Heroine of our time

Any Czech with eyes and ears already knows that TV star Veronika Žilková and her partner, Martin Stropnický, are expecting their 10th child. In the Soviet Union, this would make Žilková a mother-heroine (except that three of the kids are his and two others are adopted), but in the CR it simply makes her crazy. Hardly anyone can understand why she'd want to give birth to a fifth child. She explained to Czech TV that Czechs have other priorities, such as traveling and buying refrigerators. Children don't fit into the schedule. It's a reality of the 21st century that everyone, including banks, cellphone operators, car dealers and - lest we forget - the state, wants a share of the consumer's wallet. Marketing plans are designed around increasing this share at the expense of everyone else. It's the babies that are being squeezed out. Žilková is one of the few lobbyists working on their behalf. [Czech Republic television birthrate]