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Anyone who has tried Czech food knows that it consists of lots of sauces, dumplings, sausages, potatoes and more. The list of Czech dishes is long and not very healthy but this does not stop anybody from eating it. Czech food is not actually very original and you can find similar ingredients or whole menus in other European countries.

The Czech cuisine was influenced by countries that dominated the country throughout its history. Germans brought to the country sauerkraut, dumplings or roasted goose, Hungarians introduced goulash, and Austrians inspired Czechs to incorporate schnitzels in their diet.

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Clanek v CESTINE dole.

On September 4^th, our Czech Ambassador in Washington, D.C. Petr Kolar, held a ceremony at which Dagmar White, daughter of General Antonin Hasal (1893 - 1960), donated her father’s WWII uniform to the permanent collection of the Military History Institute in Prague. This generous gift showed how much this family is still connected to the Czech Republic, Antonin Hasal’s home country.

General Hasal was born in 1893 in the Austro-Hungarian town Nova Hut pod Nizborem. During World War I, he was called to serve in the Austro-Hungarian Army but he decided to volunteer for the Czechoslovak legion in Russia. He returned to Czechoslovakia as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1920 and later he became Lieutenant General.

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Pro informace v CESTINE, kontaktujte CzechFolks (e-mail nebo komentar dole).

09/18/2008 and 09/19/2008 – Minnesota: Dozinky – Czech Harvest Festival

Time: 10 AM – 5 PM

Location: New Prague, Minnesota

More information HERE

09/18/2008 – New York: Czech New (Y) Dance!

Time: 7 PM

Location: Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73^rd Street, New York City

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As stated by the Washington Post, Brno will be a new center of biotechnology industry in the near future. The Czech Republic is attempting to compete with long-established biotech hubs in California and Asia. As Roman Onderka, Brno’s mayor, said, “Brno will connect industry, education and infrastructure to create a suitable environment for biotechnology companies.”

So far, there are 60 biotechnology companies in the Czech Republic located near Prague and Brno. Brno is the country’s second biggest city and it is currently partnering with Mayo Clinic, a research center for treating rare medical cases. The chief macroeconomic strategist at CSOB bank, Tomas Sedlacek, stated that this city will probably play a strong role in medicine and research and it may become the “hospital of Europe.”

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Anna K is one of the recent shining stars of the Czech popular music. She was born in 1966 (4^th of January) in Spindleruv Mlyn and her real name was Lucianna Krecarova. Her first appearance in public was when she was just eight years old in a play Kytice. Her first alum called Ja Nezapominam (1993) was not very successful but she still sold over 20,000 copies. Her second album, Amulet (1995), was created together with P.B.CH (Wanastowi Vjecy) and Oskar Petr but it was still not a hit. Finally, her third album, called Nebe (1999), was nominated for three Grammies. Since then she won many Grammy awards, such as:

• - Singer of the Year (twice)
• - Album of the Year
• - Song of the Year
• - Video of the Year
• - Album Cover of the Year (twice)

For more information about Anna K on her webpage (click on “Hudba”), myspace or youtube.

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Some of the things that every Czech person living in America misses are the bread and mustard from the home country. The standard bread in the US leaves something to be desired and there just doesn’t seem to be any mustard quite like the “Kremska Horcice.” I have been in search of something even remotely similar to these Czech products but am always disappointed. I finally discovered two products that are remarkably close. Panera Bread (http://www.panerabread.com) sells bread called Stone-Milled Rye that is unbelievably like Czech bread. The only problem is that most places only bake three loafs per night so call ahead or go early if you want to get some. Mustard was more of a challenge and after buying at least 25 different types of mustards over the last 10 years I have finally found a product by Emeril called “Kicked Up Horseradish” mustard. I have some Kremska Horcice at home still from my last visit to Czech so I was able to compare them. I have to say that this is the closest I have found (but a little more sour) and I think you will not be disappointed. This mustard is sold in most grocery stores. Enjoy!

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Clanek v CESTINE dole.

The current list of Czech and Slovak Meetup can be found HERE (Aktualni seznam Ceskych a Slovenskych Meetupu ZDE).

There are many ways to network with other Czechs and Slovaks but one of the most popular is through the web. One of the resources you can use is Meetup (www.meetup.com). This online social networking portal connects people around the world that share the same interests. It allows members to find and join different groups (language, computer games, movies, books, politics, health, pets, or careers). So why won’t you try it too? Czech/Slovak Meetups welcome anybody - Czechs, Slovaks, Czech/Slovak-Americans, or even Americans! Join to learn more about Czech and Slovak culture, language, food, traditions and much more.

Here is the most recent list of Czech and Slovak Meetups as of September 2008 (scroll below):

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When I used to live in the communist Czechoslovakia, I did not have a chance to learn English. I had no other choice than to learn Russian and German. I started to learn English a few years after the Velvet Revolution and most of it was self-taught. Today, Czech citizens are surrounded by American movies and English courses that will keep them connected with the rest of the world.

Many of Czech baby boomers from the 1980’s don’t speak English because their former comrades did not allow them to learn this international language in their teens but their options to learn are growing. Nowadays, children learn to speak English already in kindergarten and adults are catching up in evening courses.

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The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions reports that most of new members of EU, including Czech Republic, work much longer for less vacation.

Based on the report, Bulgarian, Romanian and Czech workers spend at work over 40 hours a week, while average working hours in France, Italy and Denmark are less than 40 per week. Unfortunately, paid holidays don’t reflect the overtime in countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia and Romania. Their average paid time off is about 21.9 days per year. Conversely, Sweden workers get 33 days of vacation per year, Norway 26.7 days, and Greece 23 days, increasing the EU average of 25.2 days per year.

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As you know the US stock market is not doing very well nowadays, but the situation is very similar in the Czech Republic. Today, the shares on the Prague Stock Exchange (BCPP) fell to the lowest closing level since mid-July 2006. Just in one day, the PX index lost 4.92 percent and in one year 24.78 percent. The reasons for this decline are loses on advanced foreign stock markets and falling prices of commodities. Many foreign funds and banks are selling their assets. Moreover, new investors are not interested in putting their money in real estate market and commodities. The Czech Republic is now involved in global market, thus, its economy will be likely affected to a similar extent that is visible in the United States.

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Are you looking for the most recent list of Czech Embassies? Here is a complete summary of 20 locations in the U.S.A. but also in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. The complete list includes locations, contacts, and hours of operations.

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Hledate nejnovejsi seznam Ceskych ambasad? Zde najdete kompletni souhrn 20-ti oblasti v U.S.A., ale take ve Velke Britanii, Kanade, Australii, Novem Zelande a Irsku. Tento kompletni seznam obsahuje adresy, kontakty a uredni hodiny.

Clanek v CESTINE dole.

Almost every day on the Czech calendar has a person’s name. It is a person’s special name day and is usually held together with family and friends. Basically everybody has two chances a year to celebrate - their name day and birthday. Name day is usually of less importance than birthday but sometimes it is celebrated in a larger number since everybody, even co-workers, can look up all names in a calendar.

The original list of names was from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints. For example, Saint Michael’s feast was held on September 29^th; thus, this day was later dedicated to all Michals. Nowadays, Czechs are experimenting with more exotic names that are not in the calendar but the czech name days are still very popular.

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