Brain parasite influences human behavior, Czech scientist says Rats are perceptive little devils, switched on to any change in their environment, be it a dropped piece of cheese or the patter of a tabby cat. But, according to recent research, cats may have an unexpected ally in this eternal battle of Tom and Jerry: the… Keep Reading
The political assassination of journalist Anna Politkovskaya reveals Russia’s true state of affairs 0n Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, Russian journalist and mother of two children Anna Politkovskaya was shot four times in the elevator of her building in Moscow in a political assassination. She had been planning to release a story the next day in… Keep Reading
Russian President Vladimir Putin came and left; we could easily say that his visit offered nothing significant but it is worth considering the words spoken during his stay that tell us there are things to remember, Jan Ryb writes in Mlad fronta Dnes March 3. The documents signed were unimportant and hardly anything significant was… Keep Reading
Law professor Bill Cohn on the irony of American gulags in the former Soviet bloc Those so deft at issuing U.S. government denials have not denied reports that the U.S. is operating secret prisons in Central Europe. The Czech governmıent has denied holding U.S. prisoners in “black sites” but The Washington Post has reported that… Keep Reading
Collective guilt ignores historical responsibility The postwar mistreatment and expulsion of German speakers from Czechoslovakia remains a European issue, one of the key factors for future co-existence of the nations of Central Europe. It remains of utmost importance that we never forget the terrors of war and ethnic cleansing that led to indescribable suffering by… Keep Reading
Everything Is Illuminated distorts history by omitting crucial facts, including an important link to the Czech Republic As the recent controversy about The Passion of the Christ and the election of a movie star as governor of California show, movies are not only entertainment but also sources of negative and positive stereotypes. An upcoming Hollywood… Keep Reading
The 1968 reform movement never denounced communism, so were freedom and democracy ever really on the table? By Jan Richter On the morning of Aug. 21, 1968, Mr. William Teltscher realized that his trip to Czechoslovakia had ended before it really started. Being a descendant of a traditional wine-trading Jewish family from Mikulov, south Moravia,… Keep Reading
If the EU-15 and recent accession countries are to prosper, an extreme reformulation of policy in core countries is required Now that the champagne corks have popped and the fireworks displays have fizzled, it’s time to reflect soberly on some of the economic problems posed by a 25-member European Union. I have just returned from… Keep Reading
Czech pathologist in Iowa becomes a friend in dire need “What will decide Alan’s diagnosis and therapy,” Lubomir Turek wrote my wife from Iowa when I was between hospitals and biopsies here, “is whether the nodules in his liver could be inflammation (abscesses treatable by antibiotics) or are a tumor. Although liver abscesses that would… Keep Reading
High rate of smoking, diet rich in fatty meats blamed for lung, colorectal diseases The League Against Cancer Praha has its work cut out for it. The league has been working since 1990 to support cancer research, assist patients and increase the public’s understanding of the disease and how to prevent it. On the group’s… Keep Reading
