Many developed countries around the world are no stranger to immigration, but immigration on this scale? This is certainly a visionary plan, but I can't even imagine the sort of tensions between native-born Czechs and newcomers that might arise because of it. But at least we know one thing for certain: if this many people from the developing world find the Czech Republic attractive enough economically and socially to consider emigrating there, the country truly has entered the ranks of the first world. And just 20 years after the end of communism!

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2008/04/09/foreigners-could-make-up-30-percent-of-country-by-2050.php

Intrigue in the Judiciary

No sooner had I gotten done writing a report on corruption in the Czech bureacracy and judiciary than I came across this article about questionable judicial practices here. Whatever the particular ins and outs of this particular case, Czech officials certainly seem to be given the benefit of the doubt even when that might not be the smartest course of action. Not that such a practice is necessarily unique to the CR...

http://praguepost.com/articles/2008/03/05/supreme-court-allows-judge-to-stay.php

czech your thoughts here

Live in the Czech Republic? Spent some time there? Passed through there? Come on, you know y'all at least have a cool story about something you did in Prague. Or something you heard someone did in Prague. Whatever it is--feel free to post up some comments here!

The ugly side of democracy

Hopefully the absurdity inherent in a group of demonstrators needing to be outnumbered five to one by police officers in order to ensure both their safety and that of those looking on was not lost on the crowd which gathered to jeer this Neo-Nazi protest in Plzen. While no one ever likes to see such hateful speech on a public street, that's the tradeoff that comes with embracing a free market and liberal institutions--the government no longer reserves the right to tell its citizens what to believe. I'd like to think the Czech people feel better off now than 20 years ago even if they do have to deal with some occasional hate-mongering.

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2008/02/27/neo-nazis-march-in-plze-surrounded-by-police.php

In the spirit of cooperation...

The Prague Post reported today that the Czech president supports the idea of placing a United States missile defense site somewhere inside the country and is on his way to America to discuss where it's to be located with President Bush. Although the NATO alliance may be losing its relevancy in a post-9/11 world, the common ties that have bound Europe and North America since the start of the Cold War are showing themselves again in this relatively complex and contentious plan. Even the players are the same: the United States and Russia find themselves facing off over a perennial Soviet-era bone of contention, nuclear proliferation. Feels like it's 1962 all over again, doesn't it?

Labor troubles

Czech-owned carmaker Skoda is becoming more and more popular throughout the E.U. what with the relaxed trade regulations that come along with membership, but the late-breaking little scandal that's embarassed the company provides proof that the Union's borders haven't quite disappeared yet. The Prague Post describes what's going on here.

http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2008/02/06/zetka-caught-exploiting-polish-auto-workers.php

We don't all speak Czech

The Czech Republic might be sweet as sugar, but it's a little on the small side and doesn't have the most far-flung diaspora of native speakers (or secondary speakers for that matter), so I thought it might make sense to put up some links to English-language media sources within and without the country.

http://www.praguepost.com/index.php

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/ N.B. a good amount of Czech here too

http://www.columbia.edu/%7Ejs322/czech.html (sort of a mixed bag)