Topic Archive Society
Vlaada Chvátil – Designer of Through the Ages and Mage Knight
When it comes to game designers you would be hard-pressed to find one more
successful in recent years than the Czech Republic’s Vlaada Chvátil. Six
years ago, the Brno-based designer made his mark with a civ-building board
game called Through the Ages and since he has produced a slew of successes
including titles like Space Alert (where players have to cooperate aboard a
space vessel in trouble) and his newest game (released by the US company
Wizkids) called Mage Knight. It’s a niche hobby but within it the
designer has earned international recognition and success.
More
Mailbox
In this edition we read from your letters of condolence on the death in
December of the former president Václav Havel; we quote from your answers
to December's mystery Czech quiz question; and we announce a brand new
question for January. Listeners/readers quoted:Mary Lou Krenek, Allan
Loudell, Jana Zimmer, Lynda-Marie Hauptmann, Andy Martynyuk, Madeleine
Blum, Bibi Z. Shah, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak, Caitlin Brown, Colin Law, Charles
Konecny, Jonathan Murphy, Hans Verner Lollike. More
Panorama
Panorama : thousands of people undertake a traditional New Year’s
pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Virgin Mary in Hostýn, over a dozen
enthusiasts strap on wooden skis to mark the centenary of the first
downhill ski race in Central Europe and -home is where the heart is – a
stray dog keeps returning to the dog shelter where a vet saved his life. More
New legislation to enhance protection of animals against abuse
The Czech government has approved new legislation that will enhance the
protection of animals against cruelty. The draft bill, which introduces a
series of EU-wide measures fighting animal abuse, brings new rules for
animal slaughter and for laboratory tests. It will also allow the police to
fight animal abuse more efficiently. More
Growing fears over faulty French breast implants
Czech health institutions say they are getting dozens of concerned calls
from women with silicone breast implants who fear they may be at health
risk in connection with the scandal surrounding faulty French implants
exported to 65 countries worldwide. It has been confirmed that around 2,000
of the risky industrial-grade silicone implants were delivered to Czech
clinics between 2007 and 2010 when the scandal surfaced. Some clients are
already demanding repeat surgery whether or not their doctors advise it. More
Parents of “wolf children” on trial at Prague city court for child neglect
The mother and father of two boys, dubbed “wolf children” by the Czech
media, are currently on trial at a Prague city court. In a shocking and
unusual case of child abuse, the parents never let their sons out of the
apartment, did not dress them and fed them only liquid food. They deny
charges of abuse and say they simply wanted to raise their children in an
alternative way. More
Hundreds gather to drop Václav Havel’s funeral flowers into Elbe River in silent tribute to late ex-president
The many flowers and wreaths that people placed around the coffin of former
Czech president Václav Havel took center stage at a silent farewell to the
national hero. After travelling downriver for three days, the flowers were
greeted by hundreds of people gathered at the Elbe River’s bank in
Děčín and dropped into the river. The unusual tribute was organized by
former human rights minister Michael Kocáb, a friend of the late
president. More
Czechs held in Zambia return home
Three Czechs who were detained and charged with espionage in Zambia have
returned home. They showed up unexpectedly at their doorsteps at the end of
the year and have refused to disclose any information regarding the nature
of their escape. The Czech Foreign Ministry which made an all out effort to
secure their release through regular diplomatic channels has put an
information embargo on the case. More
President calls on Czechs to keep calm and support austerity measures in face of European debt crisis
President Václav Klaus’s traditional New Year’s address reflected key
political events of the year, among them the death of his predecessor,
Václav Havel. Moreover, Mr. Klaus warned of both false optimism and fear
mongering in face of a possible recession in the eurozone. The Czech
president said it was crucial to support additional cuts in government
spending and emphasized that this was a time for the nation to tighten its
belt. More
Vít Klepárník of new think tank CESTA: left should no longer be a dirty word
A group of Czech intellectuals including political analyst Jiří Pehe,
sociologists Jan Keller and Tereza Stöckelová, and others, felt that ever
since the fall of communism, political discourse in the country has been
dominated by a right-wing agenda, articulated by a number of liberal and
conservative institutes. To provide alternatives and to oppose these views
from a left-wing wing perspective, these intellectuals established in
January a new political think-tank called Cesta, or Path. In this edition
of One on One, RP spoke to one of Cesta’s founders, political analyst
Vít Klepárník. More
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