Foreign Minister Used In A Billboard Campaign

Czech energy drink producer has violated protection of privacy laws of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg when it featured him on a billboard that promotes the drink.

The politican is depicted napping and the slogan says “You can last [stay awake] longer”.

Schwarzenberg did not give his consent that the photo that was taken during the recent presidential election can be used, ForMin says. She added that he is not really napping on the photo. He was just thinking with his eyes closed.

The irony is that the minister went to a hospital around the same time as the campaign was launched.

Schwarzenberg is a unique person in the Czech politics. He is a duke, his full title is His Serene Highness The Prince of Schwarzenberg, Count of Sulz, Princely Landgrave in Klettgau and Duke of Krummau.

Health Minister Witnessed An Accident And Saved Life

Czech Health Minister Tomas Julinek witnessed a traffic accident in which a man on a motorbike hit a pedestrian. The minister ordered his driver to stop the car and he rushed to assist the victim.

When the paramedics arrived they did not recognize him!

Julinek himself used to work as emergency ambulance doctor. Last time I actually did something like this was more than five years ago, the minister told iDNES.cz news server…

The Leap Year Question

Tomorrow is February 29.

Obviously, there must be some legal rules as to when leaplings celebrate their birthdays (which is less important) and HOW THEIR AGE IS COUNTED. I have no idea what the rule is in the Czech Republic. Any special arrangements in your country? It does make sense to count only leap-year birthdays…

In the comments, please…

Czech Soldier Blogs From Iraq

Czech soldier named Martin Palik who is from my home town of Olomouc [or he might be stationed there, maybe I didn't catch it right] blogs from Iraq where he is with the Fourth Contingent of the Czech Army within the Multinational Forces.

Really interesting stuff ^{if you can read Czech}. He talks about missile attacks, sirens at six a.m. when the soldiers have to roll from their beds onto their Kevlar vests that are prepared on the floor, chow halls…

You have to understand the military involvement of Czech armed forces is not a big deal if compared to bigger countries or “world powers” but it IS a big deal, considering the size of the armed forces and the relatively short history of Czech freedom… One would think that after the experience with the Soviet invasion of the former Czechoslovakia the Czech governments would not seek any military involvement abroad. But no–

Czech Girl Beats Venus Williams

That was some asskicking…

Czech tennis player Petra Kvitova who is number 143 on WTA beats Venus Williams in three sets in Memphis!

I don’t like the Williams sisters, I always hated the marketing hubbub that surrounded them and that was created by their father. So — YAY!!!

New Visa-Free Regime Approved

The governments of the Czech Republic and USA signed a memorandum on a new visa-free regime that should most definitely become effective as of this fall. There will be no visa, but people who want to travel to the States will need to fill out a questionnaire. They shall wait a few days from an e-mail from the embassy that they were granted entry. Or not.

So, it is not really the real visa-free regime, like the one that Germans or Slovenians have. Traveling to the States is going to get 2,300 CZK cheaper, as there will be no fee for the “visa sticker”.

Germans can wake up any morning, buy a ticket and fly across the Atlantic. This is not the case of the new regime for Czechs.

But it is a giant step, gotta say.

But like I said in a previous post, the government of the United States should have approved the complete visa-free regime. There is no risk involved in relation to illegal workers….

• The International Herald Tribune news story here

Dollar Costs Almost 17 crowns

Among the reasons for tough U.S. visa regime against Czechs was the fear of illegal workers. Czechs did come to the States as tourists and they stayed as cheap labor.

That was back then, when one dollar used to cost 37 crowns and people who worked hard could bring home pretty good money.

Now, 1 dollar costs 16.86. I think the last reason for U.S. visa against Czechs is gone…

PM Mirek Topolanek is scheduled to meet GWB this week. They should discuss the visa-free regime that should be launched in fall…

And The Oscar Goes To… The Czech Republic

Czech songwriter and composer Marketa Irglova and her boyfriend Glenn Hansard have won an Oscar for the best song…

YOU GO, GIRL…

NOTE: For some reason, possibly due to some internal error, the whole name of the Czech artist would sometimes not display here. If this is the case, the name goes
MARKETA IRGLOVA. Sorry about that…

Beggar? Homeless? Not Quite

I just experienced the most unique Sir-can-you-spare-some-money encounter ever…

A forty-something man. Ten yards from my front door, on the street. You wouldn’t notice him in a crowd. He was not the latest fashion, but he didn’t wear anything that gets you kicked from a tram, either…

To make it short: Good day, sir. I am not a homeless person. Just unfortunate. Just need some money to be able to buy three meals before I get my disability allowance. I attend medical treatment in a mental institute here in Brno. I have a book here that I had to borrow from my mom so I don’t beg for money like a helpless idiot. I used to teach at a Technical College before I was kicked out because of my illness.

The most intelligent will-you-please-help-me request. I gave him CZK 200 ($12) and told him to keep the book and try some more people. It’s not that I don’t want the book, a deal is a deal, but somebody else might really have time to read it, which I don’t have…

I have to say I felt pretty good for the rest of the day… Mostly I am encountered by lazy drug-using young men who could well find a job only if they wanted to…but it is obvious that they do not want to…

If I ever meet this gentleman again, I think I will have the tendency to ask him how he is doing…

Traffic Tickets To Car Owners, Not Drivers

Czechs are masters when it comes to system outsmarting… Like in case of speeding or parking tickets: if they are clocked or given the ticket, car owners can refuse to pay the fine, because they might say that their close person (husband, wife, parent, child…) was driving the car at the time the traffic offense was committed but they can refuse to say who. So there is nobody the cops can actually fine.

As of January 1, 2009 this smart advantage should disappear from the books of law and the traffic offense responsibility for the unknown culprit shall go to the car owner. So if the traffic cops do not catch the driver in the act, they are going to send the ticket to the car owner.

Finally. I must say I hate those irresponsible, ignorant and arrogant drivers who park their cars in the Brno pedestrian zone in the historical center. It is not a coincidence that 99 percent of these cars are Volkswagen Touareg-like two-million cars driven and owned by people who don’t care about other people because they think they can buy their way out of any minor problem, like a parking ticket…Well, fuck them…