The E's

Under EU law, E numbers, or what I call "the e's", are the codes used to identify the food additives in Europe.
You find these on food labels over here.  It can be hard enough reading an ingredient label in English.
Forget about trying to figure out Czech, Danish, Lithuanian, or Finnish.  So the e's make it way easier to understand.  All of the e's are broken down to the following groups.

E100 - 199  = Colours
E200 - 299 = Preservatives
E300 - 399 = Antioxidants & acidity regulators
E400 - 499 = Thickeners, stabilisers & emulsifiers
E500 - 599 = pH regulators & anti-caking agents
E600 - 699 = Flavour enhancers
E700 - 799 = Antibiotics
E900 - 999 = Miscellaneous
E1100 - 1599 = Additional chemicals that do not fall into standard classification schemes

Taking this Dutch mayonnaise label as an example.

E270 = Lactic acid (preservative)
E330 = Citric acid
E202 = Potassium sorbate
E160a = Alpha-carotene, Beta-carotene, Gamma-carotene (yellow-orange to brown)
E385 = Calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate

The European Food Safety Authority sets the rules on food additives, definitions, conditions of use, labelling and procedures in Regulation EC 133 / 2008.

Add 1 Challenge

It's time for me to buckle down and seriously improve my Czech.  I took private classes but those ended a couple of years ago.  While I do speak Czech everyday it's not like I'm really improving.  Yes, I can go to the grocery store, mail something at the post office or order a taxi on the telephone.
But I use the same sentences every time so it's not like my Czech is actually improving.

I've got about two years until I start getting my paperwork together to apply for Czech citizenship.  In order to apply I will have to take a test to prove my Czech is at the B1 level based on the CEFR.  My Czech, right now, is probably somewhere between A2 and B1.  But for the citizenship test I will need to have solid B1 knowledge.  So I've decided to join the Add 1 Challenge.

The goal of the #add1challenge is to hold a 15 minute conversation in a foreign language after only 90 days.  Here's how it works...

You have to pick one language that you want to study.  Then commit to a non-negotiable study routine.  My goal is to study for at least 45 minutes per day, five days a week.

Every day you record if you met your daily study goal or not.
There's a private Facebook group and a Slack channel for people to help hold each other accountable.

Along the way there are various assignments and mini-challenges.  Plus every month you need to submit a YouTube video of yourself speaking in your target language.  Everyone has to submit a Day 0 video to show what their current level is.  Then new videos at Day 30 and Day 60.  On Day 91, the final video is due where you have to speak entirely in your foreign language with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes.

I can tell that this will be quite the challenge.  I like the thought of having a goal and controls in place to help keep me motivated.  I had never made a video before so that was a new experience.  I hope to learn how to add in subtitles for my next videos.

Here's my Day 0 video.  Wish me luck!

Update:  No 60 day video.

No More Surcharging

Effective today new EU regulations go in to effect and I'm very happy about it.

Now when you pay for something in the EU with either your credit or debit card, the seller is no longer allowed to charge an extra fee.  Yes!  No more surcharging.

Ryanair used to do this and it always pissed me off.  Now they aren't allowed to charge me a fee for paying with my card.  It's about bloody time.

The rule applies to all card purchases, in shops or online, made in any EU country.

American Express or Diners Club cards, or corporate credit cards where the employer is billed can still be charged an extra fee.

Another new rule has to do with direct debits to your bank account.  If you cancel a service but your account is still auto-debited, then you now have the right to have the payment refunded within 8 weeks.

The Middle East

There are no hard rules about where exactly the Middle East is.  Some consider it to be a geographical term and others consider it a political one.  The term "Middle East" began as a Eurocentric term for the area separating Europe from the Far East.  Most agree that the area consists of the transcontinental region from Turkey to Central Asia, plus the Gulf Area.  Many also include Egypt due to its territory in the Sinai Peninsula.  Others consider North Africa to be part of the Middle East as well.

Definite Middle East countries include: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

North African countries that often get lumped in are Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Sudan.

Middle East history goes all the way back to ancient times.  It is the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Many other ancient belief systems such as Zoroastrianism were also established here.

Islam is the largest religion in the area.  Almost every country, except Cyprus and Israel, have Muslim majorities.  Iran, Iraq, and Bahrain are mostly Shia while most of the other countries are predominately Sunni.  Islam plays a huge role here as the legal systems in most of these countries are influenced by Islamic law.

©Test Tube News

It's a scary place for gays.  Being gay is illegal and punishable by imprisonment in Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the U.A.E.  In Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen, it is punishable by death.   Most of these places aren't high on my travel bucket list anyway.

Arabs are the largest ethnic group in the Middle East.  The five most spoken languages are Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Kurdish, and Hebrew.

With such a large region there are of course many problems.  One of the biggest problems is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  One of the biggest mistakes lately was President Trump, going against years of U.S. prescient and recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.  Almost every other country in the world recognises Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem as illegal which is why all of the foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv.  Here's an NBC video I found out on YouTube showing some of the reaction to the U.S. action.

©NBC

There's currently a big regional power struggle in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia.  Each wants to be calling the shots in the region.

©Test Tube News

Update 2025:  Here's a short YouTube video about why didn't the Arab world unite.

©History Matters

Arab Republic of Egypt

Egypt is considered the cradle of civilisation and was one of the world's first nation states in the tenth millennium BC.
The Arab Republic of Egypt, جمهورية مصر العربية, sits on the Mediterranean and links Africa with the Middle East.

Egypt borders Palestine's Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, and Sudan.
It is more than three times the size of New Mexico.  Cairo is its capital and largest city.

Egypt is home to over 97 million people making it the most populous Arab country and the third largest in Africa.  Most of the country is desert so around 95% of the population lives in about 5% of the country, within 20 km (12 miles) of the Nile River.

Egypt was ruled by Persians, Greeks, and Romans, before the Arabs arrived in the 7th century and ruled for 600 years.  The Ottoman Empire took control in 1517 until 1914 when it came under the British Empire.  In 1922 it became a monarchy and gained partial independence from the UK.  It gained full independence when it became a republic in 1952.  It merged with Syria in 1958 to become the United Arab Republic, which dissolved in 1961.

The Egyptian Pound is the official currency.  Egypt is a regional power and is Africa's second largest economy.  It is one of only two Arab countries, along with Jordan, to have signed peace treaties with Israel.

Islam is the state religion and it is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country.
Egypt is not a place to be gay.  While homosexuality is not illegal, the state uses morality laws against debauchery to fine and imprison people for up to 17 years with or without hard labour.

Arabic is the official language.  Egyptian Arabic is well understood across most Arabic-speaking countries due to the popularity of Egyptian cinema and music.

Here are a couple of short videos I found out on YouTube about what's going on in Egypt.

©Test Tube News

©Test Tube News

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon , المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية‎, is in the Middle East at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe.  Jordan borders Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.

Jordan is home to more than 10 million people and the country is a bit smaller than Indiana.  Amman is the capital and its largest city.

The area was under the Ottoman Empire for 400 years until the end of WWI.  The Emirate of Transjordan became a British protectorate in 1921.  In 1946, it became the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan and took its current name in 1949.

The country is a constitutional monarchy where the king has wide executive and legislative powers from the government and parliament.

Arabic is the official language and about 95% of the country practices Sunni Islam.  The Jordanian dinar is the official currency.

Jordan is considered to be one of the safest countries in the Middle East.  Along with Egypt, it is one of the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel.

Jordan is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) where the EU tries to increase links with its neighbours.  Jordan has "advanced status" allowing for more exports to the European Union.

Here's a short video I found out on YouTube about Jordan.

©Test Tube News

State of Palestine

The State of Palestine, دولة فلسطين‎, is the de jure sovereign state consisting of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  All of the Palestinian territory combined is a bit smaller than Delaware and it is all located in Israel.  The West Bank borders Jordan and the Gaza Strip borders Egypt.

Along with the Vatican, Palestine is recognised by the United Nations as a non-member observer state.

Palestine is home to over 4,5 million people.  It's administrative centre is in Ramallah but its capital is East Jerusalem which was annexed by Israel in 1980.  East Jerusalem has 456,000 people of which about 60% are Palestinian and 40% are Israeli.

Arabic is the official language.  As it doesn't have a currency of its own, people rely on the Israeli shekel, Jordanian dinar and Egyptian pound.

There has never been a country called Palestine.  The area was ruled for centuries by the Ottoman Empire and after WWI, the League of Nations placed the area under British mandate.

In 1947, the United Nations recommended the British Mandate for Palestine be divided to create two countries - Israel and Palestine.  The Jews accepted the recommendation but the Arabs didn't.  On 14 May 1948, the Israeli State was proclaimed and the very next day the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq all invaded.  Israel won and ended up claiming more land.

I'm planning on another trip to Israel in February.  Hopefully, there won't be any rocket attacks coming out of the Gaza Strip like last time.  On one of the days I hope to enter the West Bank and visit Bethlehem.

Here are a couple of short videos I found out on YouTube that gives a bit more background.

©Test Tube News

©Test Tube News

2018 Public Holidays

2018 is going to be another great year for travelling.  Like last year, there are only 250 work days this year.

Of the 13 Czech public holidays, only two of them fall on the weekend.  There are a couple of four-day weekends and five days off for Christmas.

Now to plan a few trips so that I can maximise my holiday time.

London New Year's Day Parade

The big new year's event in London is the New Year's Day Parade.  The parade consists of over 8,000 performers from across the world.








This year my niece was selected as one of four cheerleaders from her high school to participate in the parade.  This was her first trip to Europe so, of course, Uncle Chris had to go see her.

In between practices, the girls had the opportunity to do quite a bit of London sightseeing including a performance of Wicked.

I did get the chance to take her out to dinner a couple of nights.  I was lucky enough to see her in July so two family visits in the same year is just awesome.  She is growing up to be quite the remarkable young lady and it was so fun to hear what she thought of her first visit to Euroland.

With over 8,000 performers, and packed London streets, I knew that there was little chance to actually see her in the parade.  But it was fun to try.

Next time, she needs to come visit Brno.  

100 Years of Czechoslovakia

Šťastný nový rok!  Happy New Year.  And 2018 is a big year for Czechland.  Today is the 25th birthday for Czechia and Slovakia.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia split up in the Velvet Divorce into two separate countries.  At the time only 37% of Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured the split and, unlike Brexit, there was no referendum for people to vote.  The split was decided by Czech and Slovak legislators at Vila Tugendhat.

Today, only 46% of Czechs and 44% of Slovaks think that the split was a good thing.

On 28 October, the country will celebrate the 100 years since the founding of Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia was established on 28 October 1918 as the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke apart.  As an independent nation, it meant that it was the first time since 1620, at the Battle of White Mountain, that Bohemia was not under foreign rule.

The establishment of an independent Czechoslovak state is still a public holiday in Czechland.  But it isn't celebrated in Slovakia.  I wonder if there will be any centennial celebrations in Slovakia this year?