Czechs Today | All stories

Many Czech women have, at least once in their life, come across cosmetics with herbal extracts produced by the Czech company Ryor. But how many have realized that the brains behind the successful brand is a woman? None other than Eva Stepankova. Now in her early sixties, she started Ryor by herself, in the basement of her house, sixteen years ago. Over the years it has become a household name.

In this edition of Czechs Today Jan Velinger talks to Czech film director Radim Spacek, whose projects have combined documentary and fiction elements in new ways, twisting traditional narrative. In the past his subjects have included difficult themes such as suicide and war but also a famous crisis at Czech TV.

We'll open this edition of Czechs Today in a different way than usual. I am not going to introduce today's guest - at least not right away. I have a question to ask instead. What is the job of this young woman called Kristina? She is in her early twenties, very attractive, loves dancing and is a bit of an exhibitionist. Here she describes the previous night's work.

This edition of Czechs Today looks at the work of a man known to most movie and theatre-goers and certainly most TV viewers in the Czech Republic: none other than actor, publicist, and talk show host Jan Kraus. It has been almost a year since Kraus launched the Czech TV late night show called "Uvolnete se, prosim" - translated roughly as "Loosen up, please!". The show successfully introduced - for the first time in the Czech Republic - the 'night show' format so well-known and perfected in the US. And, "Uvolnete se, prosim..." has taken off: there are

In Czechs Today I am delighted to introduce Charlotta Kotik, the Curator of Contemporary Art at the world-renowned Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York City. Energetic and quick on her feet, she encouraged me to stay for a meeting she had with an artist to discuss a future project. A painter showed sketches of iconic figures, such as Vincent Van Gogh, interpreted by an autistic student he works with. Their conversation was just the beginning of creating a future exhibit.

There is no saying more well-known in the world of advertising than the old adage "sex sells" and for good reason: sex sells perhaps more than just about anything else. By now, most of us have grown accustomed to the role of sex in advertising, in selling everything from magazines to perfume, to jewellery to clothing. Many have nothing against it or are even in favour, if sensual elements are related to theme and are intelligently and tastefully done. But what about when they're not?

Czech-born composer Jan Hammer is perhaps best known for Crockett's Theme - the signature tune from the popular TV series Miami Vice, which was a massive worldwide hit in the 1980s. Crockett's Theme, however, is just one of many highlights in Mr Hammer's glittering musical career, which has spanned many genres and seen him sell several million albums and win several awards. Born in Prague in 1948, Jan Hammer's family background meant that music was practically destined to be his calling in life.

In the 1950s Ota Ulc was a young, recently qualified judge. It was a time when Czechoslovakia was under hard line Stalinist rule and he soon realized the huge ethical compromises that such a career involved. He took the risk of an adventurous escape via East Germany. In exile in the United States, he became a highly respected academic, a political scientist at the State University of New York in Binghamton, and Professor Ulc has written many books in both Czech and English. His special interest is in the complex interactions between cultures worldwide,

There are probably few Czechs or Slovaks in Toronto, Canada, who haven't - at one time or another - visited 'Masaryktown', a famous Czechoslovak haven originally founded on what was once outlying farmland but is now part of the so-called Mega-city. For almost 60 years Masaryktown, and its governing organisation, the Masaryk Memorial Institute, helped keep alive Czech and Slovak traditions in Canada, and they do so even today. Politics, culture, as well as recreation & sport, all form part of a unique tradition.

Czech football fans have had their eye on Petr Cech for some time now: the phenomenal young goalkeeper who has become known for preternatural calm in games of the highest order, whether in his recent Champions League run with Chelsea, or with the Czech national team. 2005 has been Cech's year: although Chelsea ultimately failed to reach the final of the Champions League, he helped the team win the English Premiership for the first time in 50 years. And, he did it in unforgettable style, earning a massive number of clean sheets - unprecedented for