Rome Family Reunion

Today was a little reunion on Skype with the Rome family.  It's hard to believe that our trip to Rome was 9,5 years (and 4 kids) ago.  Where does the time go?  

I haven't seen Janelle since the Rome trip.  I saw Eiko in Helsinki in March.  I think I last saw Liz at Eiko's wedding in Helsinki in 2016.

Since we couldn't get together this year, due to COVID-19, Skype was the the next best thing.  

2020 Pride Business Forum

The 10th annual Pride Business Forum was supposed to take place in Prague on 17 June but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

So today the event was streamed live, with parts having been pre-recorded.  I was impressed with how well the organisers pulled this off.
The entire event is available on YouTube.  It is 2 hours, 44 minutes long.

©Pride Business Forum

Among the key guests include:

Fabrice Houdart, Managing Director, Out Leadership

Vladimír Dlouhý, President, the Czech Chamber of Commerce

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on SOGI

Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of Prague

Dagmar Kuchtová, Director General, the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

For the first time, IBM placed first for the the LGBT Friendly Employer Award.  If you don't watch the entire video you can skip to IBM winning at 1:46:41.

The jury praised IBM's comprehensive approach to LGBT equality in the workplace, including setting internal rules against discrimination and homophobic / transphobic bullying, a proactive approach to recruiting and retaining LGBT talent, active work by internal employee resource group and strong support for LGBT people in Czech society.  In particular, the jury praised the active role that IBM's management played in the country's debate on equal marriage in 2019.

IBM tied for first with last year's winner Vodafone.

My FWAB Arrived

My Federal Absentee Write-In Ballot, that I had to drop off at the Prague Embassy almost three weeks, arrived in Atlanta.  It took about 2,5 weeks via diplomatic mail to the USA and then normal post to Georgia.  The good news is that I have confirmation that they received my ballot.

I was able to cast a vote for President and for the Senate.      

At least I was able to submit the write-in ballot.  Given the postal delays due to COVID-19 it's anyone's guess when my real absentee ballot will actually show up.

New State of Emergency

As of today there is a new state of emergency in Czech Republic. The country was doing well in keeping COVID-19 in check, including being the first country to mandate face masks.  However, with the recent surge of cases, Czechia is now the worst country in Europe for new infections.

The new state of emergency will last for 30 days.

• Groups over 10 people indoors or over 20 people outdoors, except for family members, are prohibited.
• Concerts and theatre performances involving singing are prohibited. 
• Theatre, film or other performances, without sining, can take place for less than 500 people.  Everyone must be seated and no refreshments are allowed.
• Sporting events can take place with up to 130 people but no spectators are allowed.
• Religious services may take place for up to 130 people but no singing is allowed.
• Restaurants can only have up to 6 people at a single table.  There needs to be 2 metres between tables.
• In all red or amber regions, only distance learning is permitted for secondary schools, higher vocational schools, and universities.
• Plus masks are back.

Hopefully this will allow things to get back on track.

Update:  As of 9 October there are additional restrictions.

• All casinos and gambling places are closed.
• The use of indoor sports grounds is prohibited.
• All swimming pools and wellness facilities are closed.
• All zoos are closed.
• Restaurants now must close at 8 pm with no more than four people allowed to sit at a single table.
• At food courts only two people can sit at a table together.
• A maximum of two people may enter shopping centres together.
• No public wireless internet is available in shopping centres (to prevent people from congregating there).

Update:  As of 12 October there are additional restrictions.

• All cultural, sporting and social events, religious services, dance or club events are cancelled for over 10 people indoors or 20 people outdoors.  There's an exception for members of the same household.
• All trade fairs, fun fairs, and carnivals are prohibited.
• Weddings and funerals can have up to 500 people as observers.  A maximum of 30 people can be active participants while maintaining social distancing of at least 2 metres and wearing masks. 
• Students are not allowed at universities except for clinical, practical teaching and internships for students in general medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and healthcare programmes.
• Teaching at secondary schools, higher vocational schools, and conservatories is prohibited.
• Elementary schools are divided into half-classes and the classes alternate weeks. Al l school clubs and leisure centres are banned.
• Group language school courses are prohibited in person.

Update: As of 13 October there are additional restrictions.

• School attendance is banned on 26 and 27 October.
• Public authorities will limit public office hours, over the next two weeks, to only two days per week, for five hours per day.
• Visits to medical and social facilities are banned.
• Masks must be work at mass transit stops, platforms and waiting rooms.
• People may not congregate in one place, either inside or outside, in groups over six people.
• Bars and Restaurants are closed.  Take out windows can operate only until 8 pm.
• All music, dance, gaming, social clubs, and discotheques are closed.
• Public consumption of alcohol is prohibited.
• Elementary schools will be completely closed from 14 October until 2 November.  

Update:  As of 21 October, people have to wear face masks even in cars if they are not from the same household.

Update:  As of 22 October, the free movement of people is prohibited.  You can travel to and from work, to see family, to visit the doctor or to purchase basic necessities.  Hotels and other accommodation facilities are closed, as are food courts in shopping centres.  All non-essential retail stores are closed.

Update:  As of 23 October, visits to people in jail, prison or pre-trial detention are prohibited.

Update:  As of 28 October there's a curfew in place from 9 pm to 5 am.  You can only go out during curfew when going to/from work, seeking medical attention or to walk your dog within 500 metres of your residence.  

Update:  The state of emergency has been extended to 20 November.

I Voted

Due to the postal delays I still haven't received my absentee ballot.  Fortunately there's the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 which allows for overseas American citizens who have applied on time for a ballot but still haven't received it to use a write-in ballot.

Today I dropped off my Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) off at the American Embassy in Prague.  Today was the last day to drop off ballots at the embassy.  The ballots will now go via diplomatic mail to Washington, DC, and from there by regular mail to the appropriate polling stations in each state.

So my ballot will now get to Atlanta in time for the 3 November election.

It was a whirlwind day.  Normally I would go to the Bratislava embassy because it's closer to Brno but the border is closed with Slovakia.  

So I spent 3 hours on a train to Prague, then caught a tram across town to the embassy, dropped off my ballot, went back to the train station and caught the next train back to Brno.  Quite a bit of travel and I was only at the embassy for five minutes.

It was kind of ironic that while on a train to cast my vote for president that I used the time to study for my Czech citizenship test on 5 December.  

At least I'm still hoping that my exam will be on 5 December.  I have a sinking feeling that it will get postposed again in the next round of COVID-19 restrictions.

Update:  My FWAB arrived in Georgia on 20 October.

Update:  My real absentee ballot didn't arrive until 4 November.

Absentee Ballot Status

Back in May I mailed in my application for an absentee ballot so that I can vote in the U.S. Presidential election in November.  My last address in the USA was in Atlanta so I get to vote still as a Georgia resident.  At least for federal offices.  As a non-resident, I don't get to vote in state or local elections.

There are only seven weeks until the election but Georgia won't issue my ballot until next week.  Due to COVID-19, the mail is delayed and it took +7 weeks to get birthday cards from the USA.  

So soon as my ballot arrives I head to the Prague Embassy to submit my ballot.

As an American citizen I get to vote in federal elections even though I live overseas.

An EU national living in another EU country has the right to vote in municipal and European elections held in the country they live in.  For example, an Irish citizen living in Czechland get to vote for a Czech MEP.  But an Irish citizen doesn't get to vote in Czech national elections because he or she is not a Czech citizen.

Not all EU countries allow citizens to vote in national elections if they are not residents.  Ireland doesn't allow citizens to vote in national elections if they don't live in Ireland.  

I remember Scottish friends in Brno saying that they didn't get to vote on Scottish independence because they weren't living in Scotland at the time of the election.

To me this always seems odd that a citizen doesn't get to vote in national elections if they aren't a resident. But then again, they don't have to pay taxes at home on income earned abroad.  They pay taxes only where they earned the income.  Americans get to vote while living abroad but we also pay taxes in the USA on income earned abroad.

I don't know if Czech citizens get to vote in national elections if they live abroad.  Probably not, but if someone knows then please let me know.

Update:  My absentee ballot didn't arrive until 4 November, the day after the election.

Masks Are Back

As of today masks are back.  They have to be worn on public transport and public indoor areas like grocery stores, office buildings, post offices, and all medical offices.

Indoor events over 100 people and outdoor events over 1000 people are prohibited. 

Support for Belarus

On Sunday there were rallies in Prague and Brno to support the protests going on in Belarus.  The protests going on in Minsk are against Alexander Lukashenko who has led the country for 26 years.  

He became president in 1994 when Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union so he is the only leader that the country has ever had.  Lukashenko is known as the last dictator in Europe.

The Jošt statue in Brno now displays the Pahonia on its shield.  

The Pahonia was the official emblem of Belarus in 1918 and from 1991 to 1995.

Update:  8 October 2020, the Belarus government has pretty much shut down the embassies of Poland and Lithuania in Minsk.  The government has accused them of meddling in its internal affairs.  In solidarity, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, and Latvia will now recall their ambassadors to Belarus.  The EU has blacklisted 40 Belarusian officials over the police crackdown on demonstrators against rigged elections.

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

Czech AIDS Aid Society

On Thursday I went to the University Hospital for a free HIV test.  Česká společnost AIDS pomoc (ČSAP), the Czech AIDS Aid Society, is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1989.  They offer free, anonymous HIV testing at several locations called "checkpoints" across the country. They also provide counselling and accommodation services for people who are HIV-positive.  All of their funding comes from subsidies and donations.  

Checkpoints for testing are in Prague, Brno, České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, Ostrava, Teplice, Ústi nad Orlicí, and Ústi nad Labem.

In Brno, the testing is at Bohunice hospital in the Department of Infectious Diseases.  Every Thursday from 3 to 6 pm.

There is a pre-test questionnaire that you have to take.  I went online and completed the questionnaire before I arrived.  It's not mandatory to complete it ahead of time but I thought it would be faster.  Plus online you can complete it in Czech, English, or Slovak. I was given an 8-digit code which I gave to the nurse.  With this code I have the option of getting my results online or I could come back later to pick them up in person.  

Everything was really easy.  I got there a little early so I was the first person in line and I was done in about 10 minutes.  I was told that the results would be available in 5 to 7 business days.

Well it turned out to be much faster.  I had the test on Thursday afternoon and I randomly checked today and the results were back.

In addition, they also test for syphilis and hepatitis C.

Regular testing is important and most people know their Facebook status but not their HIV status.  

Update:  As of 1 October, the Brno Checkpoint is temporarily closed due to COVID-19.  I assume that the other locations are closed as well.