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Talking PointProstitution in Prague: Is legalisation the way forward?
With its numerous erotic bars and night clubs, as well as the very visible
presence of prostitutes on many of its streets, Prague is developing a
reputation as "the Amsterdam of the east". The city's sex
industry has aroused much discussion in the past, with many calling on the
government to bring the situation under control. Now a draft bill is being
prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, which aims to legalise and
regulate prostitution. If passed, the new law would see licences issued to
prostitutes, who would then be able to legally work in designated places
and even pay taxes. These legal prostitutes would have to fulfil certain
criteria to practice their trade and would also have to undergo regular
health checks to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted disease.
Although some have praised the bill for its forward thinking, many who are
involved with the sex industry are sceptical about how effective it will
be.
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Current AffairsPrague Writers' Festival finds its groove with Anghelaki-Rooke, Hofmann, & Irwin: this is what a world-class festival is all about
This week the 14th annual Prague Writers' Festival has been underway in
Prague and Jan Velinger has been attending afternoon discussions and the
so-called "International Evenings". On Wednesday the evening
programme welcomed Greek poet Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke, German-born
English poet Michael Hofmann, and English writer Robert Irwin. As Jan
Velinger now reports this was the unforgettable night that visitors had
been waiting for.
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Current AffairsPrague Writers' Festival - currently underway - discusses the 'New EU'
This year's Prague Writers Festival - the 14th since its inception - is now
underway in the Czech capital, this year bringing yet another group of
world-class authors to Prague. Authors including South African Nobel prize
winner Nadine Gordimer, German poet Hans Magnus Enzensberger, and
Russian-born American author Gary Shteyngart, to name just a few. Czechs
are of course also represented by several authors, including former
dissident Eda Kriseova - the author of a biography on Vaclav Havel.
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MailboxMailbox
In this week's edition of Mailbox we answer questions on: coal mining and
the use of coal in Karvina, the adoption of Roma children, and Prague
during the Ice Hockey World Championships. Listeners quoted: James Holmes,
Mary Fidler, Patrick Canca, Ashik Eqbal Tokon.
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Czechs in HistoryA look at the life and work of Jan Neruda
Poet, writer, and journalist, Jan Neruda has long been recognised as one of
the outstanding figures of 19th century Czech literature, an author who
mastered the art of the feuilleton, whose column was published regularly
in the politically-liberal Narodni listy, and read widely by the masses.
An ironical but also often melancholic poet who strived for modernity and
the defeat of provincialism; a writer whose works were carefully dissected
in his day who was endlessly expected to write his 'great' novel, but
whose ultimate masterpiece remains his cycle of short stories titled
'Tales of the Little Quarter'. Stories that offered a satirical but also
gentle depiction of the loves, lives, and small failures of petty
bourgeois inhabitants of Mala Strana. An area which to this day remains
the most picturesque area of the capital beneath Prague Castle and Petrin
Hill.
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Current AffairsCzechs demonstrate in support of Cuban political prisoners
Almost a year ago seventy-five Cuban journalists and human rights activists
were imprisoned by the Castro regime. As an act of solidarity, the Czech
People in Need Foundation launched a campaign on Monday in which a
symbolic cell was built on Prague's Wencelslas Square - the site of many
important events in Czech history, such as the Velvet Revolution in 1989.
Under the Stop Repression in Cuba campaign, a volunteer represents each of
the 75 imprisoned. An array of dynamic personalities from politicians to
artists, some former prisoners under the communist regime in
Czechoslovakia will one after the other spend an hour in the cell.
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Current AffairsPrague Fashion Week sashays into town
Prague Fashion Week is now underway. This annual event aims to raise the
profile of the Czech fashion industry and showcase talented designers, who
will be parading their work at various venues throughout the city.
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Talking PointNew "drunk tank" opens in Prague
The Czech media reported on Friday that a heavily drunk man had attacked
and injured the crew of an ambulance carrying him to a "drunk
tank" in the north of Prague. The incident happened just one day
after the newly refurbished facility was officially opened by the Mayor of
Prague Pavel Bem.
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Letter from PragueGolden Lane a gold mine for Castle administrators
If you have been to Prague you will surely know Zlata ulicka or Golden
Lane, a narrow street of tiny, colourfully painted cottages in the
Hradcany district. The lane dates back to the late 16th century when the
cottages, built into the castle's fortifications, housed Rudolf II's
marksmen. Some people would have you believe the name Golden Lane comes
from the fact alchemists once lived there; others will tell you that - in
the days before plumbing - the only thing that was "golden" was
the urine flowing down the lane's gullies. The tiny cottages are now all
souvenir shops, but it wasn't so long ago - up to 1951 to be precise -
that people still lived there.
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