Although two thirds of Czechs have a problem making ends meet on their monthly earnings, only a third consider themselves poor. read more »
Czech Update
The latest updates from news and events for all interested in Czech language and culture.
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Over a third of Czechs consider themselves poor
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: March 22nd, 2008
Categories: Economy
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
Record car pile up on Czech motorway
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: March 22nd, 2008
Categories: Environment
• Curiosities
The main Czech motorway (dálnice) witnessed a record car pile up when 116 cars ran into each other (reminiscent of Blues Brothers) with no fatalities. This was due to unseasonably late snow storm.
30 people injured in 116-car collision in Czech_English_Xinhua read more »
Ostrava: Former coal-mining town sees boom in IT
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: March 18th, 2008
Categories: Regional Differences
Prague has been such a dominant presence in Czech life so it's nice to see the regions pick up pace. read more »
Can you teach an old president new tricks?
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: February 16th, 2008
"Starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš" goes the saying. But the freshly re-elected right-wing nationalistic populist Václav Klaus isn't particularly interested in anything new: “I will fight to retain the Czech koruna for as long as it is advantageous for Czechs,” he boasted. read more »
Czech real estate more popular with foreigners
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 20th, 2008
Categories: International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
More and more properties are being snapped up by foreigners residing in the Czech Republic. What exactly that means for the economy and culture is not clear yet. More readers for this blog perhaps.
More foreigners now keen on buying Czech real estate - Czechnews - Aktuálně.cz read more »
Karel Gott, the never-aging pop star, marries in Las Vegas
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 13th, 2008
He's been a fixture on the Czech, German and general East European music scene since at least he mid-1960s. Started off with Rock'n'Roll and descended into broad pop in the 70s. Sold millions and millions of records and is the subject of adoration and derision in equal measure. Most Czechs and their parents have grown up listening to him and watching him win music contests. read more »
Half of Czechs are proud to be Czechs
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 2nd, 2008
One of those glass half-full half-empty surveys.
Proud to be Czech, but leave the politics aside - Czechnews - Aktuálně.cz read more »
Šťastný Nový rok 2008 na Bohemica.com
Author: admin Posted: January 2nd, 2008
Bohemica.com a Dominik Lukeš vám spolu přejí Veselý nový rok 2008. PFko najdete na DominikLukes.net/2008. read more »
Czech taxes 113th in the world
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 20th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Economy
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
In a strange imaginary league table of worldwide taxation, Czech Republic came in the 113th place. That is not good! read more »
Talking about the Velvet Revolution
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 17th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Culture
• History
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• National identity
Listen to what it was like to be a Velvet Revolutionary in this discussion between Bohemica's Dominik Lukeš and Eamonn Burgess on Future Radio 96.9FM. This discussion was part of the Community Chest programme guest-hosted by Dominik on 16 November 2007.
18 years since Velvet Revolution on 17 November
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 15th, 2007
For the 18th time since 1989, Czechs are celebrating the end of "communism" and the beginning of "democracy". The country has seen many changes since that time but many feel nostalgia for the 'bad' old times and the communist party still has 15% representation in parliament. But the chances of going back to what it was are very small. read more »
Czechs bought 350 000 bicycles in 2006 for Sport not Commute
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 12th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Culture
• Habits and customs
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
• Sport
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 »
Great November in October evokes nostalgia in many
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 7th, 2007
Czech communists but doubtless others are remembering the great October revolution of 1917 in Russian celebrated on 2 November (due to discrepancies in calendar systems). read more »
Czech Republic experiencing biggest Baby Boom in 25 years
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: March 20th, 2008
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Families
• Health
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
More than 10,000 more people were born in the Czech Republic than died which is the most since 1983. The 114 thousand newly borns take the total number of inhabitants to 10 million 381 thouthsand. This upward trend has been going on for the last 5 years. read more »
Czechs no longer shrink shy
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: February 18th, 2008
According to new stats, the number of Czechs seeking the services of a shrink has grown by almost a third since 2000. Experts claim that one of the reasons for that is more information about psych treatments. Supposedly almost half a million Czechs ended up on the couch in 2006 including 17500 hospitalisations due to mental illness. read more »
Czechs under stress
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 21st, 2008
Turns out Czechs are just as susceptible to stress at work as people in other industrialized nations. What a surprise! read more »
Translating Prime Minister's profanity
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 13th, 2008
Now, the prime minister Topolánek is getting sued for saying this: "Češi obvykle ale vidí všechno negativně a když k něčemu dojde, podělají se". read more »
New resource for Czech exile literature online
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 4th, 2008
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Culture
• History
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Literature
A complete text (all in Czech) of a book survey of Czech exile literature between 1971 and 1989 was made available by the author on the University of Glasgow's Slavonic Studies Department website. read more »
Czechs end 2007 with EU freedom of movement
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 2nd, 2008
Categories: History
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
Finally, Czechs can leave their passports or IDs at home when travelling to any of their neighbouring countries. The Schengen zone has embraced a bunch of new countries including all those that share a border with Czech Republic. read more »
Czech inventor of the 'drunk tank' dies aged 91
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 26th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• History
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Language
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
• Vocabulary
• Curiosities
Záchytka is a wonderful Czech word that stands for the institution for the collection of drunken (and possibly disorderly) individual wondering city streets occasionally referred to in English as 'drunk tank' or ' read more »
Velvet Revolution in video (YouTube weekly)
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 17th, 2007
YouTube is a great source of video to illustrate historical events and the Velvet Revolution is no exception. Here are a few clips.
Montage of moments from the days of and after 17 November: read more »
Play Czech geography game on Facebook and win PDF of Czech grammar
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 17th, 2007
Příkopy - Prague street in Top 20 most expensive in the world
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 15th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Economy
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Numbers, statistics, surveys and polls
• Vocabulary
The Prague street that joins into the bottom of Wenceslas square came 20th in the world ranking of the most expensive streets in the world (down from 18th a year ago). Rents there reach 2000 EUR per square meter a year. Paradoxically, the Czech name translates literally as "on the ditches". read more »
Czechs succumb to blogging craze (says Jyxo)
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 12th, 2007
According to Czech Google-wannabe's press release blogging has become the next big thing on Czech Internet. One of the indication is that Blog.cz has become one of the top 10 Czech websites with 2 million unique visitors a month. 60% of Czech bloggers are under 30, most are employed and more than half visit their blog more than 20 days a month. read more »
Happy birthday Czechoslovakia
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: October 28th, 2007
Yes, it is 89 years today, 28. October 1918 that Czechoslovakia (Československo) was founded lasting with an interruption for WWII until 1992.
