Word: visitant
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...sorts. The tops of many of the buildings that make up its iconic skyline are decked out in the Olympic colors of blue, red,yellow, green and black, while placards hoisted along its streets proclaim the slogan, LET FRIENDSHIP SHINE. It's all in preparation for this weekend's visit of 13 representatives from the International Olympic Committee, whose judgement could make or break Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Games. (See the top 10 sports moments...
...prankish sculpture at the European Union headquarters in Brussels mocking European stereotypes - the giant piece depicts France as a strike placard, Romania as a vampire theme park, the Netherlands as a submerged set of mosques and Bulgaria as a squat toilet. But even Cerny is happy that Obama is visiting. "It's a miracle that he is paying us a visit, after all," he says. "Well, he could have gone to Brussels...
...Obamas' private dinner may, in fact, be a way of avoiding political awkwardness in the Czech capital: They will not be joining President Vaclav Klaus (a skeptic on global warming) at a state dinner; nor will they be sharing delicious Czech lager at an informal pub visit with Topolanek, whose government collapsed a day before his comment about Obama's stimulus inferno. Czech sources insist that the Americans had turned down those two invitations before the Prime Minister's remark. (See pictures of the Obamas in Europe...
...There's unlikely to be much awkwardness, however, when Obama encounters ordinary Czechs, among whom there is tremendous excitement over his visit. Thousands are expected to gather on Sunday when the President will speak at historic Hradcansky square next to the majestic Prague Castle, a site offering splendid views of the red-roofed, river-laced city. He is expected to talk about reducing the nuclear weapons proliferation. "I am absolutely thrilled," says Jiri Hlupy, 76, a set designer in the local movie industry. He hopes that Obama's presence will "wake up" squabbling Czech politicians...
...Some Czechs are more realistic about the impact of the Obama visit on their own political class. The U.S. President's "goal is to address Europeans in the country [currently] presiding over the European Union and to have a picture taken with [former Czech president and anti-Communist resistance icon] Vaclav Havel," says political scientist Jiri Pehe, a former Havel adviser who heads Prague's branch of New York University. "I don't want to be cruel, but present-day Czech politicians do not interest...