It’s been a long time coming but Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům is finally showing a 3-D version of Avatar in English (no subtitles).
From Thursday, February 4 through Wednesday, February 10, there’ll be one screening per day at 5:20pm.
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům
Na příkopě 22, Prague 1
17:20
“If a British stag sleeps with women in a brothel or sleeps with her on the streets it could be a woman brought… because of the sex industry, to be trafficked there from any part of the world.”
So says a Prague-based charity worker quoted in Stag Weekends: The Dirty Secrets, in which BBC reporter Simon Boazman investigates whether British bachelor parties create demand for sex trafficking.
Trying to find out how easy it would be to buy trafficked women in the Czech Republic, Boazman poses as a London brothel-owner and arranges a meeting with a trafficker.
The man (probably Slovak), who Boazman secretly films, offers to lease him two women he has in the back of his van for 3,500 euros (90,790 CZK or 5,033 USD) per month.
The BBC man later moves on to Košice in Slovakia to hear the horrifying tale of a woman (”Yana”) forced into prostitution in Amsterdam and then raped on a daily basis.
RELATED LINKS
Stag parties ‘fuel sex trafficking’ (BBC News)
BBC says Czech Republic transit country for women trafficking (ČeskéNoviny.cz)
Like similar organizations around the world, Czech aid agencies are scrambling to help the victims of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti.
If you’re based in the Czech Republic and would like to make a donation to one of the charities involved — either by Donors Message Service (DMS) text message or by bank transfer — here are the relevant details:
Člověka v tísni (People in Need)
DMS: Text DMS SOSHAITI to the number 87777
Bank Account: 40954095/0300
ADRA
DMS: Text DMS ADRA to the number 87777
Bank Account: 40284028/0300 | Variable Symbol: 391
Charita ČR
DMS: Text DMS HAITI to the number 87777
Bank Account: 35-1868350237/0100 | Variable Symbol: 99999
DMS messages cost 30 crowns, of which 27 crowns is donated to the charity in question. The remaining three crowns covers operating costs.
Update: See the comments (below) for the bank account details for the Czech offices of Médecins Sans Frontières (Lékaři bez hranic) and the Czech Red Cross (Český červený kříž). Thanks to prague boy for the info.
RELATED STORY
Charity NGOs collect money for earthquake-hit Haiti (PDM)
Prague’s metro, tram and bus services face a series of cuts, according to a source at the city’s public transit company Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy (DPP) quoted on the iDnes.cz website.
The measures reportedly coming into effect on March 7 include the following changes:
Metro
• The first few and last few metro services of the day would be cancelled, meaning that the last metro would leave half an hour earlier, at 11:30pm rather than midnight
• Metro trains would run less frequently
Tram
• Tram 19, between Lehovec and Nádrazí Strašnice, would be scrapped entirely
• More routes would be served by single-car trams rather than double-car trams
Bus
• Up to 20 bus routes would be scrapped entirely: The scrapping of the 130, 143, 164, 170, 182, 184, 191, 198, 203, 208, 211, 219, 225, 235, 271 and 273 services has already been agreed; the scrapping of the 120, 246, 247 and 254 is still to be approved
The proposals, which are being discussed by the DPP, the City of Prague and the regional public transport coordinator ROPID, would see around five percent of all services cut.
RELATED LINK
Pražskou MHD čekají škrty a změny, metro pojede jen do půlnoci
(Via @chriskottom)
Parts of the Czech Republic could see up to 60 centimeters (nearly 24 inches) of snow by Sunday, according to a ČTK report on the ČeskéNoviny.cz website.
Meteorologists expect snow to begin falling in southern Bohemia on Friday morning and to spread across the country over the weekend, accompanied by freezing temperatures and, in places, strong winds.
In Prague, between eight and 20 centimeters (three-to-eight inches) are expected on Friday alone, making road conditions particularly treacherous heading into Saturday morning.
The aptly named Tomáš Mrázek (”Thomas Frozen”), spokesman for Technická správa komunikací — the organization responsible for maintaining Prague’s streets — told ČTK that all TSK contractors had been put on standby and urged drivers to take the conditions into account.
The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (Český hydrometeorologický ústav; ČHMÚ), meanwhile, is predicting a “snow calamity” and advises drivers to use snow chains and, if necessary, to be prepared to dig their car out of snowdrifts.
According to the ČHMÚ, disruptions to deliveries, ambulance services and power supplies are possible in areas of the country while in the mountains there’s a risk of avalanches.
The snow should stop falling by Monday morning but temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for the foreseeable future.
A good weekend, perhaps, to watch some of those DVDs you got for Christmas…
RELATED LINK
Do neděle nasněží až 60 cm sněhu (ČeskéNoviny.cz)
Current Czech President Václav Klaus struts his stuff — some time ago, I’d imagine — in a photo from first lady Livia Klausová’s book Smutkem neobtěžuju (”I Won’t Bother You With Sadness”) reproduced on the iDnes.cz site.
In its fourth week on release, Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům and Village Cinemas Anděl are still showing English-language versions of Avatar, but only in 2-D.
Here are the showtimes from Thursday, January 7 through Wednesday, January 13:
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům
Na příkopě 22, Prague 1
12:00
14:00
16:00
18:00
20:00
22:00
Village Cinemas Anděl
Radlická 3179/1E, Prague 5
12:20 — Saturday and Sunday only
15:40
19:00
22:20
Construction of an extension to the metro’s A (green) line, between Prague 6-Dejvice and Prague 5-Motol, is due to begin in the second half of March, according to the official city of Prague (Magistrát hl. m. Prahy) website.
Shortly before Christmas, the city’s public transportation company, Dopravní podnik hl. města Prahy (DPP), signed a contract worth 13.6 billion crowns with construction firms Metrostav and Hochtief.
The new stretch of line should run from the existing Dejvická station through Červený vrch, Veleslavín and Petřiny to Motol, connecting several residential areas and the Motol and Na Homolce hospitals to the metro system.
According to an article published on the City of Prague site in May 2008, the Dejvická-Motol extension was due to be completed in 2014 but that assumed a 2009 start date.
Dejvická-Motol is the first of three planned extensions to the A line.
The second stage would link Motol to Bilá Hora, Dědina and Dlouhá mile and the third would connect Dlouhá míle to the old airport (Staré letiště) and the current airport (Letiště Ruzyně).
The completion date given in the May 2008 article for the completion of this third and final stage was 2018.
RELATED LINKS
Začíná stavba nových stanic metra A, smlouva je podepsaná (Portál města Prahy/Portal of Prague)
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům and Village Cinemas Anděl are showing English-language versions of Avatar in its third week of release — but not in 3-D.
Both cinemas are closed today (New Year’s Eve) but here are the showtimes from Friday, January 1 through Wednesday, January 6:
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům
Na příkopě 22, Prague 1
12:00 — not Friday (New Year’s Day)
14:00 — not Friday (New Year’s Day)
16:00
18:00
20:00
22:00
Village Cinemas Anděl
Radlická 3179/1E, Prague 5
12:20 — Saturday and Sunday only
15:40
19:00
22:20
According to Mladá fronta Dnes, Prague 5 Mayor Milan Jančík’s spokesman has been deleting controversial information from his boss’s Czech-language Wikipedia entry.
References to various scandals involving the notorious Civic Democrat (ODS) politician, including several brushes with the police, were removed from the site on December 28 and again, repeatedly, on December 29, only to be restored by other Wikipedia editors.
At this point, Jančík’s spokesman Radovan Myslík posted a message on a Wikipedia discussion forum asking that “untruthful information drawn from newspaper articles” be removed from the Jančík page.
In response, a Wikipedia editor with the username Tlusťa suggested that Myslík sue the newspapers responsible.
Implausibly, Myslík went on to tell MfD that he had only intended to add a link to Jančík’s resume and official website and had deleted the controversial passages by mistake — a “mistake” he had apparently repeated several times over the course of two days.
At the end of last month, TV journalist Radek John, who heads the political party Věci veřejné (”Public Affairs”), announced he would be running against Jančík at the next election.
RELATED LINK
Skandály starosty Jančíka zmizely z Wikipedie. Vymazal je mluvčí (MfD/iDnes.cz)
Wrap up warm next week as the weather will once again turn cold
“Cold air will return to the Czech Republic from the North after the New Year’s Eve” say the meteorologists. On Saturday temperatures will range from two degrees below zero to two degrees above zero. It will be overcast with occasional snow fall.
The beginning of next week will mark another temperature change. The thermometer will rise no higher than two degrees below zero. In the mornings temperatures will fall to eight to twelve below zero. Freezing and icy days when temperatures will not rise above zero will last throughout the whole of next week. Skies will be fairly clear with the occasional snowfall.
Forecasts however promise a rapid rise in temperatures the week after the next.
Source: Novinky.cz
On December 31st, we will given 2 New Year’s Eve lunar gifts. The first is a blue moon as in “once in a blue moon”. This means that it will be the second full moon of the month, or the 13th full moon of the year.
But that’s not the only thing special about New Year’s Eve this year. There will also be a partial lunar eclipse viewable from Europe.
Blue moon
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům and Village Cinemas Anděl are showing undubbed English-language versions of Avatar in its second week of release — but not in 3-D.
Here are the showtimes from Thursday, December 24 through Wednesday, December 30:
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům
Na příkopě 22, Prague 1
12:00 — not Thursday
14:00 — not Thursday
16:00 — not Thursday
18:00 — not Thursday
20:00 — not Thursday
22:00 — Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only
Village Cinemas Anděl
Radlická 3179/1E, Prague 5
12:20 — not Thursday
15:40 — not Thursday
19:00 — not Thursday
22:20 — not Thursday
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům and Village Cinemas Anděl are showing undubbed English-language versions of Avatar in its second week of release — but not in 3-D.
Here are the showtimes from Thursday, December 24 through Wednesday, December 30:
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům
Na příkopě 22, Prague 1
12:00 — not Thursday
14:00 — not Thursday
16:00 — not Thursday
18:00 — not Thursday
20:00 — not Thursday
22:00 — Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only
Village Cinemas Anděl
Radlická 3179/1E, Prague 5
12:20 — not Thursday
15:40 — not Thursday
19:00 — not Thursday
22:20 — not Thursday
800,000 Czechs will get 5,000 crowns each next year for a language or computer course within a huge project in order to improve their qualification.
The subsidy will go to people aged 25 to 64 with a permanent residence outside Prague.
The project, which will try to improve the Czechs’ language and computer skills that are one of the worst in Europe,will start in the latter half of next year.
The list of certified agencies is only being prepared. To avert the abuse of money, the ministry sets certain standards that language and education agencies must meet. The criteria will include the length of lecturers’ practice and experience in public education.
5000 crowns will be paid per capita. If the course is more expensive, people will have to pay the difference by themselves.
The gonvernment will not be looking into who needs the course and who does not need it. From its point of view, all should raise their qualification
The annual Prague Christmas markets are as popular as ever this year, with the usual marionettes and hot wine in abundance. But the glitter of the holiday season belies the health of a struggling glass industry and many Christmas ornament makers who assure that this year might be their last.
The problem is that the Czech market is overloaded with plastic products imported from China, and price is now more often the most important thing to merchants.
Most Christmas markets have been bustling each evening since they opened, which should be a good sign for ornament producers selling their goods. But even the best Christmas sales won’t be enough to help struggling ornament producers, who depend on the Czech market for up to 80 percent of their profit.
In addition, bustling crowds don’t always mean good sales, as market-goers aren’t always there to buy ornaments and gifts, especially if they are Czech, who usually just go there to have a hot wine and enjoy the atmosphere.
The Czech glass industry has been one of the largest victims of the recession, a fact made obvious by the near collapse of the largest Czech glassmaker, Bohemia Crystalex, which closed two of its four plants and let go 1,250 employees in the fall of 2008.
In a trickle-down effect, independent makers of Czech glass Christmas ornaments are now producing two-thirds less than in previous years, bringing many to the brink of ruin.
RELATED LINK
The pinch that stole Christmas (The Prague Post)
The City of Prague together with Prague 1 has prepared this facility, which will remain open free of charge until January 6. Skates can be rented on spot for 50 CZK.
In addition to the possibility of skating, every Saturday afternoon the ice rink will feature dance music.
Its new, more effective system allows the rink stay in operation even when the temperatures don’t drop far below zero.
The ice-skating rink in Ovocný trh was opened by Prague Mayor Pavel Bém, dressed as a devil.
More than 30,000 Praguers and visitors used the rink last year.
RELATED LINK
Ice-Skating and Skiing in Prague
David Ferrer closed out the Davis Cup by brushing aside US Open and French Open doubles champ Lukas Dlouhy 6-4, 6-2, giving to Spain a victory for 5-0.
Before that, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal improved his year-to-date record to 66-14 on Sunday, defeating an over-matched Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-4.
Spain was already the winner since Saturday, when the team of Fernando Verdasco and Felicano Lopez clinched an insurmountable 3-0 win for the home nation, defeating the substitute duo of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7), 7-5, 6-2, claiming Spain’s second consecutive Davis Cup title.
On Friday, Nadal defeated Tomas Berdych 3-0 and Ferrer got a miraculous win over Radek Stepanek, a win which saw Ferrer comeback from two sets to defeat his persistent Czech opponent.
On paper Ferrer’s win on Sunday may have seemed insignificant, but from a historical perspective the victory propelled the Spanish team to a 5-0 triumph, the first time since 1997 that a Davis Cup final has had this result.
Finding both his footing and confidence on Friday, Nadal seemed to have recaptured his winning ways after improving to 12-1 in Davis Cup singles competition, and 12-0 on clay courts.
RELATED LINK
Davis Cup: Spain Finishes Off Winning Weekend with 5-0 Sweep of Czech Republic (Bleacher Report)
It still sometimes amazes me that one can see an excellent show in an intimate environment for little money in Prague, where prices of everything else seem on a continual ascent. The last show I saw in Phoenix, Arizona, by comparison, had over 8,000 people, half as many ‘roided-out security guards checking pockets and purses and $7 plastic bottles of Miller Lite.
This is why I tend to confine myself to seeing shows Lucerna Music Bar (also home to the infamous ’80s/’90s Disco night each Saturday), which I cannot imagine holding more than 500 or 600 people at the max. I was not disappointed last Saturday evening when, starting at the ludicrously early time of 6 pm (so as not to interfere with disco patrons later on), I was able to see not only the excellent headline band, Editors, of Birmingham, England, but two lesser known up-and-coming bands, The Maccabees (UK) and Wintersleep (Canada). For a small price of 539 CZK, I witnessed a massive 3 hour show. Check out the highlights below…
Editors
This band become a favorite not very long ago after hearing their first album, “Back in the Room”. After I recognized Editors as quality music, I was excited to see that they had a second album, “An End Has a Start” and that their third album, “In This Light and on This Evening”, was soon to be released in a few months. Once #3 was out, I found that two types of Editors fans existed–those that love the first two albums and hate the third, and vice a versa. Find out for yourself–either way, you’ll listen to good music.
The show was mixed between old favorites (Bones, Munich, An End has a Start) and the new, more visible tracks of the third album (Papillon, The Boxer), where lead vocalist and by far the main stage presence, Tom Smith, went off a ways tangentially from the first two albums with what I imagine was mandated by their success, which are more conventionally positioned in overall feel. It was, then, that crowd pumping hits were intermingled with some of the new electric morphine of the third album, making for a slightly confusing attitude for the night. But who cares, it is Editors…
Other bands that remind me of Editors: Interpol, The Bravery and Joy Division
My favorite Editors tracks:
You can read about Editors here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editors
You can listen to Editors here:
http://www.myspace.com/editorsmusic
The Maccabees
I suppose I should thank Editors for bringing The Maccabees to Prague and introducing them to my ears. I may not have stumbled across this gem for quite some time had I not seen them listed as part of the opening act to Editors. They played a high-energy 30-minute show right before the headliners, and I found that eight of their nine songs they played would have been on my list of requests. With two albums out, “Color It In” and “Wall of Arms”, I can only hope that these guys come back to Prague for a show of their own–and a third album soon after.
I feel like mentioning that their second album has been unjustly criticized as too “Arcade Fire style”–coincidentally both bands featured the same super-producer, Markus Dravs (Coldplay, Bjork). I believe that The Maccabees pull off the sound even better than Arcade Fire and add an element of pushiness missing from the shakier, summery sound of the latter.
Other bands that remind me of The Maccabees: The Kooks, Arcade Fire
My favorite tracks from The Maccabees:
You can read about The Maccabees here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maccabees
You can listen to The Maccabees here:
http://www.myspace.com/themaccabees
Wintersleep
This band was just the cherry on top. By the time that The Maccabees had finished their following act to Wintersleep, the Norwegian across from me agreed that he would be happy if the showed ended now. I admit that I heard of Wintersleep for the first time two weeks before the concert, but they were on my headphones for a good portion of that time since then. I’ve only listened to the most recent album from these Nova Scotians, “Welcome to the Night Sky”, but I’m hooked on their sound, which I find promising. I plan to check out earlier albums soon.
The opening act is never very easy and frequently under-appreciated–there may have been 150 people at Lucerna when they punctually got on stage in time for last call on the early-bird special. They took this as a challenge and rocked out for 30 minutes with great energy and got me pumped up for what could only be an awesome night.
Other bands that remind me of Wintersleep: Foo Fighters, REM, Vampire Weekend
My favorite tracks from Wintersleep:
You can read about Wintersleep here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersleep
You can listen to Wintersleep here:
http://www.myspace.com/wintersleep
The biggest sporting event for the Czech Republic this year starts on today when the country’s male tennis team takes on Spain in the final of the Davis Cup. The Spanish team go into the three-day, five match encounter in Barcelona as favorites but Czech Republic have confounded that label before.
This is the first time that Czech Republic qualifies for David Cup final, although they won as Czechoslovakia back in 1980.
The Czech team starring Radek Št?pánek and Tomáš Berdych have reached the final beating France, Argentina and Croatia to get within grasp of the famous salad bowl trophy.
Czech Republic meets Spain, who will be playing on their favoured clay in front of a fanatical home crowd, so beating them will require a famous upset.
However, the Spanish preparations have perhaps cast a few shadows over their camp. Their top star, world number two Rafael Nadal, is not at his best moment, and at the end of season ATP World Tour tournament in London he lost all his matches in straight sets. That performance was matched by Fernando Verdasco who has also picked up an injury. He has been dropped for the singles matches in preference to David Ferrer.
Yesterday’s draw means that Tomáš Berdych takes the court for the first match today against Nadal with Št?pánek following up against Ferrer. The reverse singles are played Sunday.
Czech team captain Jaroslav Navrátil has chosen Lukáš Dlouhý and Jan Hájek for Saturday’s doubles against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Verdasco. But it is possible to change that for the established doubles partnership of Št?pánek and Berdych.
RELATED LINK
Czechs seek to defy underdog status in Davis Cup final (Radio Praha)
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