Mailbox

This week in Mailbox: World No Tobacco Day, Radio Prague on Facebook, Radio Prague’s annual listeners’ contest. Listeners quoted: Chun-Quan Meng, Carl Zimmerman.

Hello and welcome to Mailbox. Thank you for all your e-mails - be their reception reports, answers to our competitions or comments on our broadcasts.

Chun-Quan Meng from China sent us a message to mark World No Tobacco Day last week.

“As a non-smoker, I hate smoking! But I have to be a passive smoker sometimes because some of my colleagues are smokers! They even deny the fact that smoking is harmful to health! One of them is even proud of being a heavy smoker. He would take late Deng Xiao-ping as an example. Maybe you know Deng Xiao-ping was a paramount Chinese leader from 1977 until his death 1997, who advocated the reform and opening-up policy in China in the late 1970s. To a certain extent, there wouldn’t be a booming China today without Mr. Deng Xiao-ping's return to power. It is said that Deng smoked at least two packs of cigarettes each day, maybe the heaviest smoker in China! Deng died at the age of 93. So, in terms of smoking, Deng Xiao-ping set a bad example for other Chinese! I wonder if there are any heavy smokers at Radio Praha... I wish your studio is a non-smoking one!”

I must admit there are a few smokers here at Radio Prague but smoking is not allowed on Czech Radio’s premises. According to statistics released on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, over 26 percent of the Czech population smoke, with an average 14 cigarettes per smoker and day.

Radio Prague's Facebook pages

Carl Zimmerman has this question:

“I'm an American-born, 73 year old science writer interested in international online radio. Does Radio Prague online have a forum or discussion group such as ‘Moscow mailbag’ and ‘Let's Discuss It’ on Voice of Russia in English online? How can I participate?”

I’m afraid the Radio Prague website does not support online discussions, however if you’d like to comment on Radio Prague’s individual features you can do so on our Facebook page. Over 600 people have so far become fans of our station. And for example a recent edition of Czech Life titled “A look behind the thin walls of Czech panelák apartment buildings” inspired several responses. Dan Polak says: “Not bad at all, spent almost ten years in one of these in CZ.” Danilo Vincenzo Carbocci writes: “What's the matter? I have a panelák flat and I feel very good inside.” And Jana Vaculík recalls: “Remember visiting my grandmother and hearing someone sneeze through the walls.”

And you can come and see the Czech paneláky for yourself, that is if your entry in this year’s Radio Prague annual listeners’ contest is selected and you win a free trip to Prague. You still have a couple of days to send us your texts. All you need to do is write a few sentences on this subject:

Which Czech writer or literary work do you like best and why?

As I have already said the person who sends in the best answer, which will be chosen by a specially appointed jury, will win a weeklong stay for two in Prague. There will also be prizes and souvenir items for runners-up.

The best answers will be featured in our programme and published on our website www.radio.cz on the last weekend of June.

Your entries should reach us no later than this coming Tuesday, that is June 15, 2010 at the following address:

Radio Prague

Vinohradská 12 12099 Prague 2

Czech Republic

or via email at: [email protected]

The main prize is being sponsored by PARKHOTEL Praha. Parkhotel Praha offers visitors a blend of comfort and history, quality and modern design, within easy reach of the city centre.

There are no strict rules as to the word count but for inspiration you can take a look at last year's competition results at www.radio.cz/en/article/117663

And finally, our regular little quiz, a very easy question this time:

“This month we would like to know the name of the Czech-born American film director born in 1932 who won two Oscars as best director.”

Please send us your answers as usual to [email protected] or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague by the end of June. Please tune in again next week for another edition of Mailbox. Until then happy listening.