CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA School of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 C.S.F.R. e-mail address: CAROLINA@CSEARN.BITNET *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 50, Friday, November 20, 1992. FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS (November 11-18) Bill of the Extinguishment of Czechoslovakia Rejected Again Late Wednesday evening November 18 the Federal Assembly again turned down the governmental proposal of the constitutional bill which would officially divide the federation. This was the result despite a recommendation Tuesday by members of the Czech national Council and the National Council of the Slovak Republik to pass the bill. Neither of the Republics'parliaments approved proposals for the opposite parties, suggesting that the Federal Assembly bind the validity of the Act of the extinguishment to a referendum. To pass the bill in the Federal Assembly it was necessary to achieve a three-fifths majority, not a simple majority. The missing votes were derived from the Slovak part of the Chamber of the Nations, and therefore a compromise solution will be sought in an argumental procedure. Vaclav Havel Runs for President In an official announcement of his candidacy on Monday, Vaclav Havel proved his will and courage to run for the office of President of the Czech Republic. When confronted with journalists in his Prague apartment, Havel paid the most attention to the question of the powers of the presidency. According to him, the current authority of this post strictly limits the President's authority to intervene in the legislative process. (The governmental version assumes that the President is not empowered to propose bills and his suspensive veto concerns only constitutional bills.) Another issue of Havel's speech were his notes on the governmental proposal of the Czech Constitution which the Czech National Council received last Tuesday. According to Havel, the current version of the Constitution's preamble is too extensive and complex. Funeral of Alexander Dubcek The official farewell to Alexander Dubcek, who died on November 7, took place on Saturday in the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. Apart from his family, representatives of political life, church, and culture, along with guests from more than 50 countries were in attendance for the funeral ceremony. Noted in local and foreign press was the absence of Czech Premier Vaclav Klaus, having been busy with his work, and that present Chairman of the Czech National Council, Milan Uhde, did not deliver any speech in behalf of the Czech people. In Wednesday's daily Lidove Noviny the headline "Idea of Politeness" introduced the approach of Czech writer Pavel Kohout to this issue. Included in the text was: "Let the absence was based on whatever reasons, certain associations certainly saw in the coffin above all a communist or a federalist, and not a brave man who found a strength to rectify a mistake whereto he was led by an idee fixe. Not tell him farewell as to a great Czechoslovak, and not to tell him reverent farewell in behalf of the Czech Republic, seems to be a product of another idees fixe, which are no less dangerous." When asked whether he did not feel a need to make his appearance at Dubcek's funeral, Vaclav Havel answered that he had not been appealed to do so. He said, however, that a Czech word was missing at the funeral. He did not comment on Klaus's absence saying that he is not entitled to do so. Alexander Dubcek's final reposing place is the cemetery in the Nightingale's Valley in Bratislava. Government and Miners Even Wednesday's demonstration of about 5,000 miners in Prague against the course of re-structuralization and privatization of the Mining industry did not achieve an agreement between the government and the trade-unions. According to Czech Premier V. Klaus, the government will never make concessions to any group of inhabitants of the Czech Republic. The liberality of the prices of coal was decided by the financial council a month ago, and requirements to the state budget will be talked over together with other common items. At the demonstration, Minister of Industry, Trade and Travel of the Czech Republic, Vladimir Dlouhy, promised a protection of the Czech market with coal against foreign suppliers. Though according to him, the fact remains that some of the least prosperous mines will have to be closed. For and Against Direct Presidential Election A public argument on the way of electing the Czech President was held on Tuesday at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University by Chairman of the Chamber of People of the Federal Parliament, Vaclav Benda, and ex-minister of Foreign Affairs, Jiri Dienstbier. Benda, from the governmental Christian Democratic Party, defended an indirect election. He stated, that the new Czech Constitution creates a considerable parlamentary system, where it would be impossible to incorporate a procedure of a direct presidental election. Thus the President would have a legitimacy which would be independent from the Parliament's will, which would be a permanent source of conflict. According to Benda, there is not enough money and time to call the direct presidential election. Jiri Dienstbier, whose Civic Movement lost in this year's election, contested that power must be balanced. In support of a direct election, he stated that no party can afford to present a candidate who is not trusted by the people and that this could happen through the election in Parliament. Vaclav Havel as a Czech president should have an independent position in order to be able to balance the rather "Thatcher-like" policy of premier Vaclav Klaus. Dienstbier said that the new state, rising from necessity and accompanied by little enthusiasm, needs strong legitimacy which it will be given by the new president, who is elected by the people. Menzel Finally Resigned Jiri Menzel's resignation to the Headship of the Department of Direction of the Film Academy of Performing Arts (FAPA) was based on his disapproval with the reasons and the course of the Direction students'strike. His colleagues, directors Klein, Chytilovu, Sadkova, Jires, Svoboda, Koliha, Smyczek, Vavra, and Fuka regard his departure as a loss mainly for the students and the situation, which led Menzel to such a decision as shameful, since Menzel has properly fulfilled his duty as a pedagogue as well as the head of the Department. In their Tuesday's proclamation the students presented a wish that Menzel should go on with his educational work at the faculty. The Dean of FAPA accepted Menzel's resignation. CULTURAL PAGE To give you an idea of who is leaving FAPA we are bringing a brief profile of Menzel: Jiri Menzel was born on February 23, 1938 in Prague. From 1957-62 he studied FAPA under director O. Vavra. He graduated in 1963 with the film "Our Mr. Foster Died". Then he was active mainly as a film director. He also cooperated on the script of most of his films and also starred in some of them. He also went in for theatre direction, particularly after having shot the film "Skylarks on Thread", which went directly to the vault and had its first run as late as 1989. Since 1990 he has been the head of the Department of Direction at Prague's Film Academy of Performing Arts. Among his most famous films there are (names in the parentheses belong to the models'authors): Death of Mr. Baltazar (from the series Little Pearls on the Bottom - B. Hrabal), Crime in a Girls'School (J.Skvorecky), Sharply Observed Trains (Hrabal - awarded with the American Oscar for the best foreign film 1967), Humorous Summer (V.Vancura), Crime in Cafe Dansant (Skvorecky), Outside the Village Near a Forest, Tonsure (Hrabal), Festivity of Snowdrops (Hrabal), Oh My Central Village (Z.Sverak), End of Old Times (Vancura), Beggars'Opera (V. Havel). The films are presented in a chronological order. CZECHOSLOVAKIA CROWN'S BILL OF RATE buy sale USA 1USD 27.98 29.38 BRD 1DEM 17.46 18.38 GB 1GBP 41.67 44.81 FRA 1FRF 5.13 5.45 AUT 1ATS 2.50 2.62 The rate is valid on November 18, 1992. Shifts on the labor market in the capital (statistic data for October): Newly reported applicants: 907 (433 of them were on the dole) Total of the applicants in the end of October: 1941 (887 of them were on the dole) In comparison with September there was the number of the unemployed decreased (by 154), so did also the number of labor opportunities (by 1041). During last month the Labor Office offered a total of 18,894 jobs, including 12,442 worker's jobs. Only demands of applicants with a limited working ability were not sufficiently covered (i.e. handicaped or partly disabled people) 369 of them were offered only 283 posts. How Labor Offices Work in Czechoslovakia People who want to work and cannot find a proper job, apply to to Labor Office. There they are provided a fresh option of free vacancies wherein an employer directly specifies his requirements. Through this institution it is possible to find a short term job - even in Germany. The Labor Office cares mainly for improving the situation of the homeless in the future. Therefore it offers a wide range of re-qualification courses or financial aid to those employers who enable high school and university students to gain a professional experience. Welfare in the case of unemployment is the last possibility to improve the applicant's material situation. Anyone with accomplished study and a proper working experience of at least 12 months during last three years is eligible to get the support. The allowances are paid each sixth month. During the first and third months the payment is 1200 Kcs (70 per cent of a fictitious income of 2000 Kcs.) and in the fourth and sixth months the sum is reduced by 200 crowns. An average month's wage in Czechoslovakia is now 4297 Kcs. SPORT Hockey On Friday, 14 teams of the federal hockey league played the 18th round. The league standings are still headed by ambitious Litvinov with 26 points who at home beat Zlin 6:2. Runner up, Ceske Budejovice (25points) did not hesitate either and beat Kosice 4:1. Suprising was the loss of Sparta Praha to Kladno 0:3 in a traditional match. The last team in the standings, Pardubice (12 points) lost again - this time in Bratislava with Slovan of the place 4:8. WEATHER Pedestrians must be careful not to slip on wet leaves covering almost all the pavements. Puddles remain frozen so far in the mountains. Though nightly temperatures sink below zero , the temperature during the day climbs to 5 degrees (Centigrade). The highlands are covered with 2 centimeter layer of snow, the mountains announce about 20 centimeters. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. 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