Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sapphire bullets of pure love
Pope Benedict XVI has released his first papal encyclical this week. A papal enyclical is an open letter, usually to bishops. This one is addressed to the bishops, priests, decons, religious men and women and all the lay faithful. While I'm not quite sure I fit under any of those categories, I read it anyway. Why?
Because the letter is on a topic that doesn't get enough media time these days: Love.
Of course the press in its coverage is quick to note the full title, "On Christian Love," and is quick to look for controversy in the document--Christian love v. Jewish love v. Muslim love etc. But what I found intriguing, was that he has chosen this particular topic at this particular time in history.
Love. When's the last time you've talked about love with someone? What about the last time you've talked about war? War on Terror? War in Afghanistan? In Iraq? Africa?
These days, war is more about controlling what people are talking and thinking about, and less about guns and body counts. A terrorist attack isn't about the dozens (sometimes more, as we've seen) of people killed, but about the fear it can generate across the globe.
Pope Benedict has sent out his own little bomb to the media. While currently the news media are looking to find out who the Catholic Church is speaking against (gays, unmarried couples, non Christians--if you look hard enough you can find just about any nonCatholic), but that's what the media do these days, if it bleads it leads, right?
But we can hope those headlines will lead more people to devote their brain cells to thinking about love a little more; maybe some media pundits will devote 7 minutes of air time to a discussion of agape vs eros as opposed to a debate on the tactic of Sharon vs Hamas; perhaps a poet or two will write a sonnet about love as opposed to a cry of pain about death and destruction.
Or maybe not.
Because the letter is on a topic that doesn't get enough media time these days: Love.
Of course the press in its coverage is quick to note the full title, "On Christian Love," and is quick to look for controversy in the document--Christian love v. Jewish love v. Muslim love etc. But what I found intriguing, was that he has chosen this particular topic at this particular time in history.
Love. When's the last time you've talked about love with someone? What about the last time you've talked about war? War on Terror? War in Afghanistan? In Iraq? Africa?
These days, war is more about controlling what people are talking and thinking about, and less about guns and body counts. A terrorist attack isn't about the dozens (sometimes more, as we've seen) of people killed, but about the fear it can generate across the globe.
Pope Benedict has sent out his own little bomb to the media. While currently the news media are looking to find out who the Catholic Church is speaking against (gays, unmarried couples, non Christians--if you look hard enough you can find just about any nonCatholic), but that's what the media do these days, if it bleads it leads, right?
But we can hope those headlines will lead more people to devote their brain cells to thinking about love a little more; maybe some media pundits will devote 7 minutes of air time to a discussion of agape vs eros as opposed to a debate on the tactic of Sharon vs Hamas; perhaps a poet or two will write a sonnet about love as opposed to a cry of pain about death and destruction.
Or maybe not.
Prague: 4th best in Europe, unless you're homeless
Germany's Manager Magazin has ranked Prague the fourth best place to live in Europe. The magazine cites a study conducted by the University of Mannheim, which interviewed managers (hence the name) about things such cost of living, career oportunities, etc. Paris topped the list, followed by Frankfurt and Luxembourg.
Having visited all three cities, I'd have to say that as far as culture and beauty go, Prague beats Luxembourg and Frankfurt, although I'd have to say the older EU members have a huge jump on ecological quality. Prague remains more polluted and dirty, like Paris. But that didn't keep Paris' ranking down.
For years Paris was my favorite European city. I remember spending the summer there the year of the bicentennial, 1989. The city never looked so clean. The dome of Les Invalides had been reguilded, dog shit was at a minimum, and terrorism was still something that happened somewhere else. July 14th I walked the city with my French "brother" Benoit, who was visiting from Besancon, near the Swiss border, where I had studied several years before. We drank beers lying on our back under the Eiffel Tower under an enormous full moon--so big I remember arguing with him for miles as we crisscrossed the city whether it was indeed the moon. I thought I'd never live in a place more beautiful.
Paris is a whore of a city, parading her beauties boldly to everyone who visits. Prague's charms are hidden behind (at least in winter) a seemingly inpenetrable greyness. But for the chosen, she will drop her veil, if only for a moment. My favorite moments are walking across the ancient Charles Bridge (built as a tribute to a king's exiled mother) in the grey morning mist. If I'm lucky, just as I hit the midpoint, the mist will part momentarily, leaving the sun to dance on the water, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors, and 500 years of buildings will simply glow. Then the clouds return and the this optical symphony is silenced again. There's something special about that kind of fleeting beauty, that I never felt during my times in Paris.
That said, her beauty can be a cold and unforgiving one. So far this year, the cold has claimed the lives of ten homeless people. A group of local charities have erected a tent city, equipped to house up to 100 homeless people in Prague 7's Letna Park. The city estimates there are close to 4,500 homeless in the city. Shelter capacity is a fraction of that.
I wonder which magazine will publish a ranking of best cities for the indigent? What criteria will they use? Generosity of citizens? Availablity of shelter? Of cheap booze?
Having visited all three cities, I'd have to say that as far as culture and beauty go, Prague beats Luxembourg and Frankfurt, although I'd have to say the older EU members have a huge jump on ecological quality. Prague remains more polluted and dirty, like Paris. But that didn't keep Paris' ranking down.
For years Paris was my favorite European city. I remember spending the summer there the year of the bicentennial, 1989. The city never looked so clean. The dome of Les Invalides had been reguilded, dog shit was at a minimum, and terrorism was still something that happened somewhere else. July 14th I walked the city with my French "brother" Benoit, who was visiting from Besancon, near the Swiss border, where I had studied several years before. We drank beers lying on our back under the Eiffel Tower under an enormous full moon--so big I remember arguing with him for miles as we crisscrossed the city whether it was indeed the moon. I thought I'd never live in a place more beautiful.
Paris is a whore of a city, parading her beauties boldly to everyone who visits. Prague's charms are hidden behind (at least in winter) a seemingly inpenetrable greyness. But for the chosen, she will drop her veil, if only for a moment. My favorite moments are walking across the ancient Charles Bridge (built as a tribute to a king's exiled mother) in the grey morning mist. If I'm lucky, just as I hit the midpoint, the mist will part momentarily, leaving the sun to dance on the water, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors, and 500 years of buildings will simply glow. Then the clouds return and the this optical symphony is silenced again. There's something special about that kind of fleeting beauty, that I never felt during my times in Paris.
That said, her beauty can be a cold and unforgiving one. So far this year, the cold has claimed the lives of ten homeless people. A group of local charities have erected a tent city, equipped to house up to 100 homeless people in Prague 7's Letna Park. The city estimates there are close to 4,500 homeless in the city. Shelter capacity is a fraction of that.
I wonder which magazine will publish a ranking of best cities for the indigent? What criteria will they use? Generosity of citizens? Availablity of shelter? Of cheap booze?
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Jiri X tells a secret
Longtime pro-hemp advocate and journalist Jiri X Dolezal tells the LA Times about the Czech pot smoking culture. Considering the number of Hollywood types who cruise in here, there will be a slight increase in sales this year.
Anybody living here is aware of the Czech's laissez faire attitude about marijuana usage. One friend of mine, an American married to a Czech, loved to take me to his family's cottage, where grandma took care of the bush, which would grow up to 2 meters high. Baby didn't smoke herself, but she enjoyed taking care of the garden.
Anybody living here is aware of the Czech's laissez faire attitude about marijuana usage. One friend of mine, an American married to a Czech, loved to take me to his family's cottage, where grandma took care of the bush, which would grow up to 2 meters high. Baby didn't smoke herself, but she enjoyed taking care of the garden.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Colder than a witch's tit
Moscow's cold snap has moved southwest and I finally bought a hat. While regional cities recorded record lows of -30 Centigrade, Prague, with its traffic induced greenhouse effect, remains in the teens below zero. Still, if you're homeless, that's gotta hurt.
According to Prague Monitor, citing the Czech News Agency (CTK), five people died already from the cold snap.
Night trams are the most common place the homeless can be seen in winter time. Shelters are few. I think there's one by the main train station, but one thing that seems to have clearly resulted from 40 years of Communism is a very strong belief that it's up to the individual to take care of himself.
That said, there is a kind of charity here that doesn't follow official channels. Clothes and other items are usually cleanly stacked near trash cans instead of being donated to charities. Perhaps because it's less shamefull for a homeless Czech to root a dumpster than to stand with his hand out to some do-gooder.
And the other day--the first night of the coldsnap--I noticed a building project whose door was ajar. It wasn't one of thoses abandoned buildings that quickly become squats. This one had workers there daily. What surprised me was that the door didn't look like it was forced. I choose to think it was a subtle example of Czech charity.
According to Prague Monitor, citing the Czech News Agency (CTK), five people died already from the cold snap.
Night trams are the most common place the homeless can be seen in winter time. Shelters are few. I think there's one by the main train station, but one thing that seems to have clearly resulted from 40 years of Communism is a very strong belief that it's up to the individual to take care of himself.
That said, there is a kind of charity here that doesn't follow official channels. Clothes and other items are usually cleanly stacked near trash cans instead of being donated to charities. Perhaps because it's less shamefull for a homeless Czech to root a dumpster than to stand with his hand out to some do-gooder.
And the other day--the first night of the coldsnap--I noticed a building project whose door was ajar. It wasn't one of thoses abandoned buildings that quickly become squats. This one had workers there daily. What surprised me was that the door didn't look like it was forced. I choose to think it was a subtle example of Czech charity.
The cherry pops
Been planning this for I don't know how long. My last efforts at blogging, White Trash Travels lasted all of about a month before I ran out of steam. Of course I was in the midst of great life decisions: Do I stay in Azerbaijan or not? Well, as you can see by the name of this page, I decided to leave my adventures in the South Caucasus and return to my adopted city--Praha, Prague, Prag.
Often referred to as the city of a thousand spires, I think better is to think of it as the city of a thousand villages. Beer being one of the fundaments of the culture, the pub remains king, despite EU homogenization. Every street has its pub and every pub has its regulars.
While I have yet to adopt a local, I do have a few favorites--Na Slamniku, in Prague 6's bourgeois Bubenec neighborhood defies its tony surroundings (it's just across from Le Bistro de Marlene, a favorite of local diplos) by remaining above all a smelly, chilly, beer swilling, heavy rock playing, bring your own toilet paper kind of pub).
Na Slamniku definitely has its own crowd, and while I'd assume they live in and around Bubenec, you just don't see these leather-jacket wearing, mullet sporting, haggard looking types around the neighborhood. Here, I tend to spot well-dressed teens sporting brand-name shoes and high-end mobile phones, speaking Czech, Russian, French, English. The houses in the neighborhoods are all villas, many of which have been converted to embassies or ambassador's dwellings.
Most recently, I've been frequenting speak easies. Places not exactly legal, or at least that's the way it seems. Similar to smoker's clubs, which I first learned about in the '90s, these places have no sinage and you have to ring a bell for entry. Blind Eye, in Prague 3's Zizkov neighborhood is a good one for late night drinking with creatures of the night, while Na Dobesce, in Prague 6, seems to be a house with a bar in the basement.
So I'm back in my adopted city, and finally, more than a year after returning I can say I'm here.
Often referred to as the city of a thousand spires, I think better is to think of it as the city of a thousand villages. Beer being one of the fundaments of the culture, the pub remains king, despite EU homogenization. Every street has its pub and every pub has its regulars.
While I have yet to adopt a local, I do have a few favorites--Na Slamniku, in Prague 6's bourgeois Bubenec neighborhood defies its tony surroundings (it's just across from Le Bistro de Marlene, a favorite of local diplos) by remaining above all a smelly, chilly, beer swilling, heavy rock playing, bring your own toilet paper kind of pub).
Na Slamniku definitely has its own crowd, and while I'd assume they live in and around Bubenec, you just don't see these leather-jacket wearing, mullet sporting, haggard looking types around the neighborhood. Here, I tend to spot well-dressed teens sporting brand-name shoes and high-end mobile phones, speaking Czech, Russian, French, English. The houses in the neighborhoods are all villas, many of which have been converted to embassies or ambassador's dwellings.
Most recently, I've been frequenting speak easies. Places not exactly legal, or at least that's the way it seems. Similar to smoker's clubs, which I first learned about in the '90s, these places have no sinage and you have to ring a bell for entry. Blind Eye, in Prague 3's Zizkov neighborhood is a good one for late night drinking with creatures of the night, while Na Dobesce, in Prague 6, seems to be a house with a bar in the basement.
So I'm back in my adopted city, and finally, more than a year after returning I can say I'm here.
