Compact archive August 4, 2006

Electronic Cardiac Pacemaker given to a 100-year old patient

Friday 04 August 2006 12:30

Ludmila Koukolikova is the oldest patient who was operated on in Prague Na Homolce hospital to be given a cardiac pacemaker. Mrs Ludmila is already one hundred years old and the doctors decided to give her the pacemaker during a regular check up. The patient suffered a heart failure two years ago but before that had no health problems.

This was confirmed by the doctor who said that Mrs Koukolikova was in perfect condition and the results of her investigation sent by the laboratory show that she is as healthy as a young person in his twenties.

Mrs Ludmila Koukolikova has a slender figure and the electric pacemaker that the doctors gave her is rather tiny – it weighs only eighteen grammes. Its function is to help the heart to keep its rhythm. The average age at which this operation takes place is sixty-nine. Nevertheless, there is no age-limitation and the pacemaker is given both to babies as well as to older patients.

Fashion show in Prague Botanic garden

Friday 04 August 2006 11:51

Prague Botanical Garden in Troja has a very attractive programme prepared for its tomorrow’s visitors. There will be several opportunities to take a look around the garden and admire the countless species of flowers with a guide. There will also be stalls with fashion accessories, refreshments and a chance to try to make your own mosaic. For everyone wearing a dress with flower design the organisers prepared a small surprise.

The highlight of the day will undoubtedly be the fashion show designed by Ivana Follova. The models, with hair-styles from the famous European hairdresser Petr Cizek, will be moving between more than one hundred Zimbabwean sculptures. The stone sculptures form an exhibition presenting the modern Zimbabwean sculpture. There is therefore a chance to combine a visit to the botanical garden with a visit to an exhibition as well as with admiring the models in their dresses during the fashion show tomorrow.

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Festival of Celtic music and dance

Friday 04 August 2006 11:09

The only festival of Celtic music and dance in Prague takes place at summer scene of Vysehrad tomorrow on Saturday 5th August. Between two o’clock in the afternoon and ten o’clock in the evening the visitors can look forward to hearing several hours of high quality Celtic music as performed by the best Czech interpreters.

The programme includes Scottish, Irish, Shetland and other types of Celtic music. There will also be dance performance by Rinceoiri – one of the most famous dance groups of Irish dance in Europe. The other highlights include The 1st Bohemian Highland Pipers as well as the legendary Czech Celtic and rock musicians Jan Hruby and Rudolf Halek. The festival will also offer the possibility to watch the traditional handicrafts such as Celtic blacksmith.

The ticket costs 170 crowns but children measuring less than 120 centimetres are lucky to have the entrance free. In the case your entire family is a fan of Celtic music there is also the chance to buy family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) for 450 crowns.

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Cafe Imperial ends the legendary doughnut battles

Friday 04 August 2006 10:26

Cafe Imperial is a lovely cafe in Na Porici street which gained its fame not only because of the Art Nouveau decorations but also because of its doughnut battles. One of the items on the menu (available only to sober customers older than 21 years) was namely Saturnin’s Bowl.

Saturinin is a character from Zdenek Jirotka’s humorous novel bearing the name of its hero. Here people can be divided into three categories according to their reaction to a plate of doughnuts. Some just look at them, the others throw them only in their fantasy whereas the most daring group takes the plate and “gives the doughnuts wings” for a while before the target is met.

The cost of Saturnin’s Bowl with old doughnuts was 2000 crowns and anybody in the cafe could become the target and possibly also a participant in the battle. Nevertheless, the cafe should now be open not only for the hotel guests. It will thus gain during the reconstruction one new entrance but the tradition enabling the visitors to “shoot” with doughnuts will be lost.

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Thursday's successful qualification and the Olympic Games

Friday 04 August 2006 09:46

Three Czech kayaks as well as three canoeists were successful in yesterday’s qualification races. Volf with his partner Stepanek, who brought a bronze medal from Athens, ended up as clear winners since they finished seven seconds ahead of the runners-up. Today’s programme includes further qualifications of canoeists and kayaks – including the Czech star Stepanka Hilgertova.

According to Jan Burgermeister, a Czech deputy, Prague will be ready for the Olympic games by 2016 – also in the case it should not candidate. This claim, that we touched upon in relation to the current championships, is based on the fact that canal for water sports is the most expensive facility and Prague does not have to invest into it at all since it is ready.

Prague Mayor Bem also supports the idea of Olympic games in Prague but he prefers a modest version to minimise the risk of unnecessary investments. The supporters claim that all of the sports facilities, infrastructure as well as additional accommodation would be built anyway and do not therefore represent in any way financial burden.

On the other hand, the opponents claim that additional eleven stadiums with Olympic dimensions would have to be built and this can under no circumstances be seen as an investment that would take place also without the games. The organizing city also has to provide 45 000 hotel rooms but Prague currently offers only 30 000. The decision about the candidature will have to be met by the end of this year.

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Prague Ruzyne Airport introduces new modern services

Friday 04 August 2006 08:48

Prague airport offers a new service for all owners of mobile phones. It is now possible to get information about the arrival and departure of any flight through text message.

The only thing that needs to be done is to send a SMS message in the form LET _ _ _ _ _ _ followed by the number of the flight you are interested in to number 900 06 09. Soon your phone should signal a new message. It should come with the date and hour of the planned arrival/departure as well as the number of the terminal and the type of the plane. The cost of this service is nine crowns. It is expected that it will be welcomed not only by the passengers but also by the people who are taking someone to or collecting somebody from the airport.

This service is not the only modernization the airport prepared, though. Starting from September it will be also possible to use seven self-service machines for check in. The service will be initially only for the passengers flying with British Airways or Swiss Air Lines but KLM and CSA are to follow. This innovation should make the travel easier mainly for business travellers without any luggage.

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