Editor’s Word - Happy New Year!

What a banal title! Moreover, it’s being repeated every year. Looking at the news, we may tremble with fear on account of the crisis coming allegedly from the USA. The bankers there had not been responsible enough to discern who to lend money to and how much. Thus the banks started to go bankrupt. The US government is trying to save the situation by pouring into the banks the taxpayers’ money. I’ve used the word allegedly because I’m not there and can’t see into things. I just know what I hear in the news. It may not be much better here, since the banks keep offering more and more loans. I find such advantageous offers in my mailbox every day. A lot of ignorant especially young people are taken by it. Now they are being pursued by executors.

I believe that they should be punished for their carelessness, and for believing stupid commercials but the bankers are the ones who should bear the brunt of the responsibility. They are adult, well educated managers, getting huge salaries so they should be more responsible.

Other prognosis for this year promises cheaper food, gasoline, and pre-fabricated apartments.

There’s also a promise that the twentieth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution be scrutinized. I had mentioned the subject in the Česky kalendář 2009. But whoa, a one Czech Ministry that been regularly buying the calendars for ex-patriots organization in not-so- rich post communist lands this time declined to do so. The accountable officials seemed to think that my view of the political development was too critical. They may be right. You can read about it in our new Czech Calendar and let me know your opinion. If you have the opportunity please tell your friends about the calendar in order to help me sell the rest of the edition. Many of you have already helped me by ordering five, ten, and even twenty copies with Mrs.Volf buying 50 issues, and planning to buy more...

We are preparing a lot of interesting and important articles in the next editions for example about our Legions and about a film that we’ll have for sale. Further, we’ll write about the anniversary of the composer Bohuslav Martinu, well known here as well as abroad. Today we may recall among others, the amazing personality and visionary, the writer Karel Čapek as well as one of the last Czech bell-founders, Mr. Manoušek.

The political situation concerning the clashes between Israel and the Palestinian terrorists Hamás is quite serious. I am proud of our Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberk, who proclaimed that Israel has a right to defend itself. He was probably the only EU politician who said so. Just recently I had a telephone call from one of our readers living in Israel who asked me what our government would do if one of our neighboring states started throwing rockets and killing people in our territory.

Our republic has just started presiding over the European Union and it’s not easy. Even though my opinion of some of our Political representatives is not very positive, I wish good luck to those who shall try to work the best they can, to help good things.

I wish them and especially all our readers a very Happy New Year 2009.