Magazine
You'd be surprised what a good knock on the head can do. A Czech speedway rider who was knocked out cold in an accident woke up speaking perfect English - although he had never learnt the language. You can watch the reconstruction of Charles Bridge online. And, a Czech invents the curved toothpick! Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
Although it is a landlocked country the Czech Republic has plenty of lakes and rivers and fishing is a popular hobby among Czech men. Fishing competitions abound but the one held in the town of Nedvedice near Perstejn Castle last weekend was special. The local fishermen organized a fishing contest for their wives - none of whom had ever done any fishing or considered it a particularly enjoyable pastime. But they entered the contest for the fun of it - and to give their husbands a treat. The entry fee was ten open-faced sandwiches or fifty appetizers for the all-day party at the riverside and the main prize was an all expenses paid fishing trip to Norway for the husband of the winner. The husbands or partners were present and were allowed to give moral support as well as hook a worm for contestants who found them too revolting to touch. The event was a huge success and it certainly refuted the saying that men only go fishing in order to get away from their wives.
Finding a species thought to be extinct is a dream come true for any botanist. Two young Czechs -both botany students - were out trekking in southern Bohemia when they unexpectedly came across a sample of Pilularia globulifera - a plant thought to be extinct in the Czech Republic for over 70 years now. Commonly known as pillwort, this tiny plant is a creeping fern that grows in muddy ponds and requires an exceptionally clean environment. The little plant, which is at threat from water pollution and fertilizers - is declining across its whole European range. In the Czech Republic it was last seen in the 1930s and was thought to be extinct. Its unexpected discovery has excited Czech botanists who are now combing the area for other specimen and calling for protective measures. Ester Ekrtova who noticed the rare specimen in a clump of grass because "it had a slightly different colouring" said botanists were disbelieving when she called in to report the find. She and her fiancé - who found the little plant a few days before they were due to get married - say it is the best wedding gift they could have had.
A Czech has given the world a brand new invention! Jaroslav Bejsovec from Most invented the curved toothpick and got a European patent for it. The toothpick is to be officially presented at the Prague Beauty Fair 2007 and the first 100.000 boxes of curved toothpicks are waiting for distribution. Jaroslav says he got the brainwave when he couldn't extract a bit of meat stuck between his teeth. "I broke several toothpicks and realized that what I needed was a curved one for the inner side of my teeth. When I fashioned one from a piece of wire it did the trick right away" Jaroslav told journalists. His Tico toothpicks should soon hit the market and their inventor claims that in a very short time we won't know how we ever managed to do without them.
