Lots of cycling stories in the Czech press this last week. Czechs seem to be buying lots of cycles but don't like to think of them as a commuting device but rather one for getting some exercise in. Prague is becoming a bit more cycle-commute friendly but it's still more the exception than the rule.  read more »

Czech man gets suspended sentence for reading his ex's SMS - Europe  read more »

Pig Progress | News | Page content | Pig breeding down in Czech Republic
Pig breeders are annually winding down activities in the Czech Republic. In the last five years, pig stocks have decreased by 600,000 to 2,840,000, says the Czech Statistical Office (CSU).  read more »

Potoky "druhých slzí" - www.lidovky.cz
PRAHA 4. února 2007 | 13:45 V Česku se prý moc slavnostně nepohřbívá. Čas od času proběhnou médii zprávy o tom, že velká část pohřbů proběhne bez obřadu, v některých oblastech to je snad až šedesát procent. Je hodně pozůstalých, kteří si do pohřebního ústavu zapomenou přijít pro urnu, když uplyne lhůta, popel se vysype... někam.

Karel Svoboda, a well-known composer died recently, apparently committing suicide leading to a great amount of attention from the media and the public. This led Lidové Noviny to publish an article that has some interesting information about Czech funereal practices. Apparently, these happen typically with a minimum of pomp. As many as 60% of all funerals happen without a ceremony (I know of several families where that is a tradition) and supposedly quite a few urns with ashes are not collected from funeral homes. This is undoubtedly connected with the high level of atheism - up to 60% - which means that many Czechs don't have an easy access to a ritualized and institutionalized expression of grief and mourning.  read more »

Czech Education Minister wants to abolish entrance exams-press
Prague- New Czech Education Minister Dana Kuchtova from the minor government Green Party intends to abolish high school entrance exams, she told the daily Pravo today.

According to the daily Hospodarske noviny, more than half a million students study at high schools in the Czech Republic at present. Of them, 145,000 students study at grammar schools, 211,000 at vocational secondary schools and 164,000 students study at apprentice schools, Hospodarske noviny says.  read more »

"Four seconds of fame" for Czech knife in Bond movie - 12-01-2007 - Radio Prague What do James Bond and the Czech hobby of mushroom picking have in common? I won't keep you guessing - it is a knife - more precisely knives produced by the Czech company Mikov. Their products are good enough for 007 as well as the peaceful Czech family hobby of mushroom picking.

The title is a subtle pun since the 'rybička' refers to a very famous Czech flick knife with a fish-shaped handle whose maker's product was prominently displayed in the latest Bond film. This is what the company's director had to say about it (and with justification):  read more »

Change in Czech TV main news time benefits Nova - 10-01-2007 - Radio Prague Many Czechs catch their television news in the early evening, between 7 and 8 o'clock. But which particular news programmes they choose to watch has changed somewhat since the New Year, when Czech Television brought its main evening news forward by 15 minutes. The change also affects hundreds of thousands of Czech children, as a popular animated programme also starts earlier.

It is interesting, if not surprising, how important TV schedules are for the cultural patterns of a nation. For Czech, culturally particularly important time is between 7 and 8 pm which is a transition between children's time and adult time. Children watch their 10-minute evening story - Večerníček, and then adults watch the news (boring for children) and than at 8 pm the main adult (as in not for children, not pornographic) programming starts when children go to bed. So a change of even as little as 15 minutes can have quite an impact on individuals' lives. Particularly when it comes down to the institution of Večerníček (so important it even has its own Wikipedia entry):  read more »

Téměř polovina Čechů je ochotna odejít za prací - iDNES.cz
Češi jsou již ochotnější stěhovat se za prací. Z výzkumu, který provedla Hypoteční banka, vyplývá, že téměř každý druhý v tom nevidí velký problém. Lidí, které by výhodná pracovní nabídka přiměla sbalit kufry a odstěhovat se, je dokonce více než těch, kteří si to nedovedou představit.

"Je lepší dvakrát vyhořet než se jednou stěhovat" (It is better to have your house burn down twice than to have to move once.) goes a Czech saying.  read more »

Před nadílkou vedly SMS, po ní obrázkové zprávy - iDNES.cz Češi i o letošním Štědrém dnu překonali rekord v počtu odeslaných zpráv SMS. Každý ze dvou největších operátorů jich zaznamenal kolem 26 milionů. Počet hovorů zůstal na zhruba stejné úrovni, ale lidé tentokrát hovořili déle. Oproti loňsku se zvýšil i počet multimediálních zpráv MMS.

Czech mobile companies have done it again. Measuring our affection they gathered that over 70 million SMSs were sent on Christmas Eve (the most important day of Christmas in Central Europe).  read more »

Charlotte Carter, guest column: A Czech Christmas Eve
Yes, there were kolaches — apple strudel and buchta — but also soup, baked chicken, bread dressing, pork sausage and sauerkraut flavored with caraway seeds. Looking back, I recognize that Grandma’s chicken soup contained more than homemade noodles. Every spoonful was filled with her love.

A very interesting column of memories by a Czech American. It is not the most accurate portrayal of Czech Christmas c  read more »