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 Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz tel: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 306, Friday, October 30, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE LAST WEEK (October 21 - October 27) Czech Crown Jewels on Exhibit The Czech crown jewels are on exhibit for one week in the Old Royal Palace, probably for the last time this century. This exceptional exhibit is part of the celebrations of the anniversary of Czechoslovakia's founding October 28, 1918. Of the crown jewels, the oldest is the golden crown - it was made in 1347, during the reign of Charles IV. The king's apple and scepter are from the first half of the 16th century. The crown is filled with 20 pearls, the biggest ruby in the world used as a jewel, 19 sapphires and 30 emeralds from Egypt. The crown jewels were made a national monument in 1982 and the president must agree with their exhibition. The jewels are locked in the St. Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral and there are seven keys - they are held by the president, prime minister, the chairmen of Parliament's lower and upper house, the Prague archbishop, the Prague mayor and the provost of the Metropolitan diocese of St. Vitus. There is a legend that anyone other than the Czech king who puts the crown on his head will die in one year. This allegedly happened to Reinhard Heydrich, leader of the Nazi German protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1941-42. He supposedly put the crown on his head when he came to Prague and was assassinated 10 months later by Slovak Jozef Gabcik. The crown jewels were exhibited in 1993 and more than 50,000 people came to see them. "This year there is great interest in spite of the horrible weather," said after the first day of exhibition Frantisek Kadlec, the head of tourism for Prague Castle. More than 200 people can see the jewels in one hour and there are still lines lasting for hours in front of the palace. Zuzana Galova/Jakub Jirovec Klaus: Not Giving Award to Zilk Might Harm Czech-Austrian Relations President Vaclav Havel refused at the last minute to award the Order of the White Lion, presented on the anniversary of the October 28, 1918 founding of Czechoslovakia to former Vienna Mayor Helmuth Zilk because of suspicions he cooperated with the Communist secret service. Zilk, who organized free trips to Vienna for Czechs and Slovaks after November 1989, denies the accusation. "I clearly declare I have never worked for the Prague intelligence service. The charges are sheer nonsense. There are conflicts in Prague related to the president. A small war is being waged over me," said Zilk to the DPA agency. According to the Austrian daily Kurier, Zilk, an honorary citizen of Prague, will ask Havel for evidence: "I will write a letter to Havel and ask for all documentation and foremost evidence." The president's decision has been strongly criticized on the Czech political scene. Parliament Chairman Vaclav Klaus, according to the CTK agency, said, "It is a scandal, a terrible scandal. It will very seriously damage Czech-Austrian relations, and it bothers me." Jaroslav Basta, the government minister in charge of intelligence services, said the president's attitude was rather strange. "It is very unusual, I think the president should have known this earlier," said Basta to CTK. Vaclav Benda, a senator and former director of the Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism, said Zilk was an intelligence agent. Based on his information, Havel October 26 asked for Zilk's records. The same day, the president said to Czech Radio that Chancellor Ivan Medek, the first man to speak about the affair, had been blackmailed by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. Radan Dolejs/Denisa Vitkova Havel Attends 350th Anniversary of Westphalia Treaty After visiting Vienna, Belgium and Great Britain, Czech President Vaclav Havel October 17 attended the European Council's celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Westphalia. Signed October 24, 1648, the treaty brought the Thirty-Year War between the Hapsburgs, France and Sweden to a close and led to the religious division of much of Europe. The president visited Muenster without regard for his doctor Ilja Kotik's warning. After the president's four-day stay in Great Britain, his chronic bronchitis flared up and there were doubts about his visit to Germany. The doctors agreed to Havel's trip in the end, on the grounds that the celebration would not be too demanding. The one-day program included a gala lunch and the opening of the exhibit 1648 - War and Peace in Europe in the regional museum. Ten presidents and eight European leaders, whose predecessors took part in signing the treaty, attended the celebration. Along with Havel, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of the Czech Catholic Church was among the members of the delegation. Michaela Prokopova/Sofia Karakeva ODS Launches Election Campaing with Unveiling of Klaus' Mega-Billboard The 1998 election year will be brought to a close by the mid-November local elections and the elections to the upper chamber of the Czech Parliament, where one-third of the Senate will be contested. The political parties involved hope that combining the dates of the local and Senate elections will improve voter turnout from two years ago, when only one-third of registered voters participated in the first Senate elections in the Czech Republic. Opinion polls do not bring any evidence of increased electorate interest, and some experts say the candidate who makes more voters come out on election day in any given election district will be the winner. Nevertheless, the election campaign has been rather gray and boring. The exception to the rule is the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which October 26 launched its election campaign on Prague's Letna plain, where the massive Stalin monument was erected in the mid-50's. The invitation to the Letna meeting took the form of a mobilization appeal, warning against socialist experiments. The event come to a head with the unveiling of a mega-billboard with ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus, who was mentioned in the opening address as a "symbol of a free society". Among the ODS supporters performing at the meeting were Vinohrady Theater actress and director Jirina Jiraskova, pop singer Ales Brichta, the Tesarik brothers and their Yo Yo Band, cartoonist Vladimir Jiranek and the pop star Lucie Bila. The 25-meter-wide poster with the portrait of Klaus has in its upper-left corner the black-and-white face of Prime Minister Milos Zeman and in the upper-right corner the red-lettered slogan We Think Differently. According to some Czech media, the mammoth construction was put up without a construction permit and the ODS is facing fines of up to 200,000 crowns. After deadline: A windstorm destroyed the mega-billboard October 28 such that it had to be removed for reparation in order to be re-installed. Radan Dolejs, Tomas Kohout/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA SDL' Confirms Interest in New Government The post-Communist Party of the Democratic Left (SDL'), which became the third-strongest party in Slovakia after its surprising showing (14.7 per cent) in the September national elections, held its much-anticipated party congress in Zvolen October 24-5 and decided to take part in the formation of a new government. Re-elected party Chairman Jozef Migas is one of the favorites for the position of National Assembly chairman. Any remaining hopes of Premier Vladimir Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) were dashed by the congress, which decided the SDL' is willing to form a government with the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK), the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) and the Civic Understanding Party (SOP), which together will have a constitutional majority in the National Assembly. HZDS collected the most votes in the election, but none of the above parties was willing to enter a government with the heretofore ruling party. The four parties began negotiations on forming a government immediately after the close of the congress, with results expected by the end of October. Petra Machova Jazz Days in Bratislava Thousands of People in Bratislava saw a cross-section of jazz musicians and styles during the Bratislava Jazz Days Corgon '98 in the Social Hall of the Park for Culture and Relaxation. While October 23 belonged to Yugoslav violinist Felix Lajko, British saxophonist Courtney Pine and the American group New York Voices, the October 24 program boasted Austrian saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig, American singer Michele Hendricks and American guitarist Charlie Hunter. The festival was brought to a close October 25 by the French group Arfi, American Trombonist Ray Anderson's Pocket Brass Band with trumpetist Lew Soloff, and American guitarist Larry Coryell with French drummer Alphonse Mouzon and bassist Richard Bona from Cameroon. The hall, which seats more then 11,000, was sold out for all three days. The October 23 crowd seemed most taken by Pine, who combined the intensity of John Coltrane with the showmanship of Roland Kirk and elements of hip hop - his call-and-response soloing with DJ Pogo on turntables moved the frontiers of jazz further. The next day was propelled by Puschnig, who had previously appeared at the festival as one of the founding members of the Vienna Art Orchestra, while Hunter, who plays an eight-string guitar fashioned from three bass strings and five guitar strings, was perhaps overshadowed by his vibraphone player. After Anderson and Soloff impressed the October 25 public, the festival was closed out by Coryell, one of the godfathers of fusion, who, with Mouzon, founded the band the 11th House. Soloff made a cameo appearance with Coryell, who first played the festival in 1983, but, if the crowd response October 25 is any indication, will be welcomed back any time. Michael Bluhm/Michael Bluhm ECONOMY Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid October 19) country currency ----------------------------------------- Australia 1 AUD 20.305 Belgium 100 BEF 90.318 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.529 Denmark 1 DKK 4.894 ECU 1 XEU 36.848 Finland 1 FIM 6.129 France 1 FRF 5.559 Ireland 1 IEP 46.957 Italy 1000 ITL 18.909 Japan 100 JPY 24.258 Canada 1 CAD 22.713 Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.318 IMF 1 XDR 44.245 Hungary 100 HUF 15.392 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.533 Norway 1 NOK 4.406 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.300 Poland 1 PLN 9.646 Portugal 100 PTE 18.196 Austria 1 ATS 2.648 Greece 100 GRD 10.971 Germany 1 DEM 18.630 Slovakia 100 SKK 95.158 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.778 Spain 100 ESP 21.958 Sweden 1 SEK 4.222 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.301 USA 1 USD 33.246 CULTURE Vladimir Macura and Jindrich Pokorny receive State Prizes Culture Minister Pavel Dostal October 22 presented in the Prague Castle's Ball Room the State Prize for Literature and the State Prize for a Translated Work. The literature laureate was novelist and critic Vladimir Macura, for his novel The Governess (Guvernantka) and for his collection of literary essays The Czech Dream (Cesky sen). The translation award went to Jindrich Pokorny for his wide-ranging translation, essay and editing work. Macura, born in 1945, studied Czech and English and worked in the Czech Literature Institute, where he has been director for the last five years. He helped create the Community of Writers and worked closely with the important literary magazine Tvar. He garnered recognition with his books The Sign of Birth (Znameni zrodu) and The Happy Age (Stastny vek), in which he demystified the atmospheres of the National Revival and Communist rule. Pokorny, born in 1927, attended the Charles University Law School and was persecuted in the 50's for his editorial activity. In his own words, the barriers of the former regime pushed him into his current work translating from Medieval German. Today he is chairman of the Rainer Maria Rilke Society Foundation. Pokorny translated anthologies from Voltaire, Hugo, Rilke and others. The state prizes have been awarded annually since 1995 on the anniversary of the October 28, 1918 founding of Czechoslovakia, and last year's laureates were Ivan Divis and Ludvik Kundera. Pavel Sladky/Sofia Karakeva Prague International Jazz Festival - This Time in Reduta The International Jazz Festival is in Prague October 22-30 for the 23rd time. In contrast to past years, when jazzmen performed in the Lucerna's Great Hall, this year's event has been situated into the modest, chamber-like environs of the Reduta jazz club and Nostic Salon. The organizer of the festival, PRAGOKONCERT, explained the move as the result of a lack of funds and decreasing audience interest, as well as the event of the 35th anniversary of Reduta's opening. Pragokoncert representantive Michal Maka said interest in jazz is declining and today's younger generation is more inclined toward rock. For example, last year's performance of American jazz singer Tony Bennett in Lucerna was attended by 300 people. Among the guests of the festival were the Finnish group Jyvaskyla, Duo Durnman and the Italian Jazz Quintet. The most well known performers are American pianist Walter Norris and the New York Voices. Zuzana Galova/Milan Smid Jaroslav Foglar Christens Complete Edition of Fast Arrows Comics The Czech children's literature classic The Fast Arrows (Rychle sipy) was published completely for the first time. The 315 comic books were written by Jaroslav Foglar from 1938-1971. Only one story from 1948 was held out, as the arrows were helping to move clay at a socialist youth construction site. The stories, which deal with the adventures of Mirek Dusin, Jarka Metelka, Jindra Hojer, Cervenacek and Rychlonozka, have already been adapted for television, film and theater. Katerina Kolarova/Katerina Kolarova SPORTS Agassi Wins Biggest Tournament in Central Europe American tennis player Andre Agassi fulfilled the favorite's role in the 5th year of the IPB Czech Indoor in Ostrava. He defeated surprising finalist, Slovak Davis Cup team member Jan Kroslak, after a hard struggle 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. He won 137,000 USD and 220 ATP points, while Kroslak had to be satisfied with 81,000 USD and 160 points in the ATP rankings. Petr Novy/Mirek Langer Soccer League: Fans Make Trouble Again in Letna Sparta Praha's match against Banik Ostrava was the biggest draw of the 10th round in the soccer league, but the unspectacular game finished in a tie, leaving fan disturbances the center of attention. Hradec Kralove introduced new coach Stanislav Kocourek, the team scored its first goal after three scoreless matches and knocked Dukla Pribram to the bottom of the standings with a 3-0 spanking. Teplice continues its parade through the autumn season and, after beating Karvina, its lead at the top of the standings continues to grow. Results of the 10th round: Sparta - Ostrava 1-1, Jablonec - Brno 1-1, Hradec Kralove - Pribram 3-0, Olomouc - Zizkov 2-1, Karvina - Teplice 0-2, Opava - Liberec 2-0, Plzen - Blsany 2-1, Drnovice - Slavia 1-1. Standings: 1. Teplice 23 points, 2. Olomouc 19, 3. Drnovice 19, 4. Sparta 18, 5. Opava 17, 6. Blsany 16, 7. Ostrava 14, 8. Zizkov 14, 9. Slavia 14, 10. Liberec 11, 11. Hradec Kralove 11, 12. Plzen 11, 13. Jablonec 8, 14. Brno 7, 15. Karvina 7, 16. Pribram 6. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer Sparta Praha Owner Alexander Rezes Only Wags His Finger The visit of Sparta Praha owner Alexander Rezes from Slovakia was only a warning. Rezes said he is not preparing any sanctions or personnel changes yet, but he admitted that if the situation does not improve, no one's job is safe. Players had to promise they will be in first place after the autumn half of the schedule - they are in fourth place and did not play well in the European Cups. Rezes denied rumors about the club's sale, saying he will have majority in Sparta forever and has recently been looking for a strategic partner. Vladimir Vorechovsky/Mirek Langer FC Bohemians Say Farewell to Stadium with Win The Prague-Vrsovice soccer club Bohemians will move to Strahov Stadium after chronic disputes with the owners of its stadium, the Bohemians Real company. It played its last match on its field by the creek October 24. The second-league leader defeated NH Ostrava 4-1. The match was watched by some 4,000 spectators, who came to say goodbye to the popular Little Pit (Dolicek). Bohemians is one of the most famous Prague clubs, having featured stars like Antonin Panenka, who scored the legendary penalty kick in the 1976 European Championships final. The club's statement about the situation circulated among fans, who led several chants against Dalibor Lacina and Petr Batek, representatives of Bohemians Real. However, the players' performance deafened the anger. After deadline: The club's management announced the team will also play its last autumn home match in the Little Pit, but it does not want to sign a new contract with the owners of the stadium. Pavel Sladky/Mirek Langer Hockey Extraleague: Coaching Changes Continue During the 15th and 16th rounds more Staropramen Extraleague teams changed coaches. The substitutions were begun by Litvinov (see Carolina 305), followed by Opava (Jaroslav Latal added to the three-coach committee) and Jihlava (Augusta replaced by Vladimir Caldr). Former Sparta coach Vaclav Sykora led Litvinov to its first win after five losses. Another streak ended in Trinec, where Plzen lost after 11 games without a defeat. Karlovy Vary goalkeeper Rudolf Pejchar added his third shutout in a row in Opava. Forward Tomas Jelinek played his 686th league match, tying the league record of Josef Cerny. Jelinek celebrated the event by scoring a goal. Result of the 15th round: Opava - Karlovy Vary 0-2, Ceske Budejovice - Trinec 2-3, Plzen - Sparta 2-0, Slavia - Pardubice 2-2, Litvinov - Zlin 2-1, Vitkovice - Kladno 2-2, Vsetin - Jihlava 3-0. Result of the 16th round: Zlin - Opava 5-3, Pardubice - Vitkovice 0-2, Trinec - Plzen 3-2, Jihlava - Slavia 4-3, Litvinov - Sparta 1-5, Kladno - Ceske Budejovice 1-8. Standings: 1. Vsetin 24 points, 2. Trinec 23, 3. Zlin 21, 4. Plzen 20, 5. Sparta 18, 6. Budejovice 17, 7. Karlovy Vary 17, 8. Slavia 15, 9. Vitkovice 15, 10. Pardubice 15, 11. Litvinov 14, 12. Kladno 10, 13. Jihlava 7, 14. Opava 6. Robin Rohrich/Mirek Langer Handball Team Earns Three Points in Hard Games against Turkey The Czech men's handball team met Turkey in its third and fourth qualification matches for the World Championships. The first match was played in a stormy atmosphere in a Turkish police building, which must have influenced the wild result. Although the Czechs led throughout the match, the final was a 35-35 tie. In the second match in Chomutov, the poor performance of the defense was repeated. However, the Czechs were able to win 28-25, thanks mainly to Lanca's 10 goals. The Czech players have to win at least three points in the last two matches against Norway to advance, because only the first-place team in the qualifying group will participate in the championships. Vladimir Vorechovsky/Mirek Langer WEATHER The end of the past week brought temperatures which broke all the records documented in the Klementinum meteorology observatory. The temperature of 19.2 degrees Celsius/66.6 degrees Fahrenheit made Friday the warmest October 23 in the last two centuries. A day later, the 19.6 degrees Celsius/67.3 degrees Fahrenheit set another all-time record. That evening, however, summer clocks turned to winter clocks, and as evidence that summer is definitely over the cold front brought the Czech Republic wind storms and cold rains. Prague is still pretty - from the window of a cafe or a pub. English version edited by Michael Bluhm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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