People

The Czech President Vaclav Klaus on the World Economical forum in Switzerland denied that global warming would take place. He aroused emotions as it is counter the official stance of the European union and the Czech government. According to Klaus, the statistics don’t show it.

“I don’t think Global warning exist. I don’t see any statistic data proving it” Klaus declared, and at the same time criticized the laureate of Nobel Peace prize and the former president of the USA Al Gore. “I am very sorry, that people like Al Gore are not ready to listen to rival theories. “I listen to them” he added. “Environmentalism and alarmism around global warming threaten our freedom.” he continued.

Klaus also warned against market regulation and following lost of personal freedom. “I am afraid that the contemporary financial crisis will be radically abused for market function regulation and market economics in the whole world.

The season of Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard as a couple ends. Even when they concert today in sold-out opera house in Sydney, they are no longer lovers. For the romantic souls who have seen the movie Once the couple met in much simple setting – Hansard is a friend of Marketa’s father, and as he saw Marketa grow from a child into a girl, he fell in love with her, and they wrote the song ‘Falling Slowly’ together when she was about 15. That they will set the world on fire and win an Oscar with the song was beyond their imagination.

A romantic movie is one thing, but the real life is different. It has been a few weeks since Hansard admitted for an Australian paper Sydney Morning Herald that the amorous couple from the movie is only a film fiction. They stay together as a musicians, but hard to say what the future will bring.

Farewell to Jan Kaplicky, which is going to take place today in the former church of st. Anna on Anenske Namesti today, will take 6 hours. The space was not chosen accidentally- it was reconstructed by the Kaplicky’s former life and professional partner Eva Jiricna. Now it serves under the name Prague Crossroad as a cultural space.

The last goodbye will be initiated at 12:45 by performance of dixieland band in front of the entrance. Petr Hapka and Krystof Michal are going to sing, the architect Eva Jiricna and Pavel Bobek and other Kaplicky’s colleagues and friends from all around the world.

The last farewell to the man whom Prague citizens will have always connected to the yet not realized project of National Library, so called Blob. It is probable it will attract many of those, who found Kaplicky’s ideas to be revolutionary and important.

The famous writer of Czech origin living in France, Milan Kundera, is in the end not going to litigate Respekt magazine. Originally, he was going to do it because of an article, stating that Kundera allegedly in 1950 informed against an Czechoslovak agent Miroslav Dvoracek to the secret police. Dvoracek was later sentenced to many years of prison. Dilia agency, which represents the introvert writer, announced the information.

Milan Kundera originally demanded an apology. Respect magazine has not yet apologized, though. Dilia continues: “Mr. Kundera is not going to sue Respekt. Why not is his personal decision. It doesn’t mean though, he would accept anything from what Respect wrote about him.” The article aroused various emotions on both sides, but many renowned people, including Vaclav Havel, stood by him. It is still not clear what happened back then.

Vaclav Klaus doesn’t give up easily, and his struggle against passing the Lisbon treaty in the Czech Parliament continues. On Monday, another of his books, called ‘Prezident Republiky k Lisabonske smlouve’ (The President of the Republic to Lisbon treaty) is published. On the cover, there is a changed flag of the EU; yellow stars form a question mark instead of the circle.

The President wants to warn the public, but also those who are going to decide about accepting the document, what dangers could await the country, if the treaty would be accepted. Whether it will be accepted in the end are going to decide both the houses of the parliament. A part of the ODS and the Communists are against. If ODS supports it, another politicians say to leave the party; and possibly move to SSO.

The health state of the Czech ex-president slowly improves, even when stays quite serious. It should not be dangerous, but it improves only slowly. That was stated by the leader of medical consultation Martin Holcat. Havel going to stay at least a week or ten days on the intensive care unit. It all depends on his health state. The ex-president have undergone a small surgery, during which the source of irritation was removed from his neck.

The post-operation state was complicated by mucus at a part of Havel’s right lung. On Friday, doctors found liquid in Havel’s left lung. After intensive rehabilitation the situation improved, Havel is being visited by his wife, who is close-by during his whole stay in Motol. She brings him home meals regularly. The ex-president has no special diet and eats the same food as the rest of the patients.

There are groups who claim Kaplicky was knackered. People spend the day after his death by medially challenging his opposers. Truly, hard to say whether the dispute around the Blob library shortened his life, or if he died from happiness that his daughter Johanka was born to be a strong and healthy kid. At least he died very, very happy. I feel sorry for his wife, who is going to celebrate her daughter’s birthday with bitterness from now on.

Jan Kaplicky designed buildings in Czechoslovakia already, but, as a lot of Czech intelligence, he had to escape the communists for emmigracy in Britain. He gave Britain some remarkable buildings, which got ahead the whole century by its 21st century design, use of materials and energy. He didn’t want to return to Prague, because he knew Czechs are not ready to accept his ways. Unfortunately he was right.

After he was persuaded by his friend to try for the new national library and winning the international contest, Kaplicky was sucked into the Czech self-censoring surroundings, which he was prepared to fight. But he didn’t expect he is to became another Klaus’s stepping stone to fame, and his winning design was about to be crashed by Klaus’s influence.

Was it the frustration from us Czechs that killed him? I don’t think so. He was an artist who always aroused controversy, and he was ready to fight until the end (viz his Paroubek connection). The Czech Republic bought him much more – love to Eliska, his wife, he was in love like a novel character. His heart didn’t make it through such happiness, and there is a lot of people who is going to miss him. Lets remember him for what he has done for Czech reputation and architecture in the world.

This Wednesday, the team of the ex-president Vaclav Havel doctors looked seriously and gloomy. Yesterday the press conference was much more relaxed. Their patient feels better.

On Monday morning, Havel’s breathing obstacles worsened, he had problems swallowing, left to IKEM to be checked-up.

The doctors came to conclusion his state is serious and that he must be hospitalized. In the evening he was already in Motol, being taken care of the neck specialist Jan Betka. They found out Vaclav Havel suffers from abscess in his neck.

At the very evening, doctors decided it must be removed and Havel was successfully operated. The next day it was clear the irritation was much wider – it spread into one of his lungs (the bad one), which was in addition blocked up by sediment of blood and mucus.

Doctors se 14-member consultation team which takes care of him. He gets antibiotics, breathes with a mask and tries to exercise the lungs and expectorate the mucus.

The world famous architect Jan Kaplicky died yesterday. Tragically, it happened on the same day, when his wife Eliska gave birth to their first child, Johanka. According to the police speaker Jan Mikulovsky pedestrians found a laying man in Prague Dejvice “An elderly man collapsed in Ceskoslovenske armady street at half past eight pm.” a woman who passed by called an ambulance, than a police unit tried cpr. The police officers and later the ambulance attempts ended without success. Jan Kaplicky died 14th January 2009 at the age of seventy one.

Kaplicky was never too old, together with his young colleagues in his Future Systems in London worked on change of traditional conception of architecture, used innovative materials, cared about ecology and tried to use natural energy and light. His team uses know-how of NASA research and boat and plane industry – materials that are strong, light, persistent, seamless. Two of Kaplicky’s buildings were by The Independent listed among the most significant modern buildings – the shopping mall Selfridges in Birmingham and the journalist platform on the London cricket stadium Lord’s.

From all the Czech national heroes, the Czech President Klaus resembles, with his bizarre aversion against the authorities and by the shape of his head, the Good Solider Svejk the most. At least the leader of Brussels branch of the Financial Times Tony Barber says so on the blog part of the Times.

Klaus has turned away from conventions, when he demonstrated his disgust towards the Lisbon treaty and European institutions reform, which are documents Barroso and most of political leaders are deeply devoted to.

“… Klaus is not Vaclav Havel, his presidential ancestor … he is not the medieval martyr Jan Hus nor Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the founder of Czechoslovak state, whose statue was behind Klaus when he held a speech from the Castle. Klaus resembles somebody completely different. Klaus is a smart guy, but by his bizarre aversion against the authorities, feeling of solidarity towards the small players and his head shape, he is the version of the Good Solider Svejk of the 21st Century” Barber closes.

Prague mayor Pavel Bem is back form his vacation, which aroused interest of media. According to some information from the Prague Municipal Council he should have been at Antarctica, climbing the top mountain – Mount Vinson there. Bem now – going there. But the source of iDnes.cz claims the opposite.

“I took eight days of vacation, today it is Sunday and I am in work. I went to mountains. I was on vacation, not in Antarctica.” Bem said for CTK.

On the other question, which was “Which mountains did you go to” he didn’t answer, saying that his vacation is only his business. “Rumours are problems of journalists, not me.” Bem added. He is well-known for his love of mountain-climbing, last year he went to Mt. Everest.

Another question Pavel Bem arouses for a long time is, who finances his trips, vacations, housing, or celebrations. For example his huge birthday party in September could have cost up to 500 thousand czk, and when we know the rent in his villa is 324 thousand czk a year, he wouldn’t make it alone with his 86 thousand fee/ month.

Prague Mayor and the non-successful candidate for the ODS chairman Pavel Bem is on the way to Antarctia. By beating the local giant Mount Vinson (4892 metres) he would fulfill his dream of climbing all the five highest mountains at five continents.

During the last announced climb to Mount Everest he took two months of unpaid vacation from the town hall, however his absence was criticized from all the sides. Maybe that is the reason why he returned to his previous tactics when he didn’t talk about his expeditions very much.

The speaker of Prague town council Jiri Wolf stated yesterday, that “The Mayor has two weeks of vacation. It is his personal business.” Bem’s wife Radmila said the iDnes server that Bem is ‘at mountains’. But Bem himself stated he would like to head there a year ago.

The Maze restaurant in the Prague hotel Hilton Old Town doesn’t attract enough customers after a year in function. The founder, British chef Gordon Ramsay announced it yesterday on a press conference. Ramsay announced he want s to attract more customers by changes in the menu. The reason for low visit rate is, according to him, the financial crisis and competition.

The restaurant is full from Thursday to Saturday, from Monday to Wednesday it is not so great. “We are going to return to the traditional style and use turnip, potatoes and other simple vegetable.” Ramsay plans to reduce the expensive supplies. Prague restaurant Maze is the 18th enterprise of the famous Scottish chef.

The renowned chef Gordon Ramsay currently holds ten Michelin – stars. Modeled on the concept of Gordon Ramsay’s latest British restaurant, Maze, the restaurant offers a menu of signature tasting dishes.

The Czech Foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg gained, from the hands of his German colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeir, a high German state badge, The Great Cross of Distinguished Service Medal of Germany. Karel Schwarzenberg so got the highest German evaluation he could receive as a foreign minister. The great appreciation came as a recognition of his merit in Czech-German relations.

The great cross, which new wearer is the Czech minister, wasn’t given to any Czech personality in the recent years. In the international qualification it is a state decoration of the first degree, higher is only the Great Cross of a special degree, which was given in 2000 to former Czech president Vaclav Havel.

German minister Steinmeier described Schwarzenberg as his friend, and stressed out Schwarzenberg’s life-long effort for overcoming Europe partition.

The Economist Jan Svejnar, who made himself visible at the beginning of the year especially by running for the Czech President, speaks about World Crisis in connection to the Czech Republic. He predicts that the recession is but coming to the Czech Republic and that the country can fight it even for a few years. Svejnar’s key solution is fast Euro acceptation and taxes lowering.

Svejnar says lowering of the laxes of physical companies would compensate by taxes in the fields of realities and consumption. That would help our competitive strength. Concerning Euro acceptation he definitely supports the asap method in 2012. The Euro would help hold the prices on lower level, so limiting pricing. The government should stimulate economic growth by higher investments to infrastructure. Source: LN

“I believe in the power of truth and justice. China politics of hard line relies on the power of weapons, but the truth… is stronger.” The 73 yo man in red robes said in the packed hall of the Czech parliament yesterday.

The Dali Lama attracts attention of Czechs. His lecture two days ago was absolutely packed, and the possibility to hear him in the parliament yesterday didn’t miss also actors and representatives of various non-government organizations, many of those wearing symbols of Tibet.

The Dali Lama visited the Czech Republic on the behalf of the “Friends of Tibet” group, whose typical members are Martin Bursik and Katerina Jacques, who stated “Citizens of the Czech Republic greatly respect you and sympathize with you”.

The Dali Lama spoke about freedom and spiritual development, as is typical, entertained the people present with funny stories, but also surprised with the opinion, Russia should became a member of NATO, and the central of NATO could than be in Moscow, instead of Brussels.

Representative Radim Chytka from the ODS promised Dali Lama they are going to use the Czech EU chairmanship for expressing support to the Tibet. The Dali Lama continued, that the small countries sometimes have more sense for human rights than the bigger ones.

The lecture theme was simply ‘understatement: the way to happiness’. His Holiness the Dalai Lama lectured for Czechs in the Prague Congress Centre. “Our state of mind is necessary for reaching a happy life.” He told the audience. The Dali Lama arrived to Prague on invitation of the ex-president Vaclav Havel and the Nadace Forum 2000 foundation.

The Dalai Lama, first name Tandzin Gjamccho, is considered to be the spiritual leader of Tibetans. Chinese Government, which occupies Tibet sine 1959, considers him the symbol of obsolete theocratic system. In 1989 gained the Nobel prize of peace.

After the lecture he meet the prime minister Mirek Topolanek. Topolanek has been supporting Tibetan autonomy even when he wasn’t a prime minister, so they understand well. The other politician the Dalai Lama knows well is Martin Bursik, with whom and The Tibet Friends Group he met afterwards. The evening was, of course, criticized by China representatives. The Dalai Lama stays until Thursday.

The audience in London Royal Albert Hall thanked the Czech singer and pianist Marketa Irglova and Irish musician Glen Hansard by standing ovation. The tour of these two called The Swell Season.

The Audience appreciated the songs the duo sung together or with their group, some of the songs they sung with them.

The duo of musicians were in return amazed by Royal Albert Hall size; its capacity is 7000, and it was almost full. Irglova welcomed them by Czech “Ahoj” and than said “it is amazing to be here. When I came here first, I was in shock.”

Hansard fought his own battle as well – his family came there to see him: “That’s no fun to have the mother in the audience” he said, laughing.

The largest ovation came after the song “Falling Slowly” with which they won an Oscar.

In the journalist inquiry Zlatý Míč – Golden Ball of the CR Petr Cech steadily draws up to Pavel Nedved. Nedved won five times, but not in a raw. For Cech it was ‘a season on a swing’ as he says – he lost the Master’s league and there was also the non—successful European championship. Even in these days the goalkeeper alternates positives with negatives. This weekend, he gained 100th zero in the Blues dress.

Golden Ball rank :
1st Petr Cech (Chelsea) 1664 points, 2nd Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal) 945, 3rd Marek Jankulovski (AC Milán) 777, 4th Pavel Nedved (Juventus) 578, 5th Libor Sionko (Copenhagen)

Newcomer of this year :
1st Frantisek Drizdal (Slavia) 88, 2nd Jan Moravek (Bohemians 1905) 64, 3rd Lukas Marecek (Brno) 15

The coach of the year :
1st Karel Jeronym (Slavia) 122, 2nd Karel Vecera (Ostrava) 61, 3rd Karel Bruckner (CR + Austria Represents) 32

The Czech writer Milan Kundera, accused of alleged informing for the communist police, gained support of his renowned colleagues yesterday. Eleven of world renown writers, among which are four laureates of Nobel prize for literature have disapproved the “smirching campaign” led against Kudnera.

Among the signers of the document published in Paris are i.a. Nadine Gordimer, Gabriel García Márquez, John Maxwell Coetzee and Orhan Pamuk: “… a insinuating campaign with the aim to blacken Kundera’s reputation with the allegation he was informer in 1950”

With respect to Kundera categorically denying the accusation, and also literary historian Zdenek Pesat supporting him, the authors come to the conclusion the Czech press has too often spread the fame with consternating easiness, not considering what contradicts it.

Kundera still haven’t expressed, whether he will go all the way to defen his honour at a court, as he consideret suing, unless he gets an apology from the magazine.