Mojmir Jirikovsky personal blog

Flood

2006-04-10T14:33:00.000+02:00

In western countries, rivers prone to flooding are often carefully managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are used to prevent rivers from bursting their banks. Coastal flooding has been addressed in Europe with coastal defenses, such as sea walls and beach nourishment. London is protected from flooding by a huge mechanical barrier across the River Thames, which is raised when the water level reaches a certain point (see Thames Barrier). Venice has a similar arrangement, although it is already unable to cope with very high tides, and will become increasingly inadequate if anticipated rises in sea level occur. The biggest and most elaborate flood defences can be found in the Netherlands, where they are referred to as Delta Works with the Oosterscheldedam as its crowning achievement. These works were build in response to the North Sea flood of 1953 of the south western part of the Netherlands. The Dutch had already build one of worlds largest dams in the north: the Afsluitdijk in response to a flooding in 1916. In some flood-prone areas with high population density, such as parts of the Netherlands, England, and New Orleans and Mississippi River Delta. planning laws have been used to prevent building on flood plains. In some cases, pressure from developers has caused these controls to be eroded, with an increasing number of new developments reliant on artificial defences for protection from floodwaters. Bangladesh has not experienced catastrophic coastal flooding since 1995, but the country relies heavily on foreign support and technology to combat flooding. The United States has donated hurricane shelters to the country, and India provides the Bangladesh government with weather forecasting to give the country time to plan its response to hurricanes. Over the years small cults have formed called "Flood Patrol". These are groups of mostly young men out on the rural roads searching for the next flooded ditch or creek to drive through. Although not very safe, these few brave individuals risk their well being to bring you some of the best pictures of floods available.

Easter

2006-04-10T14:13:00.000+02:00

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a tradition of whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. In the morning, males whip females with a special handmade whip called pomlázka (in Czech) or korbáč (in Slovak). The pomlázka/korbáč consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods) and is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that while whipping can be painful, the purpose is not to cause suffering. Rather, the purpose is for males to exhibit their attraction to females; unvisited females can even feel offended. The whipped female gives a coloured egg to the male as a sign of her thanks and forgiveness. A legend says that females should be whipped in order to keep their health and fertility during whole next year. In some regions the females can get revenge in the afternoon when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any male. The habit slightly varies across the Czech Republic. A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day), but it is now little more than an all-day waterfight.
In Hungary (where it is called Ducking Monday), perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg.

In the United States and Canada, the Easter holiday has been partially secularized, so that some North American families participate only in the attendant revelry, central to which is decorating Easter eggs on Saturday evening and hunting for them Sunday morning, by which time they have been mysteriously hidden all over the house and garden. According to the children's stories, the eggs were hidden overnight and other treats delivered by the Easter Bunny in an Easter basket which children find waiting for them when they wake up. The Easter Bunny's motives for doing this are seldom clarified. Many families in North America will attend Sunday Mass in the morning and then participate in a feast or party in the afternoon.

In Norway, in addition to skiing in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, it is tradition to solve murders at Easter. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as Poirot), magazines print stories where the readers can try to figure out who did it, and many new books are published. Even the milk cartons change to have murder stories on their sides. Another tradition is Yahtzee games.

My school - Tomas Bata University

2005-11-27T16:42:00.000+01:00

Tomas Bata University in Zlín is a young, fast developing institution, which has managed to achieve - during the short period of its existence - a significant position in the region, the town of Zlín, and the whole Czech Republic. The University's next objective is to become an internationally respected educational and scientific research institution educating graduates who would find placement not only in the Czech Republic, but also within all of Europe.

Applicants for study can choose from three faculties: the technically oriented Faculty of Technology, the economically oriented Faculty of Management and Economics, and the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic, the Faculty of Multimedia Communications, which prepares professionals in Visual Arts and Marketing Communication. Each of the three faculties offers students a chance to develop their talents to the fullest. The University fulfils its motto "Erudire et creare" ("To Educate and to Create") through everyday instruction and practice.

TBU students receive top-quality theoretical and practical training, which they appreciate especially upon graduating and starting their future career. Our students, who systematically prepare for their future professions throughout their studies, meet the labour market requirements and have no problems finding a job. Upon graduation, they receive a diploma certifying the qualification they achieved, with an attached notarized English translation.

my photo gallery

2005-10-24T01:01:00.000+02:00

AIESEC

2005-10-23T23:38:00.000+02:00

Present in over 800 universities in 89 countries and territories , AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact in society. Towards this aim, we run more than 350 conferences , provide 3,500 work abroad opportunities , and offer over 5,000 leaderships positions to our members each year. Together with a focus on building personal networks and exploring the direction and ambition of their future, AIESEC has an innovative approach to engaging and developing young people.Our partner organizations , literally thousands from all sectors , look at AIESEC as a way to support the development of young people and to have access to high-potential young talent from around the world . Our alumni are leaders within these organizations and their communities, using the experience, skills, and increased vision that AIESEC gave them to be agents of positive change .

I invite you to learn more about our organization on this website:

Our Identity (Find out about our role, values and core work)
AIESEC History (Learn about 56 years of AIESEC history)
Our Approach (Learn about our approach to developing potential of young people)
Our Platform (Find out about key opportunities we offer)
AIESEC Difference (Find out why is unique what AIESEC offers for you)
AIESEC Network (Find out more about our global network)

About AIESEC in the Czech Republic :

AIESEC has been operating in the Czech Republic since 1966 when AIESEC Czechoslovakia was established. Currently, with 8 local commitees ( one of them is LC Zlin ) at 10 universites, over 160 active members and over 50 partnering companies and organizations , AIESEC is one of the most dominant student-run organizations in the Czech Republic.
Every year more than 100 Czech university students go for international traineeship to more than 40 countries and over 100 interns from over 30 countries join companies and organizations.
Through working in AIESEC our members are gaining various practical skills, leadership abilities and experience true international environment during their university studies.

AIESEC in the Czech Republic is present at following universities:

University of Economics, Praha
VSB Technical university of Ostrava
Masaryk University in Brno
Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno
Tomas Bata University in Zlin
University of Pardubice
Silesian University in Opava (only at Faculty of Business Administration in Karvina)
Czech University of Agriculture in Prague
University of Hradec Kralove
University of West Bohemia in Plzen

Trencin (my city) legend

2005-10-23T23:04:00.000+02:00

Well of Love

Rule of the Zapolsky family at Trencin castle produced one of the oldest and most admirable Slovak stories - the story of Omar, Fatima, and the Well of Love. A story is told of a Turkish nobleman (pasha) Omar and his love for beautiful Fatima who was held in captivity at the castle by Stephen Zapolsky.
To set her free, Omar promised to dig a well at the castle to make it really invincible. The story has it that Omar together with his 300 companions would spend three years trying to dig through the unyielding rock in search of the precious water. Finally, at the cost of the lives of almost all of his men, he was able to accomplish what he had promised. After saying: Zapolsky, water hast thou, but not the heart, Omar could take his dear Fatima back home with him. The story further tells us that as the couple was leaving, the bushes along the curved road to the castle would trap Fatimas veil. Therefore, a tavern that would rise at this place in the 16th century was to bear the name Veil, later changed to todays Fatima.

Originally, the building used to be a parish house, adjacent to the Church of The birth of Virgin Mary. However, the story of the well again would not render true picture of reality. In reality, works on the well began in the third decade of the 16th century, when soldiers of the Habsburg garrison at the castle, together with subjects living in Trencins dominion, first began to dig.. It took them about forty years to reach the depth of almost 80 meters below the rocks surface. Alexius Thurzo completed the well around 1570. Despite the fact that they never reached the spring, rainwater level in this artificial reservoir would still reach sufficient height. Today, the level is 12 - 15 meters high.

Nearby Gothic Chapel houses a permanent display featuring the castles Well of Love.