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SpotlightEnjoying a Czech beer in London
The TV in the corner at the Czech and Slovak Club in the north London
suburb of West Hampstead carries a Czech TV broadcast of an Extraliga ice
hockey game. A few young men, Czechs and Slovaks, keep one eye on the
early evening hockey game, have a chat and enjoy a pint of quality Czech
beer.
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Current AffairsCzech Tourist Authority aims to improve your stay
What are some of the problems that tourists encounter when they visit the
Czech Republic? Well, the Czech Tourist Authority and other groups
concerned with the Czech tourism industry have highlighted poor conditions
at train stations, misleading advertising at bureaux de change and
unqualified foreign tourist guides. And the Czech Tourist Authority's
ultimate goal is to have all of these areas improved.
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Talking PointTravelling around the bloc
During the communist period, Czechs did not have much choice when it came
to deciding where to go on a foreign holiday. They could travel relatively
easily to their "brotherly" communist states in Eastern Europe,
but it was much more difficult to get the authorities' permission for
travel to the West. So, if a Czech wanted to spend some time by the sea,
they would most likely to do so in East Germany or Poland by the Baltic
Sea, by Hungary's Lake Balaton, or in the Black Sea resorts of Bulgaria,
Romania or the Soviet Union. And if they were lucky, they could take a
trip to the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia. But after the Velvet Revolution
this - like most things in Czechoslovakia - completely changed. Czechs
officially became free to travel wherever they wanted.
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Talking PointCzech Republic invites tourists to Prague and regions
However distant summer may seem in the bleak days of February, many people
have already started planning their summer holidays. And as I found out at
last week's huge travel fair in Prague, Czech travel agents, hotels and
tour guides are busy preparing for all those foreign tourists that may
want to spend their vacation in the Czech Republic.
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MagazineCzech brewers want "more people to drink less beer"
Czechs are the worlds biggest beer drinkers and breweries are doing good
business - so why should they try to change anything? The answer is
"ethics" says Ivan Sima secretary of the association of Prague
breweries. Czech brewers want more people to drink their beer "in
moderation", and they have worked hard to present the golden brew as
something more than a pub drink. In this week's Magazine DL talks to Mr.
Sima about a new code of ethics which the country's leading brewers have
adopted, Czechs drinking habits, why most Czech pubs sell only one brand
of beer and whether beer from a can can possibly taste as good as beer
from a bottle.
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MailboxMailbox
Today's Mailbox includes: Topics: RP listeners' clubs. Sending RP
souvenirs, Czech language, Bruntal, oldest town in Moravia. Quotes from:
Razia Rasheed, Mostafa Amesiin, Lasse Haapaniemi, Janice Wallace.
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Current AffairsTop brewers adopt new code of ethics
The country's five leading brewers are setting a new trend in the business
- they have drafted and adopted a strict new code of ethics that goes
beyond the regulations set by the law on advertising. Commitment to this
new code of ethics is voluntary and the smaller brewers in the country -
of which there are many - have so far failed to respond to an appeal to
support the initiative. Its advocates claim that although sales and profit
margins are important there are certain boundaries that should not be
crossed. Czechs are the world leaders in beer consumption per head - which
is fine as far as brewers are concerned - but they are less happy with the
fact that many teenagers are regular beer drinkers and some children start
drinking it even before they are in their teens. Although it may prove
difficult for them to influence consumer habits the country's leading
brewers are determined to give it a try. Ivan Sima is secretary of the
association of Prague breweries:
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Current AffairsDo the Czechs have a drinking problem?
New Year's Eve always reminds you that a lot of us like a good drink. As I
walked through Prague's Old Town Square this New Year's, the popping of
corks and the crackle of broken glass mixed with cheers in Czech, English,
German and Italian. Prague's historic centre was filled with revellers
from all over Europe, so it was not only the Czechs who were drinking. But
do the Czechs in particular have a problem with alcohol consumption, as
statistics suggest?
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Current Affairs Freezing weather doesn't deter Charles Bridge traders
It's been absolutely freezing here in the Czech Republic for the last week
or so, and the weather forecasters say we can expect the sub zero
temperatures to last for another month. While just waiting for the tram
for ten minutes makes most of us shiver, spare a thought for the poor
souls who have to work outside all day in such weather. On Wednesday
morning I braved the elements to see what life is like these days for
stall-holders on Prague's Charles Bridge.
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Current AffairsThe battle over the Budweiser name continues...
Drinkers of Czech Budweiser beer in Great Britain have nothing to fear as
the brewery gets the go ahead from a British court to continue selling the
famous Czech lager. The Budweiser Budvar brewery in South Bohemia, has
been locked in a lengthy battle with Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest
brewer, over the well-established Budweiser name. The trademark dispute
has been going on for almost a hundred years and continues to be fought in
courtrooms throughout the world.
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