Martha Joy Sullivan

Warm weather came over the weekend. Newspapers reported that the seal-killing season began in Canada. Karel Moudrý died. Sázavafest's organizers informed the public that Moby would play at this year's festival. Led by President Václav Klaus, a coalition of Social Democrats, Communists and several defecting Civic Democrats and Greens toppled Topolánek's government.

Reconstruction of the half-century-old chimpanzee cages began at Brno's zoo. Temperatures dropped and it snowed. Authorities launched a new campaign, Celé Česko čte dětem ("The Whole Czech Republic Reads to Children"), which aims to get parents to read fairytales to their offspring more often.

The ski season ended and larks returned. The first stork landed in Tachov. According to the latest statistics, the Czech Republic officially fell into recession. Brno city hall set up on its premises an advisory clinic and a room for Brno residents in crisis. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Prague on the 10th anniversary of the country's accession to NATO.

Snow melted and rivers swelled. Asteroid 2009DD45 missed the Earth by some 63,000 kilometers. Karel Brückner was dismissed as the Austrian national team coach by the Austrian football association, at his own request. The Karel Gott museum - Gottland - in Jevany was closed down due to a lack of public interest and large financial losses. The government proposed a hike in waste removal fees.

Masopust - the feast of plenty, gluttony, costumes, high spirits and unrestrained entertainment - was celebrated in Czech towns and villages. The threat of avalanches in the Krkonoše (Giant) mountains dropped from level four to level three on a five-level scale. The crown took another dramatic dive.

News agencies reported that the U.S. probe Phoenix had photographed liquid water on Mars. The Czech parliament approved the Treaty of Lisbon. The 2009 World Ski Championships began in Liberec. Oil became cheaper than gasoline. Reports about Eastern European banks’ precarious financial statuses triggered investors to stampede from the Czech financial market.

The mild weather ended and the frost returned. A 60-year-old cross-country skier died of a heart attack at a refreshment kiosk on the Promenádní cesta ("Promenade trail") in the Jizera mountains. Snowstorm Quinten blasted through the country. The Czech National Bank (Česká národní banka) officially announced that the Czech Republic is heading into recession. The Holiday World annual tourism trade fair was held in Prague. January inflation slowed down to a record two percent.

Hurricane-force winds and snow hit the Vysočina region. The prices of summer package holidays went up. Tesco announced it would open 30 new stores in the Czech Republic this year. Police investigators discovered that the detached body parts recently found in the woods near Všerub na Domažlicku belong to a German cook from Munich. The crown experienced a record weakening against the dollar and the euro; analysts warned the public that one euro would cost 32 crowns in no time.

Former President Václav Havel's health improved to extent that that consulting physicians at Motol hospital released him for out-patient care. A flu epidemic arrived in the Czech Republic. PC component prices rose. The government's economic council presented its stopgap plan for the financial crisis: support exports, cut taxes and improve transportation systems in remote regions. The iPhone for the poor - the Google Phone - arrived on the market.

Doctors at Motol hospital announced that the condition of former President Václav Havel, who was operated on recently after suffering respiratory problems, had improved slightly but remains in a serious condition. A three-meter-high Jan Palach memorial was unveiled in Mělník. European banks announced their preparations for the next round of financial crises.

After having problems breathing and swallowing, former President Václav Havel underwent surgery at Motol hospital and attending physicians announced that his condition remains serious. The Czech crown weakened considerably. After a seven-day shutdown, Russia reinstated gas supplies to Europe but the gas didn't flow. Meteorologists warned citizens that the bitterly cold weather would continue.

Snow fell and freezing temperatures followed. It was minus 36 degrees Celsius in the settlement of Jizerka in the Jizerka mountains. "Apprehensively - that's how the Czech Republic approached 2009; its citizens are concerned about the impending economic crisis, which analysts say will soon hit the country full-on," Lidové noviny titled the headline story of its first January issue.

The media reported that proton beams had been circulated in the giant particle accelerator in Switzerland for the first time, marking the launch of Europe's Big Bang project. The Czech crown jewels were put on display at Prague Castle. Six clinics in the country began testing a hopeful new cancer drug developed by Czech scientists.

The Peace Light of Bethlehem arrived in the Czech Republic. The price of petroleum dropped to the lowest price it has been in the last seven years. During an inspection trip across Afghanistan, a delegation of Czech politicians survived a Taliban missile attack on the Czech army base in Kandahar.

Newspapers carried the news that Martha von Bulow, who was in a coma for 28 years, had died. Parliament approved the budget. The constitutional court ruled that it is legal to grow marijuana in the Czech Republic. According to detailed data from the Czech Statistical Office (Český statistický úřad), the domestic economy has slowed down more in recent times than expected.

The ski season started. The Dalai Lama visited Prague, where he lectured on the best path to happiness at the Prague Congress Center (Kongresové centrum Praha). Czechs stopped spending. The UN's annual symposium on global warming was held in Poznań with Czech delegates in attendance.

Terrorists launched a war on Mumbai. Burger King arrived in the Czech Republic. There were huge layoffs across the country because of the manufacturing crisis. Tatra sent 20 percent of its employees packing. News agencies reported that after 26 years in prison, Christian Klar, a former terrorist, kidnapper and murderer from the Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Faction) who never expressed regret for his actions, was set free in Germany.

U Myšáka, a legendary confectionary, re-opened its doors in the center of Prague. The price of oil dropped. The Czech police presidium received 680 new, blue-and-yellow cars from the state in a ceremony at the Masarykův okruh motor racing circuit in Brno. Three Czech soldiers were injured in Afghanistan when they ran over a homemade mine. The Czech government agreed on continuing healthcare reforms.