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SlovenianAnže Kopitar
Statehood Party Raises the
at the SF Consulate Stanley Cup
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page 3 >
Idrija a Mining
Town
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NEWSLETTER
JUNE 15, 2012, VOLUME 8, NUMBER 24
Centre of
Excellence
PoliMaT in
the U.S.
The Embassy of the
Republic of Slovenia in
Washington, DC and its
economic
department,
within the scope of economic
diplomacy, assisted in the
organization of the businessscientific visit of the Slovenian
Center of Excellence PoliMaT
in the U.S. taking place on
June 3–7, 2012, in Boston, MA,
Akron, OH, and Washington,
DC. The part of the visit taking
place in Akron was organized
by the general consulate in
Cleveland.
The PoliMaT Centre of
Excellence (PoliMaT, http://
en.polimat.si/) is an independent
research institute based on
public-private
partnership,
Embassy of Slovenia
2410 California Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008,
USA
T: +1 202 386 66 01
E: vwa@gov.si
washington.embassy.si
Ambassador Kirn with Dr. Karin Stana-Kleinschek from the University of Maribor
and Dr. Zorica Crnjak Orel from Slovenian National Institute of Chemistry.
established in 2010. It is the
leading
Slovenian
research
institution founded by the public
research
and
development
sector, and successful small,
medium and large enterprises
in the field of polymer materials
and technologies. It focuses
on interdisciplinary research in
several priority development
areas: advanced (new) synthetic
metallic
and
non-metallic
materials and nanotechnologies,
twitter.com/SLOembassyUSA
facebook.com/SLOembassyUSA
sustainable technologies, and
health and life sciences.
In
cooperation
with
the group of field experts
and entrepreneurs, PoliMaT
organized a number of business
and science meetings presenting
the
research
achievements
in the field of polymers and
framed by the Technology
and Innovation for Global
Development, Schumpeter and
Polymer Research international
Ms. Maša Šiftar de Arzu with PoliMat representatives.
conference that took place at the
premises of Harvard Kennedy
School. The participants at the
conference were addressed,
through video-link, by the
President of the Republic of
Slovenia, Dr. Danilo Türk, giving
the PoliMaT Centre of Excellence
the honor of special recognition.
Ms. Maša Šiftar de Arzu,
the economic and science
counselor at the Embassy of
Slovenia, on this occasion
spoke about the potential of
the polymer industry with
the aim of coping with global
ecological,
agricultural
and
Organizers of the conference Professor Calesous Juma of
Harvard and PoliMaT CEO Mateja Dermastia.
medical challenges. It is not
enough that only the Slovenian
chemical industry and scientific
community be aware of these
potentials, they must also be
known to political decisionmakers at local as well as
international levels.
»Polymers, especially bio
polymers, could become toplevel Slovenian trademark, as is,
for example, Nokia for Finland«
stated the leading organizer of
the conference and Professor
at Harvard Mr. Calestous Juma,
giving a motivation for the
Slovenian scientific field.
Consul General Jurček Žmauc, Samuel DeShazior (City of
Akron), Robert Bowman (City of Akron), Terry Martell (Akron
Accelerator) and PoliMat representatives.
At the evening reception
following the conference, Ms.
Šiftar de Arzu, in addition to
her formal address, presented
Slovenia as a first-class tourist
destination as well as a place for
variety of business opportunities.
The reception for the partners
was organized by the Polimat
Centre of Excellence with the
help of the Slovenian Embassy.
The representatives of
PoliMaT also participated in
various business and scientific
encounters in Boston, including
MIT, Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, and Polymer
Dr. Zev Gurion, Akron Biomedical Corridor and Robert Bowman, City of Akron with PoliMaT representatives.
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 2
Science
and
Engineering
Department at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst.
The visit by PoliMaT
in Akron, OH, the center of
polymer industry in the U.S., was
organized through the efforts of
S-ABA (Slovenian – American
Business Association), by the
Consul General of the Republic of
Slovenia in Cleveland, OH, Jurček
Žmauc. Upon his invitation, the
representatives of PoliMaT also
met with Akron City Mayor Donald
L. Plusquellic and other influential
city representatives. There they
also visited the National Polymer
Innovation Center, Goodyear
Polymer Center, University of
Akron, SUMMA Health Campus,
and Akron Global Business
Accelerator.
The Executive Director of
PoliMaT Mateja Dermastia and
the scientific part of the PoliMaT
team traveled also to Washington
to meet with representatives of
the National Science Foundation.
They also had a successful visit
to George Mason University,
the largest public university
in the state of Virginia, where
the Executive Director Mateja
Dermastia signed a letter of
intent of cooperation with GMU
Prorector Roger R. Stough.
HONORARY CONSULS
Slovenian-Statehood Party at the San Francisco
Consulate
On
Saturday,
June
9, 2012, the Third Annual
Slovenian-Statehood
Party
organized and hosted by
Honorary Consul of the Republic
of Slovenia Mr. Thomas Brandi
and his wife Carol Squires,
took place in Healdsburg, CA.
Nearly 70 guests, of a life-span
from two weeks to nearly 90
years, enjoyed great food and
wonderful weather.
Honorary Consul Brandi is
a key person in reviving Slovenian
community in the SF Bay area,
especially by creating bonds
between older generations and
young entrepreneurs.
Idrija town developed in the midst of a hilly and woody region.
Hosts Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Brandi.
The event was also
attended by the consular officer
from the Embassy of the Republic
of Slovenia in Washington, Ms.
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 3
Tjaša Deleja Balja, who was also
providing consular services on
the occasion.
Photos are courtesy of Mr. Tony Ravnik.
SPORTS
Anže Kopitar Raises the Stanley Cup
On Monday, June 11,
2012, the Los Angeles Kings
were crowned National Hockey
League
(NHL)
champions,
defeating the New Jersey Devils
6-1 to hoist their Stanley Cup.
Last week, they missed two
chances to win the title, but, this
Monday, the Kings, for the first
time, became NHL champions.
They had waited 45 years for
this to happen, and now the Los
Angeles Kings finally were able
to earn their crown.
During their race to the
2012 Stanley Cup Championship,
the spotlight was on several
players, but there is no doubt
that much of attention was
focused on 24-year-old Anže
Kopitar – the first Slovenian to
play in the NHL. In trying for the
playoff lead, he had a starring
performance in points (20) and
goals (8).
hockey idol vie for the Stanley
Many Slovenians stayed
Cup. Kopitar’s home town of
up all night Monday, so they
Hruščica decided to screen the
could watch the Slovenian icegames in the town square, since
so many people already had
been watching them at home.
The problem was that for the
first four games so many people
came to Hrušica that the local
organizers had to cancel the
public viewing of game five on
June 10 because they were
unable to provide enough space
for them. When the Kings won
the game, Slovenians sprang
to their feet. Many Slovenians
shared their joy on Twitter, and
tweets referring to the game
were some of the most popular
tweets for the next few days.
Kopi, as Kopitar is known
in Slovenia, is the first Slovenian
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 4
to win the Stanley Cup –a very
prestigious prize in hockey that
counts as much as an Olympic
gold medal. Anže Kopitar
contributed a pass for the Kings’
4th goal that Jeff Carter scored in
the 22nd minute. This Kopitar’s
20th point made him, along with
Brown, the best player.
The President of the
Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Danilo
Türk, has already congratulated
Kopitar and told him that the
entire Slovenia is proud of
him. He thanked Kopitar for
his “immeasurable contribution
to the image of Slovenia
and Slovenian sports in the
world.” Slovenia’s ambassador
to the U.S. Roman Kirn, also
recognized Kopitar on his latest
achievement.
TOURISM
Idrija
The Idrija region lies at
the crossroads of two mighty
mountain chains – the Dinaric
mountain range and the Alps -giving the area its main natural
features. Mining in a basin in the
midst of a hilly and woody region
began after native mercury was
discovered in 1490. Centuries
of exploitation have resulted
in mine tunnels spanning 435
miles and reaching 1370 feet
below the surface.
The mine has been a
lifeline for the town of Idrija,
resulting in a number of buildings
in its old center that are closely
linked to mining and have been
preserved to this day. These
include Gewerkenegg castle,
built as the mine’s administrative
building and mercury depot – now
a museum; the first Slovenian
secondary school for natural
sciences; a number of miners’
houses; churches; squares;
and other buildings of interest.
The area surrounding the town
Idrija town developed in the midst of a hilly and woody region.
and the mine is covered by
forests, which extend upwards
to high-lying plateaus and were
an important resource for the
mine’s development (wood for
smelting, support timber for the
tunnels). The streams flowing
into the Idrijca River and the
Idrijca itself acted as important
sources of energy for the mine,
The museum experience of the mining tradition. (Photo: Jani Peternel)
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 5
both for propelling water wheels
and for floating timber (“klavže”
dams).
Nowadays, real miners
in Idrija are virtually extinct.
Nevertheless, they left an
exceptionally rich heritage,
which is preserved in technical,
cultural,
and
historical
monuments, restored buildings
Idrijca River.
Idrijski žlikrofi.
and machinery, ethnological
assets and curiosities, archival
documentation,
museum
collections,
an
extensive
bibliography, and many other
points of interest. Most of the
heritage is put on show to
domestic and foreign visitors.
Idrija is also well known
for its Idrija lace, a special type
of bobbin-made lace, which
boasts a several-hundred-year
long tradition and reputation.
Idrija enthralls with its delicious
Idrija lace.
cuisine as well. The most
famous culinary specialty is
“idrijski žlikrofi”, which are also
a national protected dish, made
of dough filled with potato and
traditionally served with a sauce
of mutton and vegetables called
“bakalca”.
Idrija and Almadén, a
mercury-mining town in Spain,
decided to join forces and
prepare a serial nomination to
the World Heritage List in order
to underline their importance
as the principal sites providing
evidence of their mercury
heritage, their significance in
history, and their aim to continue
working together. Nomination
for inscription was submitted
to the UNESCO World Heritage
Center in January 2011. The
World Heritage Committee will
be considering inscription of
36 sites on UNESCO’s World
Heritage List at its 36th session
in St. Petersburg from June 22
to July 6.
GLOBAL PEACE INDEX
Slovenia among 10 Most Peaceful Countries in the World
Slovenia ranks among
the top ten countries on the
2012 Global Peace Index (GPI),
the world’s leading study on
global level of peacefulness,
carried out for the sixth time by
the Institute of Economics and
Peace. Slovenia ranks eighth,
rising two places from last year’s
list. This makes Slovenia the
most peaceful country in Central
and Eastern Europe.
The 2012 GPI ranks 158
nations using 23 qualitative and
quantitative indicators, which
gauge three broad themes: the
level of safety and security in degree of militarization. Iceland
society; the extent of domestic tops the list, while Somalia is at
or international conflict; and the its tail.
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 6
CULTURE
U.S. Experimental Music Icon Performs in Maribor
U.S. experimental artist
Laurie Anderson performed her
latest solo story work “Dirtday!”
in Maribor on Friday, June 8
evening as one of the high
points of the European Capital
of Culture program.
The influential New Yorkbased electronic music producer
and performer is one of the most
versatile artists of the 20th and
21st centuries, known for her
multimedia shows and inventive
use of technology. “Dirtday!”
is the third and latest in her
series of solo story works, which
includes “Happiness” and “The
End of the Moon” and is seen
as the culmination of Anderson’s
ground breaking work in this
genre. In this collection of songs
and stories, Anderson looks at
politics, theories of evolution,
families, history, and animals.
Set against a detailed
and lush sonic landscape, the
powerful and soulful collection
of songs and stories created a
unique picture, a hallucinatory
world made of dreams and
reality.
CULTURE
Poet Ivan Minatti Passed Away
Ivan
Minatti,
a
representative of new intimism,
who rose to fame in the 1960s,
died at the age of 88 on Saturday,
June 9. Minatti was one of the
foremost members of a poetry
movement known as post-war
intimism, his emotional poems
dealing with the resignation and
melancholy of modern man.
Born in the eastern
Slovenian town of Slovenske
Konjice, he attended secondary
school in Ljubljana and started
medical studies; however, after
the war, he dropped medicine in
favor of Slovenian language and
literature at the Ljubljana Faculty
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 7
of Arts. In his first collection, the
1947 “S poti” (Off the Path), he
linked the collective experience
of the resistance with a distinctly
intimist lyricism. After graduation
in 1952, he got a job as fiction
and magazine editor for the
publisher Mladinska knjiga.
He was named regular member
of the Slovenian Academy of
Arts and Sciences in 1991.
In 1963, he published
the seminal collection “Nekoga
moraš imeti rad” (You Have
to Love Someone) with a
namesake poem that would
become a classic. The collection
also marks what literary critics
say was the final break with
illusions and a transition to
outright resignation. Minatti
also translated from the Czech,
Turkish, Albanian, Russian and
French.
NEKOGA MORAŠ IMETI RAD
Ivan Minatti
YOU MUST LOVE SOMEONE
by Ivan Minatti
Nekoga moraš imeti rad,
pa čeprav trave, reko, drevo ali kamen,
nekomu moraš nasloniti roko na ramo,
da se, lačna, nasiti bližine,
nekomu moraš, moraš,
to je kot kruh, kot požirek vode,
moraš dati svoje bele oblake,
svoje drzne ptice sanj,
svoje plašne ptice nemoči
- nekje vendar mora biti zanje
gnezdo miru in nežnosti -,
nekoga moraš imeti rad,
pa čeprav trave, reko, drevo ali kamen
ker drevesa in trave vedo za samoto
- kajti koraki vselej odidejo dalje,
pa čeprav se za hip ustavijo -,
ker reka ve za žalost
- če se le nagne nad svojo globino -,
ker kamen pozna bolečino
- koliko težkih nog
je že šlo čez njegovo nemo srce -,
nekoga moraš imeti rad,
nekoga moraš imeti rad,
z nekom moraš v korak,
v isto sled o trave, reka, kamen, drevo,
molčeči spremljevalci samotnežev in
čudakov,
dobra, velika bitja,
ki spregovore samo,
You must love someone,
even though only grass, river, tree or
stone,
on someone’s shoulder you must lay
your hand,
so that it gluts its hunger with
nearness,
there must, must be someone,
it is like bread, like a drink of water,
to whom you must give your white
clouds,
your brave birds of dreams,
your shy birds of helplessness
- somewhere for them there must be
a nest of peace and tenderness -,
you must love someone,
though only grass, river, tree or stone,
for trees and grass know what
loneliness is
- for footsteps always pass by
even if they pause for a moment -,
for the river knows what sadness is
- it need only brood over its depths -,
for the stone knows what pain is
- how many heavy feet
have already gone over its mute heart -,
you must love someone,
you must love someone,
walk side by side with someone
on the same path oh grass, river, stone, tree,
silent companions of the strange and
lonely,
good, great beings,
who begin to speak
only when men have fallen silent.
kadar umolknejo ljudje.
(Translated by Alasdair MacKinnon)
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 8
TO DO LIST
Annual Flag Raising Celebration in Bethlehem, PA
Organized by Bethlehem/Murska Sobota Sister Cities Association.
When: Friday, June 22, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Where: City of Bethlehem, Payrow Plaza, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem PA
Prekmurje Social Club Annual Father’s Day Picnic
When: Sunday, June 17, 2012, at 11:00 a.m.
Where: St. Mary’s Slovenian Catholic/Cultural Center
14252 Main Street, Lemont, IL 60439
Polka Mass
Start your Independence Day holiday week with the Polka Mass. America’s polka padre, Father Frank Perkovich,
arrives from Minnesota to lead the service, accompanied by the Eddie Vallus Orchestra.
When: Sunday, July 1, 2012, promptly at 1:00 p.m.
Where: SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio (located on Heath Road in Kirtland, Ohio, off Chardon Road
(Route 6), three miles east of Route 306 and six miles west of State Route 44)
More information: (440) 951-6906
Tony Petkovsek’s Saturday Polka and Slovenian Radio Program
Now in his 51st year on polka and Slovenian radio, Tony Petkovsek continues with a weekly, three-hour radio
show. His new team of co-hosts: include Denny Bucar, Joey Tomsick, Joe Valencic and Patty Sluga.
When: Saturday from noon to 3:00 p.m.
Where: WELW 1330 AM in Northeast Ohio or worldwide on www.247polkaheaven.com on the
internet.
Art Exhibition at SNPJ Slovenian Heritage Center
Art work by Dobrila Pintar, Toni Rash, Gorazd Jordan, Lynn C. Miller and Meta Zobec Novak will be
on display.
When: July 13 through September 2, 2012.
Where: SNPJ Slovenian Heritage Center at SNPJ Recreation Center in Lawrence County, PA (located
one mile east of the Ohio/Pennsylvania border on PA Route 108, or seven miles west (on PA 108)
of the Mount Jackson Exit (#17) of Interstate 376).
More information: www.facebook.com/SNPJHeritageCenter or 724-336-5180
Discover Enchanting Slovenia
Those of you who love to enrich your knowledge or the knowledge of your children and
grandchildren, or at one point decide to visit Slovenia, will appreciate this 30-minute DVD. This
film by Zoya D. Pinto will introduce you to the most interesting places in Slovenia, with its long
history, great architecture, art, and breathtaking natural beauty. Order the DVD not only for
yourself, your children and grandchildren, but especially for your American friends, and thus help
promote tourism of our native country.
The order form and more information are available at:
http://washington.veleposlanistvo.si/fileadmin/user_upload/dkp_51_vwa/docs/SLO_Film_
OrderFormB-2.doc
Clearly filled DVD order form must be sent to: ZD Productions, 51 Village Circle, San Rafael, CA
94903-4242
The weekly Embassy Newsletter, produced by the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington, is available on: www.washington.embassy.si.
Send us your comments or request for a subscription on: vwa@gov.si,
Editor: Nuška Zakrajšek
JUNE 15, 2012, PAGE 9