AZ Tower

Brno is about to get a new skyscraper.  Construction on the AZ Tower began in 2011.  It is scheduled to open at the end of the month.

The 30 floor high rise will have retail, office and residential tenants.  Construction cost over 800 million Kč (+$40M), not including VAT.

It will be 111 meters (364 feet) tall and it will be the tallest building in the Czech Republic.  AZ Tower will beat Prague's tallest building by only half a meter (1.64 feet).  It's got a futuristic look to it and the orange color is a bold choice.

Republic of Azerbaijan

The Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.  It sits on the Caspian Sea and borders Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.  There is an Azeri exclave, Nakhchivan, that is between Armenia and Iran.  Azərbaycan is a little smaller than Maine and is home to almost 9.4 million people.  The capital is Baku.

Azerbaijan is rich in oil and natural gas.  It is known as "The Land of Fire."  It was pretty progressive in the past.  It was the first Muslim-majority country to have operas, plays and theater.  It was also the first Muslim country to grant women equal rights with men.  And it did so before women in the USA had the right to vote.

In 1920, it was invaded by the Soviet Union and became the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.  In 1991, it gained independence when the USSR broke up.

Occupied territory in Azerbaijan

Not long after gaining independence, the country went to war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karbakh, a mostly Armenian section of Azerbaijan.  A cease-fire was brokered in 1994 but Armenia still controls 16% of Azeri territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh.  Around 30,000 people died in the war and about 1 million people have been displaced.  The borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia remain closed.  Anyone with a passport stamp from Nagorno-Karabakh is refused entry in to Azerbaijan.  Regardless of citizenship, having an Armenian surname will prevent one from even obtaining a visa.

Azeri is the official language.  It is very similar to Turkish.  It is also spoken widely in northwest Iran.  Azeri used to be written with an Arabic/Farsi script but the Soviets replaced it with the Cyrillic script.  When the country became independent, the language took on a modified Latin script.

About 95% of the country is Muslim with the vast majority being Shiite.  However, the country is a secular state and overall the country is not very religious. 

1 Manat = $1.28 or €0.99

Today the country is a constitutional republic.  In 2012, it began its two-year term on the UN Security Council.  But more importantly, last year it was host to the 2012 Eurovision competition.

The country appears to be run by a single family.  Heydər Əliyev, a former KGB colonel, was in charge of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982.  He served as the 3rd president of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003.  His son, İlham Əliyev is the current president and his regime is known for being corrupt and censoring the press.  The first lady is a member of parliament and their children are major shareholders in some of the biggest companies.  Here's a YouTube video I found that gives a little more detail on the Əliyev family.

I hope to spend about a week in Azerbaijan.  That is if I can sort out a visa.  Almost everyone needs a visa in order to visit and the requirements are a pain in the arse.  Plus, for Americans to apply, a single-entry visa runs $160.  We'll see if I'm able to get in or not.

Republic of Armenia

Armenia, Հայաստան, is a landlocked country in the Caucasus.  It is a little smaller than Maryland and has almost 3 million people.  Armenia borders Georgia, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan.  However, the border with Azerbaijan is closed because of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Turkish border is closed because the two countries still don't have diplomatic relations.  Armenia is one of the few countries in the world that has positive relations with the USA, Russia, Iran and Israel...all at the same time.  It's just its neighbors that they seem to have difficulties with.  Yerevan is the country's capital.

In 301 AD, the Kingdom of Armenia became the world's first Christian state.  The country lies in the highlands of Mount Ararat (now in Turkey) which is where Noah's Ark landed after the flood.  Today the Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest national church.

Armenia was part of the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian and Ottoman Empires.  During WWI there was heavy fighting between the Ottoman and Russian Empires.  The Russian army had a contingent of Armenian volunteers so the Turks didn't trust them.  From 1915 to 1917, more than 1 million Armenians were killed in what is known as the Armenian Genocide.  Turkey refuses to acknowledge this.  Here's a video I found out on YouTube that gives sheds more light on this.

Eastern Armenia was eventually annexed by the Soviet Union and became the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic.  Western Armenia was given to Turkey, when Lenin thought that Atatürk would make Turkey a communist country.  He never did and Turkey kept the western Armenian land.


In the 1920s, Moscow assigned the mostly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region to Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous region.  In 1988, the two Soviet republics began fighting over this area.  In 1990, Armenia declared independence from the USSR.  It became official in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved.  All out war broke out in the region.  Not only did the Armenians take Nagorno-Karabakh but a total of 16% of Azeri land.  In 1994, a Russian brokered cease-fire was put in place but the borders are still closed and the countries are still technically at war.  The only way in to Nagorno-Karabkh is via Armenia.  Armenia says it liberated the people.  Azerbaijan says that Armenia is occupying its territory.

$1 = 416 Armenian Dram.  €1 = 537 Dram.

The Republic of Armenia is a multi-party democratic country.  It has been negotiating with the EU to become an associate member.  However, the country is heavily dependent on Russia for energy and trade.  So who knows if Armenia will try to eventually join the EU or remain dependent on Russia.  

Georgia

I'm going to Georgia.  No, not back home to Atlanta.  I'm going to Georgia, the country; not the state.  Even though it came in last place in my travel poll results I've decided to still go.  I'll fly in and out of Georgia and if the visas won't be too bloody difficult then I'll also go to Armenia and Azerbaijan.  This will be my first two week European holiday.  Aside from the 3.5 weeks I took off last year to visit the USA, this will be the first time that I've taken more than a week off to travel.  It should be pretty interesting.  Three ex-Soviet republics; each with its own language and unique alphabet.  The three countries make up the border between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.  Combined they are about the size of the UK and lie between Chechnya and Iran.  Two of the countries are Christian and one is Muslim.  Two of the countries are technically still at war with each other.  So here's a bit about Georgia... 

Georgia, საქართველო, is on the Black Sea.  It borders Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.  It is a bit smaller than South Carolina and has a population of almost 4.7 million.  Tbilisi is the capital.

In the 19th century, Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire.  After the Russian revolution the country was independent for three years until 1921 when it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR as the Georgia Soviet Socialist Republic.  In 1991, Georgia gained independence.  Most of the 1990s was filled with civil unrest and economic hardship until 2003's Rose Revolution when a new government introduced democratic and economic reforms.

In 2004, the government took action to stop corruption.  Today, the World Bank ranks Georgia as #51 in its list of transparency and corruption ratings.  The USA is ranked #19 and the Czech Republic comes in at #54.

Georgia has its own language - Georgian.  It's alphabet is not used by any other language.  There are no upper/lower case letters.  To me, written Georgian looks like a bunch of spaghetti noodles.   

Georgia contains two breakaway republics - Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  Georgia considers the regions to be under Russian military occupation.  While it is possible to visit Abkhazia from Georgia I don't have any plans to go there since it is on the other side of the country.  South Ossetia is much closer to where I'll be but the only way in is via Russia so that's not possible this time.

1 Lari = $0.61

Georgia sees itself as a part of Europe.  It is currently working to become a full member of NATO.  Georgia joining NATO is something that must make Russia uneasy.  It may also have something to do with why Russian troops are stationed in the breakaway republics.

Here's a short video I found out on YouTube that gives a bit more info about Georgia.

Light It Up Blue

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day.  In the USA, April is Autism Awareness Month. 

Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization.  In 2010, it launched it's Light It Up Blue campaign in order to raise public awareness.  Over 7,000 buildings and landmarks, in 90 different countries, will be bathed in blue light tonight in order to draw attention to the cause.

In support of Autism Awareness Month, I'll update my photo on my Facebook and Twitter accounts to the Light It Up Blue logo.

Zelený čtvrtek

This is my 700th post since starting this blog.  Who would have thought that it would have lasted this long?  I used to worry about running out of things to write about but I really don't see that as a problem anymore.  Now I wonder how long until I reach my 1,000th post?

Zelený čtvrtek is "Green Thursday".  This is Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, which is the Thursday before Easter.  In Christianity it commemorates the Last Supper and is followed by Good Friday.

So every Zelený čtvrtek the Starobrno brewery puts out a limited quantity of green beer.  It is only available in select pubs and when it's gone, it's gone.  The green beer is 13° so it is stronger than normal. 

I've been wanting to give the green beer a try since I moved here but I've never had any luck.  In 2010 and 2011 it was pouring down rain so I skipped it.  Then I was out of town last year.  This year I finally made it to the brewery but the weather was super cold yesterday so the outside festivities didn't last long.  The beer was pretty good and I've ticked off another thing from my to-do list.

Baby Bureaucracy

There's quite a bit of bureaucracy involved when having a baby in the ČR.  Especially if you are a foreigner.  Here's some of the "baby bureaucracy" that Claudia and Norbert have been dealing with.  Some of the hoops they are jumping through is because they are not yet married, and some are because they are both foreigners, although they are both EU citizens.

The first thing is that the government needs to determine the parental ties.  This determination of parental ties is automatic for a married Czech couple because according to Czech law, the woman that delivers the baby is the child's mother.  Her husband is automatically the father.

Note:  If the child's father is not the woman's husband then the couple has to make a formal declaration of such at the local registry office.  The law also states that if a couple gets divorced, but a child is born within 300 days of the divorce, then the divorced husband is automatically the father.  If a man is automatically given "daddy" status then he has six months to challenge it.

For people who are not married, and for all foreigners (EU and non-EU), the determination of parental ties is done at the local registry office before the child is born.  Since Norbert is from Hungary, ČR required him to submit a notarized and translated copy of his birth certificate.  There are different rules for Germany.  Claudia had to have her birth certificate notarized and translated.  But then she also had to get an apostille.  She also had to provide proof from Germany that she is single.  Claudia's mom in Berlin got the local register to provide a document that said Claudia has never been registered as married which worked.  Again with the translation, notary and apostille.

While at the registry office, the parents have to declare what the child's name will be on the birth certificate.  This means that the parents have to provide both a boy's name and a girl's name.  It doesn't matter if the parents already know the child's gender.  A boy's name and a girl's name have to be submitted.  The parent's also have to agree what the baby's surname will be.  Hyphenated last names are apparently not acceptable.  If the parents are not married then the child gets the mother's surname.  Due to the Czech name thing, a girl's surname would have the -ová suffix unless a petition is requested.  However, multiple first names are allowed for the children of foreigners.  Once Claudia and Norbert get married they will then be able to legally change the baby's surname.

When the child is born, the hospital notifies the local birth register.  The registry office then issues the child's Czech birth certificate.  This is only proof of birth.  It has nothing to do with citizenship and residency status.

If a child is born in the USA, then the baby is automatically a U.S. citizen.  That's why it is so popular for foreigners to give birth in the USA because the baby is born a citizen and the parents then apply for a family green card.  We call them "anchor babies".  But is isn't only in the USA.  Pregnant women in mainland China try to give birth in Hong Kong so that their baby gets a Hong Kong passport instead of a Chinese passport.

The Czech Republic doesn't play this game.  The only way a newborn gets Czech citizenship is if one of the parents is a Czech citizen.  In fact, there is not proposed legislation that if the mother is not an EU citizen, then the Czech father will have to take a paternity test in order to prove that the baby is a Czech citizen.  I guess there has been a big scam of Czech men claiming to be the father of non-Czech children, giving the baby rights to healthcare and the mother residency status.

If both parents are foreigners then they have 60 days from child's birth to apply for the baby's residency permit.  If the parents have different types of residency status then they get to choose the better one for the child.  If the 60 day window is missed then the baby has to leave the ČR while a new application is submitted with the Czech Embassy in the parent's home country.

Claudia is German and Norbert is Hungarian (this child will have one heck of a temper) so Tünde will get dual citizenship.  They will take translated copies of the Czech birth certificate to the German and Hungarian embassies in Prague.  Who knows what kind of paperwork awaits them at the German and Hungarian embassies?

Visa Time...Again

It's time for another visa extension.  Well actually, it was a couple of weeks ago.  First, I had to get all of my paperwork in order and then I submitted it a few weeks back.  Here's what's required for a non-EU citizen like me:

1. A notarized copy of my original lease.
2. A notarized amendment to my lease extending the contract until 2015.
3. A notarized document from the co-op that authorizes my landlord to rent the flat to me.
4. A copy of the business registry for the co-op board.
5. A land registry statement
6. Since my new work permit is still processing, I had to give proof that it has been applied for.
7. A copy of my passport.
8. A copy of my biometric ID card (which the Foreign Ministry issued me).
9. A copy of my health insurance card.
10. A new passport photo.
11. A four-page application.

I've done this a few times now so I'm kind of used to it.  But somethings I just don't understand.  Why on earth do I need to provide the Foreign Ministry with a photocopy of the ID card which they issued to me?  Shouldn't they be able to look up on the computer that they are the ones that issued it to me and that it is valid?

I've been in the same flat since I moved here.  This is the third time now that I've requested an extension.  The apartment building hasn't moved in all of this time.  So why in the hell do I need to provide a copy of the land register statement again?  Bureaucracy!!!

This year I've gotten smarter about it.  A friend helped me out with getting all of the documents notarized.  And I was told that I can just mail in all of my paperwork directly to the ministry.  Once my work permit is finally approved then I will have to go down to the ministry and submit it.  Then another visit to provide new biometric data for my new visa.  Followed by a third visit to actually pick up my new card.  Ugh!!

Pregnancy Booklet

Claudia is having to deal with lots of baby related bureaucracy.  One of the interesting things, at least it is to me, is that she received a "pregnancy booklet".  Her doctors record all of her pregnancy stats in it. 





She is required to keep it on her and take it with her to the hospital when it's time to Little Tünde to arrive. 

I loved how on the first page, above her name, it's written that she is German.  Like they won't be able to tell when the baby comes and she starts screaming in German.  Only about another four or five weeks!

This "baby passport" is apparently common in Euroland.  I know that they have something very similar in Germany, Austria and Slovakia.  Probably in more countries too.

Brno Waste Collection Fee

Effective January 1, 2013, there is a new fee in place for foreigners living in Brno.  All Czechs in Brno pay a yearly fee for waste collection.  For some reason, I don't know why not, the only foreigners required to pay it before were those with permanent residency.  I think that most people assumed that it was a part of the monthly utilities paid to the landlord.  With so many expats living in Brno, I suppose the city realized that they were losing lots of money by not having us foreigners pay our fair share.

The new rule says that everyone in Brno, including foreigners (both EU and non-EU citizens), staying over three months must pay the garbage collection fee.  The responsibility to pay is on the individual residents, not the landlord or property owner.  The fee must be paid before May 31st or within 15 days of moving in to a new place.  The fine for not paying is three times the yearly amount and can be enforced by seizure of one's property.

The fee is only 675 Kč (~$34) per year.  Back in Atlanta, I used to pay over four times that amount.  Besides, it looks like I've received free sanitation services for almost four years so 675 Kč seems like a bargain to me.  The fee has to be paid by everyone living in a house or flat.  However, a family does not have to pay for a third or subsequent child under the age of 15, (or under 26 for students living at home). 

For people moving to Brno after May, then a pro-rated amount must be paid.  If you move flats, then you have to apply to the city for a refund for your current place, and pay the appropriate amount for the new place.

I went online and arranged a bank transfer for the fee.  It was very easy.  I've been registered with the foreign police since I moved here, so I only had to provide my birth number as my identification.