Bad experience

The Czech police have postponed the criminal announcement of the presidential vote corruption. The presidential vote, when Klaus was voted the president again, was an international disgrace. Now it seems, no one will be punished. Josef Notný (SNK) stated, one person from ODS wanted to bribe him into voting for Klaus. The Anti-corruption police leader Roman Skrepek said to Pravo there wasn’t any proof.

Novotny confirmed to Pravo that Vlastimil Sehnal, who is a senator for ODS, offered two millions czk for his vote for Klaus. Novotny said there is no proof, as the investigators weren’t allowed to the security cameras tapes at all, with the comment there are no cameras in the room, where Novotny was supposed to be bribed. Novotny showed a picture of the camera, but they said it is a speaker.

The book Turner Diaries, depicting a war against all other races than the white one, the book reasonably considered to be the Bible of the Neo-nazi, sells very well. After a few weeks, it got among bestsellers. However, according to booksellers it is bought by curious fellows first, by extremists second.

The Police investigates, how dangerous are the thoughts written there, if they find it a racist book, it may get to a ban. Similar situation was a few years ago with Mein Kampf publishing, it finished by end of the book sale.

The book was published in five thousand copies, more than a half was already sold. The publishing house Kosmas defends, the effect of this book can give a warning. “…it is worth reading despite of its monstrosity” The person who came with the original idea, Lukas Jirotka, plans to publish a second book – this time about Apartheid in Southern Africa.

The new advertisement has been off in the air for about a week, and there are hardly any positive critics, if any at all. The ad lasts thirty seconds, it cost 8 and a half million czk and it should attract solvent western clients. Prague was depicted as the place where are beautiful blonde women, historical sights and luxurious restaurants.

Petr Dudek wrote for MF Dnes that the advertisement just piles one cliche on another. The typical sign of advertisements trying to attract tourists is to show sexy women, surrounded by alcohol “But you can drink champagne in the middle of a desert, and you can find a blonde everywhere, on Mount Everest if you transport her there.” According to him, Prague is more than this, there is architecture, history, and also some recent developments.

The other frequently criticised part of the ad is the music. To choose A Little Night Music by Mozart for a clip about Prague is really an unfortunate decision, as we have our own composers, known worldwide – Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak, for instance. And a cherry on the cake – the initiator of the ad was Milan Richter, Prague councilman, and guess who is his girlfriend? Tatana Kucharova, one of the models who acts in the ad.

Another rather extreme book published. After Hitler’s Main Kampf, published in 2000, an another title connected to Nazism and Racism. The Book Turner Diaries was written by a Neo-nazi William Luther Piece.

The Czech Republic is probably the only country, selling Turner Diaries. The book was officially published in the United States only, it is forbidden to even have a copy in Germany. The novel fiction describes a riot, after which the white race takes over the USA government, and than the world. According to the polimetrician Zdenek Zboril, the book is based on strong white racism and anti-semitism, with huge admiration for Nazism. The most dangerous is that it targets the system as a whole.

Turner Diaries was published by the Kontingent Press company, which opened, according to its deputy, just because they wanted to publish the book. He denies, though, he would like to propagate neo-nazism. Quite on the contrary, he states he wants to alert the society to dangers, coming from radicals. William Luther Pierce founded the main Nazi organization National Alliance in the USA in 1974, and led it until his death in 2002.

Last week, an American Solider was stabbed to death by a Czech off-duty policeman. On Friday, he was released to be investigated at liberty. Friends of the murdered stand against the court decision and have written a petition. They don’t like the situation in which the ex-policema would be able to manipulate the witnesses or escape.

According to Murray’s friend the law has failed and a petition is the only possibility how to change it. They also revealed the murder situation; Mike Murray knew Prague, he went there almost every weekend. He also liked to play paintball, and that night he wanted to park his car close to the paintball station, where was no place, so he parked the car close to Sazka Arena. He prepared to sleep in the car, because he had bad experience with thieves and he protected his car that way.

The drunk policeman who passed by, didn’t like the way Mike parked, but as he was off-service, there was not much he could do. But he managed to anger Mike to such extent, he went out of the car and beaten him. The ex-policeman strikes back in a moment – with a massive pocket knife.

Close to Prague Sazka Arena, the American solider, who served at a Germany base, was stabbed to death today at two o’clock am. The attacker is a member of the municipal police, and he is at questioning at the moment.

The car with American soldiers was passing the area, when the Czech reportedly did some offensive gestures. The American stepped out of the car, demanding an explanation. The man was however drunk, and attacked instead. He stabbed him three times, into the heart area, after which the person fell at the ground an died at the spot. The attacker than fell into the shock state, and the other two soldiers hold him until the police came.

France was recently shocked by the book ‘Mes cheres etudes’ written by a French student, who started to prostitute because of her bad social situation. There is no similar book in the Czech Republic, there are no certain numbers, how many students do prostitution, but… we all know how the social situation in the countries of the former USSR looks like.

In the case you wouldn’t know, it’s not very good. An average students’ part-time jobs are labeled Z (Woman) or M (Man). Those labeled Z consist mostly of cleaning and working at cashier desk, usually paid 35-50 CZK (1,25 – 1,8 € per hour). Those labelled M are hard manual jobs, like truck unloading or supermarket stocking. Usually 40-60 CZK (1,4 – 2,1 € per hour). Do you think no one can survive with that money? You are right…

But that is in Prague. In other regions, some students don’t get any job at all. It is hard to study a university if one lives in a basement, eats spaghetti every day and travels to school by a bicycle, even in winter. Contrasted with more lucky classmates driving cars, wearing fancy clothes, having a life.

Yes, Czech University students prostitute. Especially those from subjects where there is no money – like teaching. Students of Pedagogical faculties prostituting. Get used to it.

Regarding this situation, the very idea of introducing school-fees at Czech Universities seems quite cruel… or is it? What is better; to have better quality education, in highly dignified institutions for upper classes and those willing to work all the time, even prostituting, or have average quality education in average surroundings for all?

J. K. Rowling, during her visit last year, find out the horrible situation and decided there must be something done. Now, one year after, a BBC team in disguise films that nothing much changed.

BBC – The Czech Republic banned the use of cage-like beds in children’s care homes a year ago, under international pressure. But as Clive Myrie reports for the Ten O’clock News, secret filming shows the use of the beds goes on. Link to the BBC article here.

The pictures they filmed show youngsters with severe mental and physical disabilities being housed in so-called “cage beds”. The cages are 1.5m tall. The personnel touched them only through the bars, as if touching an animal in its cage at the zoo, reports the BBC.

Martin Zarsky, Czech Minister of Social Affairs commented it: “We are trying – it’s difficult to put in a comprehensive system of monitoring overnight.”

The BBC report closes: “If the Czech Republic is truly to fulfil its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, then it must look after all its citizens – including those who have been warehoused in cages for society’s convenience.”

Unfortunately for Prague, it is well known all around the world that local taxi drivers are not really honest. Especially if they see you are a tourist. Way too often they calculate that you don’t know the average pricing and they try to rip you off.

It is to say, however, that Prague has been fighting with dishonest taxi drivers. It is obvious that Prague taxi drivers are a scar on its reputation. The question is, though, who is winning the battle? So far, it looks that Prague might be successful at last.

The whole double-article here

3rd Bus was burning this month in Prague. Finally, Prague Public Transport (MHD) decided to do something about it, otherwise maybe we would see even more of them in fire. The representatives affirm it is nothing more than a coincidence, but finally instructed strict control of wagon lines.

The question of the MHD heads is: are the buses obsolete, or somebody failed in his controlling task? And the outcomes of the control should reveal it. In the meantime, they try to persuade us it was only a bad luck. “We are definitely concerned about the frequency of these accidents, that’s why we try to toughen up the control mechanism, that should eliminate such threads.” The question, when the outcomes of the control will be revealed, was not answered.

The spokesman of Prague’s fire department excluded the possibility of old buses being the reason of it all. “The 3 buses that ignited were all of different date of construction, the newest was in function for only a year and a half.” The truth is, that Prague’s buses were largely modernized, and our public traffic system proudly belongs to the Europe’s elite. Is is really just a bad luck, causing harm to the buses?

There have been many stories about used (and infected) syringes in the seats of the buses or trams in Prague, but none of them were proved to be true. When another email warning against syringes in the handrails of escalators in metro appeared, it seamed at first that it was just another hoax.

This information was, however, confirmed by the director of the company Otis that supplies Prague’s metro with escalators. “Two needles with used syringes were stuck in the handrail in metro station Muzeum,” said Roman Trnka, the regional director of Otis.

The incident happened a week ago early in the morning. The escalator didn’t even turned round once before the syringes stopped it. The police were not called and the syringes ended up in a bin. No one will ever know whether they were infected or not.

Charles Bridge is not the only one that has to fight vandalism. The Prague Public Transport company reports that there were 1100 damaged seats, 5700 scratched windows, and 2000 damaged boards with timetables last year. The company had to invest 6 million CZK to repair the damages at tram and bus stops and 5 million CZ to remove graffiti.

The police manages to catch more and more vandals thanks to the camera systems and devices for night vision. But vandals improve their techniques just like the police officers. There have been cases when graffiti writers were accompanied by men with the knowledge of martial arts who were not afraid to attack the wardens. Creating graffiti is a crime in the Czech Republic, offenders can be sentenced up to 8 years imprisonment.

Vandals with hoods are now terrorizing the transport system in Prague. They splash paint from a bucket on the passing buses, trams or trains in metro. There have been 20 attacks in the last 2 months. The offenders are not known yet.

The Czech Trade Inspection made inspections throughout the country to find out whether the personnel of pubs and restaurants cheat their customers or not. According to them, Prague was the worst from all regions. Every other pub in Prague is cheating their customers. In other regions it is “only” 38% of companies.

The most common way how to rip off customers is to pour less liquid in the glass, serving meat of smaller weight than is written in the menu or counting other services to the bill. Some companies show the prices on the menu without VAT.

Although the situation is getting better, it is still very deplorable. The most cheating pubs and restaurants are in the city centre. These companies are often visited by foreign tourists. Be, therefore, aware of what you pay for and do not hesitate to complain.

Public transport in Prague is accessible, dense and relatively fast. But not for people on a wheelchair. For them is transport in a bus, a tram or a metro only a dream. Or a nightmare.

Imagine that you are on a wheel chair and you want to get from one side of a Prague to another by public transport.
First step: How to get to metro station? Still there are many sidewalks in Prague what haven’t barrier less access so get from one side of a road to another is problem.
Second: You must get under a ground into a platform. New stations are barrier less – they have elevators, but almost every old station is without it. So you have no chance to get to Prague centre by metro.
Third: At some stations the gap between the metro train and platform is so big, than your wheel can get stuck there. In metro train you have also no chance how to give a not to driver than you want to leave the train.

Buses: Only small number of buses have low-lying floor. You must wait to this bus or you can have a bad luck and the line have no low-lying floor buses at all.

Trams: Forget it. There is no chance to get to tram (there is only one exception).

There is also more problems like how to get to some offices with barrier access. You can also find some grotesque things like a ring or a bell for wheelchaired people, which is set at a place unreachable from a wheelchair or a elevator with buttons too high to push. And where is biggest problem (if we don’t count some examples of a stupidity like these)? Money. Changes in transport for better live of people at wheelchairs costs milliards of crowns.

Malcom Tuffin was seriously injured when Christmas tree at Prague Old Town Square fall upon him on December 2003. He was freely compensated by a half of a million CZK. He process Folk Art Production – organiser of Prague markets and a manager of Christmas tree and Capital city of Prague for 2,5 million crowns. And he has win. Still both sides of a trial has an opinion to appeal.

The trail was surprisingly very fast. Judge said that although it was cause of bad wood and strong wind, the organisers had had to make better disposals.

Malcom Tuffin is after the incident still ill. He has to use crutches, because he had injured legs and some parts of a spine. As he is saying the worst is for him psychical consequences. The accident is still returning to him.

This article mostly describes behaving of Czech people: Czech Republic is great but the worst what can Czechs offer are Czechs. An opinion one of visitors is here

So, what’s my beef with them? I don’t want to get into too much detail but the facet I found the most distasteful is the enviousness and avarice I encountered in almost every context of life in Prague. Put simply, when Czechs see that you have money, they immediately assume an attitude of very thinly disguised jealousy. And when they figure out you’re a foreigner to boot, they simply hate you and they don’t even try to disguise it.

This article describes shows that Prague is not only magical place, but also has it’s shady parts. With rich history and modern present time, there are things that shows us that there is a lot to improve. How Prague can also look you can read here.

First thing I noticed however was the airline offices right outside the hotel, with big letters CSA on them, I ignored that but I couldnt ignore the sheer number of beggars on the street. As well as the beggars, I had at least two people who come up to me asking me to give money to charities I knew nothing about and had no idea if they were genuine representatives or not. My guess was they were not.

Here I found a two stories about food what appeared on a table. I will appreciate any comment.

I can only describe it as a very large piece of meat, accompanied by one lonely broccoli floweret. I’m pretty sure it was pig, although I am not sure exactly what part of the pig it was. I am thinking either the ass or thigh. I became pretty grossed out by the fact that I was eating meat off a bone that had the circumference of my femur.

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What can I say, the wrong starter came initially, we ordered Mozzarella but were served with a bowl of greesy brown water with what cameron described as 4 testicles at the bottom with a couple of twigs. Needless to say we sent that away and got our mozzarella. Main Course (or as you will find out on Thursday what turned out to be a Curse) was Trout with potatoes, which wasn’t nice but I decided to eat it anyway seen as I was hungry. Cameron refused to eat his (what looked like) Chicken feet on a stick and had a few bread rolls.

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