HS No. 23 / 2005

Table of Contents

Stricter action against rent defaulters

It is slowly becoming a tradition that the meetings of the City Council begin with complaints about the passage of trucks through the city centre and the planned construction of a Lidl supermarket in the middle of the housing estate. The interesting thing about this is that the same citizens are always the ones discussing the issue and they are always getting the same - for them unsatisfactory - answer. It is therefore to be expected that the beginning of the next meetings will be in the same vein.

In the second item, the councillors were to decide whether to support the proposal to terminate the contract between the City and the Secondary School, Secondary School, Secondary School and Primary School in Bratislavská Street, according to which the City provides a heating subsidy to the school. The motion was tabled at the October meeting, when it failed to pass, and this time the councillors also failed to reach an agreement and, after almost two hours of discussion, moved the item to January.

The main item on the agenda was the discussion of the mayor's report dealing with solutions leading to a radical reduction of rent arrears on council flats. The detailed auditor's report was supplemented by a proposal for a methodological approach to the recovery of rent and service debts. In particular, emphasis is placed on the division of responsibilities for recovery and bringing termination actions between the housing manager, the City Council departments and the lawyer. (We will return to this issue in future issues of the HS.)

The City Council noted the report of the City Police Director addressing the implementation of the actions proposed by the City Council Audit Committee. It appears that, given the increasing needs of the town, there would be a need to increase the number of officers or increase the overtime wage bill. The City Council also decided to use the proceeds from the operation of slot machines in the amount of 108 thousand crowns to contribute to the Bishop's Grammar School in Varnsdorf.

Feast of Lusatian-Serbian poetry

The premises of the Primary School of Arts in Varnsdorf came alive with poets and their poetry during the international meeting on Saturday (19 November 2005). This year's meeting was dedicated to teacher, poet, national awakener, writer, linguist, musician and classic of Lusatian-Serbian literature for children Michal Nawko. His personality is associated with some firsts - he published the first Lusatian-Serbian picture book for children, he was the founder of Lusatian-Serbian critical-realist prose, and with composer Bjarnat Krawiec he published the songbook Naše spěwy. His works have been performed in the original by Monika Kochowa and Czech translations by Libuše Cipriánová. Martin Louka introduced the programme, the opening welcome and welcoming guests from abroad was given by the deputy mayor Mgr. Zdeňka Vajsová, not only in Czech, but also in Lusatian-Serbian. The poet and editor-in-chief of the evening newspaper Srbské Nowiny Benedikt Dyrlich also added a few words of welcome. On this occasion, the Literary Newspaper, which is largely dedicated to the Lusatian-Serbian nation and its literature, was christened. Three young Lusatian-Serbian authors - Benjamin Nawka, Maksymilian Nawka and Kajetan Dyrlich - accepted the invitation of the organisers and recited their works. Their Czech translation was provided by Milan Hrabal, Libuše Cipriánová gave readings by Beata Nastickec and Christina Ruby. Křesćan Krawc, Beno Budar and Benedikt Dyrlich were prominent guests, who presented excerpts of their remarkable works with Milan Hrabal's translation. A rare visitor was the Slovak poet, prose writer and translator Lubomír Feldek, whose poems recited in his native language introduced the audience to the Slovak mentality in a humorous way. The great atmosphere was underlined by Lusatian-Serbian songs, mostly with lyrics by Michal Nawka, performed by Tanja Donatec, whose singing was a real musical experience.

The final thanks to all present came from the director of the Municipal Library Mgr. "I am glad that the Municipal Library, as one of the organizers of this important cultural event, can host so many interesting personalities today and I thank them for giving us the gift of experience and conveying the poetry and sonority of our Slavic languages through their presentations. Finally, a big wish to the small nation of Lusatian Serbs - may it not lose its strength to continue to tenaciously defend its culture and national traditions. I keep my fingers crossed for contemporary Lusatian Serbian art, which in the words of the Varnsdorf poet Milan Hrabal has been compared to a rare butterfly of European culture."

A centre for social and professional skills is being established

The Varnsdorf organisation Na Křižovatce has succeeded in the second round of the Phare 2003 RLZ call with a project entitled Support for the acquisition of social and professional skills for groups at risk of social exclusion. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the state budget of the Czech Republic. It started on 1 November and will run until August 2006.

The general objective of the project is to increase the employability of people at risk of social exclusion and to contribute to increasing the employment rate in the region. The objectives of the project are set on the basis of the analysis of the unemployment situation in the Šluknov Spur, which is part of the Community Plan of Social Services in the Šluknov Spur.

The project is the result of long-term and systematic activities of the organisation in the social field, it is aimed at supporting the employability of specific groups of the population registered as job seekers with the Labour Office in Děčín - Rumburk branch. The target group of the project are graduates, people with changed working ability, people with low qualifications, long-term unemployed and other groups threatened by social exclusion.

The project is focused on the implementation of an educational support programme aimed at acquiring practical skills for people at risk of social exclusion through the Centre for Social and Vocational Skills in Varnsdorf. Within the project, the target groups will be involved in the work process of the organisation and will participate in training seminars. "It is about linking the processes of individual development planning aimed at acquiring competences that increase the probability of employment," summarises the head of the organisation Na Křižovatce Ing. Pavlína Šafusová.

Mayor of the town at a meeting of pensioners

On the occasion of the congress of the local organisation of the Varnsdorf Pensioners' Union, held on 7 November at the Pohádka Club, the mayor Ing. Josef Poláček, who thanked the organization for the invitation and for the interest in the events in our town. His main task at this regular meeting of the mayor with the citizens was to report on the implementation of the Programme Declaration and to discuss the topics. He talked about Varnsdorf as a city that has become a city with extended jurisdiction, which performs the exercise of state administration and self-government, and about the agendas that have been added to the Municipal Office in this context. He spoke about the implementation of a number of tasks within the Programme Declaration, such as the town's economy, the introduction of a comprehensive information system, the reconstructed hospital providing first aid services, ensuring safety in the town by putting into operation the first stage of the town's public address system and the introduction of a camera system. Education, transport, housing and the environment were also topics of further joint discussion. The pleasant meeting was closed by the President of the Pensioners' Union Mr. Číhal, who thanked the Mayor for his support in the use of leisure time for the elderly, for the release of money from the city budget for the reconstruction of the Fairy Tale building and the right to use these premises, which are a mere dream for many pensioners' organizations in other localities.

Project to employ people over 50

It is a well-known fact that one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of employment is people over 50 years of age. The Děčín Charity Association has come up with a new activity that is primarily aimed at these people over 50, whether unemployed or at risk of unemployment. However, employers and the general public can also benefit from it. This is the project "Active Fifty", which the Děčín Charity Association is implementing together with its partners, the Labour Office in Děčín (and its branch in Rumburk) and the Rumburk Parish Charity, and which was officially launched at a working meeting at the beginning of September in Děčín Bělá. The workshop was attended by statutory representatives of all three partner organisations and invited experts.

The project "Active 50" is fully co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic and its main objective is to support employment of people over 50 years of age. The project will last for two years, during which the Děčín Charity Association will cooperate with employers and organisations in the region to create conditions for the best possible return of people from this age group to the labour market. Not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit of all of us. Otherwise, society is unnecessarily losing out on their creative potential and the experience they have gained during their working lives.

Traffic playground without traffic lights again

Until recently, the town of Varnsdorf was proud of the newly installed traffic lights that controlled the traffic on the children's traffic playground as it should have been back in 1982. However, the traffic lights had only been in operation for a month. There was a man (How do I label him? Vandal is a decent word for him!) who did not find it at all disgusting to rob children and take the traffic lights into his own hands. The children lost the opportunity to learn how to move at traffic lights again, because the nearest one is in Děčín or Česká Lípa.

So I, as a parent of a daughter who lost the opportunity to drive independently on a traffic playground with real traffic lights, thank Mr. Thief for his great approach to our whole society. May the stolen traffic lights be of real benefit to you!

Information from OS ODS

Our regional association held election assemblies for 7 local associations in the Šluknov region and for the region (always after two years). Mr. Slavomír Vlček remains the chairman in MS ODS Varnsdorf, Mr. Radek Engl in MS ODS Rumburk, Mr. Jaroslav Charvát Ing. in MS ODS Šluknov, Mr. Jiří Smetana in MS ODS Dolní Poustevna, Mr. Rudolf Bechyně in MS ODS Rybniště, Mrs. Jana Strakošová in MS ODS Mikulášovice and Mr. Martin Günther in MS ODS Jiříkov. Mr. Robert Šatník remains the regional chairman for the fourth term.

Since September 2004, we have had an MP office in Varnsdorf and Mr. Ing. On October 24, 2005, elections were held in Litoměřice and on the candidate list for the Parliament of the Czech Republic 2006 for Ústí nad Labem region we had Mr. Ing. Josef Poláček (Member of Parliament and Mayor of Varnsdorf) and Mrs. Irena Keršlágerová (financial advisor) from Šluknov. All information is available in the regional office with the manager Mrs. Zdeňka Králíčková.

Office address: Pražská 2951, 407 47 Varnsdorf, telephone: 412 371 132, 603 489 937.

Post office will improve parcel delivery

In connection with the repeated reservations of citizens about the work of the local post office, the editorial staff of the Voice of the North (HS), through the head of the post office in Varnsdorf, turned to the Czech Post, s.p., Department of Operations Nový Bor, specifically to the operations manager Ing. Ivana Huková, to whom we asked several questions.

Mrs. Engineer, not long ago some citizens of our town complained about long waiting times in front of individual counters for the handling of their affairs. Their objections and comments were also published on the HS website. Some time ago, a call system was introduced at the post office. How do you evaluate the findings of this measure so far?
The call system has been in continuous operation in Varnsdorf since October this year:
- almost 20 thousand customers were served;
- the average waiting time was 3 minutes;
- the average customer service time was 2.5 minutes.
The above shows that the call system in place primarily serves customers. It eliminates queues, reduces waiting times and speeds up service. Some customers' reservations relate mainly to the change in the system to which they were not accustomed. Now they have to choose the type of service, wait for a call. It is not automatic to go to the accustomed counter, to the usual postal employee. We are aware that this is a novelty that may cause problems for older citizens in particular in the first instance. We know from experience that it is only a matter of time before people appreciate being able to sit down and wait their turn in peace.

Citizens also complain about the difficulty of delivering parcels that require the signature of the addressee. For example, it happens that even when the addressee is at home, only a deposit notice is delivered to his or her mailbox. How will this problem be solved?
When delivering parcels, Česká pošta, s.p. follows the requirements set by the sender of the parcel when it was submitted. If the sender requests confirmation of receipt of the parcel upon delivery, Česká pošta, s.p. is obliged to fulfil this requirement. When delivering such a parcel, the postal carrier will find out, for example, by ringing the doorbell, entering the premises, if possible, or by asking whether the addressee is at the place of delivery, e.g. at home. If the addressee is not present, the carrier shall leave a deposit note. Should it be the case that the addressee is at the place of delivery and the carrier has not attempted to contact him by the means indicated, it is appropriate for the addressee to contact the manager of his delivery post office and inform him of the circumstances of the undelivered parcel. The manager of the delivery post will discuss the matter and ensure that it is rectified.

Our citizens will be interested to know what other measures the Varnsdorf Post Office is preparing for the near future to improve its services. What do you want to do to further contribute to the satisfaction of your clients?
Czech Post, s.p. is preparing an extension of the fleet of the Varnsdorf 1 post office, the aim of which is to improve the quality of parcel delivery and thus increase the comfort of the services provided. Thank you for the interview and for the information you willingly provided, which will certainly be of interest to our citizens.

Waste sorting - a requirement of our days

The amount of waste in our households is on an upward trend, partly because the packaging of everyday goods has taken on forms that were not common in the past. This has been most evident in the case of liquids, particularly the wide range of soft drinks and mineral and table waters, whose non-returnable packaging has literally overflowed the containers and bins on our streets. Experience from abroad, where these problems were solved long before us, has shown us the way forward to prevent litter from overwhelming us.

The solution is sorting and separate collection and collection of waste according to the nature of the material. What was previously an unknown concept has gradually become a reality here. We are learning to place rubbish in special collection bins and bags according to its material composition, we are taking excessive and hazardous waste to the collection yard instead of the ditches, and we are encouraging the younger generation to collect and sort raw materials.

When it was decided a few years ago whether to entrust the collection and collection of municipal waste to a specialised company, one of the main requirements was the ability to provide the conditions for the city's sorted waste collection needs. The newly established company EKO servis Varnsdorf a.s. fulfils these requirements and it can be stated that in cooperation with the Environmental Department of the Municipality, the collection of separated waste in our town has been successfully started.

Today we have 117 containers for sorted waste at 30 separation points. The dense network of collection routes for bagged waste makes it easy to participate in the collection of sorted waste. The collection of PET bottles from households has started again in schools. Last year, the average amount of waste separated per person per year was 16.5 kg; this year an average of 18 kg is expected, which is 9% of the total annual waste per person, which according to statistics is about 200 kg.

The binding target for our city is to reach an average of 33 kg of separated waste collected per person per year in 2010. The Environment Department is therefore looking for further ways to encourage households to separate their waste. It is preparing an ordinance to provide a discount on the waste charge for those who make it compulsory to participate in the sorting system.

The disinterest and reluctance of some people to separate their waste has led to a tightening of the system abroad and subsequent penalties, which are quite significant. This is not yet the case here. The challenge these days is rather to find appropriate forms of education and persuasion that waste sorting is the only correct way to deal with waste, which is largely a reusable raw material that should be recycled and not end up in landfills.

The title of Czech make-up champion went to Varnsdorf

The 12th edition of the Czech Make-up Championship took place on 16 September at the Beauty Praha 2OO5 fair. The finalists competed on the theme Pop Diva, where the models had to become the star of the stage with their fashionable look, hairstyle and especially make-up. The Czech championship is a prestigious event for make-up artists, as the winner takes part in the International Make-up Championship in Düsseldorf. The championship title went to Varnsdorf, thanks to 27-year-old Monika Hüblerová, who works in the company Kadeřnický salon Hana Hüblerová as a hairdresser and make-up artist. She has been a hairdresser for 10 years and became a make-up artist 3 years ago. By combining these two disciplines, which together hand in hand create the perfect look of a woman, Monika has become a professional of high level. In this spirit, she is involved in the management of the salon that will soon become Eurosalon. The quality of her work so far has been attested to by her international clientele. We asked her a few questions.

It must have taken you a long time to prepare for such an important competition.
The preparation was demanding and in style. I put a lot of emphasis on the right choice of the model, so I chose a professional model - a mulatto from a Prague agency. I styled her hair in a bun and the extravagant dress completed the overall impression of the make-up.

So you won 1st place and the title of Czech Make-up Champion allows you to represent our country at the International Championship on 18 March 2006. Do you know what awaits you there?
I have attended the competition several times as a spectator, so I know the atmosphere. For the first time I will be a contestant and today I already know the new announced theme, which is Safari Lodge (Africa). There is no need to choose a model as the contestants draw the models. However, this makes it all the more complicated.

Do you enjoy being a hairdresser or a make-up artist more?
The two are closely related, I am a hairdresser and make-up artist in one person. At the same time, I am also educated in psychology, because it is not enough to be a good hairdresser, but first of all a good psychologist.

We wish you much success and look forward to the next title, which could go to Varnsdorf again.

Not only new windows decorate the school

"This is where I was educated", or "this is where my dad and grandmother were educated", can often be heard with a certain amount of nostalgia from many not only Varnsdorf citizens who pass by the high-rise building in Bratislavská Street, where Elite once prepared its textile experts for the whole republic and where the second largest educational establishment in the Děčín district - the Secondary School, Secondary School of Education, Secondary School of Science and Technology and the Practical School Varnsdorf - still has its headquarters. Therefore, the words "my son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter will graduate from high school here, here they will learn" are more frequent nowadays.

All of them may have noticed that the building has changed its appearance a bit. The decades-old windows have been replaced with modern, energy-saving plastic windows. At the same time, and not visible anymore, the entire heating system of the seven-story building has been renovated in recent months. The old, inefficient system has been replaced by a modern, efficient and fully automatically controlled heating system. The reader, privy to educational matters, will of course say that it is good that the conditions for teaching and accommodation in the Youth Home have been improved, but he will also ask himself where the school has got the much lacking funds from. These are by no means funds obtained as part of some redistribution of the school budget at the expense of others. It can be said that the school in Bratislavská has gained confidence thanks to its orientation towards promising graduation and teaching disciplines, as well as attention to special education and success in national and international competitions, which has also been reflected in subsidies from the European Union. The replacement of windows and the reconstruction of the heating system were carried out within the framework of the Phare project. In a proper tender procedure, SAMAT Jiřetín pod Jedlovou in cooperation with Toprom from Varnsdorf was the best supplier of services.

However, the above - and necessary - can be considered the proverbial icing on the cake. The school received funds from the European Union for modern teaching equipment, a complete set of teaching materials and was even commissioned to publish a tourist guide for German and Polish visitors. This will be published in the near future. Only colleges and universities were receiving such offers.

NO COMMENT 4 (part 2)

It didn't take long - less than half a year, and another part of the youth event NOCOMMENT 4 (part 2) took place in Varnsdorf. Today we would like to inform you about how this week looked like. From Monday, November 4 to Wednesday, November 6, lectures on AIDS prevention in society were held in secondary and primary schools by the ACET organization, which were very well received by both teachers and students. The lectures were concluded with a Wednesday evening meeting with a lecturer who was ready to answer questions that were not available in class.

On Friday, November 11, even American Ted Whang visited our town to encourage upper secondary school students to be more committed to learning foreign languages. Since this man works in the music industry and translates lyrics for our Superstars, he gave a seminar in the evening at the EXIT77 club for those interested in learning more about how things work in show business.

On Friday, the main program started with the play MATRIX based on the movie of the same name. The task of the three-person teams was to rescue Neo from the computer captivity of the MATRIX system. Around 60 children took part in the game. If you are still wondering why boys and girls with armbands were running around shouting "watch out agents", it was part of this fighting game in a large part of Varnsdorf. Here I would like to thank KD Rozkrok and Elektru Bukáček for providing the space for the game free of charge. In the evening after the end there was a workshop with Ted Whang and an evening tea party again at the EXIT77 club...

The 1st floor of the post office (where the AC is located) was filled with young people who could try how to do HIP-HOP (thanks to the Varnsdorf dance group newheartbreakers), graffiti (thanks to DFSart Varnsdorf - www.dfsart.com), there were tournaments in hacky sack, arm wrestling and pulling the old famous ŠKODA 120 over a distance of 50 m. The results are being updated on www.e-cirkev.com - events - NOCOMMENT 4(part two). Those who wanted to change their image, had their hair "touched up" by our pro-hairdresser Regina. The afternoon passed at a fast pace and the evening provided us with a clip screening and a relaxing tea party.

The whole event was to promote the activities of the EXIT club and to show how you can spend your free time. We have supported and want to continue to find young people who can do something in our area to enthuse others. That's why the dance group newheartbreakers performed, DSFart presented their work and the CFA (Czech Footbag Association) offered to create a local hacky sack club, and Ted encouraged people to pursue a musical career (there was a lot of interest in contacting him, so who knows when we will see someone from Varnsdorf in the next Superstar).

NOCOMMENT events with visits from tutors will continue next year, and we are planning "survival experience weekends" and other events aimed at our young people. If you think this work makes sense and would like to make contact with our club, we would be delighted.

A MOMENT OVER MANDAVA (attempted review)

Welcome, my dear book, to Varnsdorf. Did you pick up that blue from the surface of the namesake river, where this year's blue sky reflected so much, or did the little kingfisher residing in its banks give it to you? Either way, you look very pretty. I see you've put on a bit of weight, but it hasn't hurt the overall impression. I can see that working with TUR has done you some good after all. Or does it come from Lusatian-Serbian cuisine, rich in sweets? Enough with the intimacies and show off the content. Well, there are many who have fallen into your favour. And the selection is varied. It's a pity the quality of the native language varies. From the overly nice composition of purely Czech sentences to unnecessary sentences that lose their own meaning, and unwanted Germanisms forgotten by the editorial board. The editorial board probably did not realise sufficiently how difficult a task awaits it with the control of so many translations and how easily even the best translator falls into the clutches of long ornate sentences in the language of our neighbouring friends. It is not an easy, lengthy job, for which one must not lack patience and, above all, time. However, no one needs to hang his head. But all days are not over. There are still many years ahead of you, dear MANDAVO, which will surely make everything right. The important thing is whether in the coming years the granary of TUR will be sufficiently filled for your emergence thanks to the good "Filip" (Mager). Do you still remember your humble beginnings? Back then you were born as a weak little yearling, scolded by a few benevolent individuals, and by their charity you grew up to last year's MANDAVA, only to "sell" your freedom this year and turn into a mere "appendix" of your benefactor. At least you have experienced for yourself that almost forgotten Latin proverb: Cuius regio, eius religio - which you surely know in Czech as: Whose bread you eat, whose song you sing. And I can heartily wish you to hold on to this proverb with all your strength in this fall. For only then will you have enough to grow. And the flaws in your beauty will fade with time. Believe it!

And don't worry, this time I won't stamp my story, but I will sign my full name - Milan Šebek