Magazine Magazine

Along with the rest of Europe the Czech Republic is experiencing a very long winter indeed, with the heaviest snowfall in over 40 years. Winter sports enthusiasts are having the time of their lives and although many people can't wait to see the first real spring day there's no reason not to make the most of it while the snow lasts. People have started decorating their gardens and yards with snow sculptures many of which make the evening news. Apart from the obvious igloos, castles and yetis, the snow artists are producing animals, snow queens, cars and - surprise, surprise - a huge bottle of Pilsner beer. The seven metre tall bottle is as tall as the house behind it and cars slow down for a better look at it as they go past.

Photo: TV Prima

A 14th century manuscript that Czechs regard as part of their national heritage is to go on sale at a Paris auction this month after the Czech Republic failed to get it withdrawn. The work is a fragment of a Latin translation, previously unknown, of Dalimil's Chronicle, the oldest known verse written in the Czech language. It was written in around 1314, at the beginning of the reign of the Bohemian king Jan Lucembursky / John of Luxembourg, 1296 -1346/ . The Latin translation, consisting of 24 pages of parchment was owned by a French family who had forgotten about the medieval treasure tucked away in a drawer, according to a Parisian dealer in rare books quoted in the Czech press. According to Vlastimil Jezek, director of the National Library of Prague, the work about Bohemia is the most valuable to come on the market in the past 80 years. The library intends to take part in the bidding. The catalogue price for the manuscript is between 120 and 150,000 euros and the sale is to take place on March 17th at the Paris auction house Drouot.

Photo: www.klementinum.czPhoto: www.klementinum.czPhoto: www.klementinum.cz

Photo: TV Prima When you decide to quit smoking you need to make sure you are properly motivated to stick to that decision. A young man from the town of Klatovy placed a bet with friends at the pub that he would not light another cigarette after smoking his last one in front of them. But the urge to light up was too strong and so after only a few weeks he was forced to pay the fine - running across Klatovy's main Square stark naked. In sub degree temperatures it was quite an achievement and he was cheered on by a crowd of amused onlookers.

The police recently had trouble with a drunk found rolling out in the snow. Two officers had a hard time getting him to the local drunk tank where he suddenly went berserk and bit one of the employees who was trying to strap him to the bed. It was only in the morning that the officers found out who the aggressive drunk was - a teacher of the prestigious Police Academy. The man faces charges of assault and will lose his job.

Money machine for the blind, photo: CTK The Czech insurance company Ceska Sporitelna has installed the very first money machine for the blind in Prague's Jungmannova street. The machine is equipped with earphones and the client is given step by step directions working with a special keyboard for the blind. Up until now blind people were unable to operate money machines without the help of a sighted person. Ceska Sporitelna has promised to put into operation seven other money machines for the blind in other major towns and cities. All of the machines will be located so as to be under 24 hour surveillance in order to prevent blind people from being robbed as soon as they get their cash.

Czech school kids are having a harder time trying to hide any transgressions from their parents. In the days of classical report cards / a little booklet where teachers entered marks received on any day of the school week or wrote complaints of the type "your child is disruptive in class" / many a child would forget to get it signed, lose it or simply sign it in their parents' place - anything to avoid a row at home. Now many Czech schools use mobile phones and e-mails to send messages directly to parents. And although the old report cards are still used, many teachers now put up grades received in the course of every week on the Internet as well. Parents can thus keep a sharp eye on their child's grades. However kids are kids and it will not take them long to discover the loopholes in these communication channels either. Especially when all it takes for a few days absence is to send your teacher a mail from your mum's mobile. One kid recently found that this has its downside as well. After successfully sending the message to say he was sick he went off to play football. Much to his mother's surprise, within two hours she received a copy of the subjects covered that day by e-mail, so that her son would not fall behind in his work.

Phoot: www.skoda-auto.cz The carmaker Skoda presented a brand new model at the car show in Geneva this month. Although the bright blue off road model Yetti raised plenty of interest it will not actually go into production. Skoda, which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, says the Yetti is merely meant to show the direction which auto maker intends to follow in the coming years. Those who were charmed by it can look forward to the Roomster - a new Skoda model due to come on the market next year - which is said to be something of a cross between a minivan and off-road, ideal for town use.

Puppeteers from the town of Liberec are planning to stage a puppet play based on a true story - the burning down of the National Theatre in 1881. When the theatre burnt down and the Czech public collected money to build it up again the town of Liberec apparently refused to join in, allegedly because most of the inhabitants were German. The Liberec puppeteers say they want to repay their debt by staging a play about the devastating fire on the stage of the National Theatre itself. The theatre management has agreed to host a number of performances and has only one condition: that the puppeteers strictly adhere to all the safety regulations and do not set the building alight.