
Czech Snapshots
Respekt's Kateřina Šafaříková on Topolánek's demise, Klaus's Russophilia and the election
"Is that the guy who called the US recovery plan the 'road to hell' and was spotted naked at Silvio Berlusconi's villa?" asked a former Portuguese colleague of mine from Brussels the other day, when he learned that Mirek Topolánek had resigned as party leader. And that is exactly how the Western media will remember the former chairman of the ODS: the naked road-to-hell guy. And the one whose government lost a vote of no-confidence while holding the EU presidency. And the one who had a tricky relationship with the press. As another former colleague wrote in an email, "I still remember the disgust he felt towards all journalists!"
Despite all this, Mirek Topolánek was quite popular with the Western media, with the exception of the French press, who merely followed Nicolas Sarkozy's example in despising the then Czech prime minister. Mr. Topolánek was thought of as a straightforward politician -- a man who spoke his mind bluntly and with minimum waffle. He made headlines and it was never a waste of time to attend his off-the-record-briefings in Brussels. These had substance, and wit at times, and dispensed with political correctness. Topolánek never thought twice about what should or shouldn't trip off his tongue.
That's also the core of the story leading up to his resignation. Asked to describe the personality of "typical gay" by a gay lifestyle magazine, Topolánek refused, saying that personality isn't dictated by sexual or religious orientation. But he said it in a typically Topolánek way, pointing out that one Czech minister who is gay "would back off eventually" while Jan Fischer, the current prime minister, "would back off even sooner and he's a Jew." Eyebrows were raised and Topolánek was later told to go for the sake of his party.
As if to prove his party's decision right, Mirek Topolánek drew a rather extraordinary parallel when commenting on his departure to the Czech press, saying he was "executed" by his party and that this "was a habit only of African tribes."
If he was still prime minister, few African ambassadors to the Czech Republic would probably be asking for an audience. And if he was a Native American, his name would probably be The One That Can't Keep His Mouth Shut.
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Many a Western journalist has trouble recognizing the current Czech president, who sounds like a fervent Thatcherite and Anglo-Saxon, as a Russophile. Yet the Medvedev-Obama summit in Prague produced another example of his pro-Kremlin tendencies. In an interview with Lidové noviny immediately after the event, Václav Klaus noted with satisfaction that the Czech-US relationship runs just as smoothly as that between the Czech Republic and Russia, putting both on an equal footing.
Interesting... The Kremlin has kicked a Czech public TV reporter out of Russia, the Czech Republic has expelled several Russians accredited with the embassy in Prague on suspicion of spying, and the government is reluctant to award a major energy deal to Rosatom, the Russian electricity giant, on the grounds of a possible threat to national security -- which isn't the case with the American company Westinghouse -- but in Václav Klaus's world, the Russians are just the same as the Americans and should be treated accordingly. Is it necessary to add anything?
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The election campaign in the Czech Republic has taken a funny turn. The ODS launched a series of billboards mocking the welfare promises made by Jiří Paroubek, the Social Democratic leader and election front-runner, aping the visual style used by the Social Democrats on their own posters. So while Mr. Paroubek promises that he will cut neither pensions nor social benefits and would make doctors' appointments free of charge again, the slogans sponsored by the ODS say "I will prolong weekends by five days" and "I will abolish morning hangovers."
So far, the most popular, according to an unofficial poll on Facebook and elsewhere on the web, is the poster on which Paroubek promises, "I will bring Elvis back to life." Not bad!
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A Day Trip To Some Of The Best Castles Shaun O'Banion
The results are in and the most popular Czech castles (based on the number of visitors) have been announced by the Czech state.
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The upcoming TEDxUNYP event: Inspiration in a complicated world Paul Lysek
What is TEDxUNYP? Who is invited? Why would one attend? These were the various questions going through my head when I spoke to Mark Anderson , TEDxUNYP Organizer & Licensee.
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Films to Watch at this Year’s One World Festival Brad McGregor
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HBO’s The Sleepers Takes You Back to Prague 1989
If you’re familiar with award-winning HBO’s Chernobyl, then you will love HBO’s new mini-series The Sleepers.
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JOJO RABBIT, shot in the Czech Republic, receives six Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and six BAFTA nominations! Shaun O'Banion
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the best in cinema for 2019 and among the nominees was Taika Waititi’s JOJO RABBIT which stars Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, newcomer Roman Griffin Davis, and Thomasin Mackenzie.
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WATCH: Hungarian PM Victor Orbán Booed at Reopening of Prague State Opera House Caroline Marcela
On Sunday Evening, Hungarian PM Victor Orbán was received with jeers and boos from protesters as he attended the reopening of the State Opera House gala event. Protesters shouted out ‘hanba’, meaning shame in Czech as he exited his private car.
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'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night Ryan Keating
Movie Barf and Edison Filmhub are thrilled to present 'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night dedicated to screening a diverse variety of award-winning contemporary and classic films in the new Edison Filmhub cinema and bar located in Prague's old town.
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The Prague Orgy - a new Czech film in English in Czech cinemas Michal Kráčmer
LESS LIBERTY, BETTER FUCKS
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Festival 4+4 Days in Motion Eliška Míkovcová (4+4 Festival)
Festival 4+4 Days in Motion to start in Desfours Palace, this year’s slogan is Nobody Has Anything
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Lunchmeat Festival 2019—Dark Stars on the Horizon Tony Ozuna - (Photo Lunchmeat Festival)
Lunchmeat Festival returns to Prague at the end of September as the leading arena for cutting-edge electronic music and with more audio-visual punch than ever before. Their new motto is a challenge to the mainstream: “obsessed with audio-visual mindf**cks— & those who question the status quo.”
Best Irish Pub in Prague
Authentic Italian cuisine in Prague
Discover the history of Prague’s famous Charles Bridge
Trabant Museum @ STK Motol
Armádní muzeum Žižkov
Národní památník hrdinů heydrichiády

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