Journalism in English

Spinning Life

2009-03-10T11:45:00.003+01:00

By Eva-Maria Wall

As an exchange student, and lacking in Czech language skills, my choice was limited to interesting people who at least can speak some English. I already knew Pieter van de Vijver, because I used to wash my clothes there every second week. The fact he was also an exchange student, who had decided to stay here, interested me a lot. I wanted to find out if it was more than “I like the city” that had convinced him to stay.
One night in September 2006 at the Pomaly Bar in Brno, two foreigners are having some beers, joking around and imagining their future. Their ideas are not pomaly – in Czech, meaning slowly – but speedily erupting out of their mouths. Their excitement is perceptible.
Stimulated by these ideas, Dutchman Pieter van de Vijver awakes that night at 4 a.m. and saves his revelation on one sheet of paper. First thing next morning, he calls his Swiss partner, Patrick Scherer, to tell him “I know how to do it!”
Van de Vijver`s productive “night-session” was the genesis of Clubwash, a multifunctional laundry in Brno where you can wash, drink, socialize, watch theatre performances or movies or host your own party. “I didn’t know if it was the right thing, and if Patrick was the right person to start a business with, because I only knew him for one year and a half,” he says. “But what is a life without challenges?”
Van de Vijver, 29, is originally from Terneuzen in the southwestern Netherlands and is one of the two owners of Clubwash. He came to Brno in 2004 to work for his University in Utrecht at the Masaryk University for his IT Diploma, because he had a Czech girlfriend since 2002.
After one semester, he decided to leave behind his friends, his family and the beloved Dutch cheese, gouda, to finish his studies at Masaryk University. Then he started his own business.
“I already started at the age of 14 to organize an exam-party for my brother and I repeated it every year,” he recalls. “Two years later, I had 150 people coming to this event. I like to develop things, the freedom, and the possibility to go where I want to go and I`m always curious to learn new things.”
But running a business in a foreign country is neither easy, nor does it allow him much freedom. It does, however, enable him to realize his dreams. “Many young people have ideas, but nothing ever happens,” he says. “The greatest thing is to imagine something, and one day it’s there. Other people might describe it as, to turn your hobby into work.”
Another reason for wanting to start his own career was, that he started to suffer from repetitive strain injury (RSI) in his wrist and he knew it won`t be possible for him to work as a programmer for a company.
Seven months after their night in the bar, in April 2007, they received permission from the chamber of commerce to serve beer and offer laundry service. They had successfully negotiated the Czech bureaucracy with the help of a lawyer, renting and renovating an old, empty bakery. The only reminder of the bakery is a large weighing machine in the last of three rooms. Everything else emanates the vibe of a student hangout.
Van de Vijver is normally there every day; talking to and attending customers, planning further steps, creating flyers, repairing stuff or washing clothes.
But van de Vijver is more than a young entrepreneur. Besides managing Clubwash, he gives piano and drum lessons for free to two Roma boys, named Roman and Lukas. They were curious boys, who were checking out the new place. Van de Vijver used to play the acoustic guitar and they wanted to join.
“I used to work as a guard in an elderly home. For me helping and serving people or playing a concert for them is the same. It`s about satisfying them.” And with great certainty he adds, “We ended up here, in a Roma area, so why not care about it?”
In his opinion, the Roma issue is the biggest problem in the Czech society; mainly because of the segregated schools, the bad education. In his eyes, Czech people just tend to ignore them.
But also for him life is not as easy as it seems. Soon after the opening he broke up with his girlfriend and although their business in the last three months doubled up, he hasn`t earned back his investments. He knows that he has never worked so hard in his life and still there is no economical refund for it.
Van de Vijver as well had to change his lifestyle, which means he moved into a single-room apartment and spends as little money as possible, because “there is no money.” What keeps him going is his optimism. As he puts it, “I know I am doing the right thing. I simply feel it.”
Magda Grabczynska, who works for him, says that she has never seen him in a miserable mood and that everyone likes him. “He always has time to talk, which is not only important for business, but for life,” she says.
For the future, he would love to again take Czech classes at the university, which at the moment is financially not possible for him, but he also knows that “Running your own business is one big study and so I can also study for myself.”
All in all van de Vijver knows in a very professional and experienced way, where he wants to go and where his wind blows. “I always will try to go with flow and to be open for the future. If in five years I feel like starting a business in Spain, or if the music project with the Roma children would turn out to get more successful than the club, I want to be able to do it.”

All the World´s a Stage – and Pavel Gotthard Wants to Write the Script

2009-03-05T14:40:00.002+01:00

By Zuzana Botiková

Pavel Gotthard´s interest in scriptwriting is quite outstanding for a boy of his age. It inspires me, as I love theater and I am a great fan of fiction, either in novels or in the movies. I tried to find out, what is a boy trying to succeed in this field like.
In daycare, Pavel Gotthard would instruct his friends how to play astronauts. “I would command them to act and say the lines I thought to be appropriate.” Fifteen years later, Pavel Gotthard, now 21, still instructs people how to act, as he studies to become a scriptwriter and writes scripts in his free time. He is a young man, who, after graduating from a technical high school, decided to work with his imagination and built his future on it.
“I loved to write. Since childhood I wrote short stories. I would steel my father´s typewriter most of the time and pretend I was a writer. I truly enjoyed it.” The typewriter Gotthard used to steel was a heritage from his grandfather. Not that Gotthard´s father wouldn´t allow his son to write stories, but he thought the old typewriter was not a toy to play with.
Gotthard was only eight years old at that time and he loved to fancy his own fantasy worlds and characters. The easiest way to interact with these worlds was to write stories about them. These stories would usually be only one page long, and as Gotthard says: “not very readable.”
Today Gotthard is totally engaged in scriptwriting. Besides this being his main subject at the university, he writes scripts in his free time and sometimes even as a part-time job. He worked with the Czech Television production team on the project The Mystery of Tom Wizard. Now he waits for the Czech Television to produce a fairytale he wrote with one of his friends.
The scripts written in his free time are crucial to his big love, role-playing games, generally known under the abbreviation LARP. The abbreviation LARP stands for live action role-playing games.
Gotthard is a member of The Court of Moravia, which is a community that organizes LARP sessions for people of all age and occupancy. These people meet at some community center, get their new roles and act out their new characters. LARP can have various forms, although usually it is associated with great gatherings of people dressed up in costumes, who play big games in special exteriors.
Gotthard writes the scripts for those plays and together with his friends organizes events for a smaller number of people. They draw the themes for their interactive drama from various movies. Some of the themes, for instance, are gangsters from the 30´s, pirates, or polar expeditions. They produce the right atmosphere thanks to the dialogues and sometimes even some costumes. Their new game inspired by the French revolution takes place in a cellar.
Besides considering scriptwriting as a better source of income, Gotthard likes it more than writing novels. “To write a script is different than to write a novel, you don´t have to include so many descriptions of characters and places. It is far more dynamic and entertaining.”
However, when Gotthard was a teenager he still wrote short stories, which he published on a fantasy-oriented web page. These stories were read by his friends.
Actually, Martin Profant, his friend´s father and also a well known philosopher and a political adviser in the field of education, read some of them as well. According to his own words, he saw a writing potential in Gotthard, so he suggested Gotthard publish a book of his short stories, which, however, never happened. Gotthard explains this further: “I saw that the more I write the worse I think of my previous writings. Despite the number of my works, I never gathered the right amount of stories to be published.”
Profant did not want Gotthard to lose his interest in writing, so he recommended an art school. “I have no idea how could I get accepted, but surely the choice to go there was one of the best decisions in my life,” adds Gotthard.
Now he is studying scriptwriting for TV and radio at the Theatre faculty of Janáček Academy of music and performing arts in Brno. Without considering the fact that Gotthard ´s parents wanted to have a technical engineer out of their son, his choice of University may have seemed absolutely logical. As they often told him, “Man cannot make a living out of writing. It is very uncertain to get a job and it is not well paid at all.”
Gotthard did not have problems with following their instructions. At that time he was not clear on what he wanted to do. Therefore he attended a technical high school together with his older brother, studied to become a part of the building industry. “Now I see this qualification as a sort of insurance, if all my other dreams fail. I can always lay bricks,” he adds with a slight grin.
Martina Pelcová, a friend of Gotthard ´s, who has known him for five years, describes him as a romantic daydreamer. She says: “While the other boys at his age were rather pragmatic and technically oriented, he would walk with his head in the clouds.”
She used to play some role playing games with her friends. This actually contradicts Gotthard ´s theory of girls not being interested in these games, because they are not attracted to guys who love fantasy. Gotthard claims that: “These boys are weird, not-that-handsome-at-all outsiders, who talk about things girls, are not interested in.” She paints a picture of an ideal date by Gotthard, a date where the two people would sit together in the park and watch the stars. “His nickname is professor; I think he likes to philosophize a lot,” adds Pelcová.
“I think I can make a living out of writing. Even now, when I earn some money from the scripts written for TV, it is not a poor industry as my parents would earlier say,” Gotthard defends his future dream. His parents support every step that Gotthard makes, even though they still feel a bit uncertain about his future occupancy.
According to them, it is not as secure and exact an occupancy as the technical engineering could be. Gotthard responds: “One can succeed, if one does his work precisely. Even such a work that needs a big use of fantasy can be done with a great perfection and it can even become a routine.”
In the future, he thinks that he will work either in a movie or television production team. He still wants to continue with the scriptwriting for the LARP community, because people get more interested in these activities lately. What he really appreciates is their satisfaction after a good role play.

Producing art and entertainment for people is Gotthard ´s aim. Art that is not associated with the ostentatious life of controversial artists, but art that would be systematically done for a purpose and a living. “Everything can be used for a purpose, even your imagination.”

More Than Collecting Keys, A Developing Mind

2009-03-05T14:39:00.000+01:00

By Verónica de Castro Alonso

When I arrived to my dormitory in Brno, Czech Republic, I thought that the receptionists would speak in Czech or in English. However, I heard one of the receptionists speaking in other languages. I was very interested in him because, why a man who is 68 years old can speak so many languages?
A low “Hello”, or maybe nothing, is the greeting that a receptionist receives everyday. Practically, people seem not to look at them. Nevertheless, in Vinarska’s reception, one of the dormitories of Masaryk University in Brno, there is a special receptionist; in fact, he was one of Czechoslovakia’s furniture experts.
Arnošt Zahrádka’s life, nowadays, is very different. As he says, “Things can change very easily. When you are old you are not very useful for high positions; young people are well-prepared, they have more energy and a deeper knowledge about the high technology, so you have to look for another job with fewer responsibilities if you want or need to work.” In addition he told that he has to work because “my wife has a heart illness and the treatment is very costly so my pension is not enough for all the expenses. I like my job in the reception but I miss the investigation and the science. However, I have to adapt my life to the current conditions.”
Arnošt studied in Zvolen University. In 1961 he went to this small city in which is today is Slovakia. It was the only place where he could study Engineering in the former Czechoslovakia. He selected engineering because it was a degree where “I could do what I liked, to investigate.” He told that he loves looking for the reasons why things happen, “it is my own personality.”
After finishing the degree, in 1966, he started to work in Uprousínov; the biggest company in Czechoslovakia related to the furniture industry in that time and located in a village near Brno. It was not the first contact with this industry, because Arnošt made some courses related with that topic in the university. He worked like a technician in the chain of production and, after that; he worked in the export department. He said that he learnt a lot during the five years that he was working in Uprousínov because “I received a lot of experiences and practices.”
Then, in 1971, the research and development institute of the furniture industry – VVÚN –appeared in his life. He decided to move to Brno and to work in this institute because his job was going to be, practically, research (how to improve the machinery for making chairs, how to make a table in a cheaper way, etc.) “I felt very good in the institute,” he said “Basically, my job was looking for a solution for my tasks. For example, how could I stick effectively oak and pine wood? I did not know! So I had to make a very exhaustive job.”
But Arnošt can speak a lot of languages too, so he was very useful for the institute, because VVÚN had contact with other countries. Arnošt can speak Czech, but also German, because he studied it in the school and his grandmother was German; French, because his mother needed to speak in French in the bank; English and Russian, because he studied them in language academies. “I studied languages because, if you could speak different languages, it was easier to have a better job,” he said. Thanks to that, the institute gave him the opportunity to travel around Germany and Italy, the countries that had the better research institutes. He remarked that, during these trips, he got a deeper knowledge of the industry in other places.
But in 1980 his life changed. He knew that the company Politechna needed people to work in the development of countries like Cuba, so he started to study Spanish. He thought that it could be a very good experience in the personal and in the professional level. Finally he flew to Cuba, where he was working during four years in Las Tunas and in Batabanó, little towns 700 and 70 kilometers from La Habana respectively.
These four years were, for him, “the most exciting part of my life. I had to adapt myself to a new country and it was not easy to start a new life: you have to change your mind, your habits…but I discovered a new way to think and another culture.” Arnošt finished his contract in Cuba in 1984 and he said that he achieved his professional objectives there: to set a little factory for making furniture in each town; so he came back to Czechoslovakia.
In spite of the change, he explained that it was not very hard for him to start with his old life in the VVÚN again. In 1993 the institute was closed by the government. According to Arnošt, the explanation that the government gave to the institute’s workers was that they did not have a lot of money for support the institute. After that he was working in the external relations department in different companies associated with Spain and Belgium and related to the furniture industry. Finally, two years ago, he started to work in Vinarska’s reception.
The other receptionists do not want to speak about Arnošt because they said that they do not stay a lot of time together so they do not know him very well. Thus, they added that Arnošt does his job in the correct way. Flora Dietrich, Vinarska’s resident, said that “he looks to be a happy man. He really tries to have a good relationship with the students, he is always ready to help you and he tries to speak in your own language if he has any knowledge.”
“Maybe I cannot work in a big company, but I am happy because my brain is still working and I can walk by myself,” Arnošt said. “Vinarska could be very interesting if you speak with the students. I can practice different languages speaking with them and I learn a lot about how youth thinks nowadays. When I am surrounded by young people, I feel like one of them.”

At Music Concerts, The Man Behind the Scene

2009-03-05T14:37:00.002+01:00

By Tomáš Kaplan

I always want to know what it was like to own a bar or music club. I chose the Alterna Music Club because it´s my favorite in Brno. And I was really surprised how easy it was negotiate a meeting with the club manager.
People slowly go inside the hall, one by one. They order some drinks, pay and leave to take best seats near the small stage where instruments silently wait for their masters – musicians.
Rush of voices is mixing with quick steps of barmans and jangling of glass. After a few minutes lazy evening is changing to busy night and club is full of people. It is almost 8 p.m. and space is going dark, audience stops talking. On the bar desk one barman lights on the candles and on the stage come the members of the band.
At the end of bar sits a guy who observes everything carefully. First tones of music fill the place, and he tunes in and out. His name is Libor Dostál, who has now managed his Alterna Music Club through 13years of concerts.
Dostál is himself a producer and big fan of music. For almost 15 years he’s worked in the music industry, developing his music club into one with a respected name among both musicians and costumers.
“Everytime I return to the Czech Republic, to Brno, I played here,” says one of the most famous Czech jazz guitar players, Rudy Linka, after his concert in Alterna on Nov. 16. “Everything is perfect: the audience, service, sound etc. And I don´t want to change it.”
Alterna is big open space, red carpet, colorful wallpapers with mystic symbols on the walls, long bar, many tables, non-smoking hall and much light.
“At big concerts we can let go inside almost 300 people,” said Antonín Adam, one of the employees of the club. “But it is a new age. We had reconstruction this summer, before that it was little bit darker and smaller too.”
This year Alterna has unofficial 18^th birthday. Everything started in 1989. At the time of the Velvet Revolution, changes started everywhere. Dostál was a student. He lived in the student dormitories, where there were, and still are, large rooms on ground floor. In those times, the rooms were specified for meetings of SSM [Socialist Union of Youth].
Then only 21, he turned them into the Alterna Music Club.
“After revolution rooms stayed empty. Sometimes there were students meetings, some parties, but nothing organized,” said Dostál. SSM felt down, everywhere was a chaos.
He studied at Faculty of Engineering and fearless idea grew up in his mind. In dormitories lived almost thousand students, but no pub was around. He saw the opportunity.
“I don`t know how, but once I stayed face to face with the director of the dormitories and I asked him to let for rent this place like a student club and he agreed.” Dostál was young, didn’t have management experience, just some experiences like a barman in some part-time jobs and business brain. It was a first step for Alterna Music Club, opportunity was taken.
The beginning was slow, step by steps, beer just in bottles, a few kinds of alcoholic drinks, then came the first contract with a brewery.
“After this contract everything moved quickly,” he says. “Brewery saw the same thing like me. Many people live in one place.”
From this time he knew that owning the pub needn´t be only fun, but also really good way to earn money. From a young student of Socialist university, he transformed into a capitalist businessman: “I know that’s a paradox, but I did a job that entertained me and earned some money for me, too.”
At the pub everything was going fine, but after a few years, for Dostál it became a bit boring to own some place where people drink beers and shots. After he graduated from university, he knew one thing. He didn’t want to do what he studied for, he wanted to stay in his pub. But something had to change: “I was still young. A 25-year-old. I want more, some movement.”
Dostál has one love his entire life – music. In 1995 he established Fantom Promotion and tried another business, production of music concerts.
“I was the first in Brno. In Prague there was a big company like Ticket Stream. But here was nobody. Of course people wanted to go to concerts in Brno same as in Prague.” It was almost the same history as with his pub. Many people, but a few of music concerts.
“I like music, like to listen to music, but here I need to confess. I saw primarily economic aspects. Profit for me.” He started in Alterna, from this time renaming it to Alterna Music Club. Perfect space for small concerts. But after his first successes, he started to organize bigger projects like Chumbawamba tour around the Czech Republic.
“That was too much. Always on the phone, always stress, will the weather be OK, will there be enough of people, etcetera. After this in 2001 I finished with organizing of big concerts and tours and just prepared concerts for Alterna.”
But Dostál still wants more, some progress. Five years ago he opened a second club and last summer he shared his experiences and helped grew another student club in Brno, called Stará Pekárna. He gave his advice. His second club was situated under Alterna Music Club and called A2. Before that it was disco club Spider, but it went bankrupt.
“It’s perfect space, in the basement, no noise going on the street. Good for a party,” says Aleš Měřínský, one of the ex-employees of A2 club.
Adds Dostál: “I want separate groups of students. At Alterna I want more alternative music, jazz, rock, world music, and in A2 funky, pop and electro.” And in A2 he sometimes arranges exhibitions of photos and pictures, too.

“Libor is really good at organizing many things. It’s a good experience working with him,” said Adam Bernard, nicknamed Bernie, a photographer who works for many clubs in Brno like music photographer of concerts.
But Dostál grows older. He will soon be 40, with a wife and two young daughters.
“Now I want to rest more,” he says. “The clubs are going fine. I’m really satisfied in this situation.”
He has the clubs, where he can still drink at the bar with friends, and listen to music he wants to listen to. And if he can stay on his feet, he will work in music and keep his clubs alive for many years into the future: “Now it’s my big dream. Grow older with my clubs together and my family, too. Of course!”

Racing for Success

2009-03-05T14:33:00.002+01:00

Text and photo by Teresa Ampudia

When a foreigner is asked about Brno, even about the Czech Republic, some are only able to say Moto GP in the Circuit of Brno, no more. That is why I decided to interview Miroslav Bartoš, 34, the track’s sport director who devotes himself to the circuit – the best-known “monument” in Brno.
Life turns very fast. But it turns even faster for Miroslav Bartoš, 34, sports director of the Circuit Raceway outside Brno. From his early-morning arrival at the circuit, located deep in the forest, to his obsessive attention to detail to prevent any major injuries, the track is his life. He spends more time in the office than at home because he has got a real vocation in management and “although I would like to dedicate more time to my girlfriend,” he says.
Says one colleague, motorcycle-race manager Radka Dvořáková, “He is very responsible at work and he likes things to be extremely well-done.” and also friend, says. “He is a little bit strict and rigid,” Another colleague, media manager Lenka Nestrojilová, the Media manager, adds that “He’s a little bit strict and rigid.” But as the boss, says Bartoš, he has to organize workers and management in the circuit: “This is like working in a factory, even more, like working in a big airport.” He also has to travel a lot and his life is always a time-trial.
Bartoš dedication has helped put the Brno raceway on the map of European Moto GP racing and made it one of the Czech Republic’s most recognizable landmarks. “I am surprised when somebody asks foreigners about this country and they are only able to say: Brno Circuit… no Spilkberg Castle, no Cathedral, no anything else.” This shows the importance of Moto GP race in the city, economically and internationally, and for this reason, Bartoš dreams of the day the Czech National Anthem will be heard on the top of the podium of Brno Moto Grand Prix, which is celebrated every August.
Ironically, though, Bartoš himself has never raced, and was not even interested in the sport as a youth. Indeed, his first taste of this life came as a college student, when he was looking for part-time work. He was studying Management in Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno and he decided to earn some extra money becoming a time keeper in the circuit. In this way, “I could be known inside one of the most important management of Brno and Czech Republic,” he says. He recorded the time of the races, the time taken and the time remaining. Despite he did his job with some machines he was very afraid in the beginning. “I felt myself with a lot of responsibility and I could not fail in that.” And this feeling on his first job is one of the reasons why he spends so much time in his office nowadays, because “he is very perfectionist,” Lenka indicates.
“Luckily, I learnt to love the driving force world there,” Bartoš continues. He stresses “luckily” because this job made it possible for him to be known in that place and two months after finishing his degree he had already become an employer of the circuit. It was September 1997. Five years after he was already the sport director. Although he is still very young, Lenka and Radka recognize that “he is very well prepared for this job” because he has spent almost the half of his life working at the circuit.
Bartoš does not forget that, in spite of working at the raceway and loving cars and bikes, “I am a manager who works as a sport director, so, although I don`t vent as much adrenaline as riders do, my job is exciting and sometimes even heart attack.”
His job lets him smell the warm asphalt after the race, hear the roar of driving forces, feel the trace of the speed and see spectacular accidents. Last month, an Audi TT roaring along at 200 kilometers per hour lost control during a practice and rolled over for four times. His face becomes serious, “A shudder covered my body when I saw the track full of pieces of the car, because I could not believe the driver was still alive… but when I saw him getting off the car by his own I could take a deep breath.” Although fatal accidents don`t happen very often in a circuit nowadays, if something would happen at the raceway “I would be one of the responsible persons as the sport director and I could have problems even with Justice.”
Despite he can say satisfied and proudly that “there haven`t been any fatal accident in the circuit”, he does not forget to knock on wood, “just in case” he assures, because as a professional manager, one of his biggest worries is safety.
He constantly has problems because the safety requirements are stricter today and he has to control every rule and endorsement. The circuit is also in the middle of the forest, so “when people come here, they disturb the animals, like squirrels, so sometimes they cross the track, and if they cross during a race, they could cause some accidents,” he says. “Actually, we are thinking about organizing some hunts before races,” he jokes, “but not only for animals, also for some journalists who want to make the best picture of car and motorbike races even risking their lives.” This is a serious worry for him, but he dares to joke to play it down, because “he has a special sense of humor, little bit dry and English-like,” Lenka says.
“It is wonderful to see how he enjoys his job,” Radka continues, because he has already found almost the perfect job. “My dream job would be to be a millionaire, but after that, I would say that being the sport director of the circuit of Brno is my second dreamt job, because I love management and the driving force world” so he is not considering to change it, “at least for the next years.”
Winter is coming and motor season has already finished in Brno. But this young sport director continues working because next season will arrive soon. And the cycle is starting once again. But, as he says, “no season and no race are the same.”

Miro Hudeček: Heating More Than Your Home

2009-03-05T14:32:00.001+01:00

By Pavla Janoušková

My grandmother told me about the man who designs and calculates the boiler. I think a lot of people don't know what this job is. I found my person‘s business card in google.com. He was very willing to meet and talk about his work, answering all my questions.
When most Czechs get cold and need heat, they gather a bit of wood, or flip a switch on the boiler. But Mirko Hudeček can actually design and develop this boilers, and not only on Czech power station, but even elsewhere the world. But when mustachioed gentleman, 51 sits in the office, his head is full of ideas, it‘s incredible to think he can build something like that.
„Energetic is so good, because energy is needed, as well as human food,” says Hudeček, Department Manager Boiler Development and Engineering Calculations for the company Austrian Energy and Environment in Brno. „I’m one of the few people who consider his job something like a hobby. I don‘t go to work earn money, but because I enjoy it.”
While he likes watching basketball, going bowling with friends, and dancing with his wife, he says he much prefers reading professional manuals about the energy industry instead reading a detective novel.
Hudeček graduated in Brno at University of Technology in the Department of Energy. „My parents are both teachers and they wanted me to be a teacher, too. But I was interested in technology and scientific knowledge of natural laws,“ he says.
Already in his fourth year he agreed to work at the First Brno Engineering plants of Clement Gottwald. This he won a scholarship. „It was amazing, I wasn’t financially dependent on my mother and I could do things, I never could afford before,“ he says with a smile.„He is a person whom I admire, and everywhere I say his memorable sentence: ‚I like to go to work,‘“ says his mother, Marie Hudečková. According to her, Hudeček is very ambitious and pursued his goal. „He chose a difficult profession in which he can excel,“ she says.
One year after school he decided to finish a degree of candidate of Sciences. He chose the issues in the energetic sector with a focus on the environment. „At the time it was innovation. I found, that teachers didn’t know all about energetic,” says Hudeček. He learned how to make fluid boilers, which captures emissions in the combustion process. And these products were to research also in the company, in which Hudeček operates.
„I‘m glad that Mr. Hudeček is my boss, because he can be responsible,“ assess his colleague Milan Ryšavý. „He‘s an experienced engineer who has many years of his profession.“
He’s now been doing this for 26 years. The company changed owners five times, but business is still the same. „I sit on the same chair, I have the same telephone number, but I work in the fifth company,“ he says with a laugh.
He stays here so long, because energetic isn’t subject to large crises and experts make a good salary. „I would say that I have credit, because people believe me. I have certainty that they won’t fire me,“ he says.
The company closes about five contracts per year. The first four boilers they built in the Czech Republic, the others they develop or retrofit throughout the world. It means that Mr. Hudeček often flies to other continents. „This is a satisfactory feeling that I’m respected and an important person, but it takes huge responsibility,“ comments Hudeček.
In 1993 he was in the United States in the state of Connecticut. „For me it was strange that they measure there in miles and inches, I had to convert it all,“ he says.
Hudeček also visited China. He was there about eighty kilometers from Shanghai, where the company has the factory. „I felt there deaf and dumb, because I don‘t know Chinese,“ he says. The inscriptions are mostly the Chinese characters and the people can’t speak English. „People are honest, friendly,“ he notes but he complained about the smog and a lot of cars, bikes and mopeds.
Now, before him it discovered another big contract with Brazil in Sao Paolo. He was there in this year and at the end of November he flew there to finish some details. Of course, this is a business trip, for which he needs a few days to prepare, but also on the other hand it‘s a nice trip. He has one thing to do and doesn‘t have to deal with a lot of telephone calls and emails.
„I know how a tropical rainforest looks like,” he says, „I read and heard about it, but until that person sees it with their own eyes, he can‘t offer their own opinion.“
Another big contract will be in Russia near the Black Sea. In the Austrian company, where he works, the main language is English and Hudeček now begins to re-learn Russian, which he learned at school.
„I have a plan to stay in this position as long as possible,” he says. “I’ll raise my successor and then I‘ll hand over my group of calculation boilers. Then I‘ll have a good feeling that the work will continue the way it should.”

Eight Wheels, Two Legs, High Speed

2009-03-05T14:30:00.001+01:00

By Markéta Forró

I started to be interested in Michael Hrazdíra thanks to my friend, a racer from his team. She told me about him several times and I thought: Wow, he must be cool...
Wind in back and asphalt under wheels, pain in the muscles and sometimes injuries. But also the feeling of satisfaction when he goes through of the home straight. The intoxicating feeling of victory, pride in improving his abilities... This is what drives Michal Hrazdíra, a coach and a racer of the in-line team Black Ice in Brno, ex-cyclist and Olympionist. He used to be a man who would do everything for winning. Today, in his 31 years, he just smiles: „It is mainly fun for me nowadays. Now the biggest victory for me is my family.“
Hrazdíra irradiates calmness and carefreedom. Only when he speaks about his family or work, he becames serious. When people talk to him, they figure out what he overcame and he is still nice human. ̏He is completely not big-headed. This is very important,“ says Nikola Stračárová, a racer of the Black Ice. ̏I think that big-headed coach can't be successful because his team would hate him. Michal doesn't think that he is more than us and this drives us to be better and rejoice not only ourselves, but him, too.“

There has never been any in-line club in Brno. Hrazdíra has decided to change the situation because he felt that future is in in-line skating. ̏In-line is sport for everybody, and that is what I really like,“ says Hrazdíra. ̏At cycle track you can see grandparents together with their little grandchildren, everybody on in-lines and they all enjoy it. In every age you can improve yourself.“
He notified that he can give people the possibility to improve themselves. With his friend Radomír Dojiva they put heads together and the issue is a team which today has been regulary capturing the forefronts in most races in the Czech Republic and not only there.
But also ordinary in-line skaters in Brno are on Hrazdíra's focus. He aspires to improve conditions for skating in Brno and this year he organised four rides through the city, collective joyrides for everybody.
But in-line skating wasn't Michal Hrazdíra's original sport. He was successful cyclist, Czech representative and Olympionist. His life was drill and many hours spent on bike. His father Miloš, also a very successful cyclist and multiple Czech representative, brought him to this sport.

When he remember his childhood, Hrazdíra laughs: ̏In fact, first I didn't want to be a biker. I wanted to be a hockey player, but father didn't let me go to the enrollment. I was upset at that time, but today I am grateful to him.“
Hrazdíra started to ride when he was twelve. His coach from this period, Jaroslav Bláha, says about his starts: „I think that at that time he didn't suppose he will get to the Olympic Games one day. But everybody wants to be good at something and I wanted to help to all my boys to be the best.“
When Hrazdíra was older, he started to win first junior, later adult races. He won the Czech Republic championship several times. Finally, in the World championship in Canada thanks to his effort two people from Czech Republic could start in the Olympic Games.

„It was funny,“ he laughs. ̏It was my first world championship so I asked, what place I have to get to go up the starting block. Everybody laughed because we typically finished about the twentieth place.“ But Hrazdíra arrived eighth and silenced the kidding.
Neverthelles, Hrazdíra was arguing with Czech cycling federation. As he says now, the leader of Czech cyclist is an ex-judeman who doesn't understand cycling never a whit. Finally, they even did not want him to start at the Olympic games in Athens, although he went up the starting blocks. After he evidenced he's the best when he won the Czech championship, he started, but he finished 14th.

̏I was really hung up,“ says Hrazdíra today. ̏I didn't drill so much because I didn't know if anywise I will start at the Olympic Games. I could be much better...“ After next argument he left his career himself. ̏Czech Republic is a small country and even a top racer has little opportunity to make onto the international stage. With the Federation access this opportunity disappeares. I just lost my mind to race.“

So he has found his mind in another sport. ̏I have been always keen on the fast skating on ice. In-line skating is very close and here are better conditions for it, that's the reason why I have chosen this sport,“ he smiles, when he talks about his biggest hobby nowadays. „I just can't imagine doing nothing. When I ended the cycling, I needed something else. I like to be in good form and I really love the feeling of speed. But today it is just my hobby, I don't want to chafe as when I cycled profesionally.“
Today, Hrazdíra has a full-time job in his small company which he owns with his brother.
Nikola Stračárová bears to his words. „He doesn't take it serious like us others. He doesn't train so much as other members of our team, and when he wins, he is just at rest.“ Nikola thinks Hrazdíra is a good coach. „He can bring people really high.“
As a confirmation of this words there are many successes of Black Ice team. The biggest one was women's second place on the Le Mans championship in France. But individually, Hrazdíra has not any racing ambitions already. As he says, he enjoys much more worrying about the club and common skaters in the city. „It's more important than my own victories.“
In Brno, there are not good conditions for common skaters – there is only one skate track in Brno and all times of day it is overfull. There isn't any place for small children for whom the skate track is too dangerous because of number of crossing motorway.
To call attention to a number of in-line skaters Hrazdíra organised four rides throught the city in this summer. People of every age and every abilities took their skates and they rod together through the part of city. How Hrazdira says, rides in Brno had great success although it was the first time here.
„I have really good feeling about it, people liked it,“ Hrazdíra smiles. „Of course there were worries – it was my first big action like this, but it was worth the effort.“ In future, he wants to organise rides more frequently. „People appreciate this. I feel well about it. And maybe this way we will obtain some new members for our team,“ he says with a smile.

Branislav Adamec: From climbing the highest peak to rock wall of Brno

2009-03-05T14:23:00.003+01:00

Text and photo by Lenka Purteková

Branislav Adamec is a very interesting person not only for his job, but mainly for his hobby – mountaineering. In Communist times, he represented Czechoslovakia in this sport. The interview was very capitvating, because Adamec experienced many interesting situations in the mountains – but also in life.
His biggest adventure was climbing to the Shisha Pangma Mountain in year 2002. Branislav Adamec, 48, one of the best Czech mountaineers in the Communist times, was member of Czech expedition in Tibetan Himalayas. „It was the only mountain which I didn’t overcome.”
Other two mountaineers, who climbed with him, overcame it too. As he says, he didn’t feel psychically and physically so good to try it alone. In addition he met other climbers and they told him it was impossible to reach the top because of the snow-drifts. Adamec remembers, the snow was glinted in
the sun, but the wind was cold and strong. „It wasn’t so difficult decision in that time, but now I regret it a little.”
As he says, his habit is to do everything for reaching the target. „I think life is full of challenges and we should stand up to them,“ says Adamec, after he climbs down the climbing wall in one bouldering center in Brno. It looks like badly built wall with many colored stumps. Adamec climbs at it without rope as it would be the simplest thing in the world. He is in the height of four meters in the twinkling of an eye.
His life was something like this wall. Sometimes there were many stumps to hold them; sometimes there was only one, but Adamec fought to the end almost every time.
He originates from little village Istebné in the Malá Fatra Mountains in Slovakia. There he was born in 1960. Since he was a little boy, he liked walking in nature. “When you live in country, you are in nature, if you like it or not. Fortunately I loved it.” Furthermore, his father was a hunter, so he often took Adamec into forest.
But he found out he wanted to be a climber at the age of fifteen. In this time he read a book, which wrote Radovan Kuchař, one of the best Czech climbers of all time. “When I read about his adventures I knew one thing: I didn’t want to try it, I wanted to do it.”
Then Adamec started to do everything to realize his dream. First he climbed mountains as a hobby. “I found out, that it was my way to leave the Communist world. In the top of mountain you are absolutely independent, no dictator has power here.” He explains, when he was in mountains, there were no people and no rules. So it didn’t matter if he climbed Mont Blanc or some Czech mountains. “There existed only laws of nature and this is, what I love by now.”
First complication came, when his parents tried to forbid him from climbing. “I think they feared for me, because they thought mountaineering was too dangerous.” They had many arguments, especially with his father. At age 19, when he started to study in Brno, Adamec stopped speaking with him. “I was angry, because he didn’t understand my hobby.” They reconciled together one year later.
His first steps in Brno went to mountaineering club, called Lokomotiva Brno. There he had to pass the training. “I followed all money, energy and time to climbing.” He trained every day. “I never had a talent for climbing. Everything I achieved with hard work.”
This effort repaid after four years, in 1984, when Adamec was invited to the Czechoslovak national mountaineering team. He remembers it was big chance to see many other countries, to leave the Communist world. “When I came to national team, I was really excited. I achieved something, which I never dared to imagine.”
In these times he climbed all over the world. He was in the Altai, Alps, Dolomits and so on. He also experienced many dangerous situations, which are connected with this kind of sport. Once a stone avalanche fell down around him, but he had only small injuries. “Stones, which were big like fridge, went around me. It was fortunate that I survived.”
In 1987 he married. Then his first daughter was born. “When I felt it was too dangerous a situation, I gave up, because now I was responsible for my family,” says Adamec. He still climbed, but not in difficult mountains, so in 1990 he ended his time with national team.
At that time, he was a full-time climber. Now he needed to look for a “more normal” job. First he worked at the municipal office in Brno. But he says he never liked sitting in an office, so looked for a new job. Drifting from job to job, he found the sporting-wear company, Icebreaker. “I feel I want to do it, because it’s connected with my love: sports.”
He also likes, that they use ecological materials, because it doesn’t hurt environment. Now he is the company’s general manager for all of Eastern Europe, the father of three daughters and says he lives in term of decades.
“My first decade was climbing and nothing more. Then in the 90’s it was the working decade. And now? It’s a decade of fulfilled dreams.” He says the first dream he fulfilled was that he loved his job. And his second dream now is to be a mountain guide, because he wants to continue in mountaineering. That is why he tries to train twice or three times a week.
Usually, he scales at climbing walls in Brno. Mostly he climbs alone; sometimes with a friend, David Chovanec. He is also Adamec’s company colleague. “In summer we also climb together in nature, and I feel safe with him,” Chovanec says.
He says he thinks it’s great to feel the Adamec’s confidence, because it helps him feel confident, too. “Adamec is a good climber. Why? A good climber is an alive climber,” Chovanec says with a smile.
Adamec’s future is also connected with climbing. This year he’ll take the mountain-guide exams. “This way,” he says, “I hope I can teach other people and share my experiences with them.”

For the Love of Ballet, Karel Audy Dances Through the Pain

2009-03-05T14:13:00.002+01:00

By Kristýna Hašková

I’ve always liked ballet, so my choice of interesting person connected to Brno was clear. But which ballet dancer? I find out that this young ballet dancer competed in many international competitions and is a soloist from age 23. It was very pleasant to speak with him.
It’s hot in a training room in the National Theatre of Brno. The dancers can be seen twice because of a big mirror on one wall. They are dressed in a close-fitting sport clothes. Each muscle is recognizable when dancers jump, as if they have wings. The music stops. The theatre master isn’t satisfied with a few of the dancers. They don’t rotate in a circle so they have to dance it again. The rest of the dancers are talking with each other.
But only one isn’t – he is stretching or practicing some pirouettes. A few minutes later, he practices his role. He is also the only one who smiles when practicing. “I’m trying to be the best because it brings me reward from the audience and also self-satisfaction,” says Karel Audy. “I always wanted to be a soloist. I know that I’m good because ballet dancers have to do some exercises. And every dancer knows how the best form of the exercise looks and if he can or can’t do it. I have physical predispositions for ‘can do it’ so I work on a better form every day.”
Audy, 24, is a part-time a soloist in the National Theatre of Brno, but also a demi-soloist (a dancer of chorus with solo roles) in the National Theatre in Prague. He is also a student and because he works in these two theatres he has very little time. So he isn’t attending school as other students – he has an individual study plan. He studies at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno.
This work is also about pain and uncertain social status. But that isn’t everything. “I love doing ballet performances because this job connects physical exertion with art,” says Audy. Because he can amuse people and offer some cultural experience, that is the reason why he dances.
But it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. “I thought that students learn something like a disco dance at dance conservatory,” says Audy. He was very active during his childhood, starting yachting at the age of seven. He also attended a few lessons of modern dance.
So when teachers from dance conservatory were doing selection from elementary schools, they also tried flexibility of Audy’s body. They were satisfied and wanted him to study at the conservatory. But he fell ill with mononucleosis. Because of related liver problems, he couldn’t do any sport for several months.
The next year rules changed – children didn’t go from fourth class but from fifth class at age ten or eleven. So Audy had a second chance to go to the conservatory and he went there.
He thought that he would be studying something different. At the beginning he was bored – they stand beside a horizontal beam and move leg ahead and back again and again. So he thought about football, toy-cars and what to do when the school day ends. But when he was 14 he really began to love dancing. So he decided to become a professional ballet dancer and he had to stop yachting because he couldn’t do two professional sports at the same time. “I need to do everything fully,” emphasized Audy.
Now as a professional ballet dancer, Audy travels a lot – usually he has a tour abroad during the summer and he enters the competitions. When he was 22 he won the Second International Competition of Brno and when he was 23 he was a finalist in the international ballet competition Premio Roma in Italy. With a dance group from Brno’s theatre, he went to Japan, Spain and Italy.
Often he has to overcome pain because he is been injured for many times. For example he fell and hurt his instep so had to learn again how to move with it in a better way. When he has smaller pains, such as pulled muscle, he dances through it. He goes for massage, takes pills and is more careful. “I sometimes thought about quitting dancing due to the pain, but in fact I know that I don’t want it. Dancers can overcome pain because they love ballet so much.”
Life of ballet dancers is different than it was in the past. “Before 1989, the social status of dancers was better,” says Audy. “Ballet dancers were well-known and honoured. Now young people don’t know what ballet is, and they don’t visit the theatre. Before, it was prestigious to go to the theatre.” But he says he is happy to have work that entertains not only him, but others, too.
“Karel has talent and is hardworking,” says his colleague, Andrea Smejlkalová. She says she likes to dance with him because he takes care of his colleague – not only how he stands but if his partner looks good. Audy’s ballet master Jana Ruggieri, says he takes her suggestions very seriously by focusing on his physical and psychical expression.
Since June Audy has been working in Prague. He moved there to learn new types of choreographies. He also continues toward his bachelor’s degree – this is his third year of studies so he will graduate soon. When he finishes his master’s degree he will be able to work as a choreographer or a teacher at the conservatory.
After he ends his dancing career he wants to do one of these occupations. “I have just started with doing choreography and I really like to try and create new variations,” says Audy. Every dancer can work to improve himself, but not everyone can have predisposition to help others improve themselves. “I want to be a teacher because I can see mistakes of other dancers,” says Audy. “And I’d like to help others to improve their skills.”

Ondřej! Don‘t Make the Ticking Noise!

2009-03-05T11:00:00.005+01:00

By Andrej Slivka

I heard about an unusual group mixing a lot of styles called Mako Mako. One day I went through Zelný trh and there were playing musicians from Mako Mako. It was exciting! Then I checked their website and Ondřej Havlík interested me as a Czech beatbox champion.
About twenty people in Brno music club Trojka stand up and start dancing. They are shaking theirs hips and waving their hands before the stage. There is the pianobox performance of a beatboxer Ondřej Havlík and a piano player Zdeněk Král.
Havlík is a small guy dressed in loose and comfortable T-shirt, trousers and wide skate shoes and entertains his audience just using his mouth and loop-station (an electronic machine that repeats recorded voice) for side music effects.
The show culminates when Havlík invites a special guest, Brooklyn rapper Tah Phrum Da Bush, on the stage. These two guys improvise on any topic. Havlík randomly chooses an African topic, Tah needs a few seconds, then starts to rap about imagined life in the savanna while Havlík is making some sounds from the bush – elephants, flying birds, lions.
“I love performing as a mix of my job and my hobby,” Havlík later tells a reporter. “I can play with the best musicians and discharge my exhibitionist inclinations.”
This is the same style and energy that has made Havlik the country’s best beatboxer – he has won the Czech beatbox championship in last two years, took part in World beatbox championship three years ago, too.
“Ondřej can make any music sound: salsa, bossa nova, jazz, hip hop,“ says Tah, the Brooklyn rapper. “Moreover, he thinks about the music he makes. It‘s not just making a sound.”
Havlík has tended to performing arts since his childhood. He loved to simulate anything and became dependent on entertaining others. He danced lambada for his kindergarten mates when he was five years old, imitated Michael Jackson´s style for friends at elementary school, or made electric boogie that he saw in Paris when he was ten years old.
His parents encouraged him in these funny things. No wonder. Havlík inherited showman skills from his father and musician skills from his mother.
That is why he felt the geniality of Michael Jackson, his musical idol, when he was young. “Nobody phrases words better than him! He superbly feels the rhythm,“ says Havlík about his idol. He started to imitate uncommon sounds from Jackson´s mouth. “These sounds sounded to my mother like watch ticking. Sometimes she exhorted me: Ondřej! Don´t make the ticking noise!” laughs Havlík.
But his musician part was still to boil over. Havlík´s desire to entertain others brought him in drama classes at age 12. On one hand he learned the basic acting techniques. On the other hand he started not to feel good in theatre.“You are still shut in dark and dusty theatre trying to improve your drama performance. You haven´t got any time to do sports, join the friends… And your salary is too small!” explains Havlík his bad feelings.
Nevertheless he went to study drama acting at Janáček Academy of Musical Arts in Brno at the age of seventeen. He started to study two schools simultaneously. Drama acting at academy in Brno and last year at grammar school in Ústí nad Labem.
Although Havlík is a very optimistic person he started to be depressed. “I was sitting on the train to Ústí, shivering and thinking what would happen if I didn´t finish the grammar school,” he recalls. Finally, he passed his final exams at grammar school very well.
After that, he had a lot of free time. He started to improvise on mouth beatboxing with bass guitarist Michal Procházka five years ago. And he went to a beatbox workshop where he met the best beatboxers in the country: Jaro Cossiga and Freaky Jezus from Beatburger band.
But the main breakpoint of his beatbox career came in 2004, when he went for his academic trainee-ship to the Netherlands. The theatre and drama plays in these country were crazy and bored him, as did the marihuana-stoned people in Netherlands coffee shops.
He spent much time with Mad Track, one of the best Netherlands beatboxers, who studied at the same school which Havlík attended. Mad Track taught him basic beatbox techniques, especially using one´s lips.
When Havlík came back to the Czech Republic there came a call. It was Jaro Cossiga who had to find somebody who could go to World beatbox championship in 2005 as a fourth member of Beatburger band. Havlík was so excited, it was his beatbox chance.
He was in euphoria at world championship. “I didn´t sleep for thirty-six hours, ate a little. I was beatboxing all the time and tried to catch others´ styles,” says Havlík. Beatburger band placed in best five beatbox bands in the world.
After that, he came a part of Beatburger band. And he realised that the world‘s top beatbox is not just the making of sounds. It is the music. So he formed a band called Mako Mako in Brno with bass guitarist Michal Procházka, violin player Peter Strenáčik and singer Kristína Šimegová. It is a unique group which can play many styles: hip hop, pop, funky, chill out.
Mako Mako helped Havlík to understand a beatbox as music and to win the last two Czech championships. He does not have any competition in a deep mix of beatbox and music feeling in his country. But Havlík wants more. He has to train. Everywhere.
“He is still training! He goes in the street, beats some song and doesn´t notice anybody!” says his girlfriend, Kristína Šimegová, with a laugh.
Improvised performances with pianist Zdeněk Král called pianobox are a part of Havlík´s training, too. But Havlík does not forget about his academic education. He started to companion theater performances with all possible sounds. It‘s an unusual, but not original idea. It is enough for Havlík. He can join his performing, acting and beatboxing skills together in the plays Pink Panther and Lulu in Brno theatres. And again, he trains.
Naturally, beatbox is number one for him. He would like to make some website to be more known and record some albums. One solo record and one with Mako Mako band. But he has even a bigger dream. “I would like to show people that they could start to notice the mouth as a musical instrument,” firmly says Havlík.
Maybe he is sitting in front of Youtube now, and trying to imitate the style of his next competitor on World beatbox championship 2009. As he says, it is the best training. And he wants to become a world beatbox master. Not just to win, but to make his biggest dream true.

Editorial

2008-12-02T12:41:00.001+01:00

17. 1. 2007

Jsem hrdý, že zde mohu prezentovat jedinečný soubor článků, jejichž autory je devět studentů Katedry mediálních studií a žurnalistiky, Masarykovy univerzity. Zadání bylo jednoduché, ale důležité: zvolit vlastní téma, profesionálně a odpovědně zjistit nejen „jaká“ je stituace, ale také „proč je ta situace právě taková?“. Aby na tyto otázky odpověděli, museli se stát „novinářskými Darwinisty“ – zjistit kde příběh začal, jak se vyvíjel... a proč. To všechno absolovali studenti v intenzitním čtyřtýdenním kurzu. Tyto články jsou působivé nejen hloubkou zpracování, které vaši spolužáci časem dosáhli, ale jsou pozoruhodné také tím, že je napsali anglicky. Tleskám jim.
Texty jsou výsledkem práce studentů a lektora v kurzu Katedry mediálních studií a žurnalistiky – Group of experts, Issue-oriented reporting.

Michael J. Jordan, americký novinář a hostující lektor

mjjordan23@earthlink.net

I’m proud to present a unique package of articles, produced by nine Masaryk students. The premise was simple but important: choose your own topic, but serious, responsible journalism explores not only “what” the situation is, but “Why exactly is this situation the way it is?” To answer this, we become “journalistic Darwinians” – understanding where the story starts, how it evolved … and why. All this we did in an intensive, four-week course. So these articles are impressive for not only the depth your classmates achieved during that time, but the remarkable fact they did so in English. I applaud them.

Michael J. Jordan, American journalist and Masaryk University guest lecturer
mjjordan23@earthlink.net

Obyvatelé Brna z cizích zemí/ Brno Residents From Foreign Country. How do foreigners live in Brno?

2008-12-02T12:38:00.005+01:00

Brno – Dva diametrálně odlišné příběhy dvou mladých mužů z rozdílných stran světa, kteří přišli z různých důvodů a věnují se rozdílným profesím. Jejich pohled na Brno a život v něm se však v mnoha bodech podobá, a zároveň ukazuje, co musí cizinci žijící v Brně překonat a o co je jejich život bohatší.

Nela Studýnková
neluska@mail.muni.cz

Milen Simeonov, 34, arrived in Brno 10 years ago because he was disillusioned by the political and economic situation in his native Bulgaria and he felt hopeless about his future. Today, he earns a living here as a nail designer and part-time striptease dancer.
Austrian Andreas Machold, 30, arrived in the Czech Republic six years ago, saying it was his mission from God to help educate a new generation of Czechs through an activity center that he’s now run in Brno over the past year.
These are two of the Czech-speaking foreigners, of general number almost 14 thousands, who today live in the city today. Their focus of life in Brno is diverse and maybe it could by hard to imagine, for people born Brno , how much. “I simply made a resolution, took a friend, car, some stuffs and went to the Czech Republic to find a better place for my life,” says Simeonov, who wanted originally go to Karlovy Vary in West Bohemia, “but I liked Brno, I told myself, I would like to stay in Brno .” On the beginning he was not too selective and he tried to do many different jobs like for example moving dirt “I didn’t choose, I made anything to earn some money and stay alive. I worked also like a gigolo, I didn’t have problem with such work,” says young man, who has never learned Czech in a school, “I had no options to study Czech language, because I had noc contacts, I didn’t know where should I learn, so I learned from people, who I worked with, in the pubs or from my Czech friends.” Still after 10 years he fells the languages is the biggest problem, what he has to battle with in Brno : “If I knew better Czech I could find better job. The language is very important because of work.”
Milen says he feels happy, despite he works all the time: “I am not opposed to spending time with friends, but I am still very busy. I know it is good for me and it took long time untill I became successful, but I still only work,” says Milen, who design nails during the day and dances at the night. He says striptease dancing is a very interesting and enjoyable job, but just a job: “It takes me about 20 hours a week. I dance three – four times a week, show takes almost two hours, but I need to be prepared and look attractive, so much time I spend in fitness centre, solarium, on cosmetics.” He earns enough to venture on buy an own flat. Habitation is also very complicated, “people simply don’t trust us” says Simeonov, he think the Czech people don’t want to rent a flat because they are afraid of them. Situation for him got much better, Simeonov says, after Bulgaria became a member of European Union: “Now is execution of working license much easier then before” says Simeonov, however doesn’t plan to stay in Brno . He is thinking about Canada , because his friend lives there: “He is still very happy and successful. I saw the political situation in Czech Republic is still worse and I don’t believe it will change in future. I want to become a famous nail designer” says Milen Simeonov. Young man from Bulgaria likes to meet new people independent on nationality or color of skin.
Andreas Machold lives in Czech Republic more then six years and has no problem with the situation there. He still sees the marks of communism: “We can’t be wonderstruck, so long time influence every people and I think the time brings positive changes.” Machold sees the biggest different between Czechs and Austrians in basic things: “Czechs so often complain of everything, it seems it is impossible to do, what they should do, but finally they overrule it. Oh yes, and Czechs are reckless drivers,” says young man, who came to Czech Republic and never has a problem with working license:” The first year, I was in Czech Republic, I studied, so I didn’t need a working license and then I started to work for a company, what ensured all form and licenses.” What he misses most from home are the mountains: “In the countryside of my home town in Steinmark are big mountain, which I like so much. But Brno evokes me the place, where I was born because of the church on the hill and the castle. It looks very similar.” Roman Catholic believer isn’t interesting as much in the differences between the two cultures, he like to know new culture and people: “I visited many countries and I am always trying to be integrated.” Adreas Machold speaks German, English, French, Spanish and very well Czech: “To learn Czech was the most difficult for me. I was just studying Czech language for first year in Czech Republic . I always want to do well, what I do. I think I can speak well and I don’t have problem to make myself understood.” Andreas spend his free time in an activity centre, which he helped to establish: “I see my work is purposeful. Our centre is growing; more people are interested in our activities. Nobody, who come, have to believe, but most really are.” Machold says he likes to live in Brno , he is happy here: “I don’t know about anything, what would I miss, when I leave. For me are most important people, my family, my friends.” He looks on his life here like on mission and when he get a new one, he is ready to go to another place: “I like to be here, but I will go when the Lord tells me to go,” he says. When he could wish, what country should by his next stop, he dreams about Guadalupe in Mexico : “I knew a friend who told me about this amazing place and I still think of this town, but I don’t grasp to go. When it comes, it comes.”
To meet and talk to foreigners, who live in Brno , is very interesting. It bring a new view on the city and it helps to understand how do live foreigners there. One place could be perceived with many different ways. No better no worst, just different. And the differentness makes our world so amazing and interesting.

Outdoorové hry lákají stále více lidí/ Outdoor puzzle-games attract ever more players

2008-12-02T12:38:00.001+01:00

Brno – Stovky lidí láká každý rok brněnská outdoorová hra TMOU. Podobné řešení hádanek v terénu se těší stále většímu zájmu mladých.

Barbora Šlapáková
219995@mail.muni.cz

It‘s an early November evening and náměstí Svobody (or Freedom Square) in Brno is crowded with hundreds of people: they’ve gathered for the ninth stage of an unusual outdoor, puzzle-solving game. The Brno-based game, TMOU (which means “through the dark“), has developed a cult-like following, as many players even travel to Brno from across the country just to participate.

Among the devotees is this year´s winner, Tomáš Hanžl, of Brno. “I enjoy it so much,“ says Hanžl. “Especially because of the challenge of the puzzles, the possibility to going out and also for the sense of community. I meet there my friends and we spend a wonderfull night together.“

He is one of a growing number of Czechs – and even some Slovaks who travel across the border – to play. How does the Tmou work? People create the teams from 3 to 5 members and apply for the game. A month before the TMOU itself, the teams have to pass the qualification. It means the organizers publicate on their websites a three series of puzzles and the teams have to solve them and send a right results in five hours. The first 200 teams get on the main game, which is realized every November since 2000. The concept is following. All the teams together begin to play in the early evening of Friday somewhere in Brno. From there a puzzle show them the way to the next stage. And this repeats about 15 or 20 times. The trace is led both in the town and surrounding forests and the ciphers are more and more difficult. The game finish on Saturday 12:00.

According to the book Šifry a hry s nimi (the book about cipher-solving games) wroted by Radek Pelánek, Tomáš Hanžl and Ondřej Výborný, the count of realized games rises trough every year. In 2000 one game, in 2003 six games, in 2005 eleven games and this year – 2007 – nearly twenty games. Even the author of the game seems to be puzzled as to why it is so popular. “I really don’t know why do the players do it,“ says with exaggeration Radek Pelánek, the teacher at the Faculty of Informatics at the Masaryk univerzity and one of the authors of TMOU. He adds: “Generally it is said that Czechs are playful. And this is the possibility to spend a time by playing with a people, friends, who have “the same blood group“. But who knows?“

The phenomenon of cipher-solving outdoor games, which extends across our country during last 7 years still interests quite narrow group of people. But probably after few years it will be a common free time activity.

Where does it everything come from? The book Šifry a hry s nimi says, that the roots of encryption went back to the antiquity, when the first scripture had been developed. But there the main sense of ciphers was to make the texts more interesting. Since the time of old Romans and Greeks, ciphers have been used also for government and army purposes.

Solving ciphers just for fun started in 19th century, when Edgar Allan Poe (who was very good both in inventing and solving them) publicated puzzles in magazine and some of them have not been solved untill the end of 20th century. Ciphers also inspired the artist. Jim Sanborn made a sculpture Kryptos for the area of CIA in U.S. and encrypted in it a Russian text about the operations of KGB.

But the history of the cipher-solving outdoor games like TMOU is much more younger. “City games were inspired by Open Blood, an outdoor game for teams, based on Vysočina, which has existed since the mid nineties. It lasts for 24 hours and focuses on orientation and walk. But it isn’t open for public, because it is made by a group of geodesists for their friends,“ notes Radek Pelánek.

So some of the participants of Open Blood decided to prepare it in the city, for bigger amount of people and open to the all interested person. These guys are members of officialy nonexistent (that means it have no legal personality) association Instruktoři Brno (or Instructors of Brno), that organize actions based on experience education. And supported by Instruktoři, the first stage of TMOU was realized in the autumn 2000. According to their websites, it had about 200 participants (60 teams, each 2-5 members). And it found a great tradition.

During seven next years, situation dramatically changed. “This year we have 213 team, that contain 1041 participants. But only 17 teams passed successfully in time,“ says Radek Pelánek. Except the TMOU, there are about 15 or 20 similar games made by another people, for example Bedna, Exit or Osud, mainly in Prague and south Moravia. Not all of them have so much players as TMOU. It depends on many conditions. For example the place, the weather, the difficulty of puzzles and of course the reputation.

But the main reason for the participation is clearly defined. Except the challenge of breaking the ciphers it is the social event for all interested persons. “There is a community of players and a lot of them are my friends now,“ says Tomáš Hanžl. His case isn‘t unusual. According to Radek Pelánek there are about 20 or 30 teams, who travel round the games and participate some of them regularly. But this does not mean, that each of their members pass all the games. A lot of these teams have for example 10 people-base, so the players in team „circulate“ in accordance to their time and other possibilities. That means that A, B, C and D participate in one game and for the next game B is for example ill, so the team is composed from A, C, D and E.

“Typical participant is student or young worker, who started playing during his studies and don’t want to leave it. Yes, and there are more men, than women,“ adds Martina Hanžlová, Tomáš´s wife and other well experienced participant. There aren’t a big difference between players and organizers. These two groups connect each other closely. Some teams created their own game, but still take a part and enjoy the participance in the other prevalent games.

Right this situation caused relatively great enlargement of this “phenomenon“. And the other reason is the developement of the technologies. Both of organizers TMOU confirmed, that without internet the game´s realization would be very difficult and in case of the qualifications maybe impossible. But still the human factor is most important. First of all the excitement of organizers, because they do it all as a volunteers, without any award except good feelings.

“I organize because it gives me a lot,“ says Pelánek. “Not only the possibility to improve my organizing skills, but also to spend a time with very interesting people in the author team, doing an activity, which has a sense for me.“

The fact, that organizing activities like this, has a sense verifies not only the growing number of satisfied players. Last year there were realized about 17 games with more than 3,000 participants. Radek Pelánek adds: “I think the counts of both players and games grow for a few years now. Especially there are possibilities in the regions in the Western Bohemia, because there are no games, yet.“

And what about foreign countries? “There are even some games in abroad – in the concrete in Dortmund (Germany) and Linköping (Sweden),“ says Ivo Cicvárek, the other organizer of TMOU, and adds: „But both of them are inspired by Czech format. Quest, the Swedish game was realized by Czech students who studied there.“

The good news is, that there are no conditions required before. No technical education, no extra physical skills (except the ability to walk more or less kilometres). Mostly it depends only on your brain capabilities. Of course, previous experience is advantage, but there are also games for beginners. If you would like to participate, go to the adress below. You find here a calendar with links to the particular games. Enjoy!

http://herka.deka.cz/index.php/Kalendář_šifrovacích_her

Jak žijí v Brně Romové?/ Romas housing dilemma in Brno

2008-12-02T12:37:00.000+01:00

Brno – Romové jsou téma, kterému česká společnost věnuje velký prostor. Většinou se diskuse týká diskriminace nebo nadužívání sociálních dávek. Na tuto problematiku se dá ale podívat i z druhé strany, na podmínky, ve kterých i přes vysoké příspěvky státu žijí Romové na ubytovně Markéty Kuncové v Brně a jak je možno tuto situaci řešit.

Michaela Nováková
237768@mail.muni.cz

In front of Marketa Kuncova hostel are young children, who have drawn the game in chalk on the sidewalk and are playing about money. You can hear gypsy music over whole street. Inside the entrance door is small notice board – „Don´t write on the wall“ and „ On Monday, everybody must have his hair checked for lice.“
At the 4th floor, there in a small room beside destroyed bathroom under reconstruction is young mother Žaneta Horváthová. Horváthová, 24, is one of the rare mothers with fewer than two children. She has one son, 8-year-old David, for whom she says she only wants the best possible education - and a better future than hers. However, she says he has no chance to move. „There are horrible conditions, rents are very big, we pay every month another and another fees. I could be glad, that I can buy for my son some new clothes. But now, we have no chance to get new council flat, but this house, it´s awful.“
Horváthová and her son are among the 200 adults and 130 children living in one of Brno ’s most infamous Roma housing quarters. Neighbors don’t like it, but neither do the Roma. Not only do they say they have nowhere else to go, they already pay really big rents for someone, who live from social benefits. They pay around ten thousand for one big room, but it is double the average of rents, that are regulated from government. But neither the city is not able to do in this situation some progress. There is not enough free council flats, find normal flats for Roma people with for example more than three children is out of reach. “We don´t have many free flats, because in old types of these flats there has been living old people for years and don´t want to change their seats. And when we build new ones, there are many people asking for council flats and most of them are much more able to pay rents each month than the Roma are,” says Marek Svitavský, vice-town mayor of Brno- Židenice. And now, this situation is inconvenient for Roma and for residents too. Sometimes there is intolerance between them and somebody can call this race hatred.
This storey house in city-district Židenice is from its owner called only like hostel. “It was not our intention to make from this object normal house with some flats. At first, we wanted to hire rooms for season labours for several months, so they would change. From the second side, now we should be sure, that we get each month the same rents,” explain one of the owners from RHERO s.r.o. company, Robert Hrdina. And then he refer to the fact, that this hostel is the only one, that hire rooms to families with children. “We tried to find for people asking us for help with their housing new flat on hire, we gave them many phone numbers, but the second question from holders was- where are you from, your origins etc., and when they heard they are Roma, often the answer was- no, I´m sorry, we just hired this flat for somebody else,” said Lenka Sládečková, head of non-profit organization DDM Zábrdovice for Roma people.
But for most of householders, this house is their home. Horváthová has lived there almost three years. She´s come here from Francouzská alley, where she lived illegally and that´s why she had to leave this house. She wasn´t the only one, there were a lot of Roma people that lost their houses for ejection and come here, to ubytovna Markéta Kuncová´s. “My brother and sister recommended me to come here,” says Horváthová. Someone stay there, someone got council flat and someone move. Horváthová wants to get the council flat too: “ If this is possible, I would pay the same money or more. Because it will be my own flat, better condition, no one would come and want some fee. But it´s impossible,” explain Horváthová her really big interest to get new flat and move on. When she moved in this house she started to pay five thousand czech crowns, but now there is bigger rent. The basic rent is still five thousand, but she must pay first week thousand for hot water, second week for new bathroom five hundred etc. It´s makes almost eight thousand. She lived in one small room with her boyfriend and her son. Kitchen and bathroom Horváthová shares with flat-dwellers from second room. As Hrdina said, he and his company hires there not whole room but a bed. For one bed is rent 100-120 per day, but sometimes, this is only 80,-. For three-bed room is rent ten thousands. “I know, that there are families with many children, so I try don´t take whole rent for each children. These families than pay in addition some fees for water and electricity,not whole tax for one bed. It seems to me like very good solution than take money for each children,” explain Hrdina. Each of rooms has electrometer, gratis is 300 kW, and watermeter. But sums of money, that Roma families pay off for electricity, water and other fees are quite big, around fifteen hundred and no one can check this. “I have to pay for new bathroom, but this is not my flat, not my bathroom and no one knows how long we could stay here, so why I must pay this? But I can´t say No, he (Hrdina) will eject me,” Horváthová is complaining. The municipality office is conscious of this situation, but they couldn´t solve this problem. “ Hrdina is self-employed and he as an owner of this house, he can make with his estate what he wants to. We already know about strange fees and bad condition here, but the only thing we can do is to call hygienist or Trades licensing office”, told Svitavský. Trade licensing office can control accounts, if company has there each fee and proof of payment. Hygienists can only control hygienic condition at the hostel. And it as an impulse from the City, that started many controls at this hostel and send there these hygienists and trade licensing office. RHERO company for example once they needed to have even check for their gass-adapter, that they didn´t use per years and it´s closed by gass-company. That was the only way for city office, how to influence the situation in this hostel. “This conditions, in which live around three hundred people should be called unsatisfactory, but controls from every offices are right and nothing was changed,” told Sládečková. Not even that Horváthová and her family don’t have bathroom for months and her mother has mildew on the roofliner are for hygienists good reason to make some measure.
But even if hygienists close hostel, problem will be not solved. About 330 Roma people would be without lodging. And city office has no plan how to change this situation or what if this would happened. They have not so much council flats to secure Roma people lodging. “Now we have approximately six free council flats per month. But we prefer to give this flat to somebody who we are sure that he can pay us rent each month.” For selection of applications for council flats there is special commission. They have to know, if applicant will be able to pay rent and if this flat is good for his. But most of these free council flats are too small, only one room and kitchen and bathroom. Approximately five or six council flats per year are assign to Roma families. The second reason is, that until Roma people will live in Marketa Kuncova´s hostel, they have claim to get benefits for housing. That means, that if they have evidence of paying rent, they will get from Ministry of labour and social affairs almost whole rent back. And this make Hrdina and city office sure, that they are able to pay rents. But after their movement to council flats, they lost their claim to benefit for housing, because this type of flats is already state-aided. And city office has no guarantee, that they will pay. Maybe it is non effective for state, but kind for businessmen and Roma people have where to live.
As Svitavský said, these situation has for future only one solution, but this is politically so sensitive, that everybody is afraid to make a decision. “It will be best to build new for example ten houses, not so much comfortable, but not so much expensive too. This buildings will be under the City administration, so rents would be lower than on Marketa Kuncova´s hostel. It´ll be better not to build everything in one disctrict, but one in each, because if we build it only on one place, it will evoke many problems, maybe race hatred and people will not agree with this city decision ” Something like this project is on discussion on Municipality Brno for years. And now, it starts to make some plans and project about this and maybe in several year, it will be done.
But these solutions are on the czech scene politically non popular. It started with current mayor of KDU-ČSL Jiří Čunek, who build some quite similar house like there maybe will be, people called this “Čunkárna”. And discussion about this house, racism in politic scene was there over months. It´s possible, that now it´s too late to solve the “Roma question” without being accused of discrimination.

Žlutý kopec je znovu nadějí, ne hrozbou/ Local Cancer Institute Revives Reputation

2008-12-02T12:36:00.000+01:00

Brno – Když někdo ještě před pár lety řekl, že jde na Žlutý kopec, všichni hned věděli, že je to s dotyčným hodně špatné. Masarykův onkologický ústav byl všeobecně považován za místo, kam chodí lidé umírat. Od začátku nového tisíciletí se ale na Žlutém kopci ledacos změnilo. Podle statistik úspěšnosti léčby jste zde dnes v těch nejlepších rukou.

Eva Křivánková
237862@mail.muni.cz

Jan Žaloudík came into the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute on the so-called Yellow Hill even before finishing the Faculty of Medicine. He assisted at operations as a student and later he entered the Institute as a doctor. He joined the team of Jaroslav Švejda, who is cosidered to be one of the best director which the Institute has ever had. Since that time nearly thirty years has elapsed. Švejda died long time ago, standard of the Institute sank and rose again. In fact, in the post-Communist 1990s, the former director neglected all research and allowed it to become essentially a hospice, where patients lived out their remaining days. Indeed, in Brno, when cancer sufferers said "I go to the Yellow Hill," their friends and family knew they were going to die.

Since 2001 the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute has not been only the hospice any more. Under guidance of Jan Žaloudík and his coleague Rostislav Vyzula, the Institute has intensified the scientific research, built territory for students of med, taken a part in international tests of new methods and medicaments and next to stilling the pain it has tried to give to ill people a hope for recovery.

Jan Žaloudík was not a favourite person in the hospital after the Velvet Revolution. In 1980s he travelled to the short term attachements to England and learn how the foreign oncological institutes work. His ambition to transform a hospice to the research institute annoyed the former administration. He can not cooperate with the director, who wanted to have a hospital, which is the last stop before a someone´s funeral. "Piety is not suitable when the tumour is small and the man can live on for next thirty years," Žaloudík says about his former boss. In 2000 Žaloudík won the tender for a new director of the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and finally he could start his work.

Today the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute is the only hospital in the Czech republic which focuses exclusively on cancer and affords complex cancer curing servises. The hospital takes part in international tests of the latest discoveries and it has got three own clinics as a playground for students of oncology. In addition it has balanced budget which is a little miracle in the czech health service. Last seven years meant rapid development of the Institute. All cancer suffers want to be cured in the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, because according to the statistics the Institute is probably the most successful in treatment in the land.

The first name of Institute was The House of Consolation because in the year of 1935 when it was founded medicine could offer nothing but stand-by. People had been coming there late and curing methods were extremely primitive. Doctors could only surgically remove the tumour and try simple radiotherapy.

In second half of 1970s the Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Oncology arose in Brno and in the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute came a new director - Jaroslav Švejda. His working was so succesful and memorable that one of the hospital buildings bores his name today because in charge of him development of particular departments and progress of surgery and diagnostics accelerated. But after his leaving it markedly declined as well. A real disaster came parodoxically even after the revolution. New director was deeply religious, and his vision of oncology was simply to take care after dying people. They got medicaments and these either operated or not. No research. Nobody tried to move limits. Doctors had to wait for outcomes of the others. That director believed in fate. "He was a good man, but he was this-field-killer as well. We can not cooperate together," Žaloudík remembers.

When Žaloudík became a director in 2001 he invested into equipment massively. For example the new mashine for radiotherapy costed hundred milion crowns and because of the radiation the whole building had to be rebuilt.

But Žaloudík was not director for long time. His most favoured idea was to put near the Institute to the Masaryk University. Only two years later after he won the tender he left director´s office and lead to the Faculty of Medicine. "It was clear desition. The Institute needed cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine in order not to be fused with another hospital in the city or not to cross under the South-Moravian region´s government," Žaloudík explains. Students of medicine gained a new playground and the Institute is not for sale.

Žaloudík became a dean of the Faculty of Medicine and at the top of the Institute his coleague Rostislav Vyzula alternated him. But Jan Žaloudík stayed Vyzula´s deputy. "We only exchanged our official positions. I take care of the science and the economy, he is focused on the medicine. My working day begins in the morning on the Yellow Hill and ends in the evening in my office at the Faculty," Žaloudík says.

The Institute is a member of the Organization of European Cancer Institutes. The members of this organization must afford complex curing services, which is by far not usual.

"A patient comes and he needn´t go anywhere else. We have got all curing procedures under one roof. Preventive program, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, too," the institute´s PR officer Zuzana Joukalová says. "For example in Austria the oncological patient must circle many hospitals. All procedures are scattered around the different places. In our institute patients needn´t go to the doctors, doctors come to them," Žaloudík explains.

The Institute seems to be a quiet island in troubled water of the czech health service. Every year three hundred billions crowns are invested into the health service but the most of the hospitals still have loses. The position of every Minister of Health Service is uncertain. The health service need transformation but nobody has been so brave to do it so far. "I have already met twelve ministers and twenty deputy ministers in the last twelve years," Žaloudík says. "There is nobody to comunicate with at the ministry. Every minister goes away before he can manage to know all about this department. When we need authorization of the ministry we plan our projects into that time when there is not any minister at the ministry, because the previous has left and the next has not been named. It is easier to get agreement in this situation," Žaloudík says.

From insurance company the government of Institute can get money which is needed by a little surprising way. „Insurance company can only govern and distribute money, but they do not understand to our medicine. They pay us too little money for some operations but we can ask for more money than is necessary for another operations because the system has got gaps. We can recognize and use them and this way we balance our budget,“ explains Žaloudík.

The future development of Institute is uncertain.

Firstly half a kilometer from the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute another hospital is situated. It is General Hospital of Saint Anna and its economy is bad. Civil servants would like to fuse it with the Institute whose economy is balanced.

However, Žaloudík sees safety under the University. "We need to be the university hospital and join some other hospitals in the city. It is difficult to buy a big university holding company," Žaloudík assumes. The majority owner of future holding would be the University and nobody could privatize or manipulate with any of its Faculty Hospitals.

Secondly the Ministry of Health Service tries to get rid of the responsibility of its fortune. Some hospitals in Czech republic are already private or rented and there is a posibility that Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute will be at the market asked as well because in contrast of other czech hospitals its economic situation is good. "Big boys will go after us," says Žaloudík about Institute´s future and he seems to look for the next fight. They conquered the post-communist administration and overlived twelve ministers. Some businessmen can not make them upset.

Armáda spásy pomáhá bezdomovcům/ Salvation Army helps homeless

2008-12-02T12:35:00.002+01:00

Brno – Bydlím na malé vesnici, kde se lidé navzájem znají. Před dvěma roky jsem začala studovat v Brně žurnalistiku a sociální politiku a sociální práci. Studium ve velkém městě pro mě není jen pobyt ve škole, ale i nákupy v centru města. Každý den zde potkávám bezdomovce všech věkových kategorií. Většina z nich je pod vlivem alkoholu nebo se chová výtržně. Jako studentka sociálního oboru se musím pozastavit nad otázkou, proč město nedělá něco pro to, aby tyto skupiny lidí dostalo z centra Brna. Mají bezdomovci vůbec nějakou možnost, aby se ze své situace dostali?

Petra Koutná
217681@mail.muni.cz

Nearly 350 people visit Centre of the Social Care Josefa Korbela in Brno . They get there food, clothes and bed.

When he first became homeless, after divorcing his wife nearly 25 years ago, Bohumil Hakl says he enjoyed the freedom of living on the streets. He had friends, they bought cheap wine, and slept wherever and whenever they wanted.

However, two years ago – while hospitalized with a broken leg – he decided to change his ways. “I was thinking about my life,” says Hakl, now 65 and still walking with crutches. “I felt hopeless, and I don’t want to die on the street.”

He is one of 350 homeless living in Brno who today take advantage of the housing and feeding services offered by the Salvation Army, Centre of the Social Care Josefa Korbela in Brno . But they are only a fraction of the city’s overall homeless population. Roughly 1,200 homeless is living on the streets in Brno . “According the research data from March 2006 three quarters of the homeless are men. They are between 25 and 60,“says Pavel Kosorin, director of the Salvation Army in Brno.

There are about 550 beds for homeless in Brno . Some are in Salvation Army, another in shelters which establishes Diocesan charity in Brno . “The capacity of the homeless shelter is insufficient,” estimates Leoš Veselý, who works at Department of social care in Brno . He throws in: “In summer they can sleep outside and work in seasonal labours. But in winter, when nights are frosty they can freeze to death. It is only because of lack of the beds in homeless shelter. I think the city shall to support to homeless organization.” Kosorin disagree. “Homeless aren´t willing to observe the rules of our organization. They better are staying at the street then being in charge of social activists.”

Every day they have opportunity to change their lives. “However in our Centre is only three hundred fifty beds, we are filled only from 95%,” says Dalibor Bakala, coordinator of the activist. It isn’t because of the lack of information. “The most of the homeless people know about the support offered by Salvation Army. We have one field social worker who offers to homeless the first connection.” He goes through Brno where are the localities in question of homeless. “I tell them which help they can get in Salvation Army and I can see them into day centre, “ says Renata Bližňáková, a field social worker. But the organization has its rules. The homeless can’t come drunk and not be aggressive.

There are about twenty seven locations where homeless are staying and sleeping. The most of them stay in the centre of the city. There they have anonymity of the community. “In small villages the homeless are an object of derision. But in bigger cities they can stay with the group of people who are in the same situation and solve the same problems. “Because of the anonymity of the big city, homeless people move to Brno from the surrounding, “specifies Bližňáková. Time after time people walking around and give them some money. “They don´t realize they support them. I think the better way of aid to homeless is to contribute to charity organization. There they use the money for food for homeless.

“When homeless have money, they use it for buying alcohol,” says Bakala. It is also the reason why Centre charges the homeless fee. Bakala explains this. “It is because if it is paid, we force homeless to save money for food, not to spend it for alcohol. The prices are only symbolic. It is not enough for payment the costs.“ The Salvation Army has financial support from South Moravian district, European social funds, Department of work and social care and City hall in Brno.”

The tendency of the social activist is to bring the homeless to the Centre. There they can buy articles for their hygiene. They can have a shower for two crowns. For the same price they can wash their clothes. From eight a.m. to five p.m. they can buy very cheap food. Two crowns they give for bread with spread, five crowns for soup with two slices of bread. Food is very similar every day.

“We have also supply of second hand clothing, says Libuše Barošová, volunteer receptionist . She daily meets about sixty people, who come to put to use services of daily center. The most of them come to eat. Then they return to the street. “It isn’t our intention. We want to resocialize them. “In our center they get professional guidance for their return to the society,“ says leading activist Bakala. He estimates, the communism kept homelessness strictly in check, but since the 1989 revolution it’s exploded in Brno . “During the communism everyone, who didn´t have work, was committed to the prison, “says Bakala. After revolution the compulsory labour service was annulled. The beginning of the Salvation Army in Brno dates back to 1992, three years after the fall of communism. Kosorin says, by the lifetime of the shelter the number of homeless had increased, so in February 2006 Salvation Army has opened the second sanctuary living in Brno . “We welcome the fact that the city wants to develop a strategy of solving the issue of homelessness. We have also financial support from South Moravian district, European social funds, Department of work and social care and City hall in Brno .” At the question of the homeless in future Kosorin answers the number of them will be increase. “During the winter, we bargain expansion of homeless. In the summer, many clients head out of the city, where they can make a bit of money doing seasonal work, for example during the harvest of fruit or on building labour. In the winter, it becomes a lot harder to survive. Also because of fiscal reform, people will have problems to secure themselves financially. And it is like vicious circle. We need more money from state budget to help homeless,” sums up Kosorin.

Recyklace odpadu v Brně/ Recycling waste in Brno

2008-12-02T12:35:00.001+01:00

Brno – Odpady se stávají vážným problémem ve všech větších městech v celé Evropě. Recyklace se stává součástí moderního životního stylu. Toto téma je velmi důležité také v Brně. Recyklace zde ještě není na tak vysoké úrovni, jak by mohla být. Většina občanů je málo informovaná o možnostech recyklace v Brně.

Barbora Drachovská
219296@mail.muni.cz

„I think there isn´t enough containers for recycling waste in Brno“ says Hana Kyjonková student, who lives here. „We have containers in front of our college, but it´s full all the time. I would like to recycle but it´s not so easy for people as it should be. I have to store plastic bottles in my room. It´s not quite comfortable.“ Two big problems for people in Brno. When you want to recycle container is full or far far away. „I´m recycling waste because I think it´s realy important. There´s no doubt.“ Kyjonková says. „People should be nicer to nature. We are responsible for environment, because it still getting worse.“

Recycling waste is becoming quite usual. But Czech Republic is still really bad compare to the western Europe. Czech Republic recycle 20 percent of all communal waste. The rest of garbage ends in containers for mixed waste. For example in Austria people recycle 50 percent of all communal waste. Web server www.jaktridit.cz published that people in South Moravia region was recycling less than all-state average. In 2006 in South Moravia one person recycled 34,6 kg of waste on the average. All-republic average was 43,6 kg per one person. „Long attendance distance discourage people from recycling. Nobody wants to carry his garbage for a long way,“ explain present situation Ivo Kropáček from Hnutí Duha (Movement Rainbow), czech non-government environmental organisation, which have its office also in Brno. „According to government plan of wastes system people in Czech Republic should recycle 50 percent of waste in 2010,“ said Martin Bursík, Czech Minister of Environment, in press news of Department of Environment from 12^th November 2007.

However, most of the larger cities in Czech Republic have really sophisticated system of recycling waste. Brno is trying to do that, but there´s not really such a good situation. For example Prague have much more sorts of recycling waste. Brno started new promotional campaign on September. There are some promotional ads in Brnos trams, which presents czech celebrities connected to Brno. These celebrities explain they ways how to recycle. But is it effective when there´s not enough containers for recycling waste? Martin Vaněček, who is director of environmental department of Brno says: „There won´t be enough containers ever. During last year we increase number of all sorts of containers for recycling waste multiply. For example number of containers for plastic bottles was increased three times. Generally, people are more interested in recycling waste. I can´t say it´s because this campaign. One more reason can be in society, people discuss more these problems today generally.“

This problem is not only about information and opportunities for recycling. Information campaign has already started. But are there new opportunities? In the citycentre of Brno is only three main reception places for recycling waste and another containers, but they aren´t exactly in the real citycentre. Citycentre means real middle of city from Malinovského square with Mahens theatre to Moravského square near tram stop Česká. The containers seems to be a bit smaller than normal containers but they are exactly bigger, because its bigger part is storage place under ground not to block a space upward ground. They were opened during last 13 months. The first underground containers were opened in October of 2006. They have bigger contents than normal upground containers. But from one to another is very long journey. The newest one is on Malinovského square, where is Mahens theatre. For example from Malinovského square to Moravské square near tram station Česká, where is second place, is distance 800 metres. In Prague there were opened first underground containers on 11^th November 2007.

Brno still can´t compare to the western Europe. People in Brno have to go to container for recycling waste on average 250 metres. Czech Republic average is 145 metres. It´s too long for most of the people. It´s easier not to recycle waste for them. Kropáček from Hnutí Duha says: „The containers for recycling waste should be closer than containers for depositing garbage. Only in this case people would start to recycle. Now, there is opposite situation in Brno. That´s the reason why the percent of recycling there is so small.“ Almost everybody in Brno have in front of his house some dustbin for depositing waste but not for recycling waste.

Is promotional campaign effective? Kropáček from Hnutí Duha says: „Our organisation was invited to cooperate on this promotional campaign, but we couldn´t take part in this project because of capacity. Every promotion is really good, because it can offer some new information for people. But this campaign and the campaign last year suffered from shortage of finances. There were exactly only three Czech crowns per one citizen of Brno. And it´s really little. Promotional campaign have to be completed with effort to change the system. Campaign without systems change can´t have no response. People can be informed, but if there isn´t some opportunities to recycle for them, for example more containers, they won´t start recycling.“

The city would like to increase number of containers and so on increase the frequency of taking out wastes. Brno is preparing new projects about recycling waste. According to Vaněček, city official there might be new promotional campaign next year. But there is problem about finances. There should be also recycling line for Brno in 2010. Recycling line is place where is checked up things from containers for recycling waste, if there is only recycled garbage. And Brno would like to recycle new sorts of wastes. Like for example tetrapak packs. Next year people in Brno can compost their biological waste. For example something from their garden or biological house waste. It´s for example skins of fruits. The city will offer people some composters. Brno also starting campaign against non-requesty advertising leaflets for example some offers from supermarkets, which fulfiling peoples post boxes. It should stop making unnecessary waste.

Gambling v České republice/ Name the game

2008-12-02T12:34:00.001+01:00

Chorobné hráčství neboli gambling je psychická porucha srovnatelná se závislostí na drogách. Postihuje zejména mužskou část populace prakticky v každém věku. Tento text informuje o osobních osudech hráčů, způsobech léčby a nabízí i možnost prověření vlastní náchylnosti ke hráčství.

Igor Dostál
219521@mail.muni.cz

The poorly lit room is filled by a cigarette smoke. In long mirrors on walls all around reflects not only winking manycouloured lights of slot machines but also distressed face of a young man. He is smoking and drinking a beer. He looks really forlorn in his dirty jeans and jacket. ”That was my usual day. I have to be kicked off my parents house to realize that it’s an illness and I couldn’t stop it,” says Michal, 34, now recovering gambler.

He is one of many victims of rush of slot machines that came to Czech republic after velvet revolution in 1989. According to informations of Ministry of finance there are 56,000 slot machines in 3046 places in Czech republic now. They have brought 52.8 billion crowns to their entrepreneurs last year. This is how looks the other side of situation which brings to one group of people money and succes and to the other people financial ruin and breakes their families.

Gambling is defined as mental alienation which manifests with uncontrollable craze for playing hazardous games, that grow into an addiction where the focus is not on winning, but on enjoyment of the game itself. As an issue of medicine was gambling marked in 1980 by American psychiatrical society. In Czech Republic the term pathological gambling is used since year 1994. Gambling is usually compared to addiction on cocaine – in both cases is subject passed through phase of euphory and phase of physical exhaustion.

Clinical psychologist Dobrila Hrůzová, 61, has worked with gamblers in addicts rehabilitation centre in Kroměříž for the past fifteen years. On her department are about ten patients under teratment. ”Most of them are men, because women haven’t such a strong disposition for risk. It’s determinated genetically. If the gambler isn’t psychotic or agressive it’s mostly quite pleasant person. Other psychichal problems come hand in hand with stress connected with debts and lowered care of hygiene. When I started, my patients used to have debts in tens of thousands. Recently it use to be in millions. It happends because it’s easier to get a loan from bank and a lot of usurers and also owners of casinos started to specialize on lending money.”

”It was something new, when I saw the first slot machine in a bar in our town,” Michal explains. ”I was twenty and I wanted to try it and started to play. It was innocent entertainment. I have played away few crowns that day. But I had to return back next day and another and another. Finally I had to borrow money from my family and friends. It was just like obsession. I’ve believed that I have to win my money back next time. I have lost about 120 thousand crowns. Actually break up of my family, when my parents lost patience with me, was the last drop that made me to look for professional help,” recalls Michal.

Doctor Hrůzová says: ”We use cognitive-behavioral therapy, which consists of training to stand by a slot machine and to overcome longing for the game. That’s the most natural way of treatment. We don’t use any pharmaceuticals, because gambling isn’t physical disease. The gambler could not be totaly cured, he can only abstain for the rest of his life.” Length of treatment is two month.

One of patients passing through the cure is also Václav. ”It is really difficult for me. We are sent to the centre of city in pairs with notebooks to write down our feelings. We have to go around gambling clubs and record what impressions it cause to us. But I know that it is no renunciation without temptation,” narrates Václav, 22. ”We organize periodical sittings of current and former patients usually four times a year. It helps to aour patients, when they can hear that it’s possible to live without playing and it is also good way to ascertain how successful we were, because we don’t have another retroaction,” mentions Hrůzová.

Beside institutional care, those in need can use some of help programs which are often established by ex-gamblers, like Parents of Young Gamblers or Gamblers Anonymous, an international network that has its czech branch in Prague. ”Gamblers Anonymous is a self-help program and thousands of people with a desire to stop gambling attend our weekly meetings,” says the international executive secretary of Gamblers Anonymous, who is only identified as Karen H.

In present, and that is also prognosis for future, gambling shifts more and more to the internet, where it is much more easier to get into addiction. Experts say that the first step which potential addict has to do, is to name and wise up to his problem. To this purpose Gamblers Anonymous has made special questionaire. Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.
1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom or loneliness?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

Vstal jako křesťan, ale šel spát jako muslim/ They woke up Christian, but went to sleep Muslim

2008-12-02T12:33:00.000+01:00

Brno – V době, kdy většina obyvatel Západu spojuje islám s terorismem a sebevražednými útoky, existuje nejméně pět set Čechů (z toho několik desítek přímo v Brně), kteří se rozhodli změnit své náboženství a přestoupit k islámu. Co lidi k takovému rozhodnutí vede? A jak se jim s novou vírou žije? Na to se snaží najít odpověď článek nazvaný “They woke up Christian, but went to sleep Muslim”.

Martina Dočkalová
uzn@mail.muni.cz

It is a Friday evening and the Muslims of Brno are gathered for the week’s most important prayers. The imam’s voice resonates from a room covered with oriental carpets, whose eastern wall is lined with Koranic verses. His voice is so strong, that it carries to the street outside.
But who expects Arabic language is wrong. The prayer is in Czech. As the services take place in the Czech Republic ’s first mosque, here to serve the Muslims of Brno, including the Czech converts to Islam. “Czech Muslims don’t speak Arabic at all, but everyone has a right to understand words of the prophet Muhammad,” explains Jalal Atassi, vice-chairman of the Islamic Foundation of Brno.

Increasing phenomenon
In an era when many in the West connect Islam with negative phenomena such as terrorism, among the thousands of foreign-born Muslims living in the Czech Republic, there are at least 500 Czech converts, dozens of them in Brno . “No one knows the exact numbers,” says Atassi. “We can just guess for example according to how many people come into the mosque.”
Overall, the number of Muslims in Brno – now estimated at 700 to 800 – is increasing, says, Atassi, with many of them from the Middle East, Bosnia and elsewhere. “Most of them are students,” he says.
According to the Islamic foundation chairman Hassan Muneeb, at the same time increase also number of the Czech converts. “The Czechs convert to Islam much more frequently than they used to, because they are now more in touch with Islamic culture and native born Muslims,” he says.
Interestingly, among the converts, women outnumber men four to one. Milan Válek, 38, who converted to Islam three years ago, has a theory for why some women convert. “The Muslim men are good looking; good smelling and they even don’t drink. I understand that for many Czech women this is like a dream,” he says, laughing.
His words confirms also covert Helena Kubrová, who met Islam for the first time, when a Muslim doctor came to a hospital, where she worked as a nurse. “He was so different than other men: so cultivated, proud, and high-principled,” she says. Kubrová was so bewitched by this man, that she became interested in Islam and the Muslim way of life. She spoke with other Muslims, visited a mosque and discovered that this religion is closer to her than Christianity. Finally she decided to convert.

There is no God, but Allah
Asked why they changed their religious beliefs, the question seems hard to answer. Even some experts don’t have a clear idea.
“The people can convert from many reasons,” says a Masaryk University professor of psychology Vladimír Smékal, who teaches psychology of religion. “They can yearn for a new lifestyle, for clearly defined rules. Some of them can search for meaning of life, while others could convert simply because they want to differ from their parents.”
People can convert to Islam at the moment when they present shahada – a declaration of faith – in front of two Muslim witnesses. “But in fact,” says Atassi, “a Muslim is anyone who believes that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
Valek, for example, converted because; he admired oriental culture and the Muslim way of life. “Since I lived very busy and stressful life, I admired that the Muslims are never in rush. One day, I woke up and took a call in a mosque. I told them I would like to become a Muslim. I went there, presented shahada and returned home as a Muslim,” he says.
However, Muneeb, the Islamic foundation chairman, says intentions of the converts are not always pure. “Once a man came to the mosque and cried that he is ready for a suicide mission in Palestine or Iraq ,” he says. “So I instantly threw him out. We are not interested in such people.”

As the Koran wishes
Czech Muslims say they live as other Czechs, but with some unique aspects.
While thousands of other 20-year-olds are enjoying life in the pubs all around the city, Lukáš Větrovec’s is on his way to mosque. He converted to Islam when he was 15. “Do I live differently now than I lived before? I don’t think so,” he says. “I just don’t eat pork, I don’t drink alcohol and I try to pray five times per day.”
But not all Czechs are tolerant of such differences. When the Muslim community of Brno first proposed building the mosque here 10 years ago, there was a strong resistance before it succeeded. “Life here always has flown between pork feasts and beer – the Muslims refuse both,” read one of the anti-mosque petitions at the time.
“To reduce the Czechs to pork-eating alcoholics doesn’t seem right,” says Atassi. “There are nondrinkers and veterinarians even among the Christians – are they then not Czechs?”
While Czech men who convert to Islam can walk the streets in anonymity, more religious women stand out – if they decide to wear the Muslim head-scarf, known as a hijab. An expression of faith, wearing a scarf in the Czech Republic is sometimes not an easy thing to do, says Kubrová.
She says she had serious problems in her job when she started to wear one. “You are here to do your work. Do not bring us here any kind of religion,” she says the boss told her. Although she worked in health services for 25 years, the hospital didn’t extend her contract, so she had to leave. She blames it on discrimination.
A Czech journalist in Brno, Hana Černohorská, wanted answer her question: how does it really feel to wear a head-scarf in Brno ? So she spent a day wearing a hijab. She attracted many long stares. “I felt like I was naked,” says Černohorská.
Smékal, of Masaryk University , says it has something to do with human fear. “Some people do not have a sense for diversity understanding,” says Smékal. “They are not used to deal with extraordinary things. If someone feels insecure, he can react aggressively. It might also correspond with a fact that the Czech people are not used to deal with strangers.”
The man, who decided to convert, actually made this decision also for their children. Because according to Islam, the children of a Muslim man (even if he is a convert) are Muslims too.
“When I decided to convert, my family respected my choice,” says Větrovec, the 20-year-old. However, “If any of my children wished not to be a Muslim, I would not be too happy. But I shall respect a right of the free choice. Just like it is written in Koran.”

Anorexie - podvyživený život s nemocí/ Life underweight: When the disease takes control

2008-12-02T12:28:00.002+01:00

„Pomoz mi zhubnout, prosím. Mám 154 cm a 44,5 kg. Moc trpím, potřebuji zhubnout pár kil,“ žadoní na jedné internetové diskuzi návštěvnice s přezdívkou Emushi. Není jediná, kdo touží po „dokonalejší“ postavě. Hubnutí se však snadno může vymknout z rukou. Bezdůvodná nespokojenost s vlastní tělesnou vahou je znamením varujícím před nebezpečím, jakým je anorexie.
Martina Dobiášová
217926@mail.muni.cz

Anna orders a cup of fruit tea and chooses the farthest corner of a tiny café. While sitting down at the table she feels dizzy but she rather didn´t admit. At first glance there is nothing unusual on this seventeen-years old girl wearing a sweatshirt which seems too large for her.

“Today I ate a white jogurt, half of apple and soup from a mug. Everybody keeps telling me I am ill but I just want to reach my dreamt-of weigh, forty five kilograms,“ Anna says. At her high 167 centimeters it makes 16 points of body mass index, meaning deep underweight. She believes after reaching the actual weight to feel finaly comfortable in her own body. Anna is sure she will be able to stop then.

Altough she herself refuses such a diagnosis, her closest friends and realtives believe she suffers from tricky disease known as anorexia. For the others it is a curse, for her the only sense of life.

According to Jarmila Švédová, a consultant for eating disorders from civil association Anabell in Brno, anorexia is mental illness relating mostly to developed over-supllied societies which members are expected to be active, ambitious and diligent. In such cultures where the main priority is social and financial success the exaggerated emphasis on youth and beauty happens to occur. This trend is highly supported by media. Again and again the magazines and television presents todays ideal of beauty which includes also the necessity of being slim.

Dušan Fádler from modeling agency D.F.C. Fashion Club explains that there is the worldwide standard. Clothes created by fashion designers must fit every model in the world. All of them are expected to be at least 175 centimeters with ideal proportions of breast, waist and hips 90-60-90. This corresponds to clothing size 34.

Švédová is positive about anorexia not to be anything new.: “This eating disorder has been appearing massively since 70s. But it existed even before then.“ In agreement with her words, this particular kind of illness concerns mainly teenager girls from twelve to sixteen years of age.

Experts agree on the main symptoms: the disease is characterized by dramatic weight loss. The victims, mostly young women, starve themselves constantly and fear obesity although they are skinny. Anorexics see themselves always fat. They follow strict diets and exercise to the point of exhaustion, often they feel guilt of eating. Thanks to this regime they damage their health. Problems accompanying anorexia might be for example: headaches, irregular heartbeats, stomach pains, kidney and liver damage, anemia or infertility. In the end the illness may lead even to death.

Nowadays many girls have adopted dieting as their lifestyle, they call themselves ANA and worship anorexia officially. On internet there is possibe to find number of blogs where they exchange thein experiences and advise each other how to lose weigh.

“I heard that in some countries anorexics mark themselves with certain kind of tatoo, they wear a special bracelets. I believe the feeling of belonging somewhere helps them.“ Švédová says.

“I have been on diet since my ninth grade. I exercise at least half an hour everyday, mainly in fitness centre or at home according to the videotape. If I don´t exercise enough I am angry with myself. I plan what to eat the next day and I never get over four hundred kilocalories. Earlier I was able to lose three kilograms in three days,“ Anna describes her daily regime.

According to nutrition specialists from organization STOB (the abbreviation stands for STop OBesity), while being on diet the daily amount of energy should never be less than 1000 kilocalories.

Švédová believes there are many factors that influence the rise of anorexia; social and family relations, the way in which the person was raised, the physical changes while getting adult as well as the mental qualities. It has not been neither proved nor disproved that the rise of anorexia could be hereditary. Despite the thorough media agency that provides society with the ideals of beauty, Švédová refuses it would be the main reason why anorexia is so widespread among young generation.

“The fashion trends are relevant but they function more as a starter that as the main cause. The emphasis on appearance, importance of being slim and fear of getting obese concern from 60% to 90 % of people but only a few of them become ill,“ she explains and adds that the victims happen to be introvert people with lack of confidence and self-esteem.

Andrea Bakalová, the artterapist from Brno, works with her clients by means of various creative techniques, mostly painting. She agrees: “My clients often come from places that set high standards for them. For example while attending school they were supposed to have outstanding results. The family was having great expectations and these people felt worthless.“

Although Anna does not consider anorexia to be a disease, she knows there is something wrong with her life. “I hate people telling me I am either skinny or fat. I resent everything,“ she admits. Anna runs to scales every morning. She has tried various methods how to avoid hunger and speed up the loss of kilos. “I tried chewing icecubes but with no effect. Another time I wrapped my belly and thighs into food foil to sweat.“ Anna found a lot of these tips in magazines or on the internet.

In fact desire for unhealthy skinny body is not the reason but the result. Mental anorexia is psychical disorder and usually originates in traumatic experiences, for example from early childhood. Bakalová believes that in many cases the relationship between a child and a mother could be the key factor.

František David Krch, the specialist on anorexia from General Teaching Hospital in Prague, points out that nearly two thirds of his patients have a traumatic life experience.
Victims often feel helpless and inferior. The illness gives them back illusive power to act because their weigh appears as the only thing in their lives easy to control. The disease becomes the way how they protect themselves. Anna´s story is just one from many:

At the time she was born her parents were both seventeen. They married and had another child. Her mother found new partner soon and everything went wrong.

“He used to beat us up. Nobody knew. And one day it came to the worst. He killed my baby brother,“ Anna remembers.

She has been living at her grandma´s since she was three. None of her parents has legal right to raise her, they are both alcoholics. She sees mum twice a year; on Christmas and during summer holiday. Her father got into debts and he decided to undergo medical treatment.

As Anna tells her story she describes the worst moments of her life that lead to the rise of illness. As a little child she was forced to face the worst events that even many adult people could hardly imagine, speak nothing of handling them.

“No one has ever forced me to visit psychologist but I have already considered it myself. Sometimes I feel it would help. I am not able to think about anything but food,“ Anna says as she is playing with a spoon nervously.