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Carolina (English) No 156
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STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 156, Friday, April 21, 1995.
EVENTS FOR THE WEEK APRIL 12-19
More and More Czechs Trust President Havel
Public trust in Vaclav Havel is the highest it has been since
1993, when Havel became the Czech president.
In an April opinion poll by the Center for Empirical Research, 78
percent of the Czechs surveyed said they had trust in their president,
whose popularity has risen 12 percent since June of last year.
Their trust in the other major Vaclav in Czech politics - Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus - is falling, however. Only 54 percent of those
polled in April said they had confidence in the premier, a decrease of
17 percent over last February.
In the survey, Czechs said they valued Havel's honesty, openness
and democratic attitudes but that he lacked political foresight. As for
Klaus, they praised his knowledge of economics and his ability to get
what he wants, though they criticized him for his lack of sensitivity to
the democratic process.
While Havel's popularity is the same among all groups of the Czech
population, including the less affluent, Klaus' supporters are mainly
Czechs with a higher education and income, aged 18 to 44. Blue-collar
workers tended to have less trust in him. Martin Kupka/Andrea Snyder
Surprising Criticism From U.S. Congress on Jewish Property
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Minister Igor Nemec are refusing to
acknowlege a letter from the U.S. Congress criticizing the approach of
post-Communist countries to the restitution of Jewish property.
In a letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher, the members
of the U.S. Congress said relations between the U.S. and 13 East
European countries, including the Czech Republic, could suffer unless
the East Europeans solve the issue of Jewish property restitution. The
letter went on to describe this issue as a test of the East Europeans'
respect for basic human rights.
Klaus said he was extremely surprised by the letter, signed by both
Senate leader Robert Dole and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
Nemec said that the congresspeople's view of the problem was
oversimplified. "It seems a bit to me as if someone in Czech Parliament
were to start concerning themselves with the question of restitution for
Indian tribes in the U.S.," he said.
Last year the Czech government pledged to return to the Jewish
Community all of its former property currently held by the state. In the
event, however, it returned only half of what was promised.
Jana Maruskova/Andrea Snyder
Investigation Goes on into Prison Death of Brutal Murderer
Frantisek Kahanek died Saturday, April 8, in a prison cell in Horni
Slavkovo, where he was in custody awaiting trial for the brutal sex
murder of 10-year-old Tomas Belice, the son of a Prison Service
employee. Following Kahanek's autopsy, Antonin Prekop, spokesperson for
the Sokolov Police, ruled out the possibility of foul play, saying
Kahanek had slipped on the wet floor and cut himself on the bars.
This week, however, a new version of the story reached the public,
based on the complete results of the autopsy, stating that Kahanek in
fact suffered numerous wounds. And according to the Czech press, police
investigators are now leaning more towards the idea that Kahanek was
killed by another prisoner.
At the root of the controversy is the fact that Kahanek was placed
in a cell with nine other prisoners. According to some public officials,
including Parliament Chairman Milan Uhde, Kahanek's fate was determined
the moment he stepped into the cell.
While the investigation has not yet been closed, Czech Police Chief
Oldrich Tomasek has already dismissed Antonin Prekop and punished the
superiors of the spokespersons for the Sokolov Police.
Kahanek's case has brought the issue of overcrowded prisons back
into the spotlight here. According to Prison Administration spokesperson
Eduard Vacek, there was no reason to place Kahanek in an individual
cell. Generally, he said, the only prisoners who get their own cells are
those with a contagious illness or a mental illness, or those who are
much thinner than the other prisoners. Jakub Knezu/Andrea Snyder
Mortgages to Become a Part of Czech Life
Czech Parliament approved April 19 legislative amendments enabling
individuals to take out mortgage loans, and that for up to 70 percent of
the price of the building.
While the government had proposed 60 percent, two members of
Parliament - one from the opposition Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia and the other from the Civic Democratic Party, a member of the
government coalition - demanded 70 percent, arguing that only then would
Czechs be able to purchase homes without exhausting their savings or
other financial sources.
Under the amendments, however, anyone who wants to build their own
home will have to start construction with their own funds from special
accounts for that purpose offered by Czech banks.
To raise funds to cover the loans, banks will be allowed to issue
mortgage certificates, the income from which will not be taxed, making
it possible for the banks to offer them at a lower rate of interest
without making them any less attractive for holders.
While the amendments do not address the question of state support
for mortgage loans, it is assumed the state will cover part of the
interest for those who take out loans. Jiri Schneider/Andrea Snyder
Ex-Marklap Owner Released From Custody
Former Marklap owner Adolf Klapka, charged in December 1994 with
falsifying his company's books, was released from custody on March 11.
State attorney Augustin Hrboticky confirmed this Tuesday for Carolina.
Klapka and his commercial lawyer Michael Macek have been accused of
illegally raising Marklap's basic assets from 100,000 to 52 million
crowns in 1992.
"The reasons for keeping Mr. Klapka in custody no longer applied,
and at the present time there is no danger of him influencing
witnesses," Hrboticky said Tuesday. "Therefore at his request I decided
to release him."
The Marklap affair became public as the result of a 51.86 million
crown debt incurred by the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) during its
1992 parliamentary election campaign.
Antonin Moravec, owner of the Kreditni a prumyslova banka (Bank of
Credit and Industry), provided the loan to ODA on the basis of
a guarantee from Marklap, which was allowed to increase its basic assets
just a few days prior to the loan thanks to a favorable audit from
Deputy Finance Minister Miroslav Tera, a member of ODA.
Later, under circumstances that remain unclear, ODA had its debt
erased and KPB assumed ownership of Marklap. However, the nearly 52
million crown bill of loan, signed by ODA secretariat chief Josef
Reichman and payable in 1996, still exists. Reichman is now being
charged with falsifying business data as his signature on the bill was
intended to damage the bank's creditors.
Since the charges were filed against Reichman on March 17, he has
been hospitalized for treatment at a psychiatric clinic in Prague,
though there has been speculation that he returned home before Easter.
Tuesday the doctor in charge of Reichman's case declined to say whether
or not his patient had been released, though Carolina did confirm that
Reichman's name is not in the release register.
Moravec, who is being prosecuted for large-scale fraud during his
tenor at KPB, has been in custody since Dec. 17 of last year.
Jiri Chvojka/J.C.
French Bus of Students Ends in Tragedy
A French bus carrying students aged 15 to 18 crashed at 6:30 a.m.
Tuesday in Prague, killing the driver, one passenger and injuring
another 27 passengers.
The bus went off the road on a curve in the D5 highway in Prague
5, first hitting a street sign and then a lamppost, which sliced off the
left side of the bus. Police said seven students were seriously injured
while another 20 escaped with only slight injuries.
The accident occurred on a sharply curving exit ramp, where the
speed limit gradually drops from 100 km/h (60 mph) to 40 km/h (25 mph).
The initial investigation found no brake marks at the scene of the
accident. From Mlada fronta Dnes by Muhammad Shah/Jiri Chvojka
FROM SLOVAKIA
Slovak Secret Service Gets New Director
Ivan Lexa, a member of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar's Movement
for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), has been named the new director of the
Slovak Information Service (SIS) by the Slovak government.
Preceding his appointment was the resignation of the former SIS
chief, Vladimir Mitra, and Parliament's adoption of a revision of the
law governing the operations of the agency. The new legislation stripped
the president - currently Michal Kovac, the prime minister's archrival
- of the power to appoint the SIS director and gave it to the
government. President Kovac had already voiced his disapproval of Lexa
as the intelligence chief on several occasions in the past.
Mitra said the organ that oversees the SIS had flagrantly
overstepped its powers and that Lexa's appointment was a political move
on the part of the HZDS. He also rejected Meciar's charges that
President Kovac was using the SIS to monitor the prime minister.
While Kovac has in turn accused Meciar of building parallel
intelligence networks for his own personal use, Ivan Mjartan,
Slovakia's ambassador to the Czech Republic, told students at Charles
University's Faculty of Social Sciences that the conflict between the
president and the prime minister was exaggerated.
Michal Vynohradnyk/Eftychia Damianidou
Possible Assassination Attempt on Slovak Parliamentarian
Arpad Matejka, a member of Slovak Parliament for the HZDS, was
apparently targeted for assassination, when a bomb exploded beneath his
car Friday morning.
Matejka was not in his car at the time of the explosion and nobody
was injured. According to reports in the Czech press, the Slovak police
have yet to disclose any details of the incident.
Michal Vynohradnyk/Eftychia Damianidou
CULTURE
Umberto Eco to Visit Prague
Umberto Eco, the famous Italian writer known for his novels "The
Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum" will visit Prague to take
part in the Book World 95 book fair in May. Eco plans to present his
latest book, titled "Skeptics and Comforters," to published in Czech by
the Svoboda publishing house. Karolina Polakova/Tomas Kopecny
Too Loud a Solitude Tops Czech Movie Rankings
The film adaptation of Bohumil Hrabal's novel "Prilis hlucna
samota" ("Too Loud a Solitude," see Carolina no. 153), was the most
sought-out movie in Czech cinemas last week. Though Vera Caisova's work
beat out many of Hollywood's top motion pictures, it was the only Czech
movie to make last week's Top 10. Tomas Kopecny/T.K.
American Filmmakers Disenchanted With Prague
Paul Hitchcock, chief producer of the motion picture "Mission:
Impossible," filmed in Prague in March, expressed disillusionment with
his Czech partners in an interview with a reporter for the Czech News
Agency (CTK), describing the American film crew's stay here as
a disaster full of problems.
Hitchcock's main criticism was greed on the part of the Czech
government, who he said had promised to rent the filmmakers the
Liechtenstein Palace for 80,000 crowns a day and then raised the price
to 500,000 crowns three days before the film crew was to use the
building.
Of Tom Cruise, who besides starring in the movie is one of its
producers, Hitchcock said he was obviously frustrated by this fact. He
said they received promise after promise none of which were kept, and
that it was easier for him to work here under the Communists, who were
more accommodating.
A fax sent to Hitchcock by the Czechs prior to the film crew's
arrival in Prague does in fact contain a price lower than the one the
Americans were actually charged, though the fax came from a company
called Prague International Films (PIF) and not from the Czech
government.
Igor Nemec, head of the Office of the Government, said the rent for
the palace was determined according to standard procedures and that he
knew nothing about a smaller sum.
Said Ivan Spevak, deputy mayor of the Prague 1 district:
"Originally we considered not permitting the filming at all because of
the impact it would have on life in the city center. Apparently the
Americans assumed we would open the whole city for them if they brought
along Tom Cruise. I guess they thought they were going somewhere in the
Balkans." Ludek S. Stanek/Eftychia Damianidou
SPORTS
Sparta Praha Atop Soccer League - But Only Briefly
Sparta had themselves a happy Easter, defeating Liberec 7-1 on
Friday, which moved them to the top of the standings. Only temporarily,
however, as two days later Slavia Praha moved back into the no. 1 spot
with a 2-0 win in Jablonec. After 22 rounds, then, Slavia remain two
points ahead of Sparta.
An important moment occurred during the Cheb-Drnovice match, as
Drnovice striker Radek Drulak scored a hat trick, the second goal being
his 100th in the first league. Drnovice have picked up all 18 points in
their last six matches, while Ceske Budejovice also continued their
string of successes. Viktoria Zizkov picked up their first win of the
spring on Sunday against the eternal cellar-dwellers of Benesov.
Round 22 results: Sparta Praha - Slovan Liberec 7:1, FK Jablonec
- Slavia Praha 0:2, Petra Drnovice - Union Cheb 5:0, Ceske Budejovice
- Viktoria Zizkov 0:2, Bohemians Praha - Boby Brno 1:2, Hradec Kralove
- Svit Zlin 2:0, Banik Ostrava - Sigma Olomouc 0:1.
Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer
Great Showing for Czech Under-18s in Italy
The Czech Republic's under-18 kickers came out of the Trofeo Paolo
Valenti tournament in Ravenna, Italy, with flying colors, tieing the
Italians 1-1, then beating both Russia (1-0) and Austria (5-0). In the
semifinals the Czechs disposed of Norway 1-0, but then lost the final to
Greece, 1-0, to take home the silver medal. Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer
Indoor Ball Sports Leagues Finish for the Season
The women's volleyballers of Mora Olomouc won the championship
again this year, for the third time in a row defeating the Olymp Praha
squad in the final, with Stepancikova and Janackova leading the way. KP
Brno picked up the bronze, triumphing over Slavia Praha.
In the men's volleyball league, last year's champion Aero Odolena
Voda lost to Setuza Usti nad Labem 3-1, with Starobrno Brno finishing
a surprising third over Liberec.
In women's basketball, USK Praha took five matches to take the
league championship over IMOS Zabovresky, with USK's center Vodickova
sinking 30 points in the last match. Prerov won the bronze, defeating
Repros Brno.
Meanwhile, the men's basketball final has only just begun. Jelinek
scored 42 points to lead Chan Vysehrad to victory in the first match,
though the second time round with Harasek of Bioveta Brno covering him
closely his squad fell, to even the final at 1:1. In the series for the
bronze, USK Trident Praha is leading 2:0 over Tonak Novy Jicin.
Team handball is moving more slowly. After the first matches in the
final group, the women of Zlin have moved into the lead over Slavia
Praha, but the playoffs do not begin until after the group matches
finish. Meanwhile, the men have played half of their 10 matches in the
true final group. Dukla Praha needs just three points to win the league
but will have to wait until May or June, after the world championships,
to pick them up. Mirek Langer/M.L.
Hockey Players Go to World Championships
Any ice hockey fan looking at this year's results expects the Czech
skaters under coach Ludek Bukac to be a favorite in the world
championships, which start Sunday, April 23, for the Czechs with a match
against Finland.
The Czechs gave further evidence of their readiness in preliminary
matches against Canada and Sweden. Bukac's men dominated in Friday's
contest with the Canadian squad. In the very first minute they took the
lead on a goal by Kucera, and while Czech goalie Turek turned in
a shutout, his Canadian counterpart Hirsch surrendered three more goals,
to Janku, Ujcik and Alinc.
Tuesday in Litvinov the Czechs moved out quickly again versus
Sweden. Alinc finished off a nice play in the fourth minute, followed by
a score from Vejvoda at the start of the second period, giving the
Czechs a two-goal lead. The Swedes struck back, however, with goals from
Dackell, also in the second period, and then from both Alfredsson and
Eklund in the space of 90 seconds towards the end of the match, proving
that the Czech squad cannot yet claim to be the sole favorite.
On Wednesday in Prague the Czech skaters turned the tables on the
Swedes, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. Mirek Langer/M.L.
A SPECIAL LOOK AT PUBLIC OPINION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Praguers Say Journalists Should Have Right to Information
Asked whether officials should be required by law to provide
information to journalists, 36 percent of Praguers polled said
absolutely yes, 32 percent replied probably yes, 13 percent said
probably no, and 6 percent said definitely not. Thirteen percent of the
respondents had no opinion on the matter.
The DEMA public opinion firm conducted the survey of 411 residents
of the Czech capital, aged 18 or older. Tomas Kopecny/T.K.
Popularity of Marriage on the Decline
A March poll by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IVVM)
showed that young Czechs in increasing numbers are rejecting the
possibility that their current partner might one day become their
husband or wife.
Almost two thirds of those surveyed said they were certain they
would marry; 15 percent said they were certain they would live only with
their partner; 10 percent would not even consider marriage; and 12
percent had yet to make up their minds.
The Czech Statistics Institute's annual report on population trends
talks of a steep decrease in the number of weddings here. In 1990, for
example, 90,000 couples tied the knot, while in 1993 only 66,000 did so.
Andrea Rihova/Katerina Rus
Czechs Early to Bed
More than half of all Czechs go to bed before 10 o'clock in the
evening, according to a poll by the AISA public opinion firm. By 11 p.m.
86 percent of the respondents, aged 14 and up, said they were in bed.
Apparently Czechs are not big on nightlife, as a mere 5 percent of
those surveyed said they went to sleep at midnight while 15 percent
admitted to hitting the hay before 9 on weekdays.
On weekends, one out of 20 respondents said they went to bed before
9, one out of five before 10, and slightly less than one out of five at
midnight. From Mlada fronta Dnes by Karolina Polakova/Katarina Rus
Minimum Cost of Living - Czechs Can't Figure It
Almost no one in the country knows how to calculate their minimum
cost of living on which welfare benefits are based, according to a poll
conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research.
A full one-fifth of the respondents said they had no idea how to
figure out their minimum cost of living. Two percent said they had never
even heard of the concept before.
As of January 1995, for example, it is 1,230 crowns for children
under the age of 6, 1,360 crowns for children aged 6 to 10, 1,620 crowns
for children from 10 to 15, 1,780 crowns for dependents aged 15 to 26,
and 1,680 crowns for an adult.
In addition there is a household provision depending on the number
of people per household, ranging from 760 to 1,400 crowns.
From Mlada fronta Dnes by Martina Krizkova/Katarina Rus
WEATHER
Hats, scarfs, coats, snowmen and sweaters, all this now belongs to
the past. Bohemian spring has conquered all, the temperature in the sun
is between 17 and 21 degrees Celsius, the wind is mild, the flowers are
blooming, and the political situation is favorable.
Martina Krizkova/Katerina Rus
WHO'S WHO ON THE CAROLINA STAFF (PART III, CONCLUSION)
I was conceived more than 19 years ago. Since that time I've been
able to get through the elementary school in my hometown of Uvaly, the
gymnasium in Cesky Brod, and to start studying political science and
English translation and interpreting at the Charles University Faculty
of Liberal Arts as well as jouralism at the Faculty of Social Studies
the year after. I speak Czech German and British English. Besides my
major, I am also interested in psychology, life and all kinds of music.
My favorite radio stations are BBC, Radiozurnal and Kiss. In order to
maintain a healthy state of mind I don't watch TV, if possible. Yet
I must admit I adore the Simpsons. I like people of good will, including
the Carolina readers, and Norway. I hate ambitious idiots. And ... when
I retire, I'd like to become Mr. President. Jirka Schneider
I'm 21 plus a few weeks. Before that I just didn't exist. Joined by a
bond more than spiritual to the town on the Vltava, I have never lived
anywhere else, unless I count the short time when my home was gray
Brussels. I have the number of parents that is most in fashion these
days (2) and the number of siblings that never causes problems (0). I'm
interested in modern music and hermetic teachings, which I study at
home. At the moment I'm trying to find the money for my own computer so
I can hook up to the Internet and not run all over the place trying to
get information. I'm a vegetarian and I can pretty well do without
politics and organized tours. Ludek S. Stanek/Alex Zucker
I lived for 19 years in Klatovy, a town in the foothills of the
Sumava mountains. At 17, I was fortunate to get a scholarship for a high
school in Northern California, where, besides other terrific
experiences, I got to taste journalism for the first time, which
eventually became one of my grad classes. With the American graduation
certificate I returned to the Gymnasium in Klatovy where I graduated for
the second time. At this moment, I am studying journalism at the Faculty
of Social Studies (where I am trying to work on the English version of
Carolina) and at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, majoring in English and
American Studies as well as Dutch. I go crazy about languages (English,
French, German and Dutch), extraordinary experience (which I get from
journalism and travel), skiing, hiking and edible mushrooming (so far
I have survived). To me, the most beautiful regions on the Earth are the
Sumava mountains, Northern California and all the other places where
I find giving and open people. Vera Vitkova
I was born in the end of July 1974. Having finished elementary
school, I decided to study at the graphics high school, majoring in
photography. This activity has been the source of entertainment as well
as of numerous nervous breakdowns. After graduating from this school,
I thought that I would finally start a real job, but then eventually
I settled into the schoolbenches of the National Institute of Education,
majoring in enterprise and management. At this moment, I am studying at
the Faculty of Social Studies with a major in journalism. Besides taking
photos, literature and art, I am deeply interested in music. I am open
to all music styles with the exception of brass band music.
Martina Vojtechovska
What I enjoy doing is music (blues, rock and roll), beer,
interesting books, football (soccer) and volleyball. I live in the town
of Benesov (40 km from Prague) with my sister and parents. Moreover,
I play piano and occasionally guitar. I enjoy studying journalism (so
far we haven't taken the finals). I am really happy to have the
opportunity of writing for this "newspaper." I am 18. Michal Vynohradnyk
I was born on March 3, 1976. That's the same day when the great
Czech scholar, Jan Amos Komensky, was born. Now I am living my best
years. My friends call me "Zumpa." I like mountain climbing. Yet, as
a sportsman, I am shaped more through my mind than through my body. To
me, the greatest entertainment is the news service coming from Slovakia.
I have two sisters and great parents. On a regular basis I visit rock
concerts. Generally, I love to listen to music. As well, I enjoy to take
and develop photos. Lukas Zentel
I was born April 16, 1958 (the same day as Charlie Chaplin but a
different year). I am a translator, a linguist and a young-minded old
bachelor. The most surprising thing that ever happened to me was that I
translated John Updike's "Witches of Eastwick" into Czech, and he didn't
come to Prague to crack my head open. I enjoy working for Carolina
because I consider it one of our school's best projects - it's the best
opportunity the students have to learn and also to find out what they
still don't know. I enjoy listening to Tom Waits, and I believe that
good food is the best thing when you need a lift. I am a firm believer
in the saying, "Take what you want, and pay for it." I view the world as
a complex mechanism controlled predominantly by dwarves. Jan Jirak
I know copying is a no-no, but since not much has changed since last
year (except that Carolina and all of us are one year older), I think
I can use my business card from last year with only slight changes. I am
married and have three sons (Jiri-22, Michal-18, and Ondrej-11). I was
born under the sign of Leo (August 15 in Prostejov), but am an owl. My
specialization here at the school is wire service journalism, and among
other things I lead the seminar on Basic Journalism, which includes this
attempt of ours at a news service. At this point I consider the nearly
4-year-old Carolina to be a part of the family (we gave it a name in
October 1991), and there are times when I have the feeling I spend more
time with Carolina than I do at home. I would like to thank everyone we
have not yet thanked personally for their responses to our project, as
most of your comments are like salve for the soul. Thanks.
Ludmila (Lida) Truneckova
Greetings. My name is Alex and I'm following in the footsteps of my
friend Ross Daly as the Carolina editor. I'm 30 years old and I've been
in Prague for four and a half years now, first as a translator/editor at
the Czechoslovak News Agency (CTK), then as an editor at Prognosis, the
country's first English-language newspaper (though now defunct), and I
now earn my living here as a free-lance translator, doing everything
from articles on the design and construction of rigid airships and the
history of the Laurin & Klement motorcycle and automobile factory to
Jachym Topol's first novel, the 480-page monster "Sister." Alex Zucker
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