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Jarmok is a kind of festival mixed with amusement park attractions. Unlike Oktoberfest or other famous festivals, jarmok does not focus exclusively on beer promotion. In fact, nowadays jarmok does not have any special purpose, but there are strong traditions rooted in the past.

The people would gather from time to time to exchange, and later unfortunately trade, their goods and enjoy themselves whilst doing it. Such market meetings took part in the early Autumn, after the end of the harvest season when the farmers looked to sell their crops and buy what they would need for the winter. The farmers and craftsmen were gradually replaced by supermarket suppliers and businessmen, but the idea of jarmok, or city market, remained.

Jarmoks take place over the whole year in different cities and towns, often connected by some kind of holiday- for example the city's anniversary or a Christian holiday. The jarmok in Levice (where I went) used to take place on St Martins day (11 November), but was brought forward to the middle of October for the better weather. My grandparents remember the traditional jarmoks, when the people used to sell real animals. Now, the poor horses serve as an attraction for the kids who consider them unicorns with broken horns.

Two British universities have taken the radical step of fingerprinting their international students to monitor lecture attendance. The universities of Sunderland and Ulster have both brought in this unprecedented system to comply with new government rules, but have faced heavy criticism for it.

The ‘biometric monitoring systems' are used at satellite campuses in London, which are home to only overseas students. It is this discrimination between British and foreign students that has been roundly condemned, with the NUS leading the chorus of concern.

International students' officer Daniel Stevens claimed the measures are "incredibly unwelcoming" and "unfairly target one group", adding that:

"It is appalling that certain institutions have required physical checks of any quantity and have discriminated against international students when implementing monitoring procedures."

Such concerns have been echoed by Sunderland students' union president Carl Taylor who called it a "limitation of freedom".

Indeed, another institution- Newcastle University, scrapped their idea to use a similar fingerprinting system after a student union vote against it.

MPs (members of parliament who are elected representatives for a constituency) can be of great help if you want to make some changes in your local area, or indeed in any other part of the world.

London is divided into 73 parliamentary constituencies- to find your MP and their contact details you can visit the UK Parliament website or call the House of Commons information office at 0207 219 4272.

When you write to your MP, remember to include your contact details and do not forget to mention that you are a constituent: MPS are more keen to reply and help people who belong to their constituency.

Make your letter to the MP personal and don't be afraid to state your beliefs and principles. However, remember to keep it short & write clearly, and make sure you have suggestions & explain why you need your MP's help.

Military service should be reintroduced because it is the only way to teach young people discipline and improve their fitness.

At times when a war is around the corner it is important for every human to know how to save their own life. Three to six months should be enough to learn the basics of weapon handling - though Counter-Strike players will have an advantage.

Fitness would be a tougher task, but an efficiently planned routine and regime can do wonders. Plus, I reckon that most of the men will preserve some of the habits into their later life. In Slovakia, our fathers still fold their clothes into stacks.

Military Discipline

But the textbook characteristic of a soldier is the discipline. Throughout history, the economic prosperity and cultural development of many nations has been rooted in their pristine military past. Just take the Roman Empire, Ancient Greeks, Vikings, the cultures of the Middle East - yes, those whom we often blame for wars without bothering to read a line about their history that would open our eyes.

Ohio Dreams is a camp held every year with a focus on all kinds of action sports. There is a BMX track and a skate park, but the bit that really stands out is the incredible "slip n' slide" they create. Just have a look for yourself...