Češi zrušení víz za radar nevymění, ukázal průzkum - iDNES.cz
Čechům nestojí zrušení víz do USA za to, aby souhlasili s umístěním amerického radaru v Brdech. Podle průzkumu RCA Research má takový názor 48,6 % lidí. Výměnu za víza by bralo 31,4 %. Radar nejčastěji odmítají Jihočeši a lidé bez maturity.

Two of the most significant sticking points in Czech American relations are the continued requirement for visas for Czechs visiting the US and now also the suggested military base with a Star Wars-like radar.  read more »

Czech Hussites rocked by sexual scandal - press
"New patriarch Tomas Butta, Bishop Stepan Klasek, Petr Sandera and I have asked Bican to consider his resignation," Bishop Jana Šilerová from Olomouc, North Moravia, told the paper. ... MfD writes that the Hussite church is the third most populous church in the Czech Republic and now it is celebrating 87 years since its establishment.

What can we learn form this story? Gay priests having affairs? Nothing new or surprising here. However, a female bishop? Certainly a point of interest. The Czechoslovak Hussite Church not only allows women priests, they number almost half of the total 300 clergy. It should also be noted that the most populous church by far is the Catholic from which the Hussites split during the early years of the Czech Republic over ordination of women and other issues. The Hussites are not really a protestant denomination of the Lutheran tradition (they're closer to Anglicans) and having Jan Hus in their title is more a matter of national pride than ideology. They're one of the more tolerant churches out there but they were also one of the more willing to do the communist regime's bidding (although that has to be taken in the context of its time).  read more »

The Korea Times : Slivovitz Czech’s Spirit
If there is soju for Koreans and whiskey for Scottish people, there is slivovitz for Czechs. The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul last Monday hosted ``Slivovitz and its Soul,’’ an exhibition on the history of the drink, at the new Czech restaurant, Castle Praha, near Hongik University.

This one of the more bizzare exhibits of Czech culture you can think of. But the interesting question is whether it is accurate. I suspect that most Bohemian Czechs think of slivovice (plum brandy) as a Moravian thing.  read more »

Lactalis lured by Czech cheese growth
French dairy giant Lactalis has enhanced its position in the growing cheese market of the Czech Republic by signing a deal to buy local firm Promil.
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It [the report] said cheese was an area ripe for investment.
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Euromonitor says quality has become increasingly important on the Czech cheese market, and has greatly improved in the last few years. Czech consumers, it adds, are very demanding: “The have many [cheeses] to choose from. They do not come back to products they were not satisfied with.”  read more »

www.lidovky.cz - Piju, piješ, pijeme
Obliba piva, již nám naši předkové dali do vínku, vedla až k tomu, že dnes jsou Češi s asi 157,9 litru na hlavu za rok mistři světa v jeho konzumaci. Co se týče výroby, jsme 17. na světě. Podle zprávy Chmel ministerstva zemědělství z roku 2005 se Česká republika podílí 1,2 procenta na světové výrobě piva. Největšími producenty jsou přitom Čína, USA, Německo, Brazílie a Rusko. V Česku je 53 průmyslových pivovarů, což není na zemi o 10 milionech obyvatel špatné.  read more »

www.lidovky.cz - U Slavkova se zranilo osm lidí
Osm zranění si vyžádala sobotní rekonstrukce bitvy tří císařů v Tvarožné na Brněnsku. Většinu poraněných odváželi zdravotníci přímo z bitevního pole, řekl primář jihomoravské zdravotnické záchranné služby Pavel Urbánek.

Eight people were injured (some fairly seriously) during Saturday's reenactment of the 1805 battle of Austerlitz (or Slavkov in Czech located near the Moravian capital Brno), also known as the battle of Three Emperors and one of Napoleon's great victories.  read more »