Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Carolina (English) No 124
CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA
CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A
CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A
CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA
CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A
STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
School of Social Sciences of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cz
Fax: (+422) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 124, Friday, June 24, 1994.
EVENTS FROM THE PAST WEEK (June 15-22)
Social Supplements to Rise
The Czech government is becoming more generous to its citizens in birth
and in death.
State supplements for childbirth are being raised 500 Czech crowns to
4,500 crowns. The supplement for a child receiving home care during the
first three years will also rise, from 1,360 to 1,740 crowns.
The changes are part of a package approved by the government June 15.
In addition to the child support increases, funeral supplements will
increase from 1,000 to 3,000 crowns.
The increases are expected to add 355 million crowns to the budget in
the coming year, and bring the total of supplement payments to 1.7 billion
Czech crowns. Lida/Sofi
Havel on Two-day Visit to Romania
The presidents of the Czech Republic and of Romania, Vaclav Havel and
Ion Iliescu, signed a pact of friendship and cooperation between their
countries June 22 in Bucharest. A free-trade agreement may follow in the
fall.
Privatization Minister Jiri Skalicky accompanied Havel, and discussed
ways to pass on privatization know-how to the Romanians. Czech experts are
expected to aid Romania during privatization.
Bucharest University awarded Vaclav Havel an honorary doctorate. His
speech at the university was based on the difference between illusion and
ideal. Many people bear him malice, Havel said, because "...truth and love
still haven't overcome lies and hate."
The phrases come from Havel's statements in November, 1989, became
a slogan expressing the direction society should take. Mlada Fronta Dnes
ran a shortened version of the speech June 23. Lida/Andrea
Supervisors' Office Asks for Explanations
The supervisors' office of National Property Fund is questioning the
forced resignation of Tomas Jezek, head of the fund.
The supervisors are reportedly dissatisfied with the subsequent
appointment of Roman Ceska to head the fund. Ceska is currently the deputy
minister of privatization. The supervisors contend that concerns of
conflict of interest, cited in Jezek's ouster, could also affect Ceska.
If the five-member supervisors' office is not satisfied with the
answers it receives from the fund's presidium, headed by Minister of
Privatization Jiri Skalicky, it could take its questions to Parliament.
According to Jan Kalvoda, chairman of the governing coalition Civic
Democratical Alliance, his party is not going to interfere with the
problem, because the affair is a case of expert disagreement. Lida/Sofi
New Right Wing Party Founded - Democratic Union
Alena Hromadkova, a former Charter 77 spokesperson, became the first
chairwoman of the Democratic Union (DEU) at its constituent assembly June
8. Represents say that the new party should bring together right-wing
citizens dissatisfied with developements in the Czech Republic since the
overthrow of the communist regime in 1989.
The party platform adopted by the assembly states, "The tyranny of the
STB (secret police) minority nomenclature continues, or the government of
law doesn't exist." Among the goals set by DEU in its declaration is the
prohibition of state services for former high-ranking Communist Party
members and for members of the secret police. Further, they call for
publicizing the the crimes of communism, and for privatizating state farms.
Hromatkova, a 51-year-old engineer, characterized her party's aims for
the newspaper Cesky Denik. "We see local elections as a school of political
practice." Hromatkova lectures at the Political Department of the Faculty
of Social Sciences, Charles University.
Josef Kudlacek, editor of Cesky Denik, who helped finance the founding
of the 3000-member party, said, "I could buy two Mercedes or one
Rolls-Royce for the money I put into the union. I think, however, that in
this way, I have spent the money much more purposfully."
Carolina first reported on the founding of DEU in the spring of this
year. Radim/Andrea
International Flying Day in Plana
An International Flying Day was held in Plana, in southern Bohemia June
18 at the army airport.
Plana's airport is the home base of the first pursuit regiment, which
is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. This will be the last celebration
at the Plana's airport because residents of nearby Ceske Budejovice
succeeded in getting the airport closed by the end of 1994.
About 20,000 spectators, mostly tourists from Austria and Germany,
attended the fair. The spectators had the opportunity to admire different
flying formations and aerobatics. They also watched a race between
a between a propeller airplane and a Ford Escort car. (The plane won.)
The show featured NATO airplanes, including the American A-10, and
Russian MIG-29s.
The event was attended by members of the political, military and sports
worlds. Among them was Petr Jirmus, a world master in aerobatics from Ceske
Budejovice. Martin/Sofi
CULTURE
Newest Czech Film "Amerika" in the Theaters
Move over Indiana Jones. It's, surprisingly, Franz Kafka!
A film version of "Amerika", based on the unfinished novel by the
brooding Czech author, was directed by Vladimir Michalek, with camera work
by Martin Duba.
"I never imagined Kafka as the author of adventure novels. Vladimir
Michalek was the person to convince me," wrote Jiri P. Kriz in his Cesky
Denik review.
"I think that Kafka would be happy. Kafka experts probobly won't be
happy, but I think that he would be satisfied. The film is led through such
a line that it is most acceptable and understandable for viewers," said
actor Martin Dejdar. Natalie/Andrea
ECONOMICS
Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (valid form June 22)
Checks Cash
Country buy sell middle buy sell
Australia 1 AUD 21.002 21.214 21.108 20.04 22.18
Belgium 100 BEF 86.145 87.011 86.578 83.88 89.28
Great Britain 1 GBP 43.689 44.129 43.909 42.49 45.33
Denmark 1 DKK 4.519 4.565 4.542 4.34 4.74
Finland 1 FIM 5.319 5.373 5.346 4.85 5.85
France 1 FRF 5.192 5.244 5.218 5.02 5.42
Ireand 1 IEP 42.914 43.346 43.130 41.13 45.13
Italy 1000 ITL 17.962 18.142 18.052 17.28 18.82
Japan 100 JPY 27.859 28.139 27.999 26.70 29.30
Canada 1 CAD 20.456 20.662 20.559 19.67 21.45
Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.145 87.011 86.578 83.58 89.58
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.825 15.985 15.905 15.43 16.39
Norway 1 NOK 4.080 4.122 4.101 3.95 4.25
New Zeland 1 NZD 16.880 17.050 16.965 16.22 17.72
Portugal 100 PTE 17.105 17.277 17.191 16.01 18.37
Austria 1 ATS 2.521 2.547 2.534 2.47 2.59
Greece 100 GRD 11.726 11.844 11.785 11.08 12.50
Germany 1 DEM 17.736 17.914 17.825 17.37 18.29
Spain 100 ESP 21.349 21.563 21.456 20.46 22.46
Sveden 1 SEK 3.681 3.719 3.700 3.54 3.86
Switzerland 1 CHF 21.001 21.213 21.107 20.61 21.61
USA 1 USD 28.393 28.679 28.536 27.84 29.24
EC-ECU 1 XEU 34.030 34.372 34.201 -- --
IMF-SDR 1 XDR 40.779 41.189 40.984 -- --
Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.201 -- --
WEATHER
Those of us, who were constantly complaining that it's too cold for
June, that it's uncomfortable in our appartments without heating, are
pretty hot already. It warmed up over the weekend, Sunday and the days that
followed were announced as summery.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The
subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them
please to the address:
carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cz
To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address
LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET
or to the address:
LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ
The text of the message is:
SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name
for the English version or
SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name
for the Czech version. To delete your subscription from the list
you send the following message to LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ:
SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS
Please, don't send automatic replies to our list. You can temporalily
stop receiving of Carolna by sending the command:
SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL
The command should be sent to the address LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ
