http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'Society' - social issues en Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/article/148132 The Czech media landscape is changing beyond recognition, as anyone who used to listen to Radio Prague on shortwave knows only too well. So how is the Czech Republic keeping pace with the digital revolution? And what are the new dangers that go with the social media, citizen journalism and all the other innovations that are transforming the work of the traditional journalist? For the last three months David Vaughan has been teaching broadcasting history to students at Prague’s Anglo-American University. As part of the course he asked his students to map some of the latest shifts in the Czech digital media landscape. The following programme is the result of their investigation. Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:ff354722-d1ea-5d4c-89c4-5c9a52717974 http://radio.cz/en/article/148148 In Magazine this month: a drunk driver caught by police puts his dog in the driver’s seat. The famous Paris wax museum Musée Grevin is to open to the public in Prague and a Czech engineering and development company promises to unveil an electric powered flying bike in the autumn. Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:423a92c0-601d-5aaf-a9dd-f1ac727155eb http://radio.cz/en/article/148152 A former public transport worker – found guilty of defacing public property – was released from prison on Thursday, 67 days short of his 100-day sentence. The justice minister had filed a complaint in the man’s favour in the hope that the court would determine once and for all whether defacing a campaign poster constitutes a crime or just a misdemeanour. His release may only be temporary, pending the decision. Fri, 25 May 2012 15:36:17 +0200 urn:uuid:b00d10c3-cc23-5e59-91ff-eaa913524906 http://radio.cz/en/article/148117 Police in the South Moravian town of Břeclav have called off an investigation into three Roma who allegedly beat up a 15-year-old boy, in an incident that raised racial tensions around the country. The boy has confessed that the attack never took place, he injured himself in a fall, and the mass demonstrations that followed now look like just another sign of widespread prejudice against the Roma minority. Thu, 24 May 2012 15:43:06 +0200 urn:uuid:e5b86467-fc88-5cd5-9bdf-368ca6646f7d http://radio.cz/en/article/148118 On Friday, the magnificent Prague Castle gardens will open to host the annual Prague Food Festival – a three-day celebration of fine dining and healthy eating. Foodies from Prague and elsewhere will converge at the venue to sample the delicacies prepared by three dozen classy restaurants and enjoy the festival’s varied accompanying programme. Thu, 24 May 2012 15:43:06 +0200 urn:uuid:2366832b-86ad-5d59-b2ea-77b9730ae858 http://radio.cz/en/article/147982 In the past 20 years, Prague has attracted a number of foreign professionals, and many of them settle here permanently. With the Czech capital growing more international, relationships between locals and foreigners have also become more common. In this edition of Czech Life, we speak to some of those intercultural couples about their experiences and their everyday relationship life. Sat, 19 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:6049b51c-5843-595a-a924-8de84047340d http://radio.cz/en/article/147946 This month saw the launching of a new EU-funded child-care project aimed at helping families with young children juggle work and family. In view of the lack of day nurseries and kindergartens around the country the Brno Centre for Family Planning and Child Care has launched a “rent-a-granny” scheme along the lines of the Oma Dienst project successfully implemented in neighbouring Austria. Thu, 17 May 2012 16:13:42 +0200 urn:uuid:0bc3a13c-4874-55be-b357-ed19940c9641 http://radio.cz/en/article/147858 The Czech government has announced its decision to dump a costly electronic health records project launched ten years ago. The project which was to facilitate communication between doctors regarding treatment of individual patients failed to get off the ground properly and was frequently criticized for lack of transparency. Mon, 14 May 2012 15:42:46 +0200 urn:uuid:0a525a0d-708a-50a5-ba8d-9c130b4ee92c http://radio.cz/en/article/147809 A 37-year-old Czech woman has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering her four children. The Regional Court in Hradec Králové, in eastern Bohemia, on Friday rejected the woman’s claim she suffered from memory loss, and convicted her of the murders. She became the fourth woman to receive a life sentence since the fall of communism in the country. But the woman collapsed during the reading of the verdict and the court will now decide whether the defendant will be brought to court again. Fri, 11 May 2012 15:56:40 +0200 urn:uuid:dd63b6ae-5d39-5804-8837-a0f225394127 http://radio.cz/en/article/147769 Over the last 20 years Czechs have embraced consumer culture in a big way, with a great number of shopping centres, both city centre and out-of-town, now dotted around the country. To discuss how the experience of shopping has been transformed – and how range and price now compare to other countries – I met up with former Elle editor Jana Cíglerová at Prague’s Palladium shopping centre, a short walk from Wenceslas Square. Thu, 10 May 2012 15:38:52 +0200 urn:uuid:fd7c6018-8bb0-5b12-b7ed-bb24b3d846af http://radio.cz/en/article/147760 Organisers in the Czech Republic have launched a project similar to Great Britain’s Jolly Riders Foundation, whereby anyone can donate an old bicycle to a child in Africa. Although in operation only briefly, Kola pro Afriku (Bikes for Africa) has already taken off and is attracting broad interest. Thu, 10 May 2012 15:35:26 +0200 urn:uuid:1d425b8b-4dc4-511c-804f-5bac5f006de2 http://radio.cz/en/article/147700 The Botanicus chain of stores offering herbal soaps, extracts and delicacies is a Czech, and growing international, success story. Most tourists will have probably bought something from one of their outlets in the country. The small business was founded in the early 1990’s after the restitution of a family farm around 40 kilometres north-east of Prague. That has become the centre for the business and a tourist attraction with more than 50,000 visitors a year. One of the firm’s co-founders Dana Hradecká explained the roots of the original inspiration for the business. Mon, 07 May 2012 16:30:57 +0200 urn:uuid:ace71874-500e-59ec-b7bd-8b2bb8332d5b http://radio.cz/en/article/147595 Today in Mailbox: The Czech composer Julius Fučík, the answer to our April competition question, a new quiz question for May. Listeners/readers quoted: Karl Strauss, Paul R Peacock, Li Ming, Charles Konecny, Mary Lou Krenek, Colin Law. Sat, 05 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:af11c31c-b0b6-5897-81f7-5a95ce11e52a http://radio.cz/en/article/147653 In the Czech Republic, where the state controlled everything under Communism, volunteering does not enjoy a long tradition. But some 20 years after the demise of the former regime, more and more young volunteers are actively changing the face of their country. One of them is Petra Milsimerová, who runs a project called Little Clown. Sat, 05 May 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:bce3c938-fece-5e1d-9046-64a2306e6b7f http://radio.cz/en/article/147610 The news agency Bloomberg has given the Czech Republic the inglorious distinction of first place on its Global Vice Index – a combined list of alcohol, drug, cigarette and gambling prevalence in 57 countries. While Czech primacy in beer consumption may be incontestable, the index also cited the country as 12th in the world in gambling, 5th in cigarette smoking and 2nd on the planet in drug use. What’s more, the amalgamated information from the World Health Organisation, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and others, gave the Czech Republic a damning six point lead on the second most depraved country, Slovenia. Humbug, say public health workers, among them Dr. Tomáš Zábranský from the Centre of Addictology. Thu, 03 May 2012 16:35:14 +0200 urn:uuid:e212616b-8067-50b5-a0c3-039f318cbe3d http://radio.cz/en/article/147598 Prague’s Old Town Square may be famous for its grandeur and architectural beauty, but it is, in fact, a shadow of its former self. A great chunk of the Old Town Hall building was decimated by the Nazis at the end of the war, and has never been rebuilt. To this day, a rather bare park stands where most of the building once did. And across from the famous Jan Hus sculpture used to be a towering Marian column, built in 1650 and felled in 1918, by Czechs who felt it symbolized the country’s Habsburg past. Thu, 03 May 2012 14:38:35 +0200 urn:uuid:e3fa0cfa-bd01-5238-9f9f-d15eba0bcc52 http://radio.cz/en/article/147534 Stephan Delbos is a Prague-based poet. Five years ago, he moved to Prague, where he edits the Prague Review, teaches literary writing at Charles University, works as a business reporter at the English language newspaper The Prague Post and occasionally hosts the Alchemy poetry reading series at the Globe café. I talked to Mr. Delbos about the English language poetry scene here in Prague and what initially drew him to the city. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:21:10 +0200 urn:uuid:1e529293-e78b-5195-abde-8218b095ce60 http://radio.cz/en/article/147487 In this edition of Magazine: a security guard hand-cuffs himself by accident; a man is arrested after failing to notice that his passport contains an inconceivable expiry date and Brno tests a pissoir for dogs. Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:01:00 +0200 urn:uuid:ea85bac4-faec-5fb7-8e7f-c89cadedcca4 http://radio.cz/en/article/147442 Half-way through the government’s term in office Czechs are so fed up with political infighting and corruption scandals that 80 percent of them now support early elections. For this week’s Panorama I spoke to Jan Hartl head of the STEM polling agency about the mood of the public, what people think of Czech politicians and whether the developments of the past few months have robbed them of any illusions they may have had regarding politics. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:08:14 +0200 urn:uuid:d40f77f5-24bc-51e8-8840-21dccc6f2387 http://radio.cz/en/article/147440 The University of California, Berkeley is one of 11 American universities where students can study Czech language, literature and culture. Small but dedicated groups of students grapple with the challenges of Czech grammar and pronunciation in up to three classes per week. Despite budget cuts throughout all departments of public universities in California, Czech, a niche central European language, still has its place at the Department of Slavic Languages and maintains enthusiasm amongst those eager to learn it. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:31:44 +0200 urn:uuid:786f855b-d481-5618-9e74-40317ba4f589