September 2007

Do you want to hear something crazy? Well, the Radio Praha magazine wrote about this Czech speedway rider, Matej Kus, who got a very serious head injury during one of his races in Great Britain. When he woke up in the hospital he spoke a PERFECT English although he never learned English in his life! The head injury also caused him to think that he was an accent coach at the BBC. He spoke with more of a “posh accent” – as the local Englishmen said – for about 48 hours and after that the magic disappeared….he wasn’t a BBC coach anymore but an average 18-year old Czech kid who didn’t speak a word of English. This little “magic” actually has a name in today’s world: the Susac’s syndrome. It is a disease of the small blood vessels which attacks mostly the brain. This autoimmune disorder – where the body attacks its own healthy tissue – can eventually lead to mental disorders . [click to continue…]

An article from yesterday’s Ceske noviny concentrated on the topic of an increasing influx of foreigners coming to the Czech Republic. Within the last 6 months the number increased in 34,000 foreigners to the total of 321,456 (end of 2006). In comparison to the other European countries the percentage of this group is still very low (3.5%) where in Austria or Germany the percentage of foreign population comes to 10%. Which are the biggest immigrant groups (going in order from the largest group to the second largest…)??

1. Slovaks
2. Russians (Ukraine)
3. Vietnamese
4. Polish [click to continue…]

The Prague Quadrennial is Prague’s 11th International Exhibition of Scenography and Theatre Architecture (try to say it in one breath). The exhibition opened 40 years ago as a memory of a Czech designer Frantisek Troster. The visitors were able to view the best sets, costumes, lights and sounds from all around the world. The Prague Quadrennial was considered during the communism the “must-make pilgrimage for Eastern Bloc designers”. This year one could admire the works of 420 students (from which 40 of them were Americans) and 95 professionals from 52 different countries. The exhibition models varied anywhere from Iceland’s simple small glass house to the Czech aged-wood circular fairground to the USA’s colorful marketplace to Israel’s gray concrete wall with various theatrical props buried in it. The Russian exhibit constructed its models on the waterproof floor, arranged on the heaps of junk under a leaky ceiling (???). All the visitors were given rubber galoshes and an umbrella to protect themselves from any form of water “attack”. [click to continue…]

The first-ever Prague Food Festival is here! Hosted by a well-known gourmet cook, Pavel Mauer, the Czechs will have the opportunity to taste for a low price various cuisines coming from Brazil, Japan, France and other fancy places. Since the tickets to join the festival barely cover the cost of food Mr. Mauer calls this event a “gastronomic charity”. He also reminisces that after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 there were only 3 foreign restaurants in Prague: 1 Chinese, 1 Vietnamese, and 1 Russian restaurant. Today there are about 35 different types of exotic restaurants! The restaurant business has a little problem however: a recent survey shows that 87 % (!!) of Czechs still prefer the Czech cuisine the best over other cuisines. But Mauer stays optimistic: “I think it (the situation) is changing. A lot of Czechs now understand that they should really try other types of dishes apart from just having goulash with dumplings.” [click to continue…]