Compact archive October 2007

Prague astronomical clock, built 1410 by the clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan, is going to have its statues undergo a general repair the whole November 2007. Its 17th Century statues are going to be protectively coated against hard weather conditions.

Otakar Zamecnik, the ‘orlojnik’, said: “to lift down these takes about three hours, while the Astronomical Clock will be still working. We have to do everything in the morning, so we won’t be disturbed by tourists too much.”

Conservators are going to lift down first four statues today, and the next four in two weeks. Vanity, Miser/Jew, Turk and Death, the statues placed at the lower position by the astronomic clock-face, go to workrooms as first. The second wawe takes the lower statues by the Claendar- Chronicler, Angel, Astronomer and Philosopher.

Czech Railways cancel the system of zones, starting 9th November 2007. The price of a ticket is going to be dependent on the actual kilometers traveled.

What’s more, the 60 CZK (2 €) surcharges for EuroCity or InterCity trains are to be canceled too. This is a trend of the European Union. Covering of the losts is going to be paid by the Ministry of Transportation. Though, the state should pay approx. 600 millions CZK (20 mil. €)

The changes reflect to a customer’s life positively, if he/she uses mentioned EuroCity or InterCity trains. For example, to go from Prague to Ostrava costs 484 CZK (16 €) now, after the changes it is supposed to be 40 CZK (1,3 €) less. Traveling with a discount card will be a little more expensive, as well as a purchase of a ‘Kilometricka banka’ (1600 CZK/53 € for 2000 km)

And finally – train smoking rooms are to be abandoned and train smoking will be banned completely.

Skoda cake advertisement won top British Television Advertising Craft Award of 30 October 2007. The TV ad shows pastry-cooks baking a Skoda Fabia cake in life size. They have swapped rivets for raisins, metal for marzipan and spark plugs for sugar. The video was filmed at West London’s Shepperton Studios, and Skoda even includes a recipe for the cake. The ad was placed by British representation of Skoda. It lasts approximately a minute and cost about 1 million £.

The agency who made the ad actually wanted to give the huge cake to charity, but at the end they gave it up because of possible health risks, coming from long stay of Skoda Fabia cake in the heat of studio reflectors.

For a Skoda Fabia cake you need these ingredients:
10kg white chocolate chunks
20kg raisins
3kg orange peel strips
25kg dried apricot
12.5kg raspberry jam
5kg cocoa powder
100kg wheat flour
180 fresh eggs
100kg caster sugar
90kg brown sugar paste
50kg icing sugar
40kg black sugar paste
20kg glacier cherries
50kg white sugar paste
30kg brown almonds
42kg chocolate fudge

Did you know Skoda starts production of its first SUV?

A dog restaurant? Do you mean for dogs or offering dogs? The answer is b. The restaurant offers German shepherd steak with dumplings and cream sauce, Sausage dog on cranberries, or grilled Labrador on garlic. It opens soon in the Czech Republic second largest city Brno. Wonder what the prices are? From 259 CZK (8,6 €) for Chivava starter, to 999 CZK (33 €) for fifty grams of Yorkshire delicacy.

Do you feel sick already? Do you even feel like suing? You don’t have to. This time it is just an Internet project of an imaginary restaurant, that should demonstrate it is not possible to prioritize some animals on account of others. According to its author (one of them) Ales Leznar:

“We buy tidy packages with anonymous carcasses in supermarkets, but if it was saying ‘neighbor’s Max’, hardly anybody would buy it. If humanity wants a really fair world, they should reduce or abandon meat consumption”

It is really a project that should provoke discussions. However on the web www.DogHeaven.cz it wouldn’t seem so – it is even decorated with advertisements like ‘Invite your Asian business partner to lunch’ or ‘Visit dog meat festival’. But soon the manifesto appears – this is an appeal on human hypocrisy, which looks down upon maltreatment of pets, but tolerates mass meat-works.

Based on jih,miš, Lidove Noviny

The singer of the legendary band Cranberries goes on her European tour with an accompanying band (while her band Cranberries probably rests in Ireland at the moment). O’Riordan’s first solo album “Are You Listening?”, released on 2007, will be possible to hear there, but probably most songs will be the good old songs of The Cranberries.

Dolores O’Riordan performs in Prague on Monday 26th November 2007 in Prague Lucerna.

For more information visit this

Meanwhile five years ago 30% of asked fifteens had experiences with marijuana, last year it was six percent less, according to the Drug report of 2006 which was given by the Ministers yesterday.

The file says the number of narcomaniacs didn’t grow past years. Official numbers of addicts to Pervitin (Czech name for methamphetamine) and opiates are 30 200, a number similar to past years.

For the last year only, the state invested 363 millions of CZK (12,1 mil. €) to anti-drug policy projects. Other 140 millions (4,7 mil. €) were donated by regions and cities.

Current number two of American rap is comming to Prague within the scope of his European tour (he didn’t cancel his tour, just moved it for two months). Tickets for his performance, which is going to take place on 21st November in T-mobile Arena, are on sale.

Click for more information

The world-famous gospel choir, cooperating with the biggest stars of the world of music is coming back to the Czech Republic after its great successful last year.

Harlem Gospel Choir is comming to Prague on 1st November 2007 with their World Tour 2007 – God Bless The Children.

Last year, Harlem Gospel Choir’s visit to the Czech Republic was something like a “trial run”. Gospel music has never had a tradition in this country and its music scene, so no one expected the choir to have such a success at the local audience. However enthusiasm and euforia which accompanied the whole Czech stage of the choir’s tour could not escape the attention of the Czech press and other media. All tickets were sold out for every tour’s stop and the choir performed something unexpected.

Get more information on Harlem Gospel Choir concert Prague here

“Viktor Kozeny won’t be given to the USA to be judged there” That is the verdict of the Bahama supreme court of this Wednesday. And we weren’t very surprised, because Kozeny’s history is a history of scams and tricks.

Just for the case you have never heard of the most famous Czech thief, who in the early ’90s ran one of the greatest scams of the post-Communist era; Viktor Kozeny is by the media often called “the pirate of Prague”.

During the Communist regime, it was common for the state to steal companies from its citizen and to ‘communize’ it. When the Communist regime fell, the solution of this situation seemed in the so-called coupon privatization. In this enterprise, Czech state assets were supposed to be handed over to Czech citizens through a system of coupon vouchers, which could then be used to buy shares in companies.

This later appeared quite rush, as there was insufficient system of control at the time. Mutual funds were founded, most successfully the one started by Kozeny: ‘Harvard Capital and Consulting’ (Kozeny gained an economics degree at Harvard University, than he decided to simply steal the name).

Kozeny used the fact Czechs became gullible during the past era, and offered them 1000% rate of return on investment. Only this fact seems incredible from today’s point of view, doesn’t it. Harvard Funds bought shares in a number of companies, stripped assets and transferred the money abroad to offshore tax havens like the Bahamas. This scam turned out to be a huge success for Kozeny and his cronies, who allegedly stole millions of dollars from investors in his funds.

During the next decades, he repeated this scam and invented other, usually abusing obvious imperfection of post-communist countries and his perfect genius, and making additional billions. The ‘American scam’ because of which he should be delivered to the USA, was based on US investors handling their money to him in Azerbaijan, (over $400 million in total from clients such as AIG and Columbia University) and he escaping to Bahamas afterwards.

Will he ever be given to the US justice? It’s doubtful, because of his obvious intelligence and his level of possession. Will he ever be given to the Czech justice? Improbable. Unlike the United States, the Czech Republic has no extradition treaty with the Bahamas.

And will the investors see any of their money back? The courts have frozen those of his accounts they know about, so he could later pay off his debts. Kozeny claims that he lost everything in his past three divorces.

Die Happy is a German hard-rock band. The group was founded in 1993 by Czech singer Marta Jandova and Thorsten Mewes. Even though the band is based in Germany, their songs are written and performed almost exclusively in English.

They are going on European tour with their new album called No Nuts No Glory. During their tour they make 8 stops in the Czech Republic, 4 times with Czech hard-rock group Divokej Bill.

With “No Nuts No Glory”, Die Happy has managed a surprise where the title is the motto: The band has dared to set off on new paths, where the emphasis is on pure rock music far removed from squeaky clean MOR with guitars.

7th November 2007, Prostor Abaton, Na Kosince 8, Prague. Tickets at Ticketportal, 290 CZK (10 €)

Prague Philharmonic, conductor Michel Swierczewski
Anne-Sophie Schmidt – soprano
Ginesa Ortega Cortés – flamenco vocals
& musicians from Morocco and others

The Arab-Andalusian festival, Nouba, will be re-enacted here, joining together two opposite shores of the Mediterranean, and two traditions in music, “academic” and popular. The Rudolfinum will be decked with tones, colors, tastes and scents of old Andalusia.

Traditional Súfij music, Sefard songs Maurice Ravel or Manuel de Fall music, recitation of Maroqui poetry. All these under the baton of Michael Swierczewsky meet in the original project festival ‘Strings of Autumn’ in Rudolfinum, Prague.

30th October 2007, 19:30, Rudolfinum, Alsovo nabrezi 12, Prague 1. Tickets at Ticketpro.

The ceremony takes place annually in Prague Castle on 28th of October, which is a national holiday celebrating the constitution of the independent Czechoslovak state, 28th October 1918.

24 people were awarded this year. From these we choose 5 for you;

Plk. Stanislav Hnelicka
Order of White Lion
The colonel belongs to great heroes of our foreign military of the WWII. He fought in the Middle East and the West Front. He participated on most of the dangerous missions of his column.

Marie Goretti Boltnar
Distinguished Service Medal
A member of Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Karel Boromejsky. She devoted her whole life to care of the sick, seniors, mentally and physically handicapped and victims of natural catastrophes. She has been in the order since her age of fiveteen.

Miroslav Fiedler
Distinguished Service Medal
Professor Fiedler is a world-wide recognized Czech mathematician, focusing on linear algebra and graph theory. His papers have gained exceptional reward. He has already been awarded for his international activity.

Plk. Jiri Formanek
T.G. Masaryk Medal
The colonel fought against the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovakia. He joined the news office against the communist regime. He established a news net on our territory. As a consequence, he was imprisoned and got 14 years in the worst communist prison.

Jiri Stivin
Distinguished Service Medal
A remarkable personality of the Czech music scene. He is a multi-instrumentalist, music composer and a pedagogue. He is an author of many works of various music areas.

What Badges and Medals are in the Czech Republic and why?

The main badges given in the Czech Republic are : Order of White Lion, T.G. Masaryk Medal and Distinguished Service Medal. Honored persons are chosen by the president. The ceremony takes place in Prague Castle on 28th of October, which is a national holiday celebrating the constitution of the independent Czechoslovak state, 28th October 1918.

The Czechoslovak Order of the White Lion and Medal of the White Lion :

The Medal is given for merit to the Czech state. The Order was established as an award for foreign citizens for merits for the (former) Czechoslovakia.

The Order of the White Lion was established in five classes. (The same person could have only one class or the Order of the White Lion. The Order of the White Lion is awarded in two divisions, civil (with two crossed palms above the badge) and military (two crossed Roman swords above the badge).

T.G. Masaryk Medal
The medal is given for persons who have contributed in a significant manner to humanity, human rights and democracy development.

Distinguished Service Medal
Medal given to personalities for merit for the state in business, science, technique, culture, arts, sports, education and schools, defense, state and citizens safety.

Those special medals are stamped on the unique machine from 1937, in a small workshop in Prague.

The National Library Team should solve the problems of the new NL construction. They held their first meeting in the residence of the Prague Mayor on Saturday morning. Vlastimil Jezek, National Library manager, have informed: “We have agreed on the sum of questions for the expert commission… the Team should finish their work until the Christmas.”

According to the Prague Mayor Pavel Bem, the possible construction on Prague Letna has five problems – property, municipal plan, adhering to the rules of the International architectonic competition, keeping with The National Institute for Heritage Preservation and construction money.

“There is one main task – to try to move Octopus on some other place. It could me moved on new grounds on Letna, or some other place in Prague.” Pavel Bem stated last week.

Cirque du Soleil (French for “Circus of the Sun”), an entertainment empire based in Montreal, Canada, performed in Prague this weekend. Sazka Arena hosted about eight thousands of people. The performed piece was Delirium; ‘a multifaceted event of unprecedented proportion featuring a state-of-the-art mix of music & stunning acrobatics infused with multimedia & awe-inspiring gigantic visuals.’

Cirque du Soleil ranks among so called ‘Cirque Nouveau / New Circus’, which is a theatre genre, connecting locomotive art, street theatre, dance, music, puppet shows and cirque (without animals).

No ring and no animals helped to make Cirque du Soleil the modern circus as it is described today. Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world and has its own central theme and storyline, which brings the audience into the performance by having no curtains. It is accompanied by continuous live music and performers changing the props. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the Cirque expanded rapidly and went from one show with 73 employees in 1984 to currently 3,500 employees from over 40 countries, doing fifteen shows, touring every continent and having an estimated annual revenue exceeding $600 million USD.

Czech National Prize for Literature and Translation are prizes given annually for an outstanding Czech literary work and a translation into Czech.

The National Prize for Translation was won by Antonin Pridal. 72 nowadays, Pridal translates from Spanish and English, he translated e.g. Federico Garcia Lorca and William Shakespeare dramas. According to the jury, he significantly contributed to the ‘culture in translation’.

Czech National Literature Prize goes to Pavel Kundera. On 25th of October 2007 the ceremony hall was full, even when everybody knew in advance Kundera won’t be present. However he at least send a voice file, which was played at the ceremony. He emphasized work of Zden Skvorecka, who „… selflessly managed a poor little publishing house in Canada … knowing the worst curse of Czech cultural history: systematic breaking of continuity … she published all the forbidden authors … Everything would be different without her.“

At the end he thanked everybody for the prize and admitted he is moved deeply, even when he couldn’t be there.

The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, according to expectations, rejected the possibility of referendum about American radar base in the Czech Republic. It is being promoted by the KSCM (Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia) and CSSD (Czech Social Democratic Party).

The draft law about the referendum to the base, prepared by CSSD and KSCM representatives, had minimal chances to pass in the first place. It would ask for 120 votes (to pass), however CSSD and KSCM do not dispose with so many seats; in the end 76 of the total 144 present voted for.

According to a sociologic research, most of Czechs do not like the idea of an American radar in the Czech Republic. Washington wants to hear the decision next year. Parliament will be, most probably, the decision maker for the radar question.

Prague council discussed Kaplicky’s Blob yesterday. Few dozens of fans of the Octopus (National Library design by Kapilcky) have gathered in front of the building, where they wanted to hand the petition for support of Blob over to Pavel Bem. There are already three thousands of people signed under it.

When the demonstrants were told about the idea of a committee, formed of more than thirty people, that should decide the fate of the National library, they didn’t sound very happy. However the presidium of the so called ‘National library team’ are eager to debate.

‘National library team’
Pavel Bem – Prague Mayor
Vlastimil Jezek – Director of the National Library
Jan Kaplicky – Author of Blob project
Borek Votava – Manager of Prague City Development Division
Jan Knezinek – Director of Preservation of Monuments Board
Bohdana Stoklasova – National Library

For this presidium works three expert groups architects, preservationists, lawyers. According to Mayor Bem the groups should work for two, three or four months.

On Friday 26th October you can witness the skills of Shimon of RAM Records (playing in the Czech Republic for the second time). This night is the Czech premiere for Kenny Ken of Mix and Blend Recordings.

The renowned event of broken beats called Get Punked will take place in Prague for the first time ever. In the previous years, GP was situated in Olomouc where the reactions of the crowd were more than great. A lot can be now expected from the Prague premiere.

Previous Get Punked parties hosted artists such as Simon Bassline, Ed Rush, Grooverider or Fresh, to name a few.

26th October 2007 at Abaton, Na Kosince 8, Prague 8. The price is 250 CZK (9 €).

The new draft law which allows to ask for a test-tube baby for women who have no heterosexual partner. That means either lonely, or lesbian. Such an act is not possible yet. Only heterosexual couples can ask for the so called assisted reproduction so far.

Speaker of the Ministry of Health Tomas Cikrt announced the law was prepared especially for lonely living women, who pine for a baby. “…but if the baby grows up with a lesbian couple, I see no problem in it. There is no proof it would have a negative influence on the child’s development.”

A practitioner from Prague center of artificial insemination Gest said, he can imagine such a practice, but he also stated the law skips one level. Adoption by a couple living in registered partnership should be allowed first. Once it would be legal, he sees no problem in artificial insemination law.

If the bill would be passed, it could be valid since 2009. However there can be one significant obstacle of such a law – the KDU-CSL party (The Christian and Democratic Union) who are long-term supporters of the ‘traditional family model’.

Laibach is a music group iconic of industrial music. Being a Slovenian experimental music group, Laibach formed 1980 in Trbovlje. Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984. The name “Laibach” is the German name for Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana.

Laibach has frequently been accused of both far left and far right political stances due to their use of uniforms and totalitarian-style aesthetics and also due to the Wagnerian influence found in some of their music, notably the thunder in “Sympathy for the Devil (Time for a Change)” and releases such as Macbeth.

Richard Wolfson wrote about the group: “Laibach’s method is extremely simple, effective and horribly open to misinterpretation. First of all, they absorb the mannerisms of the enemy, adopting all the seductive trappings and symbols of state power, and then they exaggerate everything to the edge of parody… Next they turn their focus to highly charged issues — the West’s fear of immigrants from Eastern Europe, the power games of the EU, the analogies between Western democracy and totalitarianism.”

You can come to their concert to Lucerna Music Bar, Vodickova
36, Prague on 19th December 2007. Tickets available in advance at Ticketpro, 440 CZK (15 €)

In Noordwijk, Netherlands, ministers of defense of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) hold a conference from 24th to 26th October. Main topic of discussion are planned USA military bases in Poland and the CR.

The meeting of defense ministers was initiated by a round-table discussion. Vlasta Parkanova, the Czech defense minister, participles as the deputy of the CR. The main aim of the Czech delegation is the problematics of USA European bases in the middle Europe.

The American anti-missile silo in Poland and