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Czechs and Slovaks don’t prepare turkey the same way as it is typically done in the United States, but that does not mean that they don’t cook turkey at all. One of the interesting facts is that most kitchen appliances in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are not large enough to prepare large turkeys, as it is practiced in the United States. Most grocery stores in Europe also sell turkey breasts only, since they are the most favorite. Even the turkey breasts can be stuffed and maybe this recipe could remind you the traditional Thanksgiving Day meal.

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On Saturday, November 22^nd, Vaclav Havel was written into the history of Slovakia. That day the Slovak National Theater presented his new play Odchazeni (Leaving). Havel’s last plays were introduced in Slovakia more than 40 years ago. The theater also could have been the first place in the world to introduce this play, but ultimately it was premiered in Prague first. Havel’s play was also unique in a way since the author started writing it before the Velvet Revolution in 1989, but completing it just last year (2007). Odchazeni was not only interesting for its creative development throughout Havel’s life, its own story with a political focus, but also the circumstances under which it was presented to the public.

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Many of you living in the United States probably know that Macy’s is celebrating 150 years in business. However, how many of you know that the Czech Parliamentary Library (CPL) I celebrating the same anniversary just today? Its oldest document is dated to November 24, 1858. The CPL is located at the premises of the Czech Parliament Chamber and is the oldest administrative center of the House of Czech Parliament. Its electronic version also lets you to see documents from any part of the world in the form of text, images and also sounds. If you are interested in the history and political data of Czechoslovakia, it is worth your visit.

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The New Year is approaching and you may notice that all grocery stores are filled with different goodies and alcoholic beverages to help us say farewell to the 2008 year and to welcome the arrival of the new year of 2009. If you live in New York you can buy a new brand of vodka that is manufactured in Slovakia. This Vodka has won two prizes: for its appearance, but also for its unique flavor. The vodka is called Double Cross Luxury Vodka and it is the only Slovak vodka that has entered the United States markets.

 
When the American entrepreneurs were looking for a producer of this vodka they intended to find somebody in Eastern Europe. They looked in Poland and the Czech Republic, but they chose the Slovak Republic. Here they met Dr. Jan Krak, who was a master of distillation. They decided to collaborate with him on the proposal for a new product, which was to be sold around the world.

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You have probably heard many times that Slavic girls are the most beautiful. The same is being said in the United States as well. Czech model Karolina Kurkova was just named the sexiest woman in the world. Are the Czech models something unique then? We guess so, because the Czech Republic, a country with only 10 million residents, is represented surprisingly by many Czech successful models in the world.

Only a few hours ago Karolina Kurkova was elected as the world’s sexiest woman, a result of a of the U.S. television station E! Entertainment. Twenty-four years old Kurkova comes from Decin, but works as a model for the Victoria’s Secret brand in the United States. Kurkova is said to be one of the highest paid models in the industry according to Forbes. One of the interesting parts of her appearing in underwear is her mysterious bellybutton, which many people comment on due to the near absence of a navel due to a childhood surgery. She even outran Israeli model Bar Rafael and American actress Angelina Jolie. The full list of most sexy women is at the end of the article.

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Last night, again just a coincidence, we discovered another American film shot in the Czech Republic - called The Illusionist. Immediately after the first minutes of the film, we found the places, where the story took place, very familiar. On the basis of a scenario, the story took place in Vienna; however, the whole movie was shot in Prague, Tabor, Česky Krumlov and other Czech places. Would you like to see how the places, where the film was filmed, look today? You can, of course, visit the Czech Republic or look at the following photos.

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Many of you may already know that the Czech Republic is overcrowded by tourists. Our visit to Prague last Christmas definitely confirmed this. All squares and main streets were congested by tourists from around the world. During this year, the number of tourists increased further, but according to Czech statistical offices, the number of nights spent in Czech hotels has decreased, as well as interest in Czech hotels. Could it be due to a bad economic situation in the world?

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Here we have the first feedback from the celebration of the 19th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in California. Czechs and Slovaks met in San Diego on the beach to a pleasant evening full of music (including guitars and a banjo), food, drinks and interesting conversations. Comfortable weather in California did not call for warm clothing and a large bonfire only added to a pleasant environment. People roasted almost everything: bread, bagels, bacon, American and Polish sausages and more. There was more than enough wood, thus, even children had their own fire for their entertainment.

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Today we celebrate 19 years since the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. Many times we have mentioned the name “Sametova revoluce - Velvet Revolution.” In Slovakia it is known as the Nezna revoluce - Soft revolution” and the name is probably a better explanation of this revolution, which was peaceful, thus, it was not necessary to use armed forces. Maybe you wonder how the citizens of the Czech Republic and Slovakia celebrated this day, the 17^th of November. Many citizens celebrated this day with pleasure and enjoyment, but unfortunately, celebrations in both countries did not go without protests as well.

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D1 in the 1960s (D1 v 60tych letech)

70 years ago, Karel Chmel, then-employee of Velitelstvi stavby dalkovych silnic (VSDS) “headquarters of building long-distance roads”, invented the word “dalnice” (motorway). He did so after the invitation of the master of VSDS Vaclava Nosek. Motorway plans had already started in 1935. One of the problems was to find a suitable route. Bata’s route from Cheb to the Velky Bockov won in 1938, but the plans were changed during World War II, when Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany. The Czech motorways of today don’t resemble the initial plans, but they are growing in all directions thanks to funding from the EU.
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Czech Prime Minister Miroslav Topolanek and Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra presented the new logo yesterday, which the Czech Republic will use during their term of Presidency for the European Union. The colorful logo represents the diversity and openness and also the web portal of the Czech presidency of the EU and will be available to the public on the 1st of December 2008 and fully from the new year.

The author of this logo is a graphic designer Tomas Pakosta from Litomysl. The logo was honored as a “smart design” symbolizing a country of intelligent and smart people. The logo competition began in July 2007 and a total of 350 designs were entered into this contest. The winning design, however, stood out of all of them.
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Public research in the Czech Republic showed that most Czechs do not agree with the American radar base. Many politicians are also upset and are against it. The U.S. financial support is still sent to the Czech Republic for research. Will the U.S. radar base be built then? We have to wait another couple of months.

Roughly two thirds of Czechs are against the U.S. base. Many of them also hope that the future American president Obama will revoke it. Some politicians plan to meet with him in person to talk about the base. The Czech parliament is going to vote on the Czech-American radar treaty in December, but the U.S. government plans to send $600,000 to Czech universities and research institutes in the Czech Republic for research related to anti-radar technologies.

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