Parliament Does Not Support Amendment Freeing Tymoshenko


Today, the Ukraine parliament dismissed, within the Code of Criminal Procedure amendment, the motion to revoke an article based on which the opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, was sentenced.


The amendment that would lead to freeing the imprisoned former Prime Minister was revoked during second reading of the proposal for mitigation of sentences for economic offences.


In October, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for entering into what was reported to be a disadvantageous gas deal with Russia.


The verdict is not yet final; the court will hear Tymoshenko's appeal in December.


Tymoshenko claims the verdict is a political revenge of the regime; in the West, the trial has also evoked suspicion of being biased.


The proposal to remove Article 365 from the Code of Criminal Procedure, upon which the former Prime Minister was sentenced, was supported by 147 members of parliament.


Its ratification would require 226 votes.


Libya's Victory


The story of Libya's liberation, or rebellion, already has its defeated.


Muammar Kaddafi is buried at an unknown place in the desert. Without him, the war is over.


It is time to define the winners.


As a rule, Islamists win in the country; the question is whether they are the moderate or the radical ones.


The transitional cabinet declared itself a follower of the customary Sharia law, of which we have already heard.


Libya will become a crime free country, as the punishment for stealing is having one's hand amputated.


Women can forget about emancipation; potential religious renegades will be executed; etc.


Instead of a dictator, a society consisting of competing tribes will be united by Koran.


Libya will be in an order we cannot imagine and surely would not ask for.


However, our lifestyle is neither unique nor the best one and would not, most probably, be suitable for, for example, the people of Libya.


In fact, it is a wonder that the Islamic fighters accepted help from the nonbelievers.


Their only excuse is that from their point of view, NATO raids were not controlled by an American general, but Allah, the greatness of whom they celebrated with each strike.


When winners are sought for in Libya, the West is not on the list.


We participated in a shooting, served Islam, and our politicians got rid of a dictator, their political ally, without any guarantee of profit.


Given the recent bad experience from Afghanistan and Iraq, we decided against military occupation of Libya.


The locals thus do not have to worry about expelling of the "crusaders."


Without the occupation, will the oil companies get Libya's black gold for next to nothing, though?


It is quite likely that they will not. The West will then finally be able to boast about its selfless protection of human rights.


Unless the followers of the Sharia law put a stop to that.


New Era of Crisis Commences


France and the rest of Europe are now in the investors" spotlight.


A statistical storm blew over Europe on Tuesday.


Individual countries released their 3Q GDP data.


Between quarters, the Czech economy stagnated; Germany and France are growing.


Yet the debit market is breaking records today.


Investors are no longer looking at only Italy; they now focus on Spain, France, Austria, and others.


Eurozone statistical offices in Germany, Czech Republic, and some other countries, released their preliminary estimates of economic development in the third quarter.


Germany's GDP has grown by the expected 0.5%; and France's by 0.4%.


Both countries also adjusted their second quarter data, where Germany did better than expected (a 0.3% increase instead of the original 0.1%). France reported a slight decrease, by 0.1% (the original information suggested stagnation).


In this year's third quarter, the Czech economy showed an interim increase of 1.5%.


Between the quarters though, the GDP stagnated. According to the Czech Statistical Office, this confirmed the trend of a gradual slowing of economic growth.


The results are worse than estimates by analysts.


Key events:


In this year's third quarter, Czech economy showed an interim increase of 1.5%; however, it stagnated between the quarters.


Based on preliminary and seasonal data, in the third quarter, the German economy grew by 0.5%.


Between July and September, the economy of both the Eurozone and the European Union grew, compared to the previous quarter, by 0.2%, which corresponds with estimates by analysts.


The Greek economy showed an interim decrease of 5.2%.


The earnings on its 10-year bonds are 28.45%.


Earnings of both Italian and Spanish bonds are growing towards critical limits.


Even Austria, Netherlands, France, and Belgium, etc. are beginning to experience problems.


Despite the fact that the situation in the region is getting worse, earnings of Czech 1 - year bonds stay under 4%.


Voices are coming from Germany, suggesting that ECB be the last resort creditor.


Czechs qualified for EURO.


In Montenegro they won 1:0 and celebrate a 200 million windfall.


Football representation successfully managed the toughest task of the season!


Thanks to both the great Čech and beautiful goal of Petr Jiráček ,they won 1:0.


In the second half, Czech football was lucky to maintain its luxury lead from the home return match, and will again feature at the European Championship.


IHNED.cz watched the progress match in a detailed report.


Nearly no excitement in the first half, and a great portion of luck in the other.


Czech representation team, partially due to the home team's failure in the close; the great Čech; and heroic Jiráček; won 1:0 in Montenegro, and celebrates moving on to the European Championship.


Perfect Czech team defence only allowed the Montenegro team to threaten in the second half.


Damjanovic and Vucinic became the match's least lucky couple after losing two great opportunities.


The wonderful Petr Čech is one of the reasons the Czech representation team will not miss the next year's European Championship. And Czech football will thus gain nearly 200 million Czech Crowns.


From the opening minutes, the game was very pugnacious.


Both teams found it difficult to join in the combination; the game remained around the mid-field line most of the time.


That was also why there was no pressure from the home team in the first half. Long kicks behind the defence were neatly averted by the Czech defence.


Iranian Students Are Prepared to Die for Their Country's Nuclear Program


They created a live shield.


Several hundred university students created a live chain around the nuclear power plant in Iran.


The gesture is to express their support of their country's nuclear program against a possible Israel attack.


At Tuesday noon, students' prayers in front of the building were followed by their chanting of death to both the USA and Israel.


In Isfahan, Iran, several hundred university students created a live chain around Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility.


This way, they express their readiness to protect their country's nuclear program with their own lives.


In its recent report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that everything leads to the conclusion that Iran has not stopped striving for a nuclear weapon.


Possible attack on Iran nuclear facilities has been discussed in Israel.


At Tuesday noon, students' prayers in front of the entrance into Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility were followed by their chanting of death to both the USA and Israel.


In case of an attack, aimed at the highest possible paralysation of the Iranian nuclear program, the targets would be, based on Israel press, the facilities in both Isfahan and Natanz, where the uranium is being enriched.


An Obese Child's Diet: No breakfast and sausage for dinner


Over a third of children between 9 and 13 are overweight; while 9% of schoolchildren are overweight, 5% are obese.


As a recent research shows, obese children usually come from families with unhealthy lifestyle.


Again, we can see the importance of the environment and models surrounding a human being for his or her healthy development.


For example, sausages occur up to half more frequently on the tables of obese children compared to the families of children with standard weight.


Over 19% of obese children had fried chips for dinner the day before the research connected to the educational event called Obesity is No Accident.


Moreover, the families of obese children do not practise sports. However, this concerns a majority of families of current schoolchildren - only 15% of the children said their parents find time for sports activities at least once a week.


The research was performed among 900 children.


The research took place at the end of last year's school year; it included almost 900 elementary school children from throughout Bohemia.


It was the second year of the Obesity is No Accident event supported by both Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna insurance company and Unilever.


So far, the project has been joined by over 12 thousand school children from 4th to 8th grades.


Proper diet and sufficient sports activities represent key defining factors causing dramatically growing number of children who are either overweight or obese.


"For example, only half of those inquired said they have five meals a day, in the breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner pattern, one of the basic preconditions of correct diet," one of the results of the research says.


No lunch and sausage in the evening


Experts warn that even relative details are crucial for healthy development; such as a regular time of family breakfast.


In the Czech Republic, only 23% of schoolchildren's families have breakfast together.


In a majority of families, everyone has breakfast separately.


The worst discovery was the fact that in one tenth of households people do not have breakfast at all.


Yet breakfast is the core of proper daily diet.


A survey has shown that fries are consumed more often in the families of obese children.


Nearly everyone - regardless of their weight - drinks sweet soft drinks every day (70%).


Though over 40% of children do sports regularly, the number drops down to less than a half - 15% - when it comes to their parents.


Compose your own menu


Another part of the survey allowed selected children (204 boys and 172 girls from 13 schools) to compose their own menu based on selection offered and their taste and opinions.


"Diet preferences of Czech children between 12 and 15 are far from ideal as regards healthy diet."


Their favourite meals include large number of flour, meat, and sweet dishes.


"Especially alarming is the high popularity of sweet soft drinks," the final report of the survey concludes.


As the main dish for lunch, pasta won very tightly over poultry.


However, children showed very little interest in legumes, fish, and vegetable lunches.


Tendency towards health


The survey also showed that children are willing to adjust their eating habits provided they are given correct information.


"Many participants from the survey control group showed a significant shift of preferences towards healthy food when completing a questionnaire after the end of the Obesity is No Accident educational lecture," project results show.


This was quite significant, for example, in case of sweet soft drinks, where more children would begin to prefer plain water.


In addition, for their main course, children ticked poultry and fish more often, limiting sweet meals and dumplings.


A Stylist Must Also Be a Good Psychologist, Professionals Claim


In the opening article on stylist training, I was complaining a bit about the amount of information in the introductory lessons.


I had no idea what was coming.


Lectures by three experts from the field; dressing tips for difficult figures; and a seminar on how it works in practise.


And more is yet to come.


The closer we get to the final exam, the more information and practical tasks await.


The training takes place every Saturday and Sunday, but it is really packed with information.


This time, together with Alenka, the Director, (there is not a single man in the course) we discussed how to dress a woman whose body is not in perfect symmetry.


A majority of women are not perfectly symmetrical.


One has a short neck, the other has a boyish figure without proper curves, yet another is overweight.


A stylist must know how to optically soften wide shoulders, make the neck look longer, or add the curves necessary.


We were given tips on how to accentuate the figure of women such as Jennifer Lopez, i.e. with bigger breasts and hips and narrow waist, and not to dress them too provocatively.


For example, if the difference between the waist and hips is such that the skirt or trousers do not fit, it is worth to have at least one piece custom-made.


You will definitely not regret the investment, as perfectly fitting clothes are priceless.


In a custom-made skirt, you will feel much better than in one that keeps shifting, rolling up, sticking out in your waist, etc.


Boyish figures, on the other hand, can wear clothes with ruffling, appliqué, embroidery, or shirring.


Given the abundance of such information and figure types, I am glad to have a whole week to sort it all out in my head.


Still, I fear it is too much, with regard to the homework we were given.


Each of the course participants was given a celebrity to create two outfits for: day and night.


We must consider their current appearance, their fashion style, and figure type.


I am to dress Miranda Kerr whom you may know from the Victoria's Secret campaigns.


Inside I rejoice, as she is so much easier to dress than, say, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, who has recently gained about a ton (please, understand I am exaggerating), or the very young Selena Gomez.


We must cut the clothes out of magazines or find them on the Internet and print and graphically process them.


Moodboard, as the result is called, then expresses our personal style and attitude to graphic depiction.


It is important to think about the graphic part of styling.


A stylist does not just dress physical people, but creates product pages in magazines (based on specific instructions, for example, trendy purses, coats, etc.).


This is what a stylist and designer, Mario Kameník, was telling us about.


But that was not until Sunday.


A stylist needs general knowledge


Saturday's lecture, filled with information on figure types, was livened up by three guests from the field.


A stylist, Honza Pokorný; a fashion designer, Jakub Polanka; and a fashion photographer, Ben Renč.


Jakub reminded us that fashion is an illusion, and a stylist should be able to use this fact.


A good stylist can work with a single piece of clothing in different ways.


In this case, variability is key.


For example, a trench coat may be worn in the standard way, over jeans and T-shirt, as a coat; but it may also be worn on naked body, with step-ins, as a dress.


Another option is rolling up the sleeves or collar, and the entire look changes completely.


"Play with it," he emphasised.


However, I appreciated the following advice the most: "For your work, you need to know the rules perfectly."


'Then you can start breaking them,' Jakub told us.


Here I finally understood why we drill all the definitions and rules of what to combine with what and why, while in fashion magazines we often see something else.


Not to mention fashion shows.


From Ben, the photographer, I learned that a stylist must have more outfit versions prepared than the number he is to take pictures of.


So, for a ten-page fashion story (equals ten outfits), I have to be ready to create at least fifteen of them.


Now I also know that in the picture, a piece of clothing often looks and functions in combination with others completely different from reality.


We must therefore take that into consideration when creating an outfit.


Honza Pokorný confirmed that image and style often are half the success.


Just look at Madonna, who is no miraculous singer, yet her image and marketing turned her into a worldwide star.


The attitude towards stylist services is still rather cold in the Czech Republic.


Even famous people often consider it redundant (believing it is sufficient to be good at something, and how they look at it comes second).


And if someone finally lets us create their styling, then we should expect them to give us different (smaller) size than what they really wear.


Then, we are left to Google and find out if the tabloids wrote something about a celebrity gaining/losing weight, etc.


On Sunday, both Honza and Mario were stressing the fact that for a stylist it is not enough to know about fashion and be able to create an outfit.


Our work chiefly consists of communicating with people we dress; it is therefore important to be a good psychologist.


To be able to estimate people, not to pander, and stick to one's opinion.


"If a manager asks you to go through her clothes and add some nice pieces, you cannot throw out her entire wardrobe telling her how awful the clothes are."


"Find at least a few pieces you can praise, and recommend what to wear them with" Mario says.


He also showed us what specifically a duty bag must contain.


That is the bag you fasten around your waist to carry all the props you need.


Aside from the obvious things, such as scissors, a sticky roller, or safety pins, it should have a nylon thread (for the stylist to use when taking pictures of products such as purses or hats), special clip-ons for holding the clothes in the back in case it is too large (pins and similar things are forbidden as they damage the clothes), or a sewing set.


To have some change from listening, and gain some practical experience, we learned how to properly underlay shoe soles.


Even when taking photographs in a studio where the surface is even, the soles might get damaged - not to mention shooting outside.


And so we were sticking away.


You must not touch the shoes with the scissors, to avoid any damage.


This requires real skill.


Mario pleased me by praising my job.


The skills mentioned are really not my cup of tea.


This is just a fragment of what we heard during the second weekend course session.


I am beginning to realise that to be a professional stylist is no piece of cake, no matter what people say.


V Need for Speed: The Run takes place across America.


Review


An originally carefree ride turned into a routine morning drive to work because of a series of completely superfluous and sloppy mistakes.


The ambitions were met to a certain point, but it does not matter since nobody obviously wanted to do any extra work.


Before it was released, the new version subtitled The Run created high expectations.


It promised to shift the old Need For Speed racing series in a new direction; the demos made it look like a game that might stand up in the action racing genre.


We were curious to see the sections where the main character gets out of the car and runs.


Typical for the NFS series though, in the end many things are different from what we expected.


The game represents a possibly decent arcade race, but the whole is burdened by several unnecessary mistakes featured in the series for a number of years.


This means they are not really mistakes, but the expression of an incomprehensible laziness of the developers.


The adventure opens very well.


You are introduced into a story, where the main character, Jack, decides to solve some personal issues by participating in an illegal race across America.


You get in the car on the west coast, in San Francisco, and your task is to be the first one to reach New York.


The idea brings several interesting features.


The route is divided into ten stages, subdivided into over fifty races.


This means each race takes place on a different route, and given stages are set in varied and interesting environments.


One thus does not feel the game keeps offering the same things.


Despite the graphics being on the same level of previous parts of the series, some of the environments are very nice to look at.


Still, it is nothing world-shattering.


Driving through the desert, autumnal countryside, or high in snow-covered mountains is visually very pleasant though.


In addition, the races are, from time to time, enlivened by an untypical feature.


For example, in the desert, you get into a sandstorm, significantly decreasing the visibility.


On the other hand, in the mountains, you have to be careful not to get under an avalanche.


Individual races are ordered fairly well.


There are just a few types, but it is sufficient.


For a while, you try to overtake a number of competitors (basically a regular race); then you try to beat the time (standard stopwatch race); or you are in a duel with a single rival.


On top of everything else you sometimes come across the police who make your efforts more difficult.


The parts outside the car are new.


They are just interactive animations, where most of the time Jack is running away from someone and you need to help him by pressing the right buttons at the right time.


Nothing difficult.


It is a surprise though, that these parts are much less in number than you would expect (just three to be precise).


It actually turns out to be good for the game, because this feature does not get to be boring; within what was already said, it is one of the things that make the game more entertaining.


The driving model follows the footsteps of the previous parts.


This means that it is nothing special anymore, but it cannot be considered a negative.


If you are looking for a real-to-life simulation, you will have to look elsewhere.


Still, this driving model is fully suitable for the action style racing, even though we could find better at the competition.


So far, everything is just right.


However, after some time, problems come.


In contrast with the driving model, the collision model is not that good.


From a game of this type, one does not expect complicated deformations and collisions, but when you have no idea, before crashing into any object, how your car will act, something is not right.


Typically, when overtaking or passing cars tightly in common traffic, you sometimes lightly touch the other car. Yet sometimes in nearly identical situation your car ends up in wild pirouettes.


Or, crashed completely.


This is not such a big deal due to the restart system, but is enough to spoil the fun.


The restarts are done so that if you crash or get far off the track, the game takes you back to the last interrupted point.


Nevertheless, there are only five restarts available per each race.


If you use them up, you have to start the race from the beginning.


This makes it an aid in case something does not work out, but you cannot rely on it completely.


Sometimes the restarts are not enough and you need to learn a given section of the race by heart.


A significant shortcoming of the game is the fact that the same things often happen in the same places.


For example, some turns have to be driven through in a specific way, otherwise you simply do not fit in.


At other times you meet civilian cars at a given place in the very same configuration, no matter if you come first, fifth, five seconds earlier, or one minute later.


This is especially annoying in situations where you can see how your rival drives through the two cars coming in the opposite direction so easily, while when you get there, the cars are already positioned so that you have to either drive around or slow down.


It makes no difference when you get to them; everything is set so that the situation always occurs just in front of your nose.


The competitors have other advantages, too.


While playing the game, you find several places, where, regardless of time, the same competitor overtakes you at the very same spot.


This is most obvious at the end of the game, on a long bridge, where you are driving in the opposite direction.


Obviously, your rival has to get in front of you no matter what.


The thing is that when he is driving in front of you, he makes your vision worse, which causes you to crash the car a few times in the section.


One can understand the attempt at making the game more interesting and adrenalin-filled, but it is so obvious it gets annoying quickly.


It's a pity, because despite the simple driving model, the game is entertaining and sometimes even so full of action you do not have time to pay attention to what is happening around you.


It is not important whether the reason you do not get bored is the concept with fifty unique tracks, ordering of races, or something else.


The idea of changing cars during races is unusual.


You have to watch out for gas stations along the way, as that is where you car may change despite the fact that in most of the cases the one you have is fully sufficient.


Cars are divided into three categories.


Sports cars are suitable for cities; strong American cars for straight highway sections; and exotic supersports cars for technical driving, such as along crooked mountain tracks.


The key story mode is closely connected with the challenge mode; these are the races in individual locations you know from the story.


Here, you gain both medals and experience points for your profile, common for both challenges and the story.


Various features unlock fir getting a higher driver level: starting with cars and ending with profile backgrounds.


Again, the profile is interconnected with an on-line Autolog function, which, among other things, compares the results you have reached with those of other players, and ensures community functions.


Yet another setback difficult to understand; is the situation from the last race in the story.


You and your car get into a subway tunnel (let's say you do), where you speed down the tracks in the darkness (let's say you do).


Your speedometer shows numbers from 150 to 200 km/h (let's say it does), when suddenly, a subway train comes running down from behind you, turning your car into a pile of scrap metal.


For several days, our editorial staff kept discussing whether when designing the game no one thought for a moment or whether its authors really think we are such morons.


The technical part of the game is nothing extraordinary; but the overall visual impression is mostly pleasant, sometimes even great.


It is a pity though, that in some dramatic moments, the recording, in some cases rather tragically, decreases.


This especially concerns accidents with large number of participants, where fluent recoding would not help you much anyway.


The sound is all right; the soundtrack is a matter of taste.


In order to please the widest possible young audience, the soundtrack is 'flecked in from all quarters'; but there probably will not be many people buying the game because of its music.


Overall impression of Need for Speed: The Run is quite confused.


If the game avoided those clearly redundant mistakes, we could sincerely say that The Run is the best part of NFS for the past several years.


However, the game feels unfinished.


It surely is a nice entertainment, but prepare to be blinded by the mistakes with the strength of airport spotlights.


UK's Choirs Will Sing at the Students for Velvet Concert


The third year of the Festa Academia Festival offers joining the international Students' Day and Velvet Revolution anniversary with a musical event.


It will introduce about twenty high school and university choirs.


The main focus of the festival is on two concerts taking place on November 17.


"Charles University has been greatly involved in the festival."


"Participating choirs include the Choir of the Pedagogical Department and Humanities; Václav Hampl, the Rector, will be in the committee," Jakub Čaloun, head of the organisation team says.


The climax will be a free public concert by high school choirs, which takes place at 2 p.m., on November 17, at a plaza in front of the National Technical Library in Dejvice.


Celebration Jazz Mass, a piece by an important Czech jazzman, Karel Růžička is on the programme.


In the evening, in the ceremonial National House in Vinohrady, there will be a "Students for Velvet" concert, featuring university choirs, including those from the Charles University.


The aim of Festa Academica is to celebrate the international Students" Day and commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Velvet Revolution with dignity; as well as to present the public with top quality choir music, and to develop creative cooperation among young people.


The chief organiser is českých pěveckých sborů (Czech Choirs) in cooperation with Jan Kepler's Grammar School.


The entire event is under the auspices of Bohuslav Svoboda, Lord Mayor of Prague, and Václav Hampl, Rector of Charles University.


The festival takes place from November 16 to 20, in Prague and Pardubice.


The programme offers both ceremonial concerts and numerous musical meetings, students" happenings, matinées, and more.


For detailed information please visit festival web pages at: www.festaacademica.cz


EU Ambassadress Vicenová:


Czechs have the reputation of being negative and euro-sceptical


"Lisbon Treaty caused significant imbalance between individual institutions."


"I did not expect it to be such a tough war."


"It will take five or six years before the situation becomes somewhat stable, calm, and before all players get used to their new roles," EU Ambassadress Milena Vicenová opened her lecture at the Law Department sharply.


She proved how true she is to her "Clearly and openly about Europe" motto in the very first part of her lecture, where she described individual EU organs and the relationships between them in such a clear and intelligible, way that many lecturers from the UK Law Dept. could be jealous.


Moreover, Vicenová praised the work of new long-term President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy:


"At first, critics said he was plain, a grey office mouse who cannot fulfil any roles; I have to say everyone was amazed at how wonderfully he acquitted his role."


"He is a person who can listen to all twenty-seven member states, communicate with them perfectly, and who has a clear vision of where the EU should be headed."


She explained her new position of foreign affairs and security policy representative as a reply to a question: "Who is the European Union? Which phone number should I call?"; i.e. as an important step to unification and better clarity of Union's policy towards countries such as China or India.


No One Wants To Ban Our Cheese Specialties


Vicenová further focused on the agenda crucial for the EU in the past, present, and near future.


She described Czech presidency from the year before last as a success.


Czechs were dealing with the coming financial crisis; they solved the as crisis; and organised the East Partnership Summit.


She said the fall of the government at the time was a great negative causing significant damage to the Czech Republic.


Currently, Czech representatives in the EU has been very busy.


As the ambassadress said, both the presidency and the following financial crisis caused an ongoing stirring.


In addition, a new seven-year EU budget needs to be passed, which is very complicated due to the current crisis.


Whether the budget will be slim and frugal; which fields will be given preference; which countries will be supported more and which less; all of that is on the coming agenda.


The ambassadress reminded the key slogans she took to Brussels: "About Europe, Clearly."


"I really do not like all the abbreviations, foreign words, and jargon no one understands.


How are citizens supposed to understand that in Brussels, people are not trying to come up with crooked or round cucumbers, different size bananas, or that someone wants to ban our cheese specialties.'


She also wants to use the EU environment better, and get more Czechs into European institutions.


Multispeed Europe Is Coming


The ambassadress says Czechs are said to be Euro-sceptics; as well as people noticing the negative rather than the positive sides of things.


She wishes more Czech representatives were involved in European institutions.


She thinks numerous factors are to blame: for example, the modesty of our candidates and their inability to write motivation letters; together with low support from the Czech side.


Along with the success of Czech presidency, she highlighted the power and cooperation of the Visegrad Group.


"Believe me that when I meet someone from Poland and Hungary, and a Slovak is coming to join us, the Frenchman next to me says: "Hey, what's that gathering about, is that the Visegrad Group again?' and he is not happy about it in the slightest.'


In the Union's future, Vicenová expects mainly new strict rules for the budget policy of member states.


Rather than a new European Federation, she finds the concept of two-speed, if not multi-speed Europe, very realistic.


"We have both countries inside and outside the Eurozone."


"We have Schengen area, and we already have an institute of reinforced cooperation."


"For the first time it was said that the countries who want are to cooperate, while those who are not willing can stand off."


"The number of such institutes will be growing; it will be a highly two-speed Europe," Vicenová expects.


In this regard, she appreciated the roles of both the Czech Republic and Herman Van Rompuy in pushing forward the rule based on which, all topics influencing the entire EU should be negotiated by all member states, and not just those belonging into the Eurozone.


Brand Story:


The IMB Innovator Starts the Second Century of Its Existence


Should someone search for the word that would best express the IMB strategy, the closest one would probably be "long-term."


To the wide public, IMB is a symbol of technological revolution; the company is seen as a highly temporary one, yet it was founded over a hundred years ago.


The company's durability goes back to its first boss, a visionary, Thomas J. Watson Sr.


He believed in his motto saying that numerous world problems can be easily solved if people are willing to think.


His motto: 'Think!' thus become an imprint around which the life of the future giant would unfold (as well as the name of its internal magazine that IMB started to publish in 1935).


Moreover, it was the foundation of company culture Watson was building carefully.


"For us in IMB, long-term thinking means continuous movement towards the future.


IMB survived and flourished for a hundred years, because it remained true to its original values, while it was not afraid to change everything around itself.


During our first century, this allowed us to transform the technology, business, and the company.


In the second century, we hope to be able to achieve even more," says current company Director, Samuel J. Palmisano, on the occasion of the anniversary.


Sophisticated System


In the 1930s, Watson approached employee care similarly to Baťa in the Czech Republic - people from IMB were among the first American employees to have a paid holiday, insurance from their employer, an elegant uniform, and a sophisticated system of bonuses for the best inventors and businessmen.


Just as sophisticated is IBM's long-term relationship with customers.


From the very beginning, the company was brilliant in exploiting talented people. It was one of the first world companies to abolish all discrimination, which rendered it with great selection.


Consistent with the anti-discrimination strategy is the current plan expecting a woman, Virginia Rometty, to take over after Palmisano next year.


She has been working in IMB for thirty years; she is currently a Director of Sales, Marketing, and Strategy.


In the last few years, IMB has been organising jams, on-line brainstorming sessions, from which many future strategies and innovations arise.


It is no surprise that the ideas are plentiful - the company employs nearly half a million people.


Institution with a Good Reputation


Company's strong business position is ensured by its strong internal and external image.


"From the beginning, the concept of IBM was that of an institution rather than a technology company,' a Harvard Business School Professor and author of a book about IBM, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, told the Economist.


"IBM is not a technology firm; it is a company that helps to solve business problems using technology," George Colony of Forrester Research consultation company adds.


As the company itself says, there is a difference between entering a market and creating it.


During the hundred years, IMB, or the "Big Blue," as it is called in the US because of its logo, has grown into one of the largest companies in the world.


It seems to be the most universal technology company - developing hardware and software; infrastructure; hosting; and consultation services within a range from servers to nanotechnologies.


It holds the most patents of all American technology companies; five of its employees were awarded the Nobel Price.


Its inventions include, for example, the cash point, pay card, financial swap, bar code, and floppy disc.


With about 220 billion dollars, based on market capitalisation, IBM has become the second largest technology company (Apple being number one) this year, overrunning Microsoft for the first time since 1996.


View Ahead


Not all of its products fitted the taste of both the customers and period. For example, IBM failed with its own operating system OS/2; Prodigy on-line services; and IBM PCjr computers.


"If your business is defined by movement forward, you cannot be emotionally attached to the past,' says Samuel J. Palmisano.


That is why IBM easily builds its foundations on many platforms - if they do not work, it leaves them.


This is how it differs from, for example, its competitor, Microsoft, which basically stands and falls on Windows, its operating system.


Perspective Technology


IBM's revenues chiefly consist of services, about one fifth for each comes from software and hardware.


While in 1990, with over a half share, it was the strongest hardware representative.


Since 2000, IBM has sold low profitable assets worth 15 billion dollars. During the same time, it has invested 58 billion dollars into purchasing of perspective technologies.


It has continued the investments even after 2008, when the modern economic crisis first hit the world.


IBM follows the legacy of its first director, Thomas J. Watson, who increased the amount of investments during the Great Depression.


So far, IMB seems to be getting through the current crisis without any harm.


Since the beginning of 2008, the price of IBM's shares has grown by remarkable 120 per cent; company's net earnings have been growing continuously.


IBM's company motto is to change everything, except for its values.


We may therefore expect that even if another crisis comes, this flexible giant will manage.


IBM History: From Cheese Cutter To Space Travel


IBM (International Business Machines) was founded in New York, a hundred years ago. Its original name "Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation" was quite complicated.


It took the name of IBM in 1924. Originally, this was a brand used for company's branches in Canada and South America.


Foundations for the later IBM were laid by a merger of four companies, the history of which goes back to the 1880s.


They owned technologies such as the legendary "time clock," i.e. a clock recording the time when employees arrive and leave work.


The architect of the new company was a businessman, Charles Ranlett Flint, who, until 1930, also presided over the company's Board of Trustees.


Flint hired a director of a competing company, Thomas J. Watson, to help him with company management.


The leader then put the IBM's founder in the shade - Watson's ideas remain the base for invincible company culture and identity.


Watson led the company until 1952.


IBM, as its name suggests, started by producing and selling various business machines - from meat and cheese cutters to cash registers.


During the first four years of Watson's leadership, the revenue doubled to nine million dollars, and company's vast expansion into all continents commenced.


Watson became so essential for the company, that after nearly forty years, his position in the director's chair was taken by his son, Thomas Watson Junior.


Under his leadership, IBM started to develop artificial intelligence and created the first programming language.


In 1960s, both people and computers from IBM helped NASA control space flights - to Mercury, Saturn, and in 1969, man's flight to the Moon.


Meanwhile, in 1964, IBM developed the first computer family - the IBM line System/360.


The classic PC that defined the computer standards of the period, called IBM 5150, came to the market in 1981.


Twenty years later, IBM sold computer production to a Chinese company, Lenovo, While buying the consultant division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and thus commenced its full focus on consulting and high added value services.


In the past three years, IBM has been highly successful with its Smarter Planet concept.


Its goal is both smart exploitation of technologies in areas that have not yet been planned for and improving the situation in traffic or town management.


For commerce, IBM has recently introduced a Smarter Commerce platform that helps businessmen control the whole commerce cycle.


IBM's history is strong even in our country.


In former Czechoslovakia, as the first country in both Central and Eastern Europe, IBM founded its branch in 1932.


Today, IBM CZ also runs a strategic outsourcing centre in Brno.


The headquarters for both Central and Eastern Europe resides in Prague, where there also is a world level research team focusing on voice recognition.


Rychtářová about her Unfaithful Husband:


Iveto, keep the fool, I don't want him anymore!


Darina Rychtářová (53) said it is over!


After her husband, Josef Rychtář (53), became both the bodyguard and lover of Iveta Bartošová (45), Darina still hoped he would wake up and come back home.


However, she does not want to wait any longer, and set clear rules for her future life.


"Pepa may return home, but no longer as my partner," Rychtářová explained.


When Darina Rychtářová provided shelter for Bartošová in her house in summer, she probably had not the slightest idea of what was going to happen to her marriage.


Even though she had Iveta move out of Říčany 30 days later, Pepa would not leave the singer.


Moreover, he publically admitted he loved her.


After some time, Darina resigned, pretended to accept her husband's affair; and now she gave him her final goodbye.


Rychytář does not care who his wife sleeps with


Even if one day Rychtář and Bartošová would split up, his wife will not welcome him with open arms.


"He is the biological father to my sons and if he wants to spend his last days in our house, no one will chase him out."


"However, he will complete his days not as my beloved, lost and found old fool, but as a person I have certain bonds to," Rychtářová said, adding she had already disengaged herself from her husband and only insists on mutual decency.


So far, Josef does not mind that his wife closed the hind gate on him.


"I respect my wife's decision."


"I will be with Iveta, and I don't mean to change that."


"My wife decided for marriage on paper, and I respect it."


"Our company still operates; I am in charge of repairs, garden, the house, and shopping."


"Darina and I communicate in a completely normal way, only we do not share our bed anymore," Rychtář said for Blesk.


He claims that if Rychtářová found a new love, he would not stand in her way.


"We don't sleep together, and I don't care where she goes, with whom, and if she has a boyfriend.


I know it's my fault, I fell in love with Iveta, and I accept full responsibility," Josef concluded.


The Worst Feminine Habits: Do They Concern You?


When you ask men to name some typical bad habits women have, they usually come up with all of them in an instant.


Dear ladies, do you recognise yourself in the lines to follow, describing several women's habits that make the men see red?


Shopping


Does your other half complain you are addicted to shopping?


Do you need to buy at least one piece of clothing a week?


Do you like shopping, in mass sales?


If so, then your shopping may be seen as bad habit.


Some women recognise they should somewhat control their passion for shopping.


Still, who of you could resist walking through clothes shops looking for well fitting clothes and then trying them all (ideally, in various colour versions) in the changing rooms?


Shopping may be a hobby for a majority of women, but for men, it may become absolute hell.


Just remember how many times you have told your other half to wait for you outside...


Permanent Dissatisfaction


"Am I too fat?"


"I need to lose at least five kilos - should I start doing some exercise?"


"Are you still attracted to me?"


Do you find these sentences familiar?


You do?


Then, you belong to the group of women obsessed by their appearance.


Not that you should stop looking after yourself, but many men are literary allergic to their partners" constant complaints about their looks.


The stronger sex also agrees that the higher the frequency of such complaints, the more annoying women are.


Order and Cleanliness First


It is like a never ending story.


Cleaning the windows, vacuuming, wiping the floors, dusting, scrubbing the bathtub - at least twice a week.


Do you blame your partner for stepping onto the clean tiles in dirty shoes; your children for messing up a clean sink and leaving fingerprints over the glass pane in the living room that was so difficult to clean?


In case you suffer from this "deviation," try to realise that no extremes are good; and that within your family, order and cleanliness should not go first.


This harmless desire for cleanliness may threaten your relationships, as well as the entire family.


Bossing About


"Throw the underwear into the bin."


"Do you plan to wear the dirty socks tomorrow?"


"Wet dishtowels do not belong on the floor."


If you boss your partner around several times a day, he may find it very annoying.


Naturally, you mean well, you just want everything to be perfect.


Maybe, if men realised that, women would not have to boss them around so much...


Gossiping


Some women love gossiping, offending, and plotting against others.


Women are focused on relationships, which is why they like to discuss who, where, who with, how, and why.


Every now and then, probably each of us releases a gossip here or there.


Let's be frank, this is probably the nature all women.


However, there are tougher gossips, women who enjoy frequent gossiping and despise everyone. They are, especially within a female work team, very dangerous for their surroundings.


Assists of Jágr and Voráček Helped Philadelphia's Victory


During Monday's NHL match, hockey forward, Jaromír Jágr's two assists helped Philadelphia's victory 5:3 on Carolina's ice. Again, he leads the productivity of Czech players in the game.


In both cases, Claude Giroux, used the experience of a thirty-nine year old star; he added an extra pass and was announced best player of the match.


Two assists in the match also belonged to Jágr's team-mate, Jakub Voráček.


After the match, Jágr told the overseas journalists he had predicted a great evening for Giroux.


"I told him before the match he would score a hat-trick."


"I felt it."


"You sometimes feel such things," explained Jágr, after whose action Giroux scored a goal on the first Flyers" shot.


A little bit later, second score for the team bore Czech traces too.


The trailing Hurricanes' Voráček won the puck and presented it to Maxim Talbot, who scored between the circles.


A second before the first break, a home player, Patrick Dwyer, narrowed the lead in a power-play, but the beginning of the second part was led by Flyers again.


Specifically by Giroux.


After assist with Jágr, he scored the third goal; consequently, his shot was touched into a fourth goal by Wayne Simmonds.


"I love playing with him."


"I don't; want to say he's the best league player, but he's definitely among the best three," said Jágr, complimenting his center.


"I never thought that at the end of my career I would play with a hockey player like him."


"It makes me happy."


"I want to assist him."


"All those years in NHL, my team-mates tried to assist me, and now its reversing," Jágr added.


Carolina made the match more dramatic with Tuomo Ruutu and Dwyer's goal from a penalty shot, making it a single goal difference.


Further complications were avoided by Matt Read who increased the difference to two points.


"Pronger did great in our zone."


"He poked out the puck, I gained speed, and Read went on to the more distant pole."


"I aimed at him, and I'm glad it worked," Voráček described his view of the last goal of the match.


Its victory moved Philadelphia onto the top of the Eastern Conference.


Czech Montreal defenseman, Jaroslav Špaček, did not finish the match with Buffalo; he left in the second period due to an upper body injury.


Along with the experienced back, the Candiens lost their two-goal lead and lost 2:3 after a penalty shoot-out.


Tomáš Plekanec failed to score on one of their raids.


More than lost points, the home trainer was sorry for high sick rate in the back, as the match was finished with just five defenders.


"The situation is bad."


"We finished the match with just one experienced player, the rest were young men."


"However, there is nothing we can do about that, we just have to face it," Jacques Martin said.


"Substitution by substitution, it was overwhelming and we couldn't resist."


"We should have made the game simpler, moving the puck out of our zone."


"That was our weakness," a defender, P. K. Subban added.


With thirty interventions, Czech goalie, Ondřej Pavelec, helped Winnipeg's 5:2 victory over Tampa Bay.


Jets" goals, which interrupted a five-match series of losses, were shared by five different scorers.


Development of Trip Prices Since 1989


Until 1989, only five state travel agencies were allowed in the former Czechoslovakia: Čedok, Sporturist, CKM, Rekrea, and Autoturist.


As travelling to the West was strictly limited, travel agencies of the time mostly sold tours to the socialist block countries.


For their holiday, Czech tourists thus went to the sea to the German Democratic Republic; Soviet Union (Sochi, Crimea near the Black Sea); Bulgaria; Romania (both to the Black Sea); and Hungary (Balaton).


The only exception was the period from 1962 to 1972, when we had the opportunity to travel to Yugoslavia. Nevertheless, the Yugoslavian regime turned West, which caused significant limitations to trips to Yugoslavia for Czech tourists.


A great paradox of the socialistic period was that citizens of the socialist block (i.e. Czechoslovaks too) were not allowed free individual travel within the socialist countries.


If a Czechoslovak citizen wanted to travel, as an individual, to, for example, the Soviet Union or Poland, an invitation letter from the country was necessary; otherwise, individual travel was impossible.


At the time, travel agencies would offer some trips to the West, but one either had to stand in a line overnight, with a sleeping bag or have some "good friends" in the agency.


Still, that was not all.


A foreign currency assurance was essential for travels to the West. It was not granted to politically unreliable people, who were not allowed to travel at all.


Czechoslovakian currency was not freely convertible; without the currency assurance, it was not possible to obtain financial means (Western currency) for travelling West.


Most often, Czechs spent their holiday at home, which resulted in great number of cottages and summer houses, a habit that survives until now.


Since 1989, Czech tourism thus experienced a real revolution.


While until 1989, a holiday in the GDR or Bulgaria was the climax of our travels, last year, Czechs spent 4.5 million holidays in countries all over the world.


A great paradox we do not realise anymore is that until 1989, we could not freely visit the currently most popular Croatia, as it was part of former Yugoslavia.


Right at the beginning of 1990, visa requirements for neighbouring West European countries were cancelled. This started a huge wave of short-term visits of chiefly Vienna and Germany.


Czechoslovaks could not get enough of travelling to the West. Everyone wanted to go there for at least a moment.


For example, in Paris, Czech tours slept in parks in tents, because their income at the time was not enough to pay for a hotel or a pension.


A typical feature of Czech tourism then was bringing their own food (cans, salami, etc.) to save money.


Another important moment was the introduction of freely convertible Czech Crown. After decades, our tourists thus finally able to freely buy Western currencies.


Our living standards and average income were growing, which, around 1997, resulted in another important moment.


Since 1997, increased demand allowed travel agencies to prepare regular trips by charter airlines. Compared to the past, air trips thus became unbelievably cheap due to the ability to order quantity discounts.


By the end of 1990s, Czechs did not need visa for visiting nearly all developed world countries, except for the USA. This made our travelling even easier.


The next significant event in the history of after revolution travelling came in 2000. High demand resulted in the historically first direct charter flight from the Czech Republic to an exotic country, Thailand.


Since then, direct charter flights take Czech tourists to warm exotic countries. This winter, flights from the Czech Republic will reach twelve exotic destinations.


Currently about 100 thousand Czechs visit exotic countries every year!


Yet another important event of this period, symbolising our development after the revolution, came in 2008.


On November 17, 2008, the USA removed visa requirements for Czech tourists. Our country has thus permanently joined the world's most developed countries.


For the first time in history, in 2008 Czechs spent more than a half of their holidays abroad (50.3%); and for the first time in history, they spent over 15 thousand Crowns per person per holiday abroad, including their costs at the destination.


General Meeting Should Find a President, Mate Threat Returns


For nearly five months, Czech football has had no President. There exists a risk that Ivan Hašek's successor, the head of Czech Republic's Football Association (FAČR) will not be known even after another extraordinary general meeting, which is to take place in Nymburk on Thursday.


There is still no agreement as to which election rules to follow.


Without it, voting for the three candidates will not start.


Jindřich Rajchl, Miroslav Pelta, and Tomáš Paclík are eager to lead Czech football.


Hašek resigned from his function in June. When leaving, he called to his colleagues to unite and find a strong personality who would lead football in the future.


However, Hašek's era sees football back in quarrels between both association chambers, unable to agree on a common candidate.


This was fully shown on September 16, when a new President was to be chosen.


General meeting delegates wasted their trip to the National House in Prague, Smíchov, as the negotiations remained blocked, not just regarding the election method.


No agreement was reached as to who is entitled to vote at the general meeting - whether the statutory representatives only, or also officials given power of attorney.


This single point has been partially settled since, thanks to a recommendation of the Institute of State and Law, according to which representation based on power of attorney is not possible.


Arguments concerning the election rules continue, though.


The Executive Board has not been of much help either, though at its meetings, both regular and extraordinary, it is mostly preoccupied by this issue.


The view of election options has changed several times, but the key point remains the same.


The question is: How to proceed in the 3rd round to avoid mate?


"The argument is based on whether to follow the by-laws or to find another model," says one of the three FAČR Vice-Presidents, Dušan Svoboda, who represents professional football in the association's management.


Based on the model given by the by-laws, the winner of the 3rd round is a candidate with higher percentage support from the chamber he is the candidate for.


Moravia is said to accept a compromise to have a candidate with the highest percentage of total votes from both chambers win the election.


The Czech part stresses a condition that in the percentage total, the winner must gain at least two-third superiority.


"However, the two previous rounds would then lose their meaning; that would completely deny the two-chamber concept," Svoboda agrees with Moravia's arguments. He says it would be best not to bend the rules and vote according to the existing regulations.


Somewhat surprisingly Tomáš Paclík agrees with his opinion even if it is estimated that the election rules defined by the by-laws fits Pelta best of the candidates.


'I wish the elections follow the by-laws to the maximum.'


"I want to avoid all kinds of representative nonsense, as at the previous general meeting," says the owner of Viktorie Plzeň, who is a candidate for the first time; and in his statements he chiefly stood against Pelta.


Pelta remains an optimist.


He believes the new President will be known in Nymburk; he also hopes that in the future, the candidates will cooperate constructively.


"All passionate stirring will calm down with today's prospective advance of the national team into the European Championship."


"Football will be back on the happy wave, people will be more willing to cooperate," a Jablonec functionary says. Of the three candidates, he has the most experience with football management on both professional and regional levels.


Rajchl is more reserved.


"I hope for an agreement, but the situation is very ambivalent."


"It is not between people from Bohemia and Moravia, but there are attempts at purposeful adjustment of regulations."


"That may cause another blockage of the general meeting."


"I hope the common sense wins," Rajchl said.


There is not much time left for an agreement between the parties.


Some negotiations are said to have taken place directly in Montenegro; but who knows if the football generality will be complete before the match.


An extra flight that was to take, among others, the Vice Presidents Dalibor Kučera and Rajchl to Podgorica did not leave Prague in the morning due to a technical failure. An alternative was sought for in order to transport part of the executive board to the scene of the barraged rematch.


Finally, a meeting at ministry level, said to happen on Wednesday, may decide.


Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports, Josef Dobeš, would like to force the split parties inside the strongest sports association in the country to reach an agreement.


A lot is in the game: Government grants; football trustworthiness; and the planned ČSTV general meeting dealing with new direction of Czech sports following Sazka's financial problems.


Paclík Enters the Presidential Fight As He Cannot See a Suitable Candidate


If, before the extraordinary general meeting, the Head of Pilsen football players, Tomáš Paclík, saw a strong candidate, who would meet all of his expectations of a new Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR) President, he would not even apply for the top function.


"If there was a good quality candidate, I'd fight for him and not participate in the fight."


"But no such person has currently been found," Paclík said to ČTK.


Paclík's motivation to join the fight with Miroslav Pelta and Jindřich Rajchl is to try to prevent Pelta, reportedly the favourite of the elections, from entering the top of the FAČR.


Moreover, Paclík emphasizes that should he win, he would only remain the President until 2013, when a regular general meeting is scheduled.


In the future, he would like to see the position given to an experienced top manager, not excessively connected to football life.


"I've spoken to some people that could be considered."


"I was terrible for me to hear some of them say that at this point, they don't even want to identify themselves with Czech football."


"I'd like to change this opinion," he said.


At the moment, Paclík's strongest disagreement with Pelta is based on the latter's connection to Roman Berbr, President of Pilsen's regional football association. Berber is a man of controversial reputation, who is, behind the scenes, known as powerful lobbyist, capable of influencing the votes of general meeting delegates.


Paclík therefore finds it unacceptable for Pelta to become the President.


"If he wins, current situation will be preserved and nothing in football would move forward."


"Combined with support from Berbr, a capable businessman, this would be even more harmful for the football," Paclík said.


He is hinting at the fact that some years ago, Pelta's name was recorded during phone tapping in a corruption affair investigation; Pelta came out without a sentence.


"I don't know what prestige Pelta's victory would bring to football."


"And how would we look in the eyes UEFA and FIFA," Paclík said. He is now more detached from his former statement saying he would "sell the Pilsen club if Pelta became President."


In case Paclík wins on Thursday, he could imagine cooperation with Pelta in the future.


This opinion is shared by another candidate, Rajchl, whom Paclík supported before the September general meeting that ended as a fiasco.


"He (Pelta) would be the first one I'd go to."


'He is very capable.'


"I can see him as the head of the representation."


'But he cannot manage the association.'


"I don't poke my nose in what I don't understand either,' said Paclík, who gained a lot of attention in September, when he supported the removal of board of referees, led by Luděk Macela, replaced by Dagmar Damková.


Paclík claims he would dare to manage the association.


He refers to his skills from management of private companies; since last summer, he has been managing the Pilsen team that, with his support, celebrated its first league triumph in May.


"I have the strength to make the football environment change, to support its improvement."


"To limit the influence of some interest groups that tend to influence the disciplinary and appeal board, leading to disgusting situations," Paclík said. He does not hide his antipathy for, e.g. Sparta's Director, Daniel Křetínský.


One of his priorities would be the strengthening of relations between FAČR and the Czech Olympic Committee, with whose support he would lobby at the political top to get more money for sports from the lottery tax.


"That's one of the key things the new President should attend to."


"If taxes are imposed on gambling, as the political parties declare, I understand their arguments, but they must clearly say where the money will go," he said.


Paclík does not consider his connection with the Pilsen club a burden, though he claims that an FAČR President should be a non-party one.


Pelta is connected to Jablonec, and Rajchl to Prague Dukla.


"It's not ideal."


"Yet, I don't see a point in transferring my shares in the Pilsen club hypocritically to someone else, while coming back there in six months, " Paclík says.


Pelta Promised New FAČR Regulations That Would Avoid Election Mate


Two days before the general meeting of the football association, one of the Presidential candidates, Miroslav Pelta, promised that if he is elected, he would strive for new FAČR regulations to avoid future disputes over the election rules.


Before the Thursday negotiations in Nymburk, a Jablonec functionary remains an optimist and believes that the pre-election fight would be significantly suppressed by today's prospective success of our football representation.


Prior to the failed election in September, Pelta promised that if he was to win, he would focus on both the representation and gaining of financial means.


He decided to participate in the elections before the last general meeting at the last moment. A two-month delay thus could have been useful for him to defend his ideas concerning football management in wider context.


"People at all levels have been in football for long, and they expect the President to be known on Thursday."


"They feel it's high time someone leads the association," claims the man chiefly connected with the Jablonec club; but he spent many years in Sparta and the association's executive board.


This gives him the reason to believe he is experienced enough to manage Czech football.


He believes current problems with elections are caused by the euphoria there was in the time of Ivan Hašek's reign.


"Unfortunately, regulations that were not as perfect as we all thought were passed at the general meeting in June."


"If various representations were not accepted, we would have had a President since September," Pelta said.


He approached the rewriting of the key document of the civil association as a decoy for the delegates.


"If I become President, I will take it as my personal task, and I'm willing to take personal responsibility in case the attempt fails."


"It is a fundamental issue we cannot exist without," Pelta claims.


Other than that, he says he does not try to define himself against the rivals.


In the past, he has already announced he can imagine his cooperation with Jindřich Rajchl, whom he recognises for his legal education; he is well aware of the fact that his rival candidate should become his first Vice President.


For a long time, he did not attack Tomáš Paclík, who has constantly criticised Pelta.


"He's been in football for over a year, and gained some success."


"However, his attacks were not decent, and many people were caught by surprise by the method of his election campaign."


"This is too, is why some of them now doubt his true character," Pelta said about his rival. Pelta himself claims to be true to the proclamations he announced in September.


He sees his strongest weapon in knowledge of football, from the lowest competitions to representation.


The representation should be the shopping window of football.


"Í would also try to end all affairs, starting from the Bohemians case or the aftermath of last year's corruption scandal."


"Right after that, I would focus on negotiations with both private and state sectors, to ensure enough money for the whole football," the forty-six year old candidate told ČTK two months ago.


He then promised that his arrival to the head of the football would not mean any personnel housecleaning.


"I'd need to learn about the job descriptions of individual employees." That was his message for Strahov, where the long period of interregnum causes understandable nervousness.


Despite current catastrophic scenarios accompanying the general meeting planned, he believes that on Thursday, the delegates will not come to Nymburk in vain.


"If the only questionable point is how to perform the elections in the third round that is something we can get over."


"Football needs trustworthiness it can only gain by finally having its leader," says Pelta, who, two days before the crucial day of his career of a functionary, remains an optimist.


Rajchl Promises That under Him, the FAČR Will Start Working Hard


If, on Thursday's general meeting, Jindřich Rajchl, the existing Vice President, is to become the President of Czech Football Association, many people in the Association would reportedly not be pleased.


Rajchl promises that if he is elected, hard work will come.


He wants to establish system changes and make members of the executive board responsible for individual football areas.


He also promised to solve the Bohemians case; improve relations with both UEFA and FIFA; bring more money to football; and continue the work of the previous President, Ivan Hašek.


"As President, I'd like to focus on football as a whole."


"From international contacts with UEFA and FIFA, to representation, professional football, and performance football for the youth."


"By this, I don't mean I'd do everything on my own," Rajchl said in his interview for ČTK.


"I'm a team player, and I want to distribute the competences within the executive board so that each member focuses on a certain area."


'I'll distribute tasks strictly so that in each of these segments, football makes big steps forward."


"That would probably not please many people, as it would mean hard work, not just criticizing of the work of others," he added.


Critical atmosphere in football movement supposedly made him doubt his candidature.


"I'm known to work 20 hours a day."


"But I need to know if it has any sense; and that I won't be surrounded by people throwing sticks under my feet and question my every move," he explained his hesitation.


"However, many people told me I mustn't give up, otherwise others would follow."


"That's a trust I can't just throw away," he said.


Moreover, he says his motivation is to continue the work he started with Hašek.


"A great amount of work was done in those two years, and I don't want to throw it all away."


"Processes have been started that may bear fruit in a few years, and I don't want someone else to stop them," he said, in fear that if the other candidate, Miroslav Pelta, is elected, situation f the Association might return to the period before Hašek.


"I believe in systematic approach, which is something I don't think Mirek Pelta is competent of."


"He is chiefly surrounded by people who would do football so that it would only be for the chosen ones."


"I can be blamed for many things, but certainly not for being subjective."


"I try to be objective."


"I want to make football for everyone, because then everyone has a good time, not just the chosen few," Rajchl said.


Furthermore, he refutes the allegations he would only be a Czech President.


"Though some people try to claim the opposite, I plan to do the maximum for Moravia."


"For example, it is high time to consider about splitting the second league into Czech and Moravian parts, winners of which would continue into the first league."


"This would prevent the current situation, where there are just three Moravian units in the league, which is a problem concerning young players in Moravia," Rajchl said.


As the Presidential fight has been joined by Pilsen club Manager, Tomáš Paclík, Rajchl does not dare to estimate his chances to win.


"Nevertheless, I can still feel a strong support in the Czech chamber that elected me its Vice President, and can see I have achieved some clear successes," Rajchl said. Among his successes, he includes the saving of dozens of millions of Crowns on disadvantageous contracts, negotiating TV contracts, and negotiations about the lottery law.


On the other hand, he considers the fact that the association does not stick together partially as his own fault.


While claiming that Pelta has been 'disqualified from returning trustworthiness to Czech football', he considers the other rival, Paclík, a strong candidate that has things to offer.


"No one can doubt that he did a great job in Pilsen this year."


"If he is elected, I hope he would continue in the things Ivan Hašek started, without significant personnel changes in the committees."


"He wouldn't want to twist things for his own benefit," Rajchl said about his rival.


Europe's most beautiful pools


Leap into the water


By Julia Stanek


Paddling pools with universal fibre optics and status pools in Budapest. Travellers can experience Europe's incredible water - and relax tired limbs in a Jacuzzi after a city tour or a ramble.


One book can tell you where the water is at its best.


There was one thing Iris Meder could not do without on research trips over the last one and a half years: her swimming costume.


Lying back on the water, she has looked up at artistically designed domes, has swum towards marble cherubs awaiting her at the edge of the pool and has marvelled at meticulously restored art nouveau swimming pools.


She rushed to add any pool she liked to her notebook - with essential details on the construction and the history of the building.


The architectural historian Meder looked at more than 200 swimming pools - and has now compiled here experiences in her recently published book Badefreuden (The Joys of Bathing), covering everything from public swimming baths in Munich to historical bathing palaces in the Black Forest and "hardcore concrete buildings" in Taunus.


Her "journey to the most unusual baths in Central Europe" took here through 13 countries. Besides Germany, Austria and Switzerland, she visited baths in Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Poland - and one city each in Luxembourg, Serbia and Croatia.


The 46-year-old is a real bathing culture enthusiast.


She has very little enthusiasm for sport, says Meder - but in the water, it's a different matter.


The only downside is that fans of swimming have to cope with blue glazed tiles and the stench of chlorine while joggers can breathe in the beguiling scent of spruce forests or listen to the bright twittering of birds in the park.


"One day, I asked myself why swimming baths always have to be so ugly," says Vienna-based Meder.


"So I started collecting beautiful baths."


Water surface doubles architecture


Splashing in the diving pool and ethereal sauna oils - the wellness factor in baths is so great because all the senses are stimulated, according to Meder.


And swimming baths can be a real treat for the eyes if the builders have gone to the trouble. "You have the surface of the water in pools instead of a floor."


"The surface is very transparent, but also reflects the beauty of the entire building."


Everything is mirrored visually: high ceilings, colourful tiles and diving boards.


The illustrated pocketbook The Joys of Bathing provides valuable information on the architectural and cultural history of historic pleasure and health oases over 190 pages - and makes you want to leap into the water.


Pool collector Meder discovered some notable examples during research in Hungary.


She found nitrate-rich water in a karst cave (the Cave Bath in Miskolctapolca) and a thermal bath filled with alkaline water in a bottle-shaped building (Városi Termálfürdö in Jászberény) in addition to magnificent therapeutic baths such as the 100-year-old Széchenyi baths in Budapest.


Many of the heated outdoor baths in Switzerland and Austria, on the other hand, offer spectacular views. You can view all of Zurich from a rooftop bath or look out on the snow-capped Arlberg from an outdoor pool in St. Anton. And there is a window in the steam bath giving a view of the action on the ski piste.


Perhaps the most unusual pool design awaits bathers in Längenfeld. The Aqua Dome in Ötztal looks like a UFO has just landed in the Alps.


It steams during the winter from three open-topped shells dwarfed by the Ötztal mountains behind it.


Alhambra in the Black Forest


Pool collector Meder was not greeted by the smell of chlorine in every swimming pool.


A lot of thermal baths smell of sulphur. The Árpád baths in Békescsaba, Hungary, smell so strongly of oil you may find it difficult to believe you are in a health spa.


The smell comes from the hydrogen carbonate in the alkaline water. The water is almost black with silt that sticks to the skin as soon as you slide into the pool - a wellness experience of a particular kind.


Iris Meder, however, was at one point disappointed in her search for beautiful bathing places. When she tried to visit the outdoor pool at the Czech baths of Luhatschowitz, she found the area sealed off.


The baths, designed by the architect Dušan Jurkovic in 1902, have been closed.


When Meder looked through the weather-beaten windows of the red, white and yellow art nouveau building, she could see weeds growing up through the tiles.


One place where decay has been stopped in its tracks is a magical swimming bath in the Black Forest - the Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad.


The baths have already gone through three stages of construction. You will not only discover neo-Romanesque elements from the period after it was built in 1844, but also a Moorish hall in Alhambra style added around 1900.


Following its careful modernisation in 1995, the Palais Thermal is the favourite swimming pool of pool connoisseur Iris Meder - and not just because she comes from the Black Forest.


"It is a real achievement to harmonise such different architectural styles so brilliantly," says Meder.


A dip in the thermal pool in such a palace is clearly of secondary importance.


Agricultural commodities speculation


Deutsche Bank has commodity trading investigated


By Christian Teevs


Will Deutsche Bank stop trading agricultural commodities?


According to SPIEGEL ONLINE, Josef Ackermann has given a working group the task of investigating the consequences of speculation for the poor around the world.


The CEO plans to make changes in January.


Hamburg -


For German citizens the situation is clear. According to one study, 84 percent of Germans find it unacceptable that banks speculate on agricultural commodities such as wheat and maize.


Two thirds of those questioned demand that Deutsche Bank and other banks cease trading in agricultural commodities, as trading deepens the problems faced by the very poorest people around the world.


The findings were made in a survey conducted by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis on behalf of the consumer organisation Foodwatch.


The study is based on a report presented by Foodwatch in mid-October.


The author of the report, Harald Schumann, shows that betting on global commodities exchanges drives up prices - and the banks are therefore complicit in global hunger.


The campaign by consumer advocates is directed specifically at the head of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann, although large banking houses such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley trade in the same way.


Originally, commodity betting was designed as a means of protecting traders against price fluctuations.


However, most experts now agree that the gamblers have left behind the rules of supply and demand - and are profiting at the expense of the poorest.


In contrast to US competitors, Ackermann has responded to the criticism. He has promised to investigate the accusations and has said that no trade is "worth putting Deutsche Bank's good reputation at risk."


According to SPIEGEL ONLINE, an international working group is currently investigating the accusations contained in the Foodwatch report.


The investigation should be complete by the end of the year when the findings will be presented to Deutsche Bank's board of managing directors - with recommendations for action.


The head of the bank then plans to announce changes following the investigation at the end of January.


Commodities trading may be reduced or stopped completely.


Ackermann working on his image


The president of Foodwatch, Thilo Bode, welcomed the news while emphasising his criticism of the financial sector. "Betting on rising food prices is an extreme example of how thoughtlessly banks are currently acting against the common interest."


As top bank lobbyist, Ackermann has a particular duty, according to Bode.


"Deutsche Bank must remove all investments from its portfolio that bet money on food prices," said Bode.


"It does not matter whether this is about starving people or the reputation of Deutsche Bank."


Ackermann's sensitive response is at first surprising, but then the CEO would like to present a perfect image just a few months before the end of his term in office.


Deutsche Bank announced on Monday that the chairman will not move to the supervisory board as had been planned.


Cancelling contentious food commodity speculation could improve his image.


He also need have little concern for the costs - it would be up to his successor to manage the outcome.


One in two people would withdraw commodities investments


Foodwatch is striving to keep up the pressure on the manager.


To date, more than 30,000 internet users have joined the organisation's campaign.


Bode published the survey on Tuesday. The survey was conducted for the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis on 7 and 8 November and 1001 people took part.


No more than eleven percent think it is legitimate for Deutsche Bank to offer investments that bet on the price of foodstuffs.


Many banking customers would also take direct action if they discover that their bank is involved in such trading. According to the survey, one in two would withdraw investments that end up in commodities speculation.


43 percent would recommend leaving the bank, 49 percent said they would think about closing their account and switching to a different bank.


21er Haus in Vienna


The relocated pavilion


By Ingeborg Wiensowski


An architectural history with highs, lows and a happy-ever-after. Austria's Pavilion for the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels won prizes, became a museum in Vienna, stood empty and was abandoned.


Now it is being reopened as an exhibition centre.


Austria's pavilion, designed by Karl Schwanzer for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, is a famous textbook example of modern post-war architecture with its clear shapes, glass halls, bold strokes and the new construction materials that expressed belief in technical progress.


Schwanzer's pavilion won the Grand Prix d'Architecture in 1958 for its light floating steel-glass structure.


The building is considered a milestone in contemporary architecture.


It made the architect so famous that he also built Austria's pavilion at the next world's fair.


He finally shot to fame internationally in 1973 with his legendary four-cylinder BMW Tower and its bowl-shaped sister building.


The pavilion, planned as a temporary exhibition building, was relocated to the Schweizer Garten near Vienna's Südbahnhof, converted and opened as the Museum of the 20th Century in 1962 - and is widely referred to as the "20er Haus" for this reason.


However, the building was not suitable as a museum for technical and spatial reasons - it had no walls to hang artworks and poor air conditioning.


Nonetheless, it continued to be used until contemporary art in Vienna was given a new home.


The building stood empty from 2001 and fell into a worse and worse state of repair.


The architect Adolf Krischanitz has now renovated the pavilion, which has been named the "21er Haus" and will be used as a contemporary art museum.


The museum is a branch of the Belvedere museum, which will open the first exhibition on Tuesday evening - a delight in every respect.


Agnes Husslein-Arco who became the new director of the Austrian Galerie Belvedere in 2007 was instrumental in the new beginning.


Husslein-Arco, an art history graduate with a remarkable career in her youth as an ice skater, who went on to Sotheby's, the Guggenheim Museum and to become the founding director of the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg, convinced politicians and conservators to go ahead with renovation, attracted public funding and private sponsorship and decided on the use of the building.


The new museum was to house the Fritz Wotruba Foundation's permanent collection, a café and a bookshop alongside contemporary art. An office building was also to be built.


Strict supervision & limited budget


Krischanitz was then the ideal choice to carry out the project.


He was known, of course, for having renovated and expanded Joseph Olbrich's Secession in Vienna, and had won the competition, but he also studied under Schwanzer at the Vienna University of Technology and the pavilion was an "exceptionally important place" for him where had visited exhibitions "almost every weekend."


He knew the original design and knew the issues the building was facing, a building that had already lost some of its grandeur and lightness when it was relocated to Vienna and converted.


The problems facing the latest alterations were much greater. The building was "an energy guzzler," says Krischanitz.


The window profiles of the glass facade were replaced, fibreglass-reinforced safety glass was put in and the glass roof was replaced by high-grade safety glass.


Thermal bridge steel girders were strengthened or replaced and asbestos was removed from ceilings.


Two lower floors created space for the new use of the building, a sunken light well between the building and the street provides lighting, a bridge leads to the entrance - almost a new building, but still the delicate Schwanzer pavilion.


The original external doors have been retained and the building has been painted in the old red-brown colour of rust-proofing.


And the cinema hall is exactly as it used to be.


All this under the strict supervision of the monument authority and with a limited budget.


"We often had to find a material that was good, cheap and met with the approval of the monument authority," says Krischanitz, pointing to the rough flooring in the basement.


The building has remained flexible and light despite the constraints, problems and conversions.


Krischanitz stated recently that the pavilion "from Brussels" had been tough - a typical "drop in the city" story.


Architecture like this is "always in the wrong place" and nonetheless wants to "stimulate a real awareness."


The 21er Haus is very much in the right place, as there has been a stroke of luck in town planning. The completely redesigned "main station quarter" with offices and residential properties is developing around the Schweizer Garten.


There may also be a second stroke of luck. The 21er Haus may be bolstered by another Krischanitz building - the collector Francesca von Habsburg has purchased the Temporäre Kunsthalle Berlin and is reported to be negotiating with the city for a neighbouring location in the Schweizer Garten.


Deutsche Bahn plans winter crisis package into the millions


Deutsche Bahn has come up with a crisis plan to prevent train cancellations in the winter.


The number of employees is to double.


The costs will run into the millions.


According to a newspaper report, Deutsche Bahn will spend more than 70 million Euros more this year in the battle to prevent winter-time cancellations and delays.


Referring to an internal crisis plan at Deutsche Bahn, the Bild newspaper has reported that investment of around 300 million Euros in total is planned up to 2015.


Investment is intended to improve the availability of locomotives and the rail network, even in the face of extreme weather conditions.


The number of internal and external employees involved in removing snow from rail facilities and platforms is to double to 16,000.


The aim is to clear platforms of snow and ice by start of business and 90 percent of the critical points within four to five hours.


Rüdiger Grube, head of Deutsche Bahn, warned of train cancellations and delays this winter at a summit with government and industry two months ago.


Last winter, Deutsche Bahn had considerable difficulties in its passenger business, as it lacked reserves in the face of difficult weather conditions.


Numerous new regional trains have been waiting for years for approval from the Federal Railway Office.


There is also some delay in the delivery of ICE trains.


Deutsche Bahn has also been forced to have the axles of ICE trains checked significantly more frequently for many years, after an ICE train's axle broke in Cologne's main station.


Deutsche Bank pays multi-million pound fine in the USA


Fresh trouble is following hard on the heels of the uproar around Josef Ackermann, CEO of Deutsche Bank: Deutsche Bank faces a multi-million pound fine in the USA.


As if the problems at home were not already enough for Deutsche Bank, the industry giant's past in the USA is now also catching up with it. Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank will pay 145 million dollars (106 million Euros) to settle disputes arising from the bankruptcy of five major credit unions during the financial crisis.


The issue centres on the sale of mortgage securities.


The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a financial market regulator, accuses a string of major banks of having used false promises to mislead credit unions into buying the financial products.


The value of the securities dropped dramatically during the financial crisis and brought down the credit unions.


"We are happy to have resolved the issue without the parties going to court," said a Deutsche Bank spokesman in new York.


The bank did not admit culpability in the settlement.


The same is true of Citigroup, which agreed to pay 20.5 million dollars.


The NCUA chairman, Debbie Matz, welcomed the responsiveness of the two banks.


The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) is responsible for the US credit unions and intervenes in bankruptcies to protect customer deposits.


The NCUA is fighting for compensation for losses that run into the billions.


The current settlements are the first of their kind.


The regulator had also approached other major banks and sued JPMorgan Chase, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Goldman Sachs in the summer.


The dubious mortgage securities are so-called mortgage-backed securities.


They are underpinned by home loans.


This sealed the fate of a number of financial companies when the US property bubble exploded in 2007.


The US investment bank, Lehman Brothers, went belly up in September 2008 at the height of the financial crisis.


The banks battling against a strong wind in the USA several years later.


Investors and regulators have brought a vast number of claims for compensation or to punish misconduct.


The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has been behind the largest wave of claims.


It accuses 18 major international banks of having taken in US lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on mortgage transactions valued at around 200 billion dollars.


Deutsche Bank also faces legal action by the FHFA covering multiple transactions with a total value of 14.2 billion dollars from 2005 to 2007.


The regulator is demanding that the Frankfurt-based bank take responsibility for "substantial losses," but has not yet specified the exact sum.


Deutsche Bank has rejected the claims as baseless and has declared its intention to fend off the claims.


Warren Buffett pumps 10 billion into IBM


Financial guru Buffett is investing heavily in the IT company, IBM.


Since March, he has bought up shares totalling more than ten billion dollars.


Until now, the major American investor, Warren Buffett, had always claimed not to invest in IT and computing companies, as it was difficult to forecast the long-term development.


However, IBM's annual reports changed his mind on investing in the industry.


According to Buffett, he should have realised much earlier that IBM primarily offers services and purchases computer systems for the IT departments of other companies.


Investment by Warren Buffett is considered a knighthood in the financial world.


The IT veteran IBM has now earned the title of "Sir IBM."


Buffett revealed that he had purchased IBM shares totalling 10.7 billion dollars since March on the US business news broadcaster CNBC.


His investment holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, has become one of the largest shareholders in IBM with a 5.5 percent stake.


Buffett said that even IBM knew nothing of his involvement until recently.


He praised the management, which has managed to bring in profits even during the economic crisis.


"They have done a great job," said Buffett, referring to the management strategy.


For a fairly long time, IBM has focused on lucrative IT services such as data centres.


The computer pioneer - now more than 100 years old - also provides software and consultancy services, as well as powerful business computers.


Buffett had avoided technology firms to date.


He claimed only to invest in companies whose business he understands


and invested in a freight railway, for example, a lubricant manufacturer and a machine manufacturer.


His holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns shares in a long list of major companies such as Coca-Cola and Munich Re (formerly Münchener Rück) alongside around 80 of its own subsidiaries.


The 81-year-old took over the small textile company Berkshire Hathaway in the 1960s and built it up, with clever investments, into one of the most valuable companies in the world.


His lifestyle, however, has remained humble,


making him a cult figure for countless investors around the world.


His almost infallible instinct for making money has earned him a nickname as the "Oracle from Omaha."


The IBM share price rose by one percent before the markets opened following the announcement of Buffett's investment.


"Big Blue," as IBM is also known, is worth more than 220 billion dollars on the stock exchange, making it one of the most valuable technology companies in the world alongside Apple and Microsoft.


Buffett, however, has said he is not planning to invest in Microsoft.


The founder, Bill Gates, is a close friend.


Imminent danger


Following the discovery of the "Zwickau cell," Turkish media express doubt about the rule of law in Germany.


One newspaper speaks of a "bloody ideology" that is now resurfacing.


The murder of eight Turkish and one Greek businessman between 2000 and 2006 was the result of right-wing extremist ideology.


Fear and concern has been the reaction to this report in Turkey and within the German-Turkish community in Germany.


For many German Turks, the news brings back to life a long-dead spectre. There has been no comparable right-wing extremist violence against Turks since the arson attacks in Mölln in November 1992 and in Solingen in May 1993.


There was never any question, however, that xenophobia does exist in Germany.


The right-wing extremist network that has now been discovered, however, is on a scale that has not yet been fully understood.


"Is this a revival of the bloody ideology?" was the headline of the internet edition of the Turkish newspaper Haberturk.


The Sabah newspaper, on the other hand, points out that one of the perpetrators was a confidential informant for the intelligence services and expresses concern that the German authorities may be caught up in the right-wing extremist quagmire.


The Turkish Community of Germany (TGD) reacted calmly, remembering the victims of racial violence during a silent vigil in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the weekend.


Just two weeks earlier, the Turkish Community in Berlin had commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the German-Turkish bilateral agreement on labour recruitment in a ceremony with German and Turkish politicians.


Cooperation between the two countries was presented in a positive light - as a success story.


The coverage by some Turkish media has been like a slap in the face. "Germany's present on the fiftieth anniversary" is the title of one article on the Haber X Turkish internet platform, which comments on the circumstances around the series of murders.


The German edition of Hürriyet also does not miss the chance to make this connection.


"It is beginning to stink," is the title of the column by Ahmet Külahci.


He points out that people have been murdered who had paid taxes and made an important contribution to Germany's redevelopment with their work.


The behaviour of the police and the subsequently successful manhunt is heavily criticised on German-Turkish internet forums.


The authors are asking themselves why the German authorities did not think earlier to look for suspects in right-wing extremist circles.


Some writers even go as far as some strong rhetoric. "If things continue to be done so cack-handedly, migrants have no option but armed self-defence."


"That will be the best self-defence."


"Peace in Germany depends very strongly on how the entire network is uncovered and on the appropriateness of punishment," writes "Selen."


The attacks on Mölln and Solingen in the 90s are an example of what it means for peace in Germany to be at risk.


The photo of the burnt out ruin of Solingen is deeply engrained in German and Turkish memory.


No other event has shown the Turks living here more clearly that there is imminent danger and shown the Germans that mistrust and distance can culminate in real violence.


The attacks, however, increased the sense of Turkish unity.


Do not repeat the mistakes of the past


The Turkish press at the time complained mainly of the failure of German policy following the attacks. Helmut Kohl declined to visit the survivors in Mölln.


He sent a telegram of commiseration to the Turkish president after the arson attack in Solingen, but it was his foreign minister, Klaus Kinkel, who took his place at the memorial ceremony in Cologne - Kinkel summed up in his speech the taxes Turks contribute in Germany,


just as if he were calculating the value of a person by the taxes he pays.


The coverage by the Turkish media at the time again shows how deep the mistrust of many German Turks in the current German state has become since.


Straight talking is what is needed now, alongside efforts to identify and reassess right-wing extremist terrorism in Germany.


The Lake Zurich banking scandal


The most risk-taking bank in Europe is not in Italy or France, but in Switzerland.


UBS almost went bankrupt during the financial crisis and has been struggling from one crisis to the next ever since.


A German is now to bring it back in line.


Axel Weber certainly had not imagined that would be his role.


After his spectacular departure from the head of the Federal bank, it was announced in July that he would be starting an almost equally spectacular new job in 2013: Chairman of the Board of Directors of the major Swiss bank UBS - an unexpected and lucrative career move.


Axel Weber was clearly delighted, praising Switzerland for its beauty and UBS for its newly won solidity and making some friendly remarks about his future colleagues.


"UBS has managed to turn around."


"I am looking forward to working with Kaspar Villiger and Oswald Grübel."


But by September it was already clear that everything would be very different.


A UBS trader in London had bypassed all the bank's security systems and gambled away around 1.7 billion Euros.


UBS CEO, Oswald Grübel - a banker not only famous in Switzerland - had to go.


The UBS Chairman has been considered ailing ever since - and everyone is asking: when will Axel Weber finally arrive?


Weber is to advise the bank from February 2012.


And he will take on the role of Chairman of the Board in May, and not in 2013, the bank announced on Tuesday.