The Daylight Saving Time ends at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning, October 30. We’ll be moving our clocks one hour back. True, we will gain an hour, but it’ll be an hour of darkness - at least for those of us whose mornings begin well after daybreak. Starting tomorrow, dusk will fall around 5:30 p.m. We’re entering the darkest time of the year…on our way to Christmas, the holidays of lights!
I came across an interesting online display of Czech book covers and an essay on Czech book design, which are a part of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries on Display.
Dana and I visited Kroměříž in Southern Moravia over the weekend and enjoyed the town. We were there on a day trip and hope to return to see more.
The Archbishops’ Chateau and Gardens of Kroměříž (Podzámecká Garden and Flower Garden) were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. The picture below is a view of the Podzámecká Garden, which covers a total of 64 hectares (160 acres).
Based on the State of World Population 2005 report, which was released today by the United Nations Population Fund, the Czech Republic has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, specifically 1.19 children per woman. It shares the same statistic with Slovakia. The only two countries with an even lower birth rate are Ukraine and Hong Kong. In the latter case, birth rate is regulated by the state. The average birth rate in Europe is 1.42.
Czech women wait longer to have kids these days - often into their early to mid-30s - and lots of them end up having only one child. Why? Career, financial reasons and a desire for independence seem to be the main factors.
Czech women place more importance on their careers than they did in the past. They often choose to postpone the committment of having kids in favor of their jobs. The fact that women with children tend to be disadvantaged by their employees only contributes to this trend. Young Czechs are also presented with a lot more opportunities than was the norm some 10 - 15 years ago and many of them spend their 20s working abroad or studying.
Young Czech couples often wait on starting a family until they can afford to raise a child. Salary levels in the Czech Republic have been increasing at a slower rate than the cost of living, and the amount of financial support that the Czech government provides to women on maternity leave is low. It depends on the woman’s salary and the amount of her monthly health insurance payments. The maximum amount of government support is 419 CZK/14 EUR per day, but many Czech women only qualify for half of this amount or less.
A lot of movies continue to be filmed in Prague and it seems rare that Prague actually passes for Prague. I saw that they were filming The Illusionist inside the Vinohrady Theater back in April. The movie takes place in early 1900s Vienna. Yesterday, I saw a movie being filmed by Jungmannovo náměstí and noticed a prop sign pointing to the Dublin Tourism Centre. I posted a few pictures below. I wonder how many movies listed on the side of the catering truck were set in Prague.
