enroled to the Academy of Creative Arts, where he want to study. It maybe could to survive million people,“ notes a delegate of the organizator of the auction ironically.

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Travelling in New York

Whatever method of travel chosen, there is so much to do and see in New York. The Empire State Building, for forty years the tallest building in the world, each year carries over a million and a half visitors to its observatory high above the city. Madison Square Garden is the place to go to see basketball and hockey games, rock concerts, rodeos and even the circus. The city is home to a number of zoos, including the Bronx Zoo, one of the best in the world. Museums offer a limitless variety of possibilities to view nature (The New York Natural History Museum, the Hayden Planetarium, Coney Island’s New York Aquarium) art (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and even an aircraft carrier (The Intrepid Sea-Airspace Museum).
Broadway and Times Square offer an endless variety of dramatic plays and musicals productions as well as the studios of MTV. All night dance clubs are scattered throughout the city, and patrons include the rich and famous as well as young New York working people who dance.
A fabulous city, New York is a mecca to Americans living up and down the East coats of the United States and to visitors from all over the United States and the world.

nika

Harlem

At the northern part of the island is Harlem. In the 1800s, many black families moved to the neighbourhood of handsome brownstone houses , schools and shops. Harlem became a centre of arts and entertainment in the 1920s, an era known as the Harlem Renaissance. Black poets, painters, and musicians produced new work in this environment. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Billie Holiday performed in famous clubs like the Cotton Club. While Harlem turned slowly into a slum, it is now being revived and refurbished by families and groups interested in preserving the area’s black and African history.
Another famous New York neighbourhood is Greenwich Village, which became a home to struggling playwrights and artists. It is now a high rent district but remains an attraction to visitors who stroll along streets like Mac Dougal Street and stop in cafes, jazz clubs and bars.
Most New Yorkers and tourists navigate the city through the subway systems that connect with the railroads at Grand Central Station and Pennsylvania Station. Each day at least five hundred trains arrive and leave from Grand Central terminal. Travelling by New York cab is a bit more expensive, but always an experience to remember! New York cabbies are notorious for their wild deriving, and often tourists include tales about a harrowing cab ride. In their trip memories. The Staten Island Ferry offers a fabulous view of the Manhattan Skyline.

Nika

POPULATION IN NEW YORK

While over one and a half million people are crowded into Manhattan Island, the city offers many parks and neighbourhoods to contain them. The famous Central Park and other smaller parks offer places to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. Manhattan is divided into the East Side and West Side by Fifth Avenue. Housing is a big problem in Manhattan where most people rent the apartments in which they live.
The neighbourhoods of New York are diverse and often reflect the immigrant populations that settled here. Three-fourths of New York’s population includes Irish, Italian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, and black Americans. The famous Chinatown neighbourhood resembles the country for which is named with telephone booths shaped like pagodas. Little Italy is just north of Chinatown and has the sights, smells, and sounds of other Italian cities. The Lower East Side of Manhattan is a “melting pot” of races, religions and cultures. Many of the immigrants who settled there in the early 1900s survived crowding and poverty by becoming educated in the city’s public schools and colleges. Many of these immigrants were Jewish people from Eastern Europe. Today, many Jewish businesses flourish in the city. The part of Manhattan now is home to a large Puerto Rican population.

Nika

NEW YORK

New York City, named “The Big Apple” by jazz musicians in the 1920s, is the city that never sleep. It is alive and full of adventure, a magnet for people from all over the world with dreams and ambitions. Founded in 1625, it was chartered as a city in 1653. New York City is one of the largest cities in the United States and is among the largest in the world.
From its founding, it has served as a gateway to America. Beginning in 1892, millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island in the New York Harbour, where their first image of America was the famous and beautiful Statue of Liberty, a gift from France in 1886. “The Lady”, as the Statue of Liberty is often called, was restored in 1986 and offers a spectacular view of the New York skyline. Half of New York City’s population is either foreign born or has a foreign born parents.
New York City is divided into five boroughs or sections. The island of Manhattan is what many people think of when they think of New York City because it is considered the “heart” of the city, but it is only one of the five boroughs. The others are Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Richmond, better known as Staten Island. The boroughs are connected to each other and to the rest of the state by bridges and tunnels.

nika

Statue of Liberty


The Statue of Liberty, completed in 1884, was a gift from France to celebrate the independence of the USA.
The French historian Edouard Laboulaye and sculptor Frederic Bartholdi designed the statue and Gustave Eiffel designed the interior.
The only condition of the gift was that America provide the statue’ base. The Statue of Liberty National Monument is one of the country’s most visited monuments. A trip can mean a several-hour wait in line. The monument has other attractions, including a museum and exhibit in the pedestal. The promenade, colonnade and top levels of the pedestal offers spectacular view of New York Harbour.
Sculptor Bartholdi first created Liberty as a 2.25 meter clay model. Then he enlarged it in plaster several times. The skin is strong enough to withstand, yet is able to expand and contract with ghanges in temperature.

Nika

The London Eye

The London Eye is the world’s largest observation wheel. Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield came up with the idea as an entry for a millennium celebration competition organised in London. They were very happy when they were told that their project had been chosen from all the many entries but, remembering it had to be fully working and ready by 1st January 2000, they quickly started to organise the difficult job of transforming their design drawings into a real, working model.
It is 200 hundred times bigger than a normal bicycle wheel and there are probably more than 2000 different opinions about the London Eye.
Standing next to the river Thames, like a majestic eagle, it is close to Westminster Bridge and Big Ben. The London Eye is 135 meters high, that is nearly three times as high as Tower Bridge. It has 32 passenger capsules, and these have room for 24 people in each one. On a fine day visitors can see over 25 miles in any direction, including Windsor Castle.
A unique design success story for the start of a new century, the London Eye carries up to 15,000 visitors a day.

NIKA

Only nails?

The designing of nails starts with the cleaning. It is always better to keep your nails clean. Your nails reflect your sense of personal hygiene. In the span of teb years, decorating nails has become widely popular. Essential makeup tip of modern women is manicure.

Nowadays nail art is very famous, many countries organize different events on nail art. It help to nailists from various countries to share their skills, experiences and new techniques. There are some renowned nailists of the world like Michiko Matsushita, Eriko Kurosaki, Junco Ogava who are of Japanese origin. It is logical because nail art was developed in Japan.

This art means shaping, filing, painting of nails and other special activities like drawing pictures, sculptures and images on nails. So this work is pleasure for nailists I am sure. They always create something new and original. Thereafter if creation is successful it gives greater satisfaction to those who have taken this art as full time profession.
A professional nailist uses properly tested materials. Nail art or nail painting is done with the help of needles, stencils and nail brushes. Nail artist covers nails with pictures and ornaments also he decorates the nails with polishes and paints available widely in makets. Another art of nail designing is done by the application of beads, flowers, feathers, clips and stones which are glued on the nail surface.
It is true the most frequent manicure is the French manicure. Some fashion experts think that the french manicure has outdated. But in the majority of cases the French manicure is considered to be classic style that will never go out of fashion. Nails with this typies of manicure look cleanly, nartural and well-groomed. This appearance is neither falshy nor fussy. Application is very simply and good for short nails.
Of course you can design your nails according to your creativity and imagination. Another way is to go to a beauty salon. There nailists satisfy your demands. good luck:)

The red jewel of Moscow

The red jewel of Moscow

Few years ago it was the centre of communism. Today rich businessmen drive their expensive cars along new roads and they don´t want to hear something about socialism. The fact is that Moscow is today the most expensive city in the world.

When you are visitor of Moscow it is good if you bring a camera because this city offers very interesting things and places. One of decoys is Kremlin. I think that you have ever heard about it. Over the course of years Kremlin has became the symbol of Moscow. Its foundations extend to history and today it is dominant feature here. Nobody can´t overlook heavy walls and 20 guarding towers. Inside is a museum armoury. The Red Square is the centre of tourism. Different exhibitions and soldierly tours are common for it.

If you have ever seen some postcard from Russia you could probably see The Temple of Vasilij Blažený because it is the best known among tourists. This building consists of ten small chapels where you can find frescos and typical decoration.

During your trip you can also visit The Mausoleum of V.I.Lenin, The Theatrical Square, The statue of Karl Marx or Okhoktny ryad which is modern shopping centre. There are lots of possibilities – you only have to choose.

Way of life

As well as know everything new is very attractive and new kind of sports are not exceptions. The popularity of extreme sports has continued to grow steadily from year to year. A lot of people are attracted to dangerous activities, relatively new category of sports. They express themselves this way.

More and more people in the world live for feeling the thrill. They need to experience the rush, take it to the extremes. This amazing style of life, this hobby brings every body accelerated pulse and heart beating wild, I am sure. The lack of safety, the inability to create specific rules for concrete kind of sport are characteristics of adrenaline sport.

In general the most popular and the most typical is Bungee jumping among laymen. It was invented in the 1970s by group of English adventures who called themselves the „ Dangerous Sports Club“. But for me the climbing is exciting sport. There is a wide spectrum of risk. But you can influence safety factor because you can choice the level of risk. It is great advantage. There is the ultimate option of climbing with or without the security of ropes. During climbing you have to concentrate to do right step because every detail is important for the prospect to see beautiful scenery and for your life, too. I think breathtaking view from the top of the rock is wonderful experience.

Some people are fed up with football, basketball which became generic, feel passion to dangerous sports. Fortunately there is a large scale of opportunity to change it. We live in the 21st century and so many young people prefer rush activities to the stereotypical lazy Sunday afternoon. They try to variegate daily routine, try to be not boring. They, you and me can involve in different activities such as skydiving, mount biking and so on. Every body can join various clubs, take adventure trips and attend events with people who have same passion for adrenaline sport.

It´s up to you!!!

New phenomenon - Facebook

Communication is very important for our relationship and own development, too. Now way of it is changing. We very often use new form of contact, conversation. Oral communication is often replaced by telephone or data communication. We use internet, mobil to meet friends, to listen to radio ( online), to spend time. Funny programmes as ICQ, Google or Youtube are well-known among people. Now there is interestant phenomenon – Facebook.

Why is it so attractive to the young and adults people, too? I am sure, this social portal has one great advantage. Every body is looking friends up because it is simple, members are registred under full name.

Originally Facebook started out strictly for American students of Harvard and arose on 4th february in 2004. Gradually it was widespread and used by various universities in America. Nowadays Facebook has more than 150 millions users in the world. It is easily accesible in more than 170 countries and is translated into several languages. So you can find your long lost friends from around the globe. But there are more interests for you. You create profile, can choose to let only your friends see your profile or option to have no limits at all. Posting albums, sending messages to one another, scribbling notes on each other´s „walls“ or sending „gifts“ are funny way how to spend time. I like commenting on the photo, playing games and taking quizes. Option, to became fans of something, is great, too. You know actual infomation about your friends. If someone gange things on her profile, you will know. If someone uploads new pictures, you will know. And if someone writes on the other´s public wall, you will know and you can read it at your „ home“. But you do not worry about the privacy, it is not endangered. Publicing of something is your own decision,you have to allow it.

A large part of young people are registered at favourite network, Pokec, in Slovakia. But recently Facebook-boom is exploding in Slovakia. A lot of my friends, including me, have become members of this portal, they all migrate to Facebook. I think this is a super place for keeping in touch with friends amd making new ones. But you do not remember to keep real relationship, real contact.

Traveler´s cinema

Traveler´s cinema

In Bratislava there you can find traveler´s cinema called „Horáreň“. It is situated in part of city known as „Horský park“. This institution regularly organizes exceptional actions and this plane they are going to realize tomorrow.

The special visit comes on Sunday 19th of April at 02:00 p.m.. It is a matter of Tibetan monks from small monastery Lhodak Gaden Dhonnyiling Monastery who are coming from Central Europe under the terms of their cultural tour. They are going to visit the exhibition “Tajomná Šangrila” and all its parts – discussions, dances and meditations. The return will be devoted to Buddhistic cloister in Indian exile.

If you are more interested in narration you can visit other institution called “Lesná škôlka”. Two interesting guests – collegues and friends Vladimír Beňadik and Ivana Viskupová will come tomorrow at 06:00 p.m. to talk about their experiences during Expedition Davamand. They tried to negotiate the highest mountain of Iran. If they were successful you can find out right tomorrow. The entrance is 1 €. More informations you can find on www.cestoklub.sk

ENERGY drink

One of our primary need is drinking. We must quench the thirst every day. It is good motivation for companies. Day after day scale of drinks is larger in shops. You can find different kind of drink alcoholic or soft drink, drink with fruity, herbal flavour.

Nowadays energy drinks have became increasingly popular, especially with teens and young adults, srudents and drivers of camions. There are more than 500 new energy drinks in the world. These beverages contain some form of legal stimulant and sometimes vitamins. Main „ magical“ ingredients is sugar or caffeine. It all give cosumers energy. They are full of beans, it helps them wake up in the morning, dance or drive all the night. But experts and laymen are questioning whether people are harming their health by drinking them. Of course energy drinks are marketed as being natural energy boosters. In general they are offered towards the young who enjoy going to parties. Now people are buying energy drinks in record numbers. It is well-know Red Bull leads in this industry. Taurine, guarana, minerals and vitamins are often added to make drink healthy. It is only marketing ploy because content of herbal ingredients is small. Other harmful ingredients cause a few of the potential health risks. You can injure your health including depresion, heart health, diabetes, nervous system, poor sleeping habits, additive behaviors and premature aging. But these drinks are more dangerous combined with alcohol. It is actually a very popural mixed drink among young. In our country bars mix vodka with energy drink. This negative combination, a depressant (alcohol) with a simulant (the energy drink), have effect on your heart. In extreme case it can lead to death. So several countries, such as France and Denmark, have already banned the sales of energy drinks. Energy drink and cigarette or alcohol are similar case in our country. It is harmful but it is not banned. On the other hand there is one difference. You have not to be adult in years to use energy drink.

Playing it safe

At the present more and more children is growing up in Slovakia in the midst of prefab concrete high-rise building. Parents are happy that their children does not play computer games and go out. Outdoors play equipment provide fun, fresh air and excercises. But on the other hand it is some kind of safety „ hazard“. Parents should pay attention to public playground more.

Playgrounds offer hundred of options of swings, ladders, slides climbing equipment but in generally the playground surface is the most important safety precaution. Surface such as asphalt, cement, dirt, grass and rocks are not acceptable surfaces. These recommended surfaces include various materials such as wood fiber chips or bark mulch, pea gravel, sand, sawed rubber or other synthetic thing as rubber tiles and mats. All these objects should be placed beneath and around equipment.

It is importnant to note that no surface guarantee safety, specially against orthopadict injuries like broken wrists and ankles. Playground equipment should be designed for three different age groups: infants under 2 year, 2 – to 5 – years olds (presschoolers), and 5- to 12-years old (school-age kids). Swings are the most frequent source of childhood injuries from moving eqiupment on playground. So it should be made of soft material such as rubber or plastic, not wood or metal.

Parents can help prevent playground accidents by taking some precautions, too. For example ensuring that there's adult supervision at the playground, and making sure that the equipment is appropriate to a child's age and maturity level.

It is sad our youth causes a lot of damage on place where they used to play as children. There you can find some objects that pollute this nice area. You can spend some time by picking up pieces of broken glass bottles, cigarette butts and ground is overgrown by weeds.

Many of you will probably do not care about these things untill you have your own children. But you remember play is an important part of kids' physical, social, intellectual, and emotional development. Now or later you try make it a better and safer place for the little ones. One ways is reporting problems to the city parks department, school or other organization that is responsible for the upkeep of the playground. Or you solve this problem by yourself. It´s up tu you!!!

Portobello Road

Have you seen the film NOTTING HILL with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts? The part of London you can see in the film is Portobello Road.
Portobello Road is famous for its market. It is claimed to be the longest street market in Britain. It changes character according to which day you come. From Monday to Thursday it sells fruit, vegetables and clothing, on Friday you can find there second – hand junk and general bric-a-brac and Saturday is the day of the famous antiques market.
Portobello Road antiques market is one of the world’s largest markets with over 1,500 dealers selling every kind of antique and collectable. Its history goes back to the 19th century, having started as a gypsy horse market in 1870s.
Today, the market is a magnet for tourists, visitors, collectors and bargain-hunter’s. Therefore, many shops, including some up-market antique shops and art galleries, have deliberately moved here. They sell furniture, pictures, toys or silver for prices starting from a few pounds to several thousands.
The market starts at about 5.30 am with trading between dealers from the UK and overseas. Most stall holders arrive by 8.00 am and the market is in full swing for the rest of the day. It is a bohemian area and a great place for a snack with exotic flavour.

Nika

Concert of Anastacia in Slovakia

Anastacia is going to visit the Slovakia the second time in her career. A concert will be held at September, 5th in Sibamac arena NTC in Bratislava. She was at the first time in Slovakia four years ago, concretely at August, 7th 2005 and she sang at football stadium. This American singer is 40 years old and she has recorded four albums.

Her European tour includes, except our country the Budapest, where she´s going to come at July, 6th and the Czech Republic in July.

A singer and a composer Anastacia Lyn Newkirk was born at September, 17th 1973 in Chicago. Talent for singing inherited from parents, because her father – Robert Newkirk was a singer and a mother – Diane Hurley was a musical actor at Broadway.

When Anastacia was a teenager, her family removed to New York City and she started to attend Professional Children´s School in Manhattan. When she was thirteen, doctors diagnosed her Crohn´s disease, but she didn´t give up and fought for her dream. She has a talent for dancing, too. She showed up in program Club MTV and she danced in a few video-clips for a rappers Salt-N-Pepa. She achieved a final level in the show MTV The Cut in 1999 and then she signed a contract with Daylight Records in March, 1999.

Anastacia´s first album Not That Kind was published in 2000 and it had a big success. The album achieved Top 10 in eight European countries, in Asia and Oceania. She won a platin record the four times in Australia. A succes had mainly a first singel I´m Outta Love. It became the most favourite song of year 2000. Then she published songs Cowboys & Kisses and Made for Lovin´ You.

Second album Freak Of Nature, recorded in 2001 didn´t have an international success. A song One Day In Your Life reached only Top 40, but it was one of the most favourite songs in Rhytmic radio and club hit parades.

A year 2002 was successful for Anastacia, too. Both Anastacia, Shakira, Cher and Mary J.Blige recorded concert Divas Live for the music station VH1. Then she recorded soundtrack to the musical Chicago named Love Is A Crime and she recorded a song Boom, an anthem for World Championship in football.

Doctors diagnosed her a breast cancer in 2003. Fortunately, a treatment was a successful and so she could prepare new album Anastacia, what was published in 2004. Her first live DVD named Live at Last was published in 2006. Anastacia´s last album is Heavy Rotation (2008).

Anastacia is married and a happy man is her bodyguard Wayne Newton.

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"Big world of Andy Warhola" in Paris

The first big exhibition of portraits made by Andy Warhola (1928 – 1987) , king of a pop-art is organized in the Grand Palais in Paris. The exhibition lasts to July, 13th. It contains 150 original portraits provided by rich collectors from their private collections. A gallery tries to show Warhola´s art in „new form“ and visitors appreciates it. The interest of public is huge. This event can compares to exhibition of Vincent van Gogh in Vienna last year.

The portraits exhibited in the gallery are so popular, that we surely can say about every second one, we see it somewhen or somewhere. There are e. g. portrait of Marilyn Monroe, Mao Ce-Tung, portraits of monarchs and famous bussinessmen who characterized a society in 60´s – 80´s.

Visitors can find not only portraits at the exhibition, but also source materials for these portraits – photographs and films, of which Warhola selected the best pieces for art proccessing.

A bonus is one of the artist´s experimental films, eight-hour view on Empire State Building in New York.

Andy Warhol was born in Medzilaborce, small town in Slovakia. He was unique artist, who knew to use a visual potential of an era, in which he lived. He took a photos, reconstructed and paint the faces of beautiful women and famous men, musicians, actors, fashion designers and politicians, e. g. Mick Jagger or Liz Taylor. He imaged things which became the symbols of American life after the war: a death-chair, a bottle of Coca-Cola, tins of soup or a one-dollar note. His art was a reaction to the mass culture and the consumer society. In general, he popularized the triviality and the stereotyp of Euro-American civilization and a consumer emptiness became a work of art.

This painter made 1000 portraits in years 1972 – 1986, what is nearly one portrait a week. Many of them were made to order and price was about 25 000 dollars for a portrait. He was really clever and he knew how to earn much money by his paintings. One specific character of Warhola´s pictures is „a beauty of surface“, it means, pictures don´t have hidden meaning, they image only themselves.

„Warhol was more than an artist, he´s been an icon,“ said Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Warhola´s previous colleague. "All the pictures are the another way of perception the history, the end of era and the start of something new,“ notes French fashion designer.

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New coat for Eiffel Tower

New coat for Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower is going to celebrate 120th birthday and its keeper is preparing a present for tower. Nowdays this present isn´t still secret – it is new brown coat. Necessary modifications to realize this idea will be 18 months in lenght. It will take times but attraction won´t be closed – it will be still open to the public. The tower´s keeper informed that working team will use about 60 tonnes of ecological colour in three shades of brown. This colour was choosed in order to tower goes together with Parisian surroundings. Eiffel Tower is restored every seven years and this new painting will be the nineteenth in order. The tower is 324 metres in high and because of 6 milions tourists is every year the most visited attraction in the world.

In the past the tower had different coats - reddish brown, ochre brown, yellow, tawny or dark-red. The brown coat has been dressed since 1968. The tower is work of Gustav Eiffel who built it up in 1889 for world exhibition in Paris. At first people considered it as abominable and this work had to be dismantled. Later offices decided to use it as radio transmitter and continues as an attraction. In occasion of 120th birthday Paris is preparing grandiose celebrations including exhibition in May and concerts and fireworks in June.

Diarrhoea - a present for us?

Diarrhoea - a present for us?

Tourists on holiday can bring from their favourite destination not only souvenirs but also different health problems in form of infectious diseases. The most often are diarrheal and respiratory diseases. Lots of Slovaks avoid exotic diseases by preventative vaccination.

Every year diarrheal diseases belong to holiday „presents“. Salmonellosis is the most common from them. Than continue illnesses of airways which originate in alternation of warm and cold air and air-conditioning.

In last year were registrated 107 diseases from 36 countries from whole world. From this view the most dangerous countries are Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and India.

Except from vaccination there are another ways to avoid this troubles. Doctors advise to consume only thermically processed victuals, drink only packed wather and don´t taste everything that is offered to you. Sometimes Slovaks bring bottle of domestic alcohol because they believe that it is the medicine for everything. I´m afraid that they are wrong.

Every year about 20- 30 Slovaks get infected by exotic diseases. 7 years ago Slovakia noticed one mortal case. One woman wanted to visit Kamerun and this decision was fatal for her because she succumbed to malaria.

The aim of this article wasn´t to persuade you to stay at home but realize that prevention is better than treatment.

Snow in Africa

Snow in Africa

When German missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf imformed Europe about a fact that in Africa is situated permanent snow, noboby believed him. However this man didn´t lie. It is fascinating that in hot equatorial Africa is really majestic hill which is covered by blanket of snow.

The higest hill of Africa

Kilimanjaro is giant volcano created by 3 separated volcanos – Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Crater of Kibo is 2 kilometres wide and 300 metres deep. One legend says that inside Kibo lives god who gives off smoke signaling in case of danger.

Tanzania belongs to the most favourite touristically destinations. Kilimanjaro is big decoy, mainly its highest point called Uhuru (freedom). 6 routes exist, but the best-known is „Coca-Cola route“. During this route you can use different servivies – restaurations or accommodation which offer Coca-Cola products.

The beauty of this volcano is based on its nature - it crosses 5 zones of vegetation. At first you can go along primaeval forest, than deserted plain, volcanic rock, desert and the last step is country of snow and ice.

The end of the glacier

Scientific prognosis shows that since 1912 82% of ice has melted. It is consequence of global warming. The most catastrophic scripts says that in 15 years glacier will disappear. So if you want to see a snow in Africa you must hurry up!

Internet in aeroplanes?

Internet in aeroplanes?

Travelling by plane is considered as one of the most comfortable way to travell. It is true that flight is the fastest way to get to your final destination but it is not ideal. During the flight you have different possibilities what to do – listen to music, watch some film, read a book or sleep. However for Internet fans it can be bit boring because they miss the thing they like the most – Internet.

Fortunately in the future it won´t be problem since American Airlines have decided to put Internet to their planes. They are plannig to put connection to the Internet to half of their aerial flotilla. It is attempt to increase their profits and improve the quality of modern standards of travelling by plane. In two years more than 300 planes will make possible for their passegers to connect to the Internet. Travellers will pay 13 dollars for this service.

Whole principle includes that passengers connect to the net on the earth and they can use connection to the 3 kilometres high. Actually this idea has been tested for 7 years on 15 planes. The interest is that porn sides will be automatically blocked and phoning through the net will be forbedden, too.

Days of health

A festival Days of health offers theoretic views on life and practic advices how to help yourself or people in your surroundings through a holding mental and physical health. Expert and amateur public comes to this festival with big interest and enthusiasm every year. Its aim is to help people to understand relations between particular events, a world around us and our own existence.

The festival lasts two days and it consists of many lectures, workshops and practic demonstrations. A main personality of this year´s festival is Ursula Vogt, a world-famous German teacher of Kabala and her lecture named „Kabala – a way back from mistake, guilt and sickness“. Except of that, she´s going to present hypnosis as a way, how to solve problems on the subconsciousness level. The hypnosis will be presented theoretically – in a lecture and practically – in a meditation. There´s going to come Slovak lecturers, too. For example, Iveta Henzélyová, who is expert in area of phytotherapy and natural therapy, e. g. apitherapy, cure by water and earth, aromatherapy and gemmotherapy. Visitors can see teachers of Tai Chi, numerology or chiromancy at the Days of health and they can learn interesting information about Templars in Slovakia and about cure through the angels.

Visitors can experience more fun there, too. Organizators prepares music program, films, art workshop, fairy-tale performances for children and demonstrations of various handicrafts – decorating honey-cakes, making candles from beeswax, ceramics, puppets, figures from natural materials and basket-making.

The festival is held at 4th – 5th May, 2009 in courthouse - DK Ružinov in Bratislava.

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Aggresive breed of photographer

Privacy is one of the most treasured things to an individual. Everybody of us needs a feeling of being secure and comforted, every body of us shlould has the right to privacy. Having of family time, eating a romantic dinner with your partner is simply natural. This form of freedom can not be revoked by any person. However, if you choose to be famous cebebrity it will not respact by the paparazzi.
The term „ paparazzi“ comes from a character called Paparazzo in the Felini film, La Dolce Vita.Paparazzo rode around on a scooter taking photographs of famous people. He wanted to get them in an unflattering or compromising pose. This photograph are sold for enornous sum of money to the tabloid press. Some people think that celebrities are public proverty because they had to except this invasion of privacy. On the other hand being to spy on in own home is not show business , it is criminal.
Nowadays paparazzis are growing problem. They believe it is their right because they are the „ press“. It is strategically playing on the border between celebrity publicity and tabloid mania. The paparezzi go out of their way to make people angry. Then they get a better pictures. The American actor George Clooney was walking down the street with his girlfriend. At same time a paparazzo shouted:“ Who is the fat girl?“ . It was very simply. Photographer was satisfied, he got picture of Clooney´s angry face. Next day pictures were splashed all over the newspapers.
The paparazzi are out of control. I hope there are some papers recognises what is happening and refuses to buy pictures which are very suspicious of provocation, chase and snooping.

arizonka

Woman in India

Gender discrimination continues to be enormous problem in Indian society. India represents large part of the world´s women population. This country is undergoing rapid economic , political and cultural change. The situation for working women is improving fast, somewhere slowly. They are beggining to follow women of the Western world.

In spite of it there are some unique problems in India for women. In our country we do not know the dowry system. It calls for a large sum of money to be paid to the groom at the time of marriage. Later their husband desire for male progeny but women can not influence it. Some rules of the sharing of inheritance are very unequal, too. For example in most Hindu families, only the sons inherit the wealth of the parents. Married girls are disadvantaged, considered no longer part of family. I do not like arranged marriages,too. For India it is distinctive. Many men and women have very little knowledge about their future partner.

Of course, women of India are striving to be independent similar like men but they are faced with a lot of problems. These complications are usually caste system, the heavy religous customs, older and more tradicional roles of the sexes. The role of women is slowly succeding in its development. There are some independent groups of women and national and worldwide organizations which based on the goal of gaining equality. Not everywhere but some parts of Indian society have been changed. Women are more accredited as profassionals, as bread-earners in families and independent thinking individuals.

I keep my fingers groosed for them! :)

arizonka

Concert of Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias is going to visit the Slovakia

Enrique Iglesias, one of the most successfull Spanish singers is going to visit the Slovakia the first time in his career. This singer, text writer, actor and a model reach a popularity by hits as a Bailamos, Hero, Escape, Maybe. He´s going to present his songs at two concerts – May, 19th in Sibamac arena, Bratislava and in Steel arena, Košice a day later. Enrique´s last album was published in November 2008. The album´s name is Greatest Hits and it contains the best hits of singer´s career. He promises to sing these hits for Slovak fans and they won´t miss songs Be With you, Rhythm Divine, Not in Love and a football anthem Can You Hear Me, too.

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in May, 8th 1975 and he´s third and the youngest child of famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and the Phillippine model Isabel Preysler. He lived with his mother in Madrid after the divorce of his parents. A separatist organization ETA had abducted his grandfather when little Enrique was 8 and so Enrique´s mother was afraid of the life of her children. So Enrique, his brother and sister had to remove to father to Miami. His music career started at this place. He recorded a first demo as a Enrique Martinez, because he didn´t want his name to be connected with the name of his father. His first album, the album in Spanish, named Enrique Iglesias was published in 1995 and it had an incredible success - more than 1,5 million copies was sold a first week after the publication. A singer won Grammy award a year later thanks to this album. Next two albums was singed in Spanish language, too. Enrique obtains a offer to cooperate on a soundtrack to the film Wild Wild West in 1999 and result of this cooperation was a song Bailamos. First Enrique´s album singed in English was an album Enrique.

The biggest commercial success for Enrique has been the second English album Escape, recorded in 2001. It contains hits Hero, Escape, Maybe and To Love a Woman, a duett with Lionel Richie. The seventh album named simply „7“ was recorded in 2003. There is one of the Enrique´s biggest hits, Not In Love, duett with a singer Kelis. The eight album Insomniac was published in July 2008 and we can find songs Do You Know or A Tired Of Being Sorry there.

Enrique Iglesias is really one of the most popular and the most successful Spanish artists, which has succeeded at world music scene. Till now, he has sold more than 60 millions albums. He obtains a publicity by his relationship with Russian teniss player Anna Kurnikovova, too.

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