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 128, Friday, August 12, 1994. EVENTS FROM THE PAST TWO WEEKS (July 27 - August 10) We are terribly sorry for the delay in mailing the Carolina! Our troubles with our network seems to be worse than ever before. With best wishes, Jan Local Elections Set for November Local elections in the Czech Republic will be held November 18 and 19, following confirmation of government-recommended dates by President Vaclav Havel on August 8. The official election campaign will begin November 8 and last until 48 hours before the election begins. Political parties, as well as independent candidates, must send their election applications to local authorities before September 13. The election law allows any citizen 18 years or older, who is a permanent resident of a given community, to run in its local election. Voters can choose either individual candidates or complete lists of candidates from the various parties. However, voters will not directly elect their mayors. Mayors will be chosen by the candidates who win seats in the local elections. Mlada Fronta Dnes daily reports that the local election will be the most important test of party loyality of voters since the June, 1992, parliamentary elections. The elections will be the second local races held since since 1989, and will herald a major change in the make-up of local governing bodies, the newspaper concludes. The party which won the previous local elections, in 1990 -- Civic Forum -- has since broken into several factions. Czech Right-Wingers Break-Up Memorial for Slain Germans About 20 Czech rightists attacked a group of Czechs and Germans commemorating the 1945 deaths of Germans about to be expelled from Czechoslovkia. The right-wingers, members and supporters of the Union for the Republic/Czechoslovak Republican Party, physically and verbally abused the group gathered at the National Cemetery in Terezin July 30. The memorial group was marking events that occurred July 31, 1945 in Usti nad Labem. After a severe explosion in an ammunition warehouse, Czechs attacked Germans marked with white ribbons indicating that they were due for deportation from Czechoslovakia that day. Tens of Germans were killed, some by being thrown into the Elbe River, according to accounts. Terezin, which served as a concentration ghetto for Jews during World War II, was chosen for the memorial meeting as a place of commemoration of all victims of violence, stated the meeting's organisers. The participants -- including Germans and Czechs -- were members of the Cultural Club of Ethnic Germans Living in the Czech Republic, the Circle of German-Czech Understanding, and the Dresden division of the Sudeten German Land Union. The right-wingers greeted the meeting participants by shouting "Blame facism!" and "Go home, killers!", throwing eggs, and blocking the way to the wooden cross where the ceremony was supposed to take place. Prepared speeches could not be read. According to Rude Pravo Daily, Josef Krejsa, a former member of the federal assembly and representative of the Republicans, said the Republicans came "to block the provocative memorial ceremony, which is a offense to the Czech victims of facism." Josef Macnar, director of the district headquarters of police in Litomerice, resigned following the incident, in which police did not intervene. A meeting in Usti nad Labem marking the same events took place without conflict. President Vaclav Havel expressed strong disagreement with the conduct of the right-wing Republicans, calling their behaviour violent, uncultivated and nationalistic. Representatives of most political parties also denounced the attack. Jaroslav Ortman, chairman of the paarliamentary group of the Left Bloc, said the event is a shame which "must be denounced by every good citizen." At the same time they criticized the Republicans, however, representatives of most oposition parties also questioned the fact that the memorial meeting was officially allowed to take place. Mr. Milos Zeman, the Head of Social Democrats (CSSD) said: "On one side, I reject activities which are based on hatress," said Milos Zeman, head of the Social Democrats. "On the other side, I ask myself whether Terezin, where so many people died during the Nazi period, is a proper place for a meeting -- however much good will intended -- organized by Germans." Jakub Cermin, chairman of Czech Union of Freedom Fighters and the Union of Liberated Political Prisoners, also said the ceremony should not have taken place in Terezin. Numbers Claiming Wealth Increase In 1990, roughly one in ten adult citizens in the Czech Republic our country estimated his or her property was worth at least 500,000 crowns. This year, according to the Center for Empirical Research, such worth is claimed by one in five. About 18 percent declared property worth more than 1 million crowns, and 4 percent claiming more than 2 million crowns. Economists and sociologists point to several factors in this increase. Prices of real estate have skyrocketed. (A house which cost 200,000 crowns a couple of years ago, would cost more than a million today.) Experts also point to the increasing differentiation of personal incomes. However, they also point to such factors as a decline in the feeling that it is improper to speak about large property holdings. For about one-quarter of households, property worth increased due to restitution, a process in which nationalized factories, houses or farmland were given back to original owners or their heirs. The Increasing Consumption of Medicaments According to the Czech Ministry of Health Care, consumption of various types of medication increased in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year. In the period, Czechs consumed medication worth 5 billion crowns. Josef Suchopar, director of Pharmaceutic Division of the Czech Ministry of Health Care, said 915 of every thousad Czechs consumed medication in the first quarter of 1994, putting the Czech Republic among Europe's top pill takers. What's in a Name: Czech Lands versus Czech Republic Although there has been an independent Czech state for a year and a half, there is still no codified short name in the Czech language which would replace the title Czech Republic. From the very beginning, it has been clear that the only possible term is Czech Lands (Cesko). Although the name is clear and linguistically correct, it is still used by few people. It is hard to define why the term Cesko (Czech Lands) is accepted, although it may be a bad impression from the first hearing of the word. at a first time. But if we look at the Czech grammar and how the names of the states are made, it is obvious that there is nothing wrong with the -sko. Just look at Slovensko (Slovakia), Madarsko (Hungary), or Polsko (Poland). Any other short term than Cesko (Czech Lands) is not convenient either for geografic reasons (Cechy is Bohemia), or for linguistic ones (Cechie). Not many people know that Czech Lands were discussed 25 years ago in connection with the Czech and Slovak federation. In specialized linguistic press there was discussion of calling the western part of federation, the Czech Socialist Republic, Cesko (Czech Lands). Today, with the Czech Lands standing alone as a nation, the need for the term Cesko is more important than ever. ECONOMICS EXCHANGE RATES OF THE CZECH NATIONAL BANK (valid from August 11) CHECKS CASH country Buy Sell Middle Buy Sell Middle Australia 1 AUD 20.878 21.088 20.983 19.91 22.05 20.98 Belgium 100 BEF 86.525 87.395 86.960 84.26 89.66 86.96 Great Britain 1 GBP 43.291 43.727 43.509 42.09 44.93 43.51 Denmark 1 DKK 4.520 4.566 4.543 4.34 4.74 4.54 Finland 1 FIM 5.420 5.474 5.447 5.05 5.85 5.45 France 1 FRF 5.198 5.250 5.224 5.02 5.42 5.22 Ireland 1 IEP 42.891 43.323 43.107 41.11 45.11 43.11 Italy 1000 ITL 17.761 17.939 17.850 17.08 18.62 17.85 Japan 100 JPY 27.782 28.062 27.922 26.62 29.22 27.92 Canada 1 CAD 20.500 20.706 20.603 19.71 21.49 20.60 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.525 87.395 86.960 83.96 89.96 86,96 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.861 16.021 15.941 15.46 16.42 15.94 Norway 1 NOK 4.074 4.114 4.094 3.94 4.24 4.09 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.841 17.011 16.926 16.18 17.68 16.93 Portugal 100 PTE 17.527 17.703 17.615 16.44 18.80 17.62 Austria 1 ATS 2.533 2.559 2.546 2.49 2.61 2.55 Greece 100 GRD 11.802 11.920 11.861 11.15 12.57 11.86 Germany 1 DEM 17.826 18.006 17.916 17.46 18.38 17.92 Spain 100 ESP 21.649 21.867 21.758 20.76 22.76 21.76 Sweden 1 SEK 3.615 3.651 3.633 3.47 3.79 3.63 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.169 21.381 21.275 20.78 21.78 21.28 USA 1 USD 28.130 28.412 28.271 27.57 28.97 28,27 EC-ECH 1 XEU 34.028 34.370 34.199 -- -- IMF-SDR 1 XDR 40.603 41.011 40.807 -- -- Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.199 -- -- SPORT First Football League Resumes Play On Friday, August 5, the "S" teams from Prague kicked off the second year of the Czech football league. Slavia predictably beat Boby Brno 3:0, but the 4:0 win of Sparta over Drnovice was surprisingly easy. Another Prague team, Viktoria Zizkov easily beat Hradec Kralove 5:1. Two Moravian teams hoping for first place did not hesitate and won three points for wins, a new development in this year's league: Sigma Olomouc beat Bohemians-Praha 2:0, and Banki Ostrava beat FK Jablonec, new to the league, 3:2. The only surprise of the first round was the 2:1 win of Viktoria Plzen in Liberec over Slovan. Another novice -- Svarc Benesov -- picked up first-league points for beating Ceske Budejovice 2:1. The Ambitious Union Cheb acheived only a 1:1 tie with Svit Zlin 1:1. WEATHER The Warmest July of the 20th Century Sunday, July 31, became the warmest day of the year, hitting a record 37.3 Celsius in Prague. The last weekend of July was the warmest weekend since temperatures in Prague's Klementinum were first measured in 1775. Temperatures noted in last week of July in the Central Europe were higher than in the traditionally warm countries of Southern Europe -- Spain, Italy and Greece. The high temperatures caused a ban on swimming in area pools and lakes as micro-organisms thrived in the hot water. The first days of August, however, brought cooler temperatures and much needed rain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 he network seems to be worse than ever before. EVENTS FROM THE PAST TWO WEEKS (July 27 - August 10) Local Elections Set for November Local elections in the Czech Republic will be held November 18 and 19, following confirmation of government-recommended dates by President Vaclav Havel on August 8. The official election campaign will begin November 8 and last until 48 hours before the election begins. Political parties, as well as independent candidates, must send their election applications to local authorities before September 13. The election law allows any citizen 18 years or older, who is a permanent resident of a given community, to run in its local election. Voters can choose either individual candidates or complete lists of candidates from the various parties. However, voters will not directly elect their mayors. Mayors will be chosen by the candidates who win seats in the local elections. Mlada Fronta Dnes daily reports that the local election will be the most important test of party loyality of voters since the June, 1992, parliamentary elections. The elections will be the second local races held since since 1989, and will herald a major change in the make-up of local governing bodies, the newspaper concludes. The party which won the previous local elections, in 1990 -- Civic Forum -- has since broken into several factions. Czech Right-Wingers Break-Up Memorial for Slain Germans About 20 Czech rightists attacked a group of Czechs and Germans commemorating the 1945 deaths of Germans about to be expelled from Czechoslovkia. The right-wingers, members and supporters of the Union for the Republic/Czechoslovak Republican Party, physically and verbally abused the group gathered at the National Cemetery in Terezin July 30. The memorial group was marking events that occurred July 31, 1945 in Usti nad Labem. After a severe explosion in an ammunition warehouse, Czechs attacked Germans marked with white ribbons indicating that they were due for deportation from Czechoslovakia that day. Tens of Germans were killed, some by being thrown into the Elbe River, according to accounts. Terezin, which served as a concentration ghetto for Jews during World War II, was chosen for the memorial meeting as a place of commemoration of all victims of violence, stated the meeting's organisers. The participants -- including Germans and Czechs -- were members of the Cultural Club of Ethnic Germans Living in the Czech Republic, the Circle of German-Czech Understanding, and the Dresden division of the Sudeten German Land Union. The right-wingers greeted the meeting participants by shouting "Blame facism!" and "Go home, killers!", throwing eggs, and blocking the way to the wooden cross where the ceremony was supposed to take place. Prepared speeches could not be read. According to Rude Pravo Daily, Josef Krejsa, a former member of the federal assembly and representative of the Republicans, said the Republicans came "to block the provocative memorial ceremony, which is a offense to the Czech victims of facism." Josef Macnar, director of the district headquarters of police in Litomerice, resigned following the incident, in which police did not intervene. A meeting in Usti nad Labem marking the same events took place without conflict. President Vaclav Havel expressed strong disagreement with the conduct of the right-wing Republicans, calling their behaviour violent, uncultivated and nationalistic. Representatives of most political parties also denounced the attack. Jaroslav Ortman, chairman of the paarliamentary group of the Left Bloc, said the event is a shame which "must be denounced by every good citizen." At the same time they criticized the Republicans, however, representatives of most oposition parties also questioned the fact that the memorial meeting was officially allowed to take place. Mr. Milos Zeman, the Head of Social Democrats (CSSD) said: "On one side, I reject activities which are based on hatress," said Milos Zeman, head of the Social Democrats. "On the other side, I ask myself whether Terezin, where so many people died during the Nazi period, is a proper place for a meeting -- however much good will intended -- organized by Germans." Jakub Cermin, chairman of Czech Union of Freedom Fighters and the Union of Liberated Political Prisoners, also said the ceremony should not have taken place in Terezin. Numbers Claiming Wealth Increase In 1990, roughly one in ten adult citizens in the Czech Republic our country estimated his or her property was worth at least 500,000 crowns. This year, according to the Center for Empirical Research, such worth is claimed by one in five. About 18 percent declared property worth more than 1 million crowns, and 4 percent claiming more than 2 million crowns. Economists and sociologists point to several factors in this increase. Prices of real estate have skyrocketed. (A house which cost 200,000 crowns a couple of years ago, would cost more than a million today.) Experts also point to the increasing differentiation of personal incomes. However, they also point to such factors as a decline in the feeling that it is improper to speak about large property holdings. For about one-quarter of households, property worth increased due to restitution, a process in which nationalized factories, houses or farmland were given back to original owners or their heirs. The Increasing Consumption of Medicaments According to the Czech Ministry of Health Care, consumption of various types of medication increased in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year. In the period, Czechs consumed medication worth 5 billion crowns. Josef Suchopar, director of Pharmaceutic Division of the Czech Ministry of Health Care, said 915 of every thousad Czechs consumed medication in the first quarter of 1994, putting the Czech Republic among Europe's top pill takers. What's in a Name: Czech Lands versus Czech Republic Although there has been an independent Czech state for a year and a half, there is still no codified short name in the Czech language which would replace the title Czech Republic. From the very beginning, it has been clear that the only possible term is Czech Lands (Cesko). Although the name is clear and linguistically correct, it is still used by few people. It is hard to define why the term Cesko (Czech Lands) is accepted, although it may be a bad impression from the first hearing of the word. at a first time. But if we look at the Czech grammar and how the names of the states are made, it is obvious that there is nothing wrong with the -sko. Just look at Slovensko (Slovakia), Madarsko (Hungary), or Polsko (Poland). Any other short term than Cesko (Czech Lands) is not convenient either for geografic reasons (Cechy is Bohemia), or for linguistic ones (Cechie). Not many people know that Czech Lands were discussed 25 years ago in connection with the Czech and Slovak federation. In specialized linguistic press there was discussion of calling the western part of federation, the Czech Socialist Republic, Cesko (Czech Lands). Today, with the Czech Lands standing alone as a nation, the need for the term Cesko is more important than ever. ECONOMICS EXCHANGE RATES OF THE CZECH NATIONAL BANK (valid from August 11) CHECKS CASH country Buy Sell Middle Buy Sell Middle Australia 1 AUD 20.878 21.088 20.983 19.91 22.05 20.98 Belgium 100 BEF 86.525 87.395 86.960 84.26 89.66 86.96 Great Britain 1 GBP 43.291 43.727 43.509 42.09 44.93 43.51 Denmark 1 DKK 4.520 4.566 4.543 4.34 4.74 4.54 Finland 1 FIM 5.420 5.474 5.447 5.05 5.85 5.45 France 1 FRF 5.198 5.250 5.224 5.02 5.42 5.22 Ireland 1 IEP 42.891 43.323 43.107 41.11 45.11 43.11 Italy 1000 ITL 17.761 17.939 17.850 17.08 18.62 17.85 Japan 100 JPY 27.782 28.062 27.922 26.62 29.22 27.92 Canada 1 CAD 20.500 20.706 20.603 19.71 21.49 20.60 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.525 87.395 86.960 83.96 89.96 86,96 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.861 16.021 15.941 15.46 16.42 15.94 Norway 1 NOK 4.074 4.114 4.094 3.94 4.24 4.09 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.841 17.011 16.926 16.18 17.68 16.93 Portugal 100 PTE 17.527 17.703 17.615 16.44 18.80 17.62 Austria 1 ATS 2.533 2.559 2.546 2.49 2.61 2.55 Greece 100 GRD 11.802 11.920 11.861 11.15 12.57 11.86 Germany 1 DEM 17.826 18.006 17.916 17.46 18.38 17.92 Spain 100 ESP 21.649 21.867 21.758 20.76 22.76 21.76 Sweden 1 SEK 3.615 3.651 3.633 3.47 3.79 3.63 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.169 21.381 21.275 20.78 21.78 21.28 USA 1 USD 28.130 28.412 28.271 27.57 28.97 28,27 EC-ECH 1 XEU 34.028 34.370 34.199 -- -- IMF-SDR 1 XDR 40.603 41.011 40.807 -- -- Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.199 -- -- SPORT First Football League Resumes Play On Friday, August 5, the "S" teams from Prague kicked off the second year of the Czech football league. Slavia predictably beat Boby Brno 3:0, but the 4:0 win of Sparta over Drnovice was surprisingly easy. Another Prague team, Viktoria Zizkov easily beat Hradec Kralove 5:1. Two Moravian teams hoping for first place did not hesitate and won three points for wins, a new development in this year's league: Sigma Olomouc beat Bohemians-Praha 2:0, and Banki Ostrava beat FK Jablonec, new to the league, 3:2. The only surprise of the first round was the 2:1 win of Viktoria Plzen in Liberec over Slovan. Another novice -- Svarc Benesov -- picked up first-league points for beating Ceske Budejovice 2:1. The Ambitious Union Cheb acheived only a 1:1 tie with Svit Zlin 1:1. WEATHER The Warmest July of the 20th Century Sunday, July 31, became the warmest day of the year, hitting a record 37.3 Celsius in Prague. The last weekend of July was the warmest weekend since temperatures in Prague's Klementinum were first measured in 1775. Temperatures noted in last week of July in the Central Europe were higher than in the traditionally warm countries of Southern Europe -- Spain, Italy and Greece. The high temperatures caused a ban on swimming in area pools and lakes as micro-organisms thrived in the hot water. The first days of August, however, brought cooler temperatures and much needed rain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Dear Lida, My name is Thea Favaloro and I am currently living in San Francisco, but am moving to Prague in September. I am planning on getting my Ph.D. (someday) in Russian history, but for now I am interested in learning Czech. I subscribe to Carolina and thought that perhaps I could be of help with the English version, if you have any grammar questions, or need a proofreader/editor. I was also hoping to establish contact with someone in Prague before I move there. If you have the time and would like to write to me, please do, I would really appreciate it. My e-mail address is: alek@mercury.sfsu.edu Thanks a lot, and hopefully I will be hearing from you soon! Nashledanou! ------ Forwarded message ends here ------