Final Word from Wednesday, October 31, 2007
In the 1958 horror classic "The Blob," the protoplasmic anti-hero consumes person after person before meeting its match in a young Steve McQueen, who stops it cold with a fire extinguisher. Prague's blob, the planned new national library, seemed at first to be set on consuming its own designer, Jan Kaplický, but now Prague Mayor Pavel Bém risks becoming its dinner. Bém and his investment adviser, Roman Janoušek, are trying to double their money by squeezing two major projects onto Letná - the other is the national soccer stadium - but are overreaching this time. Mirek Topolánek wants to turn off the tap. On his side, oddly, is MFD daily, which has started criticizing Bém big time as the wind and readers' preferences change. Unless Václav Klaus finds a fire extinguisher quickly, the blob could morph into a major internal ODS power struggle right around presidential reelection time.[Czech Republic prime minister octopus architect football MF Dnes]