French responses to the Prague Spring: connections, (mis)perception and appropriation

Looking at the vast literature on the events of 1968 in various European countries, it is striking that the histories of '1968' of the Western and Eastern halves of the continent are largely still written separately.1 Nevertheless, despite the very different political and socio-economic contexts, the protest movements on both sides of the Iron Curtain shared a number of characteristics. The 1968 events in Czechoslovakia and Western Europe were, reduced to the basics, investigations into the possibility of marrying social justice with liberty, and thus reflected a tension within European Marxism. This essay provides an analysis specifically of the responses by the French left—the Communist Party, the student movements and the gauchistes—to the Prague Spring, characterised by misunderstandings and strategic appropriation. The Prague Spring was seen by both the reformist and the radical left in France as a moderate movement. This limited interpretation of the Prague Spring as a liberal democratic project continues to inform our memory of it

A Public Christian Library: A Unique Model For Evangelism

The following profile article is designed to share an example of a unique model of ministry based on the concept and vision of a public Christian library located in a marketplace environment, open and available to the general public. Prague Christian Library, located in the capital city of the Czech Republic, was originally established and received government approval as a non-profit foundation in the Spring of 1999

Boston University Chamber Orchestra, September 27, 2005

This is the concert program of the Boston University Chamber Orchestra performance on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 8:00 p.m., at the Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Works performed were Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D.759 "Unfinished" by Franz Schubert and Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 "Prague" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Center for the Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Czechoslovakian media and the European dimensions of the Prague Spring. A case study on Literárky

This article explores the Prague Spring and its European context, focusing on the journal Literárni Listy. Firstly, I outline the situation for the press and censorship of the media before 1968 in Czechoslovakia. Secondly, I show the changes and opportunities brought about by the Prague Spring. Thirdly, using examples of some articles from Literárni Listy I try to show not just a particularly Czech, but the European context of journalism of that time.Este artículo explora la Primavera de Praga en su contexto europeo, centrándose en la revista Literárni Listy. En primer lugar, se esboza la situación de la prensa y de la censura de los medios de comunicación de masas antes de 1968 en Checoslovaquia. En segundo, se muestran los cambios y oportunidades abiertos por la primavera de Praga. En tercero, usando ejemplos de algunos artículos de Literárni Listy se intenta mostrar no sólo el periodismo checo de aquel tiempo, sino el contexto general europeo

Design and Fabrication of 3D Electrostatic Energy Harvester

This paper discusses the design of an electrostatic generator, power supply component of the self-powered microsystem, which is able to provide enough energy to power smart sensor chains or if necessary also other electronic monitoring devices. One of the requirements for this analyzer is the mobility, so designing the power supply expects use of an alternative way of getting electricity to power the device, rather than rely on periodic supply of external energy in the form of charging batteries, etc. In this case the most suitable method to use is so-called energy harvesting – a way how to gather energy. This uses the principle of non-electric conversion of energy into electrical energy in the form of converters. The present study describes the topology design of such structures of electrostatic generator. Structure is designed and modeled as a three-dimensional silicon based MEMS. Innovative approach involving the achievement of very low resonant frequency of the structure, while the minimum area of the chip, the ability to work in all 3 axes of coordinate system and ability to be tuned to reach desired parameters proves promising directions of possible further development of this issue. The work includes simulation of electro-mechanical and electrical properties of the structure, description of its behavior in different operating modes and phases of activity. Simulation results were compared with measured values of the produced prototype chip. These results can suggest possible modifications to the proposed structure for further optimization and application environment adaptation