BLOG: Radek Kralik Novotny

A bit freaky

2011-12-29T15:06:00.000+01:00

Very nice joke was delivered to me via facebook...
:-)

Vaclav Havel dies

2011-12-18T19:15:00.001+01:00

Vaclav Havel dies.

To listen to news about this topic on BBC use this link.

Rihanna - California King Bed

2011-11-07T21:36:00.001+01:00

We like it: Rihanna - California King Bed :-)

How its made - Coffee

2011-10-24T05:31:00.000+02:00

The way to study English language: How its made - Coffee

ESSO course

2011-09-16T15:12:00.001+02:00

I started the ESSO course (English Skills for Staff Officers in Multinational Operations). I hope it is the good example of ADL course.
The forum in Norfolk, USA, where I attended, was fully concentrated to background of ADL, but I thing is the good way for new experience to tray forward side of ADL too.
And, an introduction to ESSO includes a short explanation of the PfP Learning Management System (LMS) and recommended learning activities. It also contains supplementary information, the Objective Vocabulary introduced in the units, learning strategies for language learning, and references to useful online sources and tools for language learning.

Explosion at French nuclear plant of Marcoule

2011-09-12T16:54:00.000+02:00

Explosion at French nuclear plant of Marcoule
(by BBC)
One person has been killed and four injured, one seriously, by an explosion at the southern French nuclear plant of Marcoule.
There were no radioactive leaks after the blast, caused by a fire near a furnace in a radioactive waste storage site, a French nuclear official said.
A security perimeter has been set up because of the risk of leakage.
The plant produces MOX fuel, which recycles plutonium from nuclear weapons, but does not include reactors.
(follow the link on BBC)

Norfolk in pictures (II.)

2011-09-02T01:02:00.004+02:00

VMASC where ADL Forum was placed

Sunset (and "my Chevy")

Traffic in the town...

Buckroe Beach and Park

A lot of traffic on the I664 due to an accident on I64 - Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel

Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk (II.)

2011-09-01T19:38:00.003+02:00

On the photo I stay behind Brigadier General Dourouklis, in the middle of the scene - with black hat, unexpectedly :-)

Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk

2011-09-01T19:32:00.002+02:00

I attended the Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk, Va.

Written by Paul Thurkettle, LMS Admin
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 09:54

Despite the impact of Hurricane Irene, 37 attendees made it to the 2011 Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Forum held at the Virginia Modelling and Simulation Centre in Suffolk, Virginia.

“It was getting very worrying as we did not know what impact the storm would have on us”, stated Paul Thurkettle from the Education and Training Technologies section under ACOS JETE. “We made the decision to go ahead and thankfully 94% of our travellers made it with some interesting tales and adventures”.

The annual ADL Forum now in its sixth year invites ADL developers from NATO and partner nations, users of ADL and academics in the eLearning field together to discuss the ADL program, NATO direction and guidance and discuss best practices for online courses, lessons learned and the latest in academic theory for adult training. The Forum also has representation from Joint Force Command Brunssum and will discuss the ISAF ADL program.

With attendees from NATO education and training centres, NATO commands, Centres of Excellence, Partnership Training Centres and nations including Ukraine, Moldova, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, United States and Slovenia the Forum creates an atmosphere of mutual cooperation.

“With ADL now a major program in many of our nations, we all share the same issues and ambitions, at the forum we can discuss who is doing what and where we can work together or share results”, added Dr. Sürsal, head of the Education and Training Technologies section. “This makes the forum a very valuable asset to ACT, both in letting the community know what the ACT direction and guidance is, as well as seeing and learning where nations are going and what they have done”.

Assistant Chief of Staff, Joint Education, Training and Exercises, Brigadier General Dourouklis (Greek Army) addressed the Forum emphasising the need to work together as well as the key message Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Trainer Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck gave to the African E-Learning conference on the need to create a global community in order to reach all the potential audience NATO needs to in order to fully prepare for the future.

The Forum runs from Aug 30th to Sep 1st.

Eight different types of intelligence

2011-09-01T00:49:00.003+02:00

“Intelligence is the capacity to do something useful in the society in which we live. Intelligence is the ability to respond successfully to new situations and the capacity to learn from one’s past experiences.”
Dr. Howard Gardner, author, Frames of Mind and Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice

You can see the eight different types of intelligence, and you can begin to adjust your teaching/tutoring methods to match your learner's (or learners') strengths.

Actually, no one uses just one type of intelligence; we all use several in our daily lives. Some are stronger than others for each person. Thus it's helpful to determine your learner's top intelligences and tailor your methods to best meet your learner's particular combination of strengths.

What gives me the server www.literacyworks.org as my top three intelligences (score 5.0 is highest):

4.86 Logic/math: You enjoy exploring how things are related, and you like to understand how things work. You like mathematical concepts, puzzles and manipulative games. You are good at critical thinking.

4.57 Spatial: You remember things visually, including exact sizes and shapes of objects. You like posters, charts, and graphics. You like any kind of visual clues. You enjoy drawing. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your spatial intelligence include creating and/or using pictures, maps, diagrams, and graphs as you learn things.

4.14 Self: You have a very good sense of self. You like to spend time by yourself and think things over. You will often take in information from another person, mull it over by yourself, and come back to that person later to discuss it. You like working on projects on your own. You often prefer to learn by trial and error. Effective techniques to enhance your learning include keeping a journal and giving yourself time to reflect on new ideas and information.

In the others skills (nature, language, social, musical, body movement) is my average score above three, I am using that intelligence quite often to help you learn.

Norfolk in pictures

2011-08-31T01:41:00.002+02:00

"My plane" in Atlanta...

"My hotel" in Suffolk...

River Park Drive

"My car Chevy"...

I am going to Norfolk

2011-08-26T15:07:00.000+02:00

At work I got the final instructions, in the afternoon I left Vyskov in the duty car.
At home I finish packing of my suitcase.

The web page About Norfolk, USA - Aug/Sep 2011 is prepared.

All seems to be prepared, at Sunday I am going to Norfolk (ADL Conference). :-)

Blogger is back

2011-05-13T22:54:00.003+02:00

...unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours...

Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish. We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11th, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring.

Again, we are very sorry for the impact to our authors and readers. We try hard to ensure Blogger is always available for you to share your thoughts and opinions with the world, and we’ll do our best to prevent this from happening again.

Posted by Eddie Kessler, Tech Lead/Manager, Blogger

(original text is here)

Long Journey Home

2011-04-26T21:09:00.000+02:00

The American Center would like to remind you of this week´s reading by Charles O. Heller from his new book Long Journey Home.
After painful experience with the Nazi regime, Ota Karel Heller moved to America.
By becoming Charles Ota Heller, he left not only his identity, but also his memories and scars, behind on the other side of the Atlantic.
In his memoir, he now tries to confront the ghosts of the past. Mr. Heller will read in English.

WHEN: April 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm

WHERE: American Center, Tržiště 13, Praha 1 – Staré Město

Image management

2011-04-16T11:09:00.001+02:00

This week I worked on thumbs, zoom and image management for articles. From web Articles Images I used BK-multithumb finally.
I studied all settings and info from web Kreacom.dk, downloaded plugin and realized the voted settings.
It seems to be easy but the understanding of all settings took me the long time...

ITEC

2011-04-08T15:03:00.001+02:00

I was thinking about participation on ITEC ("Europe's largest gathering of military training & simulation specialists") but the term of ITEC is collided with my other activities...

Joomla 1.6

2011-04-06T22:28:00.002+02:00

I will fill out the form to launch the new 100% working Joomla! site, hosted free for 30 days on demo.joomla.org to try new version (1.6) of Joomla - it is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) and application framework that powers 2.7% of the entire web.

Letter (No. 5 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:53:00.000+01:00

JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov, the Czech Republic

Memorandum to Commander of JCBRN Defence COE
From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
16 February 2011
Subject: Report of unit’s involvement in area Lipova

1. The special CBRN unit was sent to the area of Lipova to identify the repeated problem with the source of drinking water connected probably to the small-level earthquake in the mountains of Jeseniky. The problem was identified and the standardized system of measurement was done. The open-area task is completed now.
2. The team was in the area from 10 January 2011 to 12 February 2011. The system of measurement was done in 3 villages (Horni Lipova, Dolni Lipova, Lipova-Lazne). The map is attached.
3. The set of equipment called DS-2010 (Drill Set) was used 18 times in 9 specific points were calculated by software DSX-2009.
4. Based on global data from CHMU there are no foreseeable encountered problems in the future. This small earthquake was connected to misusing of explosive material in the area Konecna, where the new railway tunnel is being built.
5. The necessary actions for repairing the water system in this area will be described in the detailed report (will be sent on 24 February 2011).
Novotny

Radek Novotny
deputy commandant of JCBRN Defence COE appointed for this involvement
cell +420 777 083 126

Letter (No. 6 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:52:00.000+01:00

JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov, the Czech Republic

Memorandum to Personnel of JCBRN Defence COE
From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
22 February 2011
Subject: Open Day for the general public

1. An Open Day for general public is going to be organized on the military base in Vyskov on 12 April 2011 (The Anniversary of Joining NATO) from 9:00 to 13:00. Our unit was asked by COL Vsechnovi to contribute to the program.
2. The Training Department will prepare the small show of our special anti-chemical suits in the area between blocks B and C (COL Prvnisef is in charge of this show). The show will take 15 minutes and will be presented twice (10:00 and 11:00).
3. The Teaching Department is responsible for preparing an interactive show in the M&S room (building 257). The simulation of a nuclear attack will be presented at 10:00. Use the same example as on the DAT conference (from September 2010) – it is based on unclassified data. COL Druhysef is in charge of this.
4. The logistic branch (LB) is responsible for providing light refreshment on the first floor of building 257, the budget allocation for this is 10.000 CZK.
5. COL Prvnisef, COL Druhysef and commander of LB will prepare the text for an article in The Order No. 15. The Aid-de-Camp converts the final text of The Order to the article about the preparation of this day for web pages.
6. If you need any further information do not hesitate to contact me as soon as possible. I will also require an update by no later than 6 April 2011.
Novotny

Radek Novotny
deputy commander of JCBRN Defence COE appointed for this action
cell +420 777 083 126

Composition (No. 11 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:51:00.000+01:00

As of the 1 January 2011, a new rank structure was applied in the Czech military. This new structure is supposed to be equivalent to those in most NATO countries. I am not in favor of this change.
Firstly, only the rank structure of the lower levels was changed. To the best of my knowledge, the ranks of officers and generals are the same, and are based on the same principle as all countries around the world. The same responsibility is given to the captain in the Czech army or in the US Army. So, it makes all imaginable situations easier that you know the rank of the person you are speaking to or working with.
Secondly, when Czech Army became fully professional, there were no enlisted men and we only had the sergeants and warrant officers. The lowest rank in the Czech Army was the Staff-Sergeant. It was not logical to have the lowest rank in the Czech military on the same equivalent level which in other countries was fifth in their rank structure. From my point of view, the new rank structure is a logical final step of changing our army from a conscript army to a professional one.
Moreover, I have heard many stories about situations based on misusing the Czech rank system by foreigners, and vice-versa. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it made problems with a communication as foreign forces believe that our soldiers were in fact officers and saluted them.
Generally speaking, the changing of the rank system was the logical step in the development of our army. It could have been implemented over a longer time period, without the big change of “rank down” (for many soldiers). Taking everything into account, it had to be done and we can only discuss the way how it was realized.

Composition (No. 10 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:50:00.000+01:00

The Czech Republic joined NATO 12 years ago. Twelve years is the long time for many people, it is one thirds of their working carrier (from passing the university to retirement). So, it is time to say: “What about the way NATO conducts its military operation?”
However I did not participate on any operation abroad, I have many very different pieces of information about it. So, it is difficult to speak about some concrete situations, but it is possible to try to make a résumé of general information – where and why the countries joined NATO to participate in local conflicts. Let summarize this type of information.
Firstly, where the NATO countries participate in some local conflicts? Nowadays there is the well-known conflict in Afghanistan, which seems to be endless. Needles to say, the situation in Kosovo or Iraq is still unclear and the units of NATO countries have to stay there longer than the expected time. According to today’s news, in Libya, Egypt or Yemen it would be the same in near future.
Secondly, the simple answer to the question “why” does not exist. But all these places, except Kosovo, have one thing, which connects them together – and that is oil. And if we changed the word “oil” to word “resources”, we would be able to add the countries created in the area “Yugoslavia”. So, the resources seem to be a reason why we participate on these conflicts, although in the role of the pace-keeper. Moreover, I suppose, it not necessary to describe the logic way from “resources and having the area of them under control” to “to be prospering country” or “wealth”. The status “having resources” and “to be rich” are not equivalent, but it is necessary to have resources to be able to start and develop the process in the economy.
Generally speaking, I feel the membership of our country in NATO as “the ticket to club of rich countries”. The politicians had been probably motivated by the same ideas. Taking everything into account, the described circumstances seem to me as the international political system based on the idea to have the areas with resources under control. It is possible to discuss if the system is moral or immoral. But it is the way that has been used many times in the past and it works. Who has resources is the winner.

Composition (No. 9 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:49:00.000+01:00

A famous British scientist once stated at the end of the 19th century that electricity was no more than a fashionable craze. How has the invention of electricity changed our lives? And how would our lives look like without electricity?
Firstly, we use a lot of equipment, without thinking how they work. Many of them work using electricity as a source of energy. We realize this fact just at the moment when the source of electricity is unavailable – the system of providing us with electricity is out of work or the battery is empty.
Secondly, although we use a lot of equipment based on electricity as the source of energy, many of them represent only the way how to make our life more simple and easier. But some of them we need for “normal being”. From my point of view, it is electricity as a source of light (electric bulbs in their wide variability) and a source for equipment producing heat (electric cooker) or cold (refrigerator). On the contrary, I can imagine our life without TV, phone, radio – there is an endless list of examples.
Moreover, I have knowledge from many SCI-FI books I have read. So, I could imagine that if electricity had not been invented, we would have used some equipment based on the different sources, for example memories based on the neurons and machines based on the artificial stomach as the source of energy.
Generally speaking, human beings have huge potential to invent. According to ideas from the book “Darkness” by Ondřej Neff based on idea the idea “the principle of electricity can be temporarily switched off”, if the principle of energy did not work, we would adapt to new circumstances. As they say in the USA: “Yes, we can”.
Taking everything into account, people are able to adapt to any circumstances. If there had been no electricity, human beings would have been able to invent a different source of energy and to use it. Therefore, the British scientist was proved very wrong – it is, without doubt, one of the most important inventions of all time.

Composition (No. 8 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:48:00.000+01:00

There are many problematic issues in the world today and public health seems to be a front-runner. As the rising numbers of governments have made smoking in public places illegal, many businesses now say that no one can smoke in any of their offices, even the entire building.
Firstly, based only on the statistical data, there is a direct correlation between health and smoking. The dependence of probability to die of cancer and the number of cigarettes smoked per day epitomizes common used sentence, but it is still only a theory based on the statistical data. No chemical process in the body, which is responsible for the beginning of cancer is described. So the global war against smokers is only a political game. The governments like the tax on cigarettes.
Secondly, “the clever smoker” practices his obsession with cigarettes outside all the time. It is a well-known fact that an enclosed area (any room) smells with cigarette smoke more than two days, although the air is completely refreshed through the open window after smoking. So, every “clever smoker” smokes outside so as to not restrict non-smokers, and, generally, to not restrict the use of inside areas of the building.
Moreover, many good ideas and solutions were built in small group of people taking a discussion about some problems by the smoking of cigarettes. Smoking has been adopted in the cultural and social environment for many years and, vice-versa, the rooting out of “human environment” will take many years.
Generally speaking, smoking is the cultural attitude based in previous centuries. Although the addiction on nicotine is described in many medical texts, the amount of advertisement for cigarettes decreased in this century. Taking everything into account, governments are not able to change attitude of previous generation in one day. It is not the issue for some restricted law “where it is allowed to smoke”, but the solution is based on teaching the next generation to be non-smokers completely.

Composition (No. 7 - after correction)

2011-02-23T16:46:00.000+01:00

Information Technology (IT) and communication technology is an integral part of today’s modern society. As IT is introduced into most areas of military life, it seems that the human factor is gradually diminishing from decision-making processes. But the human factor has to have the priority in the decision-making processes.
Firstly, information technology is not at such a high level to be able to make decisions on a full-time basis. The problem is not in fact how quickly the computer is able to trace all available ways of solving a specific situation, but we do not have the technologies to put in the computer memory as many well described situations as is necessary. Artificial intelligence, on what the decision-making process is based in IT, needs the huge quantity of relevant data.
Secondly, in future we will probably be able to collect, to order and to sort the tera or penta bytes of data. But, who will be responsible to put into the computer the result which situation from the real world the action has to be signed as the example of bad solution of the situation, and vice versa, which description of real activities has to be signed as permitted or which as the best way. Although the final resolution is individual every time and depends on many circumstances, only humans have ability to make decision, especially if it is connected with other human being. And, according to sentence fro ancients Greek: “You never would be in the same river”, it is very difficult to write in the computer program strict rules how to use the description of the similar situation “A” and the solution evaluated as the best solution of that situation “A” to find the best solution of the new situation “B”. The new situation “B” only looks like the situation “A”, it has never been the some.
Generally speaking, IT is not ready for building the artificial intelligence. Taking everything into account, the human being is the only one who is nowadays responsible for his action. And, the theory above is fully independent on fact if we are speaking about civilian or military area, even though it is possible to search some specific circumstances in the military life. But as I used only philosophical categories the ideas are applicable on both, military and civilian area.

Composition (No. 6 - after correction)

2011-02-20T21:33:00.002+01:00

Some people belive that marriage is now only a tradition and a thing of the past, with only a piece of paper to show for it. These days it is much more popular to live together. Some people think that marriage is too restrictive in what people can adn can’t do.
Firstly, I have experience of both situations. I had lived with one girl together for more then six years. Finally, she had decided to leave me. It was easy process, because we were not married and we had no strictly together owned things. She had studied the university, she had been provided with money by her parents. Vice-versa, I owned the flat where we lived, I had earned money, etc. I have to say I have never understood her decision, but it was for me strong piece of experience. I had decided that I have never got married.
Secondly, I am married now. I had the long discussion about the changing my strong opinion from previous time after I had met my future wife. The discussion had taken for a long time. We both have known the endless list of advantages and disadvantages of marriage. Finally, I got married when our son Philip was “on the way to be born” and final decision was done due to him - to have the same name as mother and father together.
Generally speaking, the law is not pushing us to get married. Instead of “The last things” – the mother of your children will not be in the same group as the children in the legacy process if you are not married – there are no benefits for men and women to get married. You are paying the same income taxes and you have the equal rights as married parents. By the time, I understood that it is very often about the feeling of the women to be more protected for the future unexpected situations if she is married.
Taking everything into account, it depends on us as individuals to make our decision. Although, if you stay together “without the piece of essential paper” you have to be prepared for time when your children will ask you why you are not married. Even though, nowadays I believe the marriage status is the symbol of decision to live together until “death do us part”.

This Be The Verse

2011-02-20T20:42:00.001+01:00

Philip Larkin / This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but the do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.

Rade Novotny / “poem transmitted“

Your mother and father upset and confuse you so much that you are not able to deal with problems in your life. Probably they do it without intentions, although their effect may not be benefitial. And they fill you with the responsibility for everything wrong that has happened or been done.

They upset you because they you think behave or speak in a way that lacks intelligence or good judgement. They wear old fassion hats and coats. They are silly and sentimental, full of unnecessary emotion or, vice-versa, fighting or arguing with each other.

They give and leave misery for each other to deal with.
It becomes worse and worse.
So, make yourself independent as soon as possible.
And, finally, don’t have any kids, don’t become a parent yourself.

Letter (No. 4 - after correction)

2011-02-15T20:32:00.000+01:00

From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
To: Members of Council of The town Kromeriz
Date: 2011-02-10
Subject: Permission to perform military exercise

Ladies and gentlemen,
I would ask you for permission to perform a military exercise in the north part of the district Kromeriz, in the area next to the northern suburb of your town, on the road between the suburb Severnik and the village Nejblizsi (map is attached).
The exercise will be held from 31st of March 2011 to 3rd of April 2011. The main task of the exercise is to practice our ability to create the field facility for decontamination in a new unknown area, as quickly as possible. This type of exercise has never been held in the area like this. So, it is fitting for us, due to the characteristic “unknown area”.
We need the only one piece of liaise procedure, to inform people in your local news. Putting the info sign on the road will be in our responsibility. No area around the road will be used.
We suppose there will be no negative impact on the environment, on the fields besides the road, on the people living in Severnik and Nejblizsi. In the case of a fire or an emergency, one part of the road will be available for emergency vehicles at all times.
If you require any further information, do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to your reply.
Novotny

Composition (No. 5 - after correction)

2011-02-14T20:56:00.001+01:00

Water is a vital part of our existence and we need water for our survival. Due to the fact that water is not available in all places around the world in the same quantity, it must be transported. So, currently it is contained in many different forms. Unfortunately, people prefer one with the longest decomposition time – the plastic bottle.
Firstly, although there are many different forms of water containers, people still prefer the plastic bottle. Other basic forms of water containers had some troubles. The first, glass bottles are too heavy to carry, they are able to be used repeatly, but the process of cleaning them required a lot energy. The second basic form, paper boxes with alluminia or PE interior surface are not as solid as the plastic and glass bottles.
Secondly, even though there are many inputs (oil, energy etc.) to produce plastic bottles, they are cheaper than paper boxes and glass bottles. Needless to say, in my opinion, if we count the costs of production and the costs of wastage process (separation of bottles and transforming of this separated waste to new material – small bubbles or powder, which is later used as a source for other productions), the previous sentence is not right. But, it is necessary to use this process of separation due to the long decomposition time of plastic bottles.
Finally, very often people ask for water packed in container, even though there is the possibility to use the water from the tap. It is widely believed that tap water is not the same quality as the packed water. Surprisingly, in Mid-European countries the quality of tap water is generally higher than packed water. Fortunately, in many restaurants it is now accepted and you can get tap water as standard.
Taking everything into account, it is understandable from the technical point of view (weight, solidity etc.) why people prefer the plastic bottle, but it is necessary to separate them from the waste and use them as the source for the next production. If we do not, forests, beaches etc. will be changed to a dump.

Composition (No. 4 - after correction)

2011-02-14T20:23:00.001+01:00

The policemen in the United Kingdom are routinely unarmed, whereas in the North America and most European countries – as elsewhere – policemen are routinely armed. The policemen in the Czech Republic are routinely armed. It is very difficult to say which model of police is better, because there are many advantages and disadvantages of armed police.
In my opinion, the basic advantage of armed police is the presence of power. The police officer with a gun is more respectable than without. The effect of the gun-visibility, like the effect of the uniform, gives the police power to correct the behavior of people around him with any action whatever. This is a very strange effect of police presence on the street. People seethe police as the face of the law. I suppose, it is the way how to intimidate the people not to commit criminal acts. Probably, this my point of view is not so easily applicable to the USA, where it is the right of every person to carry gun by law.
Contrary, there are many examples of the police misusing theirs gun. According to police statistical data, there are more then five hundred incidents per year when the police gun is used incorrectly or illegally and the other people (the public) are real or potential victims of these situations.
Taking everything into account, it is my opinion that is not necessary to change the present situation regarding armed police. In different counties, they have different culture and different expectations from their national police units. Both models – armed and unarmed police - are “working”. From my point of view the calls for a reduction in police reliance on firepower are only “the political games”. Needless to say, I have good knowledge only about the situation in the Czech Republic and it is very difficult for me to compare it with the other countries.

Composition (No. 1 - after correction)

2011-02-13T21:58:00.000+01:00

Media pay a lot of attention to the lives of famous people, especially of politicians on one hand and celebrities (pop stars, actor and actresses) on the other. The question is if there is any positive impact of making their lives public and open to public scrutiny.
Firstly, there is a problem of the definition of media which we speak about and definition of public scrutiny. As I am using the word media, let me use it for “correct media” only, so I mean only CT channels from Czech TV and Czech Radio channels. I separate other media as “noncorrect” because I think the journalist culture in the Czech Republic is going down day by day and there is a strong dictate of advertisement and firms which are paying for it. So other media do not give us relevant information. The second word definition, which I would discus, is the public scrutiny. With the reference to vocabulary, public scrutiny is “examination in all possible details”. So I will speak about the examination of politicians because the celebrities are the target of “non correct media”, in my point of view.
Secondly, I try to evaluate the public scrutiny level of Czech politicians in comparison to other countries. I have only particular knowledge of the level of public scrutiny in the USA from my short stay there and from the other type of the media which I have not mentioned yet, from the Internet. It seems to me that the level of public scrutiny in the Czech Republic is very low. Many people have only a limited time period in their day scheduler to read information from newspapers and Internet news services about politicians and their activities. So they have no idea about other ways to examine the politician’s activities and finally they lose their ability to remember that before election there were promises which were forgotten after election and again presented when the next election is in the so called election year.
Finally, needless to say that there is a small group of people, very often absolvents of universities, who discuss with the politicians on the “practical level of the concrete technician problems” for example though their own articles and they have no ambition to exam private life of politicians.
Taking everything into account, in the Czech Republic there are two main group of people, one big group of passive people which have extremely low level of public scrutiny to politicians and the second small group of active people with different ideas about politicians, but both of them without the active scrutiny with any impact on private lives of politicians. Nevertheless, there is the other point of the view to this problem, the symbol of this is the newspaper Blesk, but it is not my cup of tea.

Composition (No. 2 - after correction)

2011-02-13T18:18:00.002+01:00

The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999. The joining documents were signed on 12th April 1999 in the USA. Some politicians and other skeptics argue that the Czech Republic does not command the same authority as more established members of NATO. Is it possible to be annoyed with this opinion?
Firstly, what type of information can we use as arguments to support our opinion? Soldiers, members of the army, have the same information as civilians. For example, from news, magazines, newspapers, TV or Internet. However, they have particulary some information so called internal, from the army sphere. But the level of this information is strictly depend on the position of the soldier in the army and only some of soldiers have some specific information. I am from the biggest group of the most solders who have only the first type of the information, so called „public information“. And it depends only on me if I try to collect information and study them to know details about our position in NATO. So my opinion and my supportive argument will be only from the public sources of information.
To the best of my knowlidge, the Czech Republic has the expected authority in NATO. We have some specialists in the Czech Army – chemical specialists, medical specialists, pilots. They are (or were) in the relevant types of operations, for example in the Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. And the same is about czech commandants, they are (or were) on the relevant positions in the command structure of those operations. We have members of the Czech Army in the relevant command structures of the permanent command chain of NATO. They have relevant level of information I think. The liaison between the Czech republic and NATO is on relevant level. Regarless to say that the latest sentence I wrote is based on my knowledge about VTC conferences between Vyskov and Norfolk but this type of information is published on the web. Generaly speaking I think we have the relevant position in the NATO structure and we have relevant representatives in the relevant locations.
Taking everithing into account, the Czech republic has the relevant authority thoughout the members of the Czech army on their positions in the command structure of NATO. Needless to say that media very often describe only conrete incorrect situation connected with Czech members in NATO due to media likes to describe only situations which seems to be wrong generaly. This reality leads to have different opinion about this problem as was written in the third sentence of first paragraph.

Is the European Unification a Solution?

2011-01-30T22:32:00.002+01:00

Very interesting essey written by Mr. Václav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic:

Is the European Unification (and the Deliberate Undermining of Nation-States) a Solution, or a Step to an Ever-Growing Problem?
The two words, „Challenging Prospects“, chosen for this year’s Com.Sult congress have been used as titles of congresses and conferences many times in the past, but this time their use seems to be appropriate, at least when we talk about Europe. We should say loudly what many Europeans, especially their politicians, also see but do not want to admit, that Europe faces a substantial, long-term, very serious problem. It is not a short-term, or medium term business cycle phenomenon. And it is not part of a global crisis, it is very European. Even the recent crisis was not global. It was euro-american.
...

Composition (No. 3 - after correction)

2011-01-23T21:38:00.005+01:00

It is widely believed that rich countries (for example the EU-member countries, the USA, etc.) should help those less fortunate than themselves. Very often they provide them with food, especially as so called humanitarian assistance. Although, it would be better improve their educational and healthcare system. For example, give them and teach them new technologies to grow their own food (corn etc.) and become more independent.

Firstly, take this example. Why is it better to teach somebody how to plant corn effectively than to provide them with corn. The first (teaching) you can do once; the second (providing) you have to do constantly due to their dependence. Although, it’s probably cheaper only to provide food than to teach, but only for limited time (5 or 10 years maybe). The country will gradually become independent and it will not be necessary to provide food continually.

Secondly, an increasing level of educational and healthcare systems in poor countries will also bring a different way of thinking. Currently people in poor countries are thinking about migrating to rich countries because of their poor financial situation. It leads to low level productivity of work, and, consequently, it leads generally to a slow increase in the GDP. So the poor country remains poor. And vice-versa, better education encourages production, with leads to economic growth and wealth. Finally, it makes the country independent and it motivates people to be more responsible for themselves.

Needless to say, there are some situations (floods, earthquakes etc.) when international assistance is the only way to quickly and effectively help.

Taking everything into account, it is my opinion that there is no possibility to stay in position when everyone is responsible for themselves, and it is indifferent if we are speaking about any person or any countries. We are not living separately from others and other cultures etc. So there is the better way how to help to others then only providing food to them.

Using a Dictogloss

2011-01-13T22:03:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we learned the English language with using a dictogloss. I trayed to find the definition of "DICTOGLOSS" on the Internet and, finally, this one seems to me to be the best:

Using a Dictogloss
Dictogloss is an activity in which short pieces of language are read out at normal speed to students, who take down the key words and then attempt to reconstruct the passage using their short term memory, their general understanding of the text, and notes they take while listening. A dictogloss commonly uses the following procedure:
Preparation: introduce the topic and key vocabulary.
Dictation: Read the text aloud at normal or near-normal speed, allowing students to orally reconstruct in small groups afterwards. On the second reading, students note down key words.
Analysis: Students attempt to reconstruct the text in their own words, first in pairs and subsequently in larger groups. The students will be utilizing their existing grammatical and lexical knowledge, practising their ability to record and extract the main ideas in a text, working collaboratively to produce a legible written record, proof-reading and revising work, and as a by-product justifying their opinions and asking questions to check and clarify information.
Feedback / Correction / Evaluation: The completed texts are checked for meaning and accuracy.
As befitting its origins as a grammar teaching methodology, one of the primary benefits of a dictogloss is to reveal gaps in the students’ prior-knowledge and inter-language – hence its popularity as a diagnostic tool. Increasingly, however, the technique is being used as a more learner-centred form of dictation, leading in to work on areas such as pronunciation, lexis, functional exponents and spelling. Unlike traditional dictation exercises, in a dictogloss the emphasis is on the students’ ability to communicate in order to re-convey the meaning of the text, as opposed to re-producing it word for word. Tasks can be graded by giving ‘skeleton texts’ (the key nouns, for example) to the students before the first reading, by variations in the reading speed, or by decreasing the length of the text to be reconstructed (with the caveat that all texts should be of sufficient length that the students are not able to store it word-for-word in their short-term memory).

(source)

Free DVD Creator

2011-01-12T20:33:00.001+01:00

Today evening I have learned to use the Free DVD Creator. It is very, very simple.

Free DVD Creator provides you a handy tool to convert and burn DVD movies from video files. It can create DVD from all video formats such as AVI to DVD, DivX to DVD, Xvid to DVD, MPEG to DVD, WMV to DVD, MP4 to DVD, MOV to DVD, RM to DVD... Then you can play the DVDs on portable or home DVD player.
With Free DVD Creator, you can create DVD movies with NTSC or PAL video standard, 4:3 or 16:9 video aspect, 720x480/720x576 or 352x240/352x288 video resolution. Create DVD menus with built-in DVD menu maker. And burn DVD movie disc or just create DVD files (.ifo, .vob) on your hard drive.

Next song with lyrics

2011-01-11T20:27:00.003+01:00

The Counting Crows : "Accidentally In Love"

So she said what's the problem baby
What's the problem I don't know
Well maybe I'm in love (love)
Think about it every time
I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it

How much longer will it take to cure this
Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)
Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love

Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
Cause everybody's after love

So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love
Melting under blue skies
Belting out sunlight
Shimmering love

Well baby I surrender
To the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this love
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love

These lines of lightning
Mean we're never alone,
Never alone, no, no

Come on, Come on
Move a little closer
Come on, Come on
I want to hear you whisper
Come on, Come on
Settle down inside my love

Come on, come on
Jump a little higher
Come on, come on
If you feel a little lighter
Come on, come on
We were once
Upon a time in love

We're accidentally in love
Accidentally in love [x7]

Accidentally

I'm In Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
Accidentally [x2]

Come on, come on
Spin a little tighter
Come on, come on
And the world's a little brighter
Come on, come on
Just get yourself inside her

Love ...I'm in love

In the army now

2011-01-10T17:14:00.002+01:00

I used the same way (described in previous article) to learn English two years ago. I remember the song In The Army Now by Status Quo:

Status Quo : In The Army Now

A vacation in a foreign land
Uncle Sam does the best he can
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Now you remember what the draftman said
Nothing to do all day but stay in bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

You'll be the hero of the neighbourhood
Nobody knows that you left for good
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Smiling faces as you wait to land
But once you get there no one gives a damn
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Handgrenades flying over your head
Missiles flying over your head
If you want to survive get out of bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Shots ring out in the dead of night
The sergant calls [stand up and fight!]
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

You've got your orders better shoot on sight
Your finger's on the trigger
But it don't seem right
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Night is falling and you just can't see
Is this illusion or reality
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Oh, oh, you're in the army now

First week of English course

2011-01-09T14:57:00.002+01:00

This week was the first of eight when I participate on the 8-week English course. So now, in the weekend I repeat for example the songs we listened to.

James Blunt : Same Mistake

So while I'm turning in my sheets
And once again I cannot sleep
Walk out the door and up the street
Look at the stars beneath my feet
Remember rights that I did wrong
So here I go

Hello, hello

There is no place I cannot go
My mind is muddy but
My heart is heavy does it show
I lose the track that loses me
So here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

And so I sent some men to fight
And one came back at dead of night
Said he'd seen my enemy
Said he looked just like me
So I set out to cut myself
And here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake again

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

And maybe someday we will meet
And maybe talk but not just speak
Don't buy the promises cause
There are no promises I keep
and my reflection troubles me
So here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake again

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
So while I'm turning in my sheets

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
And once again I cannot sleep

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Walk out the door and up the street

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Look at the stars

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Look at the stars falling down

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
And I wonder where

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Did I go wrong

The second song is on youtube here and lyrics is below:

Jason Mraz : I'm Yours

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment babay sing with me
I love peace for melody
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
Please don't, please don't, please don't
There's no need to complicate
Cause our time is short
This oh this this is out fate, I'm yours!

Streaming Download

2010-12-27T10:40:00.001+01:00

I like it:

Who and what is SDP ?
SDP or the Streaming Download Project is a small dedicated team of independent software coders established in 2001.
We were originally a nonprofit team with only one goal - understanding (and documenting) MMS fully. Our resulting implementation of our MMS document lead to the development of a MMS streaming receiver, 'SDP downloader' for windows media streaming. So then, not only could you view the streaming media, SDP receiver downloaded (or copied) the stream straight to your hard disk. This could not be achieved with a standard Windows Media player. Think of it like a video recorder for Windows(tm) streaming, recording live shows, music concerts, radio shows, movies and free trailers for new release etc...
We believe our project was the first of its kind in the world (and probably the first of many!) with other MMS developers using our findings as a basis for their own code implementations. Of that we were proud and glad to be of service. We are still always open to comments and feedback. We do listen and reply to all emails when time permits. If you encounter a problem or have just a question about SDP, simply email us and you will get a reply, please allow at least 1 day.
Its worth pointing out that although SDP downloader is free (as in - you do not have to pay for the free version) it is not open source.
Since February 2008, Microsoft has dropped its use of MMS in its streaming servers and player applications. Read More.. But this does not mean the death of MMS just yet. Many legacy servers are still out there serving media content and will probably do so for the next few years before being updated or replaced. However, in the light of this, SDP will no longer update our MMS documentation document. The focus is now on newer features like protocols, RTSP and HTTP being already in use and with authentication to allow pass worded servers to be access.

What can SDP Downloader actually do?
The current free version of SDP can download the following protocols, remember this is for Windows Media Streaming only.
HTTP v1.0 streaming protocol - sometimes referred to as MMSH.
HTTP progressive (simple http download)
MMS, MMST and MMSU over both TCP and UDP transport protocols.
Preview the stream while downloading - using your favorite existing media player.
Download Live and Pre recorded videos and music straight to your hard drive. Like a video recorder.
Note that the free version of SDP will still be maintained as best as possible - updates should still appear.
Types of URL to look for usually start with "MMS://, MMST://, or HTTP://" and end with something like ".asf, .wmv or .wma" etc..

What can SDP Downloader NOT do?
The current free version of SDP does not download flash, eg. YouTube videos or any other flash site (with a .swf ending)
Currently, the free version of SDP will not download RTSP protocol.
RealAudio, RealMedia videos will not be downloaded.
Some authenticated proxy servers are not accessible.
NTLM authentication is not allowed in the current free version.
File indexing (that allows media player to use its seek bar and fast forward buttons) does not work properly in Windows V11 player.

And where? Here...

PF 2011

2010-12-23T21:53:00.003+01:00

PF 2011
and the first invitation: 4. 3. 2011 19:00 in the Bolek Polivka Theatre

IT Security Products for Corporate Users

2010-11-27T21:46:00.002+01:00

IT Security Products for Corporate Users
Review of IT Security Suites for Corporate Users, 2010

The Dangers of Malware
Most organizations are aware of the risks threatening their IT environment. Viruses, trojans, worms, exploits and many other threats represent a serious danger for the IT department. A collapse of the IT system could mean grave financial losses right up to insolvency for a company. The IT departments of companies are conscious of this problem. Getting the best protection against these threats is the only issue. A simple file antivirus solution alone is totally inadequate, as there are too many threats from contaminated e-mails, exploits etc. What is required is a comprehensive suite that provides protection against all of these.

Functional Diversity
Because of the immense functional diversity of various antivirus suites and corporate products, it is becoming increasingly difficult for decision-makers in the IT sector to get a proper overview. Which product should one opt for and for which areas of protection?
During these tests our main focus has not been on malware detection rates, but on the products’ handling and user-friendliness, and the scope of functionality. We have compiled the functional scope of various products in a detailed table. For malware detection rates of individual products please refer to the tests of our website: http://www.av-comparatives.org
...

Notes for the Lisbon NATO Summit

2010-11-20T20:33:00.002+01:00

Notes for the Lisbon NATO Summit - Václav Klaus

Václav Klaus on NATO working dinner (Fiera Internacional de Lisboa, Portugal), yeasterday, 19th November 2010

Secretary General, dear colleagues,
Let me say, very briefly, a few words about the topics suggested for this working dinner by the Secretary General.
The Czech Republic has been preparing for a different missile defence system in the past few years but we do support the new NATO organized and NATO controlled missile defense system. We are prepared to take an active part in its development. We are convinced that the NATO run missile defense system is indispensable to maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
We are also in favor of enhancing NATO’s cooperation with Russia in missile defense and in other areas of shared interests. We were pleased that Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed an important disarmament treaty in Prague earlier this year. I welcome the fact that during this summit the NATO-Russia Council is taking place. We are facing the same kinds of security challenges and it is through dialogue and practical cooperation that we can build a greater degree of trust and mutual confidence with Russia. I appreciate this has been one of the priorities for Secretary General Rasmussen. But I have to add one comment. In my country, an ex-communist country, I am concidered as the one who speaks in favour of a rational and pragmatic relationship with Russia. But to hear here too simple and too unqualified statements about partnership with Russia, I think we have to make the arguments stronger and deeper.

Václav Klaus, NATO working dinner, Fiera Internacional de Lisboa, Portugal, November 19, 2010

About DANCE THEATRE MIMI FORTUNAE BRNO (III.)

2010-11-17T09:54:00.002+01:00

Ilustrated Invitation - The Performance of Dance theatre Mimi Fortunae in Brno, 30th November 2010, 19:00, Theatre Barka, Brno Kralovo Pole

About DANCE THEATRE MIMI FORTUNAE BRNO (II.)

2010-11-13T10:46:00.002+01:00

The text by Hana Smičková-Látalová

MIMI FORTUNAE
A private dance theatre of Hana Smičková-Látalová
MIMI FORTUNAE Dance Theatre was founded in 1985 by Mrs. Hana Smičková-Látalová as a historical dances ensemble. First performances included adaptations of Central Europe town and court dances of the Gothic and Renaissance period, stylised by Mrs. Hana, the choreographer, dance teacher and dance soloist. The turning point in the MIMI FORTUNAE´s production came in 1987 - 1988, when the contemporary ballet started to return to former Czechoslovakia and a number of world-famous pedagogues and artists visited the ensemble to teach the techniques of modern dance (Bruno Genty from France, from the U.S.A.: David Appel, Tonia Shimin and Sandi Combest were the teachers of Mrs. Hana and her dancers). At present the artistic profile of Hana Smičková-Látalová and so also of MIMI FORTUNAE Dance Theatre consists mainly of contemporary dance (both expressing intimite feelings of men and women in smaller pieces and trying to put questions while looking for solutions of the „Technic Age“ od mankind) and also of an own connection of scenic dance and compact historical dance, accompanied by historical music and based on folk roots of the Czech Nation (although it is not any folklore dance at all!). Famous dance techniques of Limon and Graham have been applied, while, above all, Mrs. Hana created its own choreographic profile.
Hana Smičková-Látalová as a choreographer is listed in the Directory „Who is Who“ in the Czech Republic among significant personalities of the Czech Republic since 2000 and since 2006 in „The Directory of Czech Personalities and Companies“. For her specific choreographic expression she was awarded several prizes, namely „The Prize For Choreography“ in the professional Reviews of choreographers of the Czech and Slovak Republic 1991 and 1995. In the International Choreographic Competition PRIX VOLININE 1995 her choreography „The Words“ was a part of the Gala Programme for Paris, France. In 1998 her “Carmina burana” was selected for Opening of the Season in the National Theatre in Utrecht. In 1999 her full-length ballet „The Ballads of The Death“ were proclaimed one of the 10 best theatre performances of all the Czech Republic. In 2003 her choreographies were selected for te Czech representation in England. In 2005 the dance project “To be or not to be” was selected for the International dance Festival “Languages of Love” held in Punjab, India. In 2008 the modern dance choreography „Me, Myself“ won the choreographic competition ARTAMA in CZ and later on it was also awarded by The Third Prize of the International Jazz Dance Open competition in Pardubice, CZ. Also, in 2008, Mrs. Hana created a unique choreography of Maurice Ravel´s world famous BOLERO – both unique for its topic and for the musical accompaniment – Ravel´s music continuously penetrating an original music of Jiri Hradil, a well-known Czech composer, who composed this music just according both to Mrs. Hana´s dance demands and Mr. Ravel´s brilliant music.

MIMI FORTUNAE is a dance company that employs a combination of dance and dramatics to evoke a wide range of emotions as portrayd like stories-in-motion. Therefore its production is accessible to all types of audiences - to the professional and the layman, to children as well as adults, to those who are interested in classical dance as well as to those who prefer contemporary scenic dance, in some pieces influenced by folk dance of the old times history of a nation or just to those who would love to discover the history of Central Europe. The repertoire of MIMI FORTUNAE includes mainly contemporary scenic dance as well as historic scenic dance of Central Europe of 15th – 17th centuries. The name "Dance Theatre" has its own reason: the ensemble members endeavour to tell stories and evoke deep moods by using their bodies for dance, stylized movements and mimics.

MIMI FORTUNAE has gained a good reputation during the period of its activity: the ensemble has performed on a number of stages in the Czech Republic and in the world (for example: France, Germany, Lithuania, Italy, Austria, India,The Netherlands, Great Britain, USA, Slovakia, Jordan etc.), and, of course, have become equally known at the Czech art scene. The group is used to perform both on the formal dance stages in official opera and ballet houses and on alternative indoor stages, outdoor summer open air stages and international festival stages. In 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 MIMI FORTUNAE was invited for great artistic tours with its performances „The Mirror of the Ages“ and „To Be or Not to Be“ to Texas, U.S.A. (Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, etc.) and repeatedly to Northern India (states of Punjab, Haryana, cities like New Delhi, Amritzar), Festival „Languages of Love“. In 2009 MIMI FORTUNAE presented its choreographies during „Kingdom of Peace International Festival“ in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

At present MIMI FORTUNAE engages 20 dancers, both men and women, and its perfomances are presented by at least 12 dancers. There are also techniciens necessary for creating sounding and lighting of a performance and so at least 2 are to tour with the group.

About DANCE THEATRE MIMI FORTUNAE BRNO

2010-11-06T20:58:00.001+01:00

When I started this web the main idea was to find the way how effectively communicate with my English speaking friends and funs of our Dance theatre MIMI FORTUNAE Brno (DT MF).

MIMI FORTUNAE, Dance Theatre Brno, is the ensemble with 25 years tradition in the area of scenic dance.

Actual offered performances are:

BOLERO
MAURICE RAVEL/JIRI HRADIL
a unique contemporary dance performance
of the famous BOLERO

„TO BE OR NOT TO BE“
composed contemporary dance and theatrical project from the Czech history

THE DROPS OF PAINFUL HOPE
contemporary dance – images of people´s feelings, emotions, relationships,
hatred and love

THE CULT
or
THE CELTIC RITE OF BELTAINE
mysthique and symbolic dance pictures from the ancient history of the Czech nation

Historical Scenic Dance
„THE MIRROR OF THE AGES“
the full-length programme from „barbarian“ times
to Renaissance
or
particular dances reflexing the period of Gothic or Renaissance

OCCASIONALLY
FIRST DANCE – historical, „The best Thirties“ or modern
at balls, representative meetings and parties, city or castle festivals

For more information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mr. Radek Novotný, manager,
+420 777 083 126, radek@tanecni-divadlo.cz.

Many photos to be found on http://www.mimi-fortunae.cz.

Vagón - the nice holiday

2010-09-05T18:35:00.003+02:00

The comment text is not necessary - who know...

Kayak and ferryboat

2010-08-03T17:07:00.000+02:00

My friend Drobek on his Holiday in Sweden

Mondsee - the nice Holiday

2010-07-30T23:40:00.004+02:00

Mondsee
Other than leisure activities, the main reason that people visit Mondsee is to see this church. It began as the church for the former Benedictine monastery which was the whole reason the town was founded way back in the 8th century. Today it's known officially as Pfarrkirche St Michael, although it's also known as the "Wedding Church" from the movie "The Sound of Music."
(text from this web)
Children's train
Weather and the dailytime changed our nice view from the balcony...

Attersee

Burggrabenkalmm
The Water-Ski Show

NATO Courses Repository

2010-06-21T00:14:00.000+02:00

The NATO Course Repository contains all the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) courses which support NATO and its Partners Education and Training requirements. Access is available to all NATO and Partner for Peace Nations (PfP) staff who have a requirement for accessing ADL courses.

I joined in on the meeting in Tartu, Estonia.

ACT Complete Advanced Distributed Learning Cooperative Development Training at the Baltic Defence College

2010-06-21T00:07:00.003+02:00

ACT Complete Advanced Distributed Learning Cooperative Development Training at the Baltic Defence College
ACT Education and Training Management
(by act.nato.int)

Staff members from Allied Command Transformation along with assistance from US JFCOM and the Swiss International Relations and Security Network (ISN) recently completed the 2nd Cooperative Development Team (CDT) training event under ACT leadership. This event, hosted by the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia had 35 students from NATO and Partner nations as well as NATO institutions.
The training course introduces students to the development and lifecycle process of online learning. The course is designed to take a manager, instructional and multimedia designer which form a CDT and introduce them to the NATO/PfP existing environment and then go into detail of their roles in the production and fielding of ADL courseware for national and/or NATO use. It explains the NATO requirement for all courses to be SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) compliant, the ADL development tools available and the role of the Learning Management Services in delivering courses.
Although the course is designed to train best practices and the basics, it goes on to train the complete lifecycle “from cradle to grave” and considerations for the development of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)... The course was attended by the NATO Information Communications Information School (NCISS), NATO Defence College (NDC), JFC Brunssum as well as students from Estonia, Poland, Norway, Lithuania, United States, Slovakia and Czech Republic (me).
These courses form part of the ongoing partnership between NATO, Switzerland and the United States to create a cooperative environment where ADL development can be encouraged and where nations can assist NATO or share development to ensure best practices, interoperability of courseware and reduction in costs. Dr. Sürsal, head of the ACT training technologies section which ran the event stated; ”We have 20 CDT’s so far, and each CDT course brings in new ones or reenergises old ones which in the long term will provide NATO a wide range of education and training packages”.

Visit in Estonia

2010-06-04T10:12:00.003+02:00

In the term of the 31st May to the 4th June I visited the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia. There was hold a meeting on the theme "ADL".

There are some photos from Tartu:

The view from the hotel room...

...and the hotel DORPAT form the bank of the river

Dome Church' ruins - on the Toome Hill

The old observatory...

Oskar WILDE and Eduard VILDE - the hypotetical meeting...

Other pictuters and texts about Tartu here.

New template

2010-05-13T16:39:00.001+02:00

I changed the template of the webpage to standartize it with my other pages (it is first template I used but made wider), and I am fulfilling extra page about Estonia...

Guilty : Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab

2010-05-03T23:52:00.004+02:00

Czech TV CT24 refered today about Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab - he is guilty!
So I found some more info about him and his family:

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab Biography
It is improbable that Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman’s family has seen the photograph that has made his face known across the world.
Hours before he began firing at commuters waiting at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) last week, Iman, one of ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, was caught on closed-circuit camera.
After he and his partner, Mohammad Ismail, had killed 55 commuters at CST and three senior police officers, including Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Chief Hemant Karkare, Iman was injured and captured — and the story he has since been telling Mumbai police investigators casts new light on how the feared terror group preys on the most vulnerable in Pakistani society to further its agenda of hate.
The man in the photo was born on July 13, 1987 at Faridkot village in Dipalpur tehsil of Okara district in Pakistan’s Punjab province. His family belongs to the underprivileged Qasai caste. His father, Mohammad Amir Iman, runs a dahi-puri snack cart. His mother, Noori Tai, is a homemaker.
Iman is the third of the family’s five children. His 25-year-old brother, Afzal, lives near the Yadgar Minar in Lahore. His sister, Rukaiyya Husain, 22, is married locally. Iman’s younger siblings, 14-year-old Suraiyya and 11-year-old Munir, live at home.
Iman’s desperately poor family could not afford to keep their second son, an indifferent student, at the Government Primary School in Faridkot past the fourth grade. He was pulled out of school in 2000, at the age of 13, and went to live with his older brother in Lahore. Afzal, who lives in a tenement near the Yadgar Minar in Lahore, eked out a living on a labourer’s wages, and could barely afford to look after his brother. For the next several years, Iman shuttled between the homes of his brother and parents.

Adrift

After a row with his parents in 2005, Iman left home, determined never to return. No longer welcome in Afzal’s home, he stayed at the shrine of the saint Syed Ali Hajveri until he could pick up some work. He began working as a labourer and by 2007 his work brought in Rs. 200 a day. Iman, however, found the work degrading. He soon began spending time with small-time criminals in Lahore. Along with a friend, a one-time Attock resident named Muzaffar Lal Khan, Iman decided to launch a new career in armed robbery.

On Bakr Eid day in 2007, Iman has told the Mumbai Police, the two men made their way to the Raja bazaar in Rawalpindi, hoping to purchase weapons. In the market, they saw activists for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa — the parent political organisation of the Lashkar-e-Taiba — handing out pamphlets and posters about the organisation and its activities. After a discussion lasting a few minutes, Iman claims, both men decided to join — not because of their Islamist convictions but in the hope that the jihad training they would receive would further their future life in crime.

A life in Lashkar

But at the Lashkar’s base camp, Markaz Taiba, Iman’s world view began to change. Films on India’s purported atrocities in Kashmir, and fiery lectures by preachers, including Lashkar chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, led him to believe that the Lashkar’s cause — the greater glory of Islam, as the organisation presented it — was worth giving his life to. It is possible, an official involved in the interrogation suggested, that the atmosphere of the camp gave him the sense of family he had lacked for much of his life.

When he returned home for a two-month break after his indoctrination at the Lashkar base camp, he found a respectability within his community and family that had eluded him most of his life. Where Iman had earlier been seen as a burden, he was now self-sufficient — and bore the halo of religious piety.

Later that year, Iman was chosen for the Lashkar’s basic combat course, the Daura Aam. He performed well and was among a small group of 32 men selected to undergo advanced training at a camp near Manshera, a course the organisation calls the Daura Khaas. Finally, he was among an even smaller group selected for specialised marine commando and navigation training given to the fidayeen unit selected to target Mumbai.

According to Iman, Lashkar military commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi promised that his family would be rewarded with Rs. 1.5 lakh for his sacrifice.

User Submitted Article Sent by Pallav

Related Update Via [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1211305]

The 10 terrorists who wreaked mayhem in Mumbai last week had chains with cyanide pills around their necks to kill themselves if they were caught by the police.

During their one-year militant training, their bosses kept telling them: “Bite this pill if the police ever corner you during your mission.” This, the terrorists were told, would kill them, paving their way “straight to heaven”.

This was revealed by Mohammad Ajmal Mohammad Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist to be arrested, during interrogation.

If cornered by the police, they were to bite the pill, bringing them death in 15 minutes. They were told this would bring police investigations to a dead end and their “brothers” could continue their “holy fight”, Kasab said. Senior police officers said this was typical of Al-Qaeda activists.

The terrorists were warned not to reveal about the others in the group or the training camps if they were caught. Police suspect Kasab’s chain fell off when he was assaulted by a mob after he was overpowered by the police.

The police plan to check the bodies of the nine other terrorists kept in the mortuary at JJ Hospital.

Police officials interrogating Kasab over the last week described him as “moody” who often “rants”. He is not revealing much and is silent when asked about the terror camps, a senior officer said.

Sawinder Singh

2010-03-23T21:44:00.003+01:00

Today is the birthday of my Indian friend Sawinder Singh. So let my congratulate him for his birthday through this BLOG. Happy birthday Sawinder!

I know, I started this BLOG (web page) with the idea to write there in English language something like the mirror of the main page of my BLOG but I have no free time to translate all texts and many texts are not interesting for my foreign friends because the texts are connected to situations in the Czech republic and to themes from our country. Although some texts are about my family and I understand those themes can be interesting for them.
So I promise I will tray to find more time to write on this page!

Traffic accident

2010-02-11T21:28:00.001+01:00

My friend in Chandigarh, Jaswinder, was injured in some traffic accident and he will have to be for one or two months in the bed. I feel very sad - I hope he will visit the Czech Republic this year but now it will be probably slightly complicated to organize it.
We will see! Now I can only say: Good luck! I wish you, Jaswinder, to be OK as soon as possible!

Hallo, world

2010-01-26T18:16:00.003+01:00

No, nothing new will be written here, I only changed some details in settings of this web page. There were some texts written automaticaly, but not in English. So I corrected it. :-)

PF 2010 by The Dance Theatre MIMI FORTUNAE Brno

2009-12-24T16:48:00.001+01:00

PF 2010 (with some sentences)

2009-12-24T16:27:00.005+01:00

I supposed I would write to this pages for my friends in The India, The Jordan Kingdom or The USA weekly but the reality was different.
I wrote the last text there a month ago. Now is The Christmas Eve and I have only time to put there The PF 2010 and say you: “I am thinking about my foreign friends very often but I have so little time to write them.”
Last month I only one time talk via chat with my Indian friend.No more. It was for me very fain to practise my English and I hope I will meet some of you next year (or in the year 2011) face to face.
I hope we will visit your country again with our dance theatre!

I appologize for mistakes in my English - I suppose there anyone is!

Change of design template

2009-11-27T10:11:00.004+01:00

I decided to use the new design template for my blog.
Old template was named "Son of Moto" by Jeffrey Zeldman, now I am using the template "Rounders 4" by Douglas Bowman. What do you think about my decision?

Invitation (by the Director of TD MF Hana Látalova)

2009-11-10T13:41:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,
Dance theatre MIMI FORTUNAE will be presented on 27.11.2009 in the theatre BARKA in Brno the geust – Jiří Lössl from Prague with his unique solo.
The end of the evening will be given BOLERO by Ravell.

M. Ravel/ J. Hradil: BOLERO
TD MIMI FORTUNAE
the guest of the evening
JIŘÍ LÖSSL, PRAHA
27.11.2009 at 19:00

Theatre BARKA
Svatopluka Čecha 35a, Brno-Královo Pole
Rezervation - tel. 737 261 107
The rest of the ticets before the preformance in the theatre

Extra dancing performance – TD MIMI FORTUNAE (Brno) features the choreography of the year and the guest Jiří LÖSSL (Praha)

Why this blog?

2009-11-10T13:19:00.002+01:00

It is simple, I wont to understant and know this technology how to publish. A have to do it. At first, I need to help my friend Jarda Vrána with our web pages TD MIMI FORTUNAE and with the input of the text on our theatre blog.
So I thougt about it. I will try to use this technology for the making my new private web pages.
My old web pages were used for the advertisement of my private tutor classes.

Tutor classes - mathematics and physics
Everywhere in Brno, mobil phone +420777083126 or via mail.

The other parts of those web pages are now unactual...