2022 Global Peace Index

The Global Peace Index ranks the level of peacefulness and this year was the 16th edition.  Iceland continues to come in first place which it has been since 2008.  New Zealand came in second place again.   

1. Iceland 
2. New Zealand
3. Ireland +3
4. Denmark -1
5. Austria +2
6. Portugal -1
7. Slovenia -3
8. Czechland +1
9. Singapore +1
10. Japan +1

Europe continues to be the most peaceful area with seven of the top ten spots and 14 of the top 20.

No surprise that Russia and Ukraine are two of the five countries with the biggest drop in peacefulness.

The USA dropped one spot to #129, behind Azerbaijan and ahead of Brazil.

The Middle East and North Africa are the least peaceful regions.

For the fifth year in a row, Afghanistan came in last place, ahead of Yemen, Syria, Russia, and South Sudan.

Я за Україну. Я за Україною. Слава Україні  Stojím za Ukrajinou!  I stand with Ukraine. 

New Integration Course Requirement

There's now a new requirement in Czechland for foreigners who have been issued long-term residence permits, since 1 January 2021, to complete a four-hour integration course.  

The course covers the rights and obligations that come with residency here as well as Czech culture and values.  The class is conducted in Czech, with interpretation into English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian or Vietnamese.  There's no exam but participants receive a certificate when they complete the entire course.  It costs 1500 Kč ($70) and is available at 18 centres across the country.  You have up to one year from receiving your residency permit to complete the course.  The fine for not completing it in time is up to 10.000 Kč ($467).

This is only for third-country nationals as EU citizens are exempt.  It's not required if you are under 15 or over 61 years of age.  Those here on study or investment visas are also exempt.

Aside from this, the education minister has submitted draft legislation that will increase the Czech language requirement for permanent residency from A1 to A2.  When I received my permanent residency back in 2015 I only had to prove A1 level Czech.  This isn't official yet but I think it's for sure coming as there's been talk of raising the level of Czech required for at least the past eight years.  I don't know if they will raise it this year with COVID-19 but for sure by next year.

I was surprised to find out that Czechland and France are the only two EU countries that only require A1 for permanent residency.  I would have thought that the level of language proficiency would have been more unified across Europe but each has its own requirements.

In Czechland, A2 will be required for permanent residency while B1 is required for citizenship.

Germany requires B1 level for either permanent residency or citizenship.

Austria requires B1 for permanent residency and B2 for citizenship.  This means that for Austrian citizenship you need to speak better German than a German citizen.  Albeit Austrian German.

France requires A1 for permanent residency and B1 for citizenship.

Poland requires B1 for both permanent residency and citizenship.

I don't know about permanent residency but Italy requires B1 for citizenship.  The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain only require A2 for citizenship in Dutch, Portuguese, or Spanish respectively.  Denmark requires B2 for citizenship.

For countries with multiple official langues the rules seem to vary more.  For citizenship in Finland, B1 is required but it can be in either Finnish or Swedish since both are official languages.

Belgium has three official languages so for citizenship you only have to prove A2 in either French, Dutch, or German.

Luxembourg has three official languages - French, German, and Luxembourgish.  But if you want citizenship than only Luxembourgish counts.  You need A2 level speaking and B1 level listening.

Switzerland has four official languages - German, French, Italian, and Romansh.  For permanent residency you need A1 writing and A2 speaking in any one of the four languages.  For citizenship, A2 writing and B1 speaking are required.

I'm still waiting to find out when I get to take my B1 Czech exam.

2019 Global Peace Index

The results of the 13th annual Global Peace Index are in. Europe maintained its position as the world's most peaceful region for the 13th year in a row.

Iceland and New Zealand kept the first two spots again.

1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Portugal
4. Austria
5. Denmark
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Slovenia
9. Japan
10. Czech Republic

The USA came in at #128, out of 163 countries, behind South Africa but ahead of Saudi Arabia.  

Afghanistan and Syria swapped positions as the least peaceful countries.  The bottom five are:

159.  Iraq

160.  Yemen

161.  South Sudan

162.  Syria

163.  Afghanistan

2018 Global Peace Index

The 2018 Global Peace Index was just released.  Czechland continues to be one of the most peaceful countries to live it.
Even though it slipped a few spots from last year, Czech Republic is the tenth most peaceful country in the world.  The sixth most peaceful in Europe.

Europe continues to be the world's most peaceful region as it has every year this index has been released.  The USA dropped seven spots to place 128th (out of 163 countries).

For the sixth year in a row, Syria is the world's least peaceful country.  Followed by Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, and Somalia.

The Top 10 countries are:
1.  Iceland
2.  New Zealand
3.  Portugal
4.  Austria
5.  Denmark
6.  Canada
7.  Singapore
8.  Slovenia
9.  Japan
10. Czech Republic

The Canary Islands, Spain

I'm already need some warm weather and in March it's off to Gran Canaria for a week.  Over the past almost ten years I've wanted to visit but it's just never worked out.  So I'm excited to finally go.  Here's a bit of geography about where I'm headed.

There are four archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North Africa.  Collectively they are called Macaronesia.  They are the Azores, Madeira including the Selvagens Islands, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is an independent country and is part of Africa.  The Azores and Madeira belong to Portugal and the Canary Islands are part of Spain.

The Canary Islands, Las Islas Canarias, are an autonomous part of Spain.  The islands are actually closer to Africa than they are to Europe.  They are only 100 km (62 miles) off the coast of Morocco.  Since the Canary Islands are a part of Spain they are in the EU and a part of Schengen.

There are seven main islands and each has its own capital.
They are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
There are also several smaller islands including La Graciosa, Alegranza, Isla de Lobos, Montaña Clara, Roque del Oeste and Roque del Este.

The Canary Islands are a little bigger than Delaware and home to almost 2.13 million people.  Most people live on Tenerife and Gran Canaria which are home to the two capital cities - Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The islands were discovered by Ancient Greek and Roman sailors.  In 1495 they came under Spanish rule.  During the Spanish Empire, the islands were the main stopover for Spanish ships on their way to the Americas.  They gained autonomy in 1982.

The Canary Islands have long hot summers and relatively warm winters making them a major tourist destination.  They get almost 12 million tourists a year which is about 32% of its GDP.  I can't wait to be one of those tourists because I'm in serious need of some beach time.  Let's see how my Spanish holds up but with so many German and British tourists I'm sure that I'll get by.

2017 Global Peace Index

The 2017 Global Peace Index was released the other day.  Once again, Czechland remains one of the most peaceful countries to live in.  It maintained it's 6th place standing it earned last year.

Europe remains the safest region in the world with 15 of the top 20 spots.

Once again, Iceland came out on top.

Last year the USA placed 103rd.  This year it fell to 114th.

For the fifth year in a row, Syria is the world's least peaceful country, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

The top 10 countries are:
1.  Iceland
2.  New Zealand
3.  Portugal
4.  Austria
5.  Denmark
6.  Czech Republic
7.  Slovenia
8.  Canada
9.  Switzerland
10.  Ireland

2016 Global Peace Index

The results of the 2016 Global Peace Index are in.  Despite last year's terror attacks in Paris and Brussels, and instability in Turkey, Europe remains the world's most peaceful region.  European countries make up 14 of the the world's top 20 peaceful countries.

For the third year in a row Iceland is the most peaceful country.

Last year, Czechland cracked the top 10.  This year it moves up four spots to #6.  The USA fell out of the top 100 to come in at #103.

Syria is the least peaceful country followed by, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

Here are the top 20 countries.

1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Austria
4. New Zealand
5. Portugal
6. Czech Republic
7. Switzerland
8. Canada
9. Japan
10. Slovenia
11. Finland
12. Ireland
13. Bhutan
14. Sweden
15. Australia
16. Germany
17. Norway
18. Belgium
19. Hungary
20. Singapore

Macau

Macau, 澳門, is an autonomous territory but part of China.  It is officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區.  It borders the Chinese province of Guangdong and is 60 km (37 miles) from Hong Kong.

It is less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC.  With about 648,000 people living in 30,5 km² (11,8 miles²)  it is the world's most densely populated region.

Portugal colonised Macau in the 16th century making it the first European settlement in the Far East.

When Macau was given back to China on 20 December 1999 it was Asia's last European colony.  It is now a Special Administrative Region.  As part of China's "one country, two systems" policy, Macau is to continue having a high level of autonomy for 50 years which will end in 2049.

Macau has its own government, legal system, police force, immigration policy, postal system, languages, national sports teams and money.  While able to be a part of other international organisations, such as the World Trade Organisation, it is not part of the United Nations.  China is responsible for all diplomatic relations and defence.  The People's Liberation Army is stationed in Macau but it is not allowed to interfere in local affairs.


The official currency is the Macanese Pataca.  Although the Hong Kong Dollar is widely accepted.



The official languages are Cantonese Chinese and Portuguese.  Signs are all in both languages even though less than 1% of the people speak Portuguese.

Macau is one of the world'ß largest gaming centres.  It is very popular with tourists from Mainland China who go to gamble.  Gaming revenue makes up more than 75% of the governments total revenue.

Over the past couple of years the government's take from gambling has decreased due to the slowing of the Chinese economy and the China's crackdown on money laundering and tax evasion.  Here's an interesting video I found out on YouTube that is about the effect of the slowdown.

©Al Jazeera

Update 2023:  Here's a 6½ video I found on YouTube talking about Macau during Covid-19 and the desire invest in more than gambling.

©South China Morning Post

Toilet Adventures

Using the facilities can be an adventure in Euroland.  Firsts things first.  What do you call the facilities?  In the USA we say "restroom" or "bathroom".  In the South you might also hear it referred to as the "powder room."  Over here you will see it labeled as WC (water closet).  In the UK and Ireland it is called the "loo."  In most of Europe you call it the "toilet."

In the USA, we call the porcelain item a "toilet bowl" but we never say that "I'm going to the toilet."  To an American, saying that one is going to the toilet sounds vulgar.  For our sensitive ears it is much better to say that "I'm going to the restroom."  In Europe, no one has any qualms about letting you know they are going to the toilet.

In Euroland you normally have to pay to use the WC.  Some places are free such as in a restaurant, pub, movie theater, airport, office building, etc.  But almost everywhere else, like shopping malls, train or bus stations, public parks, etc., you will have to pay.  Normally the price is 10 Kč ($0.50).  There is usually an attendant who you pay the money to as you enter.

TP on the wall before you enter

All restrooms will have toilet paper.  It did throw me one time when I was at a school and there was no paper in the cabin.  There was a large dispenser on the wall and you had to tear off the amount needed prior to going in to the cabin.  

In every cabin you will find a toilet brush.  It is not there just for the attendant.  Use it.  It is really bad form to leave a commode with any visible trace that it had been used.

Occasionally in Czechland you will find a place with two prices, 5 Kč or 10 Kč, depending if you only need to stand or if you need to sit down.  If you pay to sit then you will be given a few sheets of toilet paper as you enter.

Paying for the loo seemed really dumb to me when I first moved here.  However now it just seems normal.  The fee isn't that expensive and public restrooms here are always very clean.  In my opinion it is well worth the 10 Kč.

It's also no big deal over here for a female attendant to go in to the men's room while it is in use.  This includes men's locker rooms at the gym.  Yes, it can be a bit distracting at first when the cleaning lady starts sweeping around your feet while you're standing at the urinal but you eventually get used to it.  The women are just doing their jobs.  Besides it's nothing they haven't seen before.

Most toilets in Europe are designed to conserve water so you will usually find two buttons.  A small button if you only need a small flush and a bigger button for when you need a larger flush.

Some toilets have a washout shelf

Most of the commodes here are similar to the ones in the USA.  Mainly that when you sit down, you are sitting over water.

Austrian shelf toilet

In Germany and Austria it is common for there to be a shelf in the bowl where "everything" lands.  This makes inspection much easier.  Don't ask me why.  When you flush the toilet "everything" on the shelf is washed away. 

Turkish squat toilet

In Turkey, parts of Greece, and parts of Italy, I've come across the squat toilet.  Sometimes they flush and sometimes there is a pitcher of water that you pour into after use.  These are not my favorite as it takes a bit of balance.

In some places, the plumbing may be frail so you can't flush the toilet paper.  In this case you have to put the used paper into a bin.

It's not a drinking fountain

Very rarely will you ever see a bidet in the USA but they are quite common in Europe.  For those that don't know, a bidet looks kind of like a toilet but it shoots up a stream of water from the base.  After you use the toilet, you then use the bidet to clean yourself.  This gets you cleaner than just using toilet paper and it saves paper but it can be tricky to use the first few times.

Shower/bidet combo

One hotel in Portugal had a combination shower & bidet.  I've never run across this again.

The douchette

In the UAE and Azerbaijan I came across the douchette which looks like a dish sprayer.  Sort of like a "bidet pistol".  This one must take practice to use and not hose down the entire room.

I guess this about covers everything.  I'm sure someone will leave a comment if I've missed something.

10 Years in the EU

Today is 1 May and it's a public holiday.  Today is also the 10th anniversary of Czech Republic joining the European Union.

In 1952, six countries (Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, France, Netherlands, and West Germany) formed the European Coal and Steel Community.  In 1953, Denmark, Ireland and the UK also joined.  This eventually developed in to a European common market.

Greece joined in 1981 and Portugal and Spain both joined in 1986.  After German reunification in 1990, the EU picked up what used to be East Germany.  Sweden, Finland, and Austria all joined in 1995.

2004 was a big year for the EU.  The single largest EU expansion (number of countries, territory, and population) occurred in 2004.  The EU welcomed Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania joined.  Last year, Croatia became the newest member.  Today, the EU contains 28 countries and more than 500 million people.

Still, not every country in Europe is an EU member.  Norway, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland are not members.  Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey are all candidates to join the EU.  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Ukraine are not yet even candidates to join. 

Czechs have gained economically from joining the EU.  Plus it's a heck of a lot easier for Czechs to travel now.  However, many Czech people consider EU legislation as a negative and only around 20% or so of the people want to give up the Crown for the Euro.

Update:  Here's a video I found out on YouTube about the European Union.

©CGP Grey

Update:  15 years in the EU.

Update:  The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020.

Update:  Here's a short 5½-minute video on how the EU works.

©CNBC International

Update 2025:  Here's a short video about the EU.

©EU Made Simple

15 Years in NATO

Today was the 15th anniversary since Czech Republic joined NATO. 

NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  The organization came about after WWII.  It is a military alliance where all members agree to mutual defense.  An attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all members.

The alliance is headquartered in Brussels.  

Back in 1949, the alliance began with 12 members - Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the USA.  

Greece, Turkey and West Germany joined in the 1950s and Spain joined in 1982.

Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined in 1999 becoming the first former Warsaw Pact members to join the alliance.

Seven new members joined in 2004 - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.  Albania and Croatia both joined in 2009.

Today there are 28 members.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia are all in the process of joining as well.  Georgia is another aspiring member.  Given the problems in Crimea, I'm sure that Ukraine wishes it was currently a member.

Macedonia fulfilled the requirements to join at the same time as Albania and Croatia, but its membership was blocked by Greece over the country name of Macedonia.    

Here's a NATO video timeline I found out on YouTube.

©NATO

 

I also found a video from 2011 showing Czech NATO troops training police recruits in Afghanistan.

©NATO 

Update: Montenegro joined in 2017.

Update: 2019 is the 20th anniversary of joining NATO.

Update: 2019 - Here's the Czechia is NATO - We Are NATO video.

©NATO 

Update: North Macedonia joined in 2020 becoming the 30th NATO member.

Update:  September 2022 - Here's a short video I found on YouTube about how a country joins NATO.

©NATO

Update: 4 April 2023 - Finland became the 31st member of NATO.

Portugal Trip Summary

Portugal was great and we had a very relaxing week exploring the country.  It was also well-timed as we only had to deal with one day of snow in Brno before we left.

The 1st time on TAP

We left from Vienna Airport on TAP airlines and flew direct to Lisbon.  Once we arrived we took the train 2.5 hours north to Porto.





Porto is quite a lovely city with lots to see. We also enjoyed Nova de Gaia and some excellent port wine.

Porto's Atlantic coast

And although it was a bit chilly in January, I was so nice to see the ocean.

We also discovered Francesinha.  Porto's famous "Little Frenchie" sandwich.  Basically a sandwich of ham, sausage and skirt steak covered with melted cheese and topped with a fried egg.  The sandwich sits in a warm sauce made from tomato and beer.  One of these at lunch time and you were still full at dinner time.

The most sophisticated McDonald's ever

I'm not a big fan of McDonald's.  However, Porto is home to the coolest Mickey D's that I've ever seen.  The art deco stained glass windows and chandeliers throughout the place are incredible.


Plus, a couple of coffees and desserts was only €3.60 ($5).  Way more economical than Geneva.  



By the time we could navigate Porto without a map it was time to take the train down to Lisbon.  I really enjoyed Lisbon.  There was so much to explore that it was tough to fit everything in.

Belém Tower

Lisbon is built on a number of hills so you definitely get your exercise in just walking through the town.

Krasimir at Alfama

Almost everyone here speaks English, French or Spanish.  And if they don't then you can easily get by with hand gestures and less than a dozen words of Portuguese.

The one thing that I didn't care for were the drug dealers.  It really got on my nerves, while going out for an evening walk, to have dealers offer me marijuana or hashish.  It was usual to be approached at least six times per evening.  It never felt unsafe but it was annoying.  Perhaps we looked the part?  Or maybe it's just because there are way more tourists in Lisbon because this never happened in Porto.

Palace Square

Heights aren't my favorite thing in the world.  However, I did push myself to go for a cable car ride along the ocean.



My favorite discovery in Portugal was Maracujá Fanta.  I love anything with passion fruit and this is awesome!  Why, oh why, don't they have this in Czechland? 


From Lisbon we took a day trip to Sintra.  All of the castles and palaces are amazing.  It's well worth the trip.  If we had the time, we would have spent the night so we could have had two fulls day there.  Maybe next time.

Overall a great week in Portugal.  It did rain every day we were there but it never rained all day long, and certainly not enough to ruin the trip.  We're keen to visit Portugal again.  Other places on the list for next time include Faro, Coimbra, Fátima, Nazaré and Guimarães.