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 STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC School of Social Sciences of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cz Fax: (+422) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 103, Friday, January 28, 1994. NEWS OF THE WEEK (January 19 to 26) Rectors Appointed by Vaclav Havel On January 25, Vaclav Havel appointed 15 university rectors and three rectors to the military universities. The papers enable the rectors to preside over the universities from February 1 to January 31, 1997. Havel noted the absence of a proper university concept or a new university law, which together with a lack of money causes the resignations of talented scholars and teachers from the universities. Agreement of Ministers Brought Out Differences Objections have emerged to a proposed settlement of disputed parts of the Czech-Slovak border. As reported in the previous Carolina, ministers of interior of the Czech and Slovak republics, Jan Ruml and Jozef Tuchyna, agreed to recommend to their goverments solutions to three of four controversial sectors of the Czecho-Slovak border. One of the solutions was to annex the U Sabotu quarter from the village of Javornik to Slovakia. Ruml and Tuchyna said they want to fill the demands of village citizens expressed in a petition. But the proposal has provoked a strong reaction in Javornik. "This is the first slap in the face," said village Mayor Martin Kruzica January 20 in Cesky denik. "A Slovak who received Czech citzenship and whose opinions weren't in line with those of the other side was attacked." A window shot out a sling and a destroyed railway waiting room followed. Kruzica said the petition which the ministers cited was signed by just 46 out of 126 residents of U Sabotu. And, at the same time, another petition appeared in Javornik signed by 300 people who had exactly opposite demands. This is the reason why the village representatives want to announce a referendum for all 860 village citizens. The Javornik region was supposed to be compensation from the Czech side to Slovakia for territory gained when regulation of the Morava River changed the border during the Czechoslovak communist regime. A Little Czech Oil Crisis A failure in the oil supplies from Russia to Czech Republic occured last week. Supplies were interrupted on January 21. The Czech refineries were taking the oil from reserves of the Slovak plant "Transpetrol". Importing supplies from other foreign sources or using state reserves were also considered. The crisis was over as soon as it began, when administrative obstacles to the supplies were solved. Czech authorities concluded a year-long contract with Russia. The daily supply will be about 30,000 tons. To prevent similar problems, the Czech side wants to continue negotiations with the Russians. Year of the Czech Family Initiated The Czech Parliament launched January 20 the "Year of the Family" as announced by the United Nations and Pope Jan Paul II. Jindrich Vodicka, minister of labor and social affairs, introduced the members of the National Coordinating Board and the Honorary Presidium of the Year of the Family. Livia Klausova, wife of Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, Jirina Jiraskova, actress and director of Theater Na Vinohradech, Lorna Vancurova, mother of quadruplets, Zdenek Matejcek, child psychologist, and professor Josef Svejcar, a leading pediatrician who says he is "only" 97, and Tomas Halik, a priest, were appointed to the six-member presidium. The Czech "Year of the Family" is planned not to focus only on relations of families with children, but also on improving relations between adults and their elderly parents and between young and old in general. Zdenek Matejcek suggested that Parliament declare two days during the school year when kids wouldn't have to go to school so they can spend time with older people. The National Coordinating Board began working in May 1993. It includes the ministries of Health, Culture, Labour and Social Affairs and Foreign Affairs. It finances and organizes concerts, exhibitions and children's clinics dealing with family questions. Couples in Czech Republic Wait up to Five Years for Adoption Approximately 2,500 couples a year ask apply to adopt children in the Czech Republic. People interested in adopting a child must go through a whole range of interviews, during which their family background, standard of living, income, and social and health conditions are tested. The choice of a child is usually quicker when the couples don't have any special requierements, for example, when they will accept adopting a Gypsy child. People over forty and single or divorced women rarely can expect they will be given a child. Social service employees invite applicants for a longer interview to check up on the stability of their marriage every 9 month. Future parents are also tested by psychologists and medical doctors from children's homes. Only children whose parents didn't express any interest in them for six months or children whose parents agreed to their adoption can be adopted. Children whose parents were excluded from parental by legal proceedings are also available. Children are tested for cardiological, genetic and psycholgical deficiencies and for the HIV virus. Two to three Czech children a year are usually adopted abroad. Old People Suffering Under Changes Advocates for the elderly feel the important political, social and economic changes in the Czech Republic have also had negative consequences for older Czechs. Many old people feel unimportant and left out of everyday life, with even children and relatives having no time for them because of their workloads. They also say the unsuccesful social system for old people has become an acute problem, with a lack of services, home care, and also the hospitals for long term ill and pension houses are inconvenient.There are no social centres for seniors, which are common in the western countries. That is why the association Life 90 decided to create a model social complex in Prague. It will include living rooms for the disabled, rooms for temporary stay, canteens for old people from the neighborhood, and some rooms for cultural activities. Denmark has pledged financing for the project. Student Strike Only Partially Succesful A student strike against the central administration for dorms and canteens demanding less disruptive renovation schedules and investigations into alleged malfeasance culminated Wednesday, Jan. 19. (Earlier reports about the strike were carried in the previous issue of Carolina). On Wednesday morning at about six o'clock, the entrances at Budec and Arnost z Pardubic dormitories were closed after night janitors left the buildings. Before that, students agreed that canteens, which serve many non-students and pensioners, would remain open. Shortly before 7 a.m., dorm administration employees began to gather in front of Arnost z Pardubic Dorm, but were prevented from going to their workplaces and began to gather in the conference hall. The negotiations began after administration director Karel Hoffer had arrived. The Six-member strike committee explained the students' positions to those present. The comittee expanded its charges by claiming that Hoffer renovated his own flat during the reconstruction of Vetrnik, using part of the designated money. Hoffer denied the charges, and after an hour of negotiation talks were at a standstill. Radim Palous, rector of Charles University came personally to Vorsilska street where the dorms are situated and the students canceled their blocade in honor of his authority. But they went on striking, focusing on gathering about 350 signatures for their petition. A press conference crowded with journalists and university spokespeople was held at 1 p.m. At 6 p.m. the whole action was over. CULTURE Angel Eyes With Our Own Eyes We informed you about the new Czech film "Angel Eyes" in the last issue of Carolina. The story was based on a Cinema magazine article and contained an inaccuracy in interpretation. The main reason of the problems of the three priceless insurance agents was their choice of a wrong colleague more than any fraud or swindle. We apologize to experts on Bohumil Hrabal's work. EXCHANGE RATES (Czech National Bank) country code purchase sale purchase sale average Great Britain 1GBP 43,71 46,55 44,902 45,354 45,128 France 1FRF 4,89 5,29 5,064 5,114 5,089 Italy 1000ITL 17,00 18,54 17,682 17,860 17,771 Japan 100JPY 25,98 28,58 27,139 27,411 27,275 Canada 1CAD 22,10 23,88 22,876 23,106 22,991 Austria 1ATS 2,40 2,52 2,445 2,469 2,457 Germany 1DEM 16,81 17,73 17,179 17,351 17,265 Switzerland 1CHF 20,01 21,01 20,406 20,612 20,509 USA 1USD 29,48 30,88 30,029 30,331 30,180 ECU 1XEU - - 33,443 33,779 33,611 Slovakia 1XCU - - - - 32,6*) WEATHER Day and night temperatures stayed below freezing. That it's rather more rainy than snowy in the Czech Republic in January may appear unusual, but that's the way it is. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them please to the address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET or to the address: LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ The text of the message is: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name for the English version or SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name for the Czech version. To delete your subscription from the list you send the following message to LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS Please, don't send automatic replies to our list. You can temporalily stop receiving of Carolna by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL The command should be sent to the address LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ