Pray for the oldest students who study “Religion and Ethics” and who also have many informal opportunities for developing relationships and seeking help for their personal problems, leading to opportunities for sharing the Christian faith.

(O do carrito é inexplicabél)

A segunda curiosidade do día de hoxe é como se chaman os quioscos nesta cidade, curiosamente o seu nome é Trafika, un nome que ten a súa gracia debido a que a xente que traballa neles parecen bastante sospeitosa. Espero que os nenos no se vexan manipulados por ler en tódolos lugares "Trafika, trakica, trafika"

Vabbè... ricominciamo... Tanto ma tanto tempo fa, prima che le rughe la facessero diventare acida la dolce... vabbè... agrodolce Godot lavorava in un aereoporto non meglio definito! (O sennò il toto-regione inizia ancora una volta)! I maschietti non si illudano... ciò non significa che io sia una stangona... le stangone lavorano sugli aerei e con i tacchi bucano le moquette deille cabine facendo così andare in rovina le povere compagnie come l'Alitalia!

Comunque Godot, che in questo post parlerà in terza persona neanche fosse Alberto Tomba, lavorava al banco informazioni. Un'informazione sulla mia vita che avevo rimosso fino a quando qualche giorno fa su un post ho letto le telefonate ricevute da un call center... e ho ricordato le richieste fattemi al banco informazioni all'aereoporto di... ahah credevate ci cascassi!

Ed eccovi un breve elenco delle richieste più assurde:

1) Signorina, perchè non posso viaggiare in Europa senza passaporto? (Chissà perchè? Viviamo in un mondo ingiusto!)

2) Signorina, me lo potrebbe fare lei il passaporto? (Certo... poi se vuole le stampo anche 2000/3000 euro falsi per le spese)

3) Signorina, lei ha sonno? (Direi, avevo il turno di notte!)

4) Signorina, posso chiamarla signorina? (Finchè non mi chiama Giuseppe lei può chiamarmi come le pare!)

5) Signorina, dov'è il bagno? (Questo sarebbe stato abbastanza normale, se non fosse che a chiedermelo era un uomo, ed io, che avevo appena finito il turno, ero nel bagno delle donne!)

6) Signorina, ma i miei figli saranno al sicuro in Inghilterra? (E che ne so signora mica vado con loro, sono del banco informazioni non la babysitter dei suoi pargoli... che poi avevano 30 anni a testa!)

AND THE WINNER IS (rullo di tamburi)

7) Signorina, ma io ho una certa età, non ci riesco proprio a salire su quel rullo dove hanno fatto passare le mie valige... Allora come faccio per salire sull'aereo? (Questa si commenta da sè... lasciatevi solo dire che accompagnai la signora al Gate mentre lei si genufletteva per ringraziarmi)

Il numero 8 non lo metto perchè sennò compare il solito omino del numero 8 con parentesi ossia questo 8)

Ma non è tutto... sennò tra domande assurde e turni di notte di 10 ore non avrei mai lasciato il mio banchetto informazioni di fronte al cecchinaro più carino dell'aereoporto! (Vero che c'era anche un tizio dal nome assurdo che mi chiese di andare a vedere i Pooh con lui... e senza nulla togliere ai Pooh... non ho ancora 90 anni!)

Il punto era... che si creavano non pochi equivoci... eh già! Ad esempio un giorno Godot (che non si è dimenticata di essersi ripromessa di scrivere in terza persona) tornò alla sua casetta, casetta che divideva con diverse pulzelle sue colleghe... e... e... si accorge di essersi dimenticata le chiavi! Ora il caso vuole che anche l'unica collega rimasta a casa fosse senza chiavi. Godot così era rimasta chiusa fuori, lei chiusa dentro. E ci parlavamo allegramente dal balcone all'esterno del cancello! Vabbè... direte voi... ma perchè cavolo almeno non hai scavalcato il cancello per parlare dall'interno del parco... Il caso vuole... che Godot fosse obbligata a un certo abbigliamento: minigonna-stivali-camicia-giacca-foulard... non era proprio il caso di scavalcare!!!

Beh... direte voi... e l'equivoco? A salvare l'ignara pulzella doveva accorrere il principe azzurro... ma no! Arrivano i vicini di casa! Beh, direte voi... ma come sei precisina... vicini di casa, principe azzurro, fa lo stesso! NO! NON FA LO STESSO!

Già perchè dopo essersi informati sul perchè io fossi rimasta fuori... i cari vicini iniziarono a chiedere:

"Ma come mai sei vestita così elegante alle 10 di mattina?" (ricordate i turni di notte?)

"Ma come mai siete tutte ragazze in quell'appartamento?" (ricordate le colleghe?)

"Ma c'è un gran bel giro di ragaze giovani e carine... che lavoro fate?" (TADADADAM)

Eh sì tanto per riassumere... avevano scambiato la nostra placida casetta per una casa d'appuntamenti!

Ah e non vi ho detto tutto... la mia collega... quella del balcone... era di Bratislava... e quando ridendo raccontammo l'accaduto alle altre colleghe... lei disse che era stato tutto un quiquoqua!

Eh no! Quelli sono i nipoti di Paperino! E vabbè che anche loro sono un po' equivoci non sapendo di chi siano figli, di chi siano nipoti, etcetc. però... mi sembra un po' troppo!

Dietmar Müller DEGI Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immobilienfonds mbH

Bereits zum fünften Mal in Folge legt DEGI Research pünktlich zur EXPO REAL ihre aktuelle Analyse „Global Outlook“ zu 75 globalen Investmentzentren vor. In den Ergebnissen an den Immobilienmärkten spiegeln sich zum einen die aktuell sehr strapazierten Finanzmärkte. Global betrachtet lässt sich in vielen Märkten ein Renditeanstieg beobachten. Zum anderen wird eine neue geographische Ordnung/Landkarte für Investoren immer sichtbarer: die strategische Investorenrichtung zeigt nach Asien.

Die Mehrzahl der Standorte befindet sich, trotz regionaler Unterschiede, in einer fortgeschrittenen Erholungs- und Wachstumsphase. Die seit rund 15 Monaten anhaltenden Verwerfungen an den Finanzmärkten haben an den fundamentalen Wirtschaftszahlen noch keinen Einzug gehalten. „Zwar zeigen unsere Prognosen einen weiteren Rückgang an Immobilientransaktionen, die Preise haben in den Kernbereichen der untersuchten 75 Standorten mit wenigen Ausnahmen bisher jedoch kaum überdurchschnittlich reagiert. Extreme Preisverwerfungen erwarten wir auch für die kommenden Monate nicht“, so Thomas Beyerle, Chefanalyst der DEGI.

DEGI Research prognostiziert bis zum Jahresende 2009 einen weiteren Anstieg der Anfangsrenditen im Primesegment um rund 30 Basispunkte, wobei aber mit regionalen Unterschieden zu rechnen ist. „Damit wird deutlich, dass die Jahre der Yield compression seit 2009 unmittelbar in einen „Yield Outshift“ übergegangen sind“, so Beyerle weiter.

Im dem jährlich durchgeführten Standortscoring belegen erstmals gleich drei asiatische Standorte (Singapur, Hongkong und Tokio) die ersten drei Plätze, gefolgt von Zürich und Luxemburg. Mit München auf Platz 8, Berlin auf Platz 12 und Frankfurt auf Platz 16 sind drei deutsche Standorte unter den ersten zwanzig vertreten. „Dass die in den letzen Jahren regelmäßig dominierenden US-amerikanischen Standorte die Führung abgegeben haben, kann kurzfristig zwar mit der dortigen Marktsituation erklärt werden, was sich aber sehr deutlich zeigt, ist die strukturellen Verschiebung der weltweit attraktivsten Immobilienmarktstandorte in Richtung Asien“, so Beyerle. Die hinteren Plätze nehmen die Emerging Markets Johannesburg (72), Bratislava (73) , Bangkok (74) und Jakarta (75) ein.

Zum Report „Global Outlook“

Sto seduto a gambe incrociate accanto alla grossa sagoma del castello. Il nome "Bratislava" è stato scelto con un concorso pubblico datato 1919. Poco dopo aver rubato la città all'Ungheria. O almeno così dice la guida turistica che sto leggendo. L'hanno dimenticata due turisti dagli occhi a mandorla e la Canon in mano. É scritta in inglese e in copertina compare il Danubio con la città sullo sfondo. S'intitola: Bratislava, a city to discover. Dalla mia postazione domino l'intera città. Alla mia sinistra si ergono tetti ad angolo acuto,  finestrelle triangolari di piastrellato colorato, coni e campane di campanili; la città vecchia. Davanti a me, al di là del fiume, migliaia di file di palazzoni bianchi e grigi. L'uno uguale all'altro. Alla mia destra una famiglia di turisti italiani.

Il capofamiglia, viso paonazzo ed ascella sudata, respira profondamente. Volge lo sguardo all'infinito, inarca le sopracciglia e si mette gli occhiali da vista. Cerca di forgiare l'espressione più intellettuale possibile. Poi inizia ad emettere suoni: "Guardate quella fila di palazzi: identici, fatiscenti, impersonali. L'eredità di mezzo secolo di comunismo". La mogliettina dai capelli neri indossa occhiali griffati e scarpe col tacco. È magra, bassetta, ma i pantaloni tradiscono il culone post parto. Zitta, lo fissa ammirata, poi fissa i palazzi, poi fissa il marito, poi muove la testa su e giù, poi sospira. Mi chiedo se siano mai stati a Cinisello Balsamo, a Garbagnate, a Porto Marghera. I turisti italiani sono una piaga sociale.

Sfoglio la guida e scopro che esisteva una repubblica indipendente slovacca anche prima della rivoluzione di velluto. Fu creata da Hitler nel ‘39. Era ovviamente uno stato fantoccio. Dieci anni e trenta mila vittime dopo era ancora uno stato fantoccio. Però governato da Praga e guidato da Mosca. Curiosa la Storia. Mi guardo attorno ed ascolto l'amalgama di lingue che s'intreccia nell'aria. La guerra fredda è finta. Anche cechi e slovacchi si sono divisi senza rancore, una rivoluzione di velluto, appunto. Gli slovacchi non odiano i cechi. In compenso odiano gli ungheresi. Curiosa la Storia.

"Sorri du iu ev a sigarett?". È una strana koiné anglobergamasca che mi parla. Gli rispondo in italiano. Il bergamasco, entusiasta per l'italianità reciproca, si lascia andare ad innumerevoli e svariate riflessioni sulle donne della città. Le ragazze in questione, secondo il suo parere autorevole, sarebbero tutte vogliose, fiche ed accondiscendenti. L'unico difetto parrebbe essere quello dell'età, "troppe minorenni". Nei bar di Bratislava servono ai tavoli soltanto ragazze magrissime, alte, bionde, pronte a dartela nel primo cesso della città. Lo ascolto in silenzio. "Ma tu sei qui per il rave di stanotte?" Non sono qui per il rave di stanotte. Nel viso dell'italiano cala un velo di sbigottimento, ma sembra riprendersi subito. La faccia di quest'intralcio è quadrata come il castello. Ha due occhi a fessura incastonati da sopracciglia ad arco perennemente moventi causa tic alla palpebra sinistra. Fa l'occhiolino ogni quaranta secondi; ed è convinto che io gli stia dicendo una balla. Perché mai dovrei essere a Bratislava se non vado al rave? Mi invita quindi a tenere d'occhio sciokreiverdotcom "All'una circa dovrebbero postare il numero di telefono da chiamare. Poi, basta una telefonata e ti informano dov'è la location precisa" Penso che sia un sistema infallibile. Gli rispondo che ci verrò senz'altro, che ovviamente sono a Bratislava proprio per quello. Mi chiede del fumo. Gli rispondo di no.

 Saluto, mi alzo e me ne vado, cammino a zonzo un poco per le strette viuzze della rocca, appena restaurate, in stile finto vecchio. Odorano ancora di plastica e cemento. Poi arrivo alla mia macchina, apro la portiera, mi siedo sul sedile, lo abbasso fino a farlo appoggiare su quello posteriore. Poi chiudo gli occhi e dormo.                      

Apro gli occhi. È buio. Una fioca luce sfocata accarezza i contorni delle auto parcheggiate. Tutto è avvolto da una grigia foschia, di una consistenza talmente cristallina che sarebbe senz'altro piaciuta al buon vecchio Fanciullino. Mi addentro in quest'atmosfera ovattata e subito percepisco nozioni e pensieri diventare lievi ed eterei. Un brivido, che odora d'acido, mi percorre la schiena, ma è un ardore d'azione. Abbandono la strada principale a favore di un sentiero appena abbozzato che s'arrampica su un colle che immagino.

 La lingua italiana manca di termini precisi per descrivere la percezione dei sensi. È stato un limite proprio della nostra tradizione quello di favorire astratte speculazioni metafisiche a scapito dell'immanente. Le mie papille gustative assaporano un aroma di muffa e pelo di cane fradicio, la lingua taste questo sapore, ne fa esperienza. To taste ha sempre avuto traduzioni inconsistenti nel nostro antico idioma. E mai un italiano riesce a percepire questa sensazione. To taste la fragranza che emana il mondo reale.

 Puzza di fumo, senza orizzonte visibile, suoni ovattati e un fastidioso sentore di umido sui pori del braccio. Il piastrellato del terreno è interrotto da radici a cunetta e buche di sassi. Il sentiero bianco si snoda arrampicandosi sul colle, sempre più ripido. Impervio, si chiude alla vista. Stremato mi fermo, chiudo gli occhi e apro i polmoni. Inspiro, espiro. Un rantolo di tosse catarrosa mi fa digrignare i denti. Inspiro, espiro. Sento i bronchi arroccarsi e chiudere il rubinetto dell'ossigeno. Apro gli occhi. Inspiro ed espiro con foga; nell'immediato nessuna illuminazione mistica.

 Continuo a salire, tanto che ormai mi arrampico. Le mie mani afferrano rocce sporgenti ed aiutano il resto del corpo a salire in cordata. Il silenzio è quasi assordante quando, con fatica, giungo in cima. Un piccolo spiazzo piano d'erba verde. Soffocate dalla coltre di nebbia, intravedo le radici di un albero. Mi avvicino con lentezza, senza fare il minimo rumore. Tasto le radici avvolte l'una nell'altra (tastare, non to taste). Una piccola scarica elettrica si propaga dalle mani ai piedi al torace al cranio. All'improvviso un frastuono unisono ed assordante. Cinguettio dodecafonico prodotto da milioni di becchi. Mi sento al centro di un pollaio fantasma. I rami secchi dell'albero sono giganteschi e nodosi. E sono ricoperti di uccelli dalle piume rosse ed il becco nero. Starnazzano.

 Poi, come incalzati da uno sparo del via, aprono le ali e s'alzano tutti in volo. Contemporaneamente. Si dispongono in una fila ordinata e formano un'immensa spirale in moto perpetuo. Continuano a gracchiare suoni. Lo stridore aumenta ed il tono s'innalza. Il grido è diventato così acuto che riesco a percepirne il significato. In the woods is perpetual youth continuano ad urlare. E la spirale vortica e gira e sembra impazzire nell'atmosfera stagnante. In the woods is pepetual youth; IN THE WOODS IS PERPETUAL YOUTH. Le gambe mi cedono e mi ritrovo col culo spiaccicato al suolo. Rimpiango il castello, i turisti, e la musica goa. Rimpiango un poco anche la circonvallazione di casa. Sento qualche scossa e il terreno vibrare. Sento la nebbia pungermi il palato, quando tutto d'incanto scompare nella perfetto biancore della neve.

o0piate

De esquerda a dereita: Andrés (GZ), Fran (GZ), Enrique (GZ), Eu e Nacho (Catalunya)

My team spent the weekend before last in the capital city of Slovakia at a planning/training conference with the CCC team in Bratislava.  It was so good to unite with the team there and hear a little about how their ministry is going.  We talked a lot about discipleship and the importance of building relationships as the starting point of sharing the gospel with Slovak students.  Viktor, on staff in Bratislava, shared his testimony on how he came to be a believer through his relationship with a STINTer several years ago.  One thing he said really hit me:  A lot of times people won't trust Christ until they trust you.  Sharing the gospel here is really going to take sharing my whole life with students:  not just what I say, what I do.

Students finally started school last week so things really got busy for our team.  I am working at Presov, a university about 45 minutes (by train) from where I live (Kosice).  We continued doing surveys about students' interests, and for filling out a survey, students were entered to win a free iPod.  We also did Soularium surveys, an awesome new tool for getting into spiritual conversations with students.  It consists of 50 pictures, and students pick pictures to describe their lives, what they wish were true of their lives, what they feel describes God, what they've experienced spiritually, and what they wish were true of their spiritual journey.  It is especially effective here in Slovakia, as English speakers trying to communicate with Slovak speakers, as pictures have no language barrier.

Last weekend I enjoyed some much needed downtime.  The next few weeks are going to be crazy.  You can be praying for the English Club starting in Presov on October 7th.  We will be promoting it this week, so pray we'll be able to meet a lot of people interested in practicing their english, and that all our plans will come together well.  Going through the surveys from Presov, we found lots of students were interested in discussion groups and practicing their english.  We'll have topics such as culture and values, university life, American and pop culture, art, and food.  While topics aren't necessarily gospel focused (though we will have some spiritually focused questions during discussion), the purpose of this club is to begin building relationships with students through things they are interested in, to create an avenue for sharing our faith with them.

I'll end the post with a picture.

This is Dara, Amber, Stephanie, me, and Biba.  Biba and Dara are on staff with Crusade in Slovakia.  They have been a huge help in getting us settled and helping us figure out the city.  I'm so thankful for them!

On mondays and tuesdays the courses starts at 7:30 am and you have to get up with the chickens. The classes are more or less interactiv and the language skills of the teachers (and the students) are very different. It is necessary to prepare and to present a term paper for almost every subject. Usually the final grade is composed of the grade for the term paper (40%) and the written exam (60%). The written exams will take place before christmas ...

The weekly effort is demanding, because you get homeworks in some subjects. As far as I can remember the last time I did this kind of homeworks was during my school days. That's life.

The main origin of the students is the European Union. There are german, french, spanish, polish, latvian, ukrainian, slovakian, slovenian, czech, portuguese, finnish, austrian, belgian, italian, ... russian, vietnamese, bulgarian, montenegro students.

In varietate concordia.

The Russian perestroika that was introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s marked the last years of communism in Czechoslovakia. The late 1980s are characterized by public demonstrations. A week after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the Velvet Revolution brought an end to communism. Václav Havel, former dissident, was elected president during the country's first democratic elections in January 1990.

It started off on November 17, 1989, as a peaceful officially-sanctioned march in Prague to commemorate Czech student Jan Opletal, who died at the hands of the country’s Nazi occupiers 50 years ago, in 1939. Students, however, soon started to scan slogans against the communist regime.

It is said that about 15 000 students had joined the demonstration. They walked to the grave of Jan Opletal and – after the official end – continued from the Czech National Cemetery at Vysehrad to Wenceslas Square calling for democratic reforms. They never made it there, however.

At about 7:30 pm, when they were halfway in their march, at Narodni Street, were the students stopped by a cordon of police. After few minutes, when the students offered flowers to the police shouting rhythmically: “We have bare hands” and singing songs, the police suddenly began to beat the young demonstrators with night sticks. Before that, the police managed to block all escape routes. Nearly 200 people were injured. One student was reported beaten to dead. Although this was later proved false, is served well for mass student’s support among general public.

November 17 was the impulse for great changes to come. The six-week period between November 17 and December 29, 1989, that is the time period called the Velvet revolution. On December 29, Vaclav Havel, a dissident and a play writer well known for his anti-communist opinions, became the President of the Czechoslovakia. Soon enough, in June 1990, the first democratic elections since 1946 were held in Czechoslovakia.

Visit the key places where Czech history was in making – Vysehrad Cemetery, Narodni Street and Wenceslas Square, where students were heading. At Narodni Street, best reached by trams 6, 9, 18, 22, 23 – station Narodni divadlo, there is even a memorial to November 17. I am sure there will be candles there on this day and few days after November 17 too.

President of the Czech Republic always lays flowers there on this special day, you may meet him there!!

It is in a passage through on the right side if you walk from the National Theater towards the Wenceslas Square. There is portrayed a hand on the wall showing a “V” with its finger, which stands for Victory. It was a favorite gesture of demonstrators during Velvet Revolution meaning we will succeed.

On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two independent countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Havel was elected the first president of the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and was approved to become a member of the European Union in 2002. On May 1, 2004 the Czech Republic joined the EU along with 10 other nations.

Happenings During The First Week

• Thursday November 16, 1989 – On the eve of International Students Day (the 50th anniversary of death of Jan Opletal, a Czech student murdered by the German occupiers during World War II), Slovak high school and university students organized a peaceful demonstration in the center of Bratislava. Since the Communist Party of Slovakia had expected troubles and since the mere fact that there was a demonstration was a problem in Communist countries, armed forces were at alert since before the demonstration. In the end, however, the students peacefully moved through the city and finally sent a delegation to the Slovak Ministry of Education to discuss their demands.

• Friday November 17, 1989 – The Socialist Union of Youth (SSM/SZM, proxy of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia) organized a mass demonstration to commemorate International Students Day. Most members of SSM had privately been in opposition to the Communist leadership, but had been afraid of speaking up for fear of persecution. This demonstration gave average students an opportunity to join others and express their opinions without fear. By 16:00, about 15,000 people had joined the demonstration. They walked to Opletal's grave and - after the official end of the march - continued into downtown Prague (map), carrying banners and chanting anti-Communist slogans. At about 19:30, the demonstrators were stopped by a cordon of riot police at Národní Street. They had blocked all escape routes and beat the students. Once all the protesters were dispersed, one of the participants - secret police agent Ludvík Zifčák - kept lying on the street, posing as dead, and was later taken away. It is not clear why he did it, but the rumor of the "dead student" was perhaps critical for the shape of further events. Still in the evening, students and theater actors agreed on going on a strike.

• Saturday November 18 -
  • Two students visited Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec in his private house and described to him what (really) happened at Národní Street.
  • At the initiative of students from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, the students in Prague began a strike. Gradually, this strike was joined by university students throughout Czechoslovakia.
  • The students were supported by the theater employees and actors in Prague, both of whom had also gone on strike. Instead of playing, actors read a proclamation by the students and artists to the audience. Home-made posters and proclamations were being posted in public places. As all media (radio, TV, newspapers) were strictly controlled by the Communist Party (see Mass media in Communist Czechoslovakia), it was the only way to spread the message. In the evening, Radio Free Europe reported that a student (named as Martin Šmíd) was killed by the police during the previous day's demonstration. This persuaded some hesitating citizens to disregard fear and join the protests.

• Sunday November 19 -
  • Theaters in Bratislava, Brno, Ostrava and other towns went also on strike, following the example of their colleagues from Prague. Members of artistic and literary associations as well as organizations and institutions joined the strikes.
  • Members of a civic initiative met with the Prime Minister, who told them that he had been prohibited from resigning from his post twice, and that if they wanted to achieve changes, there would have to be mass demonstrations like in East Germany (some 250,000 students). He also asked them to keep the number of "casualties" during the expected changes to a minimum.
  • About 500 Slovak artists, scientists and leaders met at the Art Forum (Umelecká beseda) in Bratislava at 17:00. They denounced the attack against the students in Prague on November 17 and formed the Public Against Violence, which would become the leading force behind the opposition movement in Slovakia. Its founding members included Milan Kňažko, Ján Budaj and others.
  • Actors and members of the audience in a Prague theater, together with Václav Havel and other prominent members of Charter 77 and other dissident organizations, established the Civic Forum (Public Against Violence for the territory of the Czech Republic) as a mass popular movement for reforms, at 22:00. They called for the dismissal of top officials responsible for the violence, and an independent investigation of the incident and the release of all political prisoners. College students announced a strike. On TV, government officials called for peace and wanted to restore the city to normal business. The television aired an interview with Martin Šmíd to persuade the public that nobody had been killed; the quality of the recording was nevertheless low and rumors went on. It would take several more days to confirm that nobody had been killed - and by then, the revolution would have already gained momentum.
• Monday November 20 -
  • Students and theaters were on permanent strike.
  • Civic Forum representatives negotiated with Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec without Václav Havel unofficially. Adamec was sympathetic to the students' demands. However, he was outvoted in a special cabinet meeting the same day and the government, in an official statement, refused to make any concessions. Civic Forum added another demand - the abolition of the "ruling position" of the Communist Party from the Constitution.
  • Non-Communist newspapers started publishing information, which contradicted the Communist interpretation.
  • First mass demonstration in Prague (100,000 people), first demonstrations in Bratislava.
• Tuesday November 21 -
  • First official meeting of the Civic Forum with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister said he would personally guarantee that no violence would be used against the people.
  • An organized mass demonstration took place in Wenceslas Square in downtown Prague (demonstrations were held there throughout the following days). Actors and students traveled to factories in and outside Prague to gain support for their colleagues in other cities.
  • A mass demonstration took places on Hviezdoslav Square in downtown Bratislava (for the next days, it moved to the Square of the Slovak National Uprising). The students presented various demands and asked the people to participate in the planned general strike for Monday, November 27. A separate demonstration demanding the release of the political prisoner Ján Čarnogurský (the later Prime Minister of Slovakia) took place in front of the Palace of Justice. Alexander Dubček delivered an address at this demonstration – his first appearance during the Velvet Revolution. As a result, Čarnogurský was released on November 23.
  • Demonstrations in all major cities of Czechoslovakia
  • Cardinal František Tomášek, the Catholic primate of the Czech lands, declared his support of the students, and issued a declaration in which he criticized the current government policies and their effect on all of Czechoslovakia.
  • For the first time during the Velvet Revolution, the "radical" demand to abolish the article of the Constitution establishing the "leading role" of the Communist Party was expressed by Ľubomír Feldek at a meeting of Public Against Violence. It was spontaneously supported by the popular demonstration on November 25 and finally accepted by the Communist Party of Slovakia on November 26.
  • In the evening, Milouš Jakeš, the chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, held a special address on Federal Television. He said that order had to be preserved, that "socialism" was the only alternative for Czechoslovakia and criticized "groups" that stood behind the development in Czechoslovakia.
  • Governmental officials, especially the Head of the Communist Party Milouš Jakeš, kept their hard-line position and seemed increasingly out of touch. In the night, they had called 4,000 members of the "People's Militias" (Lidové milice, a paramilitary organization subordinated directly to the Communist Party) to Prague to crush the protests, but they were called off in the last moment.
• Wednesday November 22 –
  • Civic Forum announced a two-hour general strike for Monday November 27.
  • First live reports from the demonstration in Wenceslas Square appeared on Federal Television (they were quickly cut off, once one of the participants denounced the present government in favor of Alexander Dubček).
  • Striking students force the representatives of the Slovak government and of the Communist Party of Slovakia to participate in a dialogue, in which the official representatives were immediately put on the defensive.
  • Employees of the Slovak section of the Federal Television required the leaders of the Federal Television to provide true information on the events in the country, otherwise they would initiate a strike of TV employees. Uncensored live reports from demonstrations in Bratislava followed.
• Thursday November 23 -
  • Evening news showed how factory workers heckled Miroslav Štěpán, the Prague Communist Secretary, who was popularly viewed as the most loathed politician in the country. The military informed the Communist leadership of its readiness to act (ultimately, it was never used against demonstrators).
  • The military and the Ministry of Defense were preparing for actions against the opposition. Immediately after the meeting, however, the Minister of Defense delivered a TV address, in which he said the army would never undertake action against the Czechoslovak people and called to an end of the demonstrations.
• Friday November 24 -
  • Milouš Jakeš was replaced by puppet politician Karel Urbánek as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
  • Federal Television showed pictures from November 17 for the first time and the first television address of Václav Havel, dealing mostly with the planned general strike. Czechoslovak TV and Radio announced that they would join the general strike.
  • A discussion with representatives of the opposition was broadcast by the Slovak section of the Federal Television. It was the first free discussion on Czechoslovak television since its beginnings. As a result, the editorial staff of Slovak newspapers started to join the opposition.
• Saturday November 25 -
  • The new Communist leadership held a press conference. It had immediately lost credibility by keeping Miroslav Štěpán, leaving Ladislav Adamec out and not addressing any of the demands. Later that day, Štěpán resigned from his position as the Prague Secretary.
  • The number of participants in the regular anti-governmental demonstration in Prague reached an estimated 800,000 people. Demonstrations in Bratislava had the highest number of participants at around 100,000.
• Sunday November 26 -
  • Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec met with Václav Havel for the first time.
  • The editorial staff of Slovakia's Pravda, the central newspaper of the Communist Party of Slovakia, joined the opposition.
• Monday November 27 -
  • A two-hour general strike takes place throughout the country between 12:00 and 14:00, supported by a reported 75% of population. The Ministry of Culture released anti-Communist literature for public checkouts in libraries, which effectively ended censorship.

This concluded the "popular" phase of the revolution, with many public demonstrations. The following victories, though supported by the strike students and actors lasting until December 29, were achieved mainly through negotiations between the governments, the Civic Forum and Public Against Violence.

The Weeks To Follow

• November 29 - Parliament, still dominated by the Communists, removed the article guaranteeing a leadership role to the Communist Party and Marxism-Leninism as a state ideology from the Constitution. The speaker of the federal Parliament resigned.
• November 30 –
  • Education in Marxism-Leninism and the history of international workers' movement officially cancelled for universities and colleges.
  • The Presidium of the Slovak parliament (Slovak National Council) resigned. It was gradually replaced by non-Communists.
  • The federal government decided that barbed wire should be removed at the border with Austria (later also at the border with West Germany), and that Czechoslovak citizens do not need "exit visa permits" anymore when travelling abroad. Barbed wire at the border with Austria was removed from December 1.
• December 3 - President Gustáv Husák nominated a new federal cabinet, headed by Ladislav Adamec. It had 15 Communist and only 5 non-Communist ministers (so called "15:5 government") and was rejected by the Civic Forum and public demonstrators.
• December 4 - Government announced freedom to travel to Austria (later to all countries). It was no longer necessary to apply for any documents before traveling to Austria. The following weekend, 250,000 people would visit this country. A permanent queue of cars reaching from the city center of Bratislava to the border crossing with Austria will arise.
• December 6 – Most members of the government of the Czech lands were replaced by non-Communists. František Pitra remains Prime Minister of the Czech government.
• December 8 – President Gustáv Husák declared amnesty on political crimes.
• December 10 :
  • President Gustáv Husák nominated a federal cabinet, headed by Marián Čalfa, based on an agreement between Civic Forum and the Communists, and resigns. It was the first federal government since 1948 in which the Communists had no majority.
  • Strike of theaters was called off, but students stayed on. Secret police burned their files (incomplete files, insufficient to convincingly prove or disprove collaboration, caused embarrassment to many public figures in the following decade).
  • 100,000 people participated in a protest walk from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia to Hainburg, Austria.
• December 11- Czechoslovakian border fortifications removed from borders with West Germany
• December 12 - Slovakia received a new government headed by Milan Čič. It was the first government of Slovakia since 1969 in which the Communists had no majority.
• December 14 - Tomáš J. Baťa, son of a famous Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa and a president of Bata Shoes, arrived in Czechoslovakia, from Canada. He was given a warm welcome by the population. His company had been a symbol of old Czech industrial traditions and entrepreneurship, which were suppressed by the Communists.
• December 21 - The People's Militia was abolished, and their weapons confiscated by the army. Later on it was established that the militia had operated against the law throughout the whole Communist era from 1948.
• December 22 – The Civic Forum, Public Against Violence, Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and representatives of students and other political entities agreed that Alexander Dubček would be made speaker of the federal parliament, while Václav Havel would be made President of the Republic.
• December 28 - Federal Parliament, still consisting of Communist deputies coming from rigged one-candidate elections of 1986, passed a law allowing for co-optation of new personalities. Several non-Communists became deputies this way. This reform of the Parliament "from inside" was orchestrated by Prime Minister Marián Čalfa and helped re-establish legitimacy of the Parliament immediately without the need to call elections (which took place in June 1990). Alexander Dubček was elected Chairman (speaker) the same day.
• December 29 - Federal Parliament elected Václav Havel as President. The irony of the situation was that Havel, a former dissident, was "freely" elected President by the Communist deputies, who would have endorsed his imprisonment only a few days before.

Students subsequently ended their strike. The Velvet Revolution ended.

In December and the following months, the Communist Party lost much of its membership (especially those who joined it only as a vehicle for promoting their business, academic, or political career). The federal parliament introduced key laws for promoting civil rights, civil liberties, and economic freedom. The first free elections were scheduled for June 1990. Problematic events included the first parliamentary deadlock, caused by Czechs and Slovaks disagreeing over the name of the state (see Dash War, the first step towards a Dissolution of Czechoslovakia). Nasty accusations of collaboration with Communist secret police (relying on incomplete documents, as some files were burned in December 1989) were rampant. Sadly, an increase in crime took place, due to low morale and a lack of public trust for the police. An extensive general pardon by the new president Havel (who in effect released all petty criminals from jails) exacerbated this problem.

NON APTO PARA XENTE SENSIBLE

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